beach

Spring, 2007.

the wave is coming

see the splash.

See, today at church, someone decided to use beach

pictures for backgrounds to songs. I decided it would be nice to visit Blue Beach today between church this morning and something at church this evening (which I considered going to, but eventually decided to stay home). That was obviously impractical. But looking at beach pictures isn't, so here are some from Crashboat Beach, I'm pretty sure it was April '07.

I remember God teaching me something, and I took some pictures like this one above of the sand to remember with, but I don't remember the lesson too clearly. I think it was about trusting God to take care of me.

There is something beautiful about living in trust. Something comforting. I don't mean to imply that I've mastered this. :) Now is a good time for me to remember a little of what I know of the God to whom I belong. It is amazing to think of what He gave me. Col 1:12.

End of June, early July

Fireweed.

It's in a garden out front (and grows wild in our area. This one might have been strategically left in the garden or transplanted).

The results of a fire.
Well, really two fires that were really closely related. One or two fires total, depending on how you count.
Wednesday, the first of July, I started my online college.
And my dad and two brothers did yard work, such as burning branches from pine trees they cut down. They put the fire out. Or thought they did. See the circle of ash from the burn pile in the back of the picture?
The next day, Thursday, I studied and had an otherwise normal Thursday. My dad and brothers went camping.
Friday, July 3rd, I was off work! So I studied and studied and studied, etc. Around 5:30 I took a break. (No, this was not my first break.)
I went outside and saw smoke as if from a campfire from around where they had burned. I asked my mom if it should be there, and she said it shouldn't. So I started bringing the hose out and then spent awhile spraying water on this second patch of smoldering black land (the nearer, less conventional shaped blackened area in the picture). I didn't see flames. I saw a smoking black area. Anyway, God blessed in that we were able to deal with this fire before it got too big. Some friends came to help move some bigger logs (since my dad and brothers were gone and mom and I didn't want to attempt using a chain saw). (The picture shows the area after some logs were moved, after a good bit of brush was cleared away to aid in the fire-putting-out, and after the sprinkler had spread water on it all night.) So it was very exciting for me.

I also went on a hike with my dad and brothers near the end of June. Here are a few pictures. By the way, there was a patch of snow up there. My brothers enjoyed sliding down it. I think one brother used a rock as a sled. I think all of them tried sliding on their feet standing up. I "tried" sliding on my feet for a foot or two - on accident.

I expect to start college Wednesday.

What path are you on?

Where are you going?

Anyways, it's pretty here. :)
Blog writing. Early, I stop myself from begining in Spanish (hint: if you don't want to start thinking or translating in Spanish, don't read Spanish). Later I stop my self as I write something somebody I miss might say. Now I write. And backspace, and write.

I'm still working, but my hours are expected to decrease for a bit. This is interesting in its effect on me. I may think, or try to think, oh that will be okay (i.e. I choose to think God will work it out good). But sometimes I act... upset. And sometimes, like this morning, I'm so happy for hours that I do have! "Happiness;" maybe it can be more of a choice than I thought. As Christians, our future (I mean our future future, post-death/rapture) is very bright! So... if I can just remember that, the irritations and challanges now may not be important in the same way (perhaps they could still be of varying importances in different ways).

Correction to a May 24 entry: I was younger than four when my Granddad went to be with God. I moved from one side of the US to the other when I was four.

Um, writer's block about a blog entry?

My blog-entry-per-week goal is being missed. It looks like I'm averaging closer to one entry every other week.

The weekend was mostly nice. The work week was over all nice. I'm hoping to start college again July 1. :) I have math requirements to look forward too. Yes, that has excited me (though yes, I wish they were already met). There are some kinds of math (kinds I can do fairly easily) that I like.

So for now, I'm enjoying time... for a little longer...

2 Cor 4:17. My happiness over the week and today gets challenged. But reading John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad and reading/remembering related verses has encouraged me to counter my discouragement with hope from God. I don't mean that you or I have to be perpetually happy. Crying has certain benifits. But rejoicing (which doesn't always conflict with tears), that's biblical. :)

Grandpa

My Granddad went to be with God when I was four, but my Grandpa was around for more of my life. He and Grandma visited us in the West sometimes. I remember he would play with my younger sister and chant a rhyme about her name that he made up. He had really cool watches. He was fairly quiet. He was smart.

At his funeral, I learned more about his work supporting missionaries. This was something my grandpa did, and did well. It makes me feel like my mission work is carrying on something he had begun doing before I was around. It is neat to discover more of the bigger picture that what I do fits into, and it is an encouragement.

The day I heard my grandpa had gone to be with God, I knew wanted to go back to visit. It changed my perspective of what's really important. I'm so thankful I could go to the funeral. I'm thankful for that time with my relatives. It was short and intense and priceless.