Da Best

It was just the best. Simply a great weekend.

On Saturday night, the rains came. But then, so did my sons, so it was all good. Seeing there was a slight chance someone would be at my house for supper on Saturday, I didn't go to church. Instead I stayed home and cooked.

hahahha. No I didn't.
I heard from both Max and Clint that maybe they'd be stopping by and Drew thought that him and Brett might be at home, so I got a few groceries and $100 worth of sushi and pulled into the garage just as the power went out.

Max was starving so he started eating before I even got all 23 candles lit. Clint was stuck in traffic, but John, Brett and Drew wanted dinner right now because they had 'walk around in the dark' plans. So we shared the sushi, then sat at the table in silence. Every attempt at conversation was thwarted because "what's with the interrogation? Can't we just eat in peace without you asking questions the whole time?" When I tried to explain (again. For the fortyhundredth time) that families can and do talk about their days at meal times, I was (again. For the fortyhundredth time) told that "meal times are for eating. Not talking. No one wants to talk about their plans, their days, or their feelings. Real life is not like the movies - real families do not sit around and talk. When will I get it."

(May I say here that I can hardly wait to get some daughter-in-laws? Ones who like to talk about plans, their days and their feelings while sitting around a dinner table? Please God. Arrange it so that all three of my boys marry girls who love a good chat. With me. And each other. Amen.)

Drew, Brett and John left just as Clint arrived. Max hung around for 10 more minutes then he left. Clint stuck around for a few minutes, then picked up some books and then he left to do homework.

By 7:30 I was home alone in the dark. So I had a candle-lit bubble bath. A long one.

The power came back on around 9, and shortly after that Drew was back home with a fourth friend, all starving. So Mark (the 4th friend) and I fried up some ground beef and made a meat sauce and by 10 pm I had 4 young men eating tortellini at the kitchen table.

I retreated to my bedroom but could distinctly hear conversation happening around the table. Whether Drew likes it or not - people do talk while they eat. I'm so thankful for his friends. I want to adopt most of them. John said, "Half the meal is the smiles..."

Three of them stayed for night, and I heard them playing hide-n-seek at 2 am.
Needless to say, everyone slept in this morning.

And this evening?
Brett, Drew and I went to the Take Back the City (worship service) at Peace Portal.
It was a small-ish crowd and as I sat there in one of the back-ish rows, I wished I'd gone to Northview for my weekend pick-me-up, (I know. I know. That's not what church is for. Well, not what it's only for. I know.)

Anyways, the band (City Rain) surprised me (again) with their ability to lead worship. I don't know why I think they will get all caught up in 'performing' and not leading... but wow. SO GOOD. I didn't even know a single song but that didn't matter. I think that band just gets better and better. Extremely talented musicians. The lead singer is my friend, Terry's nephew, Josh Wyper (who spent a year at Hillsong in Australia) ...

Then the speaker came on, Ben Woodman from Cariboo Church. And oh man. Relevant. Entertaining. Powerful. Gifted.

Take Back the City is a Sunday evening service (alternating Sundays) for 17 - 24 year old Christians who are already plugged into a church but want to connect with other young people in the lower mainland. I am clearly twice as old as the target market and came out of tonight's meeting knowing that God wanted me to hear tonight's message.

Do I know what makes Jesus laugh?
And do I know that Jesus DOES indeed laugh?

Why do I always think that He is disappointed in me? Why do I assume He sits in heaven, shaking his head at how sad He is with the way I've screwed up? Why do I think He's always crying tears of grief at my choices?

How come I can't wrap my head and heart around the thought that He might delight in me? That He might be cheering me on? That He might be proud of me?

What do I do that makes Him smile?

I needed to be reminded of Jesus's predisposition to be happy.
He is happy.
He won the battle. It's over.
He is smiling.

(The other night at book club, we talked about happiness, and one of the happiest people I know, was frustrated by the book "The Happiness Project" because "who needs charts and lists to be happy? JUST BE HAPPY. How hard can it be?"

Tonight's message was another challenge for me to 'just be happy'. Jesus is. So it's OK for me to be happy too. )

Three things I am thankful for:

1. There are two more Take Back the City services planned for this year:
Sun Nov 7
Sun Nov 21

2. Drew and I watched Ironman 2 after we got home. LOVE that show.

3. Long chatty emails from friends in the Prairies.

Shalom.