Before I share with you this last stop on our tour, I find myself looking back in review of our previous adventures. And I realize that every moment, every wonderful new discovery of the places and people we visited, has been provided to us by the grace of God.
Here’s a mathematical equation for you:
God * (Christ * (Bruce + Carla)) = Given to Hospitality!
If you can recall from your school days algebra, that means that Bruce plus Carla’s welcoming ways are multiplied by God’s love working in Christ in them.
Driving our rented car from Chicago’s Midway airport where Gene and I were joined by sister Cindy, we watched the scenery around us change from the concrete drab of the city to the waving greens and golds of the farmland. At the first stop in our visit to the homeland of my mother’s mother, we joined up with Christine, a second cousin.
I love our new home. Not only that it is off of “Conqueror Drive,” but that it shows how much my heavenly Father loves me.
Sherry and I got up this morning at 4 a.m. to see a NASA rocket head off for Mars.
When I wake up in the morning
I see the beauty of your face,
When I wake up in the morning
I hear the kindness of your voice,
When I wake up in the morning
I feel the warmth of your soft touch.
And I’m thankful each new morning
For the goodness of His grace,
And I’m thankful each new morning
That in His Word I can rejoice,
And I’m thankful each new morning
That both God and you love me so much.
As a young girl, my father would take the family to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. I loved the shows in the planetarium where we could see the “sun” go down and the “stars” come out in the domed ceiling above us. Since then—from Skagway, Alaska to Melbourne, Australia—I think I’ve viewed the entire expanse of the heavens visible to those of us on earth.
Superbowl Sunday is a big event in the United States. Although this is not what these scriptures are really talking about, here a few Bible verses that might be humorously used about football.
I went for a walk this morning up a beautifully paved street. I crossed avenues named “Dauntless” and “Exultant” and “Stalwart.” It reminded me of the “ways” that we can walk in when we listen to our heavenly Father—by reading His Word with meekness and using the spiritual connection He gave us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Originally, God set up special days to recognize His goodness to His people. Yet, God has always wanted every day to be a holy day, set apart for Him. That is where we get the modern word “holi-day,” meaning a holy day. The word “holy” in the Bible means to be set apart for another. We are set apart to love and worship our heavenly Father every day! Every day is a holiday.
Gene and I spent our first Christmas Eve together in Melbourne, Australia with several friends. On this warm summer evening at Manya’s apartment, we enjoyed fresh fruit, cold chicken, bread from a local bakery, jasmine tea, and champagne. As we were singing holiday songs, Gene and Terre disappeared for a bit. They returned as…Santa and the Christmas Fairy! Bearing gifts for all!