Water Fun

Swim Lessons at the YMCA

This is the warm water therapy pool. It's only used for classes. Emma and Joanna have their lessons here. Joanna's class sometimes goes to the big pool as well.

Emma is standing out of the pool, hesitating to get in. Her teacher, Ms. Jodelle, the woman in the yellow shirt, is very friendly and helpful. She's got three little girls in her class and she's mostly just getting them used to the water.

Joanna is in the corner of the pool with the other class. Her teacher, Mr. Andrew, left for boot camp last week. We were sorry to see him go. He had wonderful enthusiasm! Joanna has done so well that she's skipping the next class level.

This pool is called the family fun pool. Ethan likes to play here.

This is the other end of the Family Fun Pool. It has a lazy river, a whirlpool, and a slide.

Here's the lap pool. Lacy and Jordan are in class here. You can see Lacy on the kick board by the red lane divider, and Jordan has on dark goggles and his head is near the lifeguard's knee. They are both in the same level, but Lacy will be advancing to the next level this Saturday.

A Life on Truth

Our Sunday School lesson today was on Truth. If we build our life upon truth, we won't get washed away by the storms of life. That's the lesson in a nutshell. But how do we build our life upon truth? That's where it gets tricky.

God's word is truth. God revealed his word through the prophets and in Jesus Christ his son. He reveals his word to us personally through the Holy Spirit. So how do I access the truth? Well, seems I must read my Bible to have access to His Word. I suppose knowing the original languages are the most accurate of the truth, but since I'm not learning Greek and Hebrew anytime soon I'll have to content myself with an English version that may well be slightly skewed. But I trust that in essentials, God has preserved his message for me.

Now that I've decided to read a Bible I can understand, the next step would be to actually read it. Every day preferably. Is there anything that you do without fail every single day? I wake up every day. I brush my teeth at least once. I eat something. I speak to someone. I probably yell every day. Or at least raise my voice. But read the Bible? I don't do this every day. Some things I do every day are automatic, like blinking and breathing. Some have become a habit, like brushing my teeth. Bible reading falls into the habit category.

Good habits are never easy to start. Habits are easier to start when they happen the same time every day. So I am thinking I will start reading my Bible after lunch every day while my kids go to their rooms to read quietly. I should probably force myself to keep my computer off until this has happened. Sometimes I think I should sell my computer. It sucks way too much of my life.

I am writing about living on Truth. I can't only get my truth from the Bible. The Holy Spirit also speaks truth to my heart. How do I hear that? Sounds so mystical. I am not a mystical person. I am actually pretty practical and down to earth. The whole spirit realm, while I believe in it, is very far from my practical reality. The only way I know to hear the Spirit speaking to my spirit is through prayer. Not that the Spirit speaks every time I pray. But the more I pray, the more in tune I am to the Spirit's leading. So when my prayer life falls to pieces, it's like watching an old tv with rabbit ears trying desperately to discern something through white snow. It's difficult and easy to misinterpret.

So my challenge to myself is to start a quiet time. It's something I've tried before. I do good for a while and then slip back into my old ways. This time I'd like to succeed in creating a true habit. You know how icky your mouth feels when you don't brush? It drives you to the bathroom to pick up your toothbrush no matter what else is going on. I want that same icky feeling to accompany not having a quiet time with God. I want to be driven to do it because it makes me feel clean and fresh and holy. I want the absence of it to make me miserable.