The Cheese Ball Call
It’s not as cheesy as it appears… I promise! But you’ve gotta read till the end! ;)
It was in the spring of 2008 and I was returning to Minneapolis from speaking at a youth conference in Virginia. It was there that I had been coaxed into bringing some left over cheese balls home to my three nephews. The big awkward container of cheese balls was wedged under my arm as I wheeled my carryon through the airport. It didn’t take long for me to notice the growing grins around me. It seemed as though everyone I passed was motivated to smile as my cheese balls and I passed by.
When I arrived at security and sent the big container through the x-ray machine, I was greeted on the other side by eight smiling guards, all curiously eyeing my cheese balls. I opened the container to offer my new friends some snacks, but they politely refused. However, they still snuck in some “cheesy” jokes. I left them smiling as I boarded the plane home.
Shortly after take off, and to my complete surprise, the flight attendant announced over the intercom that “snacks will be provided by the cheese ball lady in seat 9D”! This happened not just once or twice, but 3 different times! This is where things took a turn. I couldn’t have thought this up. The people on either side of me started talking to me because of the cheese balls. They asked why I had them. I told them I received them at a speaking engagement. They asked what I was speaking about. I simply said, “Jesus”. And just like that, a meaningful faith conversation began. I had the privilege of encouraging my seat mates and it all started with cheese balls!
As my journey progressed to and through the Chicago O'Hare airport, I made some friends as a direct result of my cheeseballs. At my connecting gate a woman started talking to me because of the big bulky snacks. Before I knew it, we were deep in a spiritual conversation with her admitting she wanted to get back to church and was in search of one. I invited her to come to mine and… she did! It was becoming hard to deny the fact that these cheese balls were bringing the world together. Ha! Ok, well, maybe just a few airplanes and airports, but still… something was happening, and I can see now that God had something to do with it.
I finally returned home and shared my jovial journey with my friends. It was over dinner when the plans began to unfold and one of them said, “Why not carry cheese balls around as a way to make people smile and see how God uses it?” To be honest, this idea sounded a little weird, but I also sort of saw it as a dare, and I’m not one to turn those down! I took the challenge from my friends and had no idea that I was beginning a mission of bringing joy to the world one cheese ball at a time.
The first step was creating a duct tape harness. Then I wore it out in public. Lots of people laughed and it started great conversations, but most people were hesitant to stick their hand in the community container and risk contamination. So I determined to make a sanitary dispensing system and enlisted the help of my brother, Andy, and Jim, an innocent by stander, employed at Home Depot (now special friend!). When Jim approached my brother and I in the PVC aisle, he had no idea what he was getting into. Now he’s got a verse in “The Cheese Ball Song” dedicated to him!
And that is how it all began. Now nearly 20 years later, my cheese ball dispenser and I have been to almost all 50 states, nine countries, on the TV show Wipeout. I wore them on my first date with my hubby, on our wedding day (but not down the aisle!), and pretty much everywhere else you could think of. I’ve had the privilege of meeting thousands of strangers and using this super cheesy icebreaker as a way to encourage people. I keep wondering if and when God will have me hang this up, but He keeps showing me that He is still using it to ignite laughter and light, to bring hope to the hurting, and start lifegiving conversations with people who need some joy. So, even though this silly little mission can be misunderstood or mistaken as an attempt to draw attention to myself, I’ll keep looking like a fool as long as it points people to Jesus. Back in 2008, I never would have guessed how God would and could use cheese balls. But He’s proven Himself time and time again. He’ll use anything we offer to Him. Go ahead and try—I dare you! ;)
Oh! I almost forgot! I wrote a book, and guess what’s it’s called! Cheese Balls for Jesus: Funny, Faith-Filled Stories to Encourage and Inspire. Chapter one is the whole cheese ball story in way more depth with some fun pictures and special stories. The following fourteen chapters are individual short stories recounting God’s faithfulness in my life through good times and bad times (some really hard times) and some ridiculously hilarious and embarrassing times. Oh boy. I get real. Check it out here. Oh, and to stay super up to date (like how my cheese balls are bringing joy to all my cardiologist appointments—yup, open heart surgery just around the corner) be sure to come say hi on social media @cheeseballchick on Insta or Facebook.
