True North?

I have heard this phrase (true north) for quite a while now and wonder what it means. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Now, to other things. . .

Tomorrow is August 1st. July has made for much time spent outside, some wonderful host families, time at the lake, forest fires, and my favorite, a visit from my family!

.they made me part of their vacation and it was perfect. just what i needed.

.day at the lake. mel's family has a cabin on a lake and invited choir 35 for the day.

it was wonderful and hot.

.time with HF. splash pad and ice cream for the girls makes them very silly.

.please notice the haze in the background. this was from the fires about 20 minutes from town. we are glad to not be breathing in the ash and smoke anymore.

.friends.

.the best way to cheer yourself up

is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Mark Twain

On an island.

For the last week and a half we have been touring Vancouver Island. It has been a nice change of pace and it's so relaxing to see the ocean so much. I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the word FAITHFULNESS. It's a word that stands for loyalty and trust to someone or something.

As a people of a God who is always faithful, we should be a people of faithfulness as well. Looking at those who God has ben faithful to I am shocked somewhat. He uses imperfect people, those who try it on their own first, those who scheme to get their own way, and those who don't always trust. But in the end, they come back. They see their weakness and inability to control and surrender it all to God. God gently welcomes them back and uses it as a lesson to show His faithfulness. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and many more are those who are esteemed as people of faith. Hearing and reading these stories gives me hope that He isn't done with me. He isn't waiting for me to be perfect, but to be willing to be used and sculpted and I am.

Faith, according to Hebrews 11, is not about what we can see; it is about Him. It is about the one that we cannot see. It says in this chapter that "their weakness was turned to strength" and it is so because they allowed God to have their weakness and He used it. God is true to His faithfulness to each generation and I am thankful. I see His faithfulness in my life and I hope that I can show that same faithfulness to Him and His people in return.

I am blessed.

I am blessed.

Beyond measure.

I am blessed by God's wisdom and His encouragement just when I really need it. These last couple of nights I stayed with a wonderful Host Family. They own a farm and it sits on many acres just at the base of the mountains. I was renewed by God's creation. He speaks to us if we are listening. I was blessed by the conversations and the love shown.

We have a song in the concert that begins with our James saying these things, "I have been so many places, I have seen so many faces." And it's true. I have been so many places. I have been blessed to experience places that I never would have been able to go on my own.

Dr. Seuss wisely once said, "Today is your day! You are off to great places! You're off and away! . . . Kid, you’ll move mountains! So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!"

Here are just of the places I've been: