SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Family Fun, Deep Creek style

8/4/13 What makes a great family vacation? Anticipation. Making do. Outdoor activities---even sleeping outside. Hot chocolate around the morning campfire. S'mores and scary stories around the nighttime campfire. Ice Cream. A hammock. Glow in the dark games. Mining. Safety. Raining as we slept NOT during the day. Rolling with the punches. Packing up the tent on a "dry" day. It also helps when the scenery is spectacular, the temps are cool and pleasant and the kids have a blast in the "ordinary" days of "no agenda" creating their own games and adventures.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1

Even the youngest (2) helps set up the tent.

Mommy braves the COLD water to "tube the creek" with her  5 yr. old

S'mores, a Nightly Treat 

Hot Chocolate by the morning campfire when the it's  52° & chilly.

Taking RELAXING to new heights.....well, sort of.

Andrew's "El-wie"---our "lone" girl cousin, among 7 boys.

The "tooth fairy" found us even in Deep Creek.

Tubing all the way to the  ice cream shop.  

Lunch served "tubeside" for a quick return to the creek.

Watermelon Cooled in the Creek

Treasure Hunting

Tom Branch Falls, view from a tube looking up 

Glow in the dark ring toss 

Cooking a yummy breakfast on a "damp" morning.

Exploring

Suspension Bridge Fun 

The cousins minus one........ 

Missing cousin found.....still exploring. 

Measuring Up

8/3/13 Measuring up. Isn't that what we all try to do? Too often, we continually try to "measure up" to a parental expectation, a culture/society benchmark, or self-induced standard. It's as if "measuring up" will bring esteem and love from others.

For some, it's a life long pursuit that is never quite attained. Adolescent girls want to be shorter or cuter, boys (in our family) tend to want to be stronger and more athletic. Everyone seems to want to be smarter or more successful by the world's measuring stick.

As I watched John Parker (5) stand on his tip-toes by the NASCAR measuring stick, all those thoughts came to mind. 

From his tip-toed positioned feet, he said, "See. I'm big (tall) enough!" 

I know that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) and with God "there is therefore now no condemnation" for believers, and that He "loves me with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3 & Romans 5:8) Yet, how easy it is to see myself trough the world's eyes instead.....causing me to stand on my tip-toes as once again I "try" to measure up.

I need to trust God's measuring stick. Thankfully, because of Christ, I'll always measure up.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

8/2/13 8/2/13  GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS:
Great because a great God created them----one look verifies this!

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name. (Amos 4:13)

Smoky---Heading to east TN through Newfound Gap, we had more than the wispy smoky fog. We had a "view obstructing" gray drizzly mist. But I took a picture anyway because the Texans daddy had his picture taken in that very spot when he was the same age as his oldest, Nathan, who is 11. Seemed appropriate.

"Blue Smoke" in the Smoky Mountains

Mountains

God Made the Montains, the hymn I sang around the campfire with fellow teen MYF-ers at Camp Loucon, (a Christian Camp, near Leithchfield, KY) came to mind as we all stood gazing at the Great Smoky Mountains. 

God made the mountains.

God made the rolling hills.

God made the flowers.

God made the daffodils.

God made every tree.

God made you and me.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

So glad tha t my three oldest grands are going to  Pine Cove Summer Camp in 2 weeks. Maybe they'll learn the same song and it will remind them of their recent "family" camping trip to Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains.

John Parker is still looking for the view through the smoky gray mist.

Mountain Meditation

7/29/13 A misty mountain morn---a great time and place for both reflection and meditation on God's word.

• Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls
 or measure the sky with his hands?

• Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup
or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?
• Can anyone tell the Lord what to do?
    
• Who can teach him or give him advice?
• With whom does God consult
in order to know and understand
    and to learn how things should be done? (Isaiah 40:12-14)

 The answer, in essence, is no one but our Incomparable God.

That truth is probably what inspired these lyrics of “I could sing of Your love forever” Such incomparable beauty evokes singing of love for Him and His creation. I plan on singing and dancing down the creek and in these mountains!

Over the mountains and the sea

Your river runs with love for me

And I will open up my heart

And let the healer set me free

I'm happy to be in the truth

And I will daily lift my hands

For I will always sing

Of when Your love came down

I could sing of Your love forever

I could sing of Your love forever

I'm happy to be in the truth

And I will daily lift my hands

For I will always sing

Of when Your love came down

Oh, I fell like dancing

It's foolishness I know

But when the world has seen the

Light

They will dance with joy

Like we're dancing now

I could sing of Your love forever

I could sing of Your love forever

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Boys! Boys! Boys!

7/28/13 Hooray! Hooray!! We're on our way........our summer camping vacation begins today. Boys ages 11, 9 (2), 7, 6, 5, 2, and 1 girl (7).
Have you ever tried & succeeded in  taking a picture of 6 boys with all eyes open, all smiling, all facing the camera?

Since Nathan was looking down in the group picture, he gets one of his own.

Sippin' Choices

7/27/13 In the "teas" of life, it's all about choices. Everyone knows the old adage, "Happiness is a choice".......so is sereni-TEA..... and I need big gulps of it as we prepare for our trip.

Remember, I'm the "excessive planner" type. I want everything perfect for the family (18 of us) on our upcoming camping trip to the mountains. Though I know, as I tell everyone else, camping is all about "making do." It's in the "making do" that we make those memories.

Ready. Set. Pack.......But do we need 241 lures??

So I choose to leave the other teas behind---at least I'm trying to do that. Trying hard not to brew up anxie-TEA and for sure I want to leave the guil-TEA at home---if things don't go as planned. 

I have done all I can do and the rest is up to God.

Sippin' sereni-TEA as we tuck them in and praying for lots of safe-TEA all along the way!

Papal Wisdom

7/25/13  In Rio de Janeiro today, the Pope (Francis) said, "....we must do more to end the culture of selfishness." That's the only part I heard and I don't want to take it out of context. However, that reference to selfishness resonated in my own conscience. Working with high schoolers for several years opened my eyes to their expectation of instant gratification and their perceived unfairness if they were ever on the short end of any "they have, I want" stick. I blamed it on their self-centered age.

Not today. Today I saw myself afresh.  SELFISH (in all caps) brought me up short.

Philippians 2:3-4 is my defense. My weapon. I will use God's word to fill my mind. Hopefully, that will cast out all those ungrateful, selfish thoughts and allow me to see the Lord's truths in a fresh way.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I'm not Roman Catholic, but I thank the Pope for his wise words. Words that took me to the Word. God's words that I need to keep at the forefront of my mind.

Seasonal Meditation

7/22/13

"To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.

....a time to be silent and a time to speak,.....a time to weep and a time to laugh,...a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7, and 4)

All of those emotions are real. All are valid responses to both the blessings and the seeming curve balls which life throws our way. Life isn't always one or the other----sometimes I can burst out laughing right after a good cry. 

But sometimes I have to let grief run it's course. Right now I'm dealing with the pain of watching dear friends struggle with disappointments---both in relationships and in disappointing biopsies.  I'm silent because I'm not sure what to say. I try not to let the circumstances touch me, at least not while I'm with them. I'm mourning for them. I'm not ready to dance. But God.....has said there is a time.....and I need to trust His timing. 

As Laura Story sings, 'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?'

God's Word, song lyrics and an African (Zimbbwe) proverb are all "food for thought" on this Monday of seasonal meditation.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: A Maine Event

7/21/13 Maine is glorious from sunrise in Acadia National Park at Cadillac Mountain to sunset on the Bar Harbor village green listening to the band----and everything in between. Cadillac Mountain at 1,528 feet is the highest summit in ME and thought by many "down east" folks to be the first location in the United States struck by the sun's rays each morning. (3:55 CST)

God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. (Genesis 1:16)

Long Island Lucy

719/13 For those who asked I just posted the pics from last weeks' Long Island trip w/ Josh, Megan & Lucy. Just click here to get to them....Long Island Lucy.

Thnx to folks who told me link wasn't working----hope it's fixed now. Enjoy---we certainly did.

BTW, last summer's Beach Olympic pix still haven't been posted but as soon as they are I will personally email SW so she can see them.