My birthday was Monday, May 17, but the celebration of my birthday has become more of a season than a day. I am blessed to have a lot of really amazing friends, and we are celebrating with mini-parties of 2-4 people at a time, going out for dinner, seeing plays, going to museums, and more.

The first celebration took place on Thursday, May 13, when my friend Kara took me to one of my favorite restaurants in Staten Island, Adobe Blues. Then, Friday I was with relatives for dinner at Beyoglu, Saturday was dinner (Thai) and a play (Falmouth Theatre Guild's "The Secret Garden") and then drinks and live music at Liam Maguire's in Falmouth (Cape Cod). Monday was lunch with my co-workers at one of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan, Simply Pasta, and then dinner with my two NYC-based cousins at Persepolis, which was a replacement for our original destination, which was packed with a long wait. (This was a fortuitous change of plans... I found out about Persepolis from my OpenTable iPhone app, and it was a wonderful dining experience. Their homemade rose ice cream - yes, I said rose - was heavenly.)

There are several more gatherings to come, and I can't wait. (Though I do need to up the ante on my exercise routine... this is some serious eating I don't usually do!)

All of this is to say, I have had several opportunities to "make a wish," and this year I have done something I have never done before: I have used that moment to say to my heavenly Father, "For my birthday, I am asking you, King of the Universe AND my loving Father, for..."

Something very specific. Something that has been frustrating for me for some time, and He (and He alone) has the power to do something about it.

Want to know my wish?

Here it is.

I have asked God for husbands. That's right, husbands. With an "s." I have several friends who are amazing, beautiful, talented, nurturing, loving, emotionally healthy, professionally accomplished, women over 35 who want very much to be married. They are also devoted Christians who are not willing to marry a man who is not, likewise, a devoted and mature follower of Christ. But other than that one non-negotiable, these women are open to many possibilities.

These women are talented in many different ways, but all of them are fun, energetic, creative, loving, and into various activities like hiking, traveling, reading, cooking, entertaining, and more. And whenever I spend time with them, I think to myself, "you are such an amazing woman. Why haven't you been discovered by some man yet?"

I confess, I spent some time with one such friend recently lamenting the sad state of dating for Christians over 35. We blasted several men we know who are over 35, still single, claim that they want to be married, but seem to be holding out for 20-somethings who look like the woman in the Banana Republic or J. Crew catalog, are able to lead a Bible study, and don't mind that the guy has a wierd attachment to his mom and his XBox.

(We repented quickly, realizing that we were not edifying one another or treating these men with the love Christ has commanded us to have for them.) But it was around that time, when I was all riled up about how frustrating some of these guys are, that I realized that I needed to take this straight to God in the form of a specific request presented to Him (Phil 4:5-7). 

So I did. I asked God for husbands. And then I got really bold and asked that He give these women husbands for my birthday before my next birthday.

I'll keep you posted here. And since I do believe that, when it comes to prayer, there is power in numbers, I welcome you to add your "yes" and "amen" to my request. One of the things I love about being in God's Kingdom is that you can pray in South Africa or El Salvador or England, and I can pray in New York City, and to God, it's like we're standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of his throne of grace. 

Last post, I told you that I would be sharing about how my new "30 Stories You've Probably Never Heard" Bible reading planned rocked my world recently. And I will, but I'm afraid that story has to wait til the next post. I realized I needed to give you the set up first. So check back for how God used Numbers 11 to correct my attitude and encourage me to believe that He heard my birthday wish, loud and clear.