Quite the Adventure

I have been quiet for quite some time now but with good reason.  This summer has been a journey.  My family and I traveled to ten states, 5 national parks, and logged nearly 9,000 miles.  We hiked and camped and visited special friends, and hiked and camped and visited family, and hiked and camped and hiked some more.  My feet are still recovering from all the miles they logged on their own.  

This trip was the inaugural  trip for a little camper trailer Ken and I are building.  It was all ready to go except for the cabinets, which worked out well because I finally know what I want as far as all the storage areas go.    We slept really well- the only problem was when our air mattress gave up on us, but we replaced it with some very thick foam and found our only trouble was we were too comfortable and slept in a lot.

Building the bed and under-bench storage.

Our Wee bit of a trailer- 6 feet wide x 12 feet long and tall enough for
  everyone but our over six foot son to stand in.  

Storage shelf across the back came in very handy.

And the journey begins:

An old wagon at a historic camp in Utah near Flaming Gorge- it had a stove inside,
but we decided we liked our mode of travel better.

Birding in the Grand Tetons

Being photo bombed by number one son in Yellowstone

The whole family joined up at Yellowstone

Seattle greeted us with fanfare

Birding on the Oregon Coast

I love the Redwoods

Number two son actually looks small for a change

cousins near my favorite place on earth- a little spot in Oregon on the Rogue River

Crater Lake, Oregon

More family joined us on the trails at Crater Lake

A glimpse of my galley kitchen that needs cupboards

One of many Oregon waterfalls we hiked to see.

One happy Oregon girl back home again.

On top of MacKenzie Pass Lava field near Sisters. Or.

Ken's sister joined us camping too.


That is a glimpse of my summer.  I have just a few hundred photos to sort through and I am sure to share more in the months to come.  Now it is back to life in Texas- another school year has begun whether I am ready for it or not.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:13-15
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. (NASB)

I find it interesting to note that the Lord Himself put on the breastplate of righteousness. (Isaiah 59:17)  The breastplate is the piece of armor that protects the vital organs, most importantly, the heart.  How important then it is for us to put on this piece of armor.

So how would you define righteousness?  Webster's defines it as "acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin."  Is it our behavior?  Or is there more to it than that?  1 Corinthians 1:30 states that Jesus became righteousness to us, among other things.  Romans 3:10 says. "There is none righteous, not even one."  And 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (Jesus)

So righteousness is not only our behavior, but something that we who are in Christ possess, something we become.  How very cool is that!  The breastplate we wear is not forged by our own hands, not by our works of righteousness, but Christ's redeeming work on the cross.  I had not thought of righteousness in those terms before.  Yes, there is much work that I can do everyday to protect my heart.  I need to chose to live according to God's ways.  I do not want to have a zeal for God but not for His righteousness.  Romans 10:1-3 contains such a sad commentary from Paul when he states, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them (Jews who are lost) is for their salvation.  For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.  For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."  It is vital for my heart that I submit myself to the righteousness of God.  Remember back to my post at the beginning of this series: The Armor of God?  Oh how Satan would love for us to take charge of our own lives- to be our own master.  He would love for us to set up our own rules and regulations to follow, especially if they get in the way of submitting to God.  But righteousness in my own eyes is not Righteousness and will not protect me from those flaming arrows aimed at my heart.  In this is a reminder for the daily submitting of my own will to the One who is my righteousness.

Blessings!
Deb

Girding Your Loins with Truth

Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH.
Ephesians 6:14a, NASB

Truth.  What is truth?  Isn't that one of the questions of the day?  Remember at the beginning of this series when I mentioned the tactics that the devil uses.  He is the father of lies.  Is it any wonder that one of his methods is to try to muddle the truth- to get us to question whether or not God really said something.  In contrast, Jesus said the He is the Truth.  I am once again reminded how important it is to know and study the book God has given us.  We need to be lovers of truth.  We need to know that truth so well that Satan is not able to trick us with his lies.

So what does it mean to gird up our loins with truth?  Other translations refer to this as the belt of truth, but in my research I have come to prefer the image of girding our loins.  I was fascinated to learn that this was something that was done before engaging in anything strenuous and physical, such as going into battle.  The photo I found is actually of a woman who has "girt her loins" as an aide in doing her labor.  Can you imagine trying to carry that load and manage a long skirt about your ankles.  By girding her loins she has her hands free to carry even more, rather than needing them to deal with her skirts as she walks. 

This girding up of your loins was more than simply tucking the long fabric of your robe into a belt.  The fabric of the knee length tunic was pulled up in front until it reached your upper thigh and collecting the extra material in the front-so that the back of your tunic was snug against your backside.  Next, you would tuck the extra material in front between your legs and gather it behind you.  Then you divide the material evenly on each side of your back and wrap each side around your waist, tying it together in the front.  Now you were ready for battle with your robes tucked neatly out of the way.  Girding you loins has come to mean "to get yourself ready for battle," and now it makes sense to me.

It is the Truth that will keep us from stumbling as we engage in this spiritual battle.  Before we can do anything else we have to make sure we have prepared ourselves, we have girded our loins.  The rest of the armor won't do us much good if we are tripping and stumbling because we have not taken this very first step.

I had the honor of sitting under a pastor for many years who often reminded us that those whose work is to identify counterfeit money spend their time studying the real thing, not the counterfeit.  They have to know the real thing so well that they easily recognize the counterfeit.  I recently read an article about that whole process, and it confirmed this idea.  This idea is vital for us as we contemplate girding our loins with truth.  From the beginning Satan has been at work trying to twist the truth, sometimes with very bold, blatant lies, and at other times just ever so slightly.  Praise God, He has provided us with what we need to counter these attacks.

Blessings,
Deb