The Rights of Passage to SoCal: Chapter 2

 

See Chapter 1

Adios Mommacita!

When we came out to Cali, June 22, 2010, my mom headed out with us and stayed for a while to help us settle in. We all just spent the past two days in Vegas together, which was a total blast, and today she flew back home to Indiana. It was a blessing to have her here with us, and we'll miss her!

Visit soon, Momma! Love you!

Ahhhh!

God, I can't make these choices.
Not if I wanna make the right ones, anyway.

Make them for me. Please.

Tell me what to do.
Tell what will please You.

Oh, and if You could tell me by this Friday, that would be awesome!

The Rights of Passage to SoCal: Chapter 1

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Love each other. (John 15:17) 
• Serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13) 
• Be kind and compassionate to one another. (Ephesians 4:32)
• Carry each other's burdens. (Galations 6:2)
• Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. (James 5:16)
• Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
• Accept one another. (Romans 15:7)
• Encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)

"I didn't embrace Escondido . . . "

" . . . Escondido embraced me."

-Mommacita

Boring, Yet Addictive

Tehillah

Singing can be such a spiritual outlet for me; a way to praise God and rejoice in Him. 

To lay my burdens and fears at His feet. 

To cry out to Him for help. 

To worship Him.

But this isn't always the typical style of singing and worship one might think of. It's just . . . melody that comes from somewhere inside of me, like it exists only to emerge from myself and be lifted up to my Creator. 

Sometimes there are words. 

Sometimes not. 

And its not necessarily a beautiful sound.

Its guttural. And primal. 

But somehow . . . intimate.

While working at CSI Ministries, I would sometimes sing to God; just open up and let whatever sound come out. I'm not sure when, where, or how it started, but it just kinda became a way of focusing my attention to God's presence and glory. My co-worker, Angie, refers to this as my Gregorian chanting.

So over the past few months, my curiosity has been peaked and I've been doing a little internet research about Gregorian chants to see exactly what Angie was talking about. I've learned its a liturgical form of singing often associated with monastic communities. The worshipers would use very small bible verses or words of praise to express melodies of adoration to God. This helped them commit the verses or praises to memory. They would often sing these hymns in other languages that were considered holy or were more conducive to the flowy style of singing.

Well, I've been doing lots of songwriting lately. I love songwriting, but if I'm working on a lot of songs at once, I begin to feel constricted creatively because I write lyrics based around a melody in my head. So, if I writing a lot, then I'm probably restricting myself to the melody of the songs I'm working on to keep consistency throughout the process.

Today I just felt like singing. Wildly and without constraints of any kind; praising God in a way that was just for Him and not involving much thought.
Just praise.

For the safety of my wife and neighbors, I locked myself in the bedroom and shut the window.

And just sang.

It felt like awesome prayer time; connectivity. Afterward, I continued a bit more research about Gregorian chants, hoping to learn more about the actual technique of writing their content. (Who knows!? May the next song I post will be a chant ;-) And during that research I came across the Hebrew word tehillah.

And it was one of those hard to explain 'aha! moments'.
One of those concepts I somehow already understood without knowing it even exists.

TEHILLAH (-teh-hil-law-): to sing, to laud. A spontaneous new song. Singing from a melody in your heart by adding words to it. This refers to a special kind of singing-it is singing unprepared, unrehearsed songs. Brings tremendous unity to the body of Christ. Singing straight to God. Can move into tehilah anytime. Singing it the second time would be ZAMAR. It is the praise that God inhabits (sits enthroned on)(Psalm 22:3) God manifests Himself in the midst of exuberant singing. Scripture: Psalms 22:3, 34:1, 40:3, 66:2, 2 Chronicles 20:22

Tehillah (teh-hil-law'); from 1984; laudation; specifically (concretely) a hymn: KJV-- praise.

a) praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)

b) the act of general or public praise

c) a praise-song (as a Hebrew title)

d) praise (demanded by qualities or deeds or attributes of God)

e) renown, fame, glory

Tootsie, the Un-ferocious

Meet Tootsie.

Doesn't she just look like 4 lbs of complete fierceness!?

Like the MGM lion's twin, she is!

She roars and everything!

Actually, its more like crying.
But I won't bust her bubble.

Well, this morning Tootsie was crying roaring to go outside. You see, Tootsie has a harness and leash armor and weaponry and she loves to going outside with it. So, being the sweet, loving pet-daddy that I am, I obliged and put her out on the patio with her harness, giving her just enough reign to reach the grass, which she loves to roll around in and eat where she prefers to hunt her prey.

But Tootsie somehow managed to get herself tangled up in a was attacked by a bush.
A rose bush.

With tiny little massive thorns!

She got poked a few times wounded in a cowardly surprise attack and cried let out a terrible battle cry.
Kimberly heard her and looked to see Tootsie flailing counter attacking to get away from something her opponent, then realized she was stuck in the rose bush she must have been ambushed at an unfair disadvantage.

After being rescued by her mommy and daddy leveling the battlefield with a hand from her faithful sidekicks, Tootsie will probably not be allowed to go outside for quite some time choose to stay indoors to guard her family more closely after her little mishap realizing just how much in danger we really are here.

hope and praise

Why are you downcast, O my soul? 
Why so disturbed within me? 
Put your hope in God, 
For I will yet praise him, 
My Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:5

Somethings and Ugh

Somethings just have a way of stealing away my mind; taking my thoughts and emotions down a path I never would have anticipated.

Its a loop of . . . ugh.

And the somethings may not even be related to the ugh. In fact, I'm learning that the somethings can been quite positive at times; signs of growth and stepping out.
But the sporadic after-effect, the ugh, still ensues.

Is this the work of the enemy? Most definitely.
But who's the enemy here? Mostly me.

Somethings in life just can't be avoided.
The good somethings.
The bad somethings.
Its all just part of my song, I guess.

But what about this darn ugh? Is that just part of life too?
I understand that somethings are just essential to . . . whatever, but is ugh?

Why is it that any random somethings trigger the ugh? And how do I make it stop?

Its 2:30am at the moment. And the ugh doesn't seem like its going anywhere anytime soon. Which means sleep won't be coming anytime soon.

Loop. Loop. Loop.
No silence. No peace. No rest.
Just replay.

Ugh.

Gimme a Second

Just one.

And I'll say the wrong thing.
Absolutely and completely.
And screw it all up.

That's all.

not me. or you. just Him.

"Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. 
You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. 
Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. 
Cultivate God-confidence."
1 Corinthians 10:12 (The Message)

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD, 
than to trust in man." Psalm 118:8 (NIV)

Not me. Or you. 
Just Him.

That's where my confidence rests.

Killer Carrot

Today, Kimberly made a delicious roast for dinner.

As we were eating, my mom came across a carrot that was so hard she couldn't even pierce it with her fork.

Upon some investigation, she peeled back the exterior layer.

Beneath the seemingly innocent carrot, was a hard, prickly stem-like thing.

We have no clue what it is, but it sure looks gross!

Psych!

Remember when people would lie about something stupid or play a trick on you, then say "Psych!"?
That was, like, a mid-90's thing, right?

Anyway, today life kinda pulled a "psych" on me.

At about 10am this morning I applied for a great job online. Then, at 4:30pm I noticed I had a voice-mail on my cell. I checked it, and to my excitement, it was the from the organization I applied to earlier today. I couldn't believe it! It has taken months to hear back from the few places that have actually contacted me. And the others, well, most don't even bother to send an automatic message to notify applicants that their online application has been received.

So, yeah. I was pumped.
Then . . . PSYCH!

I returned the call and spoke with a woman from the human resource department, who basically offered me my choice of one of three jobs, right there on the phone! My head was racing! She was that impressed with my resumé!

But not impressed enough to offer me the job I actually applied for.
Remember, this is a 'psych' story, after all.

The positions she did offer me? Well, I could have chosen between two different group-homes for autistic men to manage, but they were both live-in jobs.  
LIVE-IN!?!? I do have this thing called a lease!
Oh, yeah! AND A WIFE!!!
Gr . . .

And the other position?
Split-shift. 6:30am to 9am, and then 3pm to 9:30pm, 5 times a week.
What!?!? I'm here to share Christ's love in the community of Escondido. That means, to some degree, HAVING A LIFE of some sort. I can't see working these kinds of hours and answering this call without completely failing at one, or both.

So, yeah. Again,
Psych!

But God is good. He keeps reminding me why I'm here. And I know He'll provide. Romans 12:12 continues to be the verse of the day for me. I blogged about it earlier today, before this little psych incident occurred. God keeps placing it in my heart and mind. So I just keep telling myself:

Be joyful in Him  -  Have hope in Him  -  Patiently wait for His timing

Pray continuously and with confidence that the Lord will come through

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." 

greater than fear

Money is getting low.
And living in Cali isn't cheap.
Officially, we're still unemployed.
Although hopefully that will change soon.

But we rejoice in the Lord! Our prayers have been diligent and we have faith He will answer and provide!!! Our human reaction is to scramble, worry, and doubt.
But the hope, given by the Spirit that God has placed within us, is greater than fear.

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Show Me Yours

You'd be hard-pressed to casually flip through the bible without coming across some scripture challenging us, as followers of Christ, to love more. This love isn't just an emotion we're called to have. Its a verb; a life that we are called to live out.

1 John 3:23 "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."

We're here in Escondido to share this kind of love. So I've been wondering, what does it look like? After some consideration and bible reading, I think there are many answers to this question.

1 Corinthians 7:7 ". . . each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that."

So I think the right questions to ask are: What are my gifts? How do I use them to communicate love? How can I maximize that?

Me, I am an encourager. I don't blow hot air at people; I just honestly have a good eye for positive detail. That's how God wired me. I'm not just going to tell you, "Hey! Good job!" Instead, I'll say something like, "Great speech! I like how you explained . . . " or, "That was great! I especially liked the last song, when you . . . "

My dad? A total Mr. Fix-It. Stop by and visit him sometime, but don't feel bad if he isn't in the house chatting. Chances are, he's probably outside changing the oil in your car and checking the air-pressure in your tires.

Different gifts. Same love.

So, let me ask you the same questions: What are your gifts? How do you use them to communicate love? How can you maximize that?

Think. Use. Maximize.

I'm working on it. And you should be, too.
After all, there's always room to grow.

power, love, and self-discipline

^"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

teach me

 "I am laid low in the dust;
       preserve my life according to your word.
 I recounted my ways and you answered me;
       teach me your decrees.  Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
       then I will meditate on your wonders." Psalm 119:25-27

Lord, teach me. Teach me how to have peace. How to want You. 
-And nothing more. 
Teach me to mediate in Your wonders.
To rejoice in them.
To rejoice in You.
-Every moment.
Without ceasing.
Without distraction.
-Be my focus.

God is Here

Love that conquered death
Light in the darkness
Salvation’s face
God is here

Blood that ransomed me
Mercy that redeems
Amazing grace
God is here

Make an offering of this place
Fill this valley with God’s praise
Sing out, come on, shout His holy name
Jesus, God is here

*New song. Its a start, anyway.

Happiness looks like . . .

. . . kids cannon-balling into a pool on a hot summer day.

Relieved . . . Kinda

So, on May 25th I began working to lose weight and be healthier. I have changed my eating habits and attempt to be more active. 

I started out at 243lbs.

It had been quite a while since I had weighed myself and we don't have a scale, so I decided to hook-up the Wii Fit, which weighed me at 208lbs.

This sounds like a good thing, right? But I was kinda disappointed. You see, I can look at myself in the mirror and see that I've slimmed down some.
But 35lbs!?!?
No way!

I thought to myself, "Why don't I look like I've lost 35lbs?"

So I Google-searched the accuracy of weight by the Wii board. Apparently, the little caps that go on the feet of the board dramatically affect its ability to weigh accurately.

These little caps weren't on my board when I had weighed myself, so I dug them up and put them on this morning.

And I weighed myself.
220lbs.

I was relieved . . . kinda.
I mean, sure it was nice to think I had lost 35lbs and all; but if its not visible, is it worth it?

A 23lbs weight-loss, I can deal with. I can look at myself and see the results of that.
Sigh. Just 40lbs more to go!!!

not sure

I had an interview today.
It went well. I was pretty much offered a position on the spot and given my choice of shifts.

But every shift sucks.
The pay isn't great.
And the job is a 40 minute drive away.

I love the facility and its mission.
I love their hearts and their methods.

But the aforementioned issues, well, they bug me in a way they normally they wouldn't.

As soon as I saw the place, I knew it was a great facility for youth.
And as soon as I began talking with the interviewer, I knew he was going to offer me a job.

But I never got that feeling; that this is it feeling.
I mean, a job is a job and they're important to pay this little thing called rent.

Income is a must.
So I'm not sure what to do.
The sensible thing is to just take it.

But I didn't move across the country to just be sensible.
Guess I got some praying to do.

FOCUS

for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom. for His kingdom . . .

Love/Hate and Enabling

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9

It seems to me that love, at it purest, is accompanied by the detestation of all that is not good in accordance to God.

After all, God Himself hates sin, as many verses in the bible teach us.
Let me stress, I know God doesn't hate us.

He loves us immeasurably.

Our sin distances us from Him.
And distance is the last thing God could ever want from us!

In fact, He wants to adopt us all as His own children:

"He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will." Ephesians 1:5

But sin, He hates.

So, I don't understand why, as Christians, we so often fail to name sin for what it is.
 I am a sinner. 
And so are you.

Perhaps in our blind acceptance of another man's sin, its easy to deny our own.

Many argue the case that we are to live in love.
Yes, of course!

" . . . and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:2

But as we turn a blind eye to our brothers' and sisters' shame, are we truly loving them? 

Or are we encouraging ungodly behavior?

I wish I could say I detest sin; that it sickens me as much as it does some other Godly men I known. 

I can't yet.

But I can say that I recognize sin. 

In me. In others. All around.

And I will acknowledge it for what it is.

A Lovely Day

"What Is Agape Love, Anyway?" A Prayer

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." - 2 Thessalonians 3:5

You have probably heard the term "agape love," but may not be real clear on what it means. What is agape love? How is it any different from the dozens of other ways we use the word love? First, let's understand what it is not. It is not romantic love, because people of all faiths (and no faiths) experience romantic love. Secondly, it is not brotherly love, where you have a natural chemistry with another person. Terrorists and members of the mafia experience brotherly love. There's certainly nothing uniquely Christian about that!

Agape love is unconditional love. It is a choice we make to love another person whether they love us back or not. It means that you choose to love someone even if he is your enemy! Agape love is not based on emotion at all. In fact, it may be contrary to our every emotion. It is an act of the will.

Agape love presents a real challenge for us Christians. It is tough to live out because it's hard to love someone who doesn't respond to you in the way you would desire. And all of us are going to have certain individuals—even within the body of Christ—that we have to struggle to love. And yet, God's word is very clear: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. Now, you couldn't find a more clear command about what we're called to do as followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus "agape loves" us and commands us to "agape love" others.

*Borrowed from HERE.

I want to be an Agape lover. I want to be the pursuer of hearts that Christ has called me to be; to demonstrate His unconditional love through a persevering of others despite whether they ever choose to requite that love. 

This is His desire.

And an area He has gifted me in.

But in my arrogance, in the weakness of my flesh and failure to always seek His will first, I waiver and love selectively. 

Lord, please help my love continue to grow beyond the limitations of human emotion; that it would manifest as something supernatural and representative of Your mercy and grace. Give me strength of will to persist and pursue, and to not become weary.

For Your glory and fame.

Amen!

Sometimes . . .

 . . . when you're in the shower after a late-night random haircut, a great melody comes to mind. And, being afraid you'll lose it, you have to streak through your home in your robe, still sopping wet, to track down your Mac to record it while its still fresh.

Sometimes.

His Power: Perfect in Weakness

"God said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

!!!

I have an interview this Thursday to work for a network of group-homes for at-risk teens in foster-care!

Today was the farmer's market!

This morning I had a consultation with BBHC for a free-lance job to spruce up their website a bit!
 
Tomorrow we're gonna spend the whole afternoon at Oceanside!

Today we had a lunch meeting over some design stuff for the Branches, and I'm pumped to be a part of it!

I'm really excited about a song I've been writing the past two days!

Sooo much to be !!! about!

Pay it Forward

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

What does it mean to "pay it forward?" How can a person with humble, possibly evil beginnings "pay forward" the amazing powers of God? Well, here is an example of how God can use anyone as an example of His powers of transformation.

As a dedicated member of the Ku Klux Klan, Thomas A. Tarrants was involved in over thirty bombings of homes, churches, and synagogues. He was sentenced to a 30-year prison term in Mississippi. While serving his sentence, Bob began to read the Bible, discover the love of God in Jesus Christ, and become convicted of what a sinner he was. He renounced racism and hatred. And then he cried out for the mercy of God in Jesus Christ and received salvation and forgiveness. Paroled a few years later, Thomas attended college and then seminary. Eventually, he became an ordained pastor because he wanted to share what Christ can do in a transformed life. And then, this most unlikely candidate of all became president of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Washington, D.C., where Thomas reminds people of the amazing power of Jesus to transform a life.

Through the testimony of Thomas Tarrants, we get to see the embodiment of God's love in the flesh, in the body of Christ, because someone who was once filled with hate is now filled with love. That is receiving the blessing and that, my friends, is "paying it forward."

*Borrowed from HERE.

Bite My Tongue

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, 
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, 
that it may benefit those who listen. 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, 
with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, 
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

 Ephesians 4:29-31

Day in Julian

Solona Tide Beach

We took a late evening ride today, heading down to Solona Tide Beach.

Everything was shades of silvery-gray, as a thick mist rolled in off the ocean. The low roar of the waves, the sound of them crashing against the rocky shore, the cool water lapping at my feet, it was all so peaceful.

Washing the world away.

Definitely worth the 25 minute drive!

Seek, Serve, Fear, Look

Even before I really began developing an understanding about what it meant to have a relationship with Christ, or what it means to serve Him, I felt Him pulling me.
Guiding me in certain directions.
Calling me to things that seemed impossible.

In my frailty,  I've chosen to serve fear in life more than God.
Fear of the unknown.
Fear of inadequacy and failure.

Doors have since closed. Perhaps forever.
But the Lord is merciful and offers chance after chance.
New doors open daily.

I wish I could boldly declare that fear no longer has a hold on me, but I know I couldn't do this with complete confidence. But even so, I look at where I'm at, where God has led me.
The risks we face.
The uncertainty.

And I feel a great hope well up inside me. Faith has brought us here. God will see us through, and its the faith He nurtures within me that also brings strength and courage.
He is the mighty provider.
The vine that is my source of all.

I've realized, upon looking back, that when I'm in a place where I must choose between my Father or my fear, I look for reassurance to aide in the decision; the right words from the right people. But this is based on my own determination, not the Lord's. In looking for what I want to see, I miss what He is showing me.
The words He wants me to hear.
From the source that He chooses.

The journey never fails to provide new challenges, placing goals ahead of me to strive towards.
Seek God above all else.
Serve Him obediently.
Fear Him alone.
Look through the spiritual eyes He's given me.

to Him be glory

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”- Ephesians 3:20-21

stubborn songs

Today I hit the trails out at Daley Ranch with a notebook and pen in my bag, hoping a new song would spring up.

It's absolutely beautiful there so its a great place to be creative, but I left feeling just a bit disappointed.

No new song; just bits and pieces of this and that.

There is a song in here somewhere. It's just . . . kinda stuck. But stubborn songs are often the best, so I'm hopeful!

Who Would Have Thought?

Who would have thought that I'd come to Cali to cooler weather!?!?


I actually watched Independence Day fireworks wearing a hoodie this year! 


That was a first!


I liked it.

070810

• Kimberly made the most delicious meal for dinner tonight! Chicken penne al fresco, garlic bread, spinach leaf salad, and fresh black raspberries for dessert. Mm!
• Its nearly 7pm and I haven't left the apartment yet! That's a first since I've been here the past two weeks!
• I got somewhat off-track of my weight-loss endeavor for about two and a half weeks, but I'm back in the saddle! Fortunately, during my downtime I didn't regain any of my weight, but I definitely didn't shed anymore pounds. Maintaining a twenty pound loss (according to my last weighing, about two weeks ago), with forty more pounds to go before I hit my goal!
• I want to sing. Loudly. And write. But mostly, just sing.
• I didn't get a hike in today, and I miss it terribly.
• Today I unpacked the Wii and several other boxes of randomness we have been storing in the closet. The living room, after finally beginning to resemble some sort of homeyness, now appears to have been struck by a tornado, all to just find a key rack. But seriously, if you know me, you know how important it is I have a key rack. I tend to lose keys, and my phone, and my sunglasses, and  . . .
• Tootsie, one of our cats, loves it here. She was born to be a Californian.
• I think my mom was born to be a Californian, too!
• I miss those darn Cantastics! 
• Still no return calls or e-mails from the gazillion resumes I've sent out.
• Some things in life are . . . well, just disappointing, I guess. Too often, things just aren't as they seem. Even things right under our noses.
• Looking forward to a movie night with some of my peeps tonight!

The Revelation Song

Enough Love

I love Indiana. Really.

It's where I was born and raised.
It's where good, sound morals were instilled in me.
Where I learned my love for people.
My love for music, art, life.
Where I met my wife.
And so many other great people.
It's where I met Christ.
It's where the place I call home is.

I love California. It's beautiful, yes. So much so.
It's where God has called me and my wife to be.
We embrace this call.
In our obedience to Him, He's given us a great peace and joy about being here.

~ But I can't seem to share this joy I feel in being here with some of my IN peeps;

I can't really express it without being reprimanded in some way.

You see, when I do, I often get comments such as, "Well, Indiana is beautiful, too!"

Correct. It is. To me.

Not everyone would agree, just like how many people would disagree with me that California is great.

It's just about preference.

And I don't necessarily prefer one over the other.

I guess what I'm saying is, I got enough love to appreciate more than one geographical location in the continental US.

Are ya feelin' me people?

Rejoice with me or bite your tongue. 

Or fingers, in the case of e-mails, blog comments, FB comments, texts, or Twitter responses.

K?

Love ya!

Just a Dash

"Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." - Colossians 4:6

Snowy Egrets

These small, white herons are everywhere here in San Diego County.

And I love them!

Today we went exploring all through Valley Center and visited Bates Nut Farm.

On the way back to Escondido, we stopped at Lake Wohlford, and saw several Snowy Egrets.

Luckily, we had the camera on hand and snapped a few pics of this Egret before it gracefully flew off!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD 
with all your heart 
and lean not 
on your own understanding; 
in all your ways 
acknowledge Him, 
and He will make your paths straight.

Tastey Tuesday!

Walk out at Rancho Bernardo

Amazed

Over. And over. And over again.

Independence Day

Palm trees silhouetted in the back-lighting of Independence  Day fireworks.


A first for me.


I liked it.

Amazing Grace

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: 'Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?" - 1 Chronicles 17:16

Is any hymn more beloved than Amazing Grace? The lyrics do seem to sum up a Christian's journey of redemption, the divine Grace of God, and the promise of eternal life. With its simply-stated definition of eternity: "When we've been there 10,000 years ... we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun," it is no wonder that it is sung at many funerals. You can better understand how the lyrics are able to capture the true meaning of God's amazing grace when you realize just how the hymn came to be written. An Anglican priest, John Newton, used the hymn to reflect on his earlier service as captain of a slave ship. He could think of nothing more evil than those deeds, and was amazed God would provide such grace despite his wretched past. Note the passion in his words:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

I hope you’ll claim that grace today.

*Borrowed from here.

Thanks: A Reminder to Dream

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.