Ooey Goey Chicago Pizza

Ooey Gooey Pizza

April 11, 2023

Chaplain LaVina “Viny” Burns

We love to travel and eat at places indigenous to the area we are visiting. Chicago, IL has an awesome pizza place named Edwardo’s! Oh my lands – you talk about thick crust, the oozing cheese, the toppings that melt in your mouth and the scent reaching heavenward! YUM!!! During our children’s teenage years, we hosted foreign exchange students. It was wonderful! One year, two of our French students wanted to take a trip around America. Their parents were excited for the opportunity for them to take the trip, so we agreed. Our first stop was to head north to Chicago and to allow them the flavor of Edwardo’s. Of course, they loved it! Something new and exciting for their pallets was what we intended to replace the boringness of an everyday hamburger.

Several years back we were visiting a church and to be honest, it was boring! I felt like we were at the local hamburger joint eating the same old, same old. As we sat in the sanctuary my thoughts were centering on the fact, “these people do not know that Jesus, His death burial and resurrection are exciting!” Their music could be pretty, but the praise team looked like they were forced to be standing on the platform to perform! The people stood when told to and sat when asked, but they were like zombies. I searched the room to see if anyone had the look of excitement that they were worshipping the King of kings and Lord of lords! I wanted to hear voices lifted in songs of sharing the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus. NOTHING! The air had the aroma of “we are bored”!! My heart cried out that the stuffed crust pizza was not being served when there is no better buffet served than out of the Word of God! SHAME on them!

No, I do not intend to scold, but we had been visiting several churches and I am appalled at the lack of enthusiasm we have for a Savior who gave His life for us! Years ago in Louisville, KY we were visiting a church and the choir stood to sing, “O Happy Day” by Edwin Hawkins. I sat stunned as I searched over 35 choir members attempting to find a single smile or something telling me they believed what they were singing. NOPE! I could not find one of the singers that convinced me! I began to laugh! Their countenances were so opposite than the meanings of the words in the song, it was sad. I am wondering if they missed the fact they could have stuffed crust Edwardo’s pizza instead of a humdrum meal! They could have the JOY OF THE LORD in their soul, but they chose to settle on mediocracy! How sad!

Listen my friends! We have a Savior that was beaten and hung on a cruel cross because of our sins. He arose again conquering death and our sin! He is in Heaven today preparing a mansion for each of us who believe and have asked Him into our lives to forgive us of our sins. We have a life we can live in joy and eternity in Heaven to look forward to. If that does not produce JOY, then you need to do a self-check and ask God to restore unto you the JOY of His salvation! Do not miss the banquet of a thick, beautiful pizza and settle on the boring! Jesus has too much to offer than boring! Let it show on our countenances and in our lives so others can see what they too are missing!

“Oh happy day, Oh happy day, when Jesus washed, when Jesus washed, when Jesus washed, He washed my sins away!

Oh happy day! He taught me how to watch, fight and pray, fight and pray, and live rejoicing every, everyday, Oh happy day!”

If you cannot sing that with the JOY of the Lord on your face, then you need to memorize Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the JOY Thy salvation and uphold me with Thy free spirit!”