Castaway

Well, the Lord works in mysterious and wondrous ways! I am actually off to Tahiti! And I'll be there for close to two months. When my Tahitian family heard that our Contemporary service had come to an end, they pooled together and bought me a ticket. Not that it took much coaxing, but they pretty much insisted that I come over...and stay longer this time since I've got some free time. It just seems rude to say no. :) I'll be blogging from over there on occasion. Thanks for stopping by!
P.S. My friend, Aimana, is a pilot and took this picture himself.

Dog Wash

It would seem that Belmont Shore is an Eden for dogs. There's a dog beach, a costume parade for dogs this Sunday at 2:30, and now Tidy Dog. I spotted this service for dogs who want to look their best. But does "self serve" mean they borrow the family car to get down there? The next time your dog asks you for ten bucks and car keys, you might consider that it's for grooming purposes.

Sumo Baby Wrestling Camp

Well, I guess this brings new meaning to Proverbs 22:6. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
I've seen programs for parents teaching their children to swim, but I didn't realize they also had them for sumo wrestling. It seems like a good idea to me. In fact, the sooner the better to learn that -you either swim or sink. There's just no floating through life. You either wrestle against your own flesh and the attacks of the enemy -or be counted down for the count. Aren't we slapped first thing in the delivery room? With that kind of welcome into the world, you'd think we wouldn't be surprised when the slaps keep coming. But we are.

It would seem that God wants to turn us into something more than just one big comfortable blob. He is making warriors out of us. In Jim Cymbala's book, "You Were Made For More", he talks about playing basketball with a new coach. Jim had been a star athlete, but this coach trained them to such an extreme, his muscles were screaming in pain. It seemed cruel at the time. But when they played their next game, they had much more endurance than the other team and were able to play their best even when the other team had no strength left.

So instead of thinking that God is being cruel, you might consider that He is just toughening you up -not only to endure -but to win the battle.

Topic: Should Monkeys Floss?

For Puzzling Times

I've been reading "You Were Made For More" by Jim Cymbala and can't recommend it enough! Our culture tends to just settle for a "random" mindset. It can be tempting to get caught up in the feeling that there's no meaning to the difficulties in our lives. But it's just not true!

This is a paragraph from the book:
"The unwanted, troubling, mystifying, "senseless" things that happen in our lives are occasions to instill strength in our character, force us to pray as never before, and give us a testimony to help others in need. Our struggles are simply a sign that we, like the ancient Israelites, were made for more."
This makes me think of Romans 5: 3-5 "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

We may not get all the explanations that we want as to why things are going the way they are, but it sure is good to know that there is a purpose behind it all.
These verses may be very familiar, but I don't think we can meditate on them enough...Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

The puzzle isn't completed yet, but God knows what it's supposed to look like. And He's working it all to fit together beautifully. And once you're starting to see the bigger picture of how your puzzle is coming together, be sure to pray for others who are just as puzzled as you are now.
2nd Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Got The Blues

Well, it was an awesome year for the Dodgers. Sure, I would've loved to see them win the World Series. But I'm convinced they'll live to fight another day.
After they had "swept" the Cubs, I spotted this Dodger flag hanging at someone's house...from a broom.

No Running By The Pool

Like Music To My Ears

I am so incredibly excited. I got an iPod for my birthday and I've been loading it up with so many awesome songs. It's pretty cool to be able to group all your favorites into one collection. Now I just have to be careful not to sing and dance while walking down the street.
Also, it was getting awfully embarrasing at the gym. With a Walkman, eventually you have to turn the tape over. It's hard to do that discreetly on a treadmill.

Miramar Air Show

Last Saturday I went with the Shorts to the Miramar Air Show in San Diego. It was incredible! It's quite amazing what these pilots can do. We saw the famous Blue Angels. At times they fly 18 inches apart from each other. I think California drivers could learn something from these guys.
We also got to take a look inside some of the planes. At one point I wanted to take a test drive of one of the tanks but they wouldn't let me. Something about it having a canon on it.

Changes

Well, our final service for our Contemporary Service was September 14th. I'm beginning to see that change is just simply part of life. It doesn't necessarily make it any easier, but it sure keeps life interesting! In fact, I'm learning to welcome it -more than fear it. I'd prayed for an adventure awhile back and God has certainly been faithful to answer that prayer. Routine can make for a pretty stale life experience.
When life is full of change, mystery, and just -not enough answers, it can actually be a pretty wonderful thing. It causes us to hold all the more tightly to the One who never changes -who is the same yesterday, today and forever. If change tosses me harder into His arms, bring it on!