Superior Scribbler!

I have recently been awarded the Superior Scribbler Award by my dear mom, Karen Lange! Check out her blog, Write Now, for good writing, helpful tips, insight, and good stuff in general:-). I don't do it enough, I don't do it with expertise, but writing is one of my passions. Thanks mom!

Two-edged Sword

Ah, how good God is to me. Praise Him for teaching me, being patient, and reminding me to fight with His word! One of the things I took away with me from youth camp was an exhortation to use the words of God to fight the tactics of Satan. Just as Jesus refused to give in to Satan and fought back with the words "it is written" so can I. I'm seeing some of this good fruit today.

Youth Camp and the Kentucky State Fair

This has been a pretty busy week, but a good one. Last weekend I was at a youth camp that the FuGens (Future Generation - my church's youth group) put on. Technically I was "staff" since I am not between the ages of 13 and 21... but at 23 I still had a really good time and got a lot out of it. There were some convicting things in the messages, and I was also encouraged and motivated to seek God. Praise Him. Yesterday I dropped off one drawing and my only watercolor at the Kentucky State Fair for judging. I think they judge them before the fair begins (on Aug 20th) and I have to go to see if I was awarded anything. Fun stuff. I didn't realize how HUGE the Fair and Expo Center is! Fine Arts are in the South Wing A which was gigantic -- and there are two other South Wings plus Freedom Hall, plus I don't know what else. It's pretty cool, and I am looking forward to going to the Fair in the next few days not only to check out the judging on the art but just to look around and see what the fair is all about.

Apart from Me you can do nothing...

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. John 15:4 Just when I needed to see it, this verse pops up in front of me. I wasn't even looking for it.

Scenes from the Gap (no, not the mall)

Here are a couple of snapshots from the trip to Cumberland Gap. I tried to upload more but either my PC is acting funky or I just don't know what I'm doing... You can guess which one is more accurate (hint: the latter choice!). The top photo was taking from Pinnacle Overlook. On a clear day (I was told, and I had to take Mary's word for it) you can actually SEE the view that the handy little info sign shows. It was not a clear day. It was an interesting experience in itself to look out over the railing and know that the mountain goes rolling down and that you are pretty high up there --- all with eerie white clouds closing the view. At times we couldn't even see more than 3 or 5 yards out beyond the overlook. The bottom pic is me showing off our home sweet home. At least that's what we thought at the time. That was before the rain. And the leakage. And the knowledge that out tent was less than camping-worthy... What you can't really see in the picture is the moderate twist our tent was sporting and the fact that we pitched it on a slight hill. Hey, it was my first time camping! I'm blaming it all on Mary ;-). It's pretty funny actually. After Mary turned in for the night I was cleaning up the campsite (with visions of black bears sniffing out my empty Capri Sun pouch), and I noticed the way the tent was...uh, kinda leaning. I tried to kinda straighten it out but made no progress and really didn't feel like trying all that hard. Plus I didn't want to seriously disturb my comrade who was sleeping inside. I did secure the plastic (no, we didn't have a tarp, and no, we didn't secure the plastic correctly) a little more snugly over the top and around the sides so that the leak on Mary's side wouldn't get too bad. All I can do is laugh right here, when I picture the all-out PUDDLES that accumulated after the second night. By the way, no one seems appropriately impressed when I mention that. We opted for Holiday Inn the second night as you know, but left our tent to camp on its own. When we returned to take it down, there were two large puddles, at least an inch deep each, inside on the low side of the tent. Puddles, people!