Saturday, August 27, 2011

I got the nicest compliment



I was feeling inadequate.

So many things in front of me to do that I know I'm not good at doing.

Lacking confidence.  Unsure.  UnABLE.

And then I read this:

You are My masterpiece! 

Well, that's probably an exaggeration.  Masterpiece might be a little much.  How about just saying "My creation?"

(I don't receive compliments very graciously.) 

You are My masterpiece!  I have made you new in Christ so that you can do the good things I've planned for you long ago.  I love you so much and I've given you so much mercy that although you don't have what it takes, I've seated you right next to Me - reigning over every circumstance and every task I've given you.  You can do everything I ask if you do it by the strength I'll give you.   Eph 2:4-10; Phil 4:13  paraphrased

God trusts me with what He asks me to do.  He made me for that purpose.  If He asks me to do anything, He always gives me everything I need to do it.  Everything.  Always.  Because I'm His masterpiece - made for Him.

Thank You.

(Because that's what you say when someone gives you a compliment, right?)

I am truly thankful!!




Monday, August 22, 2011

The Wedding!

In the interest of time (because I usually upload all my pics to Picnik then to Photobucket), I'm just going to get these photos posted straight from my computer since it's already a month after-the-fact!  Sheesh!

Can't believe these newlyweds have been married for a MONTH!!  What a great day it was...


Sisters

Cousins


Our dear friend Pastor Grant

Family from Washington

Friends all the way from Palm Springs

College friends and roommates


Kate (7) and Madison (8)
My brother's girls

Heading to downtown Portland


Congratulations Ray and Lisa!
We love you!!!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I have nothing to say

I've been racking my brain (wracking?) trying to come up with something to write about.

I don't know if it's the post-wedding slump, the lazy days of summer or my recent colonoscopy.   (Even when I try to share something meaningful, the people I link to delete their insightful posts - so what's a girl to do?)  Today, all you're going to get is run-off.

Ready?

I love coffee.  I love it hot or cold, venti or a shot, sweetened or not.  And the beans it comes from aren't so bad either.


    The colors of these coffee beans remind me of that best of all seasons:  Fall.

    I. Love. Fall.

    Only this year, for the first time, I am not dying for it to arrive, only because our summer has been kind of short.  But next month, if you live in the NW, you'll start to smell the change of seasons and you'll see me with a permanent grin on my face.  (That is not really true.  And it only reveals that I am a shallow person, dependent on my surroundings and the outside temperature for my happiness.)


      Now the above picture reminds me a little bit of the final scene in the movie I saw this week in a real theater - The Help.  I enjoyed the book and I enjoyed the movie.  I thought the acting was superb.  I don't think it's strictly a chick flick either.  My husband went with me, unsure of his place in a theater full of women, but he really wasn't the only man and he enjoyed it too.  This reveals his true character - that of an all-around good guy.



      This scene from the movie reminds me of how important it is to have good friends.  These girls are anything but.  Proverbs 12:26 says that a righteous man is cautious in friendship - true that.  Aren't good friends a source of encouragement, strength and joy?  Friendship is one of God's most wonderful gifts.


        So here I am with two of my oldest and dearest friends, Liane and Karen.  We've been away together on annual 'jubilee' weekends for the last 30+ years.  We've prayed each other through all the stages of life from college on.  These sisters would do anything for me, including the flowers for my daughter's wedding.




        They worked their tails off for that day.  And it was bee-u-ti-full.  Which reminds me that I never wrote a post about the wedding.  Or one about our Jubilees.  Or...

        Hey!  I've got something to say!!  Next time!


          Thursday, August 11, 2011

          Some Thoughts on Love


          Here's something worth your time.  Don Miller (Blue Like Jazz) writes a provocative blog that I don't check often enough.  He recently wrote How to Live a Great Love Story, volumes 1 and 2. 



          **Unfortunately, these two posts are no longer available due to some criticism their author received.  I'm sorry because they were good, thought-provoking essays. 

          I thought both were really insightful and you should read both, whether you're a guy or a girl, married or single, in a good relationship or a mess. 

          I'm very thankful for my leading man.  And we are doing what Don requests at the end of the girls' post.  Will you?

          Sunday, August 7, 2011

          I want to be happy

          Blessed means happy.



          You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.
          With less of you there is more of God and His rule.

          You're blessed when you feel you've lost
          what is most dear to you.
          Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

          You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—
          no more, no less.
          That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners
          of everything that can't be bought.

          You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God.
          He is food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

          You're blessed when you care.
          At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

          You're blessed when you get your inside world—
          your mind and heart—put right.
          Then you can see God in the outside world.

          You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.
          That's when you discover who you really are
          and your place in God's family.

          You're blessed when your commitment to God
          provokes persecution.
          The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

          Matt 5:3-10
          The Message

          Wednesday, August 3, 2011

          Covered Bridges

          This month my dad celebrates his 90th birthday.  What to get for someone who has everything he needs (except his 35 year old body and mind)? 

          I myself am getting to be someone I don't even recognize at birthday time.  I could never understand when someone said they didn't need a thing for their birthday.  Come on - doesn't everyone have an ongoing list in their head of things they wished they had?  But no, it's true.  You do get to a point where you buy what you need and you don't really want any more stuff.

          So, for Dad's birthday we took a drive yesterday and did something he's always wanted to do - toured some of Oregon's covered bridges.  At one time early in the 20th century there were 450 covered bridges but now there are only about 50 which have been restored and preserved.  Some you can still drive over and some are walking spans.  We made a 200 mile loop with Jeff at the wheel, Dad in the front and me shouting orders giving driving directions from the back seat.

          I had printed out an information sheet on each of the six bridges we visited and I am a little proud of myself for compiling the histories of these bridges because I am not known for my love of museums and such.  I also had to come up with my own turn-by-turn directions between them.  But I was also glad we had Nancy, the nasal-voiced little woman in our GPS.  She got us back on track when the roads suddenly changed names. 

          These bridges were all accessed via country roads through towns with names like Sublimity, Crawfordsville and Sweet Home.  Across waterways like Cold Springs and the Calapooya River.

          It was a gorgeous day, perfect temperature and the pastoral setting seemed almost too good to be true!


          Oops, sorry hon. We have to turn around.
          It's the other direction.




          Isn't my husband a fantastic photographer?
          That's why he isn't in any of the pics.


          Many of these were one lane bridges and you have to yield if another car approaches.

          Another interesting observation:
          Some bridges are left open and others have more enclosed sides.

          (If you want to ask me any engineering questions after the tour, just leave a comment. 
          I'll try to explain in terminology you can understand.)



          There was a group of teen and twenty-somethings who spent the night creekside near this one.  When we walked across the bridge, they scrambled up the embankment with their sleeping bags.  Hmmmm.  Where were their mothers? is what I want to know.



          They did all start looking similar at this point in the day!



          So funny... Dad was disappointed that the bridges weren't in worse shape. 
          I think they looked too 'nice' for him. 


          Here I am with the birthday boy.  Dueling plaids!

          I enjoyed the day more than I expected I would.  I do love the country.  And we made a memory with my dad.  I hope he had a great day.  Happy birthday, Dad!
          Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...