So I have a confession to make. Chocolate cookies are (I think) my greatest weakness. Not just any chocolate chip cookie, but soft, gooey, homemade-with-love chocolate chip cookies.

Some restaurants come close. My new favorite is Panera. I’m enjoying one right this moment while I’m here in a corner booth using their lovely classical-background-music-&-free-wifi-atmosphere as my afternoon office while between rehearsals. It’s a good thing I don’t have a Panera closer to home or this might be a pretty regular occurance – the cookie, and the afternoon office. ?

So how is everybody doing lately? Is it just me or does it seem like life moves insanely fast these days? No matter how hard I keep pedaling, it’s like I’m hardly going anywhere!

I’ve been pretty busy with stuff here at home this spring, but in the next few months I’ll be out traveling again quite a bit. Then it’s time to re-evaluate in the fall what is “next” for me. It might be time to buckle down and go for the day job again. Praying the right thing will come along in the right time. Of course I’ll continue to lead worship when and where the Lord opens the door for me to do that, but it might be time for a new season and for that to become a bit more secondary. The tough economy isn’t helping anybody right now. I’m sure there are lots of you out there fighting the same battle. Bless you! I’m persevering and trusting God with you!

I’ve been wrestling with God about these seasons of life we all find ourselves in from time to time, seasons when His direction and leading us doesn’t always seem obvious - or even in the slightest way clear. Of course our desire is to do His will, to follow as He leads…but what do we do when we don’t know where He’s leading us? I try to often think upon the well-known verses from Ecclesiastes:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

--Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV)

In my life, I have to trust that there is a season, a reason, a purpose for everything, which He knits together for the good. Nothing can thwart His plans, so though I may not always see the full picture, He does, and I can rest in that.

I may not know what more to do today than to tackle the to-do list and face the deadlines vying for my time and attention, but that is okay. Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own!

I think I’ll go finish that chocolate chip cookie now.