Something Accomplished

Today we turned our garage into usable space.

Well, I say garage, but really I mean garage-sized shed. It's old and I don't think we could put a car in it.

Until this morning, it was full of stuff. A lot of stuff in a jumble. My son wanted a clubhouse and I wanted things to be more accessible. So out everything came. We roughly sorted it as it went on the driveway and grass.

The worst part of the job came next. Sweeping out. I wore a respitator it was so bad. The fact that I never remember my parents sweeping out the garage when I was a kid doesn't mean it didn't happen. Children have a way of being oblivious to chores. But I know it wasn't cleaned in a long time. Found peanut shells, a million leaves, even a dead mouse. The job took an hour.

Then...

We threw a bunch of stuff out.

We are storing stuff for someone, so that got neatly piled in the back.

We took our own stuff and organized it.

Finally, we let the boy arrange a table and chairs, a book case, an easel and some boyish stuff for his own use.

He's happy. We have a clean, usable shed. It took three hours and we didn't spend a penny.

Everyone's happy.


What's been your favorite project lately?






This is my third entry in the July Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 30 posts in 30 days!

Time for Prayer

"We believe in the power of prayer in all it's forms."

                        CYC Statements of Purpose

Prayer. It is one of those things that is needed, should be part and parcel of a regular schedule. I am afraid, in my case, it is all too easy to get distracted from it, to let it get shuffled out of my routine.

At the moment, I am engaged in a "prayer blast" which involves praying for 10 minutes per day throughout   July for the ministry I work for. People who commit to the prayer blast encourage either with pep talks and reminders. We pray in our spaces -- people are geoographically spread out -- for the most part. Maybe some people will get together once or twice for shared prayer.

The idea is to cover our main event, a two week conference in August, in prayer. We seek God's help in making that time a real blessing for teens and staff alike. We certainly aren't the only people praying for the program, nor do we limit are prayers to July. This is just an event to help us focus and work together in prayer. We like togetherness.

The simplest definition of prayer is communication with God. It can be as brief as a cry for help, as complex as beautifully composed symphony. It can be speech, listening, song, dance, laughter. But it always connects us to our Creator and Savior.

Prayer is our deepest, most important work. It is both personal and communal. It is for the weak and the strong, the child and the adult, the saint and sinner. It is for all of us.

How is your prayer life?

 “Prayer is not a substitute for work, thinking, watching, suffering, or giving; prayer is a support 

 for all other efforts.” ~George Buttrick

“Prayer is not an exercise. It is the life of the saint.”  ~Oswald Chambers

CYC is  a two-week conference for high school teens that combines worship, Christian education, friendship and fun to offer a life-changing experience on the beautiful southern coast of Maine.

This is my second entry in the July Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 30 posts in 30 days!

Two Beautiful Days

This week, I have been blessed by two wonderful days.

First, there was today. I attended the baptism of a friend's young daughter. We worshipped in a tent, went down to a cove for the baptism ceremonies and fellowshipped together at a barbecue. The weather was lovely, the spirit amazing. It was a truly fabulous way to celebrate new life in Christ. Such a happy occasion.

Then, there was last Thursday. I went out to Martha's Vineyard with CYC friends for a Memorial Service. The weather was gorgeous and John Wilbur --whom we were remembering -- had been the Conference's weatherman for decades. We worshipped at a lovely church, ate together, comforted the family and then went walking about before we got back on the ferry. A few of us even rode a carousel. We all talked about what a good day it had been.

And it had been a good day, for all that we were at funeral. John was close to 90 and was a man of faith who is surely with God. Our memories of him are good ones, his legacy a vital part of our lives. We were together. We laughed, remembered, shared, worshipped. In sunshine and warmth with just the right breeze. Yes, a good day.

What beautiful days have you been blessed with recently?






CYC is  a two-week conference for high school teens that combines worship, Christian education, friendship and fun to offer a life-changing experience on the beautiful southern coast of Maine.

This is my first entry in the July Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 30 posts in 30 days!