Simplicity.

So, I know it's technically a new weekend, but I've been meaning to get on here and reflect on last weekend for 5 days now. So, here goes:
Last Saturday, our little family packed up and headed to Port O'Connor. I posted about visiting this small, Texas town last year. (You can read about it here.) This time in Port O'Connor, though, there wasn't a family reunion complete with sea fishing. But, there was a new thing that Dave has always wanted to do. Dave spoke at his Uncle's church. --Dave played preacher, and he loved it. It was such a humbling experience for me, though. I've gotta tell ya, I sorta felt like a preacher's wife. I sat in the small church, called The Fisherman's chapel, feeling under the weather, I fiercely blew my nose, while waiting for Dave to cue me to switch power point slides, all the while listening and wondering how the message (that God gave Dave) would be recieved. I felt meek, but content.
Although we were only in the small fishing town of Port O'Connor for 2 half days, it felt like a lot longer. Why? In order for anyone else to understand what I mean, I'll have to explain the landscape. Dave's uncle lives in a large parsonage that is located one small yard away from the church that Dave's uncle, Erny, pastors. The house has an upstairs that Erny and his wife, Joanie live in, and two downstairs apartments for relatives and guests to stay/live in. The church and parsonage are only 2 blocks from a quiet beach and peir. In fact, all restaurants and convenience stores are about a 2 minute drive away. --This to me equaled sweet serenity.
On Sunday morning, the girls, Dave and I woke up leisurely, got cleaned up, dressed, had breakfast as a family, and we still got to church early. There's just something so fulfilling about going to church nix traffic, long driving times, breakfast in the car, and the hustle and bustle of getting out of our house by 8:25 a.m. on a Sunday. But, don't get me wrong, Dave and I LOVE our church, and, feel very called to continue doing what we're doing, because I know that the long drive times, hurried early morning traffic and morning chaos isn't due to where our church is located; it's because we live in a Houston Suburb. It's how life is here. I guess I'm still not used to it. But, I know God called us here, to Missouri City, to this house, to this church, to our jobs for a specific purpose. And I am thankful for all them. I'm just not so thankful for the craziness (or the heat).
In Richard J. Foster's book, "Celebration of Discipline", Foster speaks about the value of simplicity by saying,
"The Spiritual Discipline of simplicity sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not ours to keep and can be freely shared with others. Once we recognize that the Bible denounces the materialist and the ascetic with equal vigor, we are prepared to turn our attention to the framing of a Christian understanding of simplicity."These days, I long for simplicity. Not a lack of hard work and diligence, but just an ease to our chaotic existence. But how do I do that? God called us to this here and now. I guess I'll just have to keep my attitude positive and take the long drives, and crazy hectic daily activities with as much simplicity as possible. If you keep reading Foster's book, he also says "Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it takes precedence over seeking the kingdom." So, I'll do my best to shy away from idolizing the lifestyle of people who walk to church. But, maybe someday, when Dave and I have retired, we'll be living in something other than the fast lane, enjoying nature, good books, and the blogs of our kids and grand kids. We'll probably also reflect on the "good ole days" of whizzing from place to place, never having time to complete the laundry, dishes or  a sentence. We might even miss it. But, hopefully we'll choose to be content, as I am striving to be even now.

Okay, enough already. Here are some pics from our weekend:

God Bless! -Amber