Day two PM - Cape Ann Whale Watch - Gloucester

So, on day two after Saugus, we quick drove up to Gloucester to catch "our" boat to the whale watch. This was the first time our kids had ever been on a boat (yes - Dramamine... especially Chris who was pretty out of it by the time it kicked in enough for him not to be sick!), so this was more than one adventure! Here is the view as the ship started up...

This is a castle you can see from the bay - it is a European style castle - the man who built it couldn't seem to decide on one style - so it is a combination of 4!!! It also has a pipe organ throughout the entire house....

The lighthouse as we went out to sea...  : ) 

Leaving Gloucester behind......

Our first sighting. This was a VERY playful humpback whale that we stayed with for a good bit of our time. He kept coming up around the boat every 10 minutes or so between feeding dives. There is a protected area from Cape Cod up to Maine, and there are three feeding "ledges" that the whales tend to stay around. We went to the most Northern (Tilly's I think??). There was an organization called "Ocean Alliance" that was on board for education - they gave us a lot of information on feeding habits, size, and even names of the whales we may see. Michael Ben got the only shot we have of that tale going in. It happens SO fast that I was glad he got at least one!

Here is a humpback whale breaching the water... see the itty bit of green on the side? That is where the whale's color turns white. You can't see how big they really are while you are out there.

Another breech. This time with a blow... Again - notice the green - that's his FIN! 

Michael also got the only shot taken at the dock. For perspective - that's grown man standing on part of a fin. They spray painted the outline of a humpback on the dock - the previous pictures show the really tiny part of the upper body. Amazing creatures!!

Heading back, I had a thought. We were only 10 miles out. That's it. 10 Miles. Here is a shot from the back of the boast as we headed in....

Here is a shot from one side of the boat. Again - remember 10 miles.

The other side of the boat....

See anything?  Me neither.... the front of the boat looked the same. In fact, while the boat was moving we were freezing, so as we rushed back to shore, we were really, really looking for the sight of land. Really scanning for it. Again - we were 10 mile out. and there was NO land in sight. NONE. One of the things that struck me are the many references in scripture and song in which we refer to the sea. How vast it is! And yet, I had never realized quite the extent of that vastness. You don't have far out to go before it becomes very obvious how small you are and how great the ocean. 

Psalm 104: 25-26:

"O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great."

Another thought that kept running through:

"O the DEEP deep love of Jesus vast unmeasured boundless free, rolling as a mighty ocean in it's fullness over me. Underneath me all around me is the current of Your love- leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above"

and:

" Here is love vast as the ocean, loving kindness as a flood, when the prince of life our ransom, shed for us His precious blood. Who His love will not remember, who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout heaven's eternal days!" 

(Actually caught myself singing it out loud!)

And some day - we will sing.... on that day

"Hallelujah -bless your name. We will bow at your throne singing Hallelujah we are finally home!!"

And we will finally feel that vastness with a full understanding!!!

"For the earth will be filled
    with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea."

 (Habakkuk 10:14) 

Come soon Lord Jesus....

Day Two - AM - Saugus Iron Works

The next morning we got up and drove down to the Saugus Iron Works. This was the site of the first iron production in America. We had read about Saugus in school a few weeks before -it was the setting of book we read called "The Iron Peacock". It was a great opportunity to be able to see the setting - the story is fictional, but the descriptions are really close!! The site is run by the Park Service now. It is a really restful way to spend a morning - you can just wander around at you leisure reading the plaques (which all of us tend to do), or take a tour. We opted for wandering - and avoided two or three class trips! Here is a shot of the Iron Master's house from the parking lot.

Some iron tools that were in the museum...

Some unprocessed iron (not sure what part of the process - sorry!!!)...

A metal relief of the Iron Works site...

The REAL Iron Works ...

Examples from the steps in the iron processing - see the troughs in the sand? Built in molds. They would carve things into wood, then press it into sand, then let the iron run into the sand mold. You can then reset the sand for the next form - in this case bars. BRILLIANT!!

In front of one of the wheels - they were HUGE!

A great place to learn and appreciate ingenuity! Then, it was off to our next "event".

Whale watch off Cape Ann!!!

Picture Explanations in LOTS of Posts! Our trip to Massachusetts... First stop? Boston.

 Well - technically, Franklin. We left our house around 5 AM to get to Franklin to worship with our sister church, Crossway. I don't have any photos of the church, but we were very blessed and happy to visit with them. We got to see some familiar faces from Youth Camp and meet a few new people. Worship was good and the sermon was just what I needed to hear (it was the first on a three part series on Cynicism ). We really enjoyed our time there, and, since we hope to continue heading "up north" on occasion to see Mike's sisters, it is great to have a New England "home church". 

   I probably didn't mention yet that two of Mike's sisters live in Massachusetts. They have been up there a few years now - Mike's family lived up there until he was 14. Anyway, we took the train from Somerville (where his "baby" sister lives) into Boston. Mike's sister had a light lunch waiting for us when we got to her apartment, then it was off to the station. This was the kids first train ride ever, and they were SO excited!! These first two pictures were taken from the train as we on our way into city. BEAUTIFUL!

 

      This is Park Street Church - one of Mike's previous pastors is now preaching here. A lot of history has happened in this building. We didn't get a chance to see North Church this trip - we only stayed for the afternoon.

We didn't go in, but did take time to visit the graveyard next door. Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Phyllis Wheatly and Ben Franklin's parents are all buried here....

      Next - it was off to Boston Common. This is a preserved space for the enjoyment of the city. It is a park - the weather was perfect, and we enjoyed things like the fountain (which they just finished renovating),

      The "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture - the story took place here in Boston, and the ducks are heading toward their pond...

      We had the kids pose with their Aunts, but apparently there was a lot of glare... Everyone is trying not to go blind - Chris must have given up because his hand went right over his whole face...  Oh well..  : )

The Carousel was also open that day. Everyone got a chance to ride...

Then it was off to Beacon Hill to see some of the Architecture...

      The kids had found this door knocker online, and were so thrilled to see is "in person"!!

      Then we headed over to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.

Here's another shot of Faneuil Hall - see the golden grasshopper weather vane on the roof?

Here's a better shot of the grasshopper. They have drawings of old fashioned fire engines spraying it clean... Again - the kids loved seeing him "in person"!

We had dinner at the Green Dragon (again - no pictures - sorry!!), and then headed over to see the scene of the Boston Massacre. The building and area seem so out of place among the skyscrapers that surround it. We did learn a bit about this from Mike though. Since we have been doing school, symbolism has taken on so many more meanings! I will explain more on that later, but when dealing with historical sites, the carvings and sculpture actually meant something - other than ornamentation. Do you notice the Lion and Unicorn?

They are the symbols of the English monarchy. The Lion is England, the Unicorn is Scotland, and they were incorporated together under James who was already the sovereign of Scotland when he became the King of England. They are the symbols of the crown. So, there was even more outrage in the colonies because the "Massacre" took place under the "full view of the crown" symbolically. In fact, the originals were torn down and burned in a bon fire - that's how seriously it was taken...

      Here is the "site" itself. It is a paved round with labeling around the edge that states it is the sight of the Boston Massacre. After this, we headed back to the subway (across the street from the site - that was strange for me!), said goodbye to "the Aunts", and headed over to West Peabody, which is where we were staying. We packed a lot into that day. We slept well! It was also such a gift to be able to spend time with Mike's sisters. They put so much time and energy into planning our time in Boston, fitting things in, showing us things we were specifically studying in school - all things they really didn't have to do, but did with such willingness. It was awesome!
      This was our first "family" vacation we have ever taken. After the first day, we were alone and seeing things as a nuclear family for the first time ever. It was such a gift to be able to do this. The weather and timing of things were so perfect and we are so grateful for the blessing this weekend away was!

So Many Posts, so Little Time!

 Here are some photos to kind of summarize where we've been and what we've been doing. I will hopefully get more time tomorrow to actually post. But, for tonight (Friday night), we are doing pizza and the Avengers..... Movie night!!

     

When God Pulls the Rug Out

By: Ed Welch

Topics: Suffering, Christian Life

Published: Sep 10, 2012

Has this happened to you?

You read all the signs that were so blatantly from the Lord—“yes, this is the path, go this way, I am with you.”

You have been amazed at the way he opened doors—you were scared but you walked through them.

The Lord confirmed his will for you through other people too—they were excited that God was doing this.

Finally, you were on board. You were excited. You were all in. You had peace about your decision.

And then, splat, he pulled the rug out from under you.

How will you be able to trust God again?

This, I think, is a common experience. Very common. It happens with all kinds of decisions: business, vocational, financial and relationships. You pray earnestly, you see God moving, you are amazed, and then…  it looks as if he simply vanished and left you on your own. You especially see it in broken relationships. That is, you seek the Lord about a marriage or relationship decision, it starts almost too well, and then the relationship takes a sudden and tragic turn, and there is no explanation for it.

You want to know why

Some problems are universal, but this one is for those who are spiritually mature. It happens to people who are earnestly seeking God, and only the mature do such things. And though anger toward God might flash occasionally, it isn’t the real issue. The real problem is that you feel you no longer know him. You want to know why God did this, yet he is silent. It doesn’t make sense: he gives with one hand and takes away with the other.

“Why?”

When no response comes, you start filling in the blanks. Maybe you deserved it. Maybe you have done wrong and you need to figure out what it is. That’s what maturity gets you; you see yourself as the culprit. This approach is understandable and—misguided.

Not a scavenger hunt for sin

“Why, O Lord?” is a recurring question in Scripture. In response, God does not send anyone on a scavenger hunt for sin, and does not fill in all the details that the asker might want to know either. Instead, he reaffirms that he does see trouble and grief (Ps. 10:14), and he will strengthen those who are weak (Is. 40:27-31). With these words he is revealing to us what we really need to know.

Check your assumptions

But there is another matter to consider.

All this started with our assumptions about how God works—we had confidence that we could know the will of God. We could discern the “open doors” and had that “peace.” Even more, we were confident that those open doors would lead to blessing, according to our definition of blessing. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate.

The Apostle Paul held very different assumptions yet he believed that he knew plenty about God’s will. The King reigns, the Spirit has been poured out, the nations are ripe for the picking—that was enough for him. The times he received specific direction, he was confident that it would mean blessing for the larger church and hardships for him. He knew that if God was in it there would be challenges—challenges that reveal weaknesses and test faith.

God is not playing games when he pulls the rug out from under you. He is up to something, but it is probably not what you think it is.

Quotes

"Passion is the degree of difficulty we are willing to endure to achieve the goal"

~Louie Giglio