Travel - Page 2 of 4 - McKenzie Sue Makes

Reading through the entire book of Psalms within a

Reading through the entire book of Psalms within a short period of time has opened my eyes to a map. A map others have created and written and sung. A map emerged that leads us closer to God. This map holds a path of key action words to follow along. Verbs that stuck out and are used frequently throughout the 150 psalms. In no particular order, here are key actions on our map guide: Calling
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Crying
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Trusting
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Seeking
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Remembering
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Rejoicing
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Praising
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Thanking
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Delighting I noticed this map wasn’t a straight line where we all take the same path or there’s one right way. Each of our action words come at different times. Your actions might go in a different order than mine. It was tough to know which came first as I read. Did the songwriter trust in the Lord and then he praised Him? Or because he was praising, his trust in Him grew? Did they cry unto the Lord and then remembered him? Or maybe the very act of calling out was them remembering the Lord. The map has what seems like polar opposites that will actually draw us closer to God - if you can delight in the Lord and cry unto Him at the same time, you are on the right path. .. There is a second map shown as well. The map of Godly actions He makes to the people who follow their own map. His map includes: Hearing
Helping
Strengthening
Delivering
Saving
Protecting
Offering refuge
Extending mercy His map is endless. And our paths will converge in the end, where He will bring us to the gates of His palace.
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If we get outside first thing, our days run much s

If we get outside first thing, our days run much smoother. We’ve dubbed this the “climbing tree” playground and Hazel has gotten pretty good at it with all the recent practice. Seeing her bravely leaning into fear in the safety of my arms, taking reasonable risks, and mapping out what her body can handle is one of my favorite parts of watching my kids grow.

#ruckersundayselfie still happening over here now

#ruckersundayselfie still happening over here now and again (with Hazel too busy carrying her 5 puppies to be a part of the photo). So grateful for the knowledge that this family is not just a part of me until death parts us, but for eternity. I can’t even fathom what eternity really means but I sure will be grateful to have these cuties beside me. (Note that this was the very first shot took. James is famous for his amazing photo smiles 😁) ✨

Scouting out all the local nature trails and this

Scouting out all the local nature trails and this one was a perfect find! Variety of landscapes, with fun bridges here and there, a good amount of shade, and lots of dogs to say hi to along the way! And I am also reaping the benefit of the hard work of getting them out and hiking for a full hour because they are currently both napping at the same time 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. I am hoping to get outdoors as often as possible with these two and watch them explore in wonder. ☀️ #ouroutdoors

We pull up to a new playground and before I even s

We pull up to a new playground and before I even sit down in the shade the kid’s heads (and mine) are covered in sweat. They play for only a few minutes before they rush back to the shady seat and ask for the snacks and drinks (which I was luckily prepared for). The kids were not sharing, the slides were scathing hot, and you could call this outing an utter failure. As I tipped my head back to get the last sip of my drink, I was struck with an unexpected sight above me. The sky was a glorious blue with clouds whisping through the tree cracks. And the prettiest lilacs were blooming above me that I had not even noticed since I sat down. It stopped me for a split second; I smiled and returned back to refereeing the sharing. The kids learned to compromise and they began treating each other kindly. They zoomed on their scooters and found a bush full of berries to pick. Lesson learned: if I just tilt my head upwards once in a while, I can see things in a new perspective and find the beauty in what is usually completely missed. The mundane is a gift. ✨✨✨ The last two slides are from my favorite corner of my own little website: My 1,000 Gifts. Now I started this in 2017 and am only to #62, but it has given me a new lens to view life in, and I love documenting those God-moments where, for a split second, I am struck in the beauty of the moment I find myself in and I write it in poem form to express my gratitude. I highly recommend you give it a try! And read @annvoskamp’s beautiful book to be inspired by her words and idea. mckenziesuemakes.com/one-thousand-things/ #exhalecreativity

Last week I taught Hazel the letter O and since we

Last week I taught Hazel the letter O and since we didn’t have a chance to make orange juice then, we had to give it a go this week! And James woke up from his nap just in time to enjoy the fruits of our labor 🧡☀️🍊

If God’s love represents the tree of life (the o

If God’s love represents the tree of life (the one told in Lehi’s dream), and God’s greatest act of love is Him laying down his life for us, is not the cross itself a sort of tree of life for us? I loved this idea so much that I just had to create it visually and then I volunteered to speak in front a dozen+ teenagers (🤯). For those who watched my stories a few weeks back when I asked for your personal message from Christ, thank you for your help! We had a ton of phrase options at the youth fireside, and it seems like nobody totally hated the idea 😅. If you want to make one yourself, I put up my fireside sermon on my website and the downloads to make your own cross/tree of life. Happy Sunday ✨ mckenziesuemakes.com/individual-worth Illustration by @val.lineart and idea is inspired from @johnhiltoniii’s book!