We didn’t really get as far away from the city as I would have wanted (probably a 30 minute/one-hour drive was all that was needed), but it’s still great to be separate from the hustle, bustle, and noise that surrounds us just about everyday.

The Lord’s really been amazing, because He not only gave me rest during that time, but He’s also revealed more of Himself to me, and for that, I can be thankful.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” I still can’t believe how any facets of love there are. The love of a parent to a child, of a lover to his/her significant other, of a wife to her husband, the one between friends, and yet God’s love encompasses and surpasses all that. Ours might be imperfect, but His isn’t. Maybe His love overflows to us so we can also love people (or objects, places), but that’s only a small fraction of how much He can give us. The thought is staggering. How can someone who is so perfect, so pure, so holy, choose to love those who are so deprived and filthy? It’s not possible, but for Him it is. It’s hard to put into words how amazing, how loving, how beautiful God is, but He’s not really interested in words anyway. He’s interested in our hearts and in our souls, and if we just choose to follow Him with everything that we are, and say “I love You, Lord. You’re the only One that I will ever need or want,” then He’ll show us more of His wonder.

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Anyway, I wasn’t able to take a lot of pictures during that retreat because my camera batteries are acting up. I’ve got some stills, though, and they’re ok, I guess. I’ll try to post them as soon as I transfer them to my laptop. For those who know me, you’re all aware of my fascination with scenery, so I always end up having pictures of trees, flowers, mountains, the sky, and everything else… except people. Haha! Sorry about that.

Here’s an image I took of the front yard of our house in the province. I used a Kodak digicam. I can’t quite remember what the model was, since it wasn’t mine, and it didn’t really have any of the cool features you can use to enhance your shot (it was one of the first digicams made, I think). Still, I’m pretty happy with this shot. I took it early in the morning (around 7:30 a.m.), for the lighting, and it turned out ok.

Must have something to do with the blueness of the sky.