More Fun at Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock

I just realized that all of our non-facebook friends and family readers had not had a taste of spring break in NC. We set aside 2 days to have a little vacation and rest from all the reading, writing, and studying of the semester and headed out to Chimney Rock, NC. We were rained out on Monday, but spent the day mall walking and driving a beautiful back route to Asheville. It was a good day together, even if we were not hiking.

Tuesday dawned bright and clear. We began our "hike" with an elevator ride to the top of chimney rock. Then we climbed up higher for a birds eye view of the area. After that it was down to lower falls for a view of Hickory Nut Falls. Next lunch out in the village. Then we climbed some lower educational trails meant for children (I don't think we were disqualified). Before we left we climbed to the top of chimney rock and down 2 more times. Yes, we only planned one more trip to the top, but at the top we met a hammered dulcimer player and he gave me a lesson :) We wanted to buy a cd, but the ATM did not work in the gift shop. He let us take it on faith that we would send the payment, but when we got to the car we realized that we had the check book there. So - up we went again.

Oh, it was beautiful there. We upgraded our day pass so that we could return anytime in the next year. We plan to get picture in the summer and in the fall ... OOOOOHHH! We also realized that we need to plan a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall - it is supposed to be gorgeous. It goes near to Mount Airy (aka Mayberry) and far into VA near the Luray Caverns.

I'm Not Jealous!

It was a good night at Bible Conference last night, but I was particularly struck by this thought in the last message of the night (Monday night) and thought that I would share it.

Think of Enoch walking with God ...
Imagine being Abraham - "the friend of God" ...
Moses stood on holy ground and saw God pass by the cleft of the rock ...
The good hand of his God was upon Ezra ...
The Lord was with Joseph ...
The disciples walked with, talked with, ate with Jesus ...

So why shouldn't I be jealous? Why? Because I sit in "heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) I am a child of the king! (Ephesians 1:5)

It is hard to be down when I think on that thought. Just try it.

Time to Garden!

Well, our snow quickly disappeared as the temperatures soared to the upper 70's. Now it is time to work on the garden! This is the first year that we have had any land to work with and we are starting with our front "rock garden." We are using a method called square foot gardening. The area is sectioned off into "square feet" of course. Each square contains a different crop and is planted with something new when the first crop finishes. The great thing about this style of planting is that you don't need a lot of space (many sprawling plants are trained to grow upwards), you use minimal seeds (because you don't thin the plants), the crops are naturally rotated because have more than one crop in each place each year.

So it is time to experiment. We just planted peas, onions, beets, carrots, 5 different leafy greens, and radishes. Next time around will be pole beans, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. The last season will be summer and winter squash, more carrots, beets, onions, parsnips, and lettuces. There is also a packet of pumpkin seeds here, but I have to find a different plot to plant these. I am also being urged to try watermelons!

There is nothing like watching the miracle of life in any form. Whether it be a new baby, or the plant that comes from such a tiny seed and produces food for us.

John 1:3 All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Snow Day!

Well, I am a week late with this report ... OOPS! Last week the college had a snow day. I did not realize that colleges could do that. Being a college student in Florida introduced me to "Hurricane Days," but this was new and exciting.

We had figured that this was not going to be the year to see snow in NC, but on Sun., March 2 the snow started coming. We started to see the snow and freezing rain around noon while Chris was grilling our Sunday dinner (BRRR!). By the time we came home from church that night, it was just beautiful. As we drifted off to sleep, we could hear folks in the trailers around us enjoying it. We woke up to no power on Monday morning and the power company predicted it would be 5 pm the next day before it was restored (they beat the expected fix by 24 hours). The trailer got cold VERY quickly, but the snow was so beautiful. Yes, Chris did get the day off and got quite a few compositions done, some reading, and some studying as well as a trip to town! What a nice surprise it had been over a year since either of us had seen snow!

Valentine's Day

I just love Valentine's Day! Chris says I am more excited about it then even Christmas! I am not sure about that, but I do love the idea of conveying love, the hearts, the flowers, the sentiments.

This year was again unique, but has been my favorite Valentine's Day yet. On Friday, I asked hubby to put down the books and we went hiking along the broad river. It was a beautiful day and it was good to be out. We finished the "date" with cold drinks at Sonic. We were even thrilled to see a car hop on skates again.

On Saturday Chris worked, but in the evening we got dressed up and went to Chick-fil-A. YUM! They had set up a valentine section on the side with tablecloths, candles, and flowers. A waiter took our order and brought our meals to us on plastic plates. I got a beautiful pink carnation. There was even a roving minstrel playing love songs on the violin (also a student from Ambassador, so it was tastefully done). The promotion even provided FREE dessert. Cheesecake for me and a chocolate shake for Chris. Next it was on to the school for a Valentine's Concert. The concert contained some beautiful classical guitar music, some piano, and some violin. There was a soloist, some of his selections were good (old show tunes), but a few did not seem in keeping with the standards of the school which was disappointing.

All in all it was just a Valentine's Day to remember. We continue to remark, that it is just so nice to be together and remember that there are those sacrificing family time to protect our country and our freedoms.

"We love Him, because He first loved us."

Keeping the Weeds Down

I don't really know how to react to NC weather yet. This is our 3rd day nearing 80 degrees. In Washington, the weather men would have called this a heat wave even if it occurred in the middle of August. We may be in for a great adjustment this summer.

We are settling into routine now. Chris just passed the first round of tests on his way towards midterms. He works very hard 3 days each week so that he has very little homework the other 4 days. We usually have Friday night and all day Sunday without any school work, Thursdays and Saturdays are farm days. I am now sharing responsibilities for keeping the Prophet's Chamber at our church ready and usable. I love that kind of work! I have already started 2 piano students and 1 flute student. I am considering taking violin lessons myself. I am hoping that I could be able to play and pass along that knowledge by the time we leave NC.

So what about the weeds? Well all this beautiful weather has drawn me outside. Our front walkway was a mess of weeds when we arrived. I worked for quite a few days to remove the weeds in November. Then this morning, what do I see, but more weeds. Then it hit me. The weeds that I took out in the fall were tough, thick, and deeply rooted. When I finished weeding, the walkway was torn up and looked so different. The weeding this spring is just little weak weeds or weeds that didn't quite get completely removed in the fall. They were easily removed without a lot of work. Then I began to think about my life. God has definitely been doing a lot of weeding, especially this last year. It is not always easy to go through the "weeding", but when some of the big sins and stumbling blocks are gone, I can more clearly see the little things that are keeping me from full service and can remove them. I know that if I forget or neglect my walkway, by fall the mess of weeds will be back. I need to be faithful to remove the little weeds. So with my life. Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Back to the "Ironing" Board?

Yes, we are into the second week of school and I realize that I have gone from one uniform to another and am still ironing. It's not too bad, because there is something about a man in uniform. I think that the military actually had mercy on me, because it allowed him to wear coveralls most of the time (no ironing required).

Chris is enjoying his studies and a new found love of reading (sometimes it is a love-hate relationship). The first week was hard getting back into a pattern of study and home-life, but this second week has had more focus and seems to be going better.

Have I mentioned the classes? I don't think so ... He is taking Baptist History and Distinctives (the big reading class), Personal Evangelism, English Grammar, Systematic Theology II (right now doing angelology), Logic, Christian Home, General Bible Introduction (much on the version/text debate), and Acts.

New Years Resolutions

Jeremiah 6:16 "...Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. ..."

What a year 2008 was! It had its ups and downs and highs and lows as each year does. I must say that it has ended with some tremendous highs. God is good all the time, but his goodness and graciousness has been so evident in the last three months. God has taken us from a wilderness and desert to a place of growth and feeding. We are so thankful for our new church and the messages that challenge us to grow each week. My outward show means nothing. What is my attitude toward Christ? Why should I be content with where I am? I am supposed to "follow his steps." (I Peter 2:21)

We recently began the book In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon. The phrase has become a Christian tag line, but we must consider "What Would Jesus Do?" In light of the new year and the resolutions that fly around, I realize that anything right that I resolve to do would be accomplished if I was just following Christ. Would weight be a problem if I took care of my body as Jesus would? Would I be fearful on visitation or skip it all together if I saw the lost as Jesus does? Would I waste time in excess sleep or vain activities if I knew how short our time here was as Jesus does? Would prayer and Bible reading ever be glossed over, if I valued a relationship with God as Christ does?

So I have only one resolution ... FOLLOW CHRIST more this year.

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful time of year (even without snow)! I love the trimmings of Christmas with trees and lights and candy and special meals and time off ... but this year the need to simplify stands out. Often those special trimmings distract us from the true meaning of the season. Do the cards have to go out? Do the candies need to be made? What if I wasn't in the Christmas program? Why do we try to cram so much more into this season, when there is so much to think about.

Jesus Christ is celebrated at Christmas. He came as a baby, leaving the glories of heaven and a perfect environment, to be surrounded by sin and to take all that sin upon him on the cross. We celebrate his birth, because it was through the birth that he took a human form to take the punishment of sin for us. I am so thankful for salvation. I am thankful that God calls us from all different points in life. I am thankful that God saves young, old, "good", "wicked", students, workers, moms, dads, children ...

Sandra was saved as a little girl. A faithful Sunday School teacher told her about heaven and hell and the price that Jesus paid so that we could have an eternity in a beautiful place instead of an eternity of torment in hell. She repented of her sin and trusted in Christ's work to secure her future in Heaven.

Chris heard the gospel all of his life from missionary parents. He could not grasp how it could be faith alone. It was as a 21 year old sailor in Power School that he realized that he could not help the lost condition of his "ship mates" without giving himself to Christ first. He repented of his sins and lack of faith, trusting in Christ alone to save him.

We rejoice in this season because God had a plan to redeem his creation. The child that we celebrate this season is the Savior of the world. Let's focus on that. Are you saved? Are you thankful for that salvation? Are you telling others what Christ did for you and what he can in turn do for them?