| WOMAN EATING CHILI AT WENDY'S BITES INTO HUMAN FINGER
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A woman's meal at a Wendy's restaurant brought a whole new meaning to the term "finger food." The woman bit into a portion of a human finger while eating a bowl of chili Tuesday night at the San Jose restaurant, Santa Clara County health officials said Wednesday.
The woman, who asked officials not to identify her, immediately spit out the finger and warned other diners to stop eating, witnesses said.
"Initially she did put this object in her mouth and did bite down on it and wasn't sure exactly what it was," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Martin Fenstersheib said at a news conference. "She's doing OK. Initially she was a bit grossed out it was described to me, and vomited a number of times."
Fenstersheib said the finger had been cooked at a high enough temperature to kill any viruses.
Officials said the fingertip was approximately 1 3-8-inches long and a half-inch piece of fingernail was also found. They believe it belongs to a woman because of the long, manicured nail.
Health investigators seized all of the ingredients at the restaurant and are tracing them back to their manufacturer. They believe the finger got into the chili at an earlier stage.
"We have no evidence of any accident within the employees at the facility itself," said Ben Gale of the Santa Clara County Health Department. "We asked everybody to show us they have 10 fingers and everything is OK there."
"Food safety is of utmost importance to us," Wendy's spokesman Joe Desmond said in a statement. "We are cooperating fully with the local police and health departments with their investigation. It's important not to jump to conclusions. Here at Wendy's we plan to do right by our customers."
TAKE A LOOK at Romans 14:12-19 - ( NLT) Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. So don't condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian's path. I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
AFTER READING TODAY'S PASSAGE, HOW WOULD YOU SAY OUR BEHAVIOR AFFECTS OTHERS? WHAT SHOULD WE DO OR NOT DO?
First of all, think about the weird experience the woman had when she tasted "finger food". If I had been at that Wendy's and witnessed her behavior, I would have been affected. I would have thrown up too! It may take some time before I'll order chili at Wendy's, but not because it's wrong for me as a Christian to eat spicy food!
In today's passage, Paul is talking about an issue that all Christians face at some time or other - our behavior's impact on others. Let me share with you a great explanation from TYNDALE'S LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE. The notes make it quite clear:
Both strong and weak Christians can cause their brothers and sisters to stumble. The strong but insensitive Christian may flaunt his or her freedom and intentionally offend others' consciences. The scrupulous but weak Christian may try to fence others in with petty rules and regulations, thus causing dissension. Paul wants his readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others' needs. Because we are all strong in some areas and weak in others, we need to constantly monitor the effects of our behavior on others...
While Paul urges us to be sensitive to those whose faith may be harmed by our actions, we should not sacrifice our liberty in Christ just to satisfy the selfish motives of those who are trying to force their opinions on us. Neither fear them nor criticize them, but follow Christ as closely as you can.
So let's focus on intimacy with Christ. Then our behavior will be what's good for the whole body of Christ, not just a few "fingers".
TALK ABOUT IT
Spend a few minutes in prayer -- Thank God for His Word which is so practical! Confess any way in which you've been insensitive about how your behavior affects others. Ask God's Spirit to help you focus on growing to be more like Jesus. Thank Him that this will help you please Christ and at the same time know how to live in such a way, that your behavior will influence others to live to please Christ.
TRY IT
- Pray every day for the Holy Spirit to empower you to live in a way that pleases and honors Jesus Christ. Then the "food" issues won't be a big deal.
- OK, I can't resist - whenever you eat out the next couple of weeks, look closely at what you're eating. Let it remind you to get your nourishment from God's Word and to be aware of how your actions impact others in the body of Christ.
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