in september we went for a saturday family bike ride along the buffalo bayou.
we started with family brunch then hit the trail.
it was a sweltering end of summer day. evan led the way pulling mae in the trailer behind him, followed by adelaide, then graham, and finally me. since graham still utilizes training wheels i was cheering/shouting at him to keep his speed up along a bridge which he did well. he made it up the incline without problem but as he began the descent his bike chain came off. his breaks wouldn't work.
i watched helpless from behind him as he went off the end of the bridge, past the trail we were supposed to turn on to, and skidded through the grassy area that was the only thing left separating him from the speedy oncoming traffic of allen parkway. i yelled as he dragged his foot with all his might not seeming to even slow down until he came to an abrupt halt within one foot of the road. i have no doubt God helped him stop in some way that day. and i continue to give thanks. and we share this story with grateful hearts.
in october we went to sukkot (hebrew for feast of booths).
we slept in a field of tents with others celebrating God's mercy through Jesus.
the hosts of the weekend celebration described it well-
the feast of booths was celebrated so that the children of God would remember that God brought them out of bondage in egypt and delivered them to the promised land. while they were on the journey from egypt they lived in tents/booths, so the Lord created this feast so that every year they would travel back to jerusalem and stay in tents again while celebrating and remembering what God had done. now the law has been fulfilled, but we are still celebrating what God has done for us in Jesus on the cross. we too are journeying toward glory, as this world is not our home. as we stop to celebrate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, dwell in our tents and feast, may we remember he has delivered us from sin and secured our inheritance in glory. may we come together as a family to share our rich legacy and proclaim his excellence.
it was a special weekend of much celebration and feasting with others journeying with us. one of my favorite times during it was when we stopped and prayed boldly for God's blessing over each of our children. we also listened to one another share stories of God's faithfulness in our lives. there were many moments i will remember from this, including graham sharing God's protection over his life on our bike ride those weeks earlier. God used the bike riding weekend and the festival weekend alike to remind me how important it is to acknowledge and speak of all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do.
"The Lord is our God. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your should and with all your might. These words shall be on your heart. Teach them diligently to your children and talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk and when you lie down and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:4-7
"...proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness
and into his marvelous light." I Peter 2:9b
