It's Independence Day!

Ours is a freedom to,
not a freedom from,
a freedom to service others,
to live according to Christ’s example to act, in commitment,
not merely a freedom from sin,
or a freedom from the law, the ancient law, the code of the people, God’s given grace, the freedom, the sacrifice of the Christ, is a freedom to do, to be, to act in this world, now
~Raymon Foss




Happy 4th of July! It was a sobering realization for me when we lived abroad that most of the rest of the world truly does not like the United States. For some valid reasons and also many false perceptions they hold their dislikes to us. But America, I like you! I like your humor. I like your loudness. I like your honesty and your infrastructure. I like your value of honor and the fact that I can wear shorts to church, no questions asked. Thanks for being such a great country to us America!

Today we celebrated our Fourth with our Flood family at church, our good friends Kellen and Becca Hiroto who are visiting from Malawi, and our family. BBQ hamburgers, strawberry pie, and a homemade ladder golf set!

Kellen, Becca, Selah Grace squirming off the couch, me, Nate and Josiah.

Selah played in the dirt while the boys played ladder golf.

Josiah slept through most of the 4th, but he did look darn cute in his denim overalls!