Gabriel -- Holding him reminds of what's important

I held Gabriel for about 45 minutes tonight. He was awake, alert, and happy. He looked all around and made little noises.

Perspective -- what is life really about? It is about relationships. It is about giving and receiving. The greatest treasures we will ever have are not in the things of earth, but are of the people of the earth. Who we know and who knows us -- therein lies treasure.

The artist of relationships is the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). In Him, we find the perfect relationship. He offers that relationship to us through the Son, Jesus Christ. I desire to pursue relationships. I want to know God. I want to know Brenda, my wife. I want to know my family. I want to know any who would consider a friendship a treasure. I want to know and I want to be known.

"I didn't even have to say excuse me."

Miriam and MacMac had a great time swimming together on Lake Gaston. After everyone else had left the waterside Miriam and I had time to swim with just the two of us. I told her that we were "partners," explaining that we were "working together" to swim and just enjoying being together. Her enjoyment of this alone time with MacMac, came out as she was telling her Grandma about her experience. She said , "I didn't even have to say excuse me." She had my undivided attention--she didn't have to break into a conversation with, "Excuse me MacMac." How precious! I will cherish the swim time that Miriam and I had--"partners"--just us.

For Tips

A crowd must form as tourists in Ensenada, Mexico are drawn the too heavy musical sounds produced by four home-made drums, a home-made xylophone, and a flute. In the midst is a young woman dancing to the rhythmic sounds produce by the musicians. The teens play and dance hoping for tips. They move from street corner to street corner with their high energy show. As the Ensenada police arrive, they vanish into the crowd only to reappear on another street corner to entertain -- all for tips.

Haley

Haley is almost 2 1/2 years old.

Michael, my grandson

Young Pianist

Miriam, Rebekah, & Michael having fun on the piano.

Life Lessons Weekly

I have begun an new weekly Bible study called, "Life Lessons Weekly." The lessons are based on the LifeBible lessons, entitled, "Yahweh: Divine Encounters in the Old Testament." Over the next year, we will see how God encountered various people in the Old Testament. We will see:
- Adam & Eve experience the consequences of sin, then find healing and forgiveness.
- Noah obeying when it doesn't make sense to obey.
- Abraham following God's call into the unknown.
- Jacob dealing with unmet expectations.
- Joseph respond to rejection.
- Gideon overcome impossible odds.
Time and time again, we will see God encounter people in numberous circumstances of life. These lessons will help us understand how god interacted with these people and how they determined God's will for their lives. In turn, they will lead us to understand how God encounters us today and we'll determine His will for our own lives.
Join me for, Life Lessons Weekly. Listen or download at http://www.lifelessonsweekly.libsyn.com/ or go to iTunes and subscribe to the podcast (search iTunes for "Life Lessons Weekly") or go to http://www.hgbc.org/ to listen on line.