Tom McGrath had a wonderful cartoon, sadly now lost, which showed two doors – one marked “God” and the other marked “Discussion about God.”  There is a long line of people standing waiting to get through the door marked “Discussion about God” but there is absolutely no one in front of the one with “God” on it.

What is it about us that we’re more comfortable talking about God than ready to encounter God?

A final card from Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath’s “The Meal Box”:

“Suppose you were told that you could have one wish come true – but that wish you make would have to be for someone else, not for yourself.  What would you wish for, and for whom would you wish it?

Food for Family Thought:  Empathy is a fundamental building block for all moral growth.  Make it a family value to frequently consider how your behavior and choices affect others.  When your child talks about other children’s experiences, gently ask, ‘And how do you thinks he/she felt about that?’  This will nuture your child’s capacity for compassion.”

Another card from Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath’s “The Meal Box”:

“If you could literally jump into the pages of any book you’ve ever read and experience the action along with the characters, which book would you choose?”

Food for Family Thought:  Think about a fictional character (from a book, comic book, movie or TV program) that you admired when you were the age your child is now.  Tell your child about the character and the story, sharing what you most enjoyed and appreciated about them and what lessons you learned.”

Another card from Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath’s “The Meal Box”:

“As best as you can remember, what has been the most exciting moment in your life to this point?

Food for Family Thought:  Your child will go through many challenging moments in life.  You won’t be there for all of them – but God will.  Remind your child of Jesus’ words to his disciples: ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of time.’”

Here’s another card from Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath’s “The Meal Box”:

“When it comes to things that make you really happy, what five things would you rank at the very top?

Food for Family Thought:  When asked what it would take to get to heaven, Jesus said, ‘Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked.’  That’s what parents do each day.  It’s a paradox that our greatest happiness comes when we freely give of ourslves.  Think about that the next time you’re fixing super or folding laundry.”

Good morning!

I’m Tom McGrath and I believe that mealtime is a great time to experience the presence of God. Since social scientists say the family meal is on the endangered list my friend Bret Nicholaus and I decided to do our part to bring fun back to the family meal by creating The Meal Box: Fun Questions and Family Faith Tips to Get Mealtime Conversations Cookin’. Regular readers of People for Others have seen samples over the past few weeks.

Bret Nicholaus LOVES creating questions that help family members and friends learn fun and fascinating things about each other. He’s been writing question books for the last16 years, so this “interest” is nothing new for him. As for me, I’ve been creating resources to nurture family spirituality for decades.

In my years exploring family spirituality, I came to realize that Jesus was onto something when he invited us to break bread in memory of him. Research study after research study has contributed to a mass of evidence showing how regular family meals (5 or more times a week) are good for what ails us. They offer stability during stress and transition. They lower the risks of cigarette use, alcohol use, drug use, and sexual activity in teens and pre-teens. They lower the risk of eating disorders in teens and increase the likelihood of success in school as well as socially. Regular family meals increase children’s health, self-esteem, personal identity, and academic achievement. And though I’ve yet to see any research data on this aspect, I’m convinced regular family meals are also a powerful way to pass on a living faith and communicate a family’s values.

Bret and I both believe that mealtime affords one of the best opportunities to help families grow in their love for one another and in their faith—and a helpful way to do that is to begin with a FUN question!

So let’s get started with a question from The Meal Box. Post your answers—your HONEST answers—and we’ll get the conversation going! Together, we’ll have fun learning about one another and discovering ways to serve up a little faith at mealtime!

Almost everyone, adults included, has a favorite “place” in their mind to “go” when they need to get away from reality for a moment or two. What is your favorite place to daydream about?

I’m virtually sweeping out the family room in time for our guests tomorrow.

Tom you know from the Blog-alogue and Bret you’ve come across from previous mentions of The Meal Box.  Bret and Tom will be “virtually visiting” the blog on Thursday.  They are both husbands and fathers and have a passion for making mealtimes a “sacred space” for families to talk and bond with each other.   They know all about the realities of overly-scheduled lives and so their suggestions for family discussion and reflection are neither overly-pious or heavy.

Bret & Tom will be delighted to talk with you about any questions or issues you might have surrounding families and faith.  Please don’t leave them sitting alone with me in the family room.  Come and join in the conversation.

You can buy The Meal Box at the special discount price of $6.97 from today until Monday.  Click here and enter pfomeal as you check out.

We’ve had a blog-alogue with Tom McGrath.  Next week, on Thursday, we’re going to have a “virtual visit” from Bret Nicholaus and Tom, the authors of “The Meal Box”:  They will “virtually hang-out” for the day at the blog and are ready to answer any questions and respond to any comments you might have.

In the meantime, here’s another of their questions for you.

“If you could change one thing about the way your favorite holiday is celebrated, what would you change?

Food for Family Thought:  Don’t deprive your family of the holiday traditions that are part of their heritage.  As time goes by, one generation may pass up as old fashioned a custom that the next generation would cherish.  Resurrect the ethnic and religious customs (songs, foods, decoratios) that helped sustain a lively faith for your ancestors.”

Here’s another card from Bret Nicholaus and Tom McGrath’s ”The Meal Box,”  

“If you could change the ending to any movie you’ve ever seen, what movie would it be and how woul you change the ending?

Food for Family Thought: Prayer changes things.  It may not automatically change the circumstances I am struggling with, but it does change me. It makes me more willing to seek the will of God and pursue it in my life.  When that happens, I find that what really needed to change were not my circumstances, but myself.”