I am in search of the world’s most delicious food or meal. Unfortunately, after much searching, I came to the realization that every culture’s and every person’s tastes are so vastly different, that even locally-popular foods are hardly noticeable on a global scale–it is even difficult to form a list of the most popular foods! I guess this adds to the value of and great feeling associated with cooking for others and sharing with them one’s own food experiences.

So, here I ask you, what are some of the best foods/dishes that you have had that you recommend trying at least once in life, and is there a noteworthy setting that added to the experience?

I’m sitting in 57, just having finished cleaning up a bit. I turned off the lights, and before I could leave I was deafened by the silence and tranquility. I just sat down for a moment, enjoying the night sounds in the dim light, enjoying the cars and passers-by. The contrast in this place is amazing. What was vibrant and bright just moments before is now strangely reflective and absorbant of all my energy. Cast on the wall adjacent to the window is the shadow of the “57″ decal. It makes me wonder as to what makes a logo–is it a location or a name?

Right now, the face of this place is no longer backlit but now a filter. The physical view I’m accustomed to, filled with people I look forward to seeing, is eclipsed now and all that is left is the spiritual feeling that always fills this place. Sometimes when I’m caught up with songs and people I become distracted from experiencing it fully, but it’s always there for the taking whenever we become fumbled in our words and teary in our sight–whenever we return to the heart of worship. Alas, there’s no busyness in which to hide at the end of the day, for God knows our hiding place.

So, God, take my life too–and someday my death–as Yours to use for Your glory, since You have taken my hiding place and now there’s no running from Everlasting Love or Amazing Grace. I thank You for the wonderful people with which we spent our day, and I thank You for inviting us to worship and serve You tonight. What a great opportunity it is to engage in fellowship with such wonderful brothers and sisters. Thank You even more, though, for the opportunity to love and be loved by You all the time, even in-between times of fellowship, filling in the gap with You meeting us in the middle. Thank You for concerning Yourself in the affairs of our lives and this world, and welcoming us into eternal worship with Your wide, open, loving arms.

I’m starting to think this is why Jeremy serves here so often by voluntarily cleaning this place. There’s something about it more than simply what it represents and accomplishes (and the personal storage space it is sometimes used for during the summer) and that is due only to God’s presence and Blessing. Perhaps it was a God idea and not just a good idea.

Brilliance drives by.
Filter horizontal stripes
Onto headlights
Cornering shadows,
And together they dance the
Brief waltz that
They die to live for.

Horizon leaning,
Diagonal spinning,
The fade then flashes.
Cars distancing
The dim nighttime hues
That fall between
My fingers like time’s sand.

Pillow cools my mind.
Breath shortens
While form escapes me.
Stanzas are failing.
The night’s music that
Chimed so lovely then
Now forebodes that sanity’s a temporary vapor.

Thoughts evaporate as
The sound of raindrops mists them.
I still feel but
No worries are left in the game.
I feel peace and
Wonderful love and
Even see the potential future today.

(Submitted from my phone.)