So I haven't blogged in ages. I can't remember exactly when I blogged last (though I could just check the date on the previous post) but I do remember that I really enjoyed blogging. The break has been nice, but I think that it is time for me to activate this blog again.
So this post is just to say hello.
Word.
Ever studied Amos? I hadn't. I'm working on it at the moment though and I can't tell you how amazing and convicting is. I'm only into the first five verses! Only five verses in and I'm shaken by the weight of my sin.
As a child of God, no longer subject to his wrath, I'm so easily lulled into something other than a hatred for sin.
I find myself sinning like it doesn't matter.
Hazael and Damascus apparently did too. Repeatedly. What did they do? Amos wrote that Hazael had threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. 2 Kings 8:12 describes it this way...set fire to their fortresses, killed their young men with swords, dashed their children to pieces, and ripped open their pregnant women. And Amos says that God won't revoke their punishment.
God takes sin much more seriously than I do. And while I read the account in 2 Kings I think "well...good thing I didn't rip open any pregnant women..." yet, sin is sin. God is as serious about my sin as he was Hazael's. God didn't take Hazael's sin lightly and I shouldn't expect him to take mine lightly either.
I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And I don't believe salvation is something that can be lost (namely because that isn't found anywhere in the Bible...). However, the presence of grace is not a freedom to go on sinning. My prayer for myself today is that I would rightly rest in my God and rightly hate my sin.
for the record, concerning Amos' pronouncement of judgment upon Damascus...
"And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin." - 2 Kings 16:9
It all unfolded just as Amos said.
Kir = Assyrians
So in case you've missed the memo, the TV show called GLEE is quite fun. I know that it sounds strange to say that I like a show about a high school glee club, but I assure you it isn't bad. The only episode out right now is the pilot episode. The show actually starts in the fall so you've got some time to get your priorities straight. So check it out. It will leave you wanting to sing Journey songs.
The rest of the Seattle trip is coming soon. I've been slammed with school work recently and that has prevented me from being able to post anything of substance on here in some time. Here are some things that you should know...
Today I woke up early. 5:30-ish and of course the sun was already hard at work. The air wasn't as warm this morning as the day before. I made the coffee a bit weaker and it is delicious. I used this morning to again read through and meditate on Ephesians 2:1-10. I'm looking forward to writing out a sermon for this passage.
We were supposed to be on the road at a certain time to make the ferry boat that we were wanting to use. We left a little later than we wanted and then had to stop for gas. We definitely didn't make the ferry. This wouldn't have been a big deal if it was just us, but we had family who were meeting us to cross over as well... making other people wait isn't my idea of a good time. We did manage to get to the ferry boat for the very next departure. This was my first ferry boat/car ride. I was eager to get out of the car and head to the top of the ferry and just sit and watch. So thats what we did. The water is beautiful in Washington. It is a deep, rich blue and more often than not it is framed by a mountain range...which is always awesome. We did learn that Ferry Boats never actually dock. They do what is called a "controlled crash"... they basically ram the dock and keep the motors going. The engines constant push the ferry against the dock. When all cars are off, they simple switch engines and drive away. They never have to turn around. Ferry Boats are sort of ambidextrous.
On the other side of the channel, we drove a little ways and stopped at this place called the Cup and Muffin. This is where our family was waiting for us. I ordered coffee and I wasn't let down. It was from a local roaster called Caffe Vita. Their logo looks not unlike a troll climbing atop a lamp stand...and their coffee is wonderful. At the cup and muffin, ALL SIZES are just $1.00!!! I got a medium and wished I had gotten a large. The people here in Seattle don't seem to be as uptight about their pricing as Louisville. So we left the Cup and Muffin and headed toward Port Townsend.
Port Townsend reminds me a lot of Annapolis. Really cool store fronts on their main street and surrounded by water. We didn't spend too much time here because we all got hungry and had a specific place in mind for lunch. Matt and I did journey into this thing called Coffee Underground. It looked like an entrance to a subway but it just lead to a long concrete hallway. At the end of the hallway there was a coffee shop...underground. We didn't go in to this one because Alexis thought it would be better if I didn't drink MORE coffee. But the shop looked great! And there were people in there using their Macs...so you know it had to be ok.
We left Port Townsend and didn't stop again until we found a little diner called 3 CRABS. It was in a place called Dungenesse Spit (I'm not sure how to spell it). It was a great little place. Right on beach surrounded by one of those bird sanctuaries. Across the water we could see a big lighthouse and that was about it. I had clam chowda and a crab cake and I must say...the crab cakes were fantastic! Better than the ones we had in Baltimore, but that may be because we went to the wrong place in Baltimore. Either way, 3 CRABS was a nice little stop on the way to Port Angeles.
Port Angeles is a cool little city as well. in fact the only problem I have with Port Angeles is that everything closes at 5. So there wasn't much to do. We got there, unpacked, and immediately left for Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge was great! These are the places I wish we could go and spend all day hiking. Since our time was short we only hiked a few miles, but it was beautiful. the kind of scenery that does nothing but reinforce our Creator and leave you in awe. There was a giant glacier off in the distance. There were deer grazing all over the place. There was a hippie sprawled out, reading a book inside his volkswagon, extended top bus. It was also much warmer here than back at the hotel in port angeles. This frustrated me as I changed into my jeans because I figured the top of a mountain would be even cooler...it wasn't. Despite my efforts, I never found a Marmot or a Grouse. These are animals. I think. There were a lot of foreigners though. Asian and some kind of European. I couldn't tell what language they were speaking.
We got in somewhat late, so our chances of getting out and seeing the Seattle-ian cites were non-existent. It was dark, but it had just gotten dark...and it was well after 9:00. The light hangs around longer here in the summer and will, according to my mother in law, arrive much sooner in the mornings as well. Seattle and I might just become great friends.
On the way to Camano Island from the Airport, I did get to see some things from the highway. Starbucks HQ, stadiums, and space needles.
Our house is really nice. We won't be roughing it much at all. It is somewhat warm here. Not at all what you would expect. Heat isn't that bad...and unless you're in a city that has no air conditioning...like Seattle. We settled in and went to sleep.
I got up early the next morning. 5-ish. The sun was already doing its thing. So I made some coffee that was purchased at the local roasters, took a shower, and found my seat on the porch. the air was still warm. The coffee was delicious. I spent the morning in Ephesians. The only really noticeable, unnatural sound was the woman's voice calling from across the lake. She was calling the golf parties as it was their turn to begin. Golf. Such a frustrating game for such a peaceful place. Everyone else began getting up. We loaded into the car and headed down to Cama Beach. This was my first rock beach...and I loved it! Matt, my father-in-law, and I skipped many a stones. Alexis tried too! She's possibly the cutest stone skipper that I've ever seen.
After Cama Beach, we headed into town. I just love the smell of cities! Except Charleston...Charleston has that nice pungent horse smell. Anyway, there are a ton of people out. There are also a ton of homeless people out. And the coffee shops are everywhere. I could spend our whole time here just visiting downtown and checking out these coffee shops!
We parked and headed up to the Pike Place Market. This is easily the coolest market that I've ever seen. TONS of vendors! Many of them selling local produce, flowers, fish, or something else of seattle. The produce is quite impressive. This is where I would shop for fruit if I lived here. It smells though. Not unlike a fishy funeral home. The fresh fish flying through the air lends a strong stench to the potent bouquets of fresh flowers. Just think of it this way... think of going to a funeral home and carrying around an open can of tuna in one hand and salmon in the other. There are musicians all over the place. Even the poor, homeless looking musicians have their own CDs that they are selling. I didn't manage to find the pike place starbucks.
So we headed back down to the water front to find some food. We ate at a place called Steamers right on the water. it was good. Fish and chips, of course. Alexis ventured out and tried the fish taco. She liked it a lot. After lunch we stayed by the water as we were scheduled for a boat cruise through the harbor. We visited a store called "Ye Ol' Curiosity Shop" or something like that. It looked like a normal tourist shop...but in the back they had a bunch of real shrunken heads, two mummified people in glass boxes, and some stuffed two headed dogs. Also, i walked into another starbucks and asked how to get to the pike place store. I apologized for my question but they insisted that they get that all the time.
We boarded the harbor cruise. it was great! the guide explained a lot about the city while showing us all the cites including the pier used for season 7 of the real world. One unsettling moment happened when our guide said "ok, this isn't the normal part of the tour. So I'm going to go find out whats going on and we'll start up again in a moment." Apparently the city is gearing up for a water show and so we had to take a strange route in order to oblige the Canadian Military ships that were coming in for the show. I didn't even know the Canadians had military ships.
So we made it back up to Pike Place and found the starbucks. It is REALLY small. half my store's size, maybe. The baristas throw marked cups from one section of the store to the next. They were efficient, but they weren't very nice. Hippies were playing on the street just outside the store. I can see why this place took off. It has a great feel. Not the typical feel you get now for a starbucks.
Next we made our way to see Uncle Joe and Aunt Cathy's house. It was hot. We found out later that this was actually the hottest day EVER recorded for Seattle. 103. Uncle Joe was laying in the floor with a giant fan over him. I don't blame him. Before leaving I joked that on Saturday uncle Joe and I would play golf and go to a Mariners game. I think he took me seriously.
We ate dinner at this really small, non-air conditioned, perfect atmosphere Italian place called Swingside Cafe. it was expensive, but it was good. I had some sort of bean salad with seared tuna on top of it. Alexis had something called Aglie Olio or something like that. It was good. Very good.
Our next venture isn't to the city, but to Port Angeles. Should be pretty awesome!
END DAY ONE/TWO
Peace out.
Now my favorite coldplay song has a video.
