Blessed by Faithful Friends

October has come and gone.  With Anna out of town, the other four of us met for dinner at Mission Pointe Steak and Seafood House. It is a locally owned and operated business that serves a nice selection of steak, seafood and pasta dishes.  They have nightly dinner and drink specials.  The evening we visited the establishment was busy with tables full of ladies.  While the food wasn’t excellent, it was good.  Sarah and Elizabeth had pasta dishes while Miriam and Ruth had fish.

The best part for me of every meeting is not the establishment, it is not the food, it is the gathering with friends and breaking bread together.  God has blessed me with these Christian women I call friends.  They are faithful women who love God.  They continue to grow and learn on their journey.  They serve God and others within their local churches as well as their community and abroad.

These women are real. They have families. They work. They have challenges. The difference between them and other women is that these women don’t do any of this alone.  They have God on their side. They love Him. They lean on Him. They are learning to trust and obey Him more every day.  They are an excellent example to me and those they meet.  They point others to God.

Each time we meet the conversations move between what is new at work, what is happening in our families and what are we going to do next.  This particular evening the controversial subject of same sex marriages came up.  We discussed same sex couples we knew, both family and friends.  While we recognize everyone will read and interpret the Bible for themselves, we also recognized that the Bible is very specific on what it has to say about this.  We also recognized that God calls us to love the sinner, not the sin.  That is what He does for us and expects us to do for others.

On a lighter note, another controversial subject was that of Endorsements on Linkedin.  We had some laughs over who has been Endorsed and the subject of the Endorsements.  For an interesting read on the topic, go to: http://www.corebrand.com/news-views/blog/747-why-i-dont-like-linkedin-endorsements. 

The evening ended with plans for a trip to visit Anna.  She will be out of state for some time and has invited us to come for a visit. We are hoping to visit her and have dinner sometime in mid to late January, pending confirmation of work schedules.  Although we keep in touch via email and text messages, we are all looking forward to that gathering!

Until next time,

Sister’s in Christ,

Ruth

End of Summer Park Party

Meeting with girlfriends in the park in Richland on a most beautiful, warm and sunny summer evening after visiting our local Subway for our selected meals - life doesn't get any better than this!  

Delightful conversation followed as Miriam and Sarah tried the pulled pork and Ruth stuck with her Subway standby, the Italian BMT. I chose the oven roasted chicken and we all made it a meal by adding our favorite chips and cold drinks.  All meals were tasty, with many healthy veggie additions! 

It was a really comfortable evening on the picnic table in an active town square. We talked and laughed over the details of a recent excursion on the Kal-Haven trail, bicycling in monsoon rains that Ruth and  Miriam bravely attempted.  We were very proud of their efforts, however, in getting out there.

We all discussed those friends we had who were going through health challenges and prayed together, missing our friend Elisabeth, who was out of town.

Work and life challenges were again topics of concern, as well as our children and families. Updates on possible retirement areas we have considered were examined also. Wow, we can't possibly be saying that!  We're all way too young for retirement.          

It's great knowing each of us can depend on the prayer and support of our entire group! We all seem to be refreshed and lifted up after sharing time together.  

Looking forward to our next meeting and the next update,

Anna

Welcome to our blog!

We are a handful of Christian women who choose to meet to grab a bite to eat and catch up on each other’s lives. Friendship, faith, support, love and laughter abound as we dine. Food is an important part of this festive gathering and where to eat is always part of the planning for our next get-together. At some point, we decided it would be helpful to have some sort of theme - or method to our restaurant choosing madness. 

We discussed trying a different cuisine each month or searching for the best hamburger, rueben or other specific fare. None of these ideas seemed to have wings, until we hit upon a “Buy Local” concept. 

Since we all live and worship in the community of Richland Michigan, we thought it fitting to support the local eateries. It is now our mission to eat at every possible place in Richland. The community has more eateries than are obvious in a quick drive through town and together they offer a variety of fare from simple subs to succulent Ossobuco. Our goal is to conquer them all!

Check out our blog to hear about our favorite dishes, get a glimpse into the conversation, and maybe to even learn a bit about the charming village of Richland and the surrounding area. 

Here's to hearty "dining" on the musings of Elisabeth, Ruth, Sarah, Anna and Miriam as we break bread, buy local and build faithful friendships.