Cool Beach

Sometimes it's nice to go to the beach on a cool day.

For one thing, it's pretty empty!

This pic makes me happy.

Self Confidence and Self Doubt

God has given me a complicated personality, an unusual mix of impulsive overconfidence and lurking sensitivity to other people's opinions.  This unlikely combination tends to lead me into a pattern of quick, bold decision-making, followed sometimes by slow, churning self-doubt.  I need God on both ends of that strange spectrum that is my personality.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." -- John 3:30

When I am impulsively bold and brilliant, I need God to remind me that He made me this way for His glory, and not my own.  I need Him to remind me that wisdom takes time and that He promises to give me wisdom if I will slow down enough to ask for it.

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?  Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of God." -- Galatians 1:10

And when self-doubt leads me to question my right to keep standing in the shoes of leader, teacher, mentor, mother, wife, friend, because of my many mistakes and failures, I need God's grace to remind me that it is precisely because of my weakness that He is made strong in the eyes of those to whom I minister.  I am not standing in those shoes because I am brilliant and worthy, but I stand in those shoes because He is brilliant and worthy.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." -- John 3:30

This is why I relate to Peter so much.  I just finished reading Mark, chapter 9 with my small group, and my heart was so happy when I got to verses 5 and 6 that tell how Peter spoke, not simply when he didn't know what to say, but because he didn't know what to say.  That's so me!  And yet, time and time again, Jesus calls Peter to His inner circle.  Peter is among the three that Jesus most often calls to Himself.  And Jesus chooses Peter as the rock on which to build His church.

So in the moments when I feel like I have failed, I am able to push through the insecurities to keep serving the Lord in every area of my life, knowing that, like Peter, God has chosen me.  That's the catch of all catches, God has chosen me, and you, His people, flawed and failing, to tell the world about His glory and His kingdom.  Lord, help me make much of You with every aspect of my personality.

Camping!

It started with a new tent in the living room.

Wow, that's big!

We packed our little car up to the roof...

And ended with another trip to our new favorite park, Brazos Bend.

This time, we brought some of our favorite people to join us!

And it was a perfect, sunny day so we had lots of alligator sightings.

Everything is an adventure when you are a kid.

Family!

Friends!

We climbed the watchtower again.

And spotted a gator from the top.

This one is #10.

 14 alligator sightings on the first walk!

A quick drive to the nature center at the park.

And we got to attend a class on owls.

They even got to see a demonstration of examining an owl pellet...Isaac now has big plans for future scientific discovery!

We set up camp and quickly found the food and drink.

The kids played until it got dark.

Once it got dark, we went to the observatory, which was really neat, but not nearly neat enough for the amount of time we stood in line. 

Day 2: a second walk, and MORE gator sightings.

 There's a big one, swimming lazily along.  So cool.

Dont feed the gators (see the one on the log in the background?).  Someone should have warned us not to feed the monkeys either, since we had 9 in our group.

That's the same one on the log in the background of the above pic.

Adel walking past the "Stay At A Distance" sign.  

Hot dog.

Love this, alligators and vultures.  

We continued the tally from day 1...

...and by the end of our 2 hour walk, we had counted 53 total.  

Although by that time, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who cared anymore!  I could do this all day (as long as there was eating involved too).

Here's the gang looking at a snake under the leaves.

Biker Kids

We spent a beautiful evening trying to help Abby learn to ride without training wheels.

Isaac enjoyed some bike time in the empty school parking lot too.

A moment of success...with more to come!