Grace at Cafe Chocolat

This last weekend I had the privilege of going on a retreat called Cafe Chocolat with 40 other women to eat some chocolate and spend some time with the Lord.  I was on the leadership team and knew the ins and outs of the weekend.  I wasn't expecting to be moved like I was.  God had different plans.

During our last session we sat with chocolate syrup (our sin) in our hand for what seemed like a really long time, but was probably 10-15 minutes.  It was a mess.  It spread all over, got on everything around you and even on others around you.  That's so like sin, isn't it?  It's just a mess and it spreads.

There were four women standing up front ready to wipe our sin away.  One of them was my mom.  I didn't go to her because I was trying to avoid crying.  I went to another line and as my sin was being wiped away I was overcome with emotions.

Friends.  I lost it.  I thought about His grace and how much He has changed me in the past year.  How He has just loved on me.  How He has molded me through my hard times.  How thankful I am for having my hard times so I lean into Him more.

I realized He's been working to give me a new name.  And for this I am thankful.  Praise!

Seeking Community

I've been yearning for friends, for community.  I've been feeling like I don't have that and I want it.  I want people around me that just do life with me.  Nothing fancy, just life.

Then this weekend happened.  The Twin Cities were hit pretty hard this past weekend with storms.  I went to a friends house on Friday night for a slumber party.  Just me and two of my girlfriends.  We planned to do some Holy Yoga, play some games, polish our nails, do some facials and drink some margaritas.  God had so much more in store for us.

So. Much. More.

We got to my friends house (which was plan B already due to the power being out at the other home) and 15 minutes later her power went out.  What to do?  We got on our yoga mats.  We worshiped in the dark by candlelight.  It was beautiful.  It was Holy.

We felt moved to pray when we were done.  Sitting together in a circle, knees to knees and holding hands.  You could feel the Lord's presence there.  He was with us in the dark.  He was a light shining among us.  It was peaceful and amazing (even with the gurgles of water coming from the basement).

We went downstairs to check out the gurgles and found her husband and daughter had been transferring water from the overflowing sump basin to the utility sink for the last thirty plus minutes.  Thus began our bucket brigade.  In the basement, in the candlelight, for the next hour.  I have never had more fun doing work like that.  We laughed, we sang, we slipped, we were doing life together.

If we hadn't been there that night, if we had been at the original location, their whole basement probably would have flooded.  God put us right where we needed to be.  And he gave me what I had been longing for.  People who were just happy to be around each other doing life.  Nothing fancy, just life.

I have community here and it spreads wider than the women I was with that night.  We have amazing family and friends that came together this weekend and we did life together.  What I longed for, I already had.  It just took a storm for me to see what was right in front of me.

Do you have community?  Do you long for community?  If you're in the Twin Cities you can find some Holy Yoga community here.  It might change your life.

Blessings,
Megan