Learning to Savor the Journey

I came across this aritcle in the Homeschool Enrichment magazine that showed up in my mailbox. It is a wonderful reminder and encouragement to moms, especially homeschooling moms.  I contacted the author and she graciously gave me permission to post the entire article on my blog.
Thank you so much, Tia!  I truly appreciate it.  I hope you, my readers, are encouraged by it.  To read more by and about Tia check out her blog Skipping Sideways.
Love, Holly


Learning to Savor the Journey 
by Tia Phillips

I was a horrible mother this week.

The state of it all...the house, the schoolwork, the meals...I struggled through it, dragged my children through the day and barked orders. 　I lamented about time, about mess, about toys and books not put away properly.  I felt crushed. 　Burdened. 　Buried. 　I tried to dig my way out, but I couldn't get to the top of my laundry pile or to the edge of my sanity.

I failed.　
A dear friend offered to keep my kids for a couple of hours today so I could dig a little more. Get a little closer to the surface. 　And what I found was startling.

After de-cluttering toys in the basement, filling two boxes for thrift stores, I climbed the stairs. 　I was working fast...hard...only 2 hours and so much to get through. 　I entered a closet upstairs, prepared to rid it of all its unnecessary necessities once and for all. (I know that, one day, if I'm not careful, the owner of this closet will end up on t.v., crying as the Hoarders Police carry away the puzzle she never liked but was "too much in her memory" to part with.)

I walked into the closet and faced the shelves jam-packed with items, books, toys and things with zippers. 　I sighed as I stared, wondering where to start.

Quite suddenly, the scene faded and another took its place. Images flashed and startled.

The shelves looked pristine. White. 　Empty. Clean. 　Bare.

The image loomed and I couldn't rid my eyes of its sight. 　I stood, paralyzed as the box dropped from my hand and the truth of that image burned straight into my heart. 　The clothes hung improperly on the hangars, the stuff placed precariously on the shelf, the shoes piled in the corner...it was all gone. 　The mess was cleaned up, the clutter removed, the shoes but a memory. 　And my heart ached.

My spirit broken, my resolve crushed, I stood and stared. 　More foreshadowing thoughts invaded the scene.  In the wake of perfect shelves, cleaned and pure, I saw a woman with time. 　Full and in abundance, she was blessed with the commodity. 　She was able to contemplate a never-ending stream of thoughts without interruption. 　But there was less to contemplate.　 She walked through a pristine house. 　But she was alone. 　She wrote to her heart's content. 　But she had less to talk about. 　

The mother who, just some short years ago, yearned for clean and put together suddenly longed to see crumbs on the floor. 　She ached to see messes, to hold hands, to teach multiplication and read stories. 　She longed to go back, do it again, this time with a calmer spirit...with a heart that understood the brevity of these years.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, staring, before the rightful image took its place. 　Slowly it came into focus...the mess reappeared and I saw something different. 　Instead of a messy shelf and unruly clothing, I saw a sensitive heart and a mad dash to save the memories lest they cease to be.

I glanced at the empty box in my hand...back to the heavy-laden shelf...and through my spirit into the longing that lingered. 　I closed my eyes tight...yearned for a new heart, a new beginning, a chance to do the week over and embrace the messy that is motherhood.

Beckoned by the cross, running to the throne, I chose grace. 　Cleansed...washed white...a new beginning. 　Oh that I would embrace it fully! 　That I would refuse to let the enemy steal my sunrise and knit regret together with failure.

I resolved to try again. 　To make more effort to hold the hands responsible for the mess and help them, yes, learn to clean up their own...but more than that I desired oh so desperately to love them unconditionally. To live this out together...to experience a peace and calm in the bits of chaos that envelope this life.

I left the closet as I had found it, carried the empty box back downstairs, and journeyed to gather my children.
　
Tia Phillips is a homeschooling mother thriving with her husband and three girls in small town Missouri. She leans heavy on grace as she falls hard in this endless endeavor to serve a Worthy King. She writes at www.skippingsideways.com about lessons, life, failure, and everlasting grace.  


my image added -- hrs photography/itwouldbegoodforthekids.blogspot.com

13 goals for 2013

I don't think I have ever had a theme for a year before, but this year of 2013 is presenting itself to me with a theme.  A theme I truly need to work on in my life,  and more so in my heart. To live peaceably toward those people God has chosen, in His wisdom, to put in my life. I'm convinced and convicted that I am lacking in this and I pray that a year from now, I can look back and see His work in me.  As our pastor says often, it's ok not to be ok, but it's not ok to stay that way...it's about transformation.  So with that, here are my list of goals for 2013

1.  To live peaceably.  " If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone"  Romans 12:18

2.  Read the whole Bible. 

3.   Take more everyday photos.  I was thinking of a photo a day, but I'm not sure I can remember to do that!  I barely remembered to do it today.

4.  Read more books.  I read 14 in 2011, 22 in 2012, and I want to read 30 in 2013.  I'm starting the year off with Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry.  It's a Bluebonnet award nominee.

5.  Go back to Brazil to PQQ.  Can't wait to do this.  Everyone is our family is ready to go back.

6.  Spend less time on my phone.  Ouch. This one is going to take some major self-discipline.

7.  Sew.  Mostly, I have some clothes for Megan planned and I want to make a new purse for myself.

8.  Create a photographic tryptych for the wall in our room.

9.  Make it through another year of homeschooling.  I'm thankful that I will meet this goal halfway through the year. 

10.  Cook more from scratch.  So this is telling of me, but the first time I ever cooked dried beans was in December.  They aren't hard to fix, I just thought they were.  And if something seems hard, it might take me forever before I try to do it.  But it's not hard.  It's easy. 

11.  Going along with the previous goal, I am going to make a master recipe list and a recipe binder to hold my all my recipe print outs.  This project is happening very, very soon.

12.  Be more willing to serve and to actually follow through.

13.  Grow my photography hobby into a very, very small business.  I'm not in a huge rush to do this.

Do you have any goals for the year?  What are they?

life in 7d

I bought my first dslr camera a couple of years ago, secondhand, from a friend.  I've learned and loved that little rebel xti, but the time had come move on.  For a year I've saved all the money I could and, finally, I had enough to move up to the Canon 7d.  From 8MP to 18MP.  My trusty 4GB Compact Flash card only holds half the pictures it used to.  I'm geeking out on it. Oh boy, I need more time to learn it, but already, I'm all in.

thoughts on going to brazil

some of my thoughts about our recent trip to brazil.

This whole thing started after I read Radical by David Platt, had a conversation with a good friend about going on a family mission trip, and then gave the audio CD to Keith to listen to.  You want to mess up your thinking?  Read that book.  It will help.  Then go on a mission trip.  Take your family.  You'll never be the same.

God provided for our trip well before it....

Right away in the beginning of the year God provided the money we needed to do this trip, in His style, He knows how I would worry about that, but then He took care of it and I didn't need to worry any more.

In dropping off our visa paperwork, we found out that Keith and I needed new photos taken, which we were able to do right there.  The children's pictures were fine, which worked out perfectly since our children were not with us. 

The timing of our trip was determined by several factors...we wanted Phil and Cindy Ketcham to be back in Brazil...we wanted to go during the school year....we didn't want to miss a very important wedding so we chose to leave two days after that wedding.  It turned out perfectly, of course, that one of the teachers in Brazil could go home for a wedding because it was during the time we were there.  I was her substitutue teacher!

...God really provided for us in our preparation for our trip at the last minute

Our engine light that had been on for a couple of months and we'd had it dealt with already, but it was still on.  Finally it went off on it's own two days before we left.

We ordered Brazillian reis (hay-eyes) from our bank to pay for our expenses while in Brazil and they came on the last possible day they could have, Friday.

Saturday morning I was able to obtain Megan's shot record that I thought we might need (didn't end needing it) without having requested in advance or anything.

Our friends were able to lend us their luggage the day before our trip when we realized one of our bags wasn't going to work out.  Thanks, Hazzards!

Several friends gave us cash right before we left and this really helped us out with our time in the airports.  Thanks so much!



The night before we left I couldn't not sleep at all. There was a line from a song that kept running through my mind.  It was "Be strong in the Lord".  Turns out it's a line from this song by the Sidewalk Prophets.  The Words I Would Say 


Some of the verses that stood out to me from my daily Bible readings during our time in Brazil.

Jeremiah 23:23-24
 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
“Can a man hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.

“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

 

Psalm 84:8-12

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.
Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

 

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.  The Lord be with you all!

 

1 Timothy 1:12

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service.

 

1Timothy 4:8-9

On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things.

 

1Timothy 6:7

For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out either.

 

Psalm 94:19

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, thy consolations delight my soul.

 

Hebrews 7:23-25

And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing, but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds his priesthood permenantly.  Hence also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 

And on that note, I'll go ahead and post this while I think more about our trip and process it more and maybe I'll post again later.

 

And here's a picture since it seems obligatory to me to put a picture on every post.  

 

 

This is Megan's special friend.  She gave Megan little purse on her birthday.  She's a very sweet girl. 

 

preparation part two

I'm much convicted about the last preparation post.  It's so us-centered and about what we want to get out of this.  We are going to serve.  So, if you will, pray for us to be emptied out in Brazil and by some means that through us God would meet their needs.  Pray for them who are constantly giving up the familiar and comfortable to be used by God to teach and transform others.  Pray that when we leave Brazil, that we will be spent and they will be encouraged, filled up, and ready to continue in the mission God has given them.  And thanks for praying for us and them.

We want to come home like this...used up for Him and them.

preparation

We keep praying for God to prepare us for our trip to Brazil.  I think He is answering that prayer.  You know the saying "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, it feels like it's raining and beginning to pour and we're not talking about blessings.  Or maybe just blessings in diguise, because I think these things [could, should] be preparing us for what lies ahead.  Pray for us, if you will.  Pray for us to be prepared, to be flexible, to be willing and, if you will, pray for these things in particular for each member of our family. 

Keith:  Vision, Confidence
Holly:  Faith that God will give her the ability to do what He's called her to do.
Seth:  Security
Todd:  Selflessness
Megan: Protection

Thank you.

revisiting goals

In January I posted these 12 goals for 2012.  I've been meaning to update them with my progress so here I go.

These are 12 things I would like to do in the year 2012

1. Read the Bible all the way through --So far so good!

2. Sew more --Not really happening, but I do have a project picked out for next week.

3. Be more evangelistic  --Something that I need to work on.

4. Be bolder (see above)  --Something that I also need to work on.

5. Go on a mission trip --This is in the works, should happen in two months.

6. Make cards  --Hmm...I'm not so sure this is still a goal for this year.

7. Call an old friend --Have done, but left a message.  This was a while back and I need to try again.

8. Pray more  --Yes, but not as much as I had hoped.  My morning walks work out best for this.

9. Make bread and cinnamon rolls --Ha!  What was I thinking in January!

10. Photograph more candid moments  --I haven't taken as many photographs at all.  I had a little
& use Manual mode more                        funk to work through but I'm hopeful.

11. Engage more than disengage  --I think the iPhone has been bad for this, but I'm conscious of
                                                         this distraction.
12. Redeem the time  --I think this is the hardest one.  It takes the most looking away from me and looking toward others. 

Revised goals of 2012
-School with joy and patience
-Finish reading the Bible all the way through
-Go on mission trip
-Pray more
-Be bolder and more evagelistic
-Redeem the time
-Walk at least 3 days a week
-Read more nonfiction.  My nonfiction to ficiton ratio is severly bias toward fiction this year
-Be a better photographer

only servants

I think it's awesome that we are going on this trip to Brazil.  We've sacrificed, we've saved, we've worked hard, we've been disciplined, we are brave, we are trusting, and I could go on.  Are we really doing anything for God, if it's all about how great we are.

Here's what the Bible says.

⁷“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10

And there's the sting.  It's our duty. 

duty

noun, plural du·ties.

1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

2. the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.

3. an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function: the duties of a clergyman.

4. the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.

5. an act or expression of respect.

It's not something extraordinary, not something special, not something to bring us glory.
And our duty is even so much more.  Lord keep me in the right perspective.  You are great.  We are unworthy servants.

anxiety

The whole family mission trip has me a bit anxious.  I never have fared well with unknowns.  They make me crazy-anxious.  I think it would feel different if we were going along with a group, if someone else were "in charge", if we had an itinerary.  But we don't. 
Many times I have wondered if this is a waste.  Will we be wasting their time, their resources?  Ours?  Would it be better if we just sent our money to them?  Stayed out of their way?  Will we do any good?
But my husband isn't ever anxious.  These things don't concern him.  Good thing, we're matched well. 
The other day I was reading to the children from Jesus Calling.  The verse of the day was Ephesians 2:10.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So I'm clinging to that truth.  This is God's plan an he's prepared all of this in advance for us to do.  We just have to do it.

obstacles

Obstacles. We planned to turn in the paperwork for our kids' passports yesterday.  We ran into some obstacles.  One kid got a stomach bug,  one post office didn't process passports,  the second one only did passports between certain hours (not at the time we were there, of course!) I let those obstacles create blame which fueled some anger.  I was getting angry with Keith, I was getting angry with myself, I was thankful we were driving separate cars.  But on the way home I remembered, that our struggle  is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12).  I have no right to be angry at keith or myself about a few obstacles, but that's what the enemy would want me to do. So I let go of the anger and we will just try again another day with the passports. P.S. this is my first blog from my phone.

marriage is like a dance

"Being married is like dancing, and the size and shape of the room don't tell you much about the dance itself.  At our wedding, we announced our choice of partner:  It remained to discover what the steps to the dance were, to trip all over one another's feet in the process of learning to do them, and then finally to have practiced enough that we no longer needed to concentrate on the mechanics and could relax and let the dance unfold, carrying us with it through arabesques that now embodied our life together as husband and wife." --from Sing Me to Heaven by Margaret Kim Peterson

I think we've learned a lot of the steps and can relax a little in our dance. My husband loves to mess with me.  This is what I mean.  On Thursday I needed him to drop off snacks to our son's soccer practice and drinks to a friends house for a party.  My husband called me on his way FROM the soccer fields and said, "You wanted me to take the snacks and one box of drinks to the soccer practice, right?"  I knew he had to be kidding.  I'd been clear that just the snacks went to soccer.  I was right.  He was messing with me.  Later he called back and did the same thing about something else.  I've learned (and it's taken a long time) that my husband likes to mess with me and get me riled up.  It's my job to figure out when he's messing with me (most of the time!) and when he's not.  It's part of the dance and most of the time, it's fun.

Here's my dear one putting up Seth and Todd's birthday present.  The boys haven't gotten to play with it yet because they both got the "dreaded 72-hour stomach bug".  Seth, no less, came down with it on his 10th birthday.  Surely it was a birthday we won't forget.  Hopefully, we can make up for this Thursday on Todd's 7th birthday.

Meg killing a bug while Daddy worked.

Todd watching Daddy work on the basketball goal from his room.

At least Seth felt well on the morning of his birthday.  He got to open his presents and we even played a game of Battleship.

 Daddy bringing in the big surprise.

12 in 12

I got this idea from a friend.



These aren't actually resolutions, but goals.



These are 12 things I would like to do in the year 2012

1. Read the Bible all the way through

2. Sew more

3. Be more evangelistic

4. Be bolder (see above)

5. Go on a mission trip

6. Make cards

7. Call an old friend

8. Pray more

9. Make bread and cinnamon rolls

10. Photograph more candid moments
& use Manual mode more

11.  Engage more than disengage

12.  Redeem the time


Thanks for the inspiration, Jen. 

You can check out her words at
strangers in a strange land.

what I have is what I need

I've been thinking about Christmas presents lately.  I guess that is pretty typical when it is just days before Christmas.  There are a thousand things I'd love to get.  I was really thinking about all those things and I realized something.  There's only one thing I truly need, and I have that already.  Christ.  I'm thankful that I have the one thing I need.

proverbs 15:1

While we were at my parents' house last week, I noticed something.  On their refrigerator amongst the photos of my children, magnetic notepads and other things, there was this Bible verse.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Proverbs 15:1

This was significant because recently I had noticed how my children were speaking to eachother.  The were getting more and more exasperated in their speech.  They were certainly very quick to get angry with eachother.  That's when I realized where they were getting this from...me.

Often I have struggled with impatience and being quick to anger.  I decided that we need to work on learning this verse during our Christmas break from AWANAs.  So we started this morning. 

The more we said this verse, the more I really thought about what it said. 
A soft answer turns away WRATH.  A harsh word stirs up anger.
From Merriam-Webster.com
Wrath:  strong vengeful anger or indignation.


If you think about that.  A soft answer does more than a harsh word.  It's more powerful.  It turns away strong vengeful anger. 

I asked the children what kind of home we wanted. Do we want an angry home or a gentle and soft home? They were all agreed about it. We want a soft and gentle home.  We want our home to turn away strong vengeful anger at the door.  To not even let it in.

So that's what we all are working this Christmas.  We are memorizing this verse to equip ourselves for those moments when we begin to stir up anger in eachother.  By doing this, I hope we can stop wrath from even entering in.

validation, encouragment, and catalyst

I just finished reading a most excellent book just yesterday.  I've never read a book that spoke more to who I am right now.  And that is a keeper of this home.  I am a mother.  I stay at home.  I keep this home.  I care for this family.  That is what I do.  I thought this book would be dull because of the topic, but I was wrong.  Margaret Kim Peterson validated exactly what I do everyday.  She expelled the thought of this life as drudgery or slave labor, the dregs that nobody wants to do and showed how beautiful this life can be.  How provisional my life is.  How reflective of the Father, my life can be.  So I walk away from this book validated.  I walk away encouraged.  And this book has become a catalyst to me to urge me on to more and more of this work that I do, happily, hopefully, lovingly. 
Not that I attained that today, but tomorrow is a new day.
If you are a woman who keeps her home, this book is waiting to bless you.
Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life

on writing.

I'm not a writer.  I do not have a deep love for the English language.  Let me clarify.  I appreciate it, I use it, but that's not what I am passionate about.
However, I do want to sing the praises of the written word for a moment.
Sometimes I'm confused, frustrated, emotionally exhausted, etc, etc, etc.  The process of writing things down helps me clear my head.  It helps me gain perspective.  I can step back and assess the situation at hand.  And later I can go back and read it.  When I do, it stirs my memories.  There is so much I have forgotten.  I'm thankful that I have it written down.

I wrote quite frequently during the time in our lives when we were moving here. I love to look back on it and read about all the little ways (and big ways) God answered our prayers.

I don't practice this everyday, or every week, or month, even, for that matter.  But I do use it during seasons in my life and it helps me.

gratitude

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."1 Thessalonians 5:18

Gratitude can do a lot.

"Gratitude can turn what we have into enough"...a little nugget from Pinterest

"Gratitude heals and prevents jealousy"...read more in this post Overcoming Jealousy

And gratitude puts us in our place.  A people thankful to our God for his amazing love, tender care, sustaining power, and never failing strength.

So give God some gratitude today.  You'll be happy you did.

Neat free gratitude printable at cheepideas.com (for personal use only).

who knew a necklace could do so much?

Could you guess how a woman who works in an African orphanage could be connected with building a duplex in Haiti?  I think I would have a hard time figuring that out if I didn't have some inside information. 

My friend and a fabulous photographer, Ginny, makes it a point to use her photography business to minister to others.  For one, her prices are afforable.  For two, she chooses a charity to support every quarter.  A portion of the proceeds from all her photo shoots goes to help someone in need.

This time she's helping our team build a home in Haiti.  A friend of Ginny's recently went on a mission trip to Uganda.  Ginny asked her friend to pick up some handmade necklaces for her.  These necklaces were made by Agnes, an orphanage worker.  Now we are selling the necklaces and all the proceeds are going to build the house in Haiti.  What a neat way to support, Agnes, and the families in Haiti who will receive a new home.

If you interested in buying a necklace, I can hook you up.

philip and the eunuch

I have never really loved or even understood the story in Acts 8 about Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch.   I've always just thought it was there to show us how the gospel spread to Africa.  Today Our wonderful Sunday School teacher, Miles Mullin was teaching on this.  And today something clicked for me.  I understand this story now like I never have before and I get it.  I get why it's in there.  It's beautiful.  I think the story isn't so much to show us the spread of the gospel, but the efficacy of the gospel for everyone. 

Acts 8:26 -  40 NIV

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”^[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” ^{[37] [c] 38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.



So the eunuch, who is not completely whole physically has gone to Jerusalem to worship.  You see, because of his body he could not participate wholly in Judaism.  They had rules about that.  The eunuch was excluded because he wasn't whole. 
Now think about what the eunuch was reading when Philip came on by. 
Isaiah 53.  Two verses before the ones quoted in Acts 8 is this one:

Isaiah 53:5

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

See where it says, the punishment that brought us peace was on him.  I'm not Bible scholar, but what I see here is God saying Jesus brought us peace.  Wholeness.  Exactly what this eunuch didn't have.  Wholeness.  Also, the reason this eunuch could not have been wholly accepted as a proselyte to Judaism.  Then we read how Philip shares the gospel message of Jesus Christ with this eunuch and he believes and is baptized.  Now he has a wholeness he could have never had before.  The Gospel of Jesus does something that Judaism couldn't have.  Here we have someone rejected by the old covenant, but accepted in the new.  Jesus Christ makes whole all who believe in Him.

a lesson

This week I actually had the privilege of teaching a friend the little bit I know about photography.  Really, the lesson lasted about 10 minutes (or less)!  But the fellowship we shared was sweet and the conversation was so good for the rest of the time we shared.  This is my favorite photo that I took during that lesson.