JC & I share a deep appreciation of God’s creation.
While I especially enjoy planting seeds and nurturing their growth,

JC’s new pastime is roaming the desert, observing and collecting rocks.

Here in Arizona, in the Sonoran desert, not far from where we are dwelling in our skoolie,
JC discovered a large, accessible area of public land called Dry Canyon.

It is a remote and quiet place with cattle grazing, cacti blooming
and lots of rocks varying in size, minerals and colors.

Because our brother Dennis gets a kick out of driving his 4-wheel drive Chevy truck over rocky terrain,

he offered to drive us to the mountains surrounding the canyon.

Along the way, as Deanna and I bounced in our seats
and held on for dear life,

I expressed a desire to see and photograph desert blooms.
The breathtaking beauty of Spring is so fleeting, I longed to capture it.

When we reached our destination the guys hopped out of the truck and took off, anxious to start exploring. I lagged behind, changing out of my flip flops into walking shoes. As I stepped out of the truck, I asked the Lord to please show me a desert bloom. Seconds later, I heard Dennis yell, “Melanie!” I looked up and spotted him some distance away, with his fingers pointing to the ground. “Bloom!”, he proclaimed.
: ) Thank You, Lord.

In the desert, it is not uncommon to find something startlingly beautiful nearly hidden. Such was the case, so I proceeded to pluck away the dead grass. I wanted to capture the contrast of the bright fuchsia flower and deep green cactus to the otherwise drab desert. Despite my careful efforts to avoid the thorns, every few seconds, I exclaimed “Ouch!”
Those little thorns are sharp! And difficult to avoid.

Arizona is the prickliest place I have ever touched.

There’s a price to pay for witnessing something remarkable.

Whether it’s uniquely patterned rocks or radiantly beautiful blooms we find, while exploring this vast land,
there is no discovery comparable to the kingdom of heaven which the Son of God describes as a treasure.

Matthew 13:44-46 NASB
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.“

Because JC & I dearly love Yeshua and the members of His body, who are our brethren, we praise & thank Him for bringing us to Dennis & Deanna.

We have much in common and it has been a rich, delightful experience getting to know them, worshipping together our Lord, and enjoying fellowship both at their house and on backroad adventures!

Psalm 133:1 NASB
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!