Pizza with God

"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven."  --Henry Ward Beecher

"Do you have peace with God?"

[My sons] Jon and Tim often overheard this big evangelical question, but children hear spiritual jargon in relation to their own experiences. Jon figured this was a good opener for a conversation about God.  So one morning in his public school kindergarten, he tried it out on a new friend. 

He gave the question a fresh twist: "Do you have pizza with God at your church?

To which he replied, “No.”

So Jon confidently announced, “WE have pizza with God.

Later that evening, the five-year-old friend asked his parents if they could please go to Jon’s church because of the pizza—with God, no less. Beyond curious, the parents agreed and came. They were looking for pizza and God.

We met this young family the next Sunday at church, and they explained Jon's compelling invitation.  But afterward, we wondered: was it was truly a misunderstanding or a proper paraphrase?  Maybe he got it right, that sharing a pizza is really how God wants to relate to us.

We decided we liked Jon's interpretation of the big question better. It explains peace as having a delicious slice of life with the Creator of the universe.  What food is more communal than pizza?  And it marks a celebration, too, because every party needs pizza.

Perhaps Jon blended that question with Jesus' words in Revelation 3:20, about wanting to come in and share a meal with us.  At least he understood the meaning:  we can be God's friend, eating slices of pepperoni, trading stories and smiles.

Do we have pizza with God?  Trying to explain the invisible God to a small person, we begin to realize how much we both need the tangible to reveal the intangible. 

This is an excerpt from Never Say No. Visit www.neversayno.co for more information!

Never Say No takes you on a personal journey to learn first-hand how they raised Jon and Tim of Switchfoot. They share practical advice for instilling wonder in a media-saturated culture, cultivating specific gifts, and balancing structure with individual choice. Our purpose as parents is the same as our child’s: to live creatively beyond ourselves, bringing the love, beauty and nature of God to this world. Let the adventure begin.

Mark & Jan Foreman live in the San Diego area, where Mark is lead pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, California. Mark is the author of Wholly Jesus, and holds advanced degrees in Theology, Education, and a Ph.D. in Counseling & Pastoral Care.

Jan is a gifted teacher and artist, and also facilitates partnerships with underprivileged women and children both locally and in developing countries.

Together, they love surfing, sailing, travel and especially being with their family.