Church retreat

  I mentioned that over the weekend we were out of town on our church retreat.  We stay at this fun place in Aptos, just south of Santa Cruz.  The traffic is horrendous on a friday evening, but  it's so worth it!  This is our 2nd time going and as always it was a wonderful weekend.

    We stayed in a condo with one other family, but there were so many families there that we are close with that there was always extra children in ours or some of ours off in someone else's condo.  The kids have a blast and get way exhausted, as do the adults who stay up way too late both nights playing music trivia or The Game.  Nothing that a 2 hour nap once you get home (and before you unload the car) can't fix.  This is how memories are made!

  This is the view from the property.  Rio Del Mar beach below us.  The theme of the weekend was Heaven is real, God is good.  I mean, c'mon!!  Easy to believe when you're here.

  Saturday morning after our first session we took the kids to the beach just for a little bit before heading up to the pool for Calvin's pool party.  Why is she SO grown up?

   Sunday morning before we left we got one last beach session in.  It was freezing and windy, but it didn't stop the kids from playing in the water!

   Notice the moms' beach attire.  It was COLD!

  I am still digesting and want to study more what we learned over the weekend.  The speaker, Chip Ingram, talked about the reality of Heaven.  How Jesus has prepared a place, an actual place, for us there.  There are many common misconceptions of Heaven...floating, eternal church service, clouds, etc.  We do know for sure that this place is for anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus.  For those who know that they cannot do this life on their own.  That there are not enough good things you can do, money you can give, love you can have, or things you can learn that will save you from your humanity.  Heaven is for you!

  Once Jesus ushers in the New Earth, he thinks that Heaven will be a place much like Eden--a perfect environment, with a tree of life, rivers, trees, food, animals, harmony, no death, no shame, no curse, no sin, no sorrow, no pain, meaningful work to accomplish, and intimacy with God and people.  I don't know about you, but this sounds amazing and my mind can't even fully comprehend the goodness that all of that is.  I am thankful, however, for the small glimpses that God gives of heaven on earth.  I get to see it in my family, my relationships, nature, art, and our living, breathing bodies.

  For more information, here are some links he shared with us:

The Real Heaven by Chip Ingram

Heaven by Randy Alcorn