But next time without the bleu cheese

"I am there in the midst of them"

Matthew 18:20

I went to lunch with a friend of mine today.  We go to church together, and we've known each other for years.  She called the other day out of the blue, and invited me to lunch, so we picked a day.  Today.  California Pizza Kitchen.  I had the caramelized peach salad.  It was pretty good, except I forgot to ask the waitress to have them leave off the bleu cheese crumbles, so I had to work around those.  But, you know, life happens.

Okay, now forget about that friend for a second.  I'll get back to her, I promise. 

I have another friend at church, whom I have also known for years.  We see each other nearly every week, of course, but I get together with her three or four times a year for lunch or brunch or coffee or whatever.   Those conversations are always deep and spiritual.  I mean, we get caught up on what's going with our kids and stuff like that, but then one of us will say, "So, what's God doing in your life?"  And then the discussion gets serious.

It might be something exciting that God is building in our lives, or a ministry opportunity that is opening up, or a trial that we're walking through.  There may or may not be tears, because after all, we're women, but there will for sure be soul-searching, shared wisdom, and encouragement.  They are always enjoyable, fruitful times.

Interestingly enough, my lunch today was exactly like that.  And nothing like that. 

The conversation was pleasant and marked by laughter at frequent intervals.  We talked about lice and horses and Boston and beauty pageants and Pierre L'Enfant and the Fibonacci sequence.   Among other things.   It reminded me that conversations don't have to be deep to touch the heart.   What are lighthearted chats for, after all, but to lighten the heart?  I left with no more answers than I'd come in with, as far as what God is doing in my life, but I left smiling, and encouraged, remembering that He's in control, if I'll let Him be.

The truth is, there is depth in simplicity, and God can work through even lightweight times in our day.  And I think those are the times we are least likely to see Him working, because there are no lightning bolts or Red Sea partings.  But He's there, nonetheless, wherever two or more are gathered in His name.

~ "that I may be encouraged together with you 

    by the mutual faith both of you and me" ~

Romans 1:12

~