best birthday present ever!

[more details to come]
[I start May 17th]
[!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Also, we are planning a trip to ITALY later this year!! Can’t wait to go. Seriously. Grant and the two others going with us have never been to Europe, much less Italy, and this will be such a special time for me to show off all my very favorite places, and yet also get to experience some things anew with my Love–very exciting!

We’re going to fly into Rome, hit up all my favorite cheap (and mostly free!) things to do, enjoy the city, and then head up to Florence (or Firenze in Italiano). You should know that a not-so-small piece of my heart lives in a little piazza in Firenze: nestled beneath the windows where Michalangelo first conceived “the David” and near the place where it’s rumored that Shakespeare conceived the plots to some of his best works, the Piazza de Signoria will forever be a part of me; from the banks of the Arno, to the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi and Galleria d’Accademia, and of course! the Duomo, I embrace it all. Florence is quite lovely and is bursting at the seams with hidden wonders and local treasures. We will spend several days in Firenze, before spending our last day in Venice (Venezia)–what a city of l’amore–and finally flying back out of Roma.

More details to come! But we’re thinking either around Labor Day in September, or over Thanksgiving Holiday–either way we will embark on a memorable 10-day journey with two very awesome friends. I’d rather be packing than planning… can’t wait to go!

ciao!

My beautiful friend, Pat, reminded me of something today of which we should remember and take note.

She was remembering in the Bible, when God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt and showed them the land of Canaan (Numbers 13-14). Do you know this story? God told Moses to to send 12 spies into the land to check it out and report back. For 40 days these 12 went into Canaan, taking note of the people, the landscape, the economy, and the structure of the towns. The Canaanites living in the land were giants–physical giants–of great strength and stature; but God had already promised the victory to His people. When the 12 came back, 10 said “We cannot take it!” and turned back in fear because they had seen the giants…

and yet…

they could not see the giants among them–the men of giant faith–who trusted in the promises of the Lord; the type of giant that could conquer anything that God gave them in victory. These two giants among the tribe of Israel were Caleb and Joshua (of the tribes of Ephraim and Judah–later, two of the most powerful tribes in all of Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-23).

this is what Caleb and Joshua had to say about Canaan:

“The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 13:7-9).

Let us not forget the faith-giants walking in our midst, and those who have gone before us. Let us not look at the world and our circumstances, and see only the physical giants seemingly blocking our way, but let us also see those of giant faith, to whom, holding on the promises of God expectantly, will be given the victory to God’s glory. Let us have eyes to see and ears to hear all that the Lord is doing among us, and let us be some of the ones who enter the promised land trusting in the Lord. Amen.

my new friend jamie.

Father.

“I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
We are not able to plan our own course.
So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
Pour our your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge You–
on the peoples that do not call upon Your Name.
For they have devoured Your people Israel;
they have devoured and consumed them,
making the land a desolate wilderness.”

Amen.