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    Wednesday Wisdom: Festival Weekend - Feast Forever

    Wednesday Wisdom: Festival Weekend - Feast Forever

    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL This weekend, more than 100,000 people will descend upon the island to celebrate a tradition that began in 1963. Known as the “birthplace of the modern shrimping industry in America” Fernandina Beach will feature a parade, fine arts and crafts, music, and best of all, food! As Bubba described in Forrest Gump, “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.” I don’t know if shrimp will be prepared in every form or fashion Bubba described, but you can trust that it will be a main attraction at many of the booths. Regardless, the weekend generates a tremendous amount of excitement and anticipation for a celebration…around shrimp. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with celebrating shrimp (and I will be the first in line for some coconut shrimp), but I was reminded this week of the feasts and festivals that were declared for God’s people (Leviticus 23). These celebrations reiterate that God enjoys, and promotes, a good party. But before you use that statement as a disclaimer, remember God throws down for all the right reasons! The celebrations were communal and commemorative - they drew people together and kept alive the miraculous stories of how God provided for his people. There are solemn and serious implications of what was, and what is to come - symbolism of sacrifice and triumph, all worth truly reflecting and celebrating. It’s easy to get caught up in the activities this weekend and miss the significance of the shrimp boat designs and nets developed here that radically transformed the shrimping industry and made Fernandina “the source” of shrimp around the world in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Whether you’re looking forward to the parade, the music, the art, or the food (don’t forget the funnel cake and lemonade) I encourage you to pause and celebrate the historical significance Fernandina Beach. Most importantly, as you bite into one of those succulent shrimp, remember the ultimate celebration (and feast) we, as believers, will enjoy one day…

    “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25:6-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL

    We love you, Mom! Cape House Mother's Day Gift Guide

    We love you, Mom! Cape House Mother's Day Gift Guide

    Mother's Day is just around the corner: mark your calendar for Sunday, May 13th! Planning to gift mom with more than a hug and note this year? (Although, those are THE best gifts you can give!) Sit back, and relax - we've rounded up our favorite options from the store below! See something that would be perfect for one of the mom's in your life? Give us a call (904-844-2384) or email info@shopcapehouse.com, and we're happy to help make Mom's Day special! Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL

    Wednesday Wisdom: The Golden Rule

    Wednesday Wisdom: The Golden Rule

    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL Who has seen The Greatest Showman? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Who thinks The Greatest Showman is the greatest movie in the past decade? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m not exaggerating when I say my household has seen the movie at least 50 times and knows every word of the soundtrack. We are even in serious negotiations with our best friends over which character each of us will be at annual Halloween porch party. I mean, it’s SO good! There’s just something about a musical that puts a permanent smile on my face! I digress.... This movie, while full of talent and entertainment, is also full of a few good life lessons:

    • Be confident in who you are - and who you were created to be.
    • The greatest gifts are sometimes (most of the time) right under your nose.
    • Hard work - and not always doing things like everyone else - is so valuable!
    Character Jenny Lind alludes to maybe the most important lesson of the movie. She says, “When you are careless with other people, Mr. Barnum, you bring ruin upon yourself.” This line gets me every time! It carries such weight. Don’t get me wrong, Jenny Lind is my least favorite character in the movie, but she brings a valid point and reminds me of the golden rule we all learn in preschool.
    "In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you. This is what is written in the Law and in the Prophets.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:12‬
    The way we treat others is so close to God’s heart, and we cannot take this lightly. The message of the Gospel and the way we treat His PEOPLE are our greatest gifts and responsibilities while we are on this earth. We don’t have to listen to Jenny Lind, but we do need to take note to these words that teach us the same thing:
    “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’" “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Matthew‬ ‭25:34-46‬ ‭
    Love God. Love People. Do Work. Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL

    Wednesday Wisdom: Head vs. Heart

    Wednesday Wisdom: Head vs. Heart

    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL As a parent, visits to the doctor are rarely something you look forward to. This year, Addi Grace has battled multiple ear infections that continue to get worse rather than improve. I was anticipating the recommendation for ear tubes, but I wasn’t expecting an adenoid removal. The procedure for tubes isn’t a big deal - but there is another layer of uncertainty and severity with the adenoids. My first instinct, which won’t surprise any of you who know me, is to research, over-analyze, run a hypothetical contingency, and do more research before making a decision (even for dinner, much less a procedure for our daughter). This was difficult. I was texting with my father, who thinks a lot like me, and he finally wrote back: “When my brain says one thing, and my heart another, it’s usually best when I follow my brain.“ That reminded me of a verse I read recently in Mark. Jesus warned us about the difference between our head and our heart. I’m not sure about you, but I have a tendency of paying a little more attention when the words are in red! Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees and was clearly upset. “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people will honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”…Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.” Skillfully, meaning there is intentionality to plan how to get around the rules or pick and choose which traditions are the best fit, rather than focus on the purpose and meaning of following Jesus with a pure, undivided heart. He was so frustrated because they were focused on all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons! Trying with their heads to figure it all out but missing the heart of it. Jesus continues and addresses the crowd. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” It’s not the rules, traditions, knowledge, wisdom, what you do, or don’t do that makes you right, clean, and worthy - only Jesus can do that! Then of course, after he left the crowd and was alone with the disciples, they ask him further to explain what he meant thinking he was talking in parables. “Don’t you understand either?” ....“It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” (Mark‬ ‭7:5-23‬) We can’t trust our hearts to lead and guide us. In fact, Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” We have to ask God to create in us a pure heart (Psalm 51:10). One that follows after Him. We know we can’t lean on our own understanding or we will be caught up in fear, anxiety, and will never step out in faith. We will also be caught up in all the information and miss His purpose. It is a concerted effort of all of our being to fully experience His greatest plan for our lives. That’s the hardest part for me. The head makes perfect sense. It’s letting go with all my heart that’s difficult. So back to Addi and the adenoids - it looks like we’ll lead with the head and follow with the heart.

    In the end we know, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL

    Wednesday Wisdom: Pick up the Shovel

    Wednesday Wisdom: Pick up the Shovel

    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL A little over a year ago, March 27, 2017, we were staring at an empty building with mounds of dirt - dirt that had to be relocated in order to pour the foundation (and there was a lot of dirt!) While we had a vision of what the store would become we were a long way from “seeing” it. I was listening to a podcast (Masters of Scale) earlier this week featuring the founders of AirBNB, and I was reminded again of the process involved with starting something new. If you are unfamiliar with AirBNB, the company operates an online marketplace and hospitality service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging. The founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, started with their loft in San Francisco, offering up three inflatable mattresses and a home cooked breakfast for $80. Ten years later the company is worth $31 billion, the second most valuable startup in the world behind Uber. Don’t get me wrong, I am not comparing Cape House to AirBNB, but they had plenty of dirt to move too! A year and a half into their operation AirBNB was only averaging 50 people per day on the website and 10-20 bookings. So they got creative. They went door to door (literally) of their hosts and found the answers that allowed them to improve the user experience and eventually scale to a global brand. They had a saying, “do everything by hand until it was painful.” We haven’t adopted that saying but we have had our fair share of pain. Moving dirt was painful, but it was the beginning of the process. There will always be dirt in the way of your dreams. Are you willing to pick up the shovel and start the work?

    10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin… Zechariah 4:10 NLT
    Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL Cape House | Home & Hospitality Boutique | Amelia Island, FL