Last weekend we got to head back to Colorado for a whirl wind of a trip...  Here are a few pictures of the expecting Hamiltons!

...this morning Katie and I stayed home from church. We don't "have a church" yet that we're calling home. Today however, we had "home church." It's all the rage these days. We were singing some songs with my wife on the ivories. Here is a song that is pretty much amazing... Read the words if you've got a minute.

1. Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
   God of glory, Lord of love;
   Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
   Op’ning to the sun above.
   Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
   Drive the dark of doubt away;
   Giver of immortal gladness,
   Fill us with the light of day!
2. All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
   Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
   Stars and angels sing around Thee,
   Center of unbroken praise.
   Field and forest, vale and mountain,
   Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
   Singing bird and flowing fountain
   Call us to rejoice in Thee.
3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
   Ever blessing, ever blest,
   Wellspring of the joy of living,
   Ocean depth of happy rest!
   Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
   All who live in love are Thine;
   Teach us how to love each other,
   Lift us to the joy divine.
4. Mortals, join the happy chorus,
   Which the morning stars began;
   Father love is reigning o’er us,
   Brother love binds man to man.
   Ever singing, march we onward,
   Victors in the midst of strife,
   Joyful music leads us Sunward
   In the triumph song of life.

Joyful Joyful - Henry J VanDyke

A couple thoughts...

Knoxville

Tennessee

It has been a grand total of two months since the move out to the nether regions of the Estados Unidos. It started raining last night around 10 pm and just stopped (3 pm). It is one of those gray days.

Mostly I miss Colorado at the moment, one of those woe-is-me type missing Colorado feelings. I’m not always good at escaping these moods. It’s ridiculous to dwell in them however. The overwhelming evidence of God’s love and provision in my life makes it difficult to justify a pity party.

I was thinking about this:

Acts 20.22-25

“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.”

- Paul

We’re flying back to Colorado in two days, we’ll get to see so many of the people we love and miss. Paul knew that he wasn’t going to see any of the people he called friends again. Yet he didn’t care if he was beat or imprisoned or killed. All he wanted was to preach the gospel of Jesus to those who he met.

I pray for a heart that is a given to one passion as Paul’s. I hope that one day I can say that I was faithful to complete the tasks that God gave Katie and me to do.