Mystery Trip 2012

This year's annual "Back to School Mystery Trip" was a lot of fun!  My husband and I planned to take the kids to visit his brother and our sister-in-law, who moved from here several years ago, to Marble Falls, Texas, were he serves as youth minister.

We picked up the kids right after school Friday and headed south. Because we're close to the Texas border and because I had told them to pack their Texas Rangers' shirts, they figured we were going to Texas, so that wasn't much of a mystery. The mystery was "where" in Texas. Texas, as you all know is BIG! The kids guessed the Dallas area, but after going past several Dallas/Ft. Worth exits, they soon figured out we weren't going that direction.

Several hours down the road, they figured it out. Half of our family had already been to Marble Falls in the past, but the other half hadn't. We enjoyed the trip, enjoyed visiting with family, had lots of highlights!

The first stop was at a "pretty" convenience store.  We were impressed with it, anyway!  Much different than most convenient stores!  The second stop was at Hard 8 BBQ in Stephenville, TX.  No plates used - just trays!  You get your meat outside where it is smoked.  YUM!

Here, son Jacob, is enjoying his corn on the cob with a LOT of butter on the cob and on his face!

Saturday morning we played miniature golf in Marble Falls.  Here are the cousins taking a photo break before going to the next hole.

Saturday evening we traveled to Round Rock, TX, to watch the Texas Rangers' minor league team (Express) play baseball.  The mascot was so funny and cute!

The Express won the game - came from behind!  This photo is of our children after the game and fireworks show. 

This picture was Sunday morning before heading to worship.  It was great worshipping at Marble Falls, TX! 

We headed back to Oklahoma after eating yummy Italian food, finishing the trip with a family worship time in the vehicle (I love these times singing, praying, reading scripture and having devotional thoughts together!).

Thank you, Ken, Michelle, and kiddos for the fun time!

Mysteries Revealed

For the past five years, my parents have taken our school-aged children on a "Mystery Trip" the first weekend after school starts. They send a letter inviting the kids and telling them any specific instructions they might need (such as "wear comfortable shoes" or "bring your camera").

This year's trip was this past Friday and Saturday. My parents drove 30 minutes to our small town and picked up the kids and our minivan. (Joe and I got their car with satellite radio - SWEET!). The kids spent the night with them and then they woke them up early Saturday morning and headed to their destination. This year's trip was to the Oklahoma City Zoo. They stayed several hours, enjoying a picnic during their stay. Later on they went to Zio's for Italian food. The group arrived back here in Tipton about 8:00 p.m. - every one exhausted!

Mystery trips are lots of fun! It's exciting to be surprised. (Well, it is if it's a GOOD surprise! I suppose not ALL surprises would be good.)

The word "mystery" is used 22 times in the King James Version of the Bible. The Old Testament is full of prophesies about what was to come. In the New Testament we can find that those prophesies are fulfilled. Jesus told the disciples that the mystery of the kingdom of God had been revealed to them, but had not been revealed to the people to whom He was speaking. (Mark 4:11). Because of that, He spoke to them in easy-to-understand parables.

Paul even prayed that God would given him the words to speak, as well as boldness when he was speaking, about the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:18-20)
And, he later explains that the mystery is Jesus Christ living within His people, the saints/Christians. It is also the hope of glory, which is eternal life.

"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:24-28

I am grateful for Jesus and for what His life, death and resurrection means for me and for Christians everywhere. I am grateful that the mystery of the Old Testament was revealed so that we may have the hope of glory.

What are you grateful for on this Gratituesday? Visit Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratituesday.