This post was started over a week ago when I was still in Florida. Coming back to Massachusetts and a rather unusual work schedule has made it hard to write.
One of the things I was most concerned with when I went to Florida for National Youth Convention/ Fine Arts was that I would lose the rhythm of the sacred office I practice. Honestly, I did not run into any trouble keeping the office until I came back. I expected coming back would be a piece of cake. I thought I would simply resume my old schedule which was pretty well established before I left. That did not happen. I will have to meditate on that and write more about it in the future.
For now, I am just looking back with fondness on those days in Florida in which keeping my sacred rhythm was surprisingly easy. I finished THE HIDING PLACE, by Corrie TenBoom and started this book by Joseph Castleberry on Wednesday and Thursday.
Amanda and I had an opportunity for an early lunch on Wednesday while Sadie and James went to the lazy river at our resort. We had fun taking pictures with Amanda scowling all week long. I will post this photo series we entitled “MURDERY ‘MANDA” at a later date. It started because I got a candid shot of her waiting in a long registration line at Fine Arts festival at the beginning of the week, and so we decided to make a series out of it.
Here is Sadie doing her best impression of Pennywise. Of course she had no idea who Pennywise was, this is just her looking “friendly”.
On Thursday we took the kids to Universal Studios.
While they road rides and shopped.I took some time to cool off in a shaded area of a cafe and pray the twelve o’clock prayer.
Today started out in prayer. I was up as usual by about 3 A.M. and did my private prayer time and then joined in online with our churches Tuesday Jesus 45 prayer meeting from 6-6:45 A.M.
Normally I run this meeting, but for the next three meetings Deacon Jody Clapp will be filling in for me and I will just attend remotely.
I watched the sunrise from my balcony in Florida as we prayed together.
After prayer it was breakfast and then morning devotionals with Pastor Amanda , James and Sadie, the teenagers who are competing in the National Fine Arts portion of the convention.
We are reading from Psalm 119 this week. Here is the portion we read and prayed over today:
We left by 9 A.M. for the OCCC (Orange County Convention Center) and spent the day there to watch James’ and Sadie’s performances and to peruse the other portions of the show and exhibit halls.
Here is some of the artwork from the festival. All of this is done by teenagers.