I brewed a cup of my latest favorite tea and sipped it as I wrote this month’s Java.  It’s Ginger Peach Green Tea by Stash, and it has 100% natural ingredients–green tea, ginger root, peach flavor, and Japanese Matcha. For a green tea, it’s bursting with robust flavor.  It’s the flavor of spring!

I tucked a few of the tea bags in my suitcase for some serious travels this month.  First, we enjoyed a fantastic Fresh Grounded Faith event in Newark, Delaware.  The women there were absolutely wonderful.  This Southern girl just loved my Yankee sisters!  Speaking of Yankees, Kathy Troccoli was my special guest, offering the perfect girlfriend blend to the weekend.  She is such a woman of grace and authenticity.  I love her music, I love her heart, and I love her accent!  And, I love her friend Ellie Lofaro, who I finally got to meet in person.  You should check her books out, too.  What a woman!

After the FGF event, we stayed a couple of days in Philadelphia.  Being a history buff
and wildly patriotic (really–I cry at Fourth of July fireworks celebrations more than I cry at weddings), I was totally inspired!  We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Christ Church (and I even sat in the pew where George Washington sat when he worshiped), the home of Betsy Ross, and we toured the cobblestone-laden old city by horse drawn carriage!  It was incredibly meaningful to me.  I was reminded of Ben Franklin’s famous quote as we visited such monumental places that were critically important during the early years of our country, “…God governs in the affairs of men.”

As March began to bump into April, we went to Chattanooga for me to speak at the True Woman ’10 Conference sponsored by Revive our Hearts and Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  Nancy is such a woman of passion and truth.  With over 2500 of my new friends, we listened to great teaching by Nancy, Kay Arthur, Mary Kassian (check out her new book Girls Gone Wise) and other great folks.  One of the highlights for me was listening to Keith & Kristyn Getty for three days and worshipping with them.  Have you heard their music?  They brought their band-complete with bagpipes-and everything about their presentation was inspiring and lovely.  Kristyn’s voice is haunting, their lyrics are rich with poetic beauty and biblical doctrine, and their songs were accented with Celtic splendor.  As I listened to the CD on the way home, I thought it just might inspire me to get back on the treadmill!  It’s good walking-while-talking-with-God music! (We’ll see…I’d rather be on the pottery wheel!  Click here if you want to see my pottery lesson progress.)

Everywhere we traveled this month, we were met by friends and family-Karen True and Julie Garner from WomensMinistry.net, Phil’s sister Cindi, his parents and even his best friend from high school-now the proud father of 11!  (No, that isn’t a typo.)  It’s the people in our world who make our lives sweeter than peach tea and more inspired than beautiful Irish harmonies!  Of all the rich experiences I’ve enjoyed this month, it’s the people who have reminded me that life is good until the last drop!

So, give these things a taste test:

1.  Ginger Peach Green Tea by Stash

2.  Fresh Grounded Faith or a women’s
event near you

3.  Philadelphia 

4.  Keith & Kristyn Getty’s new CD Awaken the Dawn

5. Notice the people in your life-savor the flavor of their friendship. Aren’t  they the sweetest?

What else should I taste? Leave a comment here.