Fall Colors

Happy Saturday to you! I am back in Baltimore after a ridiculously busy weeklong visit in GA. I left on a gorgeous fall day and returned on a cold and rainy day that felt more like winter. My only consolation is that it's like that in most of the east and there's been no snow.

October is traditionally thought of as the perfect fall month so I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with you from my trip that show some of the colors of the season.

These were taken in a Cracker Barrel parking lot as I drove south last week. It was also the last day I've seen the sun shining. I am really not OK with that and am hoping the forecast holds and it reappears at the first of the week.





The next pictures show lots of orange and a little red in a familiar setting if you live in the south.





Yep, Hamp and I went with Michael and Bekah to the UGA/UT football game in Knoxville and watched the Dawgs play a horrible game of football. It was still fun to be surrounded by over a hundred thousand fans cheering crazily for their team - it just didn't happen to be the one we wanted to win. The main reason we went was so Michael could introduce Bekah to Georgia football. I'm not sure she will ever be as enthusiastic as Michael is, but she was a great sport and enjoyed the atmosphere.



If you look carefully, you might see the engagement ring on her left hand that Michael gave her on Thursday night before they left on Friday for GA. He wanted to bring her as his fiancee' so she wouldn't have to worry about feeling like she was there on approval and it made the trip a lot of fun. We're so excited for them and we love Bekah for Michael. I'll be keeping you posted as wedding plans take shape, but we do know it will be sometime in the spring.



On Sunday night, we went to Passion City Church and it was a great service. Monday saw us visiting Hamp's parents in Newnan before he flew back to Baltimore for work. We introduced Bekah to Sprayberry's Barbecue and all enjoyed the yummy food.



I scheduled a couple of doctor visits, had dinner with friends, and spent lots of time in the car running errands since I knew where everything was. I realized how much more the south is spread out and we were all tired of being in the car by the time the visit was over. Michael and Bekah flew out on Thursday and I began the drive back to Baltimore, taking two days instead of one.

Now you're caught up and I'm working on getting that way here at home. I brought back our family pictures as I'm trying to continue sorting and getting rid of stuff. I'll leave you with my high school senior picture I found and scanned so I could use it on Facebook where I've reconnected with a lot of my classmates because of our reunion this summer. Our class song was "We May Never Pass This Way Again" and as I look at this picture, I think that was very prophetic!

Redemption

I know I said I had a lot to share with you and pictures too, but you're still going to have to wait a little longer. But you actually will now get a bonus for checking back so soon.

I have some exciting news to share with you, but Tiffany beat me to the punch by writing about it on her blog earlier today. But possibly even more exciting than the actual family news is the miracle of God's faithfulness and redemption that is still available to us if we just ask and is evidenced by what Tiffany shared today. Rather than try to recreate it, I'm putting the link to her blog here so you can read it directly from her.

There's really nothing else to say except, "Thank you, God, for the miracle of redemption and for becoming sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus."

Visiting in GA

Good Sunday morning to you! This is just a teaser to let you know that I'm in GA for several days and as with all visits back here, it's been very busy. I don't have time to post any pictures or really catch you up right now on what's been going one. I'll just leave it at that you'll want to check back soon because there's LOTS to share! (Isn't that what good authors are supposed to do? Hook 'em in so they'll come back??)

I'm so excited - we get to go to Passion City Church tonight and Louie's talking about grace. There's a reason the word "amazing" is usually in front of it! Have a great day!

Crazy Weekend!

For those of you who have visited and walked the streets of Fells Point with us, I wanted to show you what this past weekend looked like. The annual Fells Point Festival is held the first weekend of October every year and it reminded me of traditional fall festivals I've experienced, the 1991 Braves parade, and a concert all combined into one event. Thankfully, our apartment complex is at the far end of the street so we missed most of the chaos.

A lot of the people attending just came in their boats and parked them along the various docks throughout the area. This is by "our" bench.



When you left our building and turned right, the street was blocked off and this is what you saw.



This is the little park at the corner of our street and where a stage was set up for bands to play throughout the weekend. The side street was lined with porta-potties to add to the decor of the neighborhood. :)



Here is the side street that goes in front of the french bakery many of you have enjoyed visiting.



This is the same intersection looking back toward our apartment building.



The line to the water taxi stayed this long all day.



Not that I ever forget, but this was a somewhat humorous reminder that we don't live in the south anymore.



When I think of fall festivals, I picture wandering among the trees of someone's property checking out the handmade items, sitting on bales of hay to eat barbecue, and choosing a pumpkin to take home and carve. These were the only hay bales to be seen the entire day.



And this was the only pumpkin.



Instead of corn husk creations, there were heated and flattened liquor bottles that could be used for decorating.



And crab cakes instead of hamburgers.



Lest you think the entire experience was completely depressing, I leave you with the reminder that while life might not look like you thought it would sometimes, God never fails to come through with a smile just when you need it most.

Quiet Week

As the title indicates, it has been a quiet week for us. Monday began long before the sun came up as we had to get Michael and Bekah to the airport for a 6:30 flight back to Boston. We had a good visit with them but I have no pictures to show from it. Even though they were here primarily for Michael to lead worship on Sunday morning, we watched the Georgia Bulldogs on television Saturday as they pulled out a last minute victory and then went to the Baltimore Ravens game Sunday after church where they beat the Cleveland Browns soundly.



September was a busy month, so when I wasn't working this week, Kit and I both took advantage of the newly arranged furniture to relax some and enjoy the beautiful fall weather with the windows open.



This is the view I have when lying on the love seat facing the window. Thanks Debbie and Janet for the great idea!



I had an interesting thing happen on Monday afternoon when I went to the bank for work. It's always an experience to go because it's located in the heart of downtown Baltimore. First I have to find a parking space and once I do, I have to walk to the bank. The distance varies from week to week depending on where I end up finding a place to park. As you can imagine, it has been a stressful ordeal for this suburbanite and often a pointed reminder of how different life is for me now.

On this particular day, I had left the bank and was waiting on the corner for the light to change so I could cross the street. As I stood there, what drew my attention was the clear blue sky overhead, the warm sun on my face, and the realization that it was a perfect fall afternoon. The cars were still rushing by, people of all walks of life were still surrounding me, and dirty streets were still under my feet. But it was the beauty of God's creation that caught my attention first. That's when I knew He's been at work in my heart and slowly giving me His eyes to see the city of Baltimore. The words of Charlie Hall's song, "Scenes" ran through my mind and never seemed more fitting:

Chill and cold and flakes of snow
Ice and sleet, and frost and cold
Each storm cloud and thunderbolt
Lifts my mind to You

Every work and every power
Every second of every hour
Fall of dew in sweet rain showers
Lifts my mind to You

The summer wind, fire and heat
Autumn leaves and blooms of spring
Ocean waves and mountain streams
Lifts my mind to you

I see you in every scene
I bet you are thinking about me
I have such a short memory
So you keep reminding me of you

As I lay me down to sleep
As I walk on city streets
As I laugh with friends and feast
It lifts my mind to you

As my children play and run
In the news with wars and guns
In the church where songs are sung
It lifts my mind to you

Deep inside the beggar's eyes
As for sweet love I fight
On the radio at night
It lifts my mind to you

I see you in every scene
I bet you are thinking about me
I have such a short memory
So you keep reminding me of you

Painting pictures of your love
You lift my mind up
Reminding me of you
My heart comes alive

I see you in every scene
I bet you are thinking about me
I have such a short memory
So you keep reminding me of you

My Father's eyes - that's something I've been thinking about a lot this week. I want to see my surroundings and the people in them as He does, but I realized that I don't remember often enough that when His eyes fall on me, He likes what He sees there too. Most of the time, I let others or my own thoughts determine whether how I'm seen is acceptable or not. Can I really see the world as He does if I don't believe that I'm just as cherished? I'm thinking probably not.

A quiet week? Yes...but not without much to think about, especially as the weather turned windy and gray as the week progressed. If I'm not careful, I will wish away the coming months mourning the fact that I don't live in the south for now. Michael challenged me to embrace what's here and make the best of it and so on Wednesday I bought my first rain boots as an adult. I'll let you decide if putting them on to walk along wet city streets will help bring a smile to my face.


I see you in every scene
I bet you are thinking about me
I have such a short memory
So you keep reminding me of you

Sometimes It's Harder

If you follow my blog at all, you know that fairly often I reference either a song, a ministry, or a family circumstance that is related to Steven Curtis Chapman. I just read his wife's blog entry for today and I wanted to share it with you. (Click here to read it.)

I have friends who understand her pain and struggle to keep going and they've told me that some days are harder than others. Take a minute and pray for Mary Beth and anybody else you know who has lost a child. The only comfort I can offer is that God truly does understand and your grief is safe with Him.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." ~1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Thank You, Friends!

TGIF!! I only have a minute for now because I have some cleaning and cooking to do to prepare for Michael and Bekah's weekend visit. No, we really don't have a revolving front door, although it seems like it sometimes. :) Our regular worship leader is out of town this weekend and Ellis asked Michael to come lead us on Sunday morning at church. The flights were really cheap so we were able to fly Bekah to Baltimore with him so Hamp could meet her and we could spend some time with them. She's an awesome young lady and we're looking forward to a fun weekend.



I wanted to get some pictures up from Debbie's visit and also say a public thank you for the amazing friends God has blessed us with. I've realized since moving from GA that I took the proximity of our family and friends for granted. Those relationships are still very much part of our lives, but they look different now. Purposeful planning has taken the place of spontaneous gatherings. But I've realized that intentional living is much more than an evangelistic strategy; it's a way of life.

If you live near those closest to your heart, don't waste the blessing God has given you. If not, let that reality spur you to creative living. Yes, sometimes it's harder than others, but the truth is our Father understands completely the longing to be near His children which is why He set eternity in our hearts.

Thanks, Deb, for sharing part of your vacation time with us! And thanks to those who have not let distance keep us apart - we love you all!