Things that rise and fall…

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Anonymous

Most of my blog entries have something to do with water.  As I was reviewing some of my favorite quotes, I thought the above quote was appropriate for today's post.  Every time I "lose sight of the shore," it allows god to move in and accomplish great things.  Whether it's stepping out in faith to go on a mission trip during a time of unemployment - and watching God raise the funds to send my family of six to Venezuela - or it's applying for a job and sending the wrong documents by mistake and thinking "I blew that!" only to have God step in and show His grace... God is faithful in all things at all times - in HIS time.

During these past four months of unemployment, I have attempted to cross various oceans, and IN SPITE of myself, God has deposited me on a new shore.  I start a new job as a financial secretary at a local church next week!

Crossing the oceans of life and losing sight of the shore - and arriving at new shores - has its share of wave crests and troughs.  When researching the diagram of a surfer's wave, I learned that "surfers try to stay in the pit (close to the breaking whitewater) where the face is the steepest for the greatest speed potential."

I've always thought being in the "pit" was a bad place to be, but if I were a surfer, being in the pit is a good spot.  I love the part of the definition where it states "where the face is the steepest for the greatest speed potential."  Makes me think about phrases like "it's darkest before the dawn," "things have to get worse before they get better" and "when you're at your lowest, the only way to go is up."

However, even the surfer doesn't stay in the pit.  His/her ultimate goal is to get out of the pit and into that tube - riding the crests & troughs of the wave to the shore.  

Other things that rise and fall?  BREAD!  I've used a vegan French bread recipe consistently for months without any issues.  All of a sudden, this past week, my reliable recipe has let me down - in more ways than one!  I have made this recipe four times in two days and each time it looks like this: 

In the world of bread baking, I'm currently at the trough part of the ride, but prayerfully, I'll be at the crest again soon.

Surf's Up!

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14