Misplaced Faith

Last night on a blustery, winter evening, the girlfriends ventured out to dine at what is arguably the nicest restaurant in Richland. Mission Point has been the location of at least a couple girlfriend dinners in the past year, and since we planned this dinner as a belated Christmas get-together we wanted to go somewhere a little special.

We shared our latest praises and concerns that ranged from proud grandma videos to concerns of a corporate takeover to the boiler in my basement that fuels my home's hot water heating system and currently sounds like a B-52 about to drop its payload. 

One concern we all shared was how technology and social media have become such a part of our lives. Although we like to see photos of our children, grandchildren and extended families – constantly checking social media can be a real time waster. And how do we handle those friend requests from high school chums who, well, really were not at all chummy back in the day?  Ruth suggested only logging on once a day and limiting the time – a great philosophy that takes some willpower – especially for Elisabeth and I, who are retired.

Well, as we often say, God works in mysterious ways.

This morning, my computer was being stubborn, so I rebooted. While I waited for my MAC to come alive again, I picked up a little book that Ruth gave me for Christmas titled “New Every Morning, A Celebration of God’sFaithfulness for Women” authored by Leah Slawson.

I opened to the first devotion, titled Misplaced Trust and read the following: 

Sometimes it seems the entire world is connected – through texting, phone calls, status updates and the list goes on. We all want to communicate with one another – all the time. We want to speak and have an audience, and we want to read and listen to what others say. We need and depend on one another, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We were created for interdependence like parts of a body.

But it’s easy to cross the line of trusting in people more than trusting in God, talking to friends more than talking to Jesus, seeking counsel rather than seeking the Counselor.

Our instantaneous connection with others carries with it the danger of putting all our trust and hope in others. We put faith in our companies, our political parties, our social groups, our teachers, even our preachers. We can always find another blog to read, website to peruse, sermon on podcast, text to respond to or email to read.

We become dependent on these relationships and before we know it they have displaced faith.  Our time and our thoughts are consumed with the words of everyone but God. Scripture tells us people are here and gone in the blink of an eye. In a moment, our plans perish with us.

Only Jesus - only His presence is lasting in our lives Only He will be with us in this world and the next, every moment of every hour.

So without checking email, FaceBook, twitter, the local newspaper website or my favorite blogs, I began to write this post.

Now you could argue that asking you to read MY blog post is part of the problem. But I choose to think of it as a way to bolster my resolve and offer a suggestion to you as well.

Today, as recommended by the scripture below, I will put my trust (and time) in God, not in the princes of social media. 

Psalm 146:3-4 (NLV) 
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in a son of a man, who cannot save us. 4 When his spirit leaves, he returns to the earth. His thoughts end on that day.

Stay warm out there (and perhaps say a prayer for my boiler),

Miriam

My Christian Sisters Help Me Weather Life's Storms

The past six months have been a roller coaster ride for me at work. My employer announced a major reorganization. At the time, I had little idea of the actual impact on me. In February I learned that my position would be terminated later this year.

Some days I have a level head. I know the decisions are for the business and nothing personal. I know I have my education and experience to help me in the hunt for a new job. I pray continually for God to show me His plan for my life. I pray that I will listen and be obedient. I pray for Him to open the door He wants me to take and to help me be patient as I wait for His timing.

Other days I don’t have a level head. It feels personal. It feels like the company doesn’t want ME. That something is wrong with ME. This is Satan. My prayer has changed to include that I recognize Satan and rebuke Him; that I don’t let him get a hold of my thoughts.

One day in particular I could tell I was not having a level-headed day. I cried out to my Girlfriends to pray for me. It didn’t take long and I knew each was praying. One reminded me to fight Satan with the Word. Jer 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declared the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.’ 

I was encouraged by another with a written prayer just for me...

“Father God, 

Protect my sister Ruth from attacks by Satan this morning. Lord, it can be such a battle at times. He’s strong and powerful! He knows exactly where, when and how to attack us. We rest in the glory of your love – knowing that you are more powerful and that you know exactly what we need. We know that in this battle we are on the right team! Thank you God for being our Great Protector!

Let Ruth feel your power this morning. Bring her peace and comfort. Let her feel your presence. Put a smile on her heart knowing that ‘in the great plan’ for her life, all is good and right.

Lord we thank you and give you all the glory for all that we have and for the protection that you give us each day.

Thank you, Father.”

Within minutes I felt the weight of Satan falling off my shoulders. I was able to gather my thoughts and focus on God and His plan.

Another day, Miriam sent an e-devo that spoke to me about being patient and waiting for God. She has been in similar shoes and just felt the need to send the message. As it turns out, I was having another not-so-level-headed day and the message was exactly what I need to hear. I thanked her and she didn’t take any credit. God had put me on her heart and she was being obedient.

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe God answers prayers. I praise God for these Christian Sister’s in my life. I praise God my Sisters are willing to take time out of their busy lives to lift me up in prayer when I really need it. God is good. ALL THE TIME!

I am blessed.

Ruth

Congratulations Elisabeth!

Earlier this week, we broke bread (and toasted with a bit of wine) to celebrate Elisabeth's retirement from a very fulfilling 35-year-career! Her work as a project manager for a global company took her to various cities in the U.S. as well as other countries. 

Now she is looking forward to spending time in Michigan with her family and friends and completing some of those home projects that have been hanging out on her list for awhile. 

Desiring a festive location for this celebration, we chose to meet at the Wine Loft in downtown Kalamazoo which is owned by the Millennium Restaurant Group. This destination also fit into our goal of 'buying local' as the Millennium Restaurant Group was formed by a group of restaurateurs from the Kalamazoo area. The group owns eight other restaurants, each with it's own theme, mostly in Kalamazoo, as well as an event center. They also do catering from box lunches to fine dinners and are well known for their high quality food and service. 

The Wine Loft is nestled in the ground floor of the historic Haymarket Building and furnished with dining tables as well as cushy couches with coffee tables divided by curtains for more relaxed, intimate seating. The menu offers tapas for a light dinner or snack as well as salads, soups, flatbreads and full entrees. As you would expect, the wine list is extensive - both by the glass and the bottle. 

We arrived at 6pm on a weeknight, but the restaurant already had a scattering of guests. It's location, just a block from the Radisson Plaza Hotel makes the Wine Loft a natural stop for entertaining visiting business clients. After 10 p.m. it fills with the young and beautiful, dressed for an evening out and the music gets turned up a few notches. 

As usual, the girlfriends enjoyed hearing each other's latest news. Sarah updated us on her possible work trip to Germany this fall as well as her new volunteer opportunity to coach men and women who have been out of the work force for various reasons as they prepare themselves for new employment opportunities. 

Ruth shared some great photos of her trip to New York and the beautifully presented (and presumably tasty) food she and her husband enjoyed while there. We chatted about her upcoming status change to Grandma and how to balance helping with the new baby while giving the new mom and dad time to enjoy their new roles and bond as their own little family. 

We prayed for Anna who was not able to join us as she was busy nursing her mom back from a fall. We trust God to hear our prayers and heal mom as well as give Anna the capacity to show loving care during the healing process.

But what about the food? Ruth and Sarah each ordered a Flatbread which is much like a square, thin-crust pizza. Elisabeth and I were food twins, ordering the beet salad and crab cakes.

Beets are one of those things people either love or hate and you can count me among the lovers! With some smoked blue cheese, cipollini onions, honey roasted walnuts, beet juice vinaigrette and flat leaf parsley added to the mix, the salad was divine. The crab cakes were a perfect compliment, filled with blue crab and covered with a light crunchy coating.

To complete the celebration, Elisabeth and I ordered deserts to share. We parted ways on our desert selections. Elisabeth chose chocolate lava cake and I picked three Small Bite Cupcakes from The Cupcake Zoo, which is located just a couple blocks away from the Wine Loft. Both choices were delicious and paired with some decaf, they were a perfect ending to a great meal.

Once again it was great fun to fellowship with these Godly women and I can't wait until next month when we head back to the Richland Pub. 

Blessings until then,

Miriam

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

December is a crazy, busy month isn’t it? With the trimming of trees, prepping of Nativity Scenes, practicing for the church musical and shopping for Christmas gifts, it’s a whir of activity and let's face it... stress!

Which is exactly why taking time to enjoy a meal with the girlfriends was so important. We managed to find an evening that worked for the four of us and made it a date.

To continue our theme of staying local in Richland, Michigan, we chose Kare’s Village Diner. The proprietor, Kare (pronounced like the word “care”), dreamt of owning her own restaurant since childhood and happily opened her diner in the spring of 2007. You can read more about Kare’s here.

Since it’s opening 6 years ago, Kare’s has become a popular breakfast spot in Richland, located just across M-89 from the Gull Lake Schools campus. It’s a pretty small place with little more than a handful of tables. 

We knew they were open for lunch as well, but were happy to learn they are open until 8 p.m. most days, serving breakfast, lunch or dinner! On Friday nights they have a fish fry!

We arrived at 6pm and had the restaurant to ourselves. It was not Friday, so we checked out the menu and after some chatting with the waitress, all decided to order a hand-pattied burger. Ruth went for the basic burger with cheese, lettuce and tomato. Elisabeth continued her search for the best olive burger in Richland and Sarah followed her lead. I chose my favorite burger species - mushroom and swiss.  Hand battered onion rings or hand cut fries accompanied the burgers. 

True to the promise, the burgers were fresh and the onion rings crispy-fried masterpieces. Although the jury is out on the BEST olive burger in Richland, Kare’s has a place on the list of finalists. 



As the evening progressed, the conversation moved from excitement about the season to checking on personal concerns and discussing logistics for our upcoming trip to visit Snowbird Anna! As we watched the snow fall outside, we chatted about pedicures and beaches in our future. But it was the friendship surrounding us that made us feel warm that night.  

We reminded each other that Jesus is the Reason for the Season and to just... slow...down. 

Even though we felt stressed when we walked in, we enjoyed lots of laughs and love during dinner and left feeling supported and calm. Isn’t it amazing what good friends can do for us? That reminds me of a Bible verse: 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 

May you experience the blessing of Jesus today and always,

Miriam

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

The Blessing of Friends

Today I was reminded just how important our women friends are, especially our Christian women friends.   

I recently applied for a different position with my employer.  I asked my girlfriends to pray with/for me. I had asked them to pray for "without a doubt clarity" on the  direction God would have me take and for me to have a willingness to submit to His plan no matter which position I end up in.  

Each friend sent me notes along my journey with Bible verses, experiences they have had and words of encouragement.  
 
Today I learned I didn't get the new position.  My friends all sent notes as soon as they learned the news.  They continued to lift me up in prayer and they turned my focus to God and His GREAT plans.  

Each friend had wonderful words of wisdom and advice.  They noted that sometimes we as Christians believe we are boasting or not being humble when we talk about our skills, accomplishments, talents.  But these are all gifts from God and He would be proud to hear us describe those gifts to others, especially if we are seeking to continue to use those gifts in another job.  

They pointed me to Matthew 7:7. "Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened." 

They continued to pray with me.  
 
After hearing from each, I was encouraged that God did answer my prayers.  He has a plan.  I will trust that plan.  
 
Praise God for loving me.  Praise God for the wise women in my life.
 
Ruth

In Honor of Friendship Day

My calendar indicates that today is Friendship Day, which made me think of Girlfriends Breaking Bread!

So, I found a couple of Bible verses about friends and thought what a better way to share them than on our blog. I hope these verses help you celebrate the joy of good friends. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

John 15:12-15

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Blessings to you and your friends!

Ruth

From Hamburgers to Hammer Toes

Elisabeth here.  Another great dinner with the girlfriends in the outskirts of Richland. We ventured to The Dock at the Bayview across the street from beautiful Gull Lake.  Weather was great and we perched outside on the deck, overlooking the bay.  A little breezy, but warm sunshine and great company kept us cozy.  

I was anxiously awaiting this particular dinner since the Dock has recently re-opened and I had heard somewhat mixed reviews.  

Photos on The Dock's Facebook page showed the inside looking nicely updated with a shiny wide open dance floor and evenly spaced tables surrounding.  The view is always great, so I knew that would not disappoint.  

What did disappoint is that the pictures were much more generous than the real thing.  Though it was clean and somewhat updated, there wasn’t much difference in the layout, the table and chairs were the same old ones, carpeting had not been replaced, and to top it off, the salad bar boat was still there! 

Having said that, the atmosphere was lively and there were plenty of thirsty golfers and lakers enjoying a cool drink and a bite to eat.  

Our food was good and served hot within about 20 minutes; not the best burger I’ve ever had, but for a bar and grill, I thought it passed the test.

Enough about the place.  It was really the company that was the best.  Sarah, Miriam, and Ruth joined me and the conversation always abounds.  We covered the gamut, from kids to spouses to bosses to parents.  

It seems no matter how old we get, kids always seem to continue to be a topic of concern and prayer.  Some of us are happy that the kids have finally left the nest, and others are hoping for new babies to arrive.  Whatever the case, we continue to lift our children up in prayer, knowing that God’s ultimate plan is always the best, no matter how much we think we may know better!  

Health was an interesting topic this week, too.  How we went from trigger fingers, to hammer toes, to rotator cuffs, to hot flashes, I do not know, but it was very entertaining!   Our conclusion was that too many doctors merely want to do surgery to solve every problem, and that we need to be cautious about overlooking  less invasive alternatives.  Whatever happened to physical therapy first?  

Jobs, well, what can I say?  Jobs are always a source of many prayer requests from our group.  As hard as it may be to comprehend, we actually do pray for our bosses!  Go figure.  Maybe instead of always praying for things to work out for us, we should pray that God opens other hearts to see things differently.  Maybe this will positively impact our situation.  What a concept…. take the focus off me. 

All in all, it was a great evening and I always leave in good spirits knowing that I have strong women to support me, listen to my whining, lift me up in prayer, and just love me!  It’s a great feeling. 

‘Til next time… Elisabeth signing off.