Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a marvelous day today! It's been a beautiful day here in our neck of the woods so far. First I would like to share some pictures from a ride we took yesterday that were especially meaningful.
As we were enjoying a leisurely Saturday morning drive on a particularly lovely, cool autumn day, we passed by some open fields, and suddenly I noticed in the tip top of a dead tree in the middle of the field these two amazing Bald Eagles, sitting there as pretty as you please, as if to say, "Why don't you tell your husband to pull off the road and stop the car immediately so you can take pictures of us before we fly away!" Which of course I did exactly that. Poor hubby had to find a place to pull over because there were cars behind us, and then do a u-turn in the middle of the two lane road on a curve so he could go back to where these eagles were perched high in that tree, so that I could get out safely and take their picture. What a great guy!
Thankfully the eagles sat right there just as pretty as you please, waiting for me to climb across the grassy shoulder of the road to get a little better vantage point.
I love they way they posed for me, giving me both profile views.
Also another car pulled off the road not far from us and took a few pictures also. Others driving by were definitely looking to see what the excitement was about. I'm glad no one had a collision in the process. Thankfully it's not a real busy road.
I took as many pictures as I could manage. Thankfully my batteries were working.
The sun was bright, but still the pictures are good enough for you to see how beautiful these magnificent creatures are.
Suddenly, without me realizing it because I was so busy trying to focus and shoot pictures, I realized that one of the eagles had flown away. I looked up and around and couldn't see him anywhere.
So before this one decided to fly away too we decided we had taken enough pictures, and got back in the car, did another u-turn to get back in the direction in which we were originally headed, and took off.
Although I could not get a picture of it, as we drove down the road I looked up in the sky in front of us, and there was that eagle flying high above us and in front of us, as if leading the way. I actually hung my head out the window and tried to get a picture as we drove down the road (imagine that picture, if you can), but he flew up and too far above and away before I could get a shot. So my hubby told me to get my head (and camera) back inside the window and behave before something crazy happened, like me falling out of the window or something. (I'm not that crazy...but you never know).
What a wonderful surprise to find these marvelous eagles! And even greater to have that one eagle soaring up above us and leading the way, as if he wanted us to know he was there especially for us!
I just found these Bible verses that I had not noticed before, and I thought they went along with this particular experience in a way:
Exodus 19:3-5
3. And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
4. 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.
5. 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine..."
Even though this was spoken to the children of Israel, I feel like it is also a message for us here in America today, and even to us as individuals. If we will indeed hear and obey God's voice and keep His covenant, then we will be a special treasure to Him.
With this election looming and so much at stake in our nation's freedoms and even the very sanctity of life...it is clearly something for us to consider.
Now back to our little ride in the country. As we continued on up the road, I asked my husband if he would consider stopping at another place that has some very special memories for our family. He was apparently in a very cooperative mood, because he actually agreed to make another stop. (This doesn't always happen, friend, trust me! LOL) And so, when we saw this sign I asked him to please turn in.
Now you may wonder the significance of this place, and so I will tell you.
You can click HERE for their website and more information.
We pulled in and took some pictures around the campground, this one being the most significant:
This was the giant slide going down into the lake. Looks like a lot of fun!
Yes, I was feeling a little crazy...thought I'd climb up and slide...well, not really...I wasn't exactly dressed for it, but if I were, I would have...maybe, but not that day. It was only about 66 degrees...
That big trampoline in the water looks like fun too. I may just have to go back up and play some day.
Looking back at the camp and that cross again:
This is just one of the dorms for campers. I liked that it had a lakeview and some rockers and chairs on the porch.
The reason this place is significant to me is that many years ago when our three sons were little, our church children went to this camp for summer camp. Now, as I said, our boys were young, maybe 12, 11, and 7 or thereabouts, and anyway, they had never all been away from home at the same time before, and especially not the "baby", who was just finishing 1st or 2nd grade. At first my hubby and I thought it would be kind of "fun" to have the house to ourselves and spend some time alone without the kids. But after about the 2nd or 3rd day I was going a little crazy, missing the noise of the kids in the house, and especially worrying about our youngest, who was used to me singing songs with him at bedtime, saying prayers, and then he'd sleep with his teddy bear. I just knew he was missing us so much and probably couldn't sleep and that we'd probably get a phone call mid week asking us to come pick him up. But no phone call ever came, and my empty nest syndrome was kicking in full blast. By the time Saturday morning came when we were supposed to go pick them up at camp, I was fit to be tied with worry and missing them, and couldn't get there fast enough. So you can imagine how I felt when we drove up to the camp and parked our car, and saw the boys come running toward us from the cafeteria. I was so happy to see them and see how much they missed us written all over their faces...well, maybe not. Our "baby" came running up to us and gleefully yelled out,
"Hi Mom, Hi Dad! Can I stay another week?"
Of course I immediately responded a loud resounding, "NO!" I couldn't believe my ears or eyes...my "baby" hadn't missed me at all! He hadn't missed his teddy bear or my goodnight songs and kisses and prayers...he wanted to stay at camp another week!! After I got over my shock and we gathered up all their dirty clothes and got them all safely back into our car and headed home, we listened to story after story of what a great week it had been and how much they loved it and how much they all wanted to come back again next year, on and on and on.
I guess I really was happy and relieved that it had been a wonderful experience for them, but it was the beginning of the realization to me that our kids are not our own...they belong to God, and He may have plans for their lives that don't always include us as their parents. Yes, our boys did go back to other camps in the future...not that particular one because we moved away from that area the next year, but they continued to have happy camping experiences all the way through their school years, with our oldest son even working at a camp all summer one year. I guess they kind of took after me, because I loved going to camp and was a camp counselor after high school one summer. And actually, quite a few years later I actually came back to this particular camp as a counselor with our youth group from a church where my husband was the pastor. I spent that entire week participating in all the camp activities with the kids, doing the obstacle course, playing the games, swimming in the lake, as well as leading them in nightly devotions and making sure the campers obeyed all the rules. It was a very rewarding and exhausting experience for me, one I will never forget. So this little jaunt into visit the campground again held many many memories. I hope you enjoyed the trip.
Now, for today's message, and the Praise Team singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" , click on this video below. I hope you will enjoy the music as well as our Pastor's message from I Peter 4:12-19.
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
