Friday I finished a 3-day road trip with my older daughter Ansley. We rode the motorcycle up in the mountains of North Carolina, riding on such famous roads as the Cherohala Skyway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Scenic Highway 74, etc. We stayed at motorcycle campgrounds, and just filled our eyes and souls with the majesty and grandeur of the Smoky Mountains. We spent some time nosing through shops in Cherokee, visited the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, and mostly enjoyed some of the most beautiful roads and scenery in America.

Ansley completely soaked in the experience- she took pictures of everything, from massive clouds over high peaks, to small, colorful leaves we found on mountain trails. It enriched me watching her be so enriched by all we saw and did. She would say things like, "words can't describe this" or "pictures just can't capture this". We both felt the presence of God up in those mountains, and felt a closeness to Him and to each each other that I hope we carry with us for many years to come. I pray her heart will be always turned toward the Lord, the "Rock of our salvation", and we'll always take time to find refreshment in His mountains.

Rob

Last week was our annual Children's Camp, and it was a fantastic time! Our theme was "Breaking Free", Brent Weber was our worship leader again, and we took 240 kids and leaders back to Anderson, SC. We worshipped, had lots of fun in recreation and swimming together, enjoyed crazy game show nights and a great talent show, and grew closer to Christ as we opened His Word. What was most memorable to me was the night 17 kids came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. It was an incredible night of worship. That night before my lesson, Brent put a single white chair center stage, with an open Bible on it, and we downed the house lights, leaving the chair bathed in the glow of one spot light. He then sat over on one side, and led quiet worship songs while 240 voices lifted praise. It was an amazing night in an amazing week.

Rob

Saturday several of my RockiTown kid's worship leaders and myself took our families up to North Carolina for a whitewater rafting trip down the Nantahala River. We got there about 10am, and spent a couple of hours bouncing around on the waves and splashing through the rapids. We had a blast! Its a rowdy enough river to have plenty of excitement, yet easy enough for younger kids to enjoy. Its been about 15+ years since I've been whitewater rafting, but we had so much much fun, it won't be another 15 years, for sure! We used River Runners Retreat, and I highly recommend them. Our guide, a young guy named Ian (pictured here with us), made it entertaining for everyone. Next time, we've decided we're going to step it up a notch- a run down the Ocoee River! Its a little tougher, not really for younger kids, but hey, we're "river rats" now!