It’s official.  Florida has won us over.  OJ was already a big fan, with great memories from his childhood.  I, on the other hand, had one frigid spring break experience during college, in which the white beaches felt more arctic than exotic, and I was generally cold, tired, and appalled that the houses had been painted with nail polish.  (In Chicago, we generally don’t mix purples and pinks into our Benjamin Moore, unless you live in the ghetto, where, if you can afford paint, you let everybody know it.)

Anyway, the record book has been rewritten:  beautiful.  Wow,  We were far enough south to enjoy sunny beaches, but still northen enough to enjoy sweet southern accents and spanish moss hanging off old oak trees.

Anyway, we highly recommend Palm Coast, a coastal town about 40 min. south of St. Augustine, America’s oldest city.  It was odd to visit that city and see a fortress and walled city gate, right out of Old Europe.  I wonder how long it took for the explorers to figure out that old world methods would fail them in the New World.  Kind of funny to imagine this tiny little embattlement built on the edge of the enormity of what they’d discovered, trying to hold it, like trying to hold a sleeping bear by its toenail.  I imagine the British telling the Spaniards, “Hey, you guys keep that fortress.  We’ll take the rest!”

Transition periods:  the time it takes to figure out the Old World methods aren’t working, and looking for the New.  Having eyes to see the enormity of what’s in front of you.  Being able to balance the advancing and the subduing, conquest and dominion.  Hmmm…I hope we never get caught guarding the little fort when there’s a whole continent to explore.

OJ and I are sure that we’ve only just begun to grasp the enormity of what’s been given to us in the New Covanent, accessed through believing the Gospel.  We can afford to give everything away, move quickly at the Word of the Lord, speak boldly about our children’s futures, preach HOPE recklessly, and walk weak as we are with complete confidence.  The Prince of Peace is ruling.