Today I want to expound: some of you may be reading this and thinking, “What exactly is Soul Food for the Chicken?” We get this constantly. Most of the time the response we see is, “Soul Food for the Chicken! That’s funny! Kind of like the Chicken Soup thing huh?” Well no, not really. But it is kind of funny! That’s why we like it. Just say it out loud once, “Soul Food for the Chicken.” Makes you smile a bit, huh? Or feel like an idiot. Either way, we like it.
Here’s what I want to expound on. The response above is often followed with a question: “So what does Soul Food for the Chicken mean?” And a great question it is. Thus the need for expounding. Our purpose at Soul Food is simple and direct: to give people the courage to be. Yes that’s it. To give people the courage to be. ‘To be what?’ you may ask. I answer that question with a loud, resounding EXACTLY!!!!!!!! The answer to that question only lies within you. Within your dreams. Within your relationships. Within your goals. The answer to the question, ‘to be what?’ is only found in the deep longing of eternity that lies only within YOUR soul. No one else can answer that question for you…except you. No one else can answer that question for me…except me. And to this goal we, at Soul Food, strive. We strive to get others to the point of wanting to be that they finally take a long hard look at who they are meant to be. Thus truly discovering not how to simply exist…but instead how to truly BE…and live…and have life.
I remember, like it were yesterday, standing in the crowd at an assembly honoring my high school graduating class. At this assembly different ones were receiving gifts and awards for our accomplishments during our senior year. At one point in this assembly, each senior’s dad stood up and said a few words about their child. I remember my dad standing before that crowd, chest out, smile on his face, and he said these words to the letter, “Remember my son’s name, Mitchell Gray, and look out for him in year’s to come, because he is going to accomplish and achieve great, great things.” I will never forget those words. I will never forget them because in that moment a daddy looked at his boy and gave him the courage to be. A dad looked at his son and realized that all the dreams that young man had in his heart were not just dreams, they were purpose. Those dreams were exactly what would make that boy become a man, a man with a direction… a man that would one day BE.
I remember a few yars ago in my life. I was at a point of death. Physically, spiritually, mentally. I had suicidal thoughts. One failed attempt. I was seeking ways to run my wife off and kill my marriage. I was dying. Existing, but not even close to being. A close friend came to me one night during this valley of life and said, “Mitch, I’m picking you up at 6:30 in the morning and taking you to Lubbock.” Of course I smiled and made all the excuses: “busy….kids…blah blah blah.” He looked at me, smiled, shook his head and said as matter of factly as I’ve ever seen,”I’m picking you up at 6:30.” The next morning, against my wanting, 6:30 rolled around and off to Lubbock we headed. My friend took me to a mental therapist that day. Little does he realize that on that June morning, he gave me the courage to be. He saved my life. He most certainly saved my marriage. All by taking me on a trip to West Texas, he gave me the courage to be.
So what is this whole ‘Soul Food for the Chicken’ bit? We are a few ragamuffins that simply want people to have the courage to be. This is our purpose, our agenda, and if we must write a thousand blog posts a day, we will. If we must send a million emails, we will. If we must write a thousand songs or publish a hundred books, we will. If we must do hundreds of seminars a year, we will. Whether it be for one or one hundred thousand…we will, all because we are learning what kind of courage it takes to be. All because we want to give you the courage to be. This is my purpose in life. This is the reason for my existence. To give others the courage to be.
Mitch, I have been visiting your site the last 2-3 days catching up on reading all the posts and responses. I am inspired by your commitment to serve God in this way and inspired by reading your posts.
This morning, I really focused in on the post “Giving People the Courage to Be”.
I specifically zeroed in on the following two sentences:
• “Our purpose at Soul Food is simple and direct: to give people the courage to be.”
and,
• “The answer to the question, ‘to be what?’ is only found in the deep longing of eternity that lies only within YOUR soul.”
Reading the phrase “the deep longing of eternity that lies only within YOUR soul” caused my mind to connect to something I read in your book, “THE CROSS BETWEEN”. In Chapter 5: “The Discovery”, you used phrases like “we are wired to discover”, “we are created to seek God”, and “your hunger for adventure is from God…”.
On page 22, you quoted Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says, “God has put into the hearts of man eternity”. I found the Amplified Version’s paraphrase “a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy”, a good interpretation of those words.
It is so encouraging and comforting to know that “…when you are traveling with the Creator, you’ll have no reason to worry because He will provide.”, to quote the final words from Chapter 5 of your book.
Mitch thanks for sharing your unique expression of God and His Son, the Christ, that lives within you, through your gift with words and phrases, on your website and in your book. Godspeed your next book!
Those of you who don’t have Mitch’s book need to read it. Mitch will help you to understand that your relationship with the Savior has to begin at “the cross between” where you can die with Him so that He can live in you!!!