Lessons Learned from the Local Steak 'n Egg

There is a wonderful, front-page article in today's Washington Post titled "Grits and Determination: A Recipe for Success." The article reads, "To see and hear and smell how America works, go to the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Chesapeake Street NE and step into the Steak 'n Egg Kitchen. The Tenleytown diner is a round-the-clock crossroads for people from all over the world -- all colors and ages and religions and socioeconomic stripes. It's usually accepting, often accommodating, always unlocked."

The writer of the article continues, "At the Steak 'n Egg, you have front-row seats for the extravaganza that is existence. You can see up close the specialties and speciousness of the species. 'You see prostitutes sitting next to Secret Service agents next to a 12-year-old kid who has run away from home for a while,' Barrie says about his counter. 'You have the whole United Nations sitting there.'"

• usually accepting
• often accommodating
• always unlocked
• front row seats for the extravaganza that is existence
• prostitutes and Secret Service agents
• the whole United Nations

Perhaps the Steak 'n Egg has a thing or two to teach us about how to be the church.