Summer2026 Trip#2 Nashville TN

 

2nd summer trip - Keaton and Mom drove to Nashville for Keaton's new student orientation. It's a long drive, y'all!! Fortunately, we have friends we can overnight with in Dallas. It was so good to catch up with Steve and Lisa. Thanks guys for the beds, the meals, the laughs, the memories and the Dr. Pepper! 

When we finally got to Nashville we were ready to take on the day, excited to hear about what Keaton's first year at Lipscomb would be like. We found out who his roommate will be. Met his RA. Tried to orient ourselves with the student center vs. the dorm vs. the building where his computer lab is.

The campus is small, but beautiful brick buildings and trees line every walkway. People are super friendly. Reminds me a lot of the campus I lived on for 3 years in Arkansas. School colors are purple and gold. The mascot for Keaton's new school is the Bison. (My school in Arkansas was the Bison too.) So now he's part of the "herd". Odd though, the little hand signal they give each other when someone says "Go Bison!" looks a lot like the University of Texas at Austin "hook 'em horns" hand signal. I don't know where it originated, but for this life-long Texas Tech fan, it felt a little awkward for me to hold up my fist in the UT (TTU rival) gang sign.

I think the orientation is as much for the parents as it is for the student. Lots of talk about the university goals for the well being of the student, heart, soul and mind. I did get the sense the faculty and staff really do care about these kids. We even got to meet with the faculty in the animation department. And Keaton walked away from that meeting saying something along the lines of "I feel like I finally found my people." Not a direct quote, but pretty close. The head of animation spoke to the reality of how even though he wasn't always taking the jobs in animation for the exact type of work he loved, he could always find work. And that he has continually been able to support his wife and three children. That sat well with me as a parent. They are concerned that these kids don't just get a degree, but that they learn the transferrable skills to actually find a job and support themselves. Listening to this professor share his story also gave Keaton confidence that he can pursue his art as a career and still have a family someday. Hours and hours of sitting through Q&As and departmental resources and we were both pretty spent. I will be honest, it was a lot of information and not much food or drink. I was tired, dehydrated and getting a bit loopy by 3 or 4pm.

All in all, though, it was a worthwhile trip. And priceless time I got to spend with Keaton chatting in the car. We also listened to the audio book of "Project Hail Mary". Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. Okay, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but the audio production was pretty amazing. It was so interesting and engaging and more importantly, Keaton loved that I loved the book. (He is a huge fan.) One of my friends watched the movie and was not impressed, so maybe I won't like the movie as much....will let you know once it is released to streaming.

We are still praying for the remaining funds to come in to cover the 2nd semester. CLICK HERE TO DONATE. Today Keaton turned in a scholarship application from our church's foundation. Hopefully that will come through. If not this semester, he can apply again in the spring. He had to write an essay describing what he wants to do and why. Plus he also had to explain how he is active in church and what activities he has pursued. He is realizing (and said as much to me this past week) that serving others really gives him joy. Moreso than the accolades from graduation or the achievements or certificates. This really warms my heart. My friends and I often reminisce on this - - the natural lift we feel in our hearts when we take time to serve others on a mission trip or in small ways in our day-to-day. How we have learned to be deliberate about giving to others, lest we drift in our own spiritual walk. It's good to know that I've passed some of that along to my son(s).

At the end of our time in Nashville, the school's president recited the Aaronic blessing. So I'll leave you with this also. Peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Good Day

 Today was a good day. 5 out of 5. So I am sitting here over-analyzing the "why". haha!

1) Meaningful work. Today I worked a couple of hours on-site at a new client. Just temporary consulting work. But honestly, it feels good to be out of the home office and into an ACTUAL office environment. Not looking for a full-time gig that will dictate my schedule, but I don't mind meeting new people who speak accounting like I do. That was the morning. In the afternoon, I assisted a client out in the islands (in Washington) with some back taxes, and talked to another potential client (also in the islands). Next week I will start training a gal to help me with some of the day-to-day work so that I can eventually pick up more consulting work. It is a variety. I feel useful. It's meaningful to me. Also, I should mention this book: Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life by David Bahnsen. I listened to the audio book on a recent road trip. Thoroughly enjoyed! 

2) Boys turning into men. Thursdays are my day without the boys. Keaton is at college from 6:45am until 6:15pm and Cole works at the church from 8am to 5pm. They are growing in wisdom and maturity. It's a huge blessing, this new season of parenting. We laughed one night as they started a fire in our fire pit. I haven't allowed them to do it this entire 2 years we've been here. I was worried they'd need supervision, but they didn't. Keaton even zipped off to the grocery store for s'more supplies.

Unfortunately, Keaton's work has come to an end. The company he worked for decided to close the restaurant. He hung around and helped them clean everything up. And they took one last team photo to commemorate. He will find something else, but no rush. He plans to wait until after the holidays.

And in the spirit of patriotism the boys had their first experience voting this year. In Washington, the ballots are all mailed. But in Texas, it's all in-person!

3) Getting back into worship. This past Sunday was my first one singing with our worship team. The church we attend has 2 services: the 1st is all acapella worship, the 2nd is instrumental. I sang with the acapella team. I was challenged. I don't normally sing alto from sheet music and I didn't know all the parts, but it went fine. I prayed (!!) that God would just do His thing and make me blend with everyone else. It all worked out. The worship leader is gracious and friendly and genuinely thankful that he has so many folks willing to help with this ministry. 

4) Getting back into Bible study. BSF is going really well. We are studying Revelation. I like the book. I like the ladies in my group. And I even made a friend (well, a possible new friend?) that attends church at the same place I do. She invited me to an upcoming women's event. So there's potential.

Speaking of friends, a couple of weeks ago I was able to visit with my friend Jo (and husband Ben) at their new place. Jo and I walked down by the river. It's not the same as living right near the ocean, but beautiful in its own way. She fed me some breakfast casserole and I was on my way. A sweet stop!

Before seeing the Shooks, I had spent the weekend at my brother's house. It was my nephew Dax's 12th birthday. What a privilege to live close enough to pop in for his birthday and hang out with their family. INCLUDING their dog...who hopped up on my bed to read with me. Naughty Buddy!

5) Other Miscellaneous reasons to be grateful. Our pool pump is fixed. YAY! A patio door I'd been waiting for a year to be fixed has been replaced. And thanks to one of my physical therapist clients, I've started up again into a healthy eating/exercise routine. She sent me a special scale and a heart monitor. There's a lot of tracking of food and activity. I am feeling better, more energy, just tweaking some things, nothing drastic. Not a diet, per se. The hope is this will last for a lifetime.

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

It's a Secret, Shhh!

Buckle up. This may be a long post. Somehow I neglected to post about the 4th of July this year! We enjoyed uncle/cousin time in the pool around mid-day on the 4th. Plus, we also had a lovely time with family & friends in the evening (it poured rain right around dinner time!) But with rain, inevitably comes a beautiful promise. Actually, I hung out with my brothers and their families while the boys spent time with their friend a few blocks away. I know they blew up a lot of fireworks (and I observed many explosions at my brother's house.) 

We each got some new toys in July. I finally have a fitness watch, compatible with my phone, to count my steps and alert me if I'm getting a text/phone call. It's not an Apple watch, but only cost me a about $35 once I paired that with an Amazon gift card from my birthday. It comes with a variety of interesting watch face designs that I've played with. I love it! Keaton bought himself an electric guitar and is learning to play that. Cole bought an inflatable raft and some Star Wars collectibles. I think I was ruined as a child dusting every week around my mother's collectibles such that I did not want to collect anything as an adult. Thus, I think Cole is the opposite, and cherishes his collections: Legos, stuffed animals, Star Wars figurines, etc. 

I read the most interesting book in July. Recently I'd read a fiction book where the main characters end up in Italy tracking down some stolen art. And that got me on an Italy kick. I started day-dreaming about traveling to Italy someday. So I went to the library and picked up several books on Italy. One was a travel guide, one was a geological guide to Rome, and the 3rd was Two Nuts in Italy by Sue Ellen Haning. 

This is a non-fiction travelogue of a 50-something mom who traveled to Italy with 2 of her adult children. Her daughter had just turned 21 and wanted to go to Italy, so the mom (Sue Ellen) said she would go too. Her 24 year old son also tagged along for awhile, then split off and went to Paris, and eventually came back to Italy. At one point, mom and daughter also split up as mom went to Switzerland and spent a couple of weeks there. Yeah, yeah, just a travel memoir, right? NOT AT ALL! This is the interesting part. Well, two things: 1) This lady Sue Ellen Haning happens to be from my hometown, where we are living now, and homeschooled her kids for a time. I did not know that when I grabbed the book from the library shelf. ha! and, 2) They went to Italy without cell phones, without credit cards and only a limited amount of cash. They did not have set places to stay. They would just end up at the house/apartment of generous locals who, obviously thought they were nutty, seemed impressed by their bravery enough to help them out. I think it also helped that her 21 year old daughter was an attractive, extroverted, red head. They each carried all of their belongings in giant backpacks for the 3 months they traveled the country. Nuts. For sure. Very zany read.

Here's one more thing I wanted to share about Sue Ellen Haning. No matter where they went, what predicament they ended up in, what joy or disappointment they experienced, she carried this quote on a 3x5 index card to remind her who was really in charge.

CTS (changing the subject, kinda, but not completely). This blog post is titled "It's a Secret, Shhh!" so I want to get on with that story. The last week of July I went to California to spend time with my in-laws. I planned to stay a week or two. My mother-in-law, broke her wrist really good (or really badly?) about a month prior, so I figured since I can really work from anywhere I would go and check on them and see if I could help with anything. The first day my sister-in-law picked me up from the airport and spent the day with us. A couple of days later, Mom/Carolyn and I boxed up unwanted books and games to give away. One day I drove Mom to a doctor's appointment. One day I drove Mom to the coast. Okay, yeah, mostly it was I who wanted to see the ocean because it's been awhile! But generally speaking, my in-laws and I just spent a lot of time together chatting, watching TV and sharing meals together. I took out the trash, fed the hummingbirds, walked the orchards, and (drum roll) shopped for a 2nd vehicle.

I tried to walk the orchards every morning BEFORE it got over 100 degrees!

some items for donation

at our favorite beach

Had to stop at In-N-Out

A Tesla Farm behind In-N-Out

Widely known to those on the Neufeld side of the family, my father-in-law Roger is a car hunting expert. According to him, he has made some mistakes over the years. But the way I see it, he's purchased and sold so many vehicles that his track record is really pretty solid. He had in mind a Ford Escape for the boys and had offered to let me drive it, check it out, and then take it back to Texas if it suited our needs. I never told the boys about this when I flew to California. I had only purchased one-way airfare, so I really hoped the car thing would work out. Turned out to be a little more complicated. There was some soul wrestling, prayer, and hard decision-making. I decided the Escape was not the car I needed to take back. I was so sad. I really wanted that car to be it! But I continued to pray something would work out. 

NO, not the one

If you ever doubt the Lord will provide, I hope this story encourages you...please re-read the above quote that Sue Ellen Haning carried around with her through Italy...!!

When I told him the Escape was not going to work, Roger offered his own pickup truck. And I drove that around a few times too. But lo and behold, he also had another car to choose from, a little Mazda CX7. After getting the seat set up so I didn't hit my head on the ceiling, the Mazda seemed the better choice. It had also driven to Oregon and back, so I felt safer taking it on a long trip. In my mind, if Keaton was too tall to drive this Mazda, he could use our other car for his weekly commute to work and school and I would drive the Mazda. We agreed on a price and Roger transferred the title to me. After he had the tires checked and added some gifts for the boys (golf clubs, binoculars, a portable air cooler, and various awards their dad had won over the years) I set out for home. After a minor hiccup in Albuquerque (the car was broken into that night at the hotel, binoculars and air cooler stolen-- though it is possible I did not lock the doors because no windows were broken??) I made it home and texted Keaton and Cole to come outside to help with my bags. They assumed I had someone else pick me up at the airport. HERE IS THE VIDEO LINK to see their genuine surprise. It is a HUGE blessing. And Keaton does fit. He loves the car. Drove it to work the next day. THANK you Jesus. THANK you Roger & Carolyn. THANK you boys for holding down the fort, feeding the pets, washing the dishes, keeping the house clean, and tending to the pool chemistry. 

YES, this is it!

One final photo. My new favorite screen saver from my friend Steve. The verse speaks for itself.

Gentle and Lowly

Finally finished Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly, the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. My brother and sister-in-law gave me this book for Christmas a couple of years ago. They also threw in the accompanying Bible study guide, so it's taken me awhile to get through it. Not because it's a slog. On the contrary, because I really needed it to soak in. Ortlund strategically points out that once we accept God's grace and become a child of His, we cannot 'un-child' ourselves. Jesus loves us in such a way that it's simply hard to accept in our finite minds and our conditional way of thinking. God's mercy is just who He is. It's not fickle. He grants us mercy "to the uttermost". 

There is an video series for this study too. At one point along the way I found a pastor in Texas that was putting his own commentary/teaching with Ortlund's videos on YouTube, but it got taken down. Probably for copyright infringement. But not before I made it 3/4th of the way through the study. In the videos, Ortlund just expands on the chapters in the book a little. So you can probably do without the videos just fine. I like how Ortlund picks apart strategic scriptures, like Hebrews 7:25 and Lamentations 3:33. 

That in-depth review of scripture reminds me of how the pastor at my old church taught each passage we studied, verse-by-verse...I really miss that. The boys and I were (again) talking today after church about the cultural Christianity here in the south. Seems like everyone is very nice. Seems like everyone knows about God. But the sermons are very light to us. It sounds super snobby of me to say this out loud. What I DO know, is that our old church did not have Sunday school for adults, and here, the Sunday school time is where they dive into scripture more. I just can't seem to get the boys out of bed and into this Sunday school habit. Consequently, we long for the deep dive into scripture from the pulpit. But part of what I've learned, having traveled/lived outside the Bible Belt, is that no particular church is perfect. Our church here does believe in and teach the Bible. Check. They love missions, both local and abroad. Check. They really emphasize creating community and serving. Check. It really is more about the relationships when you are part of a church family. And we have finally started making connections (after 2 years) at the church where we are now. So the odds of us moving on to something *shiny and new* are slim. Until Jesus comes, we will continue to have our a deep theological debates amongst ourselves and we will try to join small group studies where we dive into the Word at a more profound level. Finding like-minded hearts for Jesus is definitely not hard down here. For that, I'm thankful. 

Lamentations 3:31-33 "For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone."

Oldie but a Goodie

 

I recently joined a group of ladies at church for a Bible study on Wednesday afternoons. These gals are mostly (not all, but mostly) about a generation older than me. Wise ladies. After the formal study had ended, the leader suggested we read this book: Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. It's been around since 1955, so it's an oldie but a goodie. I asked a pastor's wife from my old church if she'd read it, and she said something like, yep, probably before you were born. haha! It is an allegory. But not a very subtle one. So if you're looking for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe finesse, you won't find it in this book. However, the more I read, the more it started to grow on me. 

The main character is a gal named Much-Afraid. She lives a pretty miserable existence in the Valley of Humiliation. But she is friends with the Good Shepherd who makes her a promise that he can bring her to the high places. She goes on an epic journey, with Sorrow and Suffering, and learns a lot of lessons along the way. With scripture from Song of Solomon woven in and out of the book, this really does make you want to give your heart fully to Jesus and trust Him in all the details. She does make it to the high places, and she does earn hinds' feet. He changes her name to Grace and Glory. Kinda cool! 

Some things she learns:

--Acceptance with Joy

--Bearing with Love

--Jesus sees us as we will be, as we can be, not how we are now

--"Every circumstance in life, no matter how crooked and distorted and ugly it appears to be, if it is reacted to in love and forgiveness and obedience to your (God's) will, can be transformed....you (God) purposely allow us to be brought into contact with the bad and evil things that you want changed."

That message could not be any clearer. We have to go through the valleys and the deserts and climb the mountains of life to really be at one with our Savior. It's a message that is too good to keep to ourselves. 

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love, it is as strong as death, jealousy demanding as the grave...many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it."

Good Books for March

As mentioned previously, I've been reading a lot. Here's some good ones:

All 5 of Marcus Ryker series from Joel Rosenberg. I really enjoy this author. According to Wikipedia he is a Messianic Jew. This personal background informs his content for sure. To me, his writing is smart, relevant and action-packed. Seems like everything I read has sort of a prophetic bent. Like he's writing about things that haven't yet transpired and then something very similar DOES happen down the road. I liked this entire series. Kremlin Conspiracy, Persian Gamble, Jerusalem Assassin, Beirut Protocol and Libyan Diversion. If you're familiar with Rosenberg and know of similar authors, I would LOVE recommendations for new books.

Also, just finished a couple of great books by Charles Martin. He is a new author to me. And so far I've liked both things I've read. It's like a story within a story. You don't find out the kicker until the end. I finished both of these really quickly, but only because I did not want to put them down! I'm going to look for more of Martin's stuff at the library.

Chasing Fireflies - young boy, mute, found at site of a train wreck, interviewed(very creatively, since the boy doesn't talk) by newspaper writer who has a similar foster care background

The Mountain Between Us - orthopedic surgeon and magazine writer team up to take a charter flight from Utah just as a storm blows in, plane crashes, harrowing story of survival; So.Much.Suspense.

Also started a new Bible study, Me Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild. The study group is at church with a group of about 10-12 ladies. Of that, I only know the group leader. So this is a chance to learn the names of 10 new people...haha!...and hopefully work on that community aspect of being part of a local church body. We are trying, but it has still been slow-going making new friends. If I over-analyze this, I generally come to the conclusion that we are here in Texas to get to know our family better and that's all right with me. Spending time with my dad and my brothers really does feel good and right.

Lately I have not been sleeping well. So I read. And it throws off my morning routine. And that messes up my Bible study time. But I'm trying to get back on track. Trying to give myself grace to do what I can and leave the rest to the Lord.

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore.

LEAP day!

Well, thank goodness February has an extra day this year! Gives me a chance to post an update  - - seems it's been 2 months since I last wrote in this space. Thanks to those friends and family who have reached out to double-check that we are still alive. haha! Yes. We are...

IN JANUARY : One sunny day we went for roughly a 2 mile trek on the open prairie north of town. It's home to another branch of Texas Tech museums (a free excursion if you're ever here visiting us) where they discovered wooly mammoth bones. 

IN JANUARY: I read several books. Why Do I Do What I Don't Want To Do? by JP Pokluda was pretty good. I had not read anything from this author before. It was a quick read. Easy to understand. Included some scripture. Laid out well. In the first half of the book, he goes over some ancient vices (pride, anger, greed, apathy, lust) and presents a cure for each (humility, forgiveness, generosity, diligence, self-control). They're only ancient in the sense they have been around for all time. I struggle with many of these...both ancient and modern. In the second half he tackles more modern wars (perception management, entitlement, busyness, drunkenness, cynicism) and thankfully gives the remedy for these as well (authenticity, gratitude, rest, sobriety, optimism). 

Started this book in December and finished in January. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. This one was also interesting! I had no idea that it takes so long to hike/backpack from Georgia to Maine. Mr. Bryson did not hike the entire trail in one trip. But he and a buddy hiked a lot of it. Humorously and (it seems) accurately describing the hike as sort of a how-to and how-not-to. Enjoyable read. I did not realize that when we were in Gatlinburg last May we were so close to a portion of the trail. We have done some day hikes, but nothing of this magnitude. Hats off to these trekkers!

Here's another book I completed in January. Fiction. Christian. Mystery/Suspense. What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson. This story follows a popular podcaster as she heads back to her childhood summertime home (where her grandma used to live) to unravel the mystery of her childhood best friend's disappearance. I'm not sure where I got this recommendation. But it was a good read. I like mystery and it was clean. A sweet little romance, a-la-Hallmark, is also brewing on the side.

Final book in January. The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. I actually know this author personally. I like her a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's a little kitschy and has a few curse words. I mean it's not overwhelming with the curse words; I just wasn't expecting that from Rachel. The story is quaint and a little mystical. So if that's your thing, go for it.

How did I have time to read so much when my January was so busy?? Well, I have to get off the computer after so many hours or I lose my mind. That said, work-wise I got through January unscathed. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think that a couple of strategic new hires with clients who took over some of the work made it much easier for me to focus on year-end tax prep instead of the year-end AND the day-to-day. So yay!

IN FEBRUARY: Cole finished his Lego Osprey project. Very cool model of the half-helo, half-plane that he just created on his own. Not an official Lego item.

My bulbs started coming up. Very exciting! This photo was taken 2.1.24

IN FEBRUARY: We also tried to go on a vacation. However, when we left town to drive south, Keaton was already feeling lousy. Feverish. Lethargic. He slept like this in the car for basically the whole 5 hour drive. And then we got there and Cole started coughing, had a fever, lethargy. 2 days later I succumbed as well. We were supposed to meet up with the Evans clan, but they judiciously steered clear. They had some other day trips planned to see Ellen's family in Houston and Austin anyway, so it all worked out. Keaton, Cole and I just laid around and tried to sleep.

 

We did try to go outside each day...safe distance away from other humans. The resort had a huge chess set. I beat Cole, but not on purpose. My chess strategy is totally defensive. I didn't even realize I had put him in checkmate until he told me. Ahhh well.

 

Around the resort there were lots of stray kitties. (Above) Keaton is petting one that came around our condo every day. (Below) we spent a few minutes the afternoon of Keaton's birthday visiting a nearby scripture garden. The walkways are covered with verses that tell the Gospel story, culminating at the empty cross at the top of the hill. There's also the "rider on the white horse" from Revelation among other sculptures. If you're ever near Kerrville on I-10, this is something to see: https://thecomingkingfoundation.org/

ALSO IN FEBRUARY: Keaton got his first job! Thanks to Uncle Dusty for that lead and the introduction to the owner. Ironically, he is working at a pizza place. Ironic because, as you may or may not know, Keaton has always been allergic to both wheat and dairy. Pizza is just not his thing. haha! However, the menu (LINK HERE) goes much deeper than just pizza, so we definitely need to go there and check it out some time when he's not working. So far, he's washed dishes, "fondled" pizza dough (ahem, I corrected him - the word is "kneaded") to make the crusts, and prepared jalapeno poppers. He likes working there overall, but currently is only scheduled on weekends when they are the most busy. 

FINAL FEBRUARY NOTES: I got a craving for crab melts. Funny how the seafood craving comes when you are completely landlocked. So Cole and I went to Costco, bought some lump crab (soooooo pricey!), gouda cheese, and a loaf of garlic parmesan bread. It was soooooo yummy! Problem was the bread had whole cloves of garlic which kinda grossed Cole out. Let's just say I have been eating crab melts for the better part of a week! Crab craving sufficiently satisfied. 

With some recent temps in the 70s and 80s, the boys and I also got some yard cleanup started. We were collecting sticks from around the yard and one night Cole and I lit them up in the chiminea. Fire is fun. Fire is great. UNTIL FIRE is wild. In the last couple of days there were brushfires raging about 2-3 hours north of us. Some places it was bad. The smoke was in the air for sure. Hoping today things calmed down because, this morning it snowed here briefly. As one of my friends (also a Washington transplant) quipped, "I guess only in TX!"

I've been reading in Jeremiah the last few mornings. And while the prophets are not always my cup of tea (lots of doom and gloom in their prophesies!) I tried looking at it from a different lens. That is, one of hope. I did finally make it to Jeremiah 29. There are so many promises throughout the Bible. God is with us. God is for us. Let us hold fast to this.

Jeremiah 29:10-14a This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."