Making the Most of It

In March of 2009, I went on a study tour of Israel.  It was a 10-day trip, 7 days on the ground, hiking "the best of the lands" and being taught scripture where it happened.  In March, and basically no other time of the year, Israel is green, lush and about 70 degrees--it was beautiful!

This one's not green, I know.  It's in En Gedi, where David hid from Saul.

Well, the weather was beautiful all but one day.  The first day we were in Jerusalem in rained... and rained... and rained.  But that didn't stop us (most of us).  I was soaked to the bone and shivering... and that was all that I could think about.

Not that I was in Jerusalem (the holy city!)...

Not that I should soak this up because I may never go to Jerusalem again (please let it not be so!)...

No, all I could think about was that I was cold and wet.  All I could think about was my own personal comfort and how much I wanted to get back on the bus, better yet, back to the hotel where it was warm and dry.  (Gosh, I'm so mature...)

As I end my last semester of college, this is the story that comes to mind.  And these are the things I'm wondering:

• How much did I miss that day in Jerusalem, because my focus was off?  
• Where is my focus now and am I missing anything because of that?
• How can I make the most of the little time that I have?

With our rain gear on, touring the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)

May you make the most of your day, friend!

Day 23

(Full list.)

A Picture of Your Favorite Book

So, when I read that, the following song popped into my head:  "B-I-B-L-E! Yes, that's the book for me..."
That's actually including the "...", because my childhood church didn't have Sunday school to teach me said song.   I probably learned the few lyrics I know from osmosis during my time at Pine Cove.

I have some other faves, as well (in no particular order):

On the Christian Life

The Divine Conspiracy stands out to me because it is an intellectual book about Christianity.  There are not a lot of modern books that reach my heart and my mind.

Favorite quote:

"Can we seriously imagine that Jesus could be Lord if he were not smart? If he were divine, would he be dumb? Or uninformed? Once you stop to think about it, how could he be what we take him to be in all other respects and not be the best-informed and most intelligent person of all, the smartest person who ever lived?... 'Jesus is Lord' can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hesitate before saying, 'Jesus is smart.' He is not just nice, he is brilliant... He always has the best information on everything and certainly also on the things that matter most in human life."

Sci-Fi

Douglas Adams is a comedic genius.  He's also a little crude, so don't read it if you're sensitive to that.  And, promise me that you will never, ever under any circumstances watch the movie.  It will ruin everything.  Just take my word for it.  The best things about the book are lost when converted to cinematic form.

Sci-Fi

Ah-may-zing.  Genius.  Thought-provoking.

It's a collection of short stories that I've really enjoyed.  "There Will Come Soft Rains" is probably the most famous story, and, coincidentally, a very common prose piece in high school forensics.  But, that's besides the point.  This is one of my favorites.  The end.

P.S.  Mom, I have proudly put on my nerd glasses to bring you this post, thank-you-very-much.

Day 12

(Here's the full list.)

A picture of something you love

At the risk of sounding like I'm giving you a "Sunday School" answer, my first love is Jesus Christ.  Everything that's good in me is because of Him.  I owe my allegiance to Him, the God of the Universe.

Now, here are pictures of other loves:

Silly-ness with Handsome

The Cutest Nephew in the World

Fun with my Girls

Pine Cove

Eating Glue....
Wait, what?

Day 8

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A Picture that Makes You Laugh


Well, if you haven't noticed so far, I haven't been taking the "a picture" part very seriously.  This post is no exception.  There are funny stories behind some of these, or funny expressions contained in most of them.  It's hard to choose just one picture, when so many make me laugh!

Three Musketeers!

I love these boys!

If you've ever played buffalo hunt,
you know why this is funny/why you have to laugh.

This was a funny night.
Sorry about the embarrassing pic, girls!

Oh Eli, so upset that his big sis was graduating.

What did the other picture look like?

Miss you girls soooo much!

So many fun memories!