Gotta get away.....

The ocean never ceases to amaze me. It's strength is overwhelming yet it's beauty causes me to smile. It is powerful at the very core and commands respect. At the same time it gently erases the stress of everyday life.

This past year I had been holding on to memories that weighed on my heart. But when I got to the ocean I couldn't help but think how big the world is and how small my problems really were. Yeah.....not are.....were. God has acted much like the ocean in my life. His strength is overwhelming and his gentle embrace has made me smile. I just have to remember that my worries should be as far away from me as the ocean is wide.

"You will again have compassion on us: you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19

"......forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." Philippians 3:13

"....how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ....." Ephesians 3:18

Freedom.....

As I was listening to the sound of fireworks going off I realized that not everyone has the freedom we have here in America. The sound of loud explosions are apart of our celebrations not of our everyday lives. While certain events in our history have threatened our freedom it is not an everyday battle as in some countries. A lot of people gave their lives protecting our freedom and I am grateful for their sacrifice.

Yet there is another person that made a sacrifice for my freedom that I sometimes forget to celebrate. While there was a time in my life that I felt "fireworks" in my heart I sometimes forget to honor Him the way I would my country. Freedom is best used when it honors the one that gave you the freedom.

I pray that my freedom to practice religion would honor the sacrifice Christ made for me. I pray that my freedom of speech would honor that same sacrifice as well.

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Here are some pictures I took over the weekend. I practiced my "creative" freedom and tried out a few new tricks. I hope you enjoy them.