The Table

Recently, a friend of mine turned 40 years old.  Her husband planned lots of surprises during her Birthday week but the one that she talked about most was the brunch around 'the table' with her friends.

You see, this wasn't just any table. It had been built as a place for ministry.  This table has seated the important, the foreign, the disabled, poor, and the children. This table's purpose was for warm, genuine, authentic community during a simple meal.  And it was lovely.  And it was purposeful.  It was everyone's table.  Many have celebrated at this Table.  And many have met Jesus at this Table.

I read about this at the beginning of the year but it has stuck with me for so many reasons.  First, it speaks my "Love Language", which is quality time.  Time to prepare. Time to plan. Time with friends.  Time to share. Time to eat.  Yet nothing timed about it.  I love everything to do with time (just ask my husband)!

I also love that it is beautiful and specifically decorated and prepared for my friend...colors, food, flowers, etc.  Just for her.

But ya know what strikes me the most about table?  The live, intentional, authentic community in an age of Facebook friends and online friendships.  There is a deepness here.  This is a place where you ask good questions, you lean in and listen with your heart.   This is a place to gather 'round, scoot your seat up, get another helpin', look at each other and share life together.

The seats at this table don't see age. or race. or background. or education. or clothing.  These seats don't say "Girl, you did what?"  The seats at this table are covered in grace and mercy and love and understanding.  They hear where you've been and how far you have come.  They hear the pain and lean in to hear the comfort coming from another seat.

I want a Table.

Jesus did so many things around the table. It wasn't just a place to gather and eat.  He had motives. He had intentions. He had things He needed to teach and tell.  He showed grace and love at the table.

If you had a table, who would you invite?  For me, I would invite the one who is hospitable, the one who is lonely, the friend, the one who is disabled, the one who loves love and the one who has never known love.  That's just on the first night!  Then I'd invite the hungry, the kind, the hungry, the child, the hungry and missionary.

I love this Table. It's everyone's table. Everyone deserves it. Everyone longs for it's love. And everyone can meet Jesus there.

This is a place we can flourish....



(Picture and story from the Hills)

Flourish

This is a blog for women.  Young and young-ish women.

So pour yourself some coffee, put on pandora and your comfy jeans and pull up chair.  Let's chat.

This blog is for women...

...who need encouragement.
...who have a dark past.

...who need some real relationships.

...who are hungry for authenticity and vulnerability.

...who are ready to DO SOMETHING.

...who have days where they are clear-headed and productive.

...who have days when their brain is mush and they can't even spell J-E-S-U-S!

Women who want to flourish.

Let's face it, we are modern.  We are Single. Married. Divorced. Re-married. Widowed at an early age. We come from all over the place. We have married parents. Divorced parents. Re-married parents.  Widowed parents.  We are High school drop outs.  Valedictorians of our college classes.  Tattooed, pierced and others who are terrified of needles! Those who like to make everything homemade and those who wouldn't know a spatula from a spoon.  Those who love love and those who think love is too complicated. Some who could tell you who wrote Leviticus and those who don't know what Leviticus is. We are different in many ways.

But when it all boils down to it, in some ways we are very similar.  We, as women, want to be known. Heard. Loved. Godly. Most of us want to be good or great at what we do.  Whether its braiding hair every morning or dealing with a hard patient or client you work with, we want to be good.  We want to develop our relationships. our careers. our marriage. our health. our kids. our ideas. our dreams.  

So why don't we? Why are we comfortable in our not-developing-ness?

Here's my thought....

The Lord has been very sweet to me over the last few weeks.  And by sweet, I mean, He created time many moons ago so that all things would not happen at once.  Over the past 3 years, I have prayed for a vision.  A movement.  A challenge.  To make HIS name great among the women in Roanoke.  

So here is what the Lord has laid on my heart.  A movement... 

To be equipped.  To unleash.  To flourish.

To be equipped

To come together and dig into God's word together. To be purposeful with our studies and relationships.  To learn from His word and each other.  To understand our purpose and then go do what He says...   

 

What would this look like?  If we did what God's word said.

  

In your jobs. marriage. aloneness. ministry. parenting. play. joy. sadness. grief. 

In the Church.

“You see. We have become so familiar with God yet so unaware of Him. We make the mysterious mundane. We construct careful reasons for our rules and sensible whys for our behavior. All the while our soul is longing for a richer experience-one that allows us to escape the limits of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell and journey to a place of wild, wonder, and passion.” ~ What Happens When Women Say Yes to God  

I think if we did what God's word said, it would mean...




To Unleash

To be passionate about what the Lord has told you in His word, that you can't help but be serving.  
You know when that song comes on and you can't help but dance or tap or hum or sing.  That is what God's word can do to our hearts...get us moving.
What makes your heart beat? Makes you want to get up in the morning?  What circumstance is someone in that breaks your heart?  Dont wait...be unleashed and go serve, minister!! Take what you have been equipped to do and do it! 

If you are passionate about the widow, go...do.
If you are passionate about the orphan, go....do.
If you are passionate about the drunk, go....do.
If you are passionate about the homeless. the hungry. the wealthy.  the coworker. the housewife. the lonely.  the government.  the broken marriage. the women who had an abortion.  the Gospel.  the single mom.  

BE UNLEASHED.  We want to come with you...We come to help and learn from your passion....
so that we may all...


To Flourish

flour·ish  

Verb  Grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way

Noun A bold or extravagant gesture or action, made esp. to attract the attention of others.

When we aren't developing/growing in our relationship with the Lord, we are stagnant.  Stagnant is not growing. It's still. Without movement. Without boldness. No one is hearing about God's grace and 
AWESOMENESS when we are stagnant.  

Let's flourish.  Let's be developing.  Let's be bold. 

I think about the Bride so often.  I'm super passionate about her. She should flourish. Develop. Be bold to attract the attention of others.  

There is more....stay tuned...