Summer is boring. 

• I love the rain, and this drought just isn’t giving us much.  Also, the magnolia tree that we’ve transplanted into our yard is struggling.
• I’m only taking one class this summer.  It meets one Saturday each month this summer.  It gives me a lot of time to procrastinate in between sessions.
• I’m only allowed to work 20 hours a week as a Graduate Assistant.  I wish I could work more.  I have a lot of work to do and it makes it feel like I’m taking many different classes since I am editing class films.
• I’m realizing how much of an emotional eater I am.  I eat when I get bored.  Specifically, I eat sweets.  The pan of brownies we made on Monday hardly made it to Wednesday.  I forced myself to stop eating so Sarah could have some.  I need to lose weight.
• I still don’t have a computer.  I have to wait till I go to work to check email.  I can blog and surf the Internet while I have a video capturing on the other computer.
• I’m not going to Honduras this summer.  That’s difficult for me.  I keep my car windows down in the heat and I smell every diesel that goes by, pretending for a moment that I am descending on a winding mountain road, progressing toward Playa Grande on the Pacific Coast.

On the other hand, I enjoy summer.

• I have plenty of time to play with my dog.
• I grilled out on Tuesday.  We invited Jacob (Sarah’s eldest brother) over for it.  I grilled burgers and hot dogs.  I also sauteed mushrooms for the burgers.  Sarah heated up some baked beans and made chili for the dogs.  It was very relaxing.
• I’m eager to get some patio furniture so I can sit outside.
• Our landlord has a garden next to our yard.  They gave us an enormous zucchini.  I think I’ll try to grill it soon.
• I have plenty of time to read (It’ll be even better when I get some patio furniture).

And on another note.

• I’ve given two homeless people rides this month.
• I’m not saying this to blow my own horn by any means.  I hope to encourage you to not be afraid.
• We hear horror stories that keep us from picking up those in need.  But that is really just our selfishness.
• Before I picked up the individual on each occasion, I quickly asked my Father in Heaven, who knows all things, whether to take the person and whether I would be safe.
• Each time I was told (not audibly, but the message was definitely given to me) that it would be fine.  Also, what does it matter if they tried to steal from me or something like that.  All that I have was given to me by God, so I cannot fear losing things.  That fear only prohibits me from being used by God to help those in need whom I do not know.
• The first time I was kind of afraid.  I actually think the woman might have been a prostitute.  I was pondering that all day afterwards.
• The second time I was confident in the Lord’s purposes.  I spoke to the man about church (he even brought it up).  He said he didn’t think tithing is scriptural so he stopped going to each church that he had tried.  I told him my thoughts on it and he seemed to agree (at least in order to be polite).  Then I invited him to my church since he seemed to have transportation to get there (he recently stopped going to Newspring just down the road from us).  I wrote down my name, my church’s name, its address and phone number.  I don’t know if he will ever come.  But I invited him, and told him of God’s grace.  I was happy the rest of the day.
• Again, I say this not to speak of anything good which I myself have done.  These are two instances which I heeded the call of God to love; the first of which I was scared and didn’t really say anything.  There are countless instances in which I ignored that call.  But God is graceful to me.  He longs to use His beloved in order to reach that which is lost.