Hiding

A hawk flew over the back yard last fall and this squirrel ran between the bench and some posts for a very long time.  I looked at him through the binoculars and he was fuzzy because he was shaking. This sassy, confident, bird feeder thief met his match and did what any smart squirrel would do, he hid.

There is no profound message here.  Just wanted to share this photo.

Treasure in a Name

The excitement of hidden treasure, the map, the plans to find it delight any child and still remains intriguing to adults too.  We have a book in the room box called, "Hidden Treasures" by Chuck Missler.  One of the first 'treasures' it reveals is the salvation story of Jesus in the list of names in Genesis.

In Genesis there are 10 names listed between Adam & Noah.
Adam = Man
Seth = Appointed
Enosh = Mortal
Kenan = Sorrow
Mahalalel = The Blessed God
Jared = Shall come down
Enoch = Teaching
Methuselah = His death shall bring
Lamech = The despairing
Noah = Rest or comfort
Here is how it reads;  Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest."

Better Marriage

There is a DVD series that has been our most popular marriage study at the retreats.  It is called; "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage" by Mark Gungor    Mark gets everyone laughing and then drives a sobering Biblical truth home in a way that hits the nail on the head for both sexes.

For those who would like great material without as many laughs we recommend; "Love & Respect".

Balancing Act

In Andy Stanley's book, "Choosing to Cheat", he begins chapter 2 with these words;  "The collision between work and family is inevitable. And is it any wonder?  In our culture work and family make up the two most significant arenas of an individual's life."

How to keep the balance between these two is dealt with with the biblical perspective.  Great book.

The Potter

Watching a potter is almost hypnotic.  The potter's thumbs plunge into a lump of clay and it opens up into a beautiful bowl.  The clay is supple in his hands and easy to be shaped into delicate forms.  When the clay gets too stiff it can fly apart or get off center and collapse.  When it is too wet it sags into a flat disc.

Great picture of how we are to respond to our God's pressure in forming us into what He wants us to be.

Lord, teach me to pray!

When you need refreshment in your prayer life, where do you go?  There is a book of prayer directions, praying scripture and guides to refresh your prayer life called;
"Prayer Portions" by Sylvia Gunter.

There is a comprehensive book (81/2 x 11 and 1"thick) and a Family Sampler Prayer Portion pamphlet size.  We really recommend the large one.

Prayer Hand