Summertime

We are scooping up the last few days of summer's easy schedule.

Love the butterflies in the flower garden!

Naomi's hummingbird buddy who perches outside her window these days.

We finally found the plugs for the wading pool that went missing in the move! So we're making up for lost time and enjoying the backyard.

Nearly everyone seems to be in school already, but I'm cherishing these carefree days with Naomi and Johnathan, splashing and playing in our backyard.

What I learned from my pastor... 8-30

Meekness is the virtue from Kevin's sermon this morning. It is so hard to define meekness - to the world, it equals weakness or deficiency of courage. But Kevin gave several examples of Biblical meekness today, including Moses, who allowed God to do the speaking for him in Numbers 12 rather than angrily defend himself... And John the Baptist, who recognized that his ministry must become less so that Jesus's ministry could become great. These people were meek, but certainly not weak. So meekness is a quality that has its source in trusting God's power and standing up for His truth in a way that allows His power to shine through, not my own contrivance or effort.

Kevin used one of my favorite illustrations for meekness that I first heard in a study written by Beth Moore - when her daughter's long hair got into a big snarl because she let it go too long without brushing out the tangles. She knew that to fix it, the only way was to sit down and allow her mother to slowly and painfully detangle it. It would hurt, but in the end it would be the only way to fix it. I do the same thing when I submit to God's work in my life. Yes, it may hurt, but He is the one who can untangle the knots and use it for His glory. My part is to sit under His gentle and loving hand and allow Him to work in me.

What I learned from my pastor... 8-23

Kevin's message this morning was on the topic of peace, and the main passage was Philippians 4:6-8, one of my favorite verses that I've needed to meditate on bazillions of times. He shared a lot of thoughts about peace, but one of the ways to pursue it that stuck out to me was to really stop and observe how God has provided and protected in His word and in my life. When I step back and remember those promises He's kept, the cause of my anxiety dims. And that ties right in to verse 8, which reminds us to replace anxious thoughts with what is true - God is faithful and trustworthy.

Kevin gave a few practical steps to combat worry: Stop and pray about it... Make any changes if any are needed or are even possible (because a large percentage of what we worry about are things we have no control over)... memorize Scripture that pertains to the cause of anxiety... and replace anxious thoughts with what is true.

Sunday Lunch at the Parsonage

For church-going families, the post-sermon discussion over Sunday lunch is a cherished tradition - am I right? But what does the pastor's family discuss over lunch on Sunday afternoons? When a three and five year old are at the table, it goes something like this:

"What did you learn about in Sunday School, Naomi?"

Naomi responds with a very close rendering of the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (see I Kings 17). When she gets to the part in which the jars of flour and oil are filled up and explains that God filled the jars, Johnathan interjects:

"Jesus didn't fill up my cup with anything!"

...and this is the very sad face that accompanies his claim.

The rest of the family very helpfully points out all the things in Johnathan's life that God has provided, including...

....Chocolate milk!

But the truth really doesn't hit home for Johnathan until we pull out the strawberry jello cake.

God really does provide all good things for us to enjoy! (I Timothy 6:17) Have a blessed week!

What I learned from my pastor... 8-16

I liked the title of Kevin's sermon about Jonah 4:5-11 - "That's It?" It is an interesting way to end a story, with a question. Just as God showed great compassion on the Ninevites, He showed compassion to Mr. Bad Attitude, too, who sat down on an overlook to mope about God's compassion on the city. God saw Jonah's lack of compassion and still sent a shade vine to ease his discomfort.

But, as Kevin pointed out, at least Jonah was being honest with God - and He can handle our honesty. God gave Jonah yet another opportunity to learn when the vine died.... And that is encouraging to me, because I know that God continually gives second (and third and on and on) opportunities for me to learn through my sin. May He teach me compassion and love through His eyes so that He is the one who is glorified in my life.

The Boazs Hit the Beach!

Naomi and Johnathan got to take their very first trip to the beach this weekend! We took a quick overnight getaway to Galveston on Thursday, and though the trip was short, we sure had fun!!



Our plan was to get there around lunchtime and grab some lunch first. But when we turned onto Seawall Boulevard and Naomi saw the Gulf, she started to flip-flop in her carseat - "I want to go to the beach now!!!" Can't blame her - Living in landlocked states for 5 years, the girl has been waiting her whole life to get to the beach! So we jumped out and ran to the water so she could get her first touch.

Next, we went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. The restaurant, with its animatronic elephants, snakes, and gorillas, thunderstorms and forestation thoroughly frightened the kiddos for the first 10 minutes... and thoroughly delighted them for the rest of our lunch!

Oooh! A volcano!

Naomi samples her first calamari - Yummy!

We sat by fish!

Next we walked on to the ferry that goes between Galveston and Port Bolivar - a free, fun ride during which we saw tons of seagulls, pelicans, big ships, and best of all, dolphins.

Check out this video of the dolphins surfacing all around the ferry - We saw many closer to the boat, too, but of course I could never catch them on the camera!

After the ferry ride we headed to our hotel. The boys napped in the room and had deep discussions on the balcony, while the girls went for a swim in the pools (Does Naomi ever run out of energy?)

For dinner we ate at Cafe Michael Burger, whose Tiki Burger was rated #23 by Texas Monthly magazine... Gotta do our research to learn about the new culture in which we live (grin!).

And now that the sun was not so intense, we finally went to the beach...

Building sandcastles was a hit - Johnathan got pretty serious about his building projects.

We stayed until it was too dark to play anymore. Didn't take the kids too long to fall asleep that night!

The next morning... Back to the beach! We had so much fun flying our kite...

(This seawall was first constructed after the devastating hurricane in 1900. The residents of Galveston put up the curved wall to deflect storm surges and hurricane waves. They also raised the entire island several feet, lifting all the buildings and pumping sludge from the sea floor and letting it dry out to elevate island against the seawall - Yes, I've been watching Weather Channel documentaries!)

The kids also loved "bodysurfing" - We floated over the gentle swells out in the warm water. Schools of hundreds of 6-8 inch fish (mullet, I'm told) were out feeding on the top of the water in the morning. We could walk right up to them and watch them jump out of the water around us!

Surf's up!

Naomi and I sifted for tiny seashells to fill our bucket.

What a treat! From the mountains of Colorado to the Gulf waters, we love enjoying what God has made.

Random Acts of Cuteness

Artists over the centuries have suffered for their craft. For this little stamp artist, the price was...

...Looking like a panda bear? I had to giggle. He didn't like that. But I laughed and took his picture anyway. And now I'm posting the pictures - Sorry, buddy! You'll laugh someday, too.

Naomi and Johnathan snuggle up and read a tiny firetruck book...

More naptime praise and worship

As you can see below, napping in our house is a rare occurance. But the praise and worship services are going strong every afternoon!

Praise and glory, wisdom and strength, honor and power and thanks...

...Be to our God, forever and ever!

What I learned from my pastor... 8-9

We learned about what Kevin called "The Jonah Syndrome" - from Jonah 4:1-4. It's obvious from Jonah's response to the Ninevites' repentance that he did not want them to know God or receive forgiveness. When we don't really love people or see them as God does, it's easy to have a response like Jonah's. Kevin challenged us to examine our hearts and motives for misplaced anger, a distorted perspective, and a disconnect between our knowledge of the truth and our heart for the lost. I need to pray for a heart like Jesus's, so that redemptive passion replaces "religious" zeal and I can see people as He does.

Horticulture & Heat

After Naomi's swimming lesson on Friday we thought we'd hop over to A&M's horticultural gardens to take a look "before it gets too hot." In August, however, 8:30 a.m. is already pretty toasty.... Especially when you're piggybacking a 3 year old all over! But it was still pretty, and we posed for a few pictures:

What's wrong, Rachel? You look a little tense.

Oh, nothing. Just a few fire ants biting my toes. Please take the picture!

The Tractor Ride

Johnathan had a very exciting Monday - Mr. Bill, one of the church's trusty trustees, was working on a project and offered him a ride on the tractor!



He grabbed Mr. Bill's hand and marched right off to the rumbling tractor, hopped in, and buckled up! Johnathan reports that they "went somewhere else" and got some dirt "for the church".
He sure was proud of himself when he returned!! Thanks, Mr. Bill!

Children's Museum

We're looking for fun Friday activities that beat the heat these days, so this Friday we tried out the Children's Museum in Bryan. It was just right for our 3 and 5 year old, with activity centers including...



Puppets...




Grocery shopping...



Fill up that cart, Johnathan!



... and Johnathan's personal favorite, trains! To be accurate, Naomi tried everything (there were centers for art, music, books, and medical stuff, too). And, except for a brief "shopping trip" to buy ice cream, Johnathan stuck with what he knew he liked - trains, trains, and more trains. He's on a transportation kick right now. I think he discovered the thrill of Matchbox cars practically overnight, and now they are his pride and joy, including the special boxes in which he lovingly stores them!

Anyway, the museum was fun - a great place to play away a few hours on a hot day!

What I learned from my pastor... 8-2

Kevin's sermon this morning was entitled "Mighty to Save". From Jonah 3, we learned how God powerfully saved the people of Ninevah. With just 5 words from a prophet they had probably never heard of, the entire great city repented and were saved from judgment. God is never required to offer people second chances, yet in His love and mercy, He does. And given that the Ninevites worshipped a fish god, it is possible that Jonah was particularly well-prepared to have his message from the true God received. I want to be available to Him and prepared by Him to share His love as He gives opportunities.

On a less-spiritual note... Kevin and I had a chuckle thinking about all the cattle in Ninevah who were dressed in sackcloth. Read Jonah 3 - That's what it says! Anyone out there have any insight on why they felt like the cows needed to wear sackcloth?