An image of God and a night spent with Christa Wells and Nicole Witt

March 15 2013.

This day I will never forget.

Not because of anything I did, but because of what God did. 

Every day God walks with us- guiding us, teaching us, loving us.

Some days though you can seriously feel and know he is holding your hand.

Well that day, God gave our community a gift through music I know many will also remember.

Christa Wells and Nicole Witt of More than Rubies, graced our new Mount Holly bakery, Queen Bee with their spirits. 

They emptied themselves to fill us up. 

Have you every thought that that's what artists do every.single.time they perform?

They give. We take. And everyone walks away from a song more blessed, more loved, and more okay with their weaknesses.

It's hard to choose a favorite song they sang because every song touched me in a different way. 

But there was one song that I knew slowed everyone's breathing for a bit and that was

"Image of God."

From the moment Nicole sets her bow on the string of her violin, to the last piano key Christa gently touches-- You see God, you hear God, you feel God.

What a blessing and what a gift to be the gift giver and the gift receiver of this song.

God was also gracious to give us time to spend together before they performed. Over salads we talked music, the messy and the beautiful bits of mothering, and the mere fact that we are all a whole lot more alike than we think. I sat with wisdom. I sat there with faith. I sat there with love. Christa Wells and Nicole Witt breathe wisdom, faith, and love through their conversation and music. I was so nervous I was gonna say something weird or dorky, but after a few words with them, I really didn't care if I did say something ridiculous. They were just that cool and kind.

As they set up and prepared, people from Mount Holly, Charlotte, and Matthews walked through our doors. The owners Freddie and Kerri Queen filled our bellies with warm coffee and the best sweet treats. I delighted in the white chocolate covered strawberries. Oh my were they good! It was so awesome to be a part of the orchestration of this beautiful evening.

You know, sometimes music can knock the very last breath out of you and it suddenly becomes your breath. And like my good friend Ashley Flowers says "by the end of some songs, you just need to take a big deep breath and then slowly let it go." 

I truly believe that music is like air for us.

There is not a day that goes by that a song doesn't lift and shift me.

I'll end with a story that happened prior to the concert. It happened around 2:30 in the afternoon.

I was walking with my son and we were listening to More than Rubies sing Image of God. The sun was out, birds were harmonizing along, and the wind moved the music along with perfect grace. As I listened, I suddenly looked up. The sky's canvas was marked. It was marked with the most beautiful image I have seen. The sky was painted with light in the center of a cross formed by the jet stream of a passing plane. Ahhh- God. I said hello to Him and snapped this picture. 

What an image. What a blessing.

Today I pray you find an image of God. 

They are everywhere if we just look up.

Be Blessed!