Trip to Tahsis

On Saturday we took a trip into Tahsis to do something different.  It's a small community that used to be up around 2,000 people until the mill closed down quite a few years ago and now it's 200-300 people left.  We went to two of the three restaurants in town, one great, the second one we decided to order ice cream after looking at the menu (ice cream was great though!), and the third restaurant was a part of the grocery/liquor store!  We had a great afternoon bowling, swimming in the pool, and just goofing around in the town.  We need to go back at least once more to check out the "free store" and visit the town dump to see bears.

Jellyfish!

We touched our first live starfish - prickly

I beat Julia by 5 points

Salmon Berries - quite good

The girls have done great sharing a room! 

Hot Dog Roast!

I've been reflecting on the book of Ephesians quite a bit during my sabbatical - in an earlier post, I listed all the things Christ has done for me, which I'll list again:

• blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ
• chose us to be holy and blameless
• predestined us to be adopted as his sons
• redemption through his blood 
• forgiveness of sins
• made known to us the mystery of his will
• marked in him with a seal the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
• made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions
• God’s workmanship
• brought near to God through the blood of Christ
• access to the Father
• no longer foreigners and aliens

In light of what Christ has done for us, this is how we should live:

• humble and gentle
• patient and bearing with another in love
• make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
• speak the truth in love
• put off our old selves and put on the new
• put off falsehood
• do not let the sun go down while you are still angry
• steal no longer but work
• do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths
• get rid off bitterness, range and anger, brawling and slander
• be kind and compassionate
• forgive one another
• live a life of love
• no sexual immorality or greed
• make the most of every opportunity
• do not get drunk on wine
• sing and make music in you heart to the Lord
• always give thanks to God the father
• submit to one another

What a list!  Again I am struck by the realization that it is only through Christ living in me that I could begin to live like that - when I surrender to him, a joy-filled abundant life is mine in return.