This past weekend we visited friends in North Carolina.
I met Henry, and later Julie, in San Diego. I rented a room (for a ridiculously low price) from Henry - one of the many ways God provided for me during some pivotal years of ministry - and we became good friends. Julie became a Christian as a soon-to-be single mom, and the church provided her with another ridiculously low-priced living arrangement nearby.
I had the privilege of being in their wedding, and I continue to have the privilege of their friendship - I have tremendous respect for them and their family. Their youngest is pictured above, but there are plenty more where she came from!
Here's their next youngest, AJ, who dubbed Cullen with his new knickname "The Little Chef" for reasons not fully known. It apparently has something to do with Ratatouille... It is true that Cullen is getting a little fuzzier up top, but if you know more please post a comment!
And here are the next two kids... We had fun playing games with them. (Which reminds me, gamers everywhere: "Gobblet" and "Lost Cities" are two fun two-player games I had never played before. Check 'em out.)
Well, that covers the younger four kids. Sorry I don't have pictures of the older four!
But speaking of travel, yesterday we got to go vote. It was a family outing, which included both Cullen and
Smarty. Scoche stayed back - she had been to the vet and was a little concerned about where the van would take her if she chose to get in. (Nowadays Smarty insists on traveling with us wherever we go. She stands right up against the door and puts her nose to it. If we're not careful, she'll open it and let herself out, and then wait at the car for us!)
The neighborhood where we voted turned out to be a great place to walk, so I returned with Cullen and (yes) Smarty and we ignored the sprinkles of rain and had a great time walking around. I got this picture of Cullen at the end of the stroll -- you can tell he enjoyed it!
My friend Tom and I are reading the book of Amos, which is part of the Hebrew Bible - i.e., Old Testament. Unlike Jeff, we are reading in translation instead of in the original Hebrew. Sigh. Today I read those famous words cited by Martin Luther King Jr., "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream" (5:24).
My friend Adam and I are reading "Humility" by C.J. Mahaney. A short book, odds are good that I'll finish it. But reading about humility and actually being humble are two very different things. Cheryl's reading this one, too!
Joel and I are reading "Communion with the Triune God" by John Owen, a 17th century English Puritan. It has been useful devotional reading, but Owen is not easy. I sometimes grow impatient with his outline, which is like a giant literary maze. Fortunately the book is well edited and provides clues concerning how to get through the maze. Will we? At a chapter a week, we have about two months to go.
"Shapes" is a pleasant book that I'm reading with Cullen. Kind of like the Owen book, above, but with bright pictures and far fewer words. I would say this one is a must-read. I'm hoping to finish soon!
