A Victorian Tea Party
I have always loved Victorian Tea parties. It sort of reminded me of those years when the girls were still crazy about American Girls and tea parties. So, the date was set. September23, a Sunday afternoon at the Bautista's home. It was a perfect sunny and cool first day of autumn. While I was still busy setting up the table and putting finishing touches to the table setting, I saw the girls come down with their pretty handmade hats and lovely dresses. I knew then, that this party would be a success. The pictures herein will tell a great story.

As I looked at the array of tea selection, I was reminded of a devotional written by Julia Bettencourt entitled "Drop in for tea".

There are so many tea flavors these days. Many blends are good for us and today we are going to share in some cups of tea that are good for our us as Christians.

Royal-TEA (Galatians 4:7) This source for this tea is straight from the well of Living Water. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become part of His royal family so we should be living like we are one of His children. Personali-TEA (John 13:35) As Christians, we represent the person of Christ, so He should be part of our persona. When we talk, we ask, "What would Jesus say?" Would He be happy with how we act?

Hones-TEA (Ephesians 4:25) In today's world, a cup of honesty sure is refreshing. As a Christian, honesty is something we should be filled with. Mark Twain said, "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything."

Accountabili-TEA (Romans 14:12) We all have to drink this one. We are all responsible for how we live this life on earth and what we do or don't do for Christ.

Adversi-TEA (2 Corinthians 12:9,10) Watch out! It's hot and may be a hard one to swallow, but sometimes the Lord knows we need a good strong drink of it. What I love is that this blend of tea always comes served with grace. Sufficient grace. Our cup's never filled with more than we can drink at one time.

Generosi-TEA (Luke 6:38) Notice how a cup of this will keep refilling itself? When we give, the Lord blesses us all the more. other Teresa once said, "“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

Availabili-TEA (Isaiah 6:8) We all should be willing and ready to drink this blend. Neal Maxwell said, "God does not begin by asking our ability, only our availability, and if we prove our dependability, He will increase our capability."

Laughabili-TEA (Proverbs 17:22) Be sure to get a full cup. This blend of tea has medicinal purposes and I sure feel good when I drink this one. May I have a refill, please? Laughter is always music to the soul.

Uni-TEA (Psalm 133:1) When you are drinking this blend, it causes a sweet spirit which can benefit those around you. Even Plato, the philosopher said, "“As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.”

Humili-TEA (Acts 20:19) Before we can pick up this cup, sometimes we have to swallow a little of our own pride first. As a Christian, humility should be part of our character. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "“A great man is always willing to be little.”

Hospitali-TEA (1 Peter 4:9) This blend is for sharing. Be sure to serve it up to others. Romans 12:10-13, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”

I hope we are drinking in -all the things we need to drink in order to live our Christian lives to the fullest. These will all add up to our Spirituali-TEA. How we live reflects Who we serve and when we begin sipping on those "teas" in our lives and concentrating on those areas, we begin reflecting Christ more. I don't know about you, but each time I sit down and have a cup of tea in the morning, it puts me in the right mindset for the day. These "teas" will help put us in the right frame of mind too. Reflecting on these areas of our lives will give us a boost in our spiritually. So, how's your tea?

And to those of you who did not drop in for tea, I hope you will join us next time. We really did have a great time!