Earned Vacation (click here to see more pictures)

I have always wanted to go to Croatia. Well, that's not exactly true. I didn't want to go there back in the 90's when it was all over the news. Since then I learned that everybody goes there for vacation and it's absolutely beautiful, and I have had it on my "hit list" for the past couple years. I didn't think that I would actually be able to go, but then the perfect opportunity presented itself. One of the missions was holding a 2 week conference on the coast, by Porec, (the Iste part, not Dalmation coast). They had a childcare program that was missing 2 people. One of the mothers at the school that I see on a regular basis was organizing the childcare, and asked if Heidi and I could fill in. All expenses paid. Well SURE!! So we spent two weeks on the coast, experiencing what I believe was the perfect balance of hard work and serious relaxation.

We spent the first half of the days and 2 hours in the evening bouncing babies, doing whatever was necessary to keep them happy. The babies were so adorable, and so at first it was so easy and fun. But I am still pretty surprised at how tired I got from it all. I was fortunate enough to be recruited to take the 10 year old boys out to the beach for an hour everyday, so I had a little change in venue. That definitely helped my longevity; I loved hanging out with those boys. We ended up passing up the beach after a while and just played soccer or football. They were so fun. The second third of the day was free time, and we spent it however we wanted. That usually meant sleeping on the beach. We were so exhausted by early afternoon. Anyway, the time was filled with lots of cute babies, relaxation, time in the sun, meeting wonderful people, lots of sightseeing, and for me some sweet time for meditating on God.

I have been reading through Isaiah, and during the time in Croatia I experienced such a sweet time of fellowship with God. I loved meditating on who He is, as the only true God, the Creator who has all the power; He doesn't answer to anyone. He is just; He administers that power righteously, and so mercifully. Here are some favorite verses from the time:

"All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field....The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (40:6,8)

"Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?" (43:13)

"Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none" (44:8b)

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heaves by the span,
And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scale
Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust ont he scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its beast enough for a burnt offering.
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless." (40: 12-17)

This is my God! =) Why do I fear man? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs somewhere). Understanding who our God is instills in us a regard for Him that goes beyond a sense of respect. It's a sense of awe and overwhelming gratefulness if you know Jesus and know that God sees you as His own. It is a sense of terror if you do not have the security of Jesus' blood covering you. Anyway, it's been really amazing to get to know my God more and more through the book of Isaiah. I have heard it quoted almost every Sunday of my life (please acknowledge hyperbole) , but I never understood it as a book in its whole.

I'll end with this video, that has nothing to do with Isaiah. It's just too cute. Little Chase, our 2 year old, loved to sing. But he was very much a boy and would tighten up his fists and shout the words at certain points in the song. This is a tired version, but still adorable. Enjoy. Also! Click on the title of this blog entry to go see more pictures of Croatia.