Beach on a Budget

Who needs a swanky hotel when Quality Inn has everything we need?

Who needs an aquarium when Drew is around?

Who needs clothes when the boys wear shorts and no shirts the whole time?

Who needs beach chairs when you can dig a hole in the sand?

Who needs a doctor when you get stung by a jellyfish?

Who needs cornrows when one braid with beads only costs one dollar?

Who needs world class golf courses when the putt putt course has a waterfall?

Who needs to take showers when they're all over the place outside?

Who needs cool bike rentals when we can take our own ragged out bikes instead?

Who needs to buy a skim board when you can find one in the trash can?

Who needs gnarly surfers when I have my own beach bums to watch?

Who needs to watch tv for action when you already have the combination of a five year old, a bike, sand ramps, and another unsuspecting bike rider? Poor girl. She didn't know what hit her.

Who needs a professional photographer when all you need is white shirts, a tan, and Picasa?

...the good and the bad...

Good news: I made two dresses in two days.

Bad news: I have eight more to go.

Good news: Drew picked up his football pads tonight.

Bad news: Practices start August 1, three nights a week, twenty minutes away. And he has to have a physical first.

Good news: Physicals are Tuesday night.

Bad news: We will be out of town.

Good news: We are going to the beach for four days.

Bad news: The forecast is calling for thunderstorms.

Good news: We found a cheap hotel.

Bad news: The reviews say the hotel is "dated" and "smells of mildew."

Good news: It has free WiFi.

Bad news: We don't have a laptop.

Good news: We leave in two days.

Bad news: I promised a friend two dresses before I leave so she can have them for her beach trip.

Good news: Susan, I got your dress cut out.

Bad news: I can't do it until I get back.

Good news: I did all my laundry today to prepare to pack.

Bad news: None of it is folded.



For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." Romans 1:16-17 NLT

Yo homeys...

I had a friend tell me that my house is homey.

Coming from her,
with a Pottery Barn inspired, perpetually clean, newly built house,
I thought,
"Um mm, she really means homey in the sense that I have laundry piles, and unfinished trim, and crayon marks on the walls, and mud streaks in the bathroom sinks."

And then I looked up the definition.

1. homey
adj. Having a feeling of home; comfortable; cozy.

2. homey
n. slang A homeboy or homegirl.

And I felt a lot better.

Compliment accepted, homegirl.

homegirl
n. slang A female friend or acquaintance from one's neighborhood.

2 Corinthians 5:1-2
English Standard Version
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house that is not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling...

Weight Watcher vs. Foodie

I have two voices in my head.
Some people use the terms Bad Angel and Good Angel.
But I don't want to go there.

So I am going to call them:

Weight Watcher
(person who is dieting in order to lose weight)

and

Foodie
(a person keenly interested in food, especially in eating or cooking.)

Yippee! It's summer! And you know what that means...

Cake Batter Ice Cream!

Garden vegetables...

Whose garden, exactly?

Tossed with a wee bit of EVOO and kosher salt...

What in the world is EVOO? Bring on the butter!

And grill. This works great for squash, and asparagus, and corn...

And Pioneer Woman Burgers, and Marinated Steaks, and Chicken!

Did you know that you can make an entire meal out of vegetables?

I'd like to be there when you tell Nate that.

Because, remember, the Bible says, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things..."

But...but... Jesus said "Come and dine" and the one of the last things he did with his disciples was eat supper...

They broke bread together and ate mostly fish, they didn't feast.

And Weight Watcher always wins the arguments.
But Foodie always ignores her.

I've always felt sorry for Eve when the serpent tempts her to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and she gives in.
I feel her pain.

I love my boys, I really do.

But sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have...

Tea Parties

Bella Donnas

Tulle Skirts

Fun Shopping Trips

And Sewing Projects

Instead of burps, sweat, dirt, bugs, and critters...

I wouldn't trade Drew and Finn for anything.

Not even a new camera.
Or Photoshop.
Or a beach vacation.
Or a bathroom remodel.
Or cleaned out closets.
Or the removal of all snapping turtles from pond.

But if offered Meg Rosa all dolled up and smelling of lavender lotion...

Then all bets are off.

Honey Do List

To: Mom, Drew, and Finn
From: Dad

Summer Job #39: Clean Out Garage

"If you get the dog pen cleaned out you can use it for a fort!"

"Ask Mom to find you some spray paint, and go to town.
Keep the flaming skulls to a minimum!"

"If something flies out of the rafters, it's not a bird!"

"Do not, I repeat, Do NOT let Mom run screaming out of the garage, wielding the leaf blower as a weapon, and call it quits for the day!"

100

The pressure's on...

It's my One Hundredth Blog Post.

I had big plans.

One Hundred Things You're Dying to Know About Minister Grace
or
I {heart} Minister Grace t-shirts for all commenter's,
or
Minister Grace's Favorite Posts by Other Bloggers,
or
a Minister Grace Blog Button.

But then I examined my motives and my heart.

All of these ideas brought glory to me me me.

And that's not who deserves the glory.

All I've got to share with you that really matters is my testimony.

I've never done this all in one paragraph, so, here goes.

Deep breath.

Rewind to July 1997. CA Camp. Early Bird Hike.

That's me. Red sweatshirt and large glasses.
(I have no excuse for my outfit except that it was early and we'd stayed up late. Sneaking around camp, I believe.)
**Hey Kami! Sorry to ruin your day by including you in the picture!**

With the sun coming up behind the minister (John Rumble, I'm pretty sure) as he gave a talk on Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, it hit me pretty hard. I was a sinner. I wanted forgiveness. I wanted salvation. I wanted my strength renewed. I wanted to not be so weary. (Remember, it was like 6:30 AM California time.) I wanted the LORD in my life. I was tired of hearing about him. I wanted to know Him. I remember staring into the sunrise and begging (silently, of course) for Jesus to change my life.

And then I got up.

And walked down the mountain.

And never said a word to anyone, because I had a plan.

Baptism could wait, because I wanted to graduate high school first, and get married, and do this, and do that.

Almost one year later, I couldn't wait any longer, so I got baptized.

But this is where the problems began.

I still felt like a sinner. I was a sinner. I didn't feel forgiven. I still felt like me. Not renewed, not strong, still weary, definitely not mounted on wings like an eagle.

Okay, now fast forward eight years.

July 2005. Now I am living in VA, I've had both boys, my family and friends feel like lightyears away, I was sorting through some church issues, and I was in a pit. Not happy, feeling sorry for myself, smiling through some mild depression, and still feeling like a sinner. I didn't know what to do.

So I cried out.

To the Lord.

Silently, of course.

And slowly, but surely, he started lifting me out of the pit.

And He whispered,

I love you. I forgive you. I always have. I died for You!
Now get busy and get to know Me so that I don't have to keep telling you. You'll read all about it in your (practically untouched) KJV.


So I dug in. And read my bible. Really, soul-searching, Spirit-led reading. And praying. And studying. And jotting down prayers on scrap pieces of paper. And rejoicing when He heard my prayers. And getting excited about bible verses. And hugging everyone. And listening to people. And forgiving. And spending hours talking to Regina who was dealing with the same issues...

And so now...

It's 2009.

And I'm still learning, and I'm still soul-searching, and I'm still sinning...

BUT

I am forgiven! Colossians 1:12-14
I am renewed! 2 Corinthians 4:16
I am loved! Galatians 2:20
And I am saved! Romans 10:9-10
And I am confident (Phillipians 1:6) that He's not finished with me yet.

I've got a lot more to learn, and do, and say, and read...

But if He can leave ninety-nine sheep to find me, and reach way down deep into the dark hole I was in so that he can save my life, the bleating one-hundredth sheep, he can save yours.
And he died to do it.

Speaking of one-hundred....
Back to my blog.

Thanks for listening, and reading, and commenting...

I am nothing without Jesus Christ.

So, forgive me for times that I've let blog popularity go straight to my head and taken the glory for myself...

Because it really is the Holy Spirit's work in me that deserves it.

So, no t-shirts. No sirree.

But I really want your stories, your testimony, your nerdy pictures.

So comment away.

All in the name of Jesus...

This made my boys' night...

At VBS last week, the kids took pennies and small change to buy Gideon New Testaments to pass out. Whoever made the most money, (girls or boys) than either Pastor Terry or Jennifer got pie in the face. The kids were pretty excited. If you watch it, turn your volume button down...

The theme was Paul and the Underground Church in Rome.

This reminds me a little bit of the Colosseum.
The kids are a little, shall we say, bloodthirsty?