Rest

"As I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest. . . So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." Heb 3: 11-19

I consistently fall into the trap of thinking that if only I could get the proper amount of time away from my work, or go on a real sabbatical, or maybe even get 8 plus hours of sleep per night I might finally feel rested.  But the heart of the matter lies not so much with the rejuvenation of my body, but with the rejuvenation of my heart.

And so in order to find the rest that I need to carry out the work I have been called to, I need to seek out not just time off, but time with my Lord, the giver of life and the rest that He provides through His strengthening Spirit.  Rest for us in God is rest forever.  Let our prayer be then that we have belief in Him with the finality being a rest that is eternal and real.

Advent Musings

"A voice cries in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord:  make straight in the desert a highway for our God."  Isaiah 40:3

This Advent season is proving to be one of great preparation for me.  And well it should be.  Advent is the season in which we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ, our Saviour.  Perhaps more than any other Advent season, this year is allowing me to prepare myself by looking into my heart, which is in turn the catalyst for driving me to Christ and the miracle of his birth.

As I ponder the hardness of heart, the lack of grace, and my critical nature in general, I recognize a darkness in my spirit that is devoid of life and warmth.  Despite my greatest efforts I can not fill this void or add heat to my cold heart.  Only God, through Christ, is able

And so I pray that this season of lights proves to be a season in which my dark heart is illuminated by His grace, love, and sacrifice.  Praise be to God, for his gift of Light and Life, and may His Spirit cause me to make straight in the desert of my heart a highway for our God.

Reading:

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.  Excellent explanation of the work God did and does for us, as illustrated in the parable of the "Prodigal Son."  The chapter that got to me is the one in which he compares the laying down of Christ's life to that of an elder brother paying the cost of my profligate lifestyle.  What real brother would give up even half of his inheritance to enable my life, support my place in the household?  

Meandering

In these last dog days of summer, the gardens are wilting and going to seed.  We've sadly neglected the flower beds and need to give them some fresh manure and mulch on the washed out soil.  The dogs think they want to go out for a walk every day, but Herbs falters half way down the neighborhood, panting his complaint that the road is hot, his feet are sore, and he's going to die if he can't lay down in the shade for five minutes.   Sweetpea simply puts her paw down and declares "you can drag me but I choose to stay here in this nice neighbor's yard." So, Sweeps just stays home.

While Eric's been putting in some long hours, O and I have gone to town, walking.  We walk around the neighbourhoods of downtown.  We scope out rentals, dreaming of the day we can live in walking distance of the harbour.   

O decided he likes a later bedtime than what we were doing before, so a long evening walk is a perfect way to end a long, hot day.

(This photo was actually from 4th of July, so he's aged a bit since this was taken.  Thanks to Molly and Grandpa for the hat and overalls to match.  He likes to wear them red neck style, no shirt).

All smiles this summer

We spent a lovely afternoon in Emerald Isle with our "Webster Family" a couple weekends ago.  They know how to live at the beach, with a huge tent to stake claim to a piece of the beach and enjoy a nap without frying.  O was intrigued with Elle's beach toys, who was not so fond of a wee boy snagging her loot.   I wouldn't either!  Boys are notoriously destructive of dolls, dirty the carefully protected dress up clothes, and are generally creatures to beware until further notice of good manners.

(Regretfully, the photos are poor quality; consider them impressionistic).  Check out more of O's happenings at The Talking Lion blog.

hot dog summer

It's been warm here, so much so that we are glad to be busy and indoors and since we (sadly) are not farmers we need not be out in the dry dirt.

But we've had good Saturdays to read on the couch, mow the grass,  and stock the fridge at the Farmer's Market--the "normal" things.

Because we live within an hour of the best beaches around, we make obligatory drives down every weekend, or find a pool to swim and soak in the cool waters.

Omari has found his favorite place to be in the water and sand, relishing the texture and salt spray, and mysteriously knew that when Papa built him a sand castle last week, he was supposed to knock it down!

home again

Jiggidy Jig.  We return to home base with no little sadness and resignation that life as we know it continues, with work and "back to normal" and learning what that means all over again.  If deployment is our dividing line for time together, the child is the line of a new race for us to run.  May our hearts rise to the occasion.

fair warning

Her majesty Orual has rescued and revivified her journal: Deadlands and Courtyards, as linked to the right.

Blog Friend

On these wintry days, it's a pleasure to hole up in the warm house and read, drink hot beverages, and talk.

One of our good friends sent us a link to their new blog, created as a forum for discussion.  As a group who meets regularly, they are thinking through the book of Hebrews.  Now,  the rest of us can join in on their musings and add to the community of thought.

Check out the side link of "Batter my Heart"
http://battermyheartblog.blogspot.com/

Did you see it?

Excerpt from an email Eric sent when the moon was full:

It is a beautiful evening here.  The moon is full, and there is to be a partial eclipse at midnight.  I may walk outside to see it.  I got some great pics of the very full, big moon rising this eve.  It was lovely.  We see such shadows here.  In the midst of war, death, and fear there is beauty.  God's mercy is indeed evident in everything, and I can not wait until we all can see it beyond the shadows.

Three moons since he left, and we look to each new moon with the anticipation of pilgrims seeking their homeland, where their heart may rest and their true love waits.

New Addition

Our blog family is growing....again.  Check it out on the sidebar: Talking Lion.  Now, he won't quite take over the shelf of red tulips.  

First Christmas

He got lots of presents, little gift-child!  We think he enjoyed the tree lights.  He most loves the swing that we put in front of the tree, thanks to the Smiths for loaning it!