Playin' In Playa!

Mere & Carter!

The Rife's!

Me & Meg!

The whole gang!

Our exercise for the day!

My beautiful Mom and handsome Dad!

Just the kids!

Sisters!

Still having fun!

Nice background!

Pool Time!

Fun in the Sun!

What we do best...Eat!

Yep, that's me!

Can't have too many family pics!

Team #1!

Team #2!

After a sweet time of prayer!

What a trio!

Si! Si! Si!

A great experience!

You'll Come!

Staring at a plate in my kitchen this morning. It reads, "The Mighty Deliver! The Triumph! The Truth! Lyrics from a worship song entitled "You'll Come!" Chains will be broken. Lives will be healed. Eyes will be opened and Christ will be revealed. He will come! Just thinking about the power of Christ being my Deliverer, my Triumph, and my Truth. Thank You Lord. I may have no idea what my life is going to look like, but You do. Thank You for always seeing me through, for Your unending faithfulness, for Your victory, for being Truth. Life with You is a mystery but so worth it! I love not being able to figure it out but knowing with all my heart that You are good. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You" (Psalm 139-7-12).

In Christ Alone!

Just a song that I have been listening to over and over again this week, but it is so much more than a song...

In Christ Alone
My hope is found
He is my Light, my Stength, my Song
This Cornerstore
This Solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love
What depths of peace
When fears are still
When striving cease
My Comforter
My All in All
Here in the love of Christ
I stand

In Christ Alone
Who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of Love and Righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross
As Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the depths of Christ
I live

There in the ground
His body lay
Light of the world
The darkness slain
Then bursting forth
In glorious day
Up from the grave
He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin has lost its grip on me
For I am His
And He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life
No fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry
To final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell
No scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Til he returns
Or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ
I stand


Thank You Lord for the victory we have in You! Thank You that nothing can separate us from Your love. Thank You that when we draw near to You, You draw near to us. Thank You that we can rest in Your destiny for our lives, because it's good. Your heart for Your children is always good. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing that You are God and You are in control. Thank You for taking on the sin of the world and for making us righteous. By Your wounds, we are healed. Without Your gift of love on the cross, we could not stand in victory. Thank You for dying, for resurrecting on the third day, and for that same victory and power that You give Your children. You alone are our All in All. On You alone can we stand!

Paradise!

We made it safe and sound! Thank You Lord! I have been looking forward to this vacation for some time now, and we are finally here in Paradise! Woohoo! Mere and I had a late night before we left yesterday. We were up until 2:45 a.m. packing and talking. Nevertheless, when the alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., I popped out of my bed and thanked God for the opportunity to get away! At this moment, we are still waiting for Meg, Ron, and Rhonda to arrive. They will be in later tonight, but for now... it's just the five of us. This morning I woke up to Carter knocking at our door. What a pleasant surprise! I love Carter Rife. Have I mentioned that? He brought my sister a precious card this morning, lingered in our room for a bit, and we just talked. Sweet times. Then we headed upstairs to breakfast. Delicious and healthy! Mom and I worked out this morning, then Dad joined us. Mere and Carter are in a hammock reading their books. The day is off to a great start! Before I go, I want to leave you with something I was reading yesterday and thinking about this morning...."It is exactly that "moment by moment" every waking moment, surrender, responsiveness, obedience, sensitivity, pliability, "lost in His love," that I now have the mind-bent to explore with all my might, to respond to Jesus Christ as a violin responds to the bow of the master. In defense of opening my soul and laying it bare to the public gaze in this fashion, I may say that it seems to me that we really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences of our souls in this way. It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions and concealment of the best in me is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking "small talk" whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me, I am convinced that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinitely worthwhile, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen..." (Frank Laubach). To me, paradise is surrounding myself with the best, so that the best comes out...being with my family and friends, enjoying the beauty of His creation, laughing so hard it hurts, a great conversation, time to be still and quiet, time to play, all the while actively engaging His presence (because He is here)...Jesus, You are the best thing in me and worth it all! Because Your love is better than life, I will praise You. I will praise You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in prayer to Your name.

Got Water?

It's a long process, but I am doing it. I am getting back in shape! It feels so good. I have been working on it for some time now, but it is becoming a priority again. This morning I was thinking about the importance of water, how much I need it, how I crave it, how it sustains me, how it refreshes me, how it fills me. Then, I thought about Jesus...THE LIVING WATER. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Jesus, may the vision of You be the death of me! Keep awakening what is inside of me. Tune my heart to all You are in me. I don't want to live anything less than Your very best for my life. I've made a million mistakes, and I know I will make more. Thank You for loving me in the midst of failure and for being my Victory. One step at a time, one day at a time...I run to You! Just as nothing satisfies me more than water after a morning run, nothing in this life satisfies me more than You.