We were told by a certain www.weather.com that the Seattle temps would be in the 60's all week. WRONG. Mid-40's and rainy. Couple that with living in a basement and it was straight up cold. Dan had to buy extra pajama pants for the occasion. (Don't let that fool you. He would've wanted them anyway and has worn them every night we've been home...in our heat-rises, muggy, third floor apartment.)
Despite the rain, wind and cloudy skies, we made it out to Seattle for an afternoon. Other than that, we laid low in Poulsbo, went running, ate donuts, drank Americano, watched Cosby and enjoyed being together as a ten-person family for the first time since December 2007. (Oh, in my heart-0f-hearts I don't want the Brewhas to go back!)
I'm at work now, so my picture post is limited. I stole these from my sister's blog (www.brewhas.blogspot.com). When I get home and can devote a post to the trip, there will be pictures galore! For now though, a sneak peak...
The bread was seriously shaped like sunglasses
Nate & Mercy while we waited for the ferry to Bainbridge Island
Immel gals!
"Mer-cy! Front and center!"
I've been pretty down about leaving the fam and my devotions this morning were on sorrow. Hm. How fitting...
"When sorrow comes under the power of divine grace, it works out a manifold ministry in our lives. Sorrow reveals unknown depths in the soul, and unknown capabilities of experience and service. Sorrow is God's plowshare that turns up and subsoils the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. If we had never fallen, or were in a glorified state, then the strong torrents of divine joy would be the normal force to open up all our souls' capacities; but in a fallen world, sorrow, with despair taken out of it, is the chosen power to reveal ourselves to ourselves. Hence it is sorrow that makes us think deeply, long, and soberly.
Sorrow makes us go slower and more considerately, and introspect our motives and dispositions. It is sorrow that opens up within us the capacities of the heavenly life, and it is sorrow that makes us willing to launch our capacities on a boundless sea of service for God and our fellows.
God never uses anybody to a large degree, until after He breaks that one all to pieces. Joseph had more sorrow than all the other sons of Jacob, and it led him out into a ministry of bread for all nations. It takes sorrow to widen the soul.
Every person and every nation must take lessons in God's school of adversity. We can say, 'Blessed is night, for it reveals to us the stars.' In the same way we can say, 'Blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God's comfort.'"
"When sorrow comes under the power of divine grace, it works out a manifold ministry in our lives. Sorrow reveals unknown depths in the soul, and unknown capabilities of experience and service. Sorrow is God's plowshare that turns up and subsoils the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. If we had never fallen, or were in a glorified state, then the strong torrents of divine joy would be the normal force to open up all our souls' capacities; but in a fallen world, sorrow, with despair taken out of it, is the chosen power to reveal ourselves to ourselves. Hence it is sorrow that makes us think deeply, long, and soberly.
Sorrow makes us go slower and more considerately, and introspect our motives and dispositions. It is sorrow that opens up within us the capacities of the heavenly life, and it is sorrow that makes us willing to launch our capacities on a boundless sea of service for God and our fellows.
God never uses anybody to a large degree, until after He breaks that one all to pieces. Joseph had more sorrow than all the other sons of Jacob, and it led him out into a ministry of bread for all nations. It takes sorrow to widen the soul.
Every person and every nation must take lessons in God's school of adversity. We can say, 'Blessed is night, for it reveals to us the stars.' In the same way we can say, 'Blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God's comfort.'"
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