Nicole’s e-Pistle

May 21, 2025

Greetings, Friends!

There are times when a topic for the e-Pistle comes easily. Then there are times when I desperately look in the strangest of places for inspiration. This is one of those weeks, and after much trepidation, I have found the spark for today’s e-Pistle… veggie tots.

Now, I’m sure you have heard of tater tots, made of tiny cubes of potato molded into small cylinders and fried to a crispy golden brown, but did you know they now make tots out of broccoli? The idea was to help struggling, health conscious mothers like me get something green into their children’s mouths.

The other day, I served these veggie tots, along with mini corndogs and mac & cheese. Now, for my son – no issue. He has grown to like the taste of broccoli… thanks be to Almighty God! Unfortunately, my daughter is smart and knows her colors well. She could see the faintest hint of something that was not brown or beige peeking through the breading, so as I was encouraging her to just take a bite, she broke open the tot, and to her horror saw infinitesimal chunks of green vegetable! She looked at me, trying to mask her sense of betrayal, and helpfully offered to eat the outside crust of each tot.

[Here comes the connection…]

Bjorn then said, “Honey, the part on the inside is the most important.”

In Matthew 15, Jesus said, “Listen and understand: ¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles… ¹⁷ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 

We know the risk of decorating ourselves on the outside but allowing our inside selves to become ugly. We know that we should guard our hearts and control our tongues, but I have another suggestion to make.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news – that Jesus died for our sins that we might be saved… That’s the attractive, deep fried, crispy exterior that gets marketed on a mass scale among all Christians. I venture to say that there is a deeper truth that lies beneath the surface of this Good News – that we are now called to love and to serve others the way Christ has loved us. This is the broccoli part of the gospel message, and unfortunately, some people turn up their noses at the thought of including everyone as a neighbor.

Yet, when we deny anyone access to God’s love, we defile ourselves and distort the gospel message. So whether you enjoy it or not, eat your broccoli and keep lovin’ on your neighbors… all of them!

Blessings and Peace!