Law and Gospel

From Of First Importance:

“The difference between the law and gospel does not at all consist in this, that the one requires perfect doing, the other only sincere doing, but in this, that the one requires doing, the other not doing but believing for life and salvation. Their terms are different, not only in degree, but in their whole nature."

Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (Welwyn, 1981), 76.

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

A Walk in the Park

Yesterday was another beautiful day, so while Dave played golf, I went for a walk in a park that I hadn't had a chance to explore until now.  Haagen Park is only a few miles from our house.  The playground looks like a lot of fun.  The park also has soccer fields, a basketball area, a picnic area, and restrooms that aren't open in the winter, even if it's a nice day.  There are lots of wide paths to walk and ride bikes on, and even a path that leads to another, older playground. 

Concert

Tonight Dave and I went to a concert held at Fries Auditorium at the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver.  The highlight of the evening was the group Three Together featuring Grammy award winner Doug Smith.  He is a fingerstyle guitarist and his group was fabulous!  My favorite was when he performed "Stars and Stripes Forever" on his guitar.  What an amazing performance!
The other two groups that performed were a local trio called TwoRivers Music and the "Misty Mamas" quartet, Misty Mamas quartet who were also very good.  The concert raised $6000 for the Blind School and for the Fort Vancouver Lions Club.

I am a Christian

My friend, Judy, sent me this:

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living./ 
I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'/
When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride./
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide./  
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong./
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on./
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success./  
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess./ 
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect./  
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it./  
When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain./  
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name./  
When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,/
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

Mt. Hood Village RV Park in Welches, Oregon

We had to leave this lovely park today.  We'll be back, especially since they gave us a couple of coupons for free nights.  The park isn't too busy during the winter and the rates are much lower than in summer.  The park also has a "Stay and Play" program where people can leave their RVs at the park (plugged in) during the winter and use them occasionally for a price not too much higher than at a storage place.  For those not lucky enough to have RV parking at their house, it's an interesting option.

This park is very family oriented and has a nice playground outside the buildings.  In addition, they offer activities all year long, especially during the summer.  I remember our boys playing "candy bar bingo" years ago, and I saw that fun activity on their schedule for this summer.  They have water activities, food and craft activities, music, etc.  It's one of the few private parks that has a campfire ring at each site.  It's a somewhat hilly park, but that doesn't stop children (and some of us adults) from riding bikes around the park. 

Besides all the RV sites, the park offers cabins for rent and for sale.  They have everything from yurts to KOA-style camping cabins, to deluxe cabins with all the amenities including fireplaces and hot tubs.  We took another walk before we left today and took some more pictures of the park and some of the cabins. 

Cross-Country Skiing

The sun came out this morning and the weather was beautiful.  We drove the fifteen miles to the ski path.  After we got our gear on, we set out.  The first part of the trip was slightly uphill, which was fine with us.  It was the return trip that caused me frustration.  I got going a little too fast on the slight downhill, and fell twice.  When I fell, I couldn't get back up unless I took my skis off.  But I couldn't easily get my skis off.  Since the boots and bindings were new, I'm not as familiar with how to release the boots.  Dave had to help me both times.  I also have a hard time getting back up again once I've fallen.  So the two falls weren't too much fun.

On the up side of the adventure, I didn't have any shortness of breath.  The scenery was beautiful with snow on the trees.  New snow fell last night, so there was a cleanness and freshness to the path.  On the down side, my body from the waist down is aching, probably from the falls as much as from the skiing.  We were on the path for two hours, but part of that time was trying to get back up again. 

We went for a walk around the RV park.  It's a beautiful setting with lots of trees and mountains in the background. 

The pool and fitness center:

The lodge with meeting room and recreation area:

Are We Skiing Yet?

No, not yet.  We are staying at Mt. Hood Village RV Resort in Welches, OR, for a few days.  When we arrived today around noon, our towed car, a Honda CRV, had a dead battery.  Dave got it charged by manuevering the motorhome to charge the car.  Then he sent me off to drive the car to build up a charge on the battery.  I decided to drive the 15 miles or so to Government Camp and check and see how much snow was there.  I scouted out a few places for cross-country skiing and decided that the trail that we used last time at Ski Bowl West is the best spot for us.  The rain that we had all morning was turning to snow in Government Camp, which is at about 4000 feet, and they had quite qa bit of snow on the ground. 

When I got back from the battery charging drive and scouting mission, Dave decided that we should go to Les Schwab in Sandy, OR (about fifteen miles back the direction we had just come) to buy a new battery.  Our battery was five years old and he didn't want to take any chances getting stranded in the cold weather.  By the time we got the new battery installed and had a late lunch, it was after 3, so no skiing for us today!

Instead we did a workout at the very nice fitness center at the park and then went for a swim in the very nice indoor pool, followed by a relaxing sit in the jacuzzi.  It is weird to be in the indoor pool and watch the rain come down outside.  Then we came back to the RV and washed our swimsuits and towels in the very nice Splendide washer-dryer in our rig.  Three hours later, they were washed and dried.  It takes a l..o..n..g time to wash and dry, but that's okay, because it's better than having to rig up a clothesline inside the RV, which we have done many times in the past.