REFRESHING (My first blog post…yay!!)

I recently ran into an old friend at a local restaurant where my husband, Dale, and I were having Sunday lunch.  We were just finishing up our meal when Denise and her husband walked over to our table and we quickly began reminiscing and catching up on everything from jobs and ministry to children and grandchildren.  Denise and I had seen each other several times in the last few years, but only for short snatches of time and we had not really had time to visit. So, this was a special time.  The more we talked the more I realized how many years had gone by and how much of her life I had missed out on.  I loved hearing stories of God’s miraculous interventions in her life and how the Lord was blessing their ministry at a local church.  Denise proudly showed me pictures of her children and “grands”.  I loved seeing the pictures of her newest grandbaby and I secretly wished that sweet little girl had been present so I could have held her for a minute and kissed her juicy little cheeks. 

I had a few moments to share with Denise some updates in our family and she was kind enough to ask about a particularly difficult situation that she had heard about.  She assured me that she was praying and would continue to do so.  As we visited, there was a sweet spirit that wrapped around us and I know she felt it just as I did.  It was a joy that only comes when heart touches heart.  The words we spoke were special; the spirit we shared was priceless.  As we left the restaurant we hugged goodbye and I spoke these words.  “It was so good to see you today, Denise.  Spending this time with you was refreshing to my soul.” Afterward, I chastised myself for a minute, thinking how silly that sounded. I don’t usually use the word “refreshing” to describe my day-to-day interactions with friends.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was the best way to describe the way I felt that day.  I left our impromptu meeting feeling joyful, uplifted, energized and, well… refreshed!

Our culture today gives us many opportunities to connect with people.  Technology has opened so many pathways to share with friends, families and casual acquaintances.  But, I think we have lost something very special along the way as we have begun to depend on our devices to link us to the special people in our lives.  We have many friends, but often we still feel lonely.  We are busy texting words, but we aren’t sharing our hearts.  To share our hearts there must be a bond of trust that is seldom formed on a Facebook page or in the often-ambiguous words of a text.  We have learned to connect, but we have forgotten how to touch.  We know how to tweet a clever comment, but we no longer know how to embrace each other with sacred hugs.

I pray this blog will offer more to you than mere words.  I hope it will be like the warm hug of an old friend that leaves you feeling loved and accepted.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will breathe life into every phrase and that words will become sanctuaries of hope and healing.  My prayer is that every blog post will be a warm embrace and that, when you leave this site, your heart will feel alive and new.  My goal is that every reader will know the love of Jesus because they have sensed His presence in every passage.  My heart’s desire is that the words written here will be inspired and instructed by the Holy Spirit.  His words are always healing and life-giving.

So, I look forward to the days ahead that I can share His words of hope.  I want to offer you a place to come when you need to breathe the fresh air of friendship and when you long for connections that are wrapped in the presence of healing love.  I long to share His word with you as I also share my heart.   Even as I write today, I feel Jesus close.  He longs to be close to you, as well.  He is reaching for you.  Embrace Him.

Wow!  Now, that’s refreshing! 

“He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.”
(Psalm 107:20  New Living Translation)