Tuesday Tribute- Club M

Angie at Seven Clown Circus reminds us bloggers, "It's not all about you!" And so, Tuesday Tribute, a word of praise for others, was born.

Today my family made our first summer visit to Club M, our private swim club. Very private- as in the backyard of our good friend Rachael. The Club M pool is beautiful- clear blue water, bright white deck, backing up to an emerald green field of corn. The Club M pool is round, so if we all take laps and laps around the edge of the pool, we can get quite a whirlpool-type current going, enough of a current to keep us floating around for a while, an activity that never ceases to amuse us.

But even more, Rachael is a terrific hostess to my family. She tolerates their silly bickering dialouge every single summer. She hardly blinks when she gets splashed by the Cannonball. She gets in the pool, which by kid and youth standards is worth serious points! She always has popsicles in her freezer for the kids. And the adults. I can talk to Rachael about everything under the sun for hours, which isn't true of most lifeguards and pool staff at other clubs... :-)

The only downside to swimming at Club M is that we have to leave! We always stay longer than we think we will. That's the mark of a great place, I think! Thanks Club M!

Promptly and sincerely

I offer my heart to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.

John Calvin's life prayer- "an unwavering declaration of surrender to the Lord, whom he sought to love with all his heart, soul, mind and strength."

That is my prayer as well.

(credit to Burk Parsons, editor of Tabletalk magazine, in byFaith Magazine, March 2009)

Random on Sunday

I'm back.
I'm HOME!
I'm glad!!
It seems like I was gone a month. Because I was.

Random thoughts from the last month:

• If you are vacationing in a spot that is REALLY hot and you are tired of watching cable tv but it's too hot to even go to the pool, going to Best Buy and playing Guitar Hero isn't such a bad idea... Neither is Half-Price Books...
• If you are in a hotel watching cable tv, Dirty Jobs is a great choice. So is Cash Cab.
• All 2 1/2 star hotels on Hotwire are not created equal. If in doubt, go with 3 stars.
• There are a LOT of people with tattoos, and piercings, at water parks. A LOT!! It's just my opinion, but that cute girl with the sun around her belly button? I think that sun will be a sunset a few years down the road...
• If in the sun, wear sunscreen. Even if you don't think you should. Even if it seems like you just put it on. Trust me. Put it on again.
• My family is over Jon and Kate. And sad.
• I can't really understand how a celebrity death is "urgent news!"
• Airports that charge for WI-FI? Come on!!! Here's a shout-out to those spots that still let us travel the internet for free!

I have some bloggy catching up to do! More posts soon...

By subtraction, not by addition

Contentment comes by subtraction, not by addition (as Burroughs would say). We get our desires down to our circumstances and we find contentment. And then we are in a position of strength to do our duties that God has laid out for us to do.
~ from Nancy Wilson at Femina

(photo credit to LillyKwok at Flickr)

Signs and wonders...

That would be signs, wonders, and "we're wondering..."

On Fellowship

"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed. ...It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together


My family and I enjoy rich and sweet fellowship in our community at home. But now we are traveling, journeying in itineration activities to raise financial and prayer support to get to work in ministry along the US/Mexico border. And yet, though complete strangers, our family is welcomed heartily, time after time, place after place, with such hospitality that can only be found among brethren.

We are grateful for the faithfulness of the body of believers!

God of Grace

We sang the following song early in the worship service yesterday. And I cried.
The truths of the words, line after line, yes, but I know I was influenced also by the preciousness of friendships, the stories of redemption all around me. My church has old stained glass windows too (not the one in the picture- I need to take my own picture of the windows...), and about that time of morning the sun comes in at that right angle and it is a wonder.
An amazing wonder, our God of grace.

(and, for those interested in such things, some good praise music can be found at GettyMusic, but warning! music starts playing right when you arrive...)

God of grace, amazing wonder,
Irresistible and free;
Oh, the miracle of mercy
Jesus reaches down to me.

God of grace, I stand in wonder,
As my God restores my soul.
His own blood has paid my ransom;
Awesome cost to make me whole.

God of grace, who loved and knew me
Long before the world began;
Sent my Saviour down from heaven;
Perfect God and perfect man.

God of grace, I trust in Jesus;
I'm accepted as His own.
Every day His grace sustains me,
As I lean on Him alone.

God of grace, I stand astounded,
Cleansed, forgiven and secure.
All my fears are now confounded
And my hope is ever sure.

God of grace, now crowned in glory,
Where one day I'll see Your face;
And forever I'll adore You
In Your everlasting grace.

"God of Grace"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Jonathan Rea
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

(photo credit to imobz's photostream at Flickr)