POLLYWOG CREEK

Joy...

2009-11-04T21:37:00.005-05:00

Emily and I had a discussion recently about the dichotomy that is our life here on Pollywog Creek - simple, unassuming, ordinary small-town life versus celebrity interviews and gatherings with dignitaries.

One afternoon Emily met the vice president, changed her clothes in a grocery store bathroom and raced home to babysit for a friend.

And so it goes.

Today I wore my holey jeans and the worn out flip-flips I bought two years ago at Target. The same holey jeans and flip-flops I wear three or four days a week. We cleaned toilets and washed feet. Tomorrow we're off to a fancy-schmancy gala.

Is it okay to admit that I'm much more comfortable in my holey jeans in the obscurity that is our rural home?

Saturday I took photos of the sugarcane fields and the mill and refinery as we drove along the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee. It was not a picture-perfect day, but even under the clouds and through the car window, the dark soil, the bright green fields, and the mill smoke stacks were irresistible attractions.

Speaking of irresistible. How about that Lion King, Diego and baby skeleton? Are they not just too, too cute?

We were in the local drivers license office yesterday when a young man in his twenties came in and requested an ID card.

He was obviously surprised and annoyed when the worker behind the counter told him he needed documentation.

"I don't know who you are," she told him.

"I'm Pedro Rodriquez." Not his real name, but close.

"Okay." She stared at him, and he left.

I read a sign on the counter:

"Everyone who comes into this office brings joy. Some bring joy when they come in. Some bring joy when they leave."

Not hard to figure out which "joy bringer" was Pedro, but it sure made me think about which one was me.

Links for 2009-11-03 [del.icio.us]

2009-11-04T00:00:00-08:00

Why Are We So Busy? – Justin Taylor
"We want to complexify our lives. We don’t have to, we want to. We wanted to be harried and hassled and busy. Unconsciously, we want the very things we complain about. For if we had leisure, we would look at ourselves and listen to our hearts and see the great gaping hold in our hearts and be terrified, because that hole is so big that nothing but God can fill it."

Links for 2009-11-02 [del.icio.us]

2009-11-03T00:00:00-08:00

On Earth as it is in Heaven » Blog Archive » The Supremecy Of Christ
Tchividjian quotes Muggeridge.

Links for 2009-10-31 [del.icio.us]

2009-11-01T00:00:00-07:00

This is Dark Vader and Me - Tiny Paragraphs
Powerful lesson from "Dark Vader."

Links for 2009-10-30 [del.icio.us]

2009-10-31T00:00:00-07:00

Thoughts on Baseball & US » The Anchoress | A First Things Blog

Mélange...

2009-10-28T23:55:00.002-04:00

...a mixture often of incongruous elements

I think I should have a mélange post once a month, don't you? It's a nice way to tie up loose ends, so to speak. An excuse to post random, unrelated photos from recent weeks and ramble on about this and that.

Tomorrow is our 33rd wedding anniversary. (By the time I get this written and posted it will probably be tomorrow...which means our anniversary is actually today and not tomorrow.)

We chose October 29th for our small wedding ceremony to coincide with the Florida-Auburn football game scheduled for the following day and my daddy's October 31st birthday. Louis was a student at the University of Florida and we were too poor to go on a honeymoon, so we married on the 29th, took my parents and our brothers and their wives to the Florida-Auburn game on the 30th and celebrated my daddy's birthday on the 31st. Florida won the football game, we are still married (by the grace of God), and if daddy were alive, we'd be celebrating his 90th birthday on Saturday.

Emily and I spent the best part of today in the city for a little shopping, lunch, and hair cuts. Some time ago I heard a message on giving that encouraged the practice of rounding down spending and rounding up giving. I love it. Today was an opportunity for us to do both.

One of my favorite ways to round up giving is to tip generously. I'm not boasting, really. It is such a little thing, but a huge joy I don't want to miss. It is immensely delightful to trust the Lord and see who He puts in our path.

Earlier this week I read a fabulous housekeeping tip that is so easy and yet very beneficial. Each time you go into a room in your house, do just one thing to tidy up and improve the room's appearance before leaving.

There is not a single room in my small house that I do not enter several times a day. If I were to develop the habit suggested in that tip, my house would be much cleaner.

I had a terrible case of insomnia last night (Tuesday). Despite a desperate need for a good night's sleep, I simply could not turn off my mind and found myself wallowing in "poor me's."

After hours of tossing and turning and getting out of bed to check e-mails, I was miserable. I begged God to help me fall asleep and decided that if I couldn't turn my mind off, I would at least redirect my thoughts.

Two o'clock in the morning I determined to stop feeling sorry for myself and be grateful.

I mentally assembled a list of all the things for which I am thankful, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

Glorious...

2009-10-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

We did drive to the beach after church yesterday, but most of the afternoon was spent volunteering with church-sponsored games at a pumpkin festival a few blocks inland from the water. We had the most fun watching the little ones who, with much determination and perseverence, attempted the bean-bag toss and golf game that Emily and I were assigned to run.

It was a stunningly beautiful day. The temperature reached well into the 80's, but a cool front ushered in drier, less humid air that combined with the sea breeze to create the most delightful weather.

When the festival activities were over, we walked down to the beach but discovered it to be much too crowded for our liking. It was, afterall, a perfect beach day. With too many hours before sunset and no desire to join the crowds at water's edge, we headed off the island.

Disappointed? A little, but Lord willing, we will have many more opportunities to do that frolicking in the sand we had anticipated.

We do still live in a bit of paradise, don't you think?

Even though record-breaking high's are forecast for what seems like forever, the mornings are still cool enough for an early walk, and the sunlight breaking through the fog and branches of the the tall pine trees, illuminating the foxtails...

and the dew-speckled spider webs and flowering clumps of moss....

...is just as glorious as the beach, I think.

That wasn't how I saw it at first, as I walked out into the cool morning air. Confusion and discouragement had been disturbing my sleep and occassionally my thoughts in recent days, and the misty fog that descended on Pollywog Creek seemed to match my melancholic mood.

"I could really use some encouragement this morning, Lord. And wisdom. And hope."

It was then that I noticed. The streaks of light that fog could not hold back, that overcame the darkness and illuminated the path. Glorious. And I knew at that moment that He had heard.

Looks just like summer...

2009-10-24T13:45:00.003-04:00

...doesn't it?

Tomorrow after church we will be delighting in our typical summery fall weather by frolicking in the sand at the beach.

Sad, I know. But someone has to do it.

Distracted...

2009-10-21T11:37:00.003-04:00

A delightful taste of fall arrived on Pollywog Creek this weekend, bringing with it the simple pleasures of socks and sweatshirts and hot buttered cornbread with steaming bowls of spicy chili. Cool breezes pushed the heavy, stale summer out open doors and windows, and we slept warm and cozy under soft blankets as the chilly night air settled in. It was nearly perfect, and just as the last few morsels of chili were heartily consumed, our little taste of fall began to give way to summer's insistent return.

Despite the brevity of those delicious days, I am most grateful for every minute. Emily showed Gavin how to chase his shadow, and I spent hours under the trees by the pond chasing energetic warblers and an elusive tufted titmouse with my camera.

Warm tropical breezes are blowing in from the east this morning as I bask in the fallish remnants from my back porch. I'm attempting to study and write, but I'm struggling to remain focused when white puffy clouds are floating across cerulean skies, and butterflies are flittering about, and a small swarm of yellow jackets are drinking from the sapsucker drilled holes in the sweetgum tree, and cardinals and blue jays are fussing at each other in the pine trees and thickets by the creek.

The words in my books will surely remain, but those wonders? Those fleeting glimpses of God's glory?

Links for 2009-10-20 [del.icio.us]

2009-10-21T00:00:00-07:00

Take Your Vitamin Z: The Cognitive Dissonance of an Abortionier
A MUST read, but don't do so while eating.

Did you notice...

2009-10-17T20:06:00.004-04:00

UPDATE - I didn't realize I had published this until Robin and Allie commented. I honestly didn't mean to post just a title and photos, but I wasn't sure what I was going to write and meant to save this in drafts. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I guess I'll just leave him there! Happy weekend, y'all!!!

Links for 2009-10-14 [del.icio.us]

2009-10-15T00:00:00-07:00

Embrace the Concept of “Permanent Beta”

Summer and not-summer...

2009-10-14T16:48:00.004-04:00

Emily says we have two seasons here in southwest Florida: summer and not-summer. I am beyond ready for some not-summer, and I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, but the forecast high for Sunday is......79. 79. No 90's, not even any 80's, but 79. Lord willing.

Now, I do realize that if we are to delight in a sunny 79 then it most likely means that many of my dear sweet friends up yonder, who have been posting delightful photographs of stunning fall foliage and cozy sweatshirts and knitting wool sweaters as they snuggle together before a lovely fire while I sweat bullets and turn up the air-conditioning, will be turning on their heaters and possibly spending a cold and dreary day indoors while we throw open the doors and windows and light our cinnamon apple candles and pretend we actually have fall...but y'all can share with us this one day, can't you?

Links for 2009-10-13 [del.icio.us]

2009-10-14T00:00:00-07:00

Eternal Perspectives (Randy Alcorn's blog): A Perspective on Halloween
I really like Randy's perspective here. We've generally veered away from the dark side of halloween while raising our children, but I haven't always been as balanced as Randy in expressing my opinion.

Blue Monday...

2009-10-12T14:37:00.004-04:00

Though I've appreciated the freedom to blog without obligation, I've missed participating in a photo challenge since taking an extended break from the Saturday photo hunt. When I read Jean Stockdale's blog today (particularly this post), I thought of these photos I took during October last year and couldn't resist joining in today's Blue Monday fun hosted by Smiling Sally.

An early morning fog at a retreat center near Lake Wales (where I was speaking at a women's retreat over the weekend) cast a lovely blue ethereal haze over the lake. I can't believe it has been a whole year since that delightful weekend with some of the sweetest ladies I've ever met.

Stirring up...

2009-10-10T13:35:00.004-04:00

"The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things." Oswald Chambers
Photos of the muscovy ducks skimming across our pond are some of the few I took this week. We're having a heat wave here on Pollywog Creek, and with record high-lows combined with high humidity and heat indexes over a hundred, I'm not inclined to spend much time outdoors.

Despite a lack of photography and outdoor activities, I've certainly not been bored. It's been one of those weeks, with spurts of chaos along a steady stream of the less significant stuff of life. A feverish baby and a nighttime trip to the store for tylenol. Potty-training preschoolers, a little one with a stomach virus and the extra loads of laundry that accompany them both. A doctor visit to discuss surgery - for Louis, not me. Difficult professors, bird feeder stealing squirrels and a week of sleepless nights with a restless grandson. Friends and family with heartaches and pain, and praying for wisdom and encouragement. No. I've not been bored.

Wednesday morning I arrived at the home of my widow friend as planned, with just enough time to help her shower, change her bed linens and drive her into town for an appointment. I had not planned on bringing my 2 1/2 year old grandson Gavin with me, but there he was none-the-less. It was just one of those things that couldn't be helped, and with no time for me to make different arrangements, Gavin needed to be on his very best behavior, and I lovingly told him so.

With a handful of toy cars I found in the bottom of his diaper bag, Gavin played quietly by himself on the living room rug for almost an hour. I checked on him frequently. "What a good, good boy you are," I reminded him often, looking into his big blue eyes and planting a kiss on the top of his head. I expected him to be good, or at least that's what I told him, and thankfully he lived up to my expectations.

Gavin is like most of us, I think. We tend to live up (or down) to who we know or think we are, and also like Gavin, we sometimes need frequent reminders.

"I am who God says I am." Beth Moore
Emily calls it "the wave" - those seasons when we read or hear the same verse or thought in scripture, in sermons, and in our private study. I'm on a Hebrews 10:24 wave.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works...

On a preschool level, Gavin demonstrated a way that works. When I reminded him that he was good, he believed me and was "stirred up" to do the "good work" of a busy little boy to obey his mimi. When I remind you and you remind me, and we believe that we are who God says we are in Christ, then we are "stirred up" to the "love and good works" for which those who love the Lord have been gifted and equipped.

First Friday::October 2009::"We're not here for the_________"

2009-10-02T21:35:00.005-04:00

"We're not here for the food." I reminded my friend as we surveyed the menu board on the wall.

It wasn't that the cafe's offerings were bad, it's just that we would have chosen a different restaurant if we had been expecting finer cuisine. We weren't there for the food.

"It's true for most things, don't you think?" She responded. It should be.

We're not here - I'm not here - right here, in this place, at this time - for the what? The money? The praise of men? Material prosperity? Future retirement? Life of ease? Perfect health? Personal satisfaction? Me?

Have I not been chosen for more?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. I Peter 2:9 (emphasis mine)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31

"After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God." O. Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, October 2

Book Review :: A Slow Burn, by Mary DeMuth

2009-10-01T16:32:00.003-04:00

"In a town that thrived on spicy news, she'd kept the spice capped. And for what? So she could sprinkle it on her friend like a weapon?" p.230

A Slow Burn is the newly released book 2 in the Defiance Texas Trilogy by Mary DeMuth. The opportunity to read A Slow Burn for review was one that I cautiously accepted the last day it was offered. I'm a bit skeptical about Christian fiction. I know that there are wonderful exceptions(I've read them), but I've also read too many mass-produced, poorly-written, sappy and predictable Christian novels. I was thrilled to discover that A Slow Burn is none of the above.

It is not light reading for the faint of heart, however, but for those who are willing to live with the complicated characters of Defiance, Texas, as they question a God who would allow them to stumble and crawl through the most painful and messy darkness. It is for those who can see past the pain and sin and misery to the light and hope and redemption on the horizon. Edgy, but discreet, Mary's well-crafted stories are compelling, mysterious and unpredictable. A Slow Burn is the story of hopelessness overcome by long-suffering and sacrificial love.

Though many will not recognize themselves in the citizens of Defiance to who readers are introduced or in the experiences where we are taken, we can surely catch a glimpse of something in our own lives that resonates with the suffering, the fear, the regret, the shame, or the grief, and the desperate need of mercy and grace and forgiveness for us and for those whose lives we intersect. A Slow Burn forces us to face sin and sorrow in us and others, reveal truth in love, and move forward in Christ's redeeming love.

The murder of Emory's thirteen year old daughter Daisy remains unsolved, and difficult relationships are yet to be resolved, but A Slow Burn comes to a satisfying conclusion, and a respite in which to anticipate book 3 in the Defiance Texas Trilogy.

About Mary DeMuth

An accomplished writer, Mary’s parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Her real-to-life novels inspire people to turn trials into triumphs: Watching the Tree Limbs (2007 Christy Award finalist, ACFW Book of the Year 2nd Place) and Wishing on Dandelions (2007 Retailer’s Choice Award finalist).

Mary is a frequent speaker at women’s retreats and parenting seminars, addressing audiences in both Europe and the United States. National media regularly seek her candid ability to connect with listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, and U.S.A. Radio network. She has articles published in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, and HomeLife.

Mary and her husband Patrick live in Texas with their three children.

Learn more about Mary at http://marydemuth.com/.

"...this cornbread is the bread of God. More than daily bread, it's his grace. Not just sustenance, but perfect flavor, too. Isn't that just like God? He gives us what we need, then surprises us with flavor." p. 67

A list of bloggers participating in A Slow Burn Blog Tour:
Admissions of a Suburban Philosopher
All are welcome here
A Musing Mom Speaks
A Sandy Path Book Reviews
A Writer’s Journey
Adventures of the Duncan Six
AP Free Writing 101
Arkansas Dreams
Aspire2 Blog
Awesome God…Ordinary Girl
Be Your Best Mom
Beams of Light Ministries
Bell Whistle Moon
Blog Tour Spot
Bluebonnet in the Snow
Book Nook Club
Caregiving and Beyond
Carla’s Writing Cafe
Carly Bird’s Home
Carma’s Window
Cheaper by the Half Dozen
Cindy’s Stamping and Reviews
CommuniKate
Critty Joy
Declaring His Marvelous Work
Drive Home Productions
Edgewise
Elizabeth Bussey
Faith…Creativity…Life
Fiction for the Restless Reader
Fictionary
Five Bazillion and One
Fresh Brewed Writer
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
Heading Home
His Reading List
i don’t believe in grammar
J’s Spot
Joy in the Journey
Karen R. Evans
Kristin Early
L’Chaim
Latte with Me
Literary Fangirl Book Reviews
Merrie Destefano
Mocha with Linda
Moments with MarLo
Musings by Lynn
Musings of Edwina
My Alabaster Box
My Life Message
Net’s Book Notes
Niki Nowell
One Desert Rose
Paper Bridges
Passionate for the Glory of God
Pollywog Creek
Ranunculus Turtle
Real Hurts, Real Hope
Refresh My Soul
Restore
Scraps and Snippets
Sheila Deeth
Sherri Woodbridge
Snapshot’s Photoblog
Surviving the Chaos
The 160-acre Woods
The Gospel Writer
The Harrison Kaleidoscope
The Heart of Writing
The Stubborn Servant
The View from Here
This That and The Other
To Be Beautiful
Unreasonable Grace
Walking Daily
WhadUsay
Where Romance Meets Therapy
Word Vessel
Write 2 Ignite
Write on the Knows
Writer’s Wanderings
Writing to the heart of the matter

Photos: The North Texas sky ablaze in the setting sun, May 2009; Early morning light creeps across a frost-burnt Pollywog Creek field, February 2009

Goodbye September...

2009-09-30T23:57:00.002-04:00

I bid you farewell. You were warm and sunny and lovely...

...but I'll shed no tears at your departure.

Photos: (Click to enlarge) a late September dawn and dusk on Pollywog Creek.

It's not all green...

2009-09-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

With a small window of quiet time this morning in the relatively cool of the day, I wandered along the pond and creek ...

Before the Gavinator arrived ...

What a delightful day we had, too. While I worked on a few projects that needed to be completed today, Gavin played on the windowsill in my study with animal models that once belonged to his daddy. I have no idea how or why I saved them, but I'm sure glad that I did. In fact, I could kick myself for not keeping more of the boys' toys. What was I thinking?

Let this be a lesson to the moms with children still at home. You WILL be a grandmother some day, God willing. When your children outgrow their best toys, don't give them all away.

Thursdays...

2009-09-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Thursdays are one of my favorite days of the week.

It's the day I get to visit my dear friend Joyce and help her with a few things that she can't safely do alone. I get to hear her wonderful stories and we laugh and we pray and sometimes I take her out for appointments here and there. She tells me she prays for me every night, and I am humbled.

It's the day we get to share a meal with dear, dear friends and study and pray and leave for home filled-up and stirred-up.

Thursdays are favorites, but Fridays are, too, especially today. Can you guess who's coming to play?

May you see your children's children! Psalms 128:6a
Photos: After-the-rain collage: cardinal, bench swing cut-out, a small south Florida glimpse of fall; milkweed at dusk; Gavin (who else!)

Late summer...

2009-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

...and it's still mostly green and hot and humid on Pollywog Creek. But I'm not complaining. Honest.

However, I wasn't at all thrilled with the lightening that exploded as it struck a pine tree very close to the house yesterday...when the sun was shining and it wasn't stormy or even raining. I'm not complaining because we were all inside the house when we very easily could have been outside by that pine tree.

Totally changing the subject....

For several years I've kept a fortune cookie message clipped to a little stand by my computer.

I give absolutely no credence to the messages in fortune cookies, but this one resonated with me in ways I am sure were not intented.

Do not display your treasures or people will become envious.

Of course. If my treasures are my worldly possessions, then the display of those treasures would indeed be unwise.

But what if I don't store up treasures where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal?

John Piper says this:

"...treasuring Christ is the goal of the good news that we spread—that Christ died and rose again to remove our sin and God’s wrath so that justified people might enjoy Christ as their treasure forever—"

What if I display that my treasure is Christ?

Weekends...

2009-09-18T22:59:00.003-04:00

Since Emily returned from Rwanda, our feet have barely touched the ground, especially the weekends.

First it was Women of Faith (we love you Patsy and Marilyn) and Mandissa and Steven Curtis Chapman in Orlando, then Jessi and the boys moved back to Florida, then Kristin, Emily and I went to the Hillsong United Conference in Miami, then Casey, Jessi and the boys stayed with us before they could move over to the east coast, then Emily went to Night of Joy and her cousin Coral's "baby shower" and MJ's Saturday night church in Winter Haven with all of us, and Kristin and Gavin and I went to Disney on Ice.......

So when Emily said, "I can't wait 'til Saturday!" a few days ago, I almost started to cry. I've loved every moment of every weekend and every activity and especially being with those I love, but I was very much looking forward to a Saturday at home.

"What's happening Saturday?" I tried to remain calm.

"The game!"

What a relief! Thank you, CBS!!!

Conversational photography and glimpses of glory...

2009-09-15T20:49:00.003-04:00

My photographs are not for sale, as some of you have wondered.

I am at best an amateur - with an amateur's camera. A real photographer would likely snicker at my unprofessional, unconventional methods.

My photography begins with a conversation.

"Lord, open my eyes and the lens of my camera and please let me capture the wonder and beauty of Your creation - sunlight and rivers and flowers and bees and birds and vines and frogs and leaves and clouds and lizards and dew drops and dragonfly wings and wild berries and cicada and.....wonders that never cease."

And He does, and it is grace and worship and wonder and awe. Pure and simple. It's God's creation, not mine.

What more could I possibly receive than the joy of catching a glimpse of His glory and passing it on to you?

So my photographs are not for sale, but I'd be delighted to give one to you. Just ask.

Photos: A Sunday morning sunrise over the Caloosahatchee River; a tangle of vines, wildflowers and berries in the thickets by the creek; a little green heron hiding in the branches of a cypress tree by the pond; a pilated woodpecker (I saw four of them that day) in the shadow of a tree trunk; a bluejay perched on a pine tree branch and a mockingbird atop the eucalyptus tree; the sun rising over a dying orange grove.

First Friday::September 2009...

2009-09-08T20:17:00.001-04:00

I'm quite aware that today is Tuesday.

Friday was the beginning of four energetic days...of precious as gold time and lively conversation with loved ones...of little boys and all their toys, of diaper changing and baby rocking...

of Gator football and Yankee baseball...

...of perfectly grilled steaks, juicy hamburgers and marinated chicken. Baked sweet potatoes with generous spoonfuls of cinnamon and brown sugar. Jessi's chile con queso, Louis' fluffy pancakes, Emily's oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies, my (award-winning) orange-blueberry bread and store-bought ice-cream.

Our little house was bulging with life, laughter and occasional tears. It was loud and chaotic and exhausting - and I loved every minute.

Hours before the delightful distraction of rambunctious little boys and sweet baby love, I soaked my feet in the dewy wet morning - inspired to create a "First Friday" photo challenge that I hope to remember to keep. I'm better these days at making memories than keeping them.

I'd rather have noisy grandchildren under my feet and baby drool on my t-shirt, than a quiet house to collect my thoughts and craft meaningful prose....which explains why my "First Friday" post is going up on a Tuesday.

As for man, his days are like grass;he flourishes like a flower of the field;for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more.But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenantand remember to do his commandments.The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,and his kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:15-19

A morning shout for joy...

2009-09-03T21:07:00.001-04:00

A drive to the city was not in my plans for the day. In fact, if I had any plans at all, they involved sleeping in followed by a slow and leisurely morning - not a 4:30 am call to awaken and coffee in a travel mug.

No emergency. Just a matter of lost keys and a need to help make a very early appointment.

That's how I happened to be parked off the side of the road in the pre-dawn darkness - with my travel mug of coffee and a wee bit of nothingness time to fill.

A layer of clouds hung low above the blazing horizon - much darker and more ominous than the fast approaching daylight later revealed.

It was stunning.

To think that I might have missed it - sleeping in and basking in the leisure of my living room.

I wonder.

What joy am I missing every single day in my desire to be cozy and comfortable?

An early morning wake-up call and coffee in a travel mug should happen more often, don't you think?

"...those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." Psalm 65:8

Green is the color of August...

2009-08-27T07:03:00.000-04:00

The life that surrounds me on Pollywog Creek - the birds and insects and pond and trees and the way the sunlight glows brilliantly through the light summer fog - are predictable and seemingly unchanging from year to year. Except for the summers with August hurricanes, August looks much the same year after year. Wet and green. I expect little else...

...but the events of the day are much less predictable.

What I thought would be a quiet day at home - a few minor chores and generous time for reading and writing - evolved into a series of "crisis" interventions, engaging conversations and most of the day away from home.

The question was asked, "Did your day unfold as you expected?" and my answer was "yes and no," because I've come to "expect the unexpected."

...all the while resting in the assurance that there is One Who never changes and in Whom I can trust to order my days and my steps.

"For I the Lord do not change..." Malachi 3:6a

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17

"Daddy's Coming Home"...

2009-08-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

As I was growing up, there were two groups of people that inspired me the most because of the self-discipline that was required of them to excell: athletes and musicians.

Since God did not choose to create or gift me with a single athletic ability worthy of developing, I concluded it would be best that I appreciate the athletic accomplishments of others and focus on the seemingly more realistic goal of becoming a concert pianist.

Unfortunately, my parents couldn't afford music lessons or a piano until I was a teenager, and by then my attention had turned toward other much less admirable adolescent pursuits. Not that I was even gifted with exceptional musical abilities to hone, I simply was no longer enamoured by the disciplined life of an accomplished concert pianist.

Before my teenage decline into laziness and misplaced affections, nothing would thrill me more than a visit to my Aunt Dot's, mother's sweet sister and the proprietor of a piano. Aunt Dot patiently tolerated my endless rounds of "heart and soul" and painful attempts to pick out tunes one wrong note at a time.

I thought of my Aunt Dot several times this week when my grandsons were creating "music" on our piano. Two and half year old Gavin has been making up songs on the piano for months. This week he was joined by his three year old cousin Mason for a spontaneous performance of their short improvisation: "Daddy's Coming Home" and I just happened to have the video on...

Rwanda: Now That I Have Seen

2009-08-18T19:50:00.002-04:00

Guest Blogger: Emily Hunter

The People- With hearts as big as the hills, Rwandans welcomed us into their country making us feel right at home. 20 or so greeted us at the airport, immediately grabbing our luggage and loading it in the cars...did I mention it was 2 a.m.??

Throughout the week, they always got us where we needed, or wanted, to be; driving us into the city for shopping and coffee or making sure a taxi was there to pick us up for dinner or a safari.

Every moment with them was a learning experience. They were always patient with our pathetic attempts to speak Kinyarwanda - amakuru? - and had an enthusiastic drive to learn English.

Their passion for God is inspiring. You can see His joy written all over their faces, with smiles that light up a room. They give God all the glory for bringing Rwanda through what was one of the most brutal genocides in history. They see Him in it all.

I also have not laughed so much in a week as I did while I was there. People like Judith (our wonderful Ugandan friend for life) and Gilbert ("You look very nice with your eyes closed") were an endless supply of laughter and joy through out our time there, I cannot wait to see them, along with countless others, again one day.

I am thankful beyond expression for having been a part of these peoples lives for a week, they blessed me more than I could have ever thought possible.

The Country- One of my favorite parts of Rwanda was the views! Everywhere you looked was another creative masterpiece from the ultimate Creator. Walking out of our dormitory every morning was breathtaking. Every evening/night we would sit out on the steps talking, enjoying the cool air and watching the sun dip below the hills and the moon take it's place.

Pictures never do the best places justice, which means you all will just have to go and witness it for yourselves : ).

It's hard to pinpoint your favorite moments when the trip was one giant favorite moment in your life. I will attempt to share a few with you though.

-One evening, after VBS had been over for a while, I walked down to the soccer field (which overlooked our building site) with Gasanna and Christine - my faithful teacher helpers all week- and talked to them for a little while. When they had to leave, some of the kids were sitting watching the building and told me to sit with them.. Some time passed by and Tony came up to sit with us, then Alex. We talked about life, America, favorite things, PlayStation, animals, anything and everything. They got a hold of my camera and took what became my favorite pictures of the whole trip...

-Pass the pigs and Disney sing-a-long night at the dorm! I can think of a few boys who may not put this in their favorite moments category from the trip, but Charlotte, Sandy, Alex and I sure had fun. For 2 hours we sang as many Disney songs as we could think of, word for word with every dramatic action that goes along with them.

-Riding in the back of the truck into the city and back was always the place to be for fun. The best was our last night as a full group in Kigali, we headed into town for ice cream at Bourbon. As we drove through the packed city, we sang the "Ice Cream & Cake" song as well as other, lesser known songs like "Aint No Mountain High Enough". As if seeing a bunch of white people in the back of a truck wasn't weird enough...

-Anytime spent with the team was a good time. I can't tell you how much I love these people! The night before group 1 left, I asked Sandy what she thought of the trip, she said that this was no doubt the best team she had ever been a part of. I'm so blessed to have been a part of it.

One request the Rwandans had for us multiple times through the course of our visit was: Bring your family and friends back to Rwanda with you, tell them about our country and about everything you saw here.

So this was a small taste...a very very small taste...of the beautiful Rwanda.

Now that I have seen, I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

Now that I have held you in my own arms, I will not let go til you are

I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been

I will keep my word...

Stirring up love and good works...

2009-08-17T23:56:00.000-04:00

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." ~ Hebrews 10:23-25

"Consider - think about, ponder, deliberate, meditate, mull over - other people, with this conscious goal: what can I do today so that they will be stirred up to love and to good deeds? Now there is a reason to live and a focus for every day that will never be boring. Every day is new and different. People change. Their circumstances change. You change. But the call remains the same: consider, consider, consider these people you will be around today. ~ John Piper

Carry on...

2009-08-10T16:10:00.006-04:00

My beautiful daughter Emily has returned from people and places and experiences that I will likely never know this side of glory. I did little more yesterday than soak up as many stories, photos and videos as she had the energy and patience to share with me.

She is still absorbing it all - from Chicago to Kigali to Amsterdam, and airports in London and Nairobi in route. One of her first reflections is that the greater mission field is Amsterdam, and some of her photos (links below) confirm the probable truth of that thought. Some people who know and love Jesus need food and water and clothing, but many people with food and water and clothing need Jesus, and that is most certainly the greater need.

Though Emily is still wandering around in the fog of serious jet lag, I'm not letting her get too settled in just yet. We leave early in the morning for Tampa and Women of Faith with Kristin and her sister Brooke, where we will connect with Lizbeth and my neices Sommer and April.

And the rhythms of life on Pollywog Creek will carry on without us.

Emily's photos from Chicago, Rwanda, and Amsterdam

Alex Faubel's Photos from Rwanda 2009

Saturday Photo Hunt - Low...

2009-08-08T08:27:00.002-04:00

Low tide along a beautiful Florida Gulfcoast beach, and puffy black clouds hang low in the sky as the sun sets low on the horizon...

A crop duster flies low over the corn and sugar cane fields of south central Florida between Lake Okeechobee and the east coast...
Three of those four photos were taken while riding in the car along the highway, which is why I never leave home without my camera. They may not be the clearest of photos, but they are moments I am happy to have captured, none the less.

Thanks so much to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "low" photos from other participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "artificial".

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt