The expression “food for thought” has been around for ages. As one of my go-to sayings, I was a bit surprised to discover I’ve never used it as a column title. Here’s some mental fodder I’ve been chewing on recently.

On August 30th The Telegraph had a couple of headlines that caught my attention. The first was “Thieves in Vienna smash museum case for diamond necklace worth millions.” It concerned me because we have three museums in Vienna: The Walter F. George Law Office, The Georgia State Cotton Museum, and The Veterans Museum. 

I was relieved to learn the heist took place in Vienna, Austria. It seems the museum would have had a smash-proof display case, or maybe a guard with a Clint Eastwood style pistol. High-dollar items, including artwork and jewelry, keep getting stolen from museums. That seems suspicious to me. It’s food for thought that doesn’t smell quite right.  

As a side note, reading about our sister city on the Danube reminded me of a concert by the Vienna Boys Choir in Vienna, Georgia. It was probably in the 1980s or maybe a little later. I don’t recall who arranged it, but Jane and I were among the many attendees. I think the boys performed at Dooly County High School, but that’s mostly a guess.   

Another captivating Telegraph headline was “40K pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer reported stolen in California.” My first three thoughts were, “Why? Why? Why?” My next thought was about Billy Beer. Years ago someone suggested that Billy Beer, named after President Jimmy Carter’s hard-drinking brother, tasted like a PBR knockoff. A story circulated about a fellow taking an unmarked sample to have it analyzed by a lab at the University of Georgia. The report came back, “Your horse has diabetes.”

As I’m writing this column, countless media outlets are paying well-deserved tributes to Dolly Parton. I read a thought-provoking comment noting how exceptional it was that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were fans. Her cheerfulness, generosity, and loving spirit, touched folks on every side of every aisle. 

Here’s some food for thought – Dolly’s approach to life might be a good model for faith-based organizations, including my own Southern Baptist denomination. A major headline from our 2023 convention was the ongoing debate about women serving as pastors. Saddlebag Church, founded by Rick Warren, was kicked out of the SBC for ordaining women as pastors. SBC said that was not acceptable. 

My purpose today is not to argue for or against women pastors, so please don’t get sidetracked on a tangent. I’m just suggesting we should focus on matters that are more critical, such as overloaded foster care systems. Instead of “SBC says no to women pastors,” maybe a headline could read, “SBC helping more kids find homes.” My opinion, which has a substantial margin of error, is that we can do better at serving the hurting without hurting the serving.

Some of my food for thought is purely frivolous, like wondering why anyone would steal that beer. For more serious matters, however, here’s what I believe is essential. Whatever entrees are on our food for thought tables, the bread of life should always be in the center.