Ola! Howdy Doodie, and Arrivederci!

Greetings Family!

It was great seeing everyone a few weeks ago. So great, that I was fortunate enough to relive some of the experiences with Uncle Gary when I was in Kansas City last week. I truly hope all is well, and wanted to share the link below with everyone. About a month ago, I found a church in St. Louis that I've come to enjoy a good bit. It's non-denominational, and while I would rather hear "Ave Maria", "O Come All Ye Faithful" and even "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by St. Joes' Choir instead of some wanna-be American Idol contestants, I have thoroughly enjoyed the message the church has been preaching. Just last night at church, I was thinking to myself, "Man, I really like what this church has to say, but I'm frustrated with myself for abandoning those teachings the very next day." As bad as it sounds, I just let life get in the way, and I don't hold myself accountable. Well, wouldn't you know it that one of the services this church provides is sending you Text Messages and/or email with verses from The Good Book throughout the week. That wasn't their main message yesterday, and I got a lot more out of it than what I just described. The pastor's main message last night was that while it's good to hone in on the idea of serving God and being a good Christian, it also important not to "blur the peripherals" and toappreciate what God has already given you. In other words, make sure you take time to stop and smell the roses. While I only attended one devotional during my time at Camp Happy Family, I did take the time to sit back and take it all in, and be gracious for all that our Good Lord has blessed us with (right now, I'm blessed with the ability to form an extremely long run-on sentence). So, if you think receiving texts/emails with bible verses may be of interest to you, please sign up for it. Also, if you have any interest in listening to any of the messages, you can sign up for their podcast at http://www.wcrossing.org/podcasts/.

www.wcrossing.org/readit

Take Care, GO COCKS, and most importantly, "HAPPY FAMILY!!!!"

Blair

Shropshire, Smedile, Fulnecky Family Reunion 8/28/10-9/4/10

The weather was... Perfect-despite Earl coming, nothing but sunshine on Sullivan's Island!

Our favorite adventures...completing 2 puzzles, one long Monopoly game, morning devotionals on the beach, countless runs around the island, delicious diet-busting cuisine, USC's blowout victory over Southern Miss, and one hippie filled concert that reminded us it's all about "peace" and "love"-what a week!

Great restaurants we discovered...Our own (thanks for the grill!)

Other thoughts to share...Perfect old-fashioned week at the beach-leave the Blackberries on the table and please NEVER add wireless to this house!



Above is the guest book entry that Cassie left to describe our Camp Happy Family week on Sullivan's Island! I think it's safe to say, it was a FANTASTIC week! I've found myself telling all who ask how my vacation was that it was the best family vacation we've ever had! I can't imagine what could have made it better other than Tom being with us, of course! :) There's always next year!

I don't know about y'all, but the part of the vacation that I will always remember is our time out on the beach in the morning for our morning devotionals! Through our time together on those mornings, we got to know each other in a different way...on a spiritual level. It gave us perspective and reminded us of what is truly important in this life. I've been reminded of our discussions several times since coming home. I thought about our discussion on worry this past Sunday at church. The teaching was on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. Two verses hit home and made me think about that morning where we talked about worry...

v.18 "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

v. 21 "For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith."

I think there are so many times when I look at my life and the path that I've taken and think..."This is crazy! What am I doing? This doesn't make sense!" It doesn't make sense to me that I'm not married and raising a family right now. It doesn't make sense to me that one of my best friends decided to jump off a bridge one New Years Eve night. It doesn't make sense to me that this country is in the economic and political turmoil that it is right now. And don't even get me started on the current administration...

It also doesn't make sense to me that after all the times in my life when I've turned away from God and chosen to take my own path, that He continues to forgive me and bless me with an incredible family, wonderful friends, the world's best dog, an incredible job and more.

There are many who think our beliefs are foolish...and sometimes I think even we as Christians might think the same thing. Can we even comprehend the gravity of the sacrifice He made on the cross? Does it make any sense to you that a man was nailed to a cross almost 2000 years ago because He knew that you and I would need to be saved from the wrath of an angry God today? But in v. 21, it says that "it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith." The very idea that God would send His only Son to save us from sin is ridiculous. Who are we?

And yet, if God knew back then that we needed a Savior, why do we worry today about the little things that happen in our lives? Are we focused on the plan we've set out for ourselves and how we can fit God into that plan? Or are we focused on the plan that God has for us and how we can follow it?

There are a lot of things in this world that don't make sense to us and I don't think they are supposed to. I think when things come our way that seem foolish, it's a test of faith to see if we can trust in His plan and live in confidence that everything will work out.