In-N-Out

Jesus spoke of God's Word as a seed, with the potential to produce glorious fruit for Him.  We can know that the Word of God will accomplish great things as the human mind is exposed to it.  2nd
Timothy 3 says:
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

There is much that God wants to accomplish in the hearts of people.  Not only does His Word offer principles that we can absorb into our minds and apply to our lives, but the Word of God contains power to accomplish what God desires.  So, even the sharing of a verse or perhaps even a Scripture reference can be used of the Lord to draw people for Himself.  So, we can regard ourselves as being sowers, committed to speaking the truth of the Scriptures.

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The Bible teaches us that God's Word is "living and active," and as people are curious and drawn to
seek out the truths in the Scriptures, life change can happen. Isaiah 55 states:
10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

It is now over and done.  That is the short-lived, ill-conceived boycott of the popular hamburger chain in California, In-N-Out Burger.  Fox News reports that:

California Democratic party chairman Eric Bauman broached the idea of protesting the restaurant last week following reports that the chain had donated money to the GOP.

But on Monday, Bauman seemingly walked back his call to action, in a cryptic statement.

“There is no boycott,” Bauman said, according to The Fresno Bee. “I put one tweet out at 10:30 at night and it turned into a whole thing. We’ve raised so much money in small donations as a result of that one tweet and so many people have engaged with that tweet, almost a million people, so it’s amazing how it became this big boycott.”

The end to the boycott came after the burger chain set the record straight. In a statement, Executive Vice President Arnie Wensinger said, “For years, In-N-Out Burger has supported lawmakers who, regardless of political affiliation, promote policies that strengthen California and allow us to continue operating with the values of providing strong pay and great benefits for our associates..." According to the story, the chain "has made 'equal contributions to both Democratic and Republican' PACs in California this year."

Well, after the idea circulated that a party official actually suggested a boycott of a company because of its political views, you saw Greg Laurie pop up on Twitter - he said:

One of my favorite places to eat, hands down is In N Out .Rich Snyder who was running the company in the early 90’s helped us to rent the Angel Stadium for our first Harvest Crusade. Lynsi Snyder is doing a great job running the company today. Can’t wait to get a burger!

Franklin Graham, like Laurie, posted a picture of himself with a burger.  He said:

@innoutburger is one of my favorites! John 3:16 on the bottom of every cup! #doubledouble

I actually found out some interesting facts in researching In-N-Out Burger.  The Snopes website actually lists Bible verse references used on the packaging of the products at the restaurants:

The soda cup bears the notation John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The milkshake cup lists Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

The water cup (no longer available to customers but we’re told is still used by employees) bears John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The hamburger and cheeseburger wrappers point to Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

The wrap used for the “Double-Double” (two burger patties and two slices of cheese) lists Nahum 1:7: “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

The company is owned by the Snyder family.  Rich Snyder, to whom Laurie referred, is the son of company founder Harry Snyder.  Rich died in a plane crash in 1993, and brother Guy took over the company - he died of an accidental overdose to prescription drugs in 1999, according to the Business Insider website, which reports that the company ultimately fell into the hands of his daughter, the afore-mentioned Lynsi Snyder, who was 18 when her father died - she received 50% of the company's shares when she turned 30 and the other 50% last year, when she turned 35.

But, life as a restaurant chain heiress has not been smooth.  The story states that:

Lynsi Snyder, the billionaire president of the California-based burger chain and the granddaughter of its founders, discussed her four marriages, the death of her father, and her past drug use in the 10-minute video, which was posted Wednesday to Iamsecond.com.

Now, I Am Second is a website that features people who share about their relationship with Christ.  The Business Insider story spends a lot of time on Lynsi's troubled past, and adds this statement: "Now, at 34, she is remarried and says she has finally found peace through religion."

That's a pretty short statement, so what's the scoop?  Well, I discovered that Lynsi Snyder Ellingson and current husband, Sean, have co-founded a ministry called, Army of Love.  The website says:

The Army of Love began with a vision given by the Holy Spirit to Lynsi, who is co-founder with her husband Sean, in 2013. Going through a difficult time in her life, she cried out to God and asked to be used by him. In this time, she also saw the body of Christ coming together in unity from different walks of life with diverse gifts and skills to help those who were in need. She then began to envision how to create the beginnings of an atmosphere where believers are encouraged to use their gifts and talents to become an Army of Love that ministers to a hurting and dark world.

The gifts of God that dwell in the hearts of believers can often remain dormant, or even undiscovered. The vision of the Army of Love is to unite and equip the body of Christ to minister and bring healing to broken hearted and hurting people through Christ’s love and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is done by fostering those God given gifts in believers so that they can minister with love and maturity.

So, it's a rather interesting story of God's grace - through the Snyder family's placing Bible verse references on the packaging of certain products to a current leader who has seen God's Word work in her life.  And, you have to think this: God's Word will not return void.  No telling how the Lord has spoken to people through a simple Scripture reference found on a hamburger wrapping or a drink cup.  But, we do know that the seed of God's Word that was present in the Snyder family is coming to fruition even now through the young lady who now runs the company.

Lynsi's desire was for God to use her.  And, for a while, that may have seemed rather impossible - through a time of rebellion, marital missteps, and even drug use.  But, we recognize that our past mistakes do not have to determine the course of our future.  Yes, we can learn from the sins of the past, and we may even have to face consequences, but God offers us forgiveness and the opportunity for repentance.   And, yes, we can possess the knowledge that God wants to use us, and we can surrender to Him so that His life and nature might be expressed through us.