The Work of His Hands

Growing up on the prairies I love the feeling of being able to see so much of the sky. I love seeing the crops ready for harvest in the fall. I love the northern lights. And 99% of the time I am completely satisfied with the amount of water I see when I spend time at our lakes and rivers. The other 1% is when I find myself standing at the coast, usually the Oregon Coast and see the expanse of the Pacific Ocean in front of me. We have been blessed to spend at least one night at the coast during each of our visits to Oregon. This time Libby and I and the Peters family stayed in Depoe Bay along the Oregon Coast. Thanks to Alysun's in law's generosity and willingness to give up some timeshare points, we stayed in a great suite. We've never been this close to the ocean before. About 10 feet out our patio door there was a cliff, rocks and ocean. It was magnificent and I could have sat there for hours watching the waves hit the rocks. There was a storm blowing in as we got into Depoe Bay and let me tell you it pushed those waves up against the rocks and it was quite a show. I've never seen the seen the coast that active before and it was very cool. So this prairie girl can be awed by prairie fields, mountains and ocean alike. It reminds of me the Psalm I read today...

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun...

...which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6

Sam Storms in his book "More Precious than Gold" writes, "look up and listen for the sky and all in contains is one continuous chorus singing God's glory (Ps.19:1-2). It pours out praise, not in mere hints or whispers but in deafening shouts of supremacy and splendor. The phrase "pours out" means "to bubble up and over like an irrepressible mountain spring." This psalm focuses on the heavens and the sky but I can't help but think as I stood with the ocean in my view that every crash of the waves was a sweet sound in God's ear. "Crash...thank you for creating me, Crash...you are awesome God, Crash...glory be to your name Lord."

Thank you God for all that you have created for us to enjoy...such a wonderful gift.

Where has Ore gon(e)?

I don't know where Ore has gone but Libby and I flew out of Saskatoon on February 10 to Porland, Oregon to spend 5 days with my friend and roommate from college. Alysun and I met fairly early into our illustrious freshmen year of college. She had traveled three days to get to Briercrest after a very last minute decision to attend "this school in Canada" and I had driven three hours to attend the college my parents had attended and just knew that I would too some day. Saying that I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing would be an understatement. I was beside myself with nervousness and God knew just want to do. He sent this fun girl named Alysun my way and we began to hang out a lot. The freshmen week still seems like a blur but we began to bond as we became full fledged college students. Here are some of the things I think of when I think of those years...

* late night snacks
* long talks
* hayrides, skating to swing music,
* freshmen worship band try out (who were we kidding)
* choir
* chapels
* racing home from supper one night to put a Christmas tree in our RC's bathtub
* classes
* snow ball fights in the dorm
* laughing until it hurt (thankfully we lived in a dorm with two rooms to every bathroom)
* watching sappy chick flicks and drooling over Mr. Knightly,
* learning all about art and a true to life scale model of the coliseum made out of bristol board
* standing in line for extra gravy because Alysun thought the server was cute
* cleaning our room or just letting the closet come to life because it was full to overflowing

I could go on but it might only be funny for Alysun and I so I'll spare you. All these times were great and I wouldn't trade them but something that stands out above the rest are the lessons that God taught us through our friendship and outside it. I treasure the talks we had and the way that Al just accepts me for who I am and loves me in spite of my quirkiness. She is a blessing and that's why it has been so special to be able to keep up our friendship even though the mile separate us.

So, now that you know a little of our colourful history, I'll tell you about the trip Libby and I just took to visit Alysun and her family.

Alysun and Jeff and their three kids live about a half hour outside Salem, OR in a beautiful valley, on a farm in a great farm house that they have redone. Alysun has far surpassed my limited knowledge of farming as a prairie girl growing up in a Saskatchewan city. They will be heading into their busy farming season soon so I thought I would fly down there when it wasn't so hectic and while Libby could still fly for free. Libby did a great job in the airplane there and back. She loved playing with Emmaleigh, Mandy and Remington and was excited to see cows up close for the first time. I, of course was excited to see our friends again and we had fun. We went to the coast for a night, did some shopping, enjoyed great food, watched some movies and had some great talks. I had a very relaxing time which I think was exactly what I needed after a busy winter. With Alysun, even folding laundry is enjoyable and it was a lot of fun to just live life alongside the Peters family for a few days.

I'm so thankful for Alysun's friendship and the fact that as our families have grown we have been able to reconnect and continue the blessing that God gave to us about 12 years ago. Love you Al.


Libby and I during a sight seeing afternoon at a covered bridge.


Our view from our suite at the coast. A storm was moving in when we got there and the waves were crashing against the rocks. In the four times we've stayed at the coast with them over the years I think this is the closest our place has been to the water. Magnificent view and I was again overwhelmed by the beauty and the creativity of our God.



These pictures at the coast rarely work because of the wind. Poor Libby looks like she's on the back of a Harley.

Bundle Up...It's Cold Outside!

God is very creative. The fact that he created this place called earth for us to live and put so many different things on it. Mountains, prairies, oceans, and so many different climates. It's amazing. You can tell by Libby's attire (if you can tell that it's her) that we are blessed to live in a cold climate. I've always been proud to come from Saskatchewan. I must admit dressing up for the cold is a lot more work now with kids but it's still a sweet place to live...and thankfully we don't have to dress like this all year.