“”We can take pleasure in God because He takes such pleasure in himself, and then from that comes His pleasure in all of His good works, which would be all of creation.  But if we shortcut that and are going after the pleasure in God’s creation, then that becomes idolatry.  Every creation of ours, no matter how glorious it is, is just a small reflection of God’s creative glory.“

Noel Piper

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I spent a lovely Friday morning on foot.

When I woke up and made a little sense out of my task list for the day, I realized I could get all of my errands done right here in my own little town… and on foot.  What a treat!  That isn’t always possible since I live in a place where the standard mode of transport — especially during winter — is the car.

But you miss so much when you’re driving around.  The tendency during this season of Advent is to be too busy, running around as fast as you can checking things of the ever-growing “to do” list.  I’m not a big fan of feeling that way, but I have the great ability to create that kind of environment around me if I don’t deliberately find ways to slow things down.

Getting out of the car is a great way to slow things down!

I first walked over to the Post Office to mail a Christmas package.  The line was definitely longer than usual, and a considerate gentleman offered to give a very impatient lady the two stamps she needed so she wouldn’t have to wait in the line to buy a whole pack.  She protested so loudly that everyone turned her way to listen to how she couldn’t possibly take the two stamps and take advantage of his generosity.

Pride is such a spectacle, isn’t it?  As detestable as it is, why is it so hard to recognize it in our own lives?  We are all prone to it.  Apart from Christ, it is who we are.

She finally accepted the “free” stamps, attempting many times to pay the man in return for the gift.  Her gratitude was somewhat reluctant.  And aren’t we sometimes that way with Christ?  Reluctantly accepting His gifts and vowing to find a way to pay Him back… as if we ever could.  The price of Grace has already been paid.

I left the Post Office and walked up past the town Christmas Tree to the Bank and the Library and back down through the Village Green to the local Toy Store.

I remembered that I still needed a couple of teacher gifts, so I walked in.  What a fun little store!  It was full of color, noise, life and whimsy.  I found the two gifts I needed and made my way to the counter to pay.  The ladies working in the store cheerfully wrapped my two packages.

The colorful packages beg to be opened, and my children have already tried.  But not all gifts look that pretty.  Sometimes gifts come wrapped in lovely or whimsical paper with shiny, curly bows.  Other times they are wrapped in burial cloths, stains, and heartache.  In Christ though, they are all gifts.

Difficult to comprehend, but true nonetheless.

Of His many gifts to me this year, many have been wrapped in less than desirable packaging — in mediocrity, in discipline, in struggle, in death, in pain.  Yet in Christ, they are precious.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming own from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

James 1:17

Before walking home, I stopped into the neighborhood bistro for a bowl of soup and cup of coffee.  I sat at a little wooden table nestled between an open window and the crackling fireplace.  Between bites of soup, sips of coffee, and words on the Kindle, I lost track of time and nearly forgot to pick up my children from school.

A twinge of guilt came upon me.  Who am I to have the ability to spend my time so leisurely?  And then in my spirit I heard His voice saying, “Sit still for a bit.  This is my gift to you, one that you should not let your pride or expectations steal away.  I’ve already paid the bill, so that you are free to enjoy Me every moment of every day for all of eternity!”

The Monday morning after Thanksgiving weekend finds me awake early, sitting in the dim glow of the freshly decorated Christmas Tree.  It’s quiet… for now.  No one else is awake.

Our weekend was quiet, peaceful, refreshing… Thanksgiving dinner with a family we’ve come to love dearly… Friday and Saturday spent around the house… and in the yard… and at a park… Sunday spent relaxing… listening… learning.

When the 1000 Gifts iPhone App released last week, I quickly loaded it.  I had already been snapping these photos and jotting the thoughts down on scraps of paper and sometimes here, so it made sense for me to combine the two.

For me, it’s quite fun (and sometimes challenging) expressing gratitude through pictures.  The app itself is nice — a little sluggish, but easy to use whether you record with words, pictures, or a combination of both.  It easily posts to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

Here are a few of the gifts I’ve made note of lately…

Monday, November 28, 2011

1. For kindness-filled words
2. For a season of delicious clementines
3. For adding the leaf to the dining table… making room for friends
4. For simple words that promote deeper thinking and faith stretching
5. For aprons that you look forward to putting on
6. For little girls to pass recipes down to
7. For quiet evenings spent together
8. For the little hands that build train tracks through Bethlehem
9. For the technology that brings great truth straight to wherever we are

Life here on earth doesn’t look very much like God’s Kingdom unless we, the ones who love Him, live upside down lives. Lives where the least is the greatest, the humble are lifted up, the poor are rich, the last are first, the servants are the leaders.

When someone cuts in front of you in the lunch line at school, God’s Kingdom comes when, instead of being angry, you extend grace to the other person and then delight because in Christ being last in line never means being last.

I meet a lot of people here who remind me that while the Kingdom of God is coming one day when Christ returns, it is also coming today when the lovers of Jesus stand and serve one another, manifesting His love and grace to those who need it. And don’t we all need it?

Yesterday as the men met together planning and dreaming of what God may do in Mukono, a woman named Betty worked long and hard preparing a delicious meal for a school full of children, the workers at the church, her own family, and us.

She didn’t order a pizza or warm up something in the microwave. You can’t do that here. Instead she stirred large pots of beans and rice and sweet potatoes and matooke and pumpkin.

She roasted chicken and made stew over little charcoal fires in a building off to the side of her house.

She worked for hours on this one single meal, and to her side was her 2-month old baby, Peter.

I watched her wipe the sweat from her brow. I wanted desperately to jump in and help her cook, but I didn’t how to do it the way she does. So I cradled little Peter and we talked about how similar our lives are despite how different our cultures are.

And we talked about how different are lives are because we do come from different cultures.

But in Christ, we are sisters, a connection that not even the fiercest powers on earth can separate.

She stirred, I swayed with Peter. The servant was the leader and I watched the Kingdom Coming.

And I begged God to let His Kingdom come in me and through me…

“Your mercy come
Your justice come
Your will be done through us on earth
Your healing come
Your peace will come
Your will be done through us on earth.”

~Shaun Groves, Kingdom Coming

edited, originally posted here.

My husband and I returned from our trip to Africa last week.  Returning always causes me to go through an adjustment phase… a new normal seems to form.  And this time, the wicked combination of jet lag and Daylight Savings coming to an end has left me feeling particularly tired.  Please don’t laugh if I tell you that I can’t seem to stay awake past 9 p.m. these days.

Despite the fatigue, I am slowly returning to my usual rhythm of life… for instance

• One morning this week I woke up and realized that Thanksgiving is next week… wow!  I love Thanksgiving… it’s easily one of my favorite holidays!  We are having some dear friends over for Thanksgiving dinner this year which excites me greatly, and I am looking forward to cooking up a feast, but I probably ought to schedule a trip to the market…soon!

• And then, of course, Christmas is around the corner.  I began my gift shopping yesterday because I am NOT the girl who loves to shop with the crowds.  Normally, I would be finished with the bulk of my gift buying by now, but the trip to Uganda set me back a little.  I feel less frazzled and slightly more put together  knowing that I have at least “started” the process.

• I’ve also been finalizing my Project 333 Winter Wardrobe, which I guess will technically start up on December 1st.  My Fall Project 333 Wardrobe was so useful that I’ve decided to keep it going.  I’ve actually had to purchase a couple of new items for Winter — a simple black dress for those winter parties, a new winter dress coat because my old had just gotten way too big, and some boots because ballet flats just don’t make the cut in an Ohio winter!  Overall, I LOVE this new found wardrobe simplicity!

If there is one theme that is reinforced every time I travel to Uganda, it is this:  Less is often much, much more!  It is so easy to complicate everything we do — indeed, everything we are — but we don’t have to live life with such a fast-paced, consumeristic, multitasking mindset.  We don’t have to buy more, do more, or eat more to enjoy the perfection, and true purpose, of this season.  It’s probably very good, and by His design, that this is fresh on my mind as we go into the holiday season with it’s tendencies towards abundance and indulgence.

Sometimes keeping life simple, small, and singularly focused is infinitely more pleasant and can make a far deeper impact.

Small isn’t what keeps us from that grand vision.

Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.

~ Lysa TerKeurst

“Don’t Despise the Small”

That’s my carry-on bag… a bit OCD isn’t it?!  We are leaving for Uganda very soon, and I think I may finally have everything ready to go.  I’ve been so busy enjoying – rather, savoring – Autumn in Ohio that the trip has been steadily and somewhat silently  creeping up on me.  When my new packing cubes arrived last week, I realized I had better start getting my things together.

Packing for a trip like this is always a tricky task.  There are so many gifts and ministry supplies to consider and of course my personal items and camera equipment, and all of that must fit within the airlines’ luggage restrictions. Not an easy task.  This year alone we are trying to fit in about 30-40 lbs of books and literature, another 25 lbs or so of electronics, and about 45 gift bags for the sponsored children we will be visiting.

What does that mean for me?  My clothing and personal items must be sufficient, but minimal.

There are many, many things I have learned during my past trips to Uganda.  Among those things are these

1. I packed way too many clothes for my first trip back in 2008.
2. I owned way too many clothes regardless of where I lived or where I was going.

I’ve pared down my wardrobe substantially over the past couple of years, and I am aiming to pack significantly lighter for this trip.  A lighter personal suitcase means that I can bring more useful supplies to our partners and friends in Uganda!

If you feel like your closets are out of control, too full, or just in need of some attention, I’m including a couple of links that have helped me in both of these endeavors.

• Courtney Carver’s Project 333 ~ The idea is that you select only 33 items (including clothing, accessories, jewelry, and outerwear) to wear over a 3-month season.  This site has helped me pare down my closet over the past several months while still factoring in the significant seasonal changes I face living in the Midwest.  I am on my second season of Project 333, and I have found it to be very useful.

• The Daily Connoisseur’s Ten Item Wardrobe ~ I just discovered this blog recently, but I’m already a big fan.  With simplicity and elegance inspired by the French, Jennifer shows how a good quality 10-item wardrobe can be more satisfying and more useful than a closet overflowing with bargain finds.  Check out the other posts in this series “Customizing Your 10 Item Wardrobe” and “Observations on the 10 Item Wardrobe” and “The Extras in the 10 Item Wardrobe.”  Now that I have pared down using Project 333, I am thinking of tweaking my wardrobe a little further with the concepts of this 10-Item Wardrobe.

• A Pair and a Spare’s How to Pack for A Holiday ~ A great visual aid for packing a well-coordinated travel wardrobe.  Before having children and becoming a stay at home mom, I traveled quite a bit for work, both internationally and domestically.  I used these basic concepts back then, and they have worked very well for me.  It gets a bit trickier when I travel to Uganda, but I don’t deviate from the idea too much.  This has helped me travel around Europe, Japan, and now Uganda for two weeks or more with just carry-on luggage.  Not an insignificant thing to consider in this age of excessive baggage fees!

If you’re interested in following along with our Uganda trip, I’ll try to update a little here, but I’ll also be updating the New Life in Uganda Blog.  Feel free to join us over there.

So I decided to spend the morning at Inniswood, my favorite local garden.  I snapped dozens of pictures, and while I meandered the leaf strewn paths I came up with a list of some of the things I love about Autumn.

25 Things I love about Autumn…

1. hot ovens filled with the comfort of baked goods
2. the daring and delicious spices that permeate the season  ~ cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves
3. leaves rustling in the trees, raining down on moist green grass
4. the dashing color combination of blue skies, green grass, and red, yellow, and orange leaves
5. the crisp, clear air
6. the brisk, cool winds whipping leaves around
7. the smell of leaves burning in the distance
8. the warm, angled light
9. simmering pots of soup on the stove
10. homemade bread cooling on wire racks
11. the squirrels scurrying to gather winter stores
12. the flicker of candles scattered about a warm, cozy home
13. the warmth of a soft cardigan
14. scarves intricately twisted and draped over bare necks
15. the soft, warm hues that spread over a quiet home
16. pumpkins piled up on porch steps
17. steaming mugs of coffee
18. long walks down quiet trails
19. sweet, crisp apples freshly picked
20. lazy picnics beneath the apple trees
21. savory pot roasts paired with potatoes and carrots
22. playing with the kids in the ravine after school
23. outdoor fires, smoke billowing from backyard fire pits
24. giant leaf piles to jump in
25. a camera at my side, ready to photograph all these wonderful autumn moments!

After writing out this list I looked back over it, and I chuckled at just how many lines involved food.  Fall is a wonderful time for food… perhaps I should take a little diversion into food photography.  Maybe.

What are your favorite things about Autumn?

hush away the hurry
put to rest the worry
come to quell and quiet me
in this moment given
slow and fully live it
drink up all the passing peace

Shaun Groves ● “Awake my Soul” ● from his album Third World Symphony

I feel like I’m fighting for slow.  There are only 18 days until we leave for Uganda, and still many tasks remain before our feet can step onto that plane.  Things like legal documents, malaria medications, instructions for my wonderful parents who will be taking care of my kids, preparing ministry bags, getting my camera & computer equipment ready, collecting notes, cards, and photos for the 172 sponsored children we will be meeting.  Much has been done, but much still is left to do.

But I don’t want to rush.  Not in Autumn.  Not ever, really.  I like a slow pace where days are filled with work, reflection, and ritual… where there is space between the work… where life is intentional and authentic and I have time to think and gaze and be.  And sip coffee.

I keep listening to Shaun Groves’ new album, Third World Symphony, and I always seem to repeat that fifth track — Awake My Soul.  The lyrics grip me… “hush away the hurry… put to rest the worry… come to quell and quiet me… in this moment given… slow and fully live it.”

And that is what I keep asking of God —

… that He would keep my eyes open wide, fixed on Him in this moment
… that He would help me pace myself
… that I would drink up all of His passing peace
… that I would be able to look around me at this amazing season and soak in the sights, sounds, smells

If you have a little more than 4 minutes to slow down today, this video, with excerpts from Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts, emphasizes the beauty and importance of the moments of our lives.

I just may take the long plane ride to Uganda to re-read this book.

George Eliot

Ohio is on the verge of bursting open with the delicious colors of autumn.  On our street, it is always the pair of Sugar Maples two doors down (photo above) that shouts forth glory first.  Our Red Maple will turn soon, and the Norway Maple will bring out the last burst of yellow come early November.  The piles of leaves will be massive.  The cleanup will be considerable effort, but for the momentary glimpse of something so extraordinarily beautiful, it will all be worth the hours and hours of raking.

And the pumpkins are coming out too.  Their patches soggy with early fall rains.  Their shades of orange warmly adorning our simple home.  Their flavors merging with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves and permeating nearly everything I bake.  Their smells bringing comfort on cool, crisp days.

I never had true autumn growing up.  In south Louisiana, summer lasts so long and fall is mostly brown.  So you’ll have to pardon the enthusiasm of this southern girl who now makes her home among the maples.

His grace has brought me here, and my soul delights in Him.  His handiwork, I love to gaze upon.  Photographing it is my way of worshiping Him.

A BOY AND HIS DOG
by Edgar Guest

A boy and his dog make a glorious pair:
No better friendship is found anywhere,
For they talk and they walk and they run and they play,
And they have their deep secrets for many a day;
And that boy has a comrade who thinks and who feels,
Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

He may go where he will and his dog will be there,
May revel in mud and his dog will not care;
Faithful he’ll stay for the slightest command
And bark with delight at the touch of his hand;
Oh, he owns a treasure which nobody steals,
Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

No other can lure him away from his side
He’s proof against riches and station and pride
Fine dress does not charm him, and flattery’s breath
Is lost on the dog, for he’s faithful to death
He sees the great soul which the body conceals
Oh, it’s great to be young with a dog at your heels!

ABOUT THE PHOTOS…

Lately, I’ve been doing a few photo sessions for friends — newborns, families, children, etc.  And this past weekend, we introduced a dog into the shoot.  She certainly added an entirely different level of complexity than I’m used to, but I enjoyed this shoot very much.  It was a beautiful early fall afternoon here in Central Ohio.  The light was a bit too bright for my liking, but we found some pockets of shade and enough filtered light to make it work.

I am completely enjoying these opportunities that God has been giving me… they stretch my skills, cause me to learn how to improve, and force me to broaden my interests.  Grace from him… always.  Gifts for Him!

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  Colossians 1:16

Birthdays always have a way of bringing Psalm 139 into focus for me.  I am immensely humbled when I think about the way the Universe Maker had a plan to redeem my life even though He knew just how grossly I would divert from His perfect ways…

… the way the Life Breather sustains my daily & eternal breath even though death is all that I’ve ever earned

… the way the Grace Giver rescued me from the pits of despair and put a new song in my heart

… the way the Highest One gives me the chance to be one of his storytellers through words, pictures, and life as I declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples

So, today I leave you with a few verses from Psalm 139 and a few images from His littlest storytellers.  Without even uttering a word, these little ones are dramatically declaring the glory of the Saviour King, Jesus Christ!

May God grant you eyes to see and a heart that believes that you were made FOR HIM!

PSALM 139:13-18, 23-24

F

or you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Only 4 Sundays until we leave for Uganda.

There have been so many ups and downs and twists and turns with this trip that for a while I actually didn’t think it was going to happen.

But the tickets have now been purchased, and in a few short weeks, my husband and I will be packing up and heading over.

Changes.

In the past five weeks since I last posted about the trip, a great deal has changed.  We started off with a team of 5-6 people, most of which had never been to Uganda.  But due to various personal and financial reasons, they have had to back out and only my husband and I will be making the trip.

We’ve now changed our trip completely so that we might focus more on building relationships, visiting with our sponsored children, focusing on long-term plans for future teams, listening (really listening) to the issues & struggles Mukono Community Church is undergoing, computer training, and media gathering.

Exciting.

There will be much excitement around our house over the next four weeks and also a fury of activity as we prepare to leave.  In the midst of the preparations, autumn is arriving in Ohio, and I am so very ready to hit the nearby trails with my camera poised to get those delightful shots of the changing leaves.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE PHOTO ::

A couple of weeks ago, I took my kids to our local zoo.  While working our way out to the gorilla habitat we came across an exhibit with this sign “Ship to Africa.”  I have to admit that for a moment I entertained the thought of boxing myself up, stamping the front with “Ship to Africa,” and sending myself on my way.  Hopefully the plane ride will prove to be a little more comfortable…

The next year, quite by accident, we did the same thing.  Before we realized it, the traditional birthday party had turned into a birthday trip, and we discovered a tradition that our family cherishes dearly.

Over the years, we’ve gone to see Space Shuttles, camped in view of waterfalls and Train Bridges, visited horse farms and Shaker Villages, watched animals at the zoo, and bounced in more inflatables than I care to count.  Each trip tends to revolve around our son or daughter’s interest at the time.

The theme for this trip:  all things nautical!  What else would a boy whose current aspiration in life is to be a ship architect choose?

Since you can’t have a birthday without cake, we headed to The Grand Hotel for sweets after our 8-mile bike ride.  These large chocolate cupcakes, piled high with rich fudge frosting, were exactly what he wanted.

The staff at the hotel restaurant, who were all from Jamaica, came out with cupcakes and candles, singing Happy Birthday… made his day!

We walked around the hotel all afternoon, enjoying the massive 660-ft long front porch with it’s bright white rocking chairs that overlook the Straits, and taking in the history of this enormous Victorian hotel.

From there we decided to take a carriage back to town to look around, and much to the kid’s delight, they were able to sit up front with the driver and share his duties.

We walked around town a bit, sampling fudge and checking out the shops, and when our legs felt worn out, we walked back to our hotel to rest in the Adirondack chairs out on the lawn enjoying the view.

It is an 8-mile narrow paved road that runs along the entire perimeter of Mackinac Island, and it is only open to bicycles, pedestrians, horses, and horse-drawn carriages.

A trip around the island on the M-185 offers stunning views of the Straits of Mackinac and other historic sites such as Main Street, Fort Mackinac, Mission Point, Arch Rock, British Landing, and Devil’s Kitchen.

Along the road, you can see many little rock towers, called Cairns, which are built by passersby along hiking and biking trails as a memorial to having been on that trail.

We set out early one morning to bike the M-185.  Unsure as to whether our son could bike the full 8-miles alone, we got him a tag-along bike, and our daughter and my camera bag rode in the Burley.

Along the Eastern side of the island, we stopped to build our family cairn which ended up being 4 little cairns grouped together.

The views from the road are simply beautiful.  Next time we’ll take it a little slower and add a picnic lunch along the route.  Because I am praying that there will be a next time!

So, I recap our recent trip with humble gratitude to God for making a way for us to spend time together enjoying His elaborate & magnificent creation…

My fascination with this island started over eleven years ago when I came across an article about Mackinac Island, Michigan, in a favorite magazine.  I instantly fell in love with the way the island looked from the many photographs accompanying the article, and I told my husband that someday I’d like to get “up there to Michigan.”

At the time, we were living in Houston, Texas, so a trip to the top of the mitten would not have been easy (or inexpensive) at all.  It most certainly would have involved a flight to Michigan, a rental car to get to the nearest city, and a ferry ride across the Straits of Michigan.  And since there are NO cars on Mackinac Island, we would also have needed to rent bicycles & hire carriages to get around once we were on the island.  When we moved to Ohio, Michigan was suddenly much closer and transportation to Mackinac Island became much simpler.

So, last week, in celebration of our son’s 8th birthday, we finally made it to the Island, and I loved it even more than the magazine version I had built up in my mind.  With it’s many things to do (some of which I will write about in a later post) and it’s breathtaking landscapes, Mackinac Island was a perfect blend of leisure, activity, and relaxation for our family.

As an amateur photographer, the island was a feast for my eyes!  I find it hard to describe the shades of blue and green that I saw.  Where the bright blue sky with it’s puffy white clouds meets the deep clear blue water of the Straits of Michigan or the lush green grass of the Island, something magical ~ and extremely beautiful ~ happens.

Our family now considers Mackinac Island our “return to” spot!  You know… the one that your family returns to year after year after year…  I’ve already started saving for the next trip, and maybe this will become a new family tradition.  Deo Volente.

•••••

Ten Sundays.  Seventy-three days.  Either way you look at it, the countdown for our next trip to Uganda is going by very fast.

Preparations for the trip have been going on for quite a while now, but as we enter these last couple of months, the reality of the trip is beginning to set in.  Namely because tasks like raising financial support, getting everyone vaccinated, and securing the proper travel documents for the entire team are beginning to reach a critical state.

As our team has begun meeting every two weeks, we’ve been getting to know the other members better.  And I’m excited!  There are five of us, one of which is a dear friend I met several years ago while volunteering at a Passion Conference in Atlanta.  God has sustained our friendship over the years despite the fact one of us lives in the amazing Pacific Northwest and the other lives in what National Geographic has determined to be one of the best places to visit this fall.  Can you believe that?  The part about National Geographic.

The other two members are a couple that attends our church.  They are full of energy and excitement, and we are so thrilled God has put it on their hearts to make this trip.

And then there is the possible sixth team member… She is still deliberating.  Still praying.  Still coordinating schedules.  Pray that God gives her clarity as she seeks his direction.

We also have a few honorary team members who are so entirely essential to the trip that we could not go anywhere without them.  I’ll talk about them at a later time… they are that special!

With only ten Sundays to go, the excitement is building!

•••••

Current Prayer Requests:

• Financial Support ~ Please pray that God would provide our needs in time to purchase our airfare next month (about $2,800 per team member).
• Team Meetings ~ As we meet together, please pray that our time would be prayerful and productive.
• Ugandan Partners ~ Please pray that there would be peace, effective collaboration, humility, and a seeking to “build one another up” between our two Ugandan partners — one is our logistics partner and one is our ministry partner.
• Team Members ~ Please pray that God would soften our hearts with His grace so that we might be sensitive to the ways He wants to prepare each of us individually.

~ A. W. Tozer

We hiked to the Indian mounds, to the river overlook, over the bridge spanning the deep ravine, through the creeks where rocks jutted out over gently flowing water.

We watched the birds scatter at the sound of our footsteps and saw the spider webs and tiny caterpillars suspended by barely visible threads.

And as the end of summer draws near, we took in His grace with glad hearts.

Nearly everyday for the past two weeks I have been sitting on the side of the community swimming pool watching my kids learn to swim and getting splashed repeatedly by toddlers discovering the joys of playing in a 2-foot baby pool.

Cute, but catastrophic for a camera.  So I quickly decided to leave the camera at home.

When a huge blimp passed directly over the pool, the only camera I had with me was the one on my iPhone.  Armed with the Photoshop app and the now tremendously popular instagr.am app, I snagged this shot.  Puny though it is, this image will always remind me of the pure delight on the faces of my children when such an unusual aircraft passed over head.

I’ve heard it said before that “the best camera is the one you’ve got with you”… On this particular day, I would wholeheartedly agree!

And on the 4th of July we drove out to Mt. Vernon for the Independence Day celebrations where we ran into this patriot who was either taking his role very seriously or he had borrowed George Washington’s wooden teeth for the day.  Hard to tell.

His friends were nearby, engaged in a hearty discussion about how one might go about shooting this Revolutionary-era cannon.  Don’t ask me… I shoot with a Nikon!

But the real highlight of the day for me was watching the country’s newest citizens being sworn in…

It’s a long, tough road to become a US citizen, and watching their happiness as they raised their hands, pledging allegiance to this nation, made for a very exciting day.

I think the most touching sight was the front row of the swearing in ceremony where the service men and women sat… those who, having already given their lives to protect and defend the freedom of this country, were now being given all of the rights and privileges of an American citizen.