Family Vacation

Here are a few pictures of our week long family vacation to Ocklawaha. Try pronouncing that one and then give yourself a little Florida geography lesson! We've been going to this part of the state off and on for many years and love it! It certainly doesn't feel like Florida with it's rolling hills and massive oak hammocks covering the the country roads. There are hundreds of spring-fed lakes and rivers that surround this area and people flock to the various parks to cool down in the summer heat. If you've never been to this area, it's worth it to check it out!

Loggerhead Triathlon

Yesterday my husband competed in his first ever Triathlon. He's been training consistently since March for the Loggerhead Triathlon in Jupiter, Florida which is held annually and very heavily attended with around 600 competitors. The event consisted of a 3/8 mile ocean swim, a 13 mile bike ride and a 5K run, in that order. I was so proud of him when he crossed the finish line! His time fell right in the window he set his goal for - 1:28! Here are a few photos of his experience...

SNAP!

Check out Snap! for my latest images! Here's a teaser for you which includes my son & his adorable girlfriend...

Belle Glade Mission Trip 09

Thought I'd share a few pictures of what our two oldest children were up to this past week...

Mollie & Andrew each paid $200, along with 300 other students from our church, to spend a week serving a poverty-stricken community just 35 minutes west of our home.

Belle Glade is a small town nestled between Florida's sugar cane fields and the infamous Lake Okeechobee. It has the 10th highest percentage of Haitian residents in the United States and over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line with a median household income of under $27,000. Belle Glades violent crime rate is nearly five times the national average and its unemployment rate is a whopping 9.7%.. With these statistics in mind, our church decided to partner with its local residents & churches to share the love and message of Jesus Christ by reaching out in practical ways to their community .

First Baptist Church of Belle Glade was our host. This is where the entire team lodged for the week. The students were split into two groups with the middle school students leading a Mega Sports Camp at the church and the high school students heading off-site and leading various projects throughout the community.

Below are a few pictures of our students in action. You can also click here to see a clip from our local news station's "Making a Difference" segment.

Another recommended read..."Bones of Contention: A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils" by Marvin L. Lubenow, is currently on my nightstand and has been for some time. It's heady so I can't speed read this one. It is worth the time, though, if you're at all curious about the "science" & philosophy lurking in the world of evolutionism. Be sure you pick up the revised edition.

Free Audio Book Download!

Click here for a free download of Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.

The book I'm currently reading is Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. I'm going very slow, digesting and journaling along the way. It's good stuff, but I would expect nothing less from a Covey! Anyway, I've come across a statement made by the author that will forever be stuck in my head. It's a good one for all of us to remember as we're dealing with people in everyday life at work, at home, in ministry or in public...

"We tend to judge others based on their behavior, and ourselves based on our intent." (p. 84)

...chew on that one for a while!