Every now and then I feel a special tug on my soul which I now attribute to the Holy Spirit simply letting me know He is here..... Yesterday I experienced one one of those times, and I'm still enjoying the afterglow of the moment. It took place just south of here as I went with 3 friends to celebrate a birthday in Zionsville.
I had been to Zionsville several times, but never to the Sanctuary. Perhaps you have heard of it? A former church building, it is now the gallery and restaurant owned by artist Nancy Noel. The Sanctuary lived up to its name. And I was awestruck by sights not only of Nancy's beautiful and distinctive artwork throughout the building, but also by the feeling of calmness and peace that seemed to blanket the place. A church pew was part of our lunch seating and lovely old stained glass windows glowed beside our table as the October sun streamed through the golds, greens and yellows. We celebrated Phyllis's upcoming birthday and then headed downstairs (to the church basement) to shop and, as it turned out, to meet Nancy.
What a gift from God, truly, to be in such a beautiful place, surrounded by such breathtaking art, to be with good friends, to unhurried without a crowd of shoppers, and to have the added bonus of meeting Nancy Noel who chatted amiably with us as if she had nothing else on her agenda. In fact, she was to leave shortly but lingered over our purchases, signing them individually as we looked on. She even consented to being part of a group picture to commemorate our day together.
The Sanctuary was more than a restaurant and gallery for me yesterday. In my recent quest to crave God more than food and things of this world, I've gotten back to basics in Scripture that remind me repeatedly of His goodness and His provision in that "Everything is permissable but not everything is beneficial"... (1 Corinthians 10:23). I wrote about this verse in my last post! Well, it's still ringing in my ears... God's Word has a way of doing that, coming back to me over and again. Perhaps I am a slow learner and need the repitition.
Judging from the menu, the food offered for lunch all sounded absolutely delectable and as I glanced at plates being delivered to other lunchers, I nearly caved in to the desire for pot pie or quiche. After all, it was a special occasion! But in the end, I knew it's not really about the food - it's about the experience of being together in such a special place for a special occasion. So whatever I ate would sustain me, and I need not fret over eating just for the sake of eating. The specialness was NOT the food, in my view. My choices ended up not complimenting one another in the taste department - that's the part I did not think through very well. But both items were delicious in their own right. I chose a cup (not a bowl) of Italian minestrone soup and a side of Nancy's Beets Salad. The flavors were too strong for the same plate - but each was wonderful. The Roobieredtea was wonderful and I will be searching for it online!
GOD is showing up everywhere I go these days... as if He were not normally there, you might say! Well, let's just say I'm FINDING Him everywhere I go. Yesterday He was very present in the Sanctuary. Check it out for yourself. And be sure to take a camera.
The good news for me this morning, after dining at the Sanctuary, is that I was rewarded by a 1.5 pound weight loss, something that's been eluding me the past few days. Thank You again, Lord. You are my Portion and my Sanctuary!
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