Last weekend I was able to head south with the family to Seaside, Oregon, well, actually Gearhart, Oregon to speak at a “Beach Retreat” for Westwood Baptist church of Olympia.

The trip was a blessing on a few different fronts…

Will was SLIGHTLY fearful of the crashing waves.

1. I got to take my family.  Though I came in to the trip pretty blitzed, coming off a six-weekend stretch of YMV Spring Retreat weekends and the writing completion of three books for this summer’s YMV’s, I was so very thankful to have time with my family.  On Sunday afternoon we were able to go to the beach for a few minutes, where we discovered that Will was more fearful of the water than I am of my daughter’s being asked out on a date.  After the beach (because it was cold and Elisabeth and Will were not all the happy at the beach) we quickly jetted off to downtown Seaside.  Here we did the sights and sounds

The Girls loved the beach!

of Seaside, complete with homemade ice cream and witnessing people eat deep fried tweenkies and chocolate covered bacon (yes, you read that correctly).  The afternoon became complete for the girls when we dropped off Will and Elisabeth (nap time… I think for both) and we went back to the beach.

2. The weekend was a blessing because I got to teach something fresh.  After six weeks of teaching the same thing, though I was stoked about the “Live and Love Loudly” talks, it was a real nice thing to go through 1 Thessalonians.  What’s nice, is that it provided the groundwork for the talks I will be doing this summer when I speak for the Colorado Baptist Convention (doing two camps out in CO this summer).  If you have not read 1 Thessalonians, I highly suggest you do!  The people of Thessalonica are an encouragement to me (as they obviously were to Paul).  I see so many teens today living like the Thessalonians and I pray, just like Paul did, that their faith would ring out throughout their Macedonia and Achaia (their region)!  Can’t wait to study more and preach it more this summer!

Here’s to a weekend at home!  It will truly be a welcomed blessing!

Grace,
Brian