Forgotten, but not abandoned. (Joseph continued....)

Have you ever felt left out, forgotten, betrayed or maybe someone promised you something very important and they never followed through? How'd you feel? No doubt that Joseph felt the same way following the cupbearers promise to put in a 'good word' for him to Pharoah. The cupbearer was probably overwhelmed with joy to be reinstated to his former position and refused to bring himself to think about prison life where Joseph unjustly stayed.
At this point, Joseph could've come unglued, torn to shreds with anger and frustration towards God and the ungreatful cupbearer. But he didn't. Or so the Bible doesn't say so. He continued to trust God for the fulfillment of His promises to him. He may had been forgotten, but certainly not abandoned. For two years, Joseph waited in prison for God's liberty. And then it came. (Genesis 41)
God caused Pharoah to have a dream. A nutsy dream about 7 fat and sleek cows being eaten up by 7 scrawny cows and the scrawny cows looked scrawny even after they ingested the fat cows! If that didn't trouble Pharoah enough, he had another dream where 7 ears of corn all thick and juicy get swept away by the wind only to reveal 7 gross and withered ears of corn. This was enough to wake poor Pharoah up with a start and begin asking questions. Who could interpret this dream? What did it mean? Pharoah consulted his heavy-duty sorcerers and they were stumped. They obviously didn't realize that when GOD gives the dreams, only GOD can interpret them! So Pharoah had to go looking for someone to interpret this crazy dream. THIS is where things get interesting....ya know that cupbearer really came through afterall.
As Pharoah was eating his curds and whey, along came the cupbearer noticing Pharoah was deep in thought. He asked what troubled his master and after hearing his dilemma remembered the Hebrew....JOSEPH!! Pharoah demanded Joseph be brought to him to interpret this dream. Imagine the look on Joseph's face and the joy in his heart as he got a shave, some new clothes and a warm bath!! Boy, was he in for a treat!
So Pharoah said to Joseph (Genesis 41:15+), "So you interpret dreams, eh? I got a doozy for ya!" (Bethany paraphrased). And this is where you KNOW Joseph's been intimate with God....he says, "It ain't me, Mr. Pharoah, sir. It's God. He gives the dreams and He interprets them. He'll tell you what you need to know...shoot." So Pharoah gives the load and immediately Joseph hears the God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He shares the interpretation. Seven years of plenty....then seven years of famine. The famine will be so severe that everyone will forget about the 7 years of plenty and complaining will come. Then Joseph takes it a step further and shares the wisdom of God with Pharoah. He says to appoint a chief administrator to discern the needs of the community and appoint workers to set up storehouses for each town to put away 1/5 of all the produce for the next 7 years so that when the famine comes, Egypt will not stave to death. Whoa, was Pharoah impressed or what!? Pharoah's response is BIGGER than any other deal Joseph could have mustered up in himself! God is sooo good! Pharoah asks JOSEPH to be the go-to guy! He recognizes God's handiwork in the situation and immediately places Joseph in a high place of authority. Cool. More on that front later....I have to cook dinner for the kids now.
But, God is soooo faithful with the deepest desires of our hearts. He lets us get to the very end of ourselves, to the very depths of our suffering in order that He may pick us up and take us to glory the way HE wants to. His plans are so much better and bigger than our own. I have to remember this. Again, Joseph had a "right" to get bitter about the whole cupbearer bit, but he chose to trust God's plans for him....like Jeremiah 29:11. Joseph relied so heavily on the Lord to guide his every step. No doubt he was shaking in his longjohns when he spoke to Pharoah, but he told Pharoah the truth of God's message and without fear gave wisdom to a man who was lord over him. Sometimes God gives us a message to give to those around us who may be in a place of higher authority or status. It is then that we need to rely on the Holy Spirit for the sensitivity in relaying the message with humbleness and grace and WITHOUT dumbing down the message. When God's got our back, He is faithful to bring about all the good things He has for us. Cool. Stay tuned for more Joseph-ian adventures!

Success in imprisonment.....(Joseph cont.)

It's been a while. Sorry.
Uncle Bob, Aunt Sylvia, Tim and I went to the Tulip Festival in Washington yesterday to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery......Tim took this picture and though I could have posted one full of great tulip beauty, I thought this was more appropriate for our discussion on Joseph. Afterall, you cannot understand or appreciate beauty until you've seen destruction or the "not-so-pretty" parts of life and yet, this photo has a beauty about it....oh, the irony. Perhaps our lives are a lot like this. Food for thought.....umm, yeah...so...
Joseph was definitely crushed like this flower. He had just entered into prison for a crime he didn't commit and his boss, Potiphar, had lost the best buisness manager money could buy.
Genesis 39:23-40:23 tells the story. Just like 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, God provided some sunlight amidst the painful ordeal...
Everyday in prison must have been a test of Joseph's faith..."will God really sustain me through this?" or "what did I do to deserve this crap!?" must have been his thoughts. However, even in prison, God showed Joseph that He was with him and Joseph recognized His kindness to him. (Gen. 39:21) It was this alone that kept Joseph together and instead of sitting in a place of despair, he took joy in his circumstances! Talk about nutsy-boy! He took so much joy in his circumstances that the prison warden noticed his pleasant attitude and respectful behavior! Through God's faithful provision, the warden promoted Joseph time and time again until Joseph became his right arm man....the head overseer of all the inmates! No doubt this distraction kept Joseph busy so that his thoughts could not veer towards self-pity. He didn't try prozac or commit suicide, seek pleasure or self-fulfillment in order to get through the pickle he was in...instead, he put on the armor of God and some "goody-two shoes" to bless those around him! (Not MY first response to pain, I must say!)
He took notice of the inmates and tried to ease their pain. In Genesis 40, we see Joseph seek out two very downcast inmates...the chief baker and cupbearer. They were the guys who were very close to Pharoah...one made his food and the other would eat/drink it to make sure it hadn't been tainted.
Joseph noticed their sad faces one day and asked why their frowns weren't turned around. (I think I would've said, "Well, DUH, we're in prison, moron! But perhaps Joseph had made it a happier place...) They explained that they had two dreams the night before. Instead of Joseph saying HE could interpret the dreams, he said that GOD would interpret the dream. This is important because there was no way that Joseph could've taken the glory for the interpretation....this is key when we are asked to do something or when we are complimented for the "good" job we did. HE gets all the glory. I have often hoped that my abilities would be ALL my own, but then I am reminded of how they ever got into me in the first place! My works are just filthy rags....it is HE who is Almighty and HE is the giver of good gifts. I am jsut the vessel. Good reminder for me. ;) Anyways, just a sidebar.
So Joseph hears the two dreams and is able to interpret them by the power of the Holy Spirit..... (You can read them in Genesis 40:9-13) so, Joseph shares that the cupbearer will be reinstated to his position in three days (the Pharoah's birthday) and the baker will be hanged on the same day. After the interpretation, Joseph's only request is that the cupbearer mention him to Pharoahwhen he is reinstated so that he can get out of the prison he had been unjustly placed in. Now, Joseph could have lied to the baker in order to gain favor and hopefully keep some happy faces around the prison, but Joseph's true loyalty was to his God and this was how God was going to accomplish His will in Joseph AND in Egypt......(we'll see that later).
Just as Joseph said, the cupbearer went back to his post and the baker was hanged. But the cupbearer did not mention Joseph's name to Pharoah.....the cupbearer forgot. Ooops. That's a costly oops. Poor Joseph.....
So what do we get out of all this? Well, first, God went with Joseph even into prison and His presence made a way of escape for Joseph so that he would not fall into despair. So whatever circumstance we are in, God is always with us if we allow Him to be our source of life...He is a wellspring of life. He will always give us another option in our circumstances than to commit a sin or self-destruct. He's THAT good! Second, when we see His presence, it should spur us on to righteousness in any situation we are in. Our joy from the Lord SHOULD puzzle those around us who are faced with the same or similar circumstances. This is our witness, our window into their spirits so we can give them Jesus. Our sights should be set on the Lord so that we do not miss the downcast faces of those around us who need the joy of the Lord. We have the answer to all their woes! JESUS! Cool. (something for me to work on this week! ;P)
And finally, when we are forgotten and those we have blessed leave us in prisons, what should our reaction be? Should we then give up and realize God has left us? You know the answer, but how will Joseph react? Stay tuned for more adventures in Joseph-land-ia! Thanks for reading and I enjoy your comments!

"When in Egypt......" (Joseph's journey cont.)

So Joseph is now in slavery...sold by his brothers to Ishmaelites for the price of 20 sheckels of silver (30 is considered the norm for slave trading). Joseph must be thinking: "What is going on, God?!?" The Bible doesn't tell us, so I can only imagine. He finally meets his new master in Egypt...Potiphar, the captain of the Pharoah's guard. No small post, I'd say. This was the guy who was in charge of hanging criminals...a tough guy who knew the power he possessed. Stinky chickens for Joseph, the Hebrew slave. However, instead of a wallowing in sorrowJoseph, we a see a Joseph that quickly suceeds in his current position! What's this?.... Joseph, despite his grief, finds himself responsible for Potiphar's entire household! This implies that Potiphar's real estate, house, fields and business ventures were all in Joseph's control! Potiphar (according to Genesis 39) saw that God was with Joseph so he entrusted his livelihood to this foreigner. God showed Himself faithful and gave him favor because of his righteousness. God did not take him out of the unpleasantness of the situation: Egypt and slavery, BUT, He DID bless him in those circumstances. What mercy God has for His children!
We continue...as with every blessing, Satan tries to snatch it away with temptation and suffering. Potiphar's wife comes on the scene. Picture a beautiful women who has never been told "no". She has everything.....except the handsome Hebrew who has grown from looking like a slave to a healthy representative of Potiphar's household. Like a hungry wolf, she hunts him down, desiring to sleep with him. No doubt this is not the first time she has tried to seduce one of her hubby's men. Joseph refuses her advances with an awesome response! He says to the adulteress that he cannot sin against Potiphar in all his kindness to him and he certainly cannot knowingly sin in the face of God(Gen. 39:7+)!
I am sure this REALLY ticked off Potiphar's wife as it must have come as a complete shock and with such strong accompanying conviction! She doesn't stop here, though. She continues to pursue him to the point where he chooses to avoid her very presence. He could have just slept with her to get her to leave him alone, afterall, he wasn't married and it would be all her fault.... NO!! He knew that his loyalty fully belonged to God and losing His presence would be the worst kind of sacrifice.
When avoidance failed, Potiphar's wife cornered him....she wasn't going to let him go this time....Joseph booted out of the house so fast he left his coat behind. BIG PROBLEM! Of course Potiphar's wife used this encounter to punish Joseph for turning her down. She whipped out the coat in front of her hubby stating that Joseph had been trying to pursue HER and had left his coat behind when she screamed for help. Women can be soooo demanding and manipulative! Potiphar is caught between his angry wife and the word of a Hebrew slave. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know which side he took and once again, Joseph ends up in suffering...a prison....the prison where Pharoah's naughty men ended up. Sucky deal.....and all for acting righteously in the face of temptation! Interestingly enough, adultery was punishable by death in those days....but Potiphar must have believed Joseph's side of the story enough to not hang him! Sounds like the wife had tried this art form before.
So what's the lesson? Well, there's a lot left to discuss in the life of Joseph...later. The lesson here is a harsh one for me. What's my attitude when I encounter unjust suffering? Does it make me bitter or better? Do I seek revenge of those who hurt me, or do I serve them believing and trusting God that His plans are better than my own? Do I suceed in serving my enemies with a thankful and righteous heart.....gosh...I suck BIG TIME! BUT, I really desire to know His presence in EVERY circumstance...to see the beauty He brings WITHIN the storm. I WANT to love my enemies....Mmmm.
And what about his response to temptation....do I choose to confront it with the truth first? Do I then "flee from even the appearance of evil" and make sure I do not set myself up in a place where I can be tempted? Finally, when temptation is at its strongest, do I run full force into the waiting and safe arms of God? And even when I react in a righteous manner towards temptation and receive suffering for it, do I still choose to do the right thing before God? Mmmm. I have some repenting to do. Stay tuned for more lessons from Joseph...the guy who suffers a lot. Thanks for reading and the comments are great!
(Tim took this picture...I think it fits this area in Joseph's life. ;)

Which red door do you choose? They all end up in CAPTIVITY! (Joseph cont.)

So we left off with Joseph finding his ever-plotting brothers far north in the fields of Dothan. When he arrives after the 70 mile trip, he gives lunch to his brothers and his "reward" for coming all that way, is a beating, stripping, and a-throwing into an empty well/cistern. His brothers' rage, as a result of Jacob's favortism and Joseph's favorable dreams, was so intense they sought to kill him. However, Judah and Reuben struggled with this decision and agreed that it would be better if blood was not on their hands, so they left him to die in the well. Can you imagine Joseph's cries for help, for mercy? Can you hear his lonely distress? He probably felt so dismayed at his own stupidity for believing the dreams he had in the recent past were going to come true. Now they certainly wouldn't....you can't be a king lying naked and alone in a well....

We continue on...soon, a group of Ishmaelites came upon the brothers as they were eating the lunch Joseph had prepared. The brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 sheckels of silver, so that they could not be responsible for the disposal of his body. He was sold into slavery. Bound for Egypt, Joseph would have had to pass his hometown on the journey. Imagine Joseph being within a couple hundred feet of his father's home, begging to have freedom to race into Jacob's arms and tell him the whole frightening story. Afterall, Joseph was only 17 years old and clearly close to his father. This was the reward Joseph got for being obedient to his father...for going the extra mile to feed his hungry brothers....for serving the people around him....all he received was pain and a one-way ticket to slavery in Egypt.

Where was God? Was He seeing this or did he turn a blind eye? What did Joseph do to deserve this? Do you ever feel like all your righteous efforts leave you in a place of slavery where you feel alone, rejected, even hurt physically or emotionally because you have done the RIGHT thing? Sometimes life is sooo unfair. Would Joseph's dreams ever be fulfilled? Do you feel as though yours will not? Do you feel as though the fulfillment of your dreams is solely based on whether you do the right thing or not? If you tick God off enough, maybe He won't fulfill them....WRONG! If you desire a pure and holy heart and feel so lonely and forgotten, stay tuned for tomorrow's entry....we will look further into Joseph's journey where he is faced with situations that require tough choices.....which "red door" will he choose!? There is hope.....

(Tim took this picture...I like it. It is a good illustration of choices we have to make; he will post it on his blog later.)

No, I'm not pregnant, but.....

So I said I'd talk about Joseph today. You ask, "Why the pregnant photo, then?" Well, as I have looked at the life of Joseph, it can be said that he was "pregnant" a LONG time and the delivery didn't come until 13 years later. I have many friends and family member that are pregnant right now. Of all of them, only one is doing really well with the pregnancy. The others just can't wait for the "reward" after the nine months of pain, sickness, and discomfort. Just imagine what the baby feels like at this point in the picture..... LET ME OUT! I like it. I see it as myself, struggling and desiring to get out of this world and into the world where I can REALLY breathe. Heaven.
Back to Joseph. (paraphrased from Genesis 39-41) He was adored by his father, the son of his beautiful bride Rachel. He was different than his brothers so his father honored him with a coat of many colors....this coat was designed to signify the father's blessing on him and the due inheritance he would receive after his father died. He was the second youngest of 11 brothers. Imagine the thoughts of his jealous brothers.... then Joseph began to have dreams. Not just any dreams....dreams that prophesied and foreshadowed his family members bowing down to him because he would be raised above them. Joseph, perhaps modeling a spirit of pride, decided to tell his brothers the dreams he had been having. No, they were not too impressed. In fact, when the brothers went into their fields, they plotted to kill him. They could not stand him that much!
Jacob, Joseph's father, asked if he could travel up north to check on his brothers and bring them some lunch (a 50 mile trek). Joseph, being the favorite, did not hesitate. He went to the field looking for his brothers only to find out that they had moved on further north for better cattle grazing. Joseph could have gone back home and reported that they had moved on which would have been fully acceptable by his father, but he didn't. He went the extra 20 miles north to feed his brothers lunch wearing his honored coat. His brothers saw him a ways off and commented, "Look, here comes the 'dreamer'"....Obviously this isn't the end of the story, but I must make this entry a series of entries.....BUT, there is a lesson in this small intro to Joseph's life....Joseph CHOSE to move on north to find his brothers out of a desire to honor his father and serve his brothers. He went the extra mile even though he must have known they hated him. Despite his initial weaknesses of perhaps pride and insensitivity, he desired to do the right thing.
How many times do we meet life putting in only what is necessary, but not going the extra mile or following through. Joseph's dreams were the first sign of a "pregnancy" on the way...little did Joseph know that the pregnancy would be a journey of great pain.....stay tuned. :)

One more Dominican photo....i like this one.

We've been having some really nice sunsets in Vancouver lately....this isn't one of them, but Tim has some on his blog.
Are you ever afraid to have a deep desire or dream because you believe that God will not fulfill it? Maybe it's because you have some dark sinful past....a cloud of shame that continues to kick you when you are about to think of the possibilities Jesus may have for you....or maybe you have been promised so much only to have the promises broken...or maybe you just have very little faith in the abilities God has given you to achieve any dream you've had in the past. Although the answer is always, "But God" or "God's timing is perfect", or "He knows the plans He has for you...to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11), I find myself being consistently wary of dreaming. I am a visionary....I can see things as though they ought or could be...I LIKE to dream, to believe the best and anticipate the adventure to come. However, at some point, when the dreams repeatedly do not become reality, I begin to question whether the desire or dream is a result of a life linked with the heart of God, or if it is a selfish pursuit of what I believe to be "God's best" for me.
The hardest part is when the dream or desire often becomes or looks so tangible and within arms reach and yet is snatched away leaving me with questions, a week of disappointment and confusion. Then the question becomes, "Is it worth it even to desire or dream about 'this' or 'that'?" I ask God to remove the pain, remove the desire if it isn't from Him, and then if it is, remove it anyway. I don't want Him to take away the desire just so the pain will subside, but also because I find it distracting and a nuisance to consistently have a dream that is unfulfilled. The frustration of wondering if the desire is from God or from flesh is also painful.....Yet, I still continue to dream. After many broken hearts and deep longings, the dreams still come without me entertaining them...."But God". He is good ALL the time. His plans are for good and not to disappoint or cause pain. It is to bring His joy and clarity to our dreams. With a heavy heart, that's what I am believing for.

Remembering Easter

This picture is from a cathedral in the Dominican Republic....it's of Jesus being tempted by Satan when He was in the wilderness. It's a reminder to me to press on regardless of my sins.
Oddly enough, remembering Easter is harder to do than it used to be. Other than the kids being off school an extra two days and it being "Easter" according to the calendar, I find myself challenged in remembering the purpose of this day. I remember as a kid being in church Easter programs, choir concerts, having Easter dinner with family, going on outreaches to feed the hungry....all as a thankful tribute to Jesus, the reason Easter exists. His death and resurrection for my salvation, my freedom to be a friend of God, though still meaningful and humbling, fights to share a place in a heart crowded with a plethera of worldly "goods". Today the kids came and colored eggs, soon we will look for the eggs....what purpose does this have...? I tell the kids that the eggs signify that when we are born again, we break out of our shell and become a new creature just like the little chick that comes from the hardened egg. I tell them that when we hide the eggs, we are remembering that when we look for Jesus with our whole heart, He promises that we will find Him...and He has goodies for us in Him.....but even in my own heart, I struggle to honor Him as He is due. I know I can and will never be able to, but just one Easter, I would like to REALLY appreciate with ALL my heart His sacrifice for me. My worldly, human mind can never comprehend it fully, but it aches to....
Just today, a lady from my church (who I rarely see and have never really spoken to) came over very briefly to hand me a package and give me a hug. Inside was a bunch of chocolate Easter eggs and $100. She said that she felt as though the Lord had wanted to use her to tell me that He is thinking and delighting over me today. I was/am deeply touched....I cannot begin to express how humbled I was/am. This is a weekend when I should be giving EVERYTHING I am and have in greatful remembrance to Him and yet, He continues to give to ME! Wow....nothing I could ever do can compare. I owe Him my life and all He asks for is my heart. I want to give Him both.

VERY Good Friday....

Of course I did not take this picture, but it is one that made me smile. This nun must certainly know that Jesus died to save her from certain death....why else would she be dancing? Amazing that we call today "good" when at the time of Jesus' life on earth, "today" was a day of mourning.....little did they know at that time that He would rise again three days later to reveal His power and glory.....His forgiveness and grace. What an incredible gift.

Today was a very good day for Tim and I, too. We brought two of our kids to our church's Good Friday service and surprisingly, they were pretty well-behaved. When it came time for Communion (the breaking of bread and sharing of wine or "grape juice"in remembrance of Jesus' life and death), our little 4 year-old asked why he wasn't going to get some of the "food", too. I explained to him what Communion stood for and what kind of relationship with Jesus those who took Communion had. He said, "I want to have Jesus as my friend, too!!" What more could I ask for???? :) I told him that receiving Jesus meant that he believed Jesus died for him so that he could spend forever with Him in heaven and that when Jesus comes in, He changes us to be more and more like Himself....He fills us with peace and joy and walks with us through everything we go through! He comforts us when we are sad and teaches us how to love our sister :) and how to honor our mommy. Our four year-old smiled and said, "Will He be with me like my doggie that watches over me at night?" (He has a stuffed dog that he swears guards him at night so he's not scared!) I told him that Jesus was even better than that cuz Jesus never gets old! He never gets tired and He'll never wear out! He really liked that! We prayed together and his sister joined in after overhearing the conversation. We then took Communion together and even as we were leaving, our four year-old was repeating over and over again that Jesus was his new friend that would never ever leave him! What a VERY good Friday! God is good.

True joy AND happiness.....

After the amazing responses I received from yesterday's entry, I thought it best to answer some of my own questions and see what ya'll think. I think Heather hit the nail on the head with her comments yesterday...happiness IS a feeling AND a choice, but JOY is the fruit of a life soaked in the Holy Spirit. Joy is longer-lasting and does not waver based on our circumstances....unless we allow our circumstances to stunt our growth and debilitate us from what God has. What God has for us is always good and always peaceful though we may struggle in the midst of it...that's called "building character" :).

I chose this picture today as a result of pondering the last time I felt totally joyful and at peace....it was when Tim and I were in the Dominican Republic hanging with the kids and telling them about the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. It wasn't always with words (as our Spanish stunk!), but even silly acts like this one of painting over 100 kids in the street with face paint, created such a giant vat of love that I was humbled and fully enjoying myself, God, the kids, and the back ache I had from bending over for 5 hours! The street smelled like someone had put every open septic tank within view, the kids smelled almost as bad, most of them had strange health issues and crowded over us, pushing and shoving to be next in line....but the joy on their faces, their intense desire to teach me as much Spanish as they could using the little English they knew, and the care and concern they had for each other convicted me....they taught me more about Jesus than I could ever display to them. That's joy.

Even though I am not there, the experience has certainly impacted my view of grace, joy and peace. Snippets of the Dominican are found in everyday life with the kids here in our group home, with the people we come into contact with daily, with every menial task we do....it just takes "Holy Spirit sunglasses" to recognize Him and the incredible gifts he gives. Cool. We are so blessed! Thanks for the comments, guys!

Alien Tim #2....appearing on a Mackenzie, BC street

More photoshop fun! It's almost like a "where's waldo" book! Can you spot him?

Do you believe happiness is a right? Are we entitled to be happy at any cost? When does seeking happiness cross a line? Is there a difference between joy and happiness? Is happiness a choice? Can we manipulate our attitudes to believe we are happy even when our circumstances claim we are not?

I had a conversation with a person who believed that he had endured such unhappiness for so long that he was finally going to "find" happiness. In his search, he abandoned his faith, his integrity, his wife and his family with the notion that they would just "move on" and would have to learn to forgive him. He forgot that forgiveness is an act of grace....
He made a slew of new "friends" that encouraged his search for happiness and even suggested things that they thought would bring happiness to him.
As I sat across the table from him, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the "happiness" he was seeking for was getting further and further away. His actions would only lead to a guilty conscience, a lonely existence, a sense of failure, and worse, a clear separation from God and His blessing and protection. All this sacrifice because he couldn't put up with the rain before the rainbow. What a shame to throw away so much to supposedly receive something that really only comes through obedient sacrificial love for others. Personal happiness dies when we die, but integrity lives on through the legacies we leave for our family and friends.....what kind of legacy is he leaving for future generations? What is his reward in the end?

Stick 'em up, yo!

Something fun to bring to the blog....a little photoshop action goes a long way. If you scroll down to the picture of Tim with the bowl on his head, this picture will make more sense. I often see Tim this way, though. He is my hero...defends me to the death....and he's cute, too!

From Sunny Dominican to chilly mackenzie...

This is a lake up in northern British Columbia....we were walking on a six feet deep sheet of ice! Nothing is more humbling than knowing that the only thing saving you from drowning is a frozen sheet of water....mmmm. As you can see, there are tire tracks on the ice...people actually drove on the ice...
The sky is beautiful there...how can anyone believe THIS was created by chance....we certainly have a creative Creator. Such beauty created for our enjoyment and awe. What a gift. I am humbled.

Columbus' son lived here....

So remember Christopher Columbus? Well, his son lived and died here...his mansion in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The man at the bottom of the picture is selling Dominican CDs...a lucrative business given the amount of tourists that enter this colonial district. Neat picture. Just another piece of our Dominican journey.

Ooops, a little distracted!

So I have become somewhat infatuated with my husband's blog....he is far more committed than I! It's fantastic to see him take up a new hobby and fully enjoy it...ALL of it! He is someone who strives to learn all he can with what he can until it no longer interests him. He has become very good very quickly. What a blessing to see him excited about something so tangible and rewarding! Needless to say, I like him a lot and he blesses me. He's been posting lots of pictures, but not all the ones I want him to, so I have decided to post some that he won't!

This one is called "Dominican Toilet". We recently got back from the Dominican Republic where we were working with the poor. This toilet is a most-coveted object of affection where we were. I think the picture speak for itself. Makes me feel fully functional. :)