Spring rain for my soul

A teeny tiny nest that the kids found in a little bush in our flower bed.
God certainly does amazing things!

"So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3

 Do you ever get into what I tend to call a "slump"? I'm talking about when it seems like you're struggling to grow spiritually or maybe you're having trouble dealing with your kids, husband or friends or maybe you're just not feeling like cooking or cleaning or any of those little jobs that just need to be done. Or just maybe the struggle is in all of those areas.

 I have had trouble being in a slump lately. In most of the areas that I mentioned. I have struggled a lot with growing in the fruits of the Spirit and with having a good attitude. I think (at least with me) when I tend to struggle in spiritual areas then the struggle tends to spill over into other areas of my life as well such as in my relationships and my ability to work happily. I have discovered it also really spills over into my blogging. I don't really feel like I have much ability to encourage others when I was struggling myself. I just had trouble thinking of what to write about.

   I have been reading through the book of Hosea lately. It is any interesting book where God through Hosea gives Israel some big object lessons about their unfaithfulness and God's desire for them. In Hosea 5:15 it says "I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." God needs us to come to the place where we too acknowledge just how much we really need Him!

 Then hopefully we will say as it says in Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on the know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."

  Verse 3 was such a huge encouragement to me.

• It says: "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord." That need to seek that, work at knowing the Lord is emphasized, as if to say "Don't give up! Don't get discouraged! Just keep on working- You will make it!" 
• Then is says: " His going forth is as certain as the dawn;" That just reminds me that of how faithful and ever present God is. Even if we struggle God is still there- all the time- whenever we need Him!
• Next it says: "And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." I was reminded today of how important Spring rains are when I went out and saw some dry little tomato plants in my garden. We can get dry and thirsty like that too. God will come and give us the water we need but we need to be receptive to it. Oh what a blessing is God's rain that often comes in the form of His word. We should immerse ourselves in it so we don't dry up!

I hope you have found these verses encouraging too! I hope you will join me in making sure that we spend the time we need to letting God's word work in our lives and talking to God about everything. Lets do some growing!!

Remembering



Tree Pollen - photo by Mara

 Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I think it is very fitting that we have a day set aside to remember all those who have suffered and died for our country. I am very grateful for what they have done. It is good to remember them.

  In our remembering there is another that is even more important to remember. He also suffered and died for our cause. His suffering was way beyond what we can ever understand but we do need to remember him!

  Take note of these verses:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

 Jesus asks us to remember what He went through for us. He was willing to give His life for us, are we willing to remember Him?

What will we pursue?

"He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense."

Proverbs 12:11

I really appreciate the Proverbs. They words in there don't mess around, the message comes out plain and simple. I love this simple reminder to work hard and don't waste time on useless things! This is a message that I need reminding on every once and a while and I am sure others do to. There are so many, many worthless ways to occupy our time if we let them. Let's not go there! Let's concentrate on the activities that are productive either physically, mentally or spiritually.



He cares for you!

 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." Luke12:27-31



We have really been enjoying the flowers that have started blooming around here. As we look at them how wonderful it is to be reminded of how God cares for them and how much more he cares for us!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you Mother's have a wonderful Mother's Day!

I am blessed to have a wonderful Mother and am also very blessed to be able to be the mother to four precious children. Here is a verse that I think describes my Mother pretty well and is what I want to try to be as well:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her: Her husband also, and he praises her, saying; Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:25-31

Always be Prepared

I like the idea of being prepared, of having what is needed no matter what situation should arise. I think I have always been that way. I remember when I was a kid and we used to go camping not far from our home (Just us kids, hauling all our gear in our arms) and our friend and neighbor was quite amazed at how much stuff my sister and I thought we needed to bring. We liked to be prepared!

   I still have a tendency to pack heavy and I like to have extra clothes for my kids (at least the younger ones), rain gear, jumper cables, water bottles, snacks and more in our van at all times so no matter what happens we should be prepared.

  We live in a time when it certainly makes since to be prepared. I doubt if there has ever been a time when it wasn't necessary to be prepared but there are certain things that definitely point to the need now. We are a country at war, natural disasters are abundant (I am thinking of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, etc.), our nation is deeply in debt which makes our country less stable and we are in a recession. I think those reasons do encourage us to be prepared for whatever might happen. It bugs me when some people seem to worry and think things are worse than they are. That reminds me of this verse:
"You are not to say "It is a conspiracy!" in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear of be in dread of it. "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. " Isaiah 8:12 & 13.

  I see no great reward (just a bunch of stress) in imagining conspiracies or worrying about world events. In fact we are told specifically not to worry and that God cares for us more than he does for the lilies and the sparrows (and he takes care of them well!) and He even knows the number of hairs on our head. So we don't want to worry but God still wants us to strive to be prepared.

I love this verse:
"Go to the ant O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise. Which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in summer and gathers her provision in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

My goal is to be prepared like that wise little ant!

This week some of our working toward being prepared has been:

• Going to the grain elevator (In a town about 50 minutes away) and buying over 400 lbs of Wheat and 50 lbs of whole corn. That will provide bread and such for us for quite a while. It is always nice to have a good supply on hand.
• Reading! Lately I have been reading aloud to the kids out of a survival book. We like to be in nature, going camping, canoeing, biking and hiking, and I would like to have our kids be prepared as possible for any situations they might ever face. It has been fun to read through the book together learning about making shelter, finding safe water, figuring out direction, dealing with hypothermia and much more. We might not remember everything we read (though we are attempting to practice some of it as well) but at least we have learned some. Learning ahead of time will help them not to feel afraid should they ever be in an emergency situation. Fear is one of the worst enemies of survival. We also enjoy reading out of various plant guides and Euell Gibbon's books to learn about finding wild foods. I have also been reading a lot of bee books which is helping me to prepare myself for my beekeeping adventure (which is going well- I will share more about that on Monday.).

The very most important step in being prepared however is this: "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:24 We need to be absolutely sure that our lives are right with God. It is nice to be prepared in other ways but that would only affect us for a little while but if we aren't prepared for Jesus' return then it will affect us for eternity.

Do you like to be prepared?

Thinking on these things....

This past week, these words have been pressing into my heart and convicting me:

"Give to everyone who asks of you,

and whoever takes away what is yours,

do not demand it back.

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

If you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

If you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

But love your enemies,

and do good, and lend,

expecting nothing in return;

and your reward will be great,

and you will be sons of the Most High;

for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Be merciful,

just as your Father is merciful."

Luke 6:30-36

The message here isn't easy and it isn't something we do naturally but it is what Jesus showed us to do. I want to follow Him in everything. I have so much progress to make in this area!



He has risen!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

  We are at the time of year in which we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus' death and Resurrection. This event is so important, so life changing if you allow it to be. I hope that it is something you think about far more than this time of the year.

  It is so hard to believe, so amazing, almost more than we can comprehend, that God was willing to send His Son, Jesus, to come to earth for us. He is called Immanuel, which means "God with us". He came to earth to live a normal life and then not only be the greatest example ever but to become the needed sacrifice for our sins! He took the burden of our sins to the cross- suffering all the way and then He was put to death for us.

 "For you have been called for this purpose,

since Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

"who committed no sin,

nor was any deceit found in His mouth:"

and while being reviled, did not revile in return;

while suffering, He uttered no threats,

but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;

for by His wounds you were healed,

For you were continually straying like sheep,

but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."

1 Peter 2:21-25

   But that wasn't the end of the story. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb but He didn't stay dead. He came to life again! That makes all the difference in the world. We do not serve and worship a God who is dead, He is alive! Death has no power over Him!

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried,

and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4

Jesus did this for us because he wants us to die to sin and live to righteousness. He did this so that we could get rid of our burden of sin and have a new life with the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Last week was a pretty exciting week for us because Jonathan and Aaron after several months of thinking and visiting decided that they were totally ready to make the decision to follow Christ and make the full commitment to having a changed life. Both boys are fairly young (7 & 9) and so I was hesitant in them making this decision but they were fully convinced that they were ready to do so and so I am rejoicing in that. They were uniting with Christ in His resurrection and death as it speaks of in Romans 6.

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus

have been baptized into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,

in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,

certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,

that our body of sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves to sin;

for he who has died is freed from sin."

Romans 6:3-7

May you have blessed day remembering what Christ has done for you!

Speaks to me Sunday

I thought I would quickly share with you tonight some verses that always a good reminder to me of how I should be living. They are encouraging and motivating to me- I hope you find them that way too!

"In the same way, you wives,

be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them

are disobedient to the word,

they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,

as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

Your adornment must not be merely external-

braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

but let it be the hidden person of the heart,

with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:1-4

May God bless you as you strive to walk with Him!

He is Able

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, my soul.

LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,

they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;

never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,

and plants for people to cultivate—

bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens human hearts,

oil to make their faces shine,

and bread that sustains their hearts.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the junipers.

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;

the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21 The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away;

they return and lie down in their dens.

23 Then people go out to their work,

to their labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number—

living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,

and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,

they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works—

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

as I rejoice in the LORD.

35 But may sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Praise the LORD.

We were singing the song " He is able" (you can hear it in the video above) at church tonight and I was just reminded again of how great of God we have. How big and mighty He is. How He can do anything! And how much He cares for each one of us. I don't know your situation, but I hope you are remembering what a great God we have!

Loving discipline?!?

 How many of you loved it when your parents disciplined you as a child? How many of you love it when someone corrects you now? 

  Personally I never have found it much fun. As an adult when someone suggests I could do better in some area, I admit that I often struggle with feeling hurt. I don't think that is a good thing. In fact I think it is a pride problem. It makes me wonder if inside I am reacting that way to God when He disciplines me too?
This verse below was a good reminder to me this week of how I should be responding.

    "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." Proverbs 12:1

This is something I want to sink in! I need to love discipline and reproof so that I can grow and mature. I DON'T want to be stupid!

Hebrews 12:4-11 talks a lot about this too. I recommend reading it as well. I will share verses 5 & 6:

 "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives."

Do you need to learn to LOVE discipline too? Pleases join me in working on that.

Do good to all men

 This past week I did something I had never done before. Our church had decided to take a turn at hosting the homeless in our town for a week. That entailed having the people come in the afternoon and staying until the next morning. We needed to have volunteers there (at least two) the whole time, provide meals, clean and watch for any potential problems.

  For most of the week I took the early morning shift so I got up at 4:40 am and quickly headed over to the church building to start my 5 am shift. It was pretty quiet at that time of day and I enjoyed being able to spend about an hour writing in my prayer journal and reading my Bible. I have been reading through the book of Proverbs but one of those mornings I just happened to flip to Galatians 6 and I read that as well. The words in that chapter really spoke to me.

  These verses especially:
"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ" Galatians 6:2
"Let us not lost heart in doing good , for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Galatians 6:9-10

 I will be very honest with you, I had a lot of different emotions about helping out the homeless this week. Before they came there was some uneasiness over the unknown, I was not familiar with homeless people and I felt a little ill at ease, Also I have struggled with the question of why they were in that situation, was it bad choices or was it something beyond their control? Is it even the right thing to do, to take care of people so completely that they might not feel the need or desire to try to take care of themselves?

 I still don't have all of those questions answered but I do feel that this has been a growing week for me. I had so much fun getting to know the different people that came, I no longer feel uneasy or "scared" of homeless people. I realize that for the most part they are people just like me, simply with a different background and different situations.

 I was able to learn how to love them and enjoy helping them in the ways that I could. These verses reminded me that I need to help others and that doesn't mean living there life for them but simply living my life in a way that I show them God's love.

  I am so thankful for this opportunity that God gave to me (and many others) to grow.

Happy Spring!!

 Are you all excited about Spring's arrival? We are!!

    We love winter but we are always ready for Spring. Today was a grey day here and it was raining. I hadn't driven in rain for several months. The snow is melting and we are dreaming of gardening and all the other fun Spring activities. I won't actually be able to get into the garden for quite a while but we will starts seeds and such inside before too long.

  I thought this verse went along with my springtime thoughts as well as other things I have had on my mind.~

" He who tills his land will have plenty of food,

but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

 He who gives to the poor will never want,

but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses."

Proverbs 28:19, 20 & 27

I just find it so cool how many practical subjects God talks about in His book, the Bible. He wants us to plan ahead, work to take care of our own needs, be faithful with what we have and also look out for those around us that do not have as much. I appreciate the thoughts in this verse and I hope I can put them to practice in my life!



Teaching of kindness on her tongue.... my hope.

 "Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she smiles at the future.

She opens her mouth in wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness."

Proverbs 31:25-27

The woman described in Proverbs 31 is altogether inspiring to me. That is what I want to be like. I have a long way to go but that is my goal. Today those verse above really stood out to me. I want to be one that has strength and dignity that is just a part of me. I don't think I have a problem with smiling at the future. I am an optimist and that comes pretty easily for me- I hope it is always that way.

What a neat tribute to say that when she opens her mouth it is wisdom that comes out. I have so far to go in that area but Lord willing, I can learn how to speak wisdom! One of my big goals right now is learning to watch my tongue. I want to always have the teaching of kindness on my tongue!

 Last week as I (and others) focused on making our homes a haven, I was trying to look well to the ways of my household. I so enjoyed the week of really focusing on that. I don't want to be idle and I want to follow the Proverbs 31 Ladies example in that too!

What is most notable to you in these verses?

Making Our Home a Haven: Day 2

Happy First of March!! When March arrives it feels like Spring is near. :-)

 This was day two of our week of trying to make our home a haven. I was pretty tired today and not feeling all that wonderful and so I didn't attempt any big projects but it was still my goal to figure out ways to make our home a comfortable, pleasant and loving place to be.

  The picture above is actually one from yesterday but I took it after I wrote my post for yesterday. The kids went outside to play yesterday afternoon and I thought it would be fun to have hot chocolate ready for them when they came in. (Though Mara and Jonathan actually ended up taking theirs outside in travel mugs to give them something to keep warm with while they continued to work on their fort.) The kids all really enjoyed their hot chocolate and it was fun for me to think of a very simple way to please them and make them feel loved.

This morning I was able to get up early again for prayer time and then I meditated on these verses:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of me heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14  and A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1    More great reminders of how I want to use my tongue.

Monica had suggested that we write a note to someone. I chose to write three notes to various people in my life (a friend, an aunt and a cousin) who have all been fairly recently diagnosed with cancer. I just wanted to let them know that I care and I am praying. Writing notes was a nice activity to do while being available for the boys if they needed any help with their math.

Our day was pretty filled with schoolwork and going to an interesting lecture on Antarctica given by a man who had been there 21 times. I was feeling rather wiped out today so I didn't tackle any new projects but did work to keep our main living areas clean.

 The kids had fun taking my outside to tour the fort that they had begun making yesterday.

 It was pretty cold so we didn't stay out long but I enjoyed the tour.

This evening I thought it would be fun to do something to make our supper special. The only problem was I didn't have much energy or time. Then I thought why am I trying to be this super woman who makes our home a special place all "on my own"? Wouldn't it be even more fun to share that fun and excitement with the kids? I asked them if they wanted to work at making the supper table special and the younger 3 thought that sounded like lots of fun.

 They added a tablecloth to the table, a candle to put by everyone's plate (and we ate by candlelight), they wrapped our silverware up in the napkins, we used plates that aren't our usual plates and then Megan made heart place tags to put on top of them. They had a great time getting that down and it was fun to together work to make our home a happy place.

After supper we thought it would be fun to play a game but Ken had a project he needed to get done. We were able to help him do his project and play a game too. That was another fun way to do stuff together and work on having a happy home.

The day wasn't perfect, I was tired and struggled to not be grumpy but God helped us and blessed us in so many ways and helped us to make our home a haven.



We are so blessed!

 "How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.

When you shall eat the fruit of your hands,

You will be happy and it will be well with you."

Psalm 128: 1 & 2

We are very blessed! I haven't paused in February to blog about some of the things I am thankful for so I want to do that today!

#758 Waking up to the sound of a Chickadee singing his spring call. I love that sound!

#759 Not using up much propane this winter- it doesn't look like we are even going to need to fill the tank ever. We are staying warm too- The sunshine streams in our windows and heats up the house even when the temperature is below zero outside. (We do also use some electric baseboard heat using "ripple" electricity which is much cheaper.)

#760 Getting to see family from far away. They came to visit!

#761 Cousins who enjoy story time.

#762 Molly Bea- A faithful reader of books to children.

#763 A fun tour of the police station with the kids even getting to turn on lights in the police car.

#764 A fun homeschool get-together and an entertaining reading of the history of Valentine's day.

#765 Getting to see Aliens. (Otherwise known as my brother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew)
#766 Laughter.
#767 A bunch of helpers to get ready for the bridal show.

don't try this at home!

#768 Entertainment by my brother-in-laws mother.
#769 More laughter. :-)

#770 A successful Bridal show.
#771 A great helper! (Mara loves to join me at the shows and I appreciate her great help.)

#772 Lots of flowers to decorate my house with afterwards. (And to share!)

#773 Music making fun.
#774 A friend who volunteered to teach the boys drum lessons.
#775 Boys that love to learn!

#776 Fun times skiing.

#777 The thrill of the ski lift. I was reminded of that again this time as I took Aaron up for his first time.

#778 Safety! Though we really enjoy skiing we are reminded that it can be dangerous. We were saddened to hear of a death of a novice skier at a slope near here recently.

#779 A fireplace to warm up our cold hands at. We went skiing in below zero weather and it was a bit chilly.

#780 Getting to watch the Sunset.

#781 Sunshiny days.

#782 So many wonderful things to learn!

#783 Naps and quiet rest times.

#784 Books.

#785 God's patience with me!