Myrtle Beach - Day 3

Today was another FABULOUS day! We spent most of the day at the beach. We went out there right after breakfast. The kids played in the water, made sand castles and dug in the dirt for hours! We had a quick picnic lunch on the beach before heading to the pools for a while. Lindsey had a lot of fun in a hula hoop contest! And she won 2nd place! woo hoo!! Congratulations Lindsey!

Tonight for dinner we had the pleasure of going to Dixie Stampede! It's a fabulous show with a pretty nice dinner. Lindsey was a little hesitant about eating with her hands (you don't use dinner ware). Ben was right at home since he rarely uses a fork or spoon anyway! Ha Ha! We have said for years that Ben's taste buds are in his fingers. So his dinner probably never tasted better!!

Before the show started, we saw a juggling act. The guy was very talented (is that the right word for a juggler?) He balanced all kinds of things on his chin while juggling. So when we went to the surf shop later in the evening, I almost died laughing when Seth said, "Look Mama!" He had a boogie board balancing on his chin! I guess if the Swim Team idea doesn't work out, he can go into juggling!

Drew is feeling much better today. I think the sea air has been good for him. I know I have said this before, but we are really enjoying the kids at their current ages. This has been a really fun vacation.

We weren't allowed to take pics during the Dixie Stamped show, but here are some other pics and videos:
Brian taught Ben how to jump waves today. He had sooooo much fun! Ben got a boogie board tonight, so he can't wait to hit the beach tomorrow.



Below, is Seth and Drew in the lazy river.

Myrtle Beach - Day 2

Today we started our day with a great breakfast! We had sausage, eggs, and butter toasted bagels and cream cheese! Yum! It's nice being able to cook in our room. No Pop Tarts or nabs for breakfast! Anyway, Drew had a pretty bad cough through the night, so we decided not to do water activities today. So we went to Broadway at the Beach and picked up tickets for the Dixie Stampede tomorrow night. While we were there, we got to see the horses that are in the show. Then we filled up our tanks at Nascar Cafe for lunch before heading to Ripley's Aquarium! We had a great time! After that, we came back to our room for spaghetti. They we rounded our day out with a long walk on the beach. We decided to stay out until it got dark. We are having a wonderful vacation! Here are some pics of our day:

Ben and Seth on the balcony after breakfast!

Standing on the beach after dinner

Family picture made by setting the timer on the camera! I didn't know I could do that!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

Myrtle Beach-Day 1

FINALLY!! We are in Myrtle Beach! We are very excited to be on a vacation here this year. Usually we go to Mama and Daddy's place in the mountains this time every year. But we decided that we would go to their house in Florida sometime in October instead. But we were feeling desperate for a getaway. Originally this was going to be a camping trip, but the heat changed our plans. Boy we were glad we decided to stay in a hotel instead, because when we arrived, the wind was blowing soooo bad! I have no idea why it is blowing so hard, but we could hardly get our things out of the van! I can't imagine what it would have been like to try and put up a tent! Plus, since it was a last minute arrangement, we got a really good rate at our hotel!

Here are some pictures from our first day:

Do we really need all this stuff for just 5 days?

Ready to ride!

The kids went swimming after a quick supper. We had to swim indoors, though. The wind was too heavy outside.

While we they were swimming, Seth announced that he thought he would be ready for the Swim Team next summer. I took a short video so you could see what an accomplished swimmer he is!

I think Lindsey has a future in Syncronized Swimming!

Adoption is Greater than the Universe

Have you ever thought about the gospel implications in the adoption of children? You've got to see this short video clip from John Piper:

The Forceful Mercy of God

Pastor Justin had a great post on his blog archive, March 23, 2007, called the Forceful Mercy of God. Using Genesis 19 and 20 he shows how God is merciful even in our stubborn disobedience:

Justin says:
Have you every heard someone say that God is a "gentleman," and will never force you to do anything? It is usually an attempt to affirm the sovereignty of man's free will. You will be hard pressed to find this kind of language in the Bible.
I am thankful for the forceful mercy of God. I am thankful that God sovereignly restrains and keeps me from a thousand sins every day. Given my depravity, if God did not restrain me through His mercy, I would always chose against Him.

Listen to the language of Genesis 19-20:

In Genesis 19, God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. However, before He "rains" sulfur and fire from heaven, He saves Lot and his family. Lot is not the most willing rescuee. Can you imagine? God says, "I am about to destroy this city and everyone in it." Lot wants to ponder what he should do for a while. In fact, 19:16 says that Lot "lingered" after being told of the immediate destruction of the city. So, what should God do at this moment? Should He withhold judgment until Lot decides to leave the city? Should He just punish Lot along with the other wicked folks? No, God's forceful mercy is put on full display! Here is what the text says, "So the men (19:1 says they were angels) seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city." Did you catch that? The mercy of the Lord forced Lot and his whole family out of the city.

In Genesis 20, Abraham claims that Sarah is his sister again. Abimelech likes Sarah and is going to take her as his wife. God communicates to Abimelech that he is a dead man because of Sarah. Abimelech pleads his case, that he did not know she was Abraham's wife. God says, "Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her." Forceful Mercy!

Brian