God's playground

Once again we made our annual summer trip to Manistee, MI. My mom and Bill have a little cottage on Bar Lake. It is right across the way from Lake Michigan. We love going there. It is so relaxing. One of the reasons it is relaxing is because it truly is a place to get away. With no reception for cellphones and computers, it allows us to just hang out and enjoy God's creation...HIS playground.

Here is Sofia with Gramma and Papa Bill going out for a morning canoe ride. Of course, she loved it.

Here's a picture of Selah prior to meltdown once she figured out she was not going.

We hope to post more pics in the next couple of days. The outdoors and nature truly are a wonderful gift from God. Hopefully you have been able to admire and enjoy His creation.

CA Vacation in Pictures

Our family took a vacation to California for the first time. Really! Sofia and mommy had been back a couple of times after moving to Illinois but it had been 2 1/2 years since their last trip. Daddy's last time in California was when he drove away in the moving truck in July 2005. And Selah, well, she was born in Illinois and had never been.

So you can imagine how many people we wanted to see, got to see, and didn't see. We also wanted to do many a thing but really couldn't. We were there for only 6 days. It was so wonderful to be with family. We spent a lot of time with Pop O., Gramma Leesa, Uncle Kirk and Aunt Tamra.

One of the main reasons we were in Cali was Kevin officiated a wedding for our dear friend, Melissa. It was a great wedding. Very Christ-centered, joyous, and FUN!!!

Anyway, here are some pics. We thought we would collage them in hopes to be able to post as many as possible. For better viewing, click on the collage.

The airport and airplane. Number 1 praise: No meltdowns and tantrums on the plane!

Family!!!!

The wedding. Congratulations Melissa and Scott!!!

Ahhhh....the beach. It was 100 degrees plus everyday of our trip. This meant the beach had perfect temps of 80 degrees. The girls LOVED the water.

Baylis Park Vow

San Bernardino Valley and beyond

Four years ago, while spending a half-day in prayer (a seminary assignment) at the location above, I made a vow to the Lord. The vow I made was that if the Lord saw fit to bring me back to California (to visit or otherwise) I would head to the location above and sing Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

The reason I made the vow was because it was the words of that song that reminded me of the Lord's goodness and his ability to take care of his children, faithfully. Up until that point in my journey with the Lord He had certainly proved Himself faithful in every season of my life. So, because of the promise that God doesn't change, I was able to trust that I would be able to sing that hymn confidently when/if I had the chance to return. It really was the grace of God that enabled me to trust Him at that point because Keri, Sofia and I were heading to the Midwest without things like jobs, housing, or a church home.

God has indeed been faithful these past four years! And, as only God can do, He did more than we had asked or imagined (Ephesians 3).

I was so glad that Keri and the kids were able to join me on the mountainside this past Tuesday (July 21st). As we sung the great hymn together, tears flowed, but our hearts were filled with great praise toward our great God! He is worthy of our praise. He alone is faithful, and I am so glad that we were able to have had the opportunity to prove Him so.

By His grace, may we continue to prove our God faithful.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Kevin

These girls.

This girl,

and this girl.

Boy do I love them. Their smiles, their laughs, their cries, their squeals. I love the way they play, they squabble, and how they love on each other. Oh do I love these girls.

Death IS NOT Dying!

Death has become a subject of talk with our four year old in the past couple of months. After visiting the Titanic Museum Sofia was very disturbed that so many people died. She cried and cried and cried for them. It has given us opportunity to share with her even more about the hope we have in Jesus because we will all eventually die.

Sofia's tears for the dead haunted me. They made me ask myself where are my tears for those who will die? It has been a reminder to Kevin and me of our purpose in sharing Truth, in sharing the gospel with those who are living around us TODAY!

The past couple of weeks it seems as if we have been diluged with the news of death and cancer. Hearing such news can be sobering. But there is hope. There is joy.

PLEASE take time to view this video. It is Rachel's story entitled "Death IS NOT Dying, Faith that Saves". Rachel was a 37 year old mother who in March was given from 6 weeks to 3 months to live. She passed away on July 2.

Grandpa Sheck and the lil one

Grandpa Sheck was in town last week. Here he is hanging out with Selah, his youngest grandchild. He knows how to keep her calm and still...she is sucking on a peppermint.:)