We took a couple of trips to a local beach in upstate New York, a bay area of Lake Ontario. Sitting in the sun was WONDERFUL. Especially after being indoors quite a bit over the past couple of months with a new baby. I can't say it compared to Hawaii {boy do we miss it!}, especially with the crazy rules- no tossing rocks into the water, no carrying your children on your shoulders, no floaties for kids, etc {we were personally reprimanded for the first two}- but I sure enjoyed it. I watched Thane and Asher play in the surf, I played around with the manual settings on my camera {hence some of the funky close-up shots}, and I even had the chance to sit and read over some old bible study notes I'd found at the house. And talk about a gem- the topic was "How can we be fruitful in Christ?"- something I'm almost always thinking about, striving for, or feeling discouraged over. And here's the answer: "But for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." {2 Peter 1:5-8} I wish I had the notes with me now so that I could share some of the practical wisdom for how exactly to do these things. But God's Word never returns void and I hope this verse encourages you! If any of us approach the bible with prayer and with a God-given desire to obey it, He will give us the understanding we need and enable us to grow in wisdom and fruitfulness. I've seen it in my own life and in the lives of the faithful around me, and I'm ever so thankful for it!
Thanks for reading!
P.S. Just in case you haven't read the story, here's how Jesus began a mighty work of grace and redemption in my life...
