Stuff

So, I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code. I wanted to read the book to see for myself what all the "fuss" was about. I have especially been interested in finding out why some well-meaning people have been so intent on proving that a work of fiction is, indeed, false. It seems to have caused a lot of unnecessary panic and, possibly, overreaction. So, I read it. It was intriguing and hard to put down, frankly. It isn't particularly well-written, and many of the purported "facts" are in fact, false. But it's fiction -- what do you expect?! I don't know that it was written "maliciously" as an attack against the church, but I don't know that it wasn't, either. It doesn't seem that all of the "information" presented in the book could be completely harmless and innocent, especially to the uneducated, uninformed reader. Anyway. This wasn't meant to be an analysis of the book -- you can access many of those that are well-written and much more thought-out than I have energy for right now! I don't necessarily recommend the book, especially for young readers, as there is some "mature content," but I would just encourage everybody to not react until you are completely informed!

Tonite I'm going to see "The King and I" at Theatre in the Park. I'm excited about that. It's supposed to be hot today, but that's okay. Summer cannot officially start until I've been to Theatre in the Park.

So, how is everyone's summer going? It sounds like most of you are keeping busy and (mostly) staying out of trouble. Keep in touch! Comment!!

Love to all who read!

From You Bring the Confetti
By Luci Swindoll

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

A poet once described friends as "the sunshine of life." I myself have found that the day is certainly much brighter when I'm sharing it with my friends. Enjoying fellowship is one of life's sweetest blessings and joys. What would we do without people and the many shadings of companionship and camaraderie? We need friends in our lives, friends with whom we not only discuss "deep" issues and confide our secrets, fears, or sorrows, but with whom we can laugh, play, and even cry. The best times in life are made a thousand times better when shared with a dear friend.

Camaraderie is definitely a part of friendship, and camaraderie itself can often produce friendships, too. When we reach out to others, they reach out to us. It's a two-way street, a street practically lined with balloons and streamers in celebration of the unique bonds of friendship.

My friends are the sunshine in my life. My friends have been there for me with words of encouragement, they've prayed for me, laughed with me, cried with me, and just generally been pretty amazing. So...for all of that, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.

God has truly blessed my life with many friends, and I am so grateful because it seems He always brings people into my life just at the exact moment I need them. His timing is perfect, and I could never ask for more.

Thanks for being my friend. I celebrate you today.

So I heard a sermon this week about "delighting in the promises." Several of the things the minister said really hit home for me. First of all, that we are supposed to be delighting in God's promises. Not just enduring, not just "barely making it," but delighting. This journey with Jesus is supposed to be a delightful thing. And then, the idea that we are not just "standing on the promises" (as the old song says), but we are depending on the promise-Giver. We don't just trust in the promises, we trust in the One who made the promises! If His promises are good, then how much better must He be! One of the promises He mentioned was that of "daybreak." Just as in the physical sense, the setting sun each evening is a promise of the day to come, the darkness that sometimes enters our lives and our souls is a promise of the Light of the world that is Jesus. The promise is declared at dusk, doubted in the darkness, and delivered at dawn. I know there are many, many dark and terrible things that many of us have gone thru, and will continue to go thru, but we can take heart that the God of the Light, is still God in the night!