I’m currently in Pennsylvania. At a cabin nestled in the beautiful forests of southern Pennsylvania. As I made my coffee this morning, I caught this deer in the backyard.
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I love this part of the US – my imagination goes wild with the history. As we drove through winding roads and lush forest, all I could think about was the patriots of the American Revolution and the skirmishes that likely happened.
(Speaking of imagining skirmishes, if you haven’t seen the DC Fireworks, it’s really something. Really felt like the city might be at war – very reminiscent of the Star Spangled Banner!)
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We spent the weekend in upstate New York at a family reunion. This branch of the family, (the Eriksen family) has 897 descendants (7 generations) Here’s my hubby standing with the massive family tree.
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Of course we had Norwegian food, including Kransakaga (lutefisk, and creamed cod.)
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We celebrated a church service with just the family on Sunday, and it was moving to see how many of the family had served in ministry over the years (at least half!)
This is just the Warren extended family.
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What I loved most was the story about how Erik Eriksen came to Jesus. A rough-living man, he had 12 children with his wife, (10 who survived to adulthood), and he would sometimes get his paycheck and go to the local tavern, only to come home broke. But his brother-in-law was a Christian and prayed for him for years, witnessing to him. One blizzardy weekend, Erik came down with pneumonia, and fearing death, he asked his brother in-in-law, Irvig, to tell him about salvation. Irvig went out in the blizzard, and showed up to lead Erik to Jesus. Erik survived, and spent the rest of his life as a disciple of Jesus. As much as I love the legacy Erik left behind, I especially love the story of Irvig’s faithfulness. One man, committed to prayer for his brother, ready in the time of need, and willing to risk his life for him, led to 7 generations of a family following Christ.
All this to say that our prayers, and our obedience to the nudges of Christ, matter. Even if we never see it in our lifetime.
I dare say that our founding fathers would have never dreamed of how our nation has grown. (By the way, if you want a great podcast setting straight the history of faith of our founding fathers, listen to this one. So good, and fodder for discussion!)
Oh dear, I might have gotten a little on my pulpit there. Thank you for indulging me. 
Let’s talk about books.
Don’t Cross the Blue Line released last week.
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I’m loving the reviews (like this one!)
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And today, In Too Deep, my Grand Canyon series written with the amazing Tari Faris is out in the wild!
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In Too Deep (Summer Rangers, Book 2)
It’s still at the launch price of $4.99 – so don’t miss it!!
I hope you had a joyous 4th of July weekend.
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