The counter is covered in dishes.  Dirty ones.  The music is on and I believe it is Ingrid Michaelson who is serenading me right now.  There are buttered potatoes sitting on the stove and the cream needs to go to the fridge.  I have stewed, vanilla maple rhubarb still in it’s saucepan.  Oh and the cheese should be wrapped.  But before I get to all of that I need to share.  Not the leftover dinner although I would happily do that if you could drop by in half an hour.  It seems I just don’t get tired of sharing and chatting and eating and visiting and welcoming, you and others.  If you could come for a visit, now, tonight, I would open the door and sit you down at that table with the brightly coloured tablecloth.  The candles can be re lit.  I have enough leftovers for, well for a lot of you.  Will I never learn to use better judgement when it comes to amounts?  

Maybe not.  I love these nights of messy kitchen and leftovers and music and

Quiet.  This is a special time for me.  The mess is not a worry.  I will get to it.  I will put it all to rights, eventually.

First, the words might not be quite right if I wait until the sun rises.  You see, tonight was unexpected.

Well some of it was, unexpected.  We were prepared for the two that came to our door at 6:00 p.m…  They were prompt.  You never know, you know.  When you wait to open the door to guests who are on your porch for the first time, it is a bit of a guessing game as to when they will actually ring the bell.  

They came in and they smiled and I was happy they were here.  I knew it would be an interesting evening.  How did I know?  Well, they talked and we talked and when it happens like that right at the beginning, it’s going to be alright.

I did not know how the hours ahead would unfold.  I totally forgot to ask them tonight if I could share.  They might read this because the blog tends to come up in conversation. It did tonight.  We were sworn to secrecy about his age, which of course we would never divulge and I think, after that, we just jumped in and one thing led to another and it was good and he said he had suspected this is what we would talk about tonight.  They had driven here from cottage country, for dinner.  I said I was honored.  He said they had gone to a little community church on their lake this morning and I said I knew people who went to that church.  I told them what I have told my little ones so many times.  We don’t believe in coincidences.  We believe in God and His all knowing plan.  Oh, we don’t know what His plan is but we know that He has everything all worked out and tonight was part of that.

 Almost as soon as the first bite of potato reached my mouth we were up and running.  Talk of where we came from and preachers and their daughters.  From there to churches and what you can expect to hear when you walk through the doors.  To God and His son Jesus and how do we know Him and what if it is all just a story and maybe he had a moment of doubt and how can a loving God allow people to die without a chance to know Him and faith and prayer and confusion and uncertainty

and searching,

 For truth

and can we believe differently and is there really a truth and can we just choose the parts of what is in the Bible that make sense and we agree with?  

Deep stuff.  

They left four hours later and I don’t know when I last had that conversation, so raw and honest, with people who are just not sure they are convinced that what I believe is for them, also.  Differing views on life and politics and conservatism and liberalism and it was good.  

It was good.

It was a challenge and it was good.  

I know what I believe and I know it is truth.

 I said at one point to this warm and thought provoking man, “but if truth is just that, it doesn’t matter really, what we think..  What matters is truth”.

Truth,  we Will all bow before the one Holy, Loving God.  We will do it.  Let’s do it while there is still life to be lived.  Abundant life.  Not perfect life.  Never that until we go to be with Him.  Life here and life ever after.  There is so much that we don’t understand and I would even say, we don’t like.  Questions!  Some with no answers.  Hard Questions!  With no answers.  He has not told us everything that we want to know.  He has told us the important.

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.  Genesis 1:1

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.  Deut. 7:9

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

We talked about all of these things and it was good..  We have differing views and we are all, each one of us, on a different journey.  The journey is hard, and happy and sad and challenging and good.  But ultimately,

Jesus, who came, to this sin filled world to bridge the gap between us and the Father, will come again and we do have a choice,

to believe it,

or Not.  

I fear for those who choose Not.  

We prayed and they left.  I hope they come back.  I like them.  God loves them.  

Just like He loves me.  

It was such a good and soul searching evening and I am thankful that God was here with us.  

Now, to this kitchen and it’s mess.