Root Bear

One extravagant chain saw dance move goes to camping last weekend in the mountains! If only we wore plaid and grew beards would the feeling of manliness be more complete. haha The fact is, we survived, despite the pseudo-carcass we encountered on the way to our campsite.

[The story: we were driving through the mountain, and went up up up trying to find a good spot. My sister lets us know that there are monster bears that hang out all around the same mountain we're tryin to camp out at. Thanks for lettin us know sis! We got to a point where we just thought we were at the wrong place, and boom! We see this huge dead thing in the middle of the road, and we freak out because it looked like a dead eaten up animal and its bones. Nope, just a dead branch with leaves all over. That's all. ha ha ha jokes on us!]

[deer caught in headlights. & that actually happened many times that night] [bringin the fiyah! ah, can't wait till we do this again]

The following day I got to see my good friends get married! Hannah and Jake. It was such a beautiful and magical night, complete with fireworks at a barn. Wish I could have gotten some photos of the Bride&Groom but none turned out. Anyhow, meet 2 of my friends:

[hi there Carra][oh hey jonsey]

AndToday.

I helped my dad make some fig jam. Oh boy! When I was rinsing off the jars and sat them on the kitchen counter, I noticed that our harvest is plenty! We've got big bowls full of tomatoes, pears, okra, and other veggies that I don't know the name for. Kind of exciting, don't you think?!

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On a more meaningful note:

Last night at Big House, while we were worshiping I was so touched by the willingness of the Lord to break us in order that He could heal us and make us more whole than we could have ever imagined Him to. He is the Restorer and He revives us, makes us newer than new. How good is He? Reminds me of Gomer.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
will bring her into the wilderness,
and speak comfort to her.
I will give her her vineyards from there,
and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
she shall sing there,
as in the days of her youth,
as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt."
Hosea 2:14-15

I will lean, and lean, and lean. And then I will fall, and fall, and fall again in Love.

repost: on shutting up

I don't know how I stumbled on this blog, but i read it and it's everything that I'm going through, and articulated really well, so here's a repost of it by http://timandbrookecollier.wordpress.com/

on shutting up
i’m getting a little tired of hearing myself talk lately. i’m not feeling wise or profound or salty. i’m feeling bland and dull… and actually relatively unsure about almost everything right now apart from the pressing feeling that my Father is working something deep in me that can’t yet be articulated.

i used to think of my blog, though i feel silly admitting it, as a fountain of emotional transparency paired with spiritual depth and insight. i wrote for myself, and i wrote what was true, but i think i thought i was doing you (readers) some sort of small service by my writing. whether or not that is accurate, i’ll let you determine.

but i’m running out of things to say. i’m silenced by the mystery that life is right now; the mystery that God Himself is in the midst of it. I’m a bit tired, truthfully, of working to chase down my Life Calling and to walk in step with the Spirit. i’m certain that it’s not supposed to be that tiring (“my yoke is easy and my burden is light. you’ll find rest for your souls,” He said), which means i’m doing something wrong. i know Him well enough to know that He will not lose me. but, still, something is off.

the remedy? to pray more, to concentrate on hearing His voice, to get into circles of fellowship that will challenge me, to worship with other people, to take a retreat? well, most of that feels like more striving. so, i’m opting to shut up instead. to shut up with the internal dialogue AND with the verbose musings.

my prayers these days are more about the posture of my heart than the words i speak (or don’t). but i’m praying. in fact, i know that He’s near right now and doing something vital. but i’m just at a loss for words.

posts for a little bit here will probably be “shallow” and focused more on ordinary day-to-day things.

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So, some day-to-day things: photos from July Fourth Weekend

[...every sinner has a future]
[a bit grainy, but other than that, I like it, this was
after a dance party we went to //fan plan//
oh and this is not me, it's my sister, get it straight][sabbath afteroon at ze church for lunch munch,
and despedida for the missions team][paparrazzi shot at guitar center][she's old and fat, her name is Charka. I met her
at the Fil-Am festival, she has short legs, and likes to sit][mi familia celebrates another young one into the fold
at a buffet. it's the only way to party really btw, the
prego cousin-in-law isn't in the pic, nor is the new popz]