Rise Up & Look: The Pictures!

Here are the pictures that prove all the fun that was had at the conference (in between all the teaching)! Hannah, Heidi, Sara and I rode to St. Louis together! So much fun!

Quote of the week: "What happens in the car, stays in the car!"

Heidi & me at Steak & Shake

Sara & Hannah at Steak & Shake

THE St. Louis ARCH:

Beth & Robbie




Me & Robbie




The Roomies: Beth, Me, Robbie & Ruth



Me, Beth, Ruth, Jason, Errick (plus the scary bear in the background!)

Melissa in all her distress as she lost "her group"!

A random picture!

Rise Up & Look: Our Lively Hope

Yesterday, I got home from the Rise Up Conference in St. Louis. The main focus of this conference was The Last Days and it was really an intense topic to try to tackle in a couple of days. Typically, when I've heard messages on the Last Days, particularly on our Savior's return, I get the feeling that the idea being communicated is a fear of the Lord's return and that this fear is to motivate me to be a "better christian". I was particularly encouraged by the perspective the speakers portrayed throughout the conference, one of HOPE as our motivator.


Joe Reese spoke on the Church in the Last Days. He reminded us that our salvation is not complete yet and that our hope is the consummation of our salvation, when our salvation is fully and completely realized when we are perfected in glory!

What do we know about our hope?
1. Our hope is unseen. It is real but is not seen and one day our faith will give way to sight!

2. Our hope is stabilizing. It is our hope that serves as an anchor and stabilizes our life.

Hebrews 6:19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..."

3. Our hope is purifying. It is our hope that purifies and sanctifies our life. (more to come on sanctification in future posts)

4. Our hope is a confident expectation. Our Lord IS returning. It is imminent. And though we do not know the day or the time, we know that it WILL happen one day.

There are 3 principles which we can rest on through the Last Days:

1. Our faith in Him based on PAST personal experiences. We can hope today based on what God has done for me in days past. God has NEVER failed me and with confidence I can know that He will not fail me today because he did not fail me yesterday.

Daniel 3:17 As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answer King Nebuchadnezzar "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and HE WILL deliver us from your hand O, king."

Based on their experience of God's faithfulness in the past, they could tell the king with confidence that they would be delivered from his hand.

2. Our faith in Him based on what He's done for others. We can look all around us and see the grace of God. Others bear witness to His faithfulness.

Mark: 5:22-36 Jairus was there when the woman with the issue of blood was healed. He was there and witnessed the power of the Lord.

3. Our faith based on His promises. I have hope today because God has given me promises in His Word. God's promises are like checks that are meant to be carried to the bank and cashed out. Based on the personal promise that He will return for ME, I will NOT give up and I will continue on!

Romans 4:18-25 "...He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform...Now it was not written for his sake alone...but also for us."

All in all, I was encouraged as I realized that I have a lively hope in looking forward to the day that my Savior returns for ME. Yes, He will return for ME as His redeemed child. What a wonderful and blessed hope! It seems to me as though this Hope and love towards the Savior is a much more effective motivator towards Godly living than fear. And, it is THIS hope that motivates my heart to strive to live a life that honors and glorifies His name.

Petrified!!

Have you ever had something happen to you that absolutely freaked you out?! A couple of nights ago, it was particularly windy out and as I snuggled into bed and got all cozy I remember being so thankful that my house is sound and doesn't creak a lot on windy nights. Then, I drifted off to sleep, listening to the rustling of the leaves, not suspecting what kind of madness was soon to follow.

I'm not one who is easily awakened...in fact, most of the time, it's quite the endeavor to get me awake...so significant in fact, that I need more than one alarm to get me up every morning. But, this particular night, I awoke suddenly...so suddenly in fact that I flipped over in one quick movement and sat straight up in bed when I heard a loud "BANG". It was just one loud bang, that was it. Then it was silent. I began to think that I was just dreaming it up...and then, I heard it again a few minutes later and it seemed to be coming from a different place in the house this time...was it outside? Or was it coming from inside? I couldn't tell. My eyes were as big as saucers and as the creaking and banging continued...much too sporadically to be the wind in my opinion...my imagination began to go wild....in fact, I was completely and totally convinced that there must be an intruder in my house! I was petrified...if I hadn't been scared stiff (literally) I would have crawled into my closet with my pillow and blanket and spent the night there, or even crawled under my bed...but, in all my "sound thinking" at 3 AM, I knew the "intruder" would hear me move around because my floors creak a lot (the house IS 50+ years old, you know!) and so I stayed put...stiff as a board lying in my bed, with my phone in my hand, ready to dial 9-1-1 if needed and crying out to the Lord with much desperation to protect me through the night! I laid awake like that until my alarm went off at 6 AM.

I went outside in the morning and took a look at the outside of my house to see what could be causing such a racket during the night...it's amazing how less intimidating it is when the sun is shining brightly and all the shadows of the night have disappeared! All of a sudden I was super courageous! In my search, I found a little 8 oz plastic cup that the wind must have been throwing into the side of my house (it makes quite a racket when it hits the aluminum siding!). Other than that, I can only figure that the wind must have been wreaking havoc with my window well coverings. It's a little embarrassing to realize that these two little items were likely the reason for my petrified state only a few hours earlier! Things that seem so scary in the dark of night are put in proper perspective in the light of day.

Isn't it that way in our lives too? When we are in the thick of a trial, it can be so scary and sometimes we are petrified. It seems overwhelming when we are in the midst of the storm. But, when it passes, we can look back on it and see the faithfulness of the Lord and how He carried us along and provided for our every need.

Or perhaps its the sin in our lives....it's much more appealing through the eyes of the world, under the cover of darkness, but when we view it in light of God's word, it puts it into perspective...all of the sudden we see sin for the destructive and filthy thing that it is, no matter how appealing it once seemed. We know that in darkness things are never as they appear. We can't see things clearly and with proper perspective until we see them in the light.

"...let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly...But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Romans 13:11-14

Fall continues

This last week I've spent some time enjoying the outdoors...
and playing around with cameras. This blog is a result of all that fun!

An area with some fallish trees that I used to take some pictures of friends.

This is the same tree from my last post but it's much more orange than the first day I visited!

Kris and Kathy:
Happy One year Anniversary

Fall...

I just love the fall! The crisp air, the beautiful trees, the falling leaves! I just love it! In light of my love for fall I grabbed my camera and went out in search of some fall pictures! Here's what I came up with...the rest are on my other camera, that has film and requires a little more work to get them posted! So...enjoy and there are more to come soon....

A beautiful tree at the park

Don't you wish you had mums like this?
Maybe you already have some...I know I don't!

Grab a book and relax!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today Sonja and Jake came to visit me! It was so much fun! Unlike the day Ethan and Simon came for a visit, today was very rainy. So much so, in fact, that as Sonja was buckling Jacob into his car seat he sang "Rain, rain, go away" at the top of his lungs! So cute!

It was so fun to have them here today, to have lunch with them, and play and read books with Jacob! I love getting to know my friends' kids! It is such a joy and blessing to be a part of their lives. I don't know what I would do without all their smiles and hugs...I just love 'em!

And, even though Jacob was ready for the rain to go away, I enjoyed having the thunderstorm today. The rain came down in sheets and it was sooo beautiful! Here's a picture of my mums this afternoon as the rain was coming down! (Keep in mind, I merely stuck my arm out the front door to get this pix!)

Sunshine and Picnics

Today I had three of my favorite people visit me! Rachel, Ethan, and Simon drove in today and it was such a gorgeous day for them to visit! The sun was shining and though the breeze was brisk (and it was a bit chilly in the shade!) we had a wonderful time at the park. We had a picnic, played on the jungle gym, and in the sand box. We even got in a quick game of hide-and-seek! It's always so wonderful to see Ethan and Simon...to see how quickly they are growing and all the wonderful things they are learning! And, the fellowship with Rachel was oh-so sweet too! I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that the Lord has blessed me with!

Girls Night

Last night a few girls came over for dinner. I made some chili and the girls brought Fritos, crackers, corn bread, drinks and dessert! It made for such a yummy meal...and the fellowship was great too! It was a great way to really introduce my new dining room table to a "real" dinner experience! You see, it's much more enjoyable to have dinner at the table with friends/family than with a book! :-)




Many of you have asked to see some pictures of my house....

...introducing my dining room and the new table it now houses!
We're all ready for company! (You also get a sneak peek at my living room!)

Another view of the table...the table that was sooo excited to
have the guests arrive! (And, another peek at the living room that
still needs a little bit of TLC...it will come with time!!)

This is how my table sits on a "normal" day. I push it up against
the wall so that it's easier to maneuver through the house and
I don't constantly stub my toes on the table and it's chairs!

I hope you enjoyed the first phase of the house tour! I thought my
Girls Night table preparation was the perfect opportunity to begin the
tour. I'm only saddened to tell you that I completely forgot to pull the camera
out while there were people actually sitting at the table!

"Now hope does not disappoint..."

Do you ever find yourself discouraged with whatever season you are enduring right now? Things in life may not be turning out how you expected or how you planned, or maybe the job you have doesn't give you the satisfaction you thought it would. Do you ever find yourself looking at life circumstances and when you look around, you all the sudden find yourself in a "funk"? I don't know about you, but I know I've experienced the "funk" and I was reminded about where our true contentment lies when I read the following excerpt from "The Purple Cellar" in her post titled "Our Vital Need for Hope".

"Contentment is a choice, although at times it is hard to believe that. It just makes no sense. We would give anything to get out of the funk in which we find ourselves. But picking ourselves up by our purse straps just isn't going to do it. We need an answer; we need help. And if we do not get it, what starts out as a mild case of the blues can spiral down into depression, which leads to discouragement, and then, finally, to despair. There is a common thread in each slide we make down this awful spiral—a loss of hope. Each time we move a little lower, it is because a little more hope has died.


The key, of course, to not losing hope is to place our hope in the right things. If we set our hope on something, even a very good something, that we want in this life, we may well lose our hope, because there are no guarantees that we will get the things we want in the here and now. There is only one thing of which we can be sure, and that is God's presence and all the blessings that come with it. Our hopes will find increasing fulfillment if what we hope for is to know more of Christ. Our hopes will be realized if deeper intimacy with our heavenly Father is what we seek. Our hopes will not disappoint if we long to be free of our enslaving sins. We can bank our hopes on any and all of the things God has promised us in his Word."

I've recently been enjoying some posts over at "The Purple Cellar" blog on the topic of contentment. One post spoke that "Contentment is Always an Option" and that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in or what season we are experiencing, there is always an option to choose to be content. But we have to be looking for our contentment in the right places, we have to be placing our hope where it will not be disappointed.

What a wonderful reminder to set our sights on the things above, to set our hopes where they will not be disappointed. And, the one place that our hopes can safely rest are in the promises of God's word. We find true contentment when we seek (and find!) an intimacy in knowing our Savior and seeking after the things that please Him.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:1-6

New Years Resolutions...In September?

So we are 9 months into the year, almost 10 in a few days, and I thought I would check to see how everyone is doing on their New Years Resolutions this year. The other day I was working on some verse memorization and in the front of the book I had written my New Years Resolutions and was gently reminded that I need to be working on those. Granted, the real goal is to spend the WHOLE year working on them, not just the last few months, but better late than never right!

So, here's my progress for the year:

1. Memorize the book of James-I'm still working on it and could possibly finish it by the end of the year if I really buckle down, though I'm sad to tell you I'm still working on Chapter 1...even though I only have 1 more verse to go!

2. Read the Bible in a year-I'm doing a little better at this than I am at verse memorization but need to pick up the pace if I'm going to stay on task to finish it by December 31st. There is definite hope for this one though!! Yeah!

3. Hospitality-My goal was to have someone once a quarter into my home....I've altered it slightly and made it a point to invite people out to dinner since I didn't have a dining room table. But, this is looking up since my dining room table arrived a month ago or so (pictures to come soon!)

4. Take the GRE this spring/summer-This one I've nixed! I'm not going to take the GRE because the graduate school I've applied to does not require the GRE...so why spend the time studying or the money if it's not required!?! But, I figure I did one better by actually skipping this step and going straight to the grad school application!

So, at least I've accomplished (sort of!) one goal for the year, and am on my way to accomplishing the other goals!

How are you doing with your goals for this year? Did you forget about them, like I did? Or have you already accomplished them? Update me on how your New Year's Resolutions are doing this year!

Breckenridge Colorado Vacation

My family went on a vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado a few weeks ago. It was so much fun to have the family together for a week of relaxation and fun. Kate woke me up every morning...I'd hear the "pitter patter" of her feet and then my door would open and she would say, "Kelly, wake up" in her beautiful little voice. Then, she'd run out and shut the door! Sooo sweet! There's nothing like waking up to her beautiful smile and voice!

Our vacation began with a stop at Grandma J's in Nebraska. I'm sure we were like a whirlwind of activity coming through her home for the night but it was so nice to see her and spend time with her.

Grandma J. & Me

This was the beautiful view from our house.

We lost Kate's Nemo cup at one of the stores in Breckenridge so Dad and I rode our bikes into town (just a few miles!) to pick it up. On the way back, we decided to just keep going and bike to Dillon...we ran out of time (and perhaps energy!) and turned around within 1/2 mile of Lake Dillon!! So close...by the time we were done, we had biked about 18 miles. (I thought I was going to die!) It was so much fun! :-)

On the ride, we found these horses/mules!

Lake Dillon

Scott, Dad and I went on a nice refreshing hike one afternoon. It was gorgeous! Once again, I remembered that I really love to hike! (I remembered it last year when I hiked in Aspen but apparently needed another reminder!!)

Scott & Me

If you look closely, you can see the town of Breckenridge below!

This is not a picture of me taking a break. It's actually just a picture of me holding a tree up...I was just helping this poor little tree out!! Really, I did not need a break!!

Kate and I had lots of fun making cupcakes together. She was very good at sticking the spoon in the batter for one good swirl and then shaking the spoon so the batter splattered! It was fun! Unfortunately, I've decided that I should not bake anything at a high altitude! My cupcakes looked very pathetic, as evidenced below, but the good news is that they still tasted delicious!

Overall, our vacation turned out to be quite relaxing and fun. It's always a blessing to be able to spend time with family and it was just the dose of relaxation that we all needed. It was great to spend a week with Kate and Zach and watch them in action, learning and playing with never ending energy! Kate and I had special time in the car, reading books, listening to music, and making funny faces! Lots of fun memories!

Is it really an "Accident"??

Yesterday, as I was hurriedly leaving work, my car personally got to know the concrete support pillar in the parking garage. I heard the crunch, felt the jolt of the car, and was instantly horrified that I could be that stupid! How could I back right into the very large pillar!? How did I not see it? And, why are there accidents like this that just seem to be inconvenient, frustrating, and, to say the least, costly?

As I was driving to the auto shop with my stearing wheel very off centered, I began to think about accidents and was gently reminded of the devotional I had read just that morning by Elisabeth Elliot:

All Things Serve Thee

During my husband Addison's terminal illness, everything in our lives was changing. The cancer had spread with a speed which startled the doctors. I found during those hard days and nights strength in the ringing words of the liturgy, proclaimed aloud as the congregation knelt: "Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again." I could hold onto those immutable facts.

The psalmist found the same strength in the Lord's infrangible decrees: "This day, as ever,Thy decrees stand fast: for all things serve Thee" (Ps 119:91 NEB). The Lord is not subject to vicissitudes, exigencies, and contingencies." Accidents" are, in fact, subject to the Lord of the universe, the blessed Controller of all things."

Thy promise endures for all time, stable as the earth which Thou
hast fixed" (Ps 119:90 NEB).

He "fixes," that is, He sets in place, the whole earth. Surely He can fix
and establish my heart. Every "happening" serves Him. **

**by Elisabeth Elliot**

Though I am certainly not facing anything comparable to the terminal illness that she was facing, I can rest in knowing that my God is a Sovereign God and does not allow anything to cross my path without His knowledge and without a purpose. I know that my God allows certain circumstances to come into my life to prune, mold and change me, that my character might become more and more like that of my Savior's.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith...though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and
glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love."
I Peter 1: 6-8a

I am comforted and reassured to know that the circumstances I face that appear to be less than ideal to my eyes really do serve a purpose. The purpose is that I might seek out the Lord, the ultimate Provider and Protector, to be the fulfillment of my every need and desire. The purpose is that I might be drawn into a deeper love and greater intimacy with my dear Savior.

Change...

...is sometimes necessary in life and I thought it was necessary to make a change to the look of my blog. So, here's the new look until I learn a little more or can get someone else to do some blog sprucing for me!

Feeling Better

Thanks to so many of you for your many prayers while I was sick the last week. My fevers are finally gone and my sore throat has become only scratchy...a huge improvement! I'm not 100% yet and still feeling a bit tired but I am planning on going back to work tomorrow. We'll see if I have the stamina to keep up with the madhouse all day long!!

It seems as though a lot of people have gotten sick at work while I was out. Sounds like the colds and flus are starting earlier than normal this year! I hope this doesn't mean we are all in for a long winter!

Here's a good reminder for us all to do the one thing that works the best to keep us healthy....good handwashing! So good night and happy handwashing!

On the mend....or not!

Saturday afternoon and Sunday were much better days for me. I sat on the front porch and enjoyed some of the sunshine (I think the sun is always so soothing and healing!) each day. The weather was just gorgeous all weekend! I even put my family room back together yesterday, and tucked away the hide-a-bed because I thought I was feeling better. My throat has continued to feel incredibly crummy still, in spite of the multiple doses of penicillin and since I woke up with a low grade fever again this morning, I'm headed back to the doctor this afternoon for some tests to see what is causing all this ickiness!

I'm such a baby when it comes to sore throats...and, this sore throat is one step away from strep...you know the feeling...the kind where you think you can't breathe around the swollenness of your throat and when I lay down I start to gag. So, last night I spent sleeping upright in my recliner (Thank the Lord for recliners!) just so I wouldn't gag myself!

Needless to say, I'm home from work again today. I've been gone a week which in some ways is so hard because I know how much there is that needs to be done. But, in other ways, I know that I can trust the Lord in His goodness and He knew long before I did that I would be gone these days at work. It's a good thing for me to be away from work...why, you ask?

Well, work hasn't been extremely kind to me recently.(That's me being kind!) Don't get me wrong...I really like the job itself. I love the patients and their sweet little faces. I love working with the families (most of the time!) and establishing a rapport with them, hopefully helping to make a difficult time in their lives a little easier! But, work has been really stressful for the last year or so. I've really been working two jobs and until the last several weeks, I'd been working close to 50 hours a week. It probably wouldn't seem half as bad if I had support at work, others I could turn to for help when there is too much on my plate. But, this has not been the case and has certainly led to an overwhelming amount of stress that has most certainly been a contributor to the illness I am now fighting!

So, I guess, what I'm trying to say...is even though I'm bored at home (thankful that I am now at least enjoying some leisurely reading!) it's been good for me to be forced to slow down, allow myself to think a little, to gain some perspective on various events going on in my life and just spend time reflecting with the Lord!

Sick and Bored!

Today is the 5th day that I've been running a fever. There's nothing quite like a temp of 103 to remind you how crummy you can feel. The last 4 days have involved my back hurting, my hands hurting, my legs hurting, my head hurting, even my eyes hurting. I have just felt miserable!

But after 5 days I'm also very bored! A person can only lay on the couch for so long and I feel so bad I can't even sleep! I don't even want to watch TV or read. In fact, I've spent so much time on the couch, that I finally just pulled out my sofa bed and really made myself comfortable! (I highly recommend this if you're ever sick for any length of time.) So, my routine has been to move from the bed in my bedroom to the bed in my family room each morning and then I do the reverse each evening. It's really pathetic!

Even eating doesn't break up my day (or night)! All I consume is juice, water, a few crackers here and there...I really got wild last night and ate some Pepperidge Farm Gold Fish...just to mix it up a little! And, then of course, there's always the CNS (Chicken Noodle Soup)! Always a good staple when one is sick but even that gets old pretty quickly!

And, I missed our chapel's VBS this weekend. I've really been looking forward to VBS...it's always a fun way to get to know the kids and spend some time with them. I was sorely disappointed I wasn't able to go but I certainly didn't want to share all the "blessings" that come with the crud I've been "enjoying" this last week!

All in all, though, there's still much to be thankful for... I'm slowly getting better. My temp is now low grade and makes me feel less miserable than yesterday! And, I'm actually beginning to think about foods other than CNS and crackers! Yippee!! And, I've had some time to lay on my sofa bed and pray for VBS and also pray for many of you and your families! I'm also thankful that I'm not always sick...thankful that, in general, the Lord has blessed me with great health and every once in a while I need to get sick to be reminded of how good I really have it!

God's Sovereignty

As I've been thinking about what it means to trust the Lord, I've also been thinking on the sovereignty of God. I recently came across the following definition of God's sovereignty:

It means God is always in control; it does not mean that He dictates; it means that in spite of everything that happens He is STILL in control and His will still prevails.

One of my favorite books, Fine China is For Single Women Too by Lydia Brownback, carries the theme of God's sovereignty throughout it's pages. This book reinforces the idea that trusting the Lord in all His sovereignty provides safety. It reminds me that we are to look beyond today and view our lives in light of eternity. It reminds me that in spite of my own shortcomings that the Lord's will prevails.

Brownback discusses finding contentment and joy living exactly where God places us at any given time. She discusses Joshua dispersing the land to the various tribes and how there wasn't equal division of the land; the Levites didn't even get any land to call their own. She quotes Dean Ulrich in regards to this passage:

God will sovereignly direct your steps and put you in the place of service that He wants--however great or small. He'll take care of the opportunities for advancement, and He'll see to it that the things about which we worry so much will turn out well. For now, though, He's more interested in the fact that you faithfully follow Him in the place where He has you. In the future, He'll continue to draw and redraw the boundary lines the way that He wants, but He wants you to be faithful in the boundary lines that He has drawn now.
We tend to eye up our neighbor's "property"--whether it be tangible possessions or skills, talents, achievements, friends, or looks. The next time you are tempted to eye up your neighbor's property, think of these land surveys. They were "distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting" (Josh. 19:51). Remember that God has drawn your boundary lines. Given your eternal hope--the fact that your hope in Christ transcends this life--you can say that your boundaries are pleasant.

So, whether you are living within the boundaries of motherhood, marriage, singleness--whatever the boundaries, God has drawn around each one of us the lines in which we are to live. And it is while living within these boundaries, while trusting God's sovereignty, that we are to faithfully follow Him. In this is true contentment.

Simply Trusting

Forgive me for such a lengthy post but the topic of trusting has been weighing heavily on my heart. In our daily conversations we often speak of trusting the Lord. Whether it is reminding someone to trust the Lord during a difficult time or reminding ourselves to trust the Lord with the day to day details, it seems that this is a common phrase we use. But, what does it really mean to trust the Lord? I've been doing some reading on trusting and here are some common themes that are thread through scripture when it speaks of trust.

• First of all, in whom do we put our trust? Our trust is to be placed into those whose character has been established to be worthy of trust. We know that the Lord and His character have been tried and proven over time. We know that those who have gone before us have experienced the faithfulness of our God. He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins. His love is beyond measure and has been exemplified throughout time. Our God and Savior is worthy of our trust.

"And those who know Your name
will put their trust in You;
For you, Lord have not
forsaken those who seek You."
Psalm 9:10

"Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted in You and You delievered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed."
Psalm 22:4-5

• Those who put their trust in the Lord are not ashamed. To be ashamed is to be disappointed in; to be ashamed is to be confused; to be ashamed is to have a feeling of fear that prevents us from doing something, from accomplishing that which the Lord has clearly set before us. When we do not trust the Lord, we are allowing our fears to choose our paths instead of trusting the Lord who "makes my way perfect" (Psalm 18:32).

"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed."
Psalm 25:2

"Do not fret...trust in the Lord
and do good...delight yourself also
in the Lord...commit your way
to the Lord, trust also in Him."
Psalm 37:1,3,4,5

"In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Psalm 56: 11

• There is vulnerability associated with trusting someone, and that is no different with the Lord. To be vulnerable is to be "unprotected against attack; susceptible to criticism; capable of being wounded or hurt." None of those things sound particularly inviting to me and yet to truly trust someone and reap the blessings associated with that trust, we must be open to allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. To be vulnerable, we must set aside our pride and humble ourselves so that the ones we trust see us for who we really are, faults and all. It is when we are vulnerable that we open ourselves up to wise instruction by those we trust. With the Lord, I think our vulnerability allows Him to search our hearts and weed out the unlovely things in our lives, that we might be made more holy.

"I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart."
Psalm 26: 1-2

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him."
Psalm 62:8

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24

• There is great blessing associated with trusting the Lord. We find shelter and refuge, safety and protection. We find guidance for our steps and preparation for our paths. We find great rejoicing, fulfillment and satisfaction, and mercies from the Lord that will endure forever. These are just a few of the blessings we partake in as children of God when we choose to trust our Lord. And, that is exactly what trust requires...it is something we choose. It is a daily, hourly, moment by moment decision we must make and as we trust in the Lord, we fall under His protection and receive many blessings in the process.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
There is no want to those who fear Him."
Psalm 34:8-9

"For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings
I will make my refuge..."
Psalm 57:1

"For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name."
Psalm 33:21

"As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
Psalm 18:30

"Therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied
with the fullness of Your house."
Psalm 36:7-8

Why trust? We trust because it declares the works and glory of the Lord. We trust in the Lord because this is true happiness.

"But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works."
Psalm 73:28

"...And whoever trusts in the Lord,
happy is he."
Proverbs 16:20b

To trust is to relinquish control to another. To trust is to not be ashamed. To trust is to be humble. To trust is to fear the Lord. To trust is to realize that the Lord always knows best. To trust is to find blessing and joy.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You."
Psalm 84:11-12

Tampa Vacation: Busch Gardens

Ok, ok, so you may be thinking...how many more pictures can one person post??! But, I have to admit...I'm sort of having fun with this digital camera thing! I'm trying to make up for lost time...for the last year of NO pictures....so, forgive me for squeezing an entire year's worth of pictures into a few posts!!



Our next stop...Busch Gardens!


We saw animals....



Note the very large hippo behind Kathy...he was really a friendly Hippo!!

We saw the elephants...




We briefly traded in our convertible for a more practical, adventure-some mode of transportation!




..and visited the gorillas! It doesn't seem as though our life in vacation mode is much different than the life of your typical gorilla! Hmmmm....

We also rode some rollercoasters...the scariest was THE SHEIKRA!!

The Sheikra was advertised all over Tampa....it's a 200 foot drop, 90 degrees down! And, the worst part? It stops at the top for 5 seconds so you can take your time looking stright down and pondering the terror of the inevitable drop!

We survived the Sheikra!!