I had no idea she belonged to such a big church. She and Roger have been members there for almost 1-1/2 years. Nor did I have any idea the Luncheon would be such an elaborate affair.
Each table (18 that seated 8 per table) had a hostess that was in charge of decorating it. The tablecloths were all Spring colors - some pink, some blue, some yellow, some green. Each table had a different theme. Some Beach, some Garden, some Spring, one "Elegant" - the hostess for this table brought in real china place settings, gold plated silverware, etc. Each place setting at every table had a gift for the occupant to take home. The gifts at our table were sugar body scrubs, yummy..... relief ahead for my dry skin.
The special music was very good, but the woman speaker was excellent. A strong woman of God, at least in her 50's who is working toward her Master's degree. Here are the bullet points of her speech - "Revive - Renew - Refresh":
- What is choking my spirit?
- What is marring my life from its beauty right now?
- What one thing do I need - to take a fresh, clear look at in my life?
- What relationship do I need to revive?
- What is overwhelming me?
- What do I need to release in order to be refreshed?
Books that will refresh your spirit:
Bible: Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalms 51:10,12, Isaiah 40:28-31, Romans 12:2
"The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence
"Firstsight" by Sue Monk Kidd
"Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge
"Gift From the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"Just Give Me Jesus" by Anne Graham Lotz
We all need to look out more, and look in less. Use the strengths and gifts that God has given us. Take a fresh new look at "what has settled over your spirit and covered your beauty?". Are you missing something in your life?....hobby....relationship......friend. We need to take a good hard look at ourselves and extract the precious and let go of the rest, people are always going to disapoint us.
I had a great morning.
