You've Never Been Where?

The Chief Rules! 
Jill, Elle and Me

Here you'll find your favorite flavors, an outdoor seat, if you're lucky enough to find an empty table, 

and the satisfying taste lingering in your mouth and mind a long time...

I was getting ready for work as usual; dabbing a bit of concealer on those facial blemishes I try to hide, while mentally arranging clothing pieces for my outfit that day. At the same time my brain was checking off all kinds of lists of the must-dos for the day and, in addition, I was  listening lightly to the radio station I had switched on as part of my morning routine.

The radio hosts were asking for callers to tell them what places listeners had never visited, even though the destinations were in the callers' home area and favorite places to frequent. I recognized a caller's voice and stopped the multi-tasking to listen harder.  My son-in-law, AJ, was admitting he had never been to The Chief, a very popular and yummy ice-cream shop in town. I had heard him mention this before, but this time I was determined to make his wish come true. I sent him a text right then (don't you love this instant connection?) and asked him to choose a night that week to meet us there with his family.

Monday night found us licking, slurping and dribbling sweetness at the best ice-cream shop in Indiana (truth!! according to a recently published survey).AJ wasn't disappointed with his peanut butter, chocolate shake, the grand kids were cute with their sticky color- streaked faces and we all enjoyed those moments of summer togetherness.

Sometime later I entertained the question of whether I was just as eager to introduce people to a first time encounter with the chief, Jesus Christ, as I had been to offer a way for AJ to meet The Chief.  I want to be.  I want to pick up on the wishes other make for more sweetness in their lives-- peace, rest, justice, love-- all things that can be wonderfully satisfied in our God, who has been close to them all the time.

Open my eyes and ears to what you hear and see, Father.  May I not miss the cues you send me and may your Love motivate me to share it with others. 

Romans 10:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand;
    it is on your lips and in your heart.”

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:

Acts 17:26-28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.