This year I wanted to take some risks, have some fun, and be stretched in ways that may inevitably mean failure.  One actualization of this intention was entering the picture below in a submission “contest” at Biola University’s Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts.  The task was to find a picture that captures the essence of Psalm 100 and to write a paragraph about it.  I’m sharing it with you below.  Also, this picture captures a slice of my intention to have fun as we (my family) had a ball climbing down steep steel steps to venture in these slot canyons where color and light danced around us.“Endures Forever”

Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ – This place reminds me of the wonders of time and space, where all the elements of earth work together to create beauty (in this case, in a slot canyon). This image plays witness to God’s perfect, sustainable plan. It’s a pasture of geological time where soil, wind, and rain interface to create mystery and beauty. Here humankind has no ownership, no part of this creation has to do with us. We are merely invited to bear witness to the enduring earth and reap the benefits of God’s faithfulness to this perfect stage of His glory. His love indeed endures forever, from generation to generation.

This month was a whirlwind of fun and mundane.  Unfortunately, it ended with a not-so-fun phone call that my Mom (who is recovering and on the mend – thankfully) was being air lifted to Seattle for what they thought was a brain aneurysm.  (Turns out it was a hemorrhage that stopped itself.  More on this trip later.)

Photo Review:

Early Bird gets AWESOME seats….was on that computer at 6 am to get these awesome seats for Biola’s Youth Theater’s Peter Pan, Jr.  Like all their productions, it was fabulous!

My oldest, turned 12!   Where has our time gone?12 meant — Pierced ears!  Here’s her in the prep phase.  Last time those earlobes are unmarked.

Halloween…A family that dresses together, stays together.  A Minecraft Clan — Steve, Ender Dragon, Ocelot, and Enderman.  Many nights were spent making the Dragon and Ocelot but all worth it in the end. Memorable Quotes:

“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.” — Aristotle

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” — John Lubbock

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”  — Nido Qubein

“To live within limits.  To want one thing.  Or a few things very much and love them dearly.  Cling to them, survey them from every angle.  Become one with them — that is what it takes to become the poet, the artist, the human being.” — J.W. Goethe

Excerpts from Integrity: The Courage to Face the Demands of Reality by Henry Cloud…”So, for us to get real results in the real world, we must be in touch what is, not what we wish things were or think things should be or are led by others to believe they are.  The only thing that is going to be real in the end is what is (p. 106)…Full engagement has to do with operating from the center of one’s being, and for that to happen, you have to be in touch with who you are and not with “being” someone else (p. 145)…To find who one truly is usually requires experimenting and risk taking, and if people are afraid of failure, for example, they stay in their comfort zone and never step out and try anything new…A person who lives life according to his fears is always limited in his identity, as he cannot step out to find out what is really him and what isn’t (p. 146)….Perseverance takes courage, stamina, emotional reserves, judgment, creativity, and other aspects of character to do.  But, without it, great things just do not happen (p. 159).

From the Outside In…One invited and brought, the other not so much…

Songs on Repeat Mode in October:

What If by Five for Fighting

It Ain’t the Whiskey by Gary Allan

Parachute by Kris Allen

Au Revoir by One Republic

Into the Wild by LP

May you have a rich harvest of friends, food, and fellowship this November.