Summer Thanks from Iowa

Technology continues to amaze me.  Here I sit at a camp in Iowa in the middle of the woods and I can get on the internet.  From spider webs to the world wide web in a moment.

  
Speaking to a wonderful group of folks about _Stumbling under the Cross: Facing Disillusionment in our Christian Journey.  _Some of the quotes from others about this subject are worth sharing for their own worth.  
> _“We magnify God every time we choose the superior worth of God over deliverance from our cross.”_  
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> John Piper, _Future Grace <!--more-->_  
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>  “_The angel’s mission (at Gethsemane) was not to bring relief to Christ, __but to strengthen him for further and even greater anguish_.”  
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> Frederick S. Leahy, _The Cross He Bore_  
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> “_Many things may be cross to our desires that are not cross to our good_.”  
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> Thomas Brooks, _Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices_  
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> _“We have to learn to climb the hill called Calvary, and from that vantage-ground survey all of life’s tragedies.”_  
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> John Stott, _The Cross of Christ_  
  
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I rode down (survived?) a water slide this afternoon.  A few hundred feet long or more, a white, rubberized tarp covers a narrow trench carved into the hill heading down toward Crooked Creek.  A pump brings water up from the creek and a mat sends you flying back down towards it.  My daughter and I had a blast.  Nothing like splashing in creek water to make me feel like a kid again.  And nothing like the aches I'm starting to feel now to remind me that I am not.  
  
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Yesterday Professor David Murray at [Head Heart Hand](http://headhearthand.posterous.com/gentle-reformation) acknowledged our blog.  I want to thank him for more than this endorsement.  I regularly visit his blog and the godly, gentle spirit he displays while producing quality posts and videos has edified and benefited me.  He also is an encouraging friend and colleague at Puritan Seminary of a dear friend of mine, Dr. Bill VanDoodewaard.  
  
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After the camp's outdoor lunch under the shading canopy of a giant oak tree, it dawned on me while talking with two newlyweds.  Today's my 26th anniversary!   Though fortunately we had already celebrated last week, the press of activity caused me to forget.  Yet no problem for this husband - I reminded her first.   Tonight around a campfire under a canopy of sparkling stars, our friends honored our anniversary.   I sat by my life's companion and sang God's praises with His people.  We even saw shooting stars together.  What better way to rejoice?