Christian

  • A Glimpse of God Working at Panera Bread

    ByLauren Christian, community, Grace & Truth Link Up
    8 Comments

    I’m sitting in a Panera Bread as I type this.  I came here with my bible study materials and my lap top looking for a quiet place to have a glass of tea and get some things done.  Call me an optimist or a fool, but every time I go to a public place to read or write I picture a quiet little cozy alcove to be with my creative thoughts.  And yet, every restaurant and coffee house has music playing and other people.  Many of whom came with someone else.

     

    I am not one who can put words together while hearing other words.  I can handle distant muted conversations or quiet music that doesn’t beg me to sing along.  Much else and my concentration is blown.  So I came in loaded down with my stuff to “work”, an iced tea with Splenda and a naive dream.  I chose a booth (I like them better than chairs) away from the big group having a meeting.

     

    As I unloaded my bible, planner and laptop I noticed a couple of ladies at a small table a short distance away.  And I hoped they would talk quietly enough.  I was wrong.  One of them droned on and on; she appeared to be telling her life story!  And she had a lot of life story.  These were older ladies.  Other than the white hair on one, their outfits gave away their age.  They were dressed to the nines – Sunday morning attire on a Tuesday morning in a fast casual joint.  The other tell?  They were eating lunch at 10:30am.

     

    Frustration at Panera Bread

     

    I won’t sugar coat it.  I got annoyed quickly and scanned the room for a better spot.  But I had a lot of stuff spread out on this table.  Such a hassle.  So I sat and tried not to fume.  As little bits and pieces of their conversation drifted over, I began to think about the privilege it is to be let into another person’s story.

     

    When someone chooses to open up to me, I feel honored.  Sharing in this way generates intimacy and trust.  So as this impeccably dressed, white haired lady told stories of her relationship with her father and something that happened to her as a teen I started to see the beauty of the moment.  And then she said to her friend, “isn’t it funny how God works sometimes.”  In that instant this precious exchange turned into a sacred moment.  And God allowed me to witness it at Panera Bread. Oh, and I still got my work done since it inspired me to write.  Isn’t it funny how God works sometimes?

     

    A Special Thank You

     

    I want to offer my sincere gratitude to those of you who have served in our armed forces.  And thank you to the spouses and children of our service men and women for the many sacrifices you have made as well.  I know that our freedoms don’t come free and one day a year is not enough time to honor you.

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    Grace and Truth’s own Tammy Kennington gave us a beautiful collection of Thanksgiving quotes and verses.  She helped turn my heart in the right direction and really gave me some ideas to chew on.  Make reading her post a part of your gratitude celebration.

     

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

     

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

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  • First Friday Prayers: Midterm Elections

    ByLauren Christian, community, Grace & Truth Link Up, prayer, trusting God, wisdom
    14 Comments

    Midterm electionsMidterm elections in our country happen in just a few days.   Don’t worry, we won’t be getting political here.  And I have no advice to offer you about who to vote for.  Even if I did presume to do so, there are 55 races on just my ballot!  And for 55 races, there will be at least 155 different opinions.  We don’t have all day.  But I can’t think of a better time to pray for our government entities, offices and leaders.

     

    The Old Testament book of Exodus tells us of Moses’ attempts to guide and govern the young nation of Israel.  He wisely chose to seek good counsel for such a big job.  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law and a priest, told him, among other things:

     

    “Furthermore, you shall [a]select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, [b]of hundreds, [c]of fifties, and [d]of tens.”  Exodus 18:21 NASB

     

    Sounds like solid advise to me!  My prayer is that we would also elect men and women of this caliber to fill important positions on every level of government. 

    We may not always agree on political parties or politics, but we all want what’s best for our country. 

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    So I hope you will join me in praying for these elections.

     

    midterm elections

     

    Praying for you in this.  And don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word post, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

    Lauren

    Now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    I hope you hop over to Linda Stoll’s post Compassion Fatigue, Part 1.  She addresses a problem that I fear will only increase without intervention and some serious boundaries.  We all need to know about it.

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.