This morning I walked out onto my deck and it smelled like winter.

Guitar Chick Pic
found these cool pics on Webshots today:
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Another
One More

Walk in Truth
Hey guys! Click here to see a cool pic that my friend Rhon took and posted on his blog today. It's entitled Walk in Truth. For more, Check out his blog @ http://www.rfiv.com

From his October 21 post:
Recently I have had a lot of people that check out this blog ask me exactly what I do... well Im a graphic designer in short. As an artist I love to do art that not only looks good, but art that touches the soul. So with that in mind I am going to start doing some desktop wallpapers...well that is as I find time. LOL ;) But enjoy the Reach The World Wallpaper.

My Plug for a Great Book
If you haven't read Josh's October 20th Post about the Book Not Even A Hint by Josh Harris, you should. There's a great quote there!

Let me take time to promote this book! It's an awesome book. The subtitle of the book is Guarding Your Heart Against Lust. Josh Harris is very honest about his own struggles and gives practical applications in the book. He speaks to girls and guys since sin is a human problem and not gender specific. He talks about pursuing holiness, gives good ways girls and guys can help each other out in this, and gives practical advice on how to implicate a plan of guarding your heart. If you are not a reader, that's ok, b/c it's a short book and its easy reading.

Here's one admonition that Josh Harris gives about male/female relationships that kind of goes with my October 14th post "Going to the Chapel..."

We are called to give, to love, and to care for one another. The opposite sex shouldn't be viewed as a bunch of potential partners--they are men and women created in God's image, whom Christ died to save. They're family! We are given not only the responsibility but also the amazing privilege of looking out for each other--even fighting and sacrificing for each other. This is what true love is all about. I John 3:16 says, 'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.'

Can you imagine the righteousness that could be born if we're willing to lay down our lives for each other? Can you picture the glory we'll bring God as we stop seducing and using each other and begin guarding and protecting?
- pgs. 94-95

So there is my plug. Do with it what you will. :)

A Good Reminder
It's all because of Jesus that we have freedom from sin. Not because we are worthy, but because HE is worthy.

I Peter 1:18-19
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Isaiah 53:5-7
it was our pains he carried--
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him--our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.

We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And GOD has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
-The Message

For His Glory
Everything created by God reflects his glory in some way. We see it everywhere, from the smallest microscopic form of life to the vast Milky Way, from sunsets and stars to storms and seasons. Creation reveals our Creator's glory. In creation we learn that God is powerful, that he enjoys variety, loves beauty, is organized, and is wise and creative.
From - The Purpose Driven Life: Day 7

Hanging Rock
What a great weekend! My expectations of beauty were exceded. My love for the out doors increaced. My appetite for adventure expanded.

These are the abridged chronicles of the excursion.

We (Faith, Jen, Aaron, Josh, Ben, and I) stayed at a 4-H campsite which was a little run-down, to say the least, but we were just happy to be there and to set up camp. After that was done we headed off to a little diner for dinner, and then came back to the campsite. We played and sang music around the campfire and enjoyed praising God through music and fellowship. We made smores which is always a camp fire favorite.

We were pretty zonked from the week and the trip, and it was getting late, so we decided to head off to our sleeping bags. The guys slept outside, girls in the tent.

The next part I am sharing is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (if you hear another story, don't believe a word of it!) Now here are the girls, all quiet and settled. I'm drifting off to sleepland, when Jen nodges me and says, "Mel, they guys are up to something b/c they keep bobbing their heads and wispering." I have to admit, I thought she was a bit paranoid at first, since we had joked about lacing THEIR sleeping bags with honey earlier in the day. I took a peak, but they seemed to be settled into their bags, as well. A few minutes later, she nudged me again. "Mel, their doing it again." So I peaked out the zipper, and she was right, those BOYS were up to something. We watched them sceme for a good 10-15 minutes, and we just couldn't hold it in. It was hillarious to see them in mischievious action. We had quite a few outburst of laughter, which confused them even more. After interpreting their hand motions, I told Jen and Faith that they were going to take our tent down. Then they made their move. I was not about to let them think they 'got' us. So I yelled out, "We don't know where you guys are, but we know you are out there and up to something, and you better get back into your bags!" It was then that our tent began to shake and fall. We bolted out of the tent and demanded that they fix it imediately! LOL! (did you get that... Demanded!) So they said, 'good night,' And we were like 'Awwww Naw, you don't!' We hopped into their bags so that they would have NOTHING to sleep on. They had to suck it up and put the tent back up. We glowed with victory as we watched. Always nice to go to sleep in the wake of a good victory! (Oh, Guys, remember everything dished out, comes back double. It's not over, so Guys, you better continue sleeping with the 'one eye open!')
LOL! All in good fun!

Saturday morning we woke up and toasted poptarts in a frying pan and drank day old coffee heated over a fire. I had some make-shift mocha (day old coffee with melted hershey bars mixed in... I don't recomend it, but desperate times call for desperate measures.) We packed up camp, and were off to Hanging Rock for the day.

The first hike we did was pretty short and landed us at Window Falls. I can't describe it, so you will just have to wait for pictures! Hiked back to the parking lot for a break and then headed to Hanging Rock. When we got to the base of the rock, the guys said that they were going to climb the rock instead of following the trail, so I was like, heck! ME TOO! It was awesomely fun! We climbed half way, and then found a cave to explore. It was very narrow, but cool little crevas in between the rocks. We went back about 40 feet into its pitch-black depths, being lead solely by a key light. After exiting the cave we climbed the remander of the rock. Even though the climb wasn't terribly hard, it was a feeling of accomplishment to make it all the way up! When I stepped out on the ledge, I wasn't prepared for the grandureous site that I would see. I mean, I had seen my friends pics of their experience of the rock, and I had see the Hanging Rock website, but there was nothing that could prepare me for the actual thing. I was awe-struck. There were people all around but everything seemed to fade for that moment. The experience reminded me on a small scale of Louie Giglio's talk entitled Mine Eyes Have Seen The King at New Attitude '03 about Mount Rainier We shot some pictures together and sat back on the rock and marveled at the sites. It was a clear day, so you could see from horizon to horizon. After spending a good amount of time up there, we climbed down (the same way we came up) and headed back to the cars. We stopped in at the same little diner that we ate at the day before for a late lunch before hitting the road.

As we drove away from the restaurant heading home, exhaustion set in. But it was a good 'satisfied' exhaustion (as Jen said on her weblog).


And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out
-Rich Mullins

Luke 19:40b
I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

For All You Juice Drinkers Out There ... And Everyone Else, Too
Youth Specialties is a GREAT resource for youth pastors and youth workers. It's full of ideas, ministry listings, message board, etc... They send out a email news letter full of links to articles, cool sites, and upcoming events. I got a new email today from them and it had the following article:

How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God by John Piper

A thought from the article:

Sin is leaving God out of account in the ordinary affairs of your life. Sin is anything you do that you don't do for the glory of God.

That truth brings conviction to the idea of performing a thoughtless task as opposed to embracing the task 'to the glory of God.'

Truth Discussion Continues...
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