Cords of Connection

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My Father.

I have been thinking a lot about the radicalness of Jesus calling God "Father" and "My Father", thanks to a series of lessons that our pastor at church as been teaching on our identity in Christ.

My identity in Christ is that I am forever in covenant with God, forever the child of my father in heaven, because of that covenant relationship that I have in Him.

Calling Jawheh "Father" and "My Father" was a radical way of looking at God in Jesus' day. Our ears are used to that term, thanks to the teachings of Jesus, but in the time that He walked the earth, this was a new teaching.

And I have been trying to consciously call Him "My Father" lately, whenever I pray. Just to remind myself that I am His, and He is mine.

So here's my verse that I am meditating on this morning: Romans 15:13, which says:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, do that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hope, joy, peace, all are entwined in a cord; a cord that connects our heart to our Father in heaven, in the picture that came to my mind this morning as I was thinking about that verse. Sort of like an umbilical cord, which is not a bad comparison, because real life flows through an umbilical cord. But the picture would be a little gory, as images go, so I think I'll use the image of a cord made of strong fibers of lovely colors of silk , intertwined, wrapped around each other in a strong, rope-like cord. Each of the colors would represent the spiritual gifts that the Father has to bestow on us: the hope, the joy, and the peace. And I think the name of that cord, that connects our heart to his, might be trust. Making a conscious decision to trust Him, with all the things that are causing me uncertainty and dread. All my fears. All my yearnings. Deciding to trust Him, assenting in my mind, that, indeed, I WILL trust Him, and in that moment surrendering.



And the outcome of that decision, according to this verse, is the joy, and the peace, and yes, even the hope that we all need, that we all long for. These elusive qualities that bring REAL LIFE to our lives, become ours.

So, my Father, for today, for this hour, for this moment, I am going to choose to trust you. And I thank you in advance for the joy, the peace, and the hope that you provide, as I walk empowered by Your Spirit.

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

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No, really. Who says so?

I may have just discovered evidence to the contrary.

Here's how it came about:

On Friday, I went to the women's group that I attend each week, and listened to one of the ladies tell her story. She hails from Bogata, Columbia, and her life is a living testimony to the rewards of perseverance, and the redemptive grace of God. Her faith, linked up with the power of God living inside of her, enabled her to take hold of the verse in Joshua: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." She read that verse at a time when she desperately needed to hear from the Lord, and she KNEW He was speaking straight to her heart when she heard it.

Acting on her faith, she boldly made decisions that enabled her to climb out of the pit in which she found herself, and forge a new life for herself and her children. It's a powerful testimony. And the most beautiful part is that I know her daughter (who is an adult now herself, with her own son who is reaching adulthood.) And I know how the Lord has brought beauty to her daughter's life, and beauty to her daughter's son's life, and well, when you look at the lives of my friends, it is impossible to deny the power of God to bring beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning. God's amazing grace, at work in her life and in the lives of her children, has changed everything.

So, anyway, it was a glorious morning, and the whole group spent time in prayer, marveling over the grace of God, and what he has done. We gave Him thanks and praise, and brought the other concerns of our hearts before Him. Finally, it was time to go, but the morning had been so sweet, we wanted to continue our time together over lunch.

Which led to the next miracle: in the space of 5 minutes, 11 women all decided where they wanted to eat lunch together.

(Can you hear the angel choir singing? "Ah, ah, ah.....")

We went to a local café that I had never been to before, but one of my friends told me it was known for having good chicken salad. Since I have moved to this area, or maybe it's just since I have become an adult, I have figured out that if Southern ladies go out for lunch, over half of them will be checking out the chicken salad and the sweet tea. Now, personally, I don't really DO sweet tea, but I have no objection to a nicely executed chicken salad, so I was intrigued. The turkey, pear, and Brie with cranberry chutney sounded awfully good, too. Ultimately, Hannah ordered the chicken salad, I ordered the turkey, and we each shared half a sandwich with the other. Culinary crisis averted, curiosity satisfied. (I think the turkey was better, by the way, although the pears could have been a little more ripe.)

So, anyway, we talked and laughed and ate, and laughed, and continued the joy of the morning that we had shared together.

Came time to pay the bill, and our waitress showed up, got our attention, and told us, "Ladies, your bill has been paid. Thank you for coming, and have a nice day."

Eleven mouths fell open, as we all stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What...??? Who....????"

"Ladies, I'm not allowed to tell you that, but your bill has been paid, and have a lovely afternoon."


Well, I walked out of there, feeling like a princess, and once again, for the second time that day, found myself absolutely astounded by the amazing grace of God. So overwhelming. So humbling. So undeserved. Totally, totally undeserved.

But yet, there it is.

YOUR bill has been paid.

Now, have a lovely day.

Angel Food

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We took this picture in remembrance of Charlie's Angels. I regret that one of my angel friends had already gone home before this picture was taken. But I thought I would throw in this picture, just for fun, on a blog post that is actually all about food.

I remember my vacations by their meals. I may be alone in this. Or not.

I am just now coming off of a wonderful visit with three of my very favorite friends ever. We had a BALL. We laughed ourselves silly, listened to each other's hearts, gave each other room to be sad, and angry, and smug, and happy, and tearful, and hopeful, and ....all the things that we were.

I am not posting recipes of what we ate at this point, but if there is something that you want to know the recipe for, let me know, and I promise to publish it forthwith.

In the meantime, if I post now what we ate, it will give me a framework for what all we did, and said. Gosh, how I love these girls! And how I love my dear husband and son and daughter for making room in their hearts for loving my friends almost as much as I do.

Our time together was wonderful! So much so, that we plan to do it again, real soon. But in the meantime, for those of you who have asked what we did...well, .... at the very least... we ate. A lot. So much so that we have decided that we simply CAN'T afford to live too close to each other, or our bottoms would be the size of....well....much larger, anyway....

Here's the menu:

Tuesday lunch at the local Whole Foods grill: crabcakes and fries.

Tuesday Night: Lincoln Town Car Burritos
(I made up the name myself. The things that make them extraordinary: the pickled onions, and buying a really good, creamy pepper jack cheese.)

Wednesday Breakfast: Activia Yogurt, Bananas,

Lunch: Roasted Chicken Sandwiches, Muenster Cheese, lettuce, olive oil, mustard, basil, salt & pepper on Tuscan Bread

Dinner: frozen pizza. Eh? Into every life, a little rain must fall. Salad with homemade Jacques Pépin vinaigrette.
Celebratory Nightcap Drink in honor of the arrival of the remaining weary travelers: Homemade Limoncello

Thursday Breakfast the following morning: Activia Yogurt, Bananas, Shredded Wheat and Bran, and French Press coffee made from home roasted coffee beans, courtesy The Big Bison. Tazo "Awake" tea for the tea drinkers.

Lunch was more roasted chicken sandwiches on Tuscan bread, and some Mint Milano cookies, while we prepared that night's dinner:

Antipasto

Sooze's Lasagna à la Moosewood Cookbook (None finer)

Tossed Salad with Jacques Pépin salad dressing

Semolina Twist Bread from Costco

Triple Layer Chocolate Cheesecake


Friday: pot luck breakfast with my Friday Morning Ladies' Group, who are awesome cooks! Egg Casseroles, fruit salads, rolls and pastries from a local bakery. YUMMY!!!


Lunch at the world famous Loveless Café: Fried Chicken, Grilled Catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, soup & salad and BISCUITS with butter and peach preserves, blackberry preserves, strawberry preserves, and/or honey.

Dinner out at the local 4 Star Eatery: our menu choices? The halibut, the duck, and the tenderloin.

Breakfast the following day: More Activia Yogurt, bananas, and Shredded Wheat & Bran


Lunch: Lasagna Leftovers/Antipasto/Semolina Bread/White Cheddar with Cranberries and a lucious Syrah from the winery in question. Picnic outdoors in PERFECT spring weather.

Afternoon snack: Hand rolled chocolate truffles from The Cocoa Tree.

Dinner: Chicken Marengo and Basmati Rice. Tossed Salad. Cheesecake.


Sunday breakfast: More Activia Yogurt and Shredded Wheat & Bran, and Big Bison Brew home roasted coffee beans coffee, & "Awake" tea.

Lunch: Nastiest Brunch in the World at a Meat and Three, which shall remain nameless, except that it is a Café in the City of Brentwood, TN, and all its food items seem to be brown, grey, or white.

(The reason that this is a VERY good thing is that when you take your guests to eat REALLY NASTY FOOD, they appreciate the delicious meals that you are offering them EVEN MORE!!!)

Dinner: Mixed grill. Home made elk sausage with shallots, and pistachios, and all kinds of other good things. Marinated, grilled elk tenderloin wrapped in bacon, grilled asparagus, and baked potatoes. (Words cannot describe the magnificence of this meal. Honestly.)

Let me know if there is a recipe you desire.