Tag: lavish

Posted in food, forgiveness, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful

Five Guys…REVISIT

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

It was the same but different. So, if you are a regular Grits reader, you probably recall I ran a story not too long about a place named “Five Guys Burgers and Fries.” It is about a burger place (no surprise there) but more than that it was about the lavishness of their portions. I mean the burger is great, the fries are great and the milk shakes–well they are great too. But the most amazing thing is you can order a small burger, a small fry and a regular milkshake and have enough food to feed most of West Africa. It is pretty amazing. Because of their portions, the price was reasonable…until it wasn’t.

So on a recent trip to Valdosta, my wife Judy’s hometown, we were shopping for a place to have lunch. Our “go to” place, a buffet that serves southern cooking, had fallen from grace. For some reason it just wasn’t as good as it used to be. Bummer. Well, out of desperation, I told Judy we would give it one more try but fate intervened. As we were driving, she said, “Hey, there’s a five guys.” Well, shoot that thang!” I whipped into the parking lot and the next thing I knew we were getting ready to order. But, wait, something had changed.

What was that something? Well, it wasn’t the burgers and all the free toppings, it wasn’t the size of the fries nor the milkshake. It was–the prices–they had taken a giant leap up. Here’s the skinny. We ordered two small burgers–one cheese, one regular. After asking if they still poured on the fries and receiving a mostly yes answer, we ordered one small fry. Finally, after seeing the price of the fries settled on two free glasses of water. Now, let’s go over the order. Two small burgers, one small fry and two glasses of free water. That came to a grand total of just over, get ready, hang on, wait a minute–$28.00. 

Well, the truth is I was a bit shocked, even my dear unshakable wife was a bit shocked. Well, the burger was still good, the fries were still good but I’m pretty sure they were not $28.00 good. The best tasting thing was the free water. Gulp! I almost felt like I needed to visit the loan department at my local back before visiting again. One of the signs on the wall boasted that they were voted a great family value. Uh, that had to be before they raised their prices. The bottom line is I love Five Guys–but not that much. I think Steak and Shake just got promoted.

I’m sure glad that there is one place I can go and never have to worry about sticker shock. There is one place where the price has never increased–never has, never will. That place is God’s place. He loved us enough to send His Son to pay for our sins so we would never have to. He is more lavish than Five Guys and everything is free. Forgiveness? Free. Love? Free. Peace? Free. Mercy?  Free. Heaven? Free. Acceptance? Free. Well, you get the picture. What a great God–free, free, free.

So, you might want to still try Five Guys but you might need to visit your bank first. But here’s the great news. You can visit our Heavenly Father where your money isn’t needed.  All you need is faith to believe that what He says it true. He loves you and invites you to His table of grace and it is guaranteed to satisfy your soul. Oh, be sure and took for the sign on the wall that says, “I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, Grace, Scripture, thankful

“Five Guys” Grace

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 Ephesians 1:7-8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

It was a stroke of accidental brilliance and it all started in 1986. Jerry and Janie Murrell offered some advice to Jerry’s four younger brothers. They simply said, “Go to college or start a business.”  They decided on the business route and started a restaurant in Virginia called “Five Guys Burgers and Fries.”  And like they say, “The rest is history.”  Today there are 1,500 locations and 1,500 more on the drawing board.  Their sales pitch is “nothing but fresh beef and nothing but fries cooked in 100% peanut oil.  There are no freezers in the joint only coolers.”

Well, all that is nice but that is not what I like about Five Guys.  I mean they serve one mean burger and their fries are the best of any national chain but that’s not what grabbed me.  So, here’s the deal. I walk in and order a small cheeseburger.  “What” you say?  Yup you heard right. The reason I order a small cheeseburger is because it is big…really big.  But it gets better.  The guy at the counter says, “What do you want on that cheeseburger?”  And here is when it gets really good.  I look up at the sign and there are probably 20 or 25 toppings for the burger.  And get ready.  They are all included at no additional cost.

Did I just say “included?”  Yes sir, I did.  You can have everything from a tomato to a grilled mushroom and the hits just keep on coming.  No extra charge.  Amazing.  The best part is that it is genuinely good food.  Granted burgers and fries for most men are its own food group but you gotta love one loaded beyond words.  But, wait, it is gonna get better.

The guy at the counter says, “You want fries with that burger?”  Hello? Do hens lay eggs? Do preachers eat fried chicken? Do southerners eat grits? “Yes, sir, I want fries” I answer.  So I order a small fry. “What” you say? Yup you heard right.  The reason I order a small fries is man-food heaven.  So, as you watch, they fill a small cup full of fries.  Are you listening? They put the cup in the bag and then they get this scoop the size of a small shovel and dump a full load in the bag.  Wait. Then he gets another half scoop and dumps that in.  Can someone say, “Hallelujah!” Order a small and get a “boat load” for no extra charge.  Holy moley!

But wait…the guy is saying something else.  “Hey dude, do you want a shake with that?” Ok, by now I am drooling all over my shirt.  “Well sure” I respond.  He says, “What kind?”  I look at the sign and there it is.  Heaven.  It says, “milk shakes…all mix-ins are free.” “What?” I said.  “You mean I can have a chocolate, banana, strawberry, tutti-frutti, peanut, marshmallow milkshake with sprinkles on top.” “Yup” he said “all at no extra charge.”  Oh.my.goodness!  Excuse me while I wipe my mouth.

So what amazes me about Five Guys is, are you ready, their lavishness.  Their burgers, their fries, their milkshakes are all lavishly done.  They don’t give you a little of anything.  They pour it on, dump it on and then do it again.  Just like God and His grace.  Paul talks about it in Ephesians 1:7-8.  He says we have redemption though His death, the forgiveness of all our sins (someone say hallelujah) and all because of His grace that He lavished on us.  That means He pours it on, pours it on again and then just keeps pouring.  It is amazing grace because of the quality and the quantity.

I can just imagine stepping up to God’s counter and He says, “What do you need, son?” I like it when He calls me “son.” And I explain how this world is a hot mess, how I have made a mess of everything in my life and how I am sure I can’t fix it. Then I would tell Him I could sure use a little grace.  He would smile and say, “Son, I don’t do anything little, especially grace.”  And then He would begin to pour it on. To borrow from Luke 6:38 where Jesus speaks about giving, the Book says, “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” It’s true about giving but it is also true when we need grace.  It is what lavish looks like.

So as soon as you can go to “Five Guys.” Be sure and order small because you are going to get big.  Order all the toppings you want on your burger, all the mix-ins you want in your shake and let them take care of the fries.  You will leave amazed at their lavishness.  But all that just pales to God’s amazing grace.  Just walk up to the counter and tell Him what you need and get ready.  He is going to pour—no, He is gonna dump— grace all over you.  And, like grace, you are gonna be amazed.  That’s why we can just sit back and rest in Him.  With that kind of grace, you know He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne