I suppose a post is in order!

I suppose I should start this post with an apology to all of you that enjoy reading my ramblings, for the lack of rambling that has taken place over the past several months. I could offer many excuses such as, the summer has been crazy busy, the Beach Beauty's laptop has been and still is out of commission, or there have been way to many fish to catch and not enough time to write a post. However I feel it is best to just say, "I haven't written a post, and now I am, so I'm sorry if you have been sitting by your computer anxiously awaiting a post, and I have failed to give it to you."

OK, now that the formalities are over, I thought I would just spend a few moments updating everyone on the happenings of this summer, that has flown by far too quickly.

It seems that as a minister, the summer time is the busiest time of year. With Sports camps, mission trips, vacations, visitors, picnics, end of school events, school kick off events, planning, reflecting, it all just seems to take all the time out of the summer, and one day you wake up, and it's all over, and the school year has begun once again.

I must say, most of my summer has been a blur, so many things taking place. However, with that being said, there are some wonderful gems from this summer, that God has used to change my life forever.

I want to start with a reference to one of my last posts. If you have been keeping up to date with my blog, then you know that at the start of the summer I made a huge life change. I willing walked away from eating pork, due to a study I had done on the Levitical law. God convicted me about my eating habits, and more importantly on the over indulgence issues that I struggle with. Well, I am happy to say that with the exception of one week, I have been "pork free" since the day I made my last post. I have found that while I am not eating pork, and I really miss it from time to time, mainly when wanting to eat pizza, or smelling a rack of ribs on the Bar-B-Que, I have felt so much better.

Now you may be asking, "why was there one week that you ate pork?" That question leads to me to another wonderful, life changing event from this summer. In late August, I was given the opportunity to leave the land that I love, fly over a portion of the Atlantic Ocean, and minister in a medium sized city in Ceara, Brazil. I spent 9 days ministering with these people, sharing the Love of God with them. I will be preparing a post that will be fully dedicated to the work of God in Brazil, and the work He has begun in me through that experience.

This summer has proven to be life changing. God is speaking, God is working, God is ministering, and God is Amazing. I can't stop talking about how He has worked in my life. I look forward to moments when I can share with someone the way God has revealed Himself to me each day. There are so many wow moments that have taken place that I can't even begin to count them. And here is what is so interesting about each of them... are you ready... this is really going to blow your socks off... here it is, God speaks when you are least expecting it, He speaks in a still small voice, and yet when you are ready to hear He is loud and clear. Let's just say that God placed me in a position this summer where I was ready to hear from Him, and the speaking that He has done has changed my life. I am sure I will post in greater detail in the near future, as I am able to compose my thoughts into complete, logical sentences.

I hope that this post has not been too much of tease. As I have time, I will be telling you more about my trip to Brazil, and the wonderful things that God is showing me. My prayer is that through all of these posts, you will see beyond the "Beach Bum" that is writing these words, and see God glorified and lifted up as the author of this life.

Until next time I wish you,
Clear skies, high surf, and sandy feet!!