Jobs Peak

It was an awesome time. I keep getting fatter every year, but I make it to the top (not a strategy I recommend).

We had three newbies make it to the top with us. You missed out if you didn’t come.

Here is a pic of the victorious!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

I’m taking my son to college tomorrow.  It’s a very strange feeling.  I am happy for him, excited he is beginning his own journey, I can’t wait to see what opportunities are ahead for him, but it’s such a feeling of loss at the same time.

We go through  life collecting things and gathering people around us, don’t we?  Some people collect art, or pottery, or dolls, or books, or cars.  We try to make our homes places that comfort us by having things and people we love around us.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  The older we get, the more friends we have known and the more children and grandchildren we produce.  Our lives become full.  But I’m at that place all of a sudden where it feels like the tide is turning.  Feels rather like a reversal at the moment.

I have special friends who have experienced loss recently.  One had an only child move away, then had her dear husband pass away at the same time.  Another friend had her daughter get married and move out.  Another friend just lost her son.  I’ve had friends even mourn the loss of a job, a lifestyle, a home, a marriage, and a pet.

Loss is part of life, isn’t it?  Even if it’s healthy and brings our life change and forward momentum, it’s never very easy. And God’s Word does not go easy on us in this regard either.  Philippians 3:7 says,  “Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant…”  You think about what many people all around the globe give up in order to have the privilege of  following Christ and it puts your own life in perspective.

With God as our Savior, we always win.  If we can keep our eyes focused on Him and His goodness, His blessings, everything else can fall into place.  I think we try too hard to collect and gather sometimes.  Learning to let go and just BE is a tough thing for most of us.  But God also says to “be still and know that I am God”.  Does that require some amount of trust?  I think so.  Trust really transcends the way I feel.  Like most things, it’s a choice I must make, to trust God.

Strategic Shopping

I am a shopper.  Can’t help it, don’t want to hide it.  I just enjoy the whole process of finding the best quality item for the best possible price.  Like many of you, I have discovered proven strategies in shopping that work for me.

My husband, however, only has one strategy.  “Get in, buy the thing, get out.”  I have some friends who cannot and will not shop alone.  And  it’s not just that they can’t shop alone, they have to have their shopping buddy right next to them the entire time, and make running commentary to their buddy for the duration of their shopping experience.  I have another friend who goes into each and every store twice.  Twice!  Before she even buys one thing.  She does the initial scan, then goes back to decide what she will purchase to get the best deal.

I think it’s very helpful to know your own shopping style and set your personal strategy before you go shopping.  Fo me, I don’t want to waste time, so sometimes I’ll check out websites and make phone calls before I even go looking for a particular item.  Then, when I know which stores have the best selection, and where the best prices are, I strike.  I like to go alone, and get the job done.

Now, your strategy may be completely different, and uniquely your own, but I think we all have one thing in common.  We check the cost before we buy.  After all, none of us are Paris Hilton, we can’t afford to be wasteful.  And don’t you just hate it when an item you thought was a bargain, falls apart the first time you wash it?  Then you end up having to purchase another item to replace it?

In life, we sometimes are presented with choices that we know will cost us something.  To have the best life possible, that we always talk about, requires us to make choices.  We compare lives like we shop in the mall.  We compare the risks and the costs demanded upon us to get what we want.  Then we choose.  Will we pay the price for a good marriage?  Will we choose to pay less and get something of lesser quality in our relationships?  If we choose a lower cost, less commitment maybe, or a shorter time spent in communication with God, will we fall apart the moment the spin cycle comes in our lives?

I’ve decided to compare the cost of what I want in my life, and pay the price to have it.  It hurts sometimes, it’s painful, it’s not always fun, but I will pay the cost.  “You get what you pay for”, right?  That’s what my mother always told me.  So what am I paying for today?  I will pay the cost for a marriage that lasts.  I will dig deep for a relationship with my kids.  I will pour out my whole heart to learn to love my God. I will fork it over to spend time with a friend.

A quality life is expensive.  But a quality life lasts.

Job’s Peak Camping & Hiking

Here are the details for our upcoming Job’s Peak Camping & Hiking:

When: Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15

Where: Crystal Springs Campground (near Woodfords, CA)

1. From Highway 395 in Minden, Nevada, take Highway 88 approximately 15 miles.
2. About ½ mile past the Highway 4/89 turnoff in Woodfords, California, turn left at the Crystal Springs Campground sign on to Crystal Springs Road.
3. The campground entrance is approximately ½ mile on the south side of the road.

How Much: $20 ($10 for just dinner)

So we are heading out we will have a group that leaves from the church parking lot at 5:45 if you want a ride. If not, just meet us up there. Also, you can head up earlier and hang out or go fishing.

We will eat dinner at 7:00 PM. Dinner will be steak, baked potatoes and bread rolls. Followed by S’mores.

We will leave Saturday morning from the campground at 7:00 AM to go hike Job’s Peak. Breakfast will be Juice, Muffins, Fruit.

We will have water and granola bars for the hike.

We should be back to the campground around 1:00 PM.

What should you bring?

Good shoes, sleeping bag, pillow, tent, backpack, extra snacks, camping chair, camera, fishing gear, etc.

You can come just for dinner, you can come just for the hike, you can come just to camp. But I recommend staying for all three ‘CAUSE IT’S AWESOME!

Reply to this post, email, or text with questions or any other information.

Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5 is a good chapter. (It may seem strange to say it. Aren’t all chapters in the Bible “good”? But I digress…) And I love when Paul describes the life by the Spirit. He reminds us that its easy to distinguish a life by the Spirit and one by the broken humanity, drowning in sin. It’s so easy (and so many of us are good at it) to pick up on the life that lives according to the sinful nature. We pick up on that kind of life in a heartbeat, as soon as they walk into the church. But it’s just as easy to pick up the life that’s lived in the Spirit.

The life in the Spirit has love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And you can spot that kind of life a mile away.

So as good as I am at examining the fruit of someone else’s life, they are just as good at examining the fruit of my life. I am not saying that I shouldn’t examine someone else’s life; I should! And I am not saying they shouldn’t examine my life; they should! My question is:

What do they see?