Weekend Stuff

I intend to post a few pics soon from our Memorial Day weekend in Chattanooga. We decided at the last minute to take a trip to Mom's house. We had not been there since New Year's and were in need of a lake fix. Luckily, Mom got a boat (a story for the next post) and we enjoyed a relaxing weekend on the water. The older I get, the harder these 'road trips' are to recover from. You remember being in college and a few people would decide Friday morning to leave Friday afternoon and wouldn't return until late Sunday. At which time you had only one person's laundry to do, no bills to attend to, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was your gourmet dinner. Now, though, I have four people's laundry, a mountain of bills, and we had better be home before dinner or all hell breaks loose in the back seat from lack of sustenance. I feel more tired from my "relaxing weekend" than if I had just stayed home. Can anyone relate? But, like I told Brad, a bad day at the lake is a great day anywhere else!! I wouldn't trade the time with my girls swimming for anything.

Becoming

I was sitting in church Sunday and Michael Givens got up to pray. Now, I'm sure he said "Heavenly Father as we come to you..." but what I heard was "Heavenly Father as we become to you...". And it got me thinking. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this slip of the ear. Since Sunday, I have been pondering...what if we came to God this way every time we talk to Him? What a relief that would be. Instead of prayers being driven by guilt and anxiety for all that is wrong, we could converse with God about all the ways we are "becoming" better. I have noted time and again this week ways that I am "becoming" to God. Every day, I am becoming a better mother, becoming a better boss, becoming a better wife, becoming a better friend. And some days I am not becoming any of these things. But what is so poignant about this idea is that every day is filled with actions that cause us to become more or less of whatever it is we want to be and grace to help us get there. It is so gratifying that we can enter this relationship with God where He allows us to "become" and not to have to already "be" where we need to be. I love "becoming"! Every day I am becoming more of the kind of child I want to be for God. Thank you, God, that we can "become" to you!

California

Some time back, Brad and I were invited to attend the Pepperdine Lectureship in Malibu, CA as panelists to talk about church planting. Who wouldn't accept?!! We had a great trip. Although we missed our kids, we got to see two of our good friends, Joe and Laura Cebulski. It was great getting to see them and catch up and see Joe take another step toward competing for the Olympics. Here are just a few of the pictures we took. During our stay, we found some time to visit Hollywood and the beach! We had some great food and although we didn't see any famous people, we went to a couple of restaurants where they go sometimes. That's just the same isn't it? We did just miss Annette Benning and Russell Crowe by a few hours at one place! Does that count for anything? Regardless, we had a great time. We also got to reconnect with a few of our church plant friends from Oregon. All in all, it was an amazing trip. I think I would live in Malibu!

These are in no particular order but first is a Rolls Royce that costs around $400k-$500k. This was just one of the many Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Maybach, and Mazzarati cars we saw. BMWs and Mercedes were about as prevelant as Hondas around there.



Next is the Hollywood sign. This is the best picture I could get.



We took one afternoon and met Joe and Laura in Claremont, CA where Joe was competing. I got some great action shots.



Here Laura is preparing to take a shot of Joe's jump over the bar. Check her blog to see the result!



These are a couple of shots of the Pepperdine campus. It is every bit as beautiful as you have heard. It sits in the midst of rolling cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The view was awesome but walking up the stairs around campus was a workout.





And Finally, Rodeo Dr. We found a $1000 t-shirt on sale for 70% off. What a deal!!



Let me also make a plug for the book The Shack. I took it on my trip with me and this book has changed my life and certainly the way I relate to God and the Trinity. I hope to post more about it later, but it is a must read!