God and washing dishes

1 Lost Canyon retreat center
1 weekend of beautiful AZ weather
350 men (not sure if this is an exact count)
33 women servant ministers
4 meals prepared, cooked, and served
1400 washed plates, glasses, platters, and silverware
1 reason....Jesus!
Priceless!

This past weekend I had the absolute privilege to get to know and work alongside 32 incredible women to help serve the men from our church during their men's challenge up at Lost Canyon (a phenomenal Young Life facility http://sites.younglife.org/camps/LostCanyon/default.aspx) in Williams, AZ. I honestly had no idea what to expect other than a lot of hard work, but God was really calling me to go. And go I did and 2 1/2 days later, it was nothing short of AMAZING and RENEWING (and okay, admittedly exhausting too! ; ) But God was just so God in all the obvious ways He revealed Himself through the people and beauty of His creation, it was just profound.

But He also showed up in the unexpected....while doing dishes! I was assigned for the weekend to be part of the pit crew....better known as dish washing and kitchen clean-up duty. Mind you, I had no complaints whatsoever about this assignment. I've always been more comfortable working behind the scenes (hmmm, maybe I shouldn't say that too loudly because God might just put me as a server next year!) In anycase, Brother Lawrence (a 17th century Christian monk who viewed cooking and kitchen duties as a way of practicing the presence of God) came to mind quite a bit as I was doing my tasks which made me very mindful and intentional to pursue and commune with God. Of his kitchen, Brother Lawrence wrote: "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."

And taking it a bit further, I've come to see the kitchen as a place that sharpens us. It's a place that wakes us up. Our senses become keener and more aware of not just the extraordinary, but more so of the ordinary. And it's in the ordinary that God reveals Himself the most if we'd just tune in and look! It's in that mindset that we taste with greater subtlety and see with more clarity. But there are also times when we're not as sensitive, intuitive, and just not as focused. We get distracted and numbed out to life. And just like in the kitchen that becomes most apparent....the sauce might burn, the bread won't rise, or the dishes may slip out of our hands. And likewise, if we don't stay focused on Him, we get distracted and lose our way only to bear the weight of getting "burned or hurt" to get our attention and draw us back to Him.

"In the very same way that the Chinese cook was able to sharpen his knives just by using them, we can sharpen our lives by living them with awareness, moment by moment in His presence." Seasons of your Heart

PS: My Top 5 will be coming soon....just postponed it because this had really been on my heart to share.