A Contest

I just entered the drawing for free Horizon products.
The drawing is being held at 5 Minutes for Mom.
We've been using Horizon milk for years, so $300 of Horizon products will definitely help with our grocery bill!

*I know this is stilted, but Blogger wouldn't let me link as I typed without turning everything after my link into part of the link!

Let Your Light Shine

We had an opportunity to see a great fireworks show this July 4th. It wasn't at a city park. It wasn't put on by professionals. We didn't even have to drive anywhere to see it. All we had to do was bring the lawn chairs to my mom's back yard! Some neighbors on the next street over put on an amazing show! This isn't one of those light the firework, run, watch it, wait a minute, set up the next firework deal. They had a whole show with patriotic music, several fireworks at once, and all were one after the other. And it lasted for about 45 minutes. They've been doing this since I was in high school, so they have it all down!

During the show I thought about how much money it must have cost. Thousands of dollars! And here we were enjoying it for free! We were a bit farther away than the paying participants, but we still had a great view. We could even hear the music! We were some of the beneficiaries of their generosity.

As believers we should allow God to shine so spectacularly through us that others will see it and enjoy it! Jesus in us shouldn't be a sparkler to be seen only by us (and maybe others very close to us). He should well up in us like those big beautiful starbursts we witnessed. Our lives should bless others. Even others who are just bystanders, like we were. I want Him to show Himself big and beautiful and powerful in my life! I want others to see Him in me and want to know more.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." ~Matt. 5:16

Summer Nights

Memories of a wonderful summer evening:

*Viewing three planets through a powerful telescope. Venus and Saturn were close in the western sky. And Jupiter was visible in the east. Jack's telescope is so powerful we could see the rings of Saturn, some of Jupiter's moons, and the bands of color on Jupiter.

*Weeding my roses in the dark. It was much cooler than in the daylight hours. And I could fool myself that I had made more progress than I really had.

*Watching the neighbors shoot off fireworks. They must have been having a pre-Independence Day celebration. We saw everything from small ones that stayed on the ground to big, beautiful starbursts high in the air. (These are my favorite.) And when they were finished, the smell of the fireworks lingered in the air, continuing to remind us of the summer celebration.

*Watching my girls play flashlight tag in the front yard. They ran and played with joyful and youthful abandon. And only one minor fall occurred.

*Seeing the beautiful full moon looking bigger than usual. Because of the angle of the moon, it looks large. We've been watching it the past few nights.

*Taking a walk down the street in the dark. The girls found our late-night walk fun and exciting.

*Taking a relaxing shower after we came inside. Faith and Hope also discovered how good a shower feels after you've been sweating in the humidity. (I had to tell Hope to get out so she could go to bed.)

And today I am doubly thankful we seized the evening. Not only do we have some terrific memories, but it has rained steadily throughout the day today and more is predicted for this week, so another such night may not happen again soon. God blessed us with so much! And we took some time last night to enjoy it!