Expected and unexpected Texas treats

The star of the show:

That's my chunky-monkey nephew Micah. I got to see him before he was a week old, and my, how he's grown! We are all besotted with him, and acted like a troop of monkeys ourselves in attempts to get one of those adorable grins. Of course, it was also wonderful to see my folks, sister and BIL, too. :-)

The unexpected treat?

Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth is hosting an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls – and I got to see it! (Thanks, Mom!)

Headed for the entrance

The exhibition was awe-inspiring in so many ways, I really can't begin to describe it. No photos were allowed inside the exhibition, but they were allowed outside at the 80% scale replica of Qumran, which was littered with ancient potshards from Qumran itself. Each shard was labeled with exactly where it was discovered, and each visitor was allowed to take one as a souvenir. Here is mine:

Pinch me; I'm holding a piece of history over 2000 years old!

The whole experience was a powerful fulfillment to me of Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever." Amen!

That's my Texas report, from . . .