Shelly Beach

Shelly Beach: [shel-ee beech] – noun

1. The part of the shore abounding in the outer coverings of sea animals.
2. A cove where the entire beach is covered completely with shells.
3. The most amazing thing Alicia has seen in a while.

This is Shelly Beach.

Tayla resting from collecting shells

Kaylin with his shells

All unique and beautiful

Surrounded by shells

I kept telling Tayla and Kaylin how spoiled they are to live in New Zealand. In California, you rarely find shells on a beach. If you are lucky enough to find even a half of one, you keep it, because it is precious. I couldn't fathom there ever being this many shells in one place at a time. You know that verse in the Bible where God promises Abraham that his descendants will be more numerous than the sand or the stars in the sky? I thought to myself, "I wonder if God meant to include shells in his promise, too... There must be BILLIONS of them here!!" It was amazing, and I must admit that I felt God's presence there amongst all the tiny shells.

:)

Waitangi Day

Today is Waitangi Day - the day in 1840 when the British and Maori signed a treaty concerning the sovereignty and land rights of both parties in New Zealand (for more information on the history of the Treaty, click here). To commemorate the occasion, we hiked up the Mount at 5:30am and participated in a gathering that included a short church service, speeches from local and national government officials, the performing of the haka (war dance), saying karakias (prayers), and singing hymns. It was a beautiful morning and I really enjoyed the experience.

The Maori flag

Hello, God! Nice to see you this morning. :)

Breathtaking, is it not?

One of the many reasons why I love New Zealand.

Maori waka (canoe)

:)

The Force Is Strong In This One...

Another reason why Star Wars is just plain awesome: In 1978 a Japanese tuna company used it to promote their product...

:)

Poem of the Day #9

I remember you
A song on the radio
Awakes memories

:)

Love

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

1 Corinthians 13 - The Message

I'm still learning about what it means to truly love both God and others.

:)

A New Habit?

I ran a couple of miles today. Usually this only happens if I am chasing after a soccer ball or the ice cream truck. That being said, the fact that I ran out of my own will without chasing either of the aforementioned items is a huge accomplishment for me. (Seriously, you have no idea.) But hopefully I can make a habit of it. I must say that running in New Zealand is better than running back home... But that's just because I'm in New Zealand and everything seems better here. At least I am honest about my bias.

:)

Is It Really Summer?

Not if it is POURING HEAPS!!! And you think CA is drowning. HA!

:)