I entered the store to do some "window shopping". The author of the book "Dining with Joy" was going to be at Calvary Chapel Melbourne, and I honestly wanted to know what it meant to "dine with joy".
"Dining with Joy" kind of (sorta) remind me of my wedding day. *insert nausea or sigh here*.
Some remember the day as a blazing Florida day in August where the flower girls (three to be exact) walked down the aisle to the wedding march, the best man wiped off my handsome groom's dripping face, and one of my dear bridesmaids passed out.
However, since everyone was okay, I can remember the day as I day where our hearts were full as we were humbled by the outpouring of love from our families and friends.
However, our stomachs were not.
If you are married, then you know what I mean. If you aren't, I say start training for the wedding day NOW. We barely ate at our wedding, so hmmmm......can that really be dining with joy?
I have completely digressed.
The truth is that though I had every intention to window shop for this book with a somewhat mysterious title, the real reason I was there was because I had time to burn. My husband (Go honey Go!!!) was playing his sax at another church campus and they had just finished the 2nd of 3 services.
I never found "Dining with Joy", but what I did find blew my mind.
I skimmed through this book with no real intention of buying it, but the more I read it the more I was challenged. It felt like God was speaking to me, scolding me for being so concerned about worthless things such as image, gluttony, laziness, and mindless spending. I spent about 20 minutes just soaking up what I was reading, and this seemed like the real deal. This wasn't a fluff message like children hear on Barney (though some parts were truly hilarious, and the "voice" was extremely conversational). It was a real message. It was about how the good news of Christ affects our life, image, relationships, and priorities.
I looked at the price. $16. Yikes! I was going to leave it there and walk away. Then came the revelation that my priorities need help. If it were a dress or a pair of shoes that had captivated me for this period of time, I would not have hesitated at all.
That's when I realized, that I needed to get this message in the deepest crevices of my heart. If the book is what God wanted to use, then I was going to buy it.
With all of that being said, one question remains. Was my $16 a bargain or a waste?
Time will tell for sure, but I am excited to learn whatever God wants to teach me.
P.S. Check out the author's blog for yourself. Margot Starbuck
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