ANTICIPATION

Charlie and I have a lot of fun in spite of being such old fogies. Our most recent adventure involved a Valentine party for a few of our friends. Oh, the planning, scheming and conniving that went in to making a fun evening for twenty people.

First of all we needed the perfect place to make the party cozy, friendly and romantic. An old camp house in the country, located down a seemingly deserted dirt road, just fit the bill.

When I sent the invitations I included a list of certain ingredients for the guest to bring for hobo stew. (In case you’ve never eaten this type of stew, cooked in tin foil over a bed of hot coals, you don’t know what you’re missing.)

The invitation also said, “…we may have to blindfold you to take you to an undisclosed location.”

The excitement was mounting. One of the guys we invited came up to us several times during the weeks preceding the party and told us he was going crazy trying to figure out what was going to happen.

The night finally arrived. With only a few exceptions no one knew who had been invited. As the cars started coming down the driveway shouts of, “Oh, they’re coming too? Great!”

The clincher for the getaway was the blindfolding process. As part of the group piled into our church van and the others into my car, only the van driver (our pastor) and I were aware of the direction we were headed.

All along the way my bunch would comment on directions. “Now we’re turning on the Eastman Highway. I know where we are. We’re in the Lake Linda area. No, we’re on the Limestone Road.” And so it went as we wound around residential streets and up and down dirt roads. My group was thoroughly lost by the time we arrived at our destination.

I was so glad we weren’t pulled over by the police. We looked like terrorists who had captured hostages and were possibly holding them for ransom.

You would never know that these were grown adults. The adventure of the drive was superseded only by the quaintness of the camp house and the fun of building our individual hobo stews.

Later we sat around a huge table and played Spin the Bottle. Not the old way, mind you. Each time the bottle was spun the person to whom the bottle pointed had to share something romantic about their spouse.

That’s where this story ends. What happened there…stays there! I can say this; I have never heard such laughing and carrying on in my life. I truly believe Christians have more fun than anyone.

The anticipation of the evening was shared by the planners as well as those invited. On our part, Charlie and I knew what was going to happen. We planned for romantic music to be playing, a specially decorated cake for dessert and even a door prize of an animated toy that had a hilarious frog couple on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

When I think of anticipation I can’t help but think about my heavenly Father who is planning a great party for his children in heaven. Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

Jesus is having fun right now getting things together for His children. We, in turn, can only wonder and anticipate what that day will be like when He calls us home to be with Him.

The invitations have been sent. Are you ready for the party?