The ugly truth is that there just wasn’t much cooking at our house this week. Confessions might be in order here, because it was “the perfect storm” in a few ways.
The Perfect Storm
- Jeff left for a conference on Sunday = eat pizza.
- I was preparing for a retreat this weekend (leaving today) = my brain was not in the kitchen.
- We had two ministry events in the evening and one track meet = no time in the kitchen.
- My grocery shopping consisted of sandwich fixin’s = how many sandwiches can you eat in 4 days?
The #11 Temptation
To top it all off, the weather was beautiful, which made me want to roll down the car windows … which naturally made me want to go to a drive-thru … which led me to a #11 … which meant I made excuses and didn’t cook. (Does this sound like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?) And I admit that a bag full of #11 doesn’t qualify as cooking … I’m not even sure it qualifies as “food,” but it was satisfying for a few wicked moments.
But then Jeff came home, and so I cooked. I made a homemade beef stew, inspired by what I had. Let me just say that Jeff and the kids loved it, but if I put a picture here, I’m pretty sure it would burn a whole in your computer. SPICY! It must’ve been the can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos. I had a really little bowl of stew and a roll.
The Lakeside Encounter
So I’m not feeding anyone this Friday! I’m leaving the family fixins for dinner – not sandwiches. I DO hope to feed women the word of God tonight and tomorrow, to give them big helpings of fellowship, to serve them encouragement and faith. Would you pray for us as we go? Our theme is “Lakeside Encounters,” and it’s all about what happens to those who encountered Jesus at the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Gennesaret. Pray for women who are coming who have never personally encountered Jesus … they will be there. Pray for others who are coming with heavy burdens they need to give to Jesus … they will be there. I’ll be leading the retreat with my lovely Women’s Ministry team, and I’ll be sharing the final session on Saturday at 2 pm. We so want to share how encountering Jesus changes lives.
I might need to get lunch on the way to the Conference Center … a #11? 😉
I’ll leave you with a view from our lakeside Inn.
