At the Beach!

Okay, so I really, really, really wanted to write more about Hannah, how she kept to the hard path, Piper's burn, and how I barely kept to the hard path, and I will.

But, folks, I'm at the beach with the whole family!

And it's absolutely wonderful.

All NINE of us are here.  And I really don't know when that's going to happen again.  With two in college, summer jobs, sports practices ... it is AMAZING that we are all together.  And I am loving it.

But, here's one of my gripes.  Why can't all the schools in America decide to have Fall Break and Spring Break at the same time?  Seriously.

Thankfully, Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty much set.  But, I would really, really like a whole week for Thanksgiving.  When my college girls arrive home on Tuesday night, there is just not enough time to catch up on sleep and have a Massive Finley Family Cookfest on Wednesday.

Okay, but, I don't need to get all worked up about that now because ... I'm at the beach.

And it feels golden, really golden.

And oddly serious at the same time.

I'm savoring the time to have long times in prayer, Bible reading, journaling.

Do you know about Kenneth Boa's Handbook to Prayer?  It's not scripted prayers, but rather three months of Scripture that moves you through adoration, confession, intercession, thanksgiving, etc.  I'm not a great pray-er, and so this guide brings structure and direction to my prayer life.  I love it.

In my Bible reading, I'm moving through the book of Acts.  AMAZING!  Lord, I LONG to see you move in our churches in the same way that you were moving then.  I'm reading through Acts really focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit, the establishment of the church, and the role of women in the early church.  Today I was in Acts 16 and got to join Lydia and the other women by the riverside.  LOVE it!  I'm also LOVING how real Paul was.  He didn't handle the situation with John Mark great, I don't think.  And he commanded a demon to leave this girl alone because she was irritating him.  He wasn't motivated by love but by annoyance.   But, boy, was he a powerhouse for God.

In my journaling, I am writing, and writing, and writing.  This morning I kicked the kids out on the beach so that I could have my quiet time.  Adelyn said, "Okay, Mom, we'll see you in three hours."  But even with my three hour quiet times, I'm having time to scratch my daughter's backs, tickle arms, talk about boys, and tickle arms some more.  So sweet.

So, I'm probably not going to get back to Hannah, the hard path, Piper's burn, and how God kept my feet to the path until I'm back home.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you.  What are you reading in your Bible these days?  What great books are you reading?  Are you soaking up some beach time with your family?  

And just to keep it real, here are a couple of more pics...

Have a great week!  And let me hear from you!