Aware of His Goodness

This afternoon customers arrived at our farm to pick up the chickens we butchered for them this morning.  One couple that came today, started coming out a few years ago.  We see them twice a year - once for chicken pick up and once for turkey pick up.  We always look forward to our visits with them.  But today was even more enjoyable for me! 

When they arrived, there weren't any other customers waiting, so there was no reason to rush.  We had a great time with them laughing and visiting as we bagged, weighed and loaded up all their chicken. (They had over 40 of them!)  As our time together was drawing to a close, a thought popped into my mind, "Ask them if they know where they will spend eternity."   I glanced at the tracts sitting on our counter, ignoring the prompting.  We talked a little more.  The thought came again, "Ask them if they know where they will spend eternity."   More thoughts came.... "They won't be interested in the things of God....but what if they were?  What if they have been talking about Him?  What if the Lord has been wooing them?  What if he wants me to be an encouragement by confirming what He is doing in their life?"  Suddenly we were thanking them for their business and saying goodbye.  Out the door they went.  "No!," I reasoned, "I have to ask them!"  So I grabbed a tract and rushed out the door. 
When I got to their car, the wife was standing facing me.  I said, "Do you know where you will spend eternity?", as I handed her the tract.  Then her husband looked at me and said very sincerely, "You are my sister, aren't you?"  And he gave me a big hug.  Then he went on to tell me that just this summer, someone witnessed to him at the State Fair, and he got saved.  He is now going to a good church and taking an evangelist course.  My eyes filled with tears.  When he got saved, his wife was in another country, visiting relatives.  He said he has been sharing with her and trying to help her understand what happened to him.  On the way out to our farm he was telling her that we were a Christian family and that we knew the Lord too.  Growing up Catholic, they had learned religion, but had never found the Savior.  I asked her to read the tract and told her that I would be praying for her.

I was blessed beyond measure by this incident in my day.  Our God is such an awesome God!  He is alive and working in the hearts of men!  He uses different events and people to help us to understand His love for us.  He wants this woman to know just how much He loves her!  And He will orchestrate all kinds of situations to show His mercy and grace to her because it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. 
Praising Him! :)

Baby Steps

This morning, after praying for a friend, I was thinking about those days when we wake up feeling like we have a mountain to climb.  Those are the days we need determination!  It reminds me of the hilarious movie, "What About Bob?".  We need to take baby steps down the hall, baby steps to get on the bus, and baby steps until four o'clock. :)    The point is, each step brings progress, and with each step in the right direction, we will find satisfaction.  We cannot focus on the mountain, or we will become overwhelmed and full of fear and worry.  Today we just need to take that one step knowing that joy will follow.

I looked up determination (in Achieving True Success) and found that it is the opposite of faintheartedness.  It is the purpose to accomplish right goals at the right time, regardless of the opposition.  Let's face it, we will have opposition in this life!  But today let's just take that one baby step in the right direction.  After many days of baby steps, we will look back and see the mountain behind us.  It will bring God glory, and fill us with courage.  Remember, the harder the fight, the more determination, and the sweeter the victory!  Take that baby step today and forget about the mountain! :)

Waiting

Waiting on God is not something that comes easily for me.  I think that maybe I am too American! :)   If I am hungry, a quick walk through the kitchen to grab a snack is all that is needed to satisfy my desire for food.  Within minutes, I can have any question I have answered, with the help of Google.  Feeling lonely?  No problem, just grab the phone or hop on Skype and that longing for someone to talk to is fulfilled. Waiting is for the birds!  We Americans have places to go, things to do, people to see...who has time for waiting?  The longer we wait, the less we get...and we want more!

Unfortunately God does not always answer us in an American way!  Although He does do that at times, as seen in many healings and deliverances, but all around God is very patient, which I am very thankful for, especially when it comes to Him being patient with me.  But when I have a prayer I want answered, I don't want God to be patient or teach me patience.  I WANT IT NOW!!!  Does that sound like a two-year-old or what?  Actually is sounds like most American adults and kids alike!

A farmer's market customer was sharing with us about his brother's cancer treatment. One of the things he was required to do was chew his food fifty times before swallowing it. So that has been my new kick. At meal time, I am reminding everyone to chew, chew, chew. Then it dawned on me, it takes patience to eat this way! I don't want to eat slowly. I want to get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time as possible...swallow it hole and move on!!!

I often think about how disadvantaged our children are because they live in such a fast paced world.  Yes, there are many advantages too, I won't deny that, but think of how patient the old timers must have been because they had to make everything they needed to survive.  Very few things came quickly.  Waiting was part of life.  When hungry, they had to go out hunting for their food and there was plenty of waiting and patience involved in that meal.  But our children really have very little need for patience.  Yet they must know how to wait on God, or they will be tempted to seek out quick answers from the world.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, "

Who runs with patience!?!  It's get to the goal as fast as possible and do whatever it takes!  I used to run races as a kid, and I never ran with patience!  Yet that is how we are to live out this Christian life. 

Patience here means, "cheerful endurance".  Waiting should not be burdensome.  That cheerfulness is found in our faith in Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think.  It's found in the One whose Word does not return unto Him void.  It is found in our God who cannot lie.  We must trust Him, and we must wait on Him...cheerfully enduring...and teaching our children to do the same! :)

A Good Reminder About Life On Earth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=86dsfBbZfWs

Back to School

Emily and I were off running errands, and we needed to stop at Walmart for a couple things.  Before we got there I said with excitement, "I bet the school supplies are out!"  As we walked in the door, I giggled with joy when I saw the isles of note books, pencils, and glue.  I love this time of year!  Getting my school room organized, receiving my shipments of books from UPS, and counting down the days until we begin are some of the highlights! :)

When I was checking out, the guy said to me, "Are you excited about the school supplies?"  I smiled and told him I was.  He said, "Ya, the day I went back to school was my mom's favorite day of the year."  My heart sank.  Then I said, "Well, it is my favorite day too, but I home school my children."  Then he looked at me in disbelief and said, "Oh, OK."

How sad that this is how many American women feel.  They can't wait to get rid of their children.  When I got home I told my children (not that they don't already know this) how much I look forward to hours of reading and studying with them.  I get to spend the whole day with them! :)

Of course that doesn't mean it is always easy.  Homeschooling is not perfect.  And yes, there are days when I would rather leave, but those are the exception.  But whether we home school or send our kids to public school, we should not make our children feel like we don't enjoy being with them.  And if it is true, that we don't enjoy our children, then we need to fix that problem.  One thing I love about No Greater Joy ministries is that they teach parents to love their children and enjoy being with them.  If you don't have a copy of their child training book, you need to get one, or visit their website (the link is on my sidebar).  Read and learn, and enjoy your children!   They are a gift from God! :)

Mother Hen

Mother Hen and her chicks

Last week one of my kids heard peeping in the barn while looking for stray eggs from disobedient hens who refuse to lay in the nest boxes in the chicken coop. :)  Following the sound, they discovered a nest of six little chicks in the hay loft.  Here the broody hen that they thought had disappeared was hiding in the loft of the barn sitting on a nest of eggs! :)  The kids were thrilled!  Ordering chicks is fun, but having a hen hatch out a batch right on the farm is even better.  So the children moved her to a small brooding pen in the chicken coop in order to keep her chicks safe from the cats.

Now the children have added changing mama chickens water and giving her feed to their list of morning chores.  This morning at breakfast, they were telling me how protective mama hen is.  Most hens are this way, but this mama is especially protective!  Jonny said she was viciously scratching his rubber boots with her claws and pecking at his legs this morning.  She is determined to keep her babies safe!

This reminded me of something I had read one time.  In Debbie Pearls book, Created to be His Help Meet, she has a chapter on loving your children.  She encourages moms to be watching out for their children.

We know the facts...one in four kids are molested...kids are kidnapped every day...and abused in many ways.  So, knowing the facts, do we make careless decisions about who our children spend time with and then just pray for protection for them?  God has already provided protection for your child - YOU!  Would you sit out in the rain and pray for a dry place when God had already provided shelter for you?  There are some things that we don't need to pray about because God has already provided the answer.  Do not be lazy, mama!  Watch out for your little chick; it's your job!  There is no reason to be afraid, but there are many reasons to be protective and rude if necessary in order to protect your children.  Debbie says,

"How many times will your little toddler wander down the hall (while you sit in a roomful of friends engrossed in a video) before some young "trustworthy" teenage boy slips silently in behind him or her and maneuvers her into the bathroom for a four-minute "session"?  When the four minutes are up, your little child will emerge forever broken and diseased.  You cannot pray and expect God for supernatural intervention and protection.  God has already provided for her through you.  You can and must pray and ask God to make you a more attentive and sober parent, that you might better protect your children.  You are your babies' keeper.  Please, keep them well."

In our home, my daughter does not go anywhere alone with a male, other than her father and brothers.  I don't care if it's a relative, a good friend, or someone that I think I can probably trust.  Knowing the statistics, makes me a fool to do otherwise!  It is simply a rule that we have always had, and if I have to be rude in order to enforce it, I will.  God has given my daughter a mother for her protection!  It is WISDOM to put these rules into practice, and a mother who overlooks the facts, hopes for the best, and says a prayer for protection as she carelessly drops her children off with whoever she can find to babysit, so she can have some time alone, is a fool!  You are your children's protection, don't neglect your duty and be lazy!  Watch out for your kids, pour your life into them, sacrifice your "me time" right now and be what God called you to be...a "Mother Hen"!

Victory at Target

When I was shopping the other day, I couldn't help but notice a family with small children shopping together.  Their littlest one was screaming...very loud.  He kept throwing a toy out of the cart and would then scream for it.  Finally the dad said, "If you stop screaming, I will pick it up for you."  The battle was on! :)  The kid screamed all the more...louder and louder!  The mother was getting very agitated.  Scowling at her husband, she said, "Why is he crying!"  The father, who was pushing the cart and waiting for his wife to find what she needed, explained the situation.  She rolled her eyes and grumbled.

All this time, I was pretending not to notice.  And I kept saying to myself, "Dad, don't give in!  Don't give in!"  As the kid continued to scream, the dad shouted even louder, "Stop crying and I will give it to you!"  Then suddenly the kid stopped and the dad got the toy and gave it to the boy!   Victory!!! :)

Then he said, "If you throw that again, I will not buy it for you.  We will leave it in the store.  Do you hear me?  Look at me!  Do you understand?"  This boy knew that his father meant business, and he was learning to obey his father.  This was a wise father.

As I walked past the family, I just smiled, but I wanted so badly to encourage that man and tell him what a great dad he was.  He certainly wasn't getting any encouragement from his wife!  But his little boy will grow up to respect him.  Men need to be leaders and children need to obey their parents.  It is in God's plan!  And God's ways always work best!!! :)

A Prayer For Protection

This morning as Ben was heading out to mow, he mentioned that he needed to mow the large dog pen that Princess and Captain are in.  He said he hates to mow that area because there are so many bones, and as much as he tries to watch out for the bones, some usually end up getting mowed which is not good for the mower and is also very dangerous.  Last time he mowed that pen, he watched a bone go sailing through the air and up and over the house!  So this morning I told him, "You need to remember to pray that nobody will get hurt while you are mowing."  He said he would do that.

Later I called Ben in while he was mowing that pen.  I had made his favorite snack - a kefir shake! :)  After he finished his shake, he headed back out to finish the pen.  Then Mike and Jonny came in for their shakes.  As Mike, Jonny and I were in the kitchen drinking our shakes and talking (Emily had just gone out to pick peas) suddenly there was deafening sound!  It sounded like a shot gun went off in the kitchen.  I immediately cried out to the Lord and hit the floor.  As the three of us looked around, we realized what happened.  Something came flying through the bay window in the kitchen.  There was glass EVERYWHERE!  We all felt glass spray our faces and arms.  Jonny was closest to the window, and felt his whole head get showered in glass.  I had a little burning on my chest and noticed I was bleeding a little.  It was just a very small cut.  We all had glass in our hair and in our clothes.  Mike and Jonny were sitting on the bench at the table directly in front of the window and I was standing in the kitchen beyond the table.  As Mike looked around he found a dog bone on the floor by the window.  I couldn't believe it!!  I thought to myself, "Ben must have prayed...he had to have prayed!"

As the bone came through the window, it hit one of the metal grids that is in between the panes and as it ricocheted off of that, it headed to the corner of the kitchen...where there was nothing and nobody!  All I could do was thank the Lord!!  Every surface of my kitchen and much of the living room was covered in glass pieces and yet NOBODY was hurt!!

As Ben was making another pass with the mower, he looked up and saw the window. Then he came in. I immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Ben, I gotta know, did you pray before you got on the mower?" He said, "Yes, I did." Then we hugged each other and cried.  Ben was so upset about the window and the mess it had made, but I didn't care a bit.  All I could think about was how the Lord had protected us all...and answered Ben's prayer!

It took Mike and I two hours with two shop vacs to clean up the glass.  EVERYTHING needed to get vacuumed!  My floor, rugs, furniture, piano, desk, computer, bowls, counters, pans, stove, sink, benches, chairs, and baskets were all covered with glass pieces...it was a mess!!

So what are the odds that Ben and I would have that conversation only hours before that bone came flying through the window?  God used that situation to teach us all a lesson...well, maybe a few lessons.  In my opinion, the cost of a broken window is nothing compared to the value of my children seeing God clearly answer a simple prayer.  Ben will never forget what the Lord did for him today!  None of us will!  I was not the only member of my family that was teary-eyed today.  We serve an awesome God!!  Nothing happens by chance and everything is in His control. 

The Lord tells us in His Word to pray without ceasing.  And I was thinking today how at times those simple prayers for protection can seem so insignificant, but we need to resist those thoughts and pray anyway.  Once we pray, we commit every situation to the Lord and trust Him for the outcome.  We don't need to worry because He hears every prayer and answers according to His will.  Praise God for His protection! :)

The Lord, He is God!

With everything going on around the farm in the summer, it is really hard to find time to write on my blog.  But today is unusual in that I actually have some time to write AND have something on my heart that I want to write about. :)

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was getting really worked up. :)  I just wanted to jump and shout...God is such an awesome God!!  If you happen to be reading my blog, and you don't know the Lord, I have some questions for you...

If what you are doing in life is not working...if you are miserable much of the time...always searching for answers...unhappy with relationships...worried and fearful...why don't you turn from your ways to the One who has the answers you are looking for.

In 1 Kings chapter 18, Elijah said basically the same thing to all the people following after Baal (a false god).

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?  if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." 1 Kings 18:21

If you are finding the peace you need by doing Yoga, practicing breathing techniques,and taking antidepressants, great!  Follow that!  If the love novels you are reading and the soap operas you are watching are helping your marriage, wonderful!  If you are finding that month after month, year after year, your marriage just keeps getting better and better, great!  If the vacations, coffee with the girls away from the kids, and a busy life, full of events, are filling you will joy unspeakable, then by all means continue on!  But, I know something...they aren't enough for you!  How can I know this when I don't even know who you are?  I know because I know the One who made you, and He made you to need Him.  There is nothing in this world that will satisfy all the desires of your heart...except Him!  The "things" of this world that we put our hope in and use to replace God in our life, are all false gods.

Elijah continued to challenge the people.  He decided to have a contest to see which God was really the true God.

"And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." 1 Kings 18:24

So the contest was to see which God would send fire and burn the offering.  The prophets of Baal called on their god from morning until noon, but nothing happened.  Then Elijah began to mock them and tell them that maybe they should cry louder.  Maybe their god was on vacation, or maybe he was sleeping.  So they cried louder and cut themselves, gushing blood all over, hoping to prove their god was the true god.  But evening came and still nothing happened.

We are like that...we like to continue in the same foolishness (false gods) that we started with, instead of admitting that what we are doing isn't working.  We think... maybe if I just get a better psychologist, or maybe I just need a longer vacation.  We think that if we just keep trying, we are sure to find the answers to life's problems in this world....somewhere.  Wrong!  Jesus Christ is the only answer!!

Elijah was so confident in his God that he told the people to drench the sacrifice and the wood in water...not once...not twice, but THREE times!!  Then he cried out to God and asked Him to send fire to consume the offering that the people may know that He was the One True God.  And the Lord did!
And what did the people do?  They came to their senses and cried, "The Lord, He is  the God!  The Lord, He is the God!" (vs. 39) 

If I were standing in front of you right now, I would grab you by the shoulder and shake you and say (loudly)...once you know His forgiveness from sin, once you see Him working in your heart, your life, your marriage, your children, you too, like me, will want to shout, "The Lord, He is the God!  The Lord, He is the God"  There is nothing too hard for Him and no problem that He cannot solve!  You may be "soaking wet" in sin, but God's love can still burn it up!  Stop wasting your life away trying to find what you are looking for in this world.  This world belongs to the devil, is full of wickedness and has nothing to offer you!  Jesus is what you are looking for!  He loves you and has an awesome plan for your life!  Repent and trust Him!

The Sugar Creek Gang

If you are looking for some quality stories for your kids to listen to, I highly recommend the "Sugar Creek Gang" CD's.  My kids have been listening to them for many years.  They are geared towards boys, but even Mike, Emily and me enjoy listening to them.  They are funny and educational.  Woven throughout the stories are facts about nature, hymns, and poetry.  They teach manners, respect,  obedience, and much more.  The gospel message is clearly presented over and over, and the group of young boys seek to live out their faith through all the different situations they find themselves in. 

Before our boys fall asleep at night, they listen to a CD.  The "Sugar Creek Gang" is one of their top picks.  So for those moms who need to have a little quiet time during the day or something to listen to during a long car ride, pick up a set for your kids.  You won't regret it!  There are six sets - over 100 hours on 72 CD's!

You can find the CD's at the JM Cremp store in Dassel or on their website.

http://www.jmcremps.com/Sugar-Creek-Gang-Volume-1-Audio-Book/productinfo/15001/

Teach Your Children to Yell and Tell

One in three girls and one in six boys are molested by the age of eighteen.  The perpetrator is usually someone you and your children know well.  Make your children aware of these evil people and teach them how to respond.  If you are not sure what to tell your children, the Yell and Tell series by Debi Pearl is a helpful tool for parents.  These books are written very well and help children to clearly understand what a sexual predator is.  The books are fun to read and there is one for boys and one for girls.  Buy them both.  Buy lots!  Give them away!  Make others aware!  Let's protect our children!   Yell and Tell Books

Could You Give It Up?

How do we know what the Lord really wants from us, especially in areas that are not specifically pointed out in scripture?  One Christian might have a strong conviction in an area and another may not.  I have told my children, the only way you will be able to discern the Lord's will for you when you are at a fork in the road, is to be willing to go down either path.  If the one path seems easier and more pleasurable to you, and you are really leaning towards that path, you will never be able to hear from the Lord.  You MUST get your heart to a place where it is willing to follow WHEREVER the Lord may lead.

I remember years ago, a friend was convinced that it was wrong to celebrate Christmas.  I personally had never had that conviction, but I wanted to see if maybe the Lord was trying to tell me something through her.  So I asked her for all the information she had on why Christians should not celebrate Christmas, and Mike and I went through it and prayed.  During this time, I had to get my heart in a place where I was willing to celebrate it or willing to give it all up - to get rid of all my wonderful decorations and family traditions.  Then Mike told me, after reading through the information, that he felt there was value in our family celebrating Christmas.  So that was that!  But I would not have known the Lord's will in that area if I had not been willing to give up.  And now, I celebrate Christmas with a totally clear conscience, full of joy!

In the same way, the subject of wearing a head covering came up once.  Again, I had to get my heart in a place where I was willing to wear one, if that was what the Lord wanted me to do.  I had never in my life desired to cover my head, but I wanted to be open to the Lord's will, so I prayed and again got my heart in a place where I was willing.  Then the Lord showed Mike through His Word, that He did not want me to wear a head covering.

There are so many areas in life where we need to discern the Lord's will.  But the question is...Are we willing?   Most of the time, we just dream up the kind of God we want to serve.  And then we live our Christian life based on a false God that we created with our mind.  True Christians have been bought with a price, and our life is not our own.  We should not be making decisions about our life based on our knowledge, emotions or what other people do.  We need to search His Word and pray for wisdom.  He wants to use us; He has a plan!  But if we don't let Him have His way in us, what good are we to the Kingdom of God?

Ask Him what He wants from you!  How does He want you to treat your husband, your children, your friends?  How does He want you to dress?  What does He want you to put before your eyes?  What does He want you to listen to?  What does He want you to invest your time in?   Are you willing to let God have His way in your life?  To make yourself of no reputation, to become a servant, and follow Him?  That's what it takes to truly walk with Him.  Anything else is just a false form of Christianity!  Surrender it all to Him!!   

Keepin' a Schedule

When I first started homeschooling, the idea of following a schedule was the hardest thing for me. I was so used to getting up and planning out my day according to how I felt that day. If I was in the mood for shopping (which was usually the case :)), I would pack up and go! On the way home, I might stop for lunch and then decide to go visit a friend. Usually in the evening I would realize that I had forgotten to home school Brandon that day. I finally came to the conclusion that if I was going to successfully home school my children, I was going to have to learn to live by a schedule.

Disciplining myself to plan out my day took years of training. I would get a good schedule written down, and I'd follow it for a few days.  Then I would get distracted, so I'd try again! I tried to follow a schedule and failed over and over again for years. But I knew it was what I needed, so I just kept trying. Now my life is so scheduled I can hardly believe I used to forget to do school. :)

Scheduling isn't just good for homeschoolers. In his book, The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ, Jerry Ross quotes a pastor who said, "The longer I live, the more convinced I am that the key to a successful Christian life is living by schedule." Mr. Ross says, "To become a disciple of Christ requires discipline - the discipline to do, not just hear. Without a specific schedule and the character to follow that schedule, you will soon forget what you have learned... The desire to live like Jesus cannot be just a fad or a phase. It must be the most important goal of life, a goal that will only be reached when we discipline ourselves to live on purpose and on schedule"  

I know for myself, if I don't plan to read my Bible, it won't happen. If our family doesn't schedule a time for praying together and memorizing scripture, other things will suck up all our time. The important things in life will always get pushed aside by what seems necessary at the moment. Then we will look back and wish we had lived our life differently. How does the Lord want us to spend our time? Let's make a list of things that the Lord has put on our hearts to do and to teach our children, and then let's figure out what time of day we are going to do those things. At first, it will be painful and laborious, but over time we will adjust to the schedule. Then when we look back over our week, we won't have regrets, which becomes the motivation to keep on keepin' on! :)

Should children be made to work?

I was on the blog of a Christian author, and she was writing about how we need to teach our children to work.  I was amazed at one of the comments from a reader.  The person was so upset that there are people in the world who make their children work.  She said that childhood is a time for playing.  She was really bent out of shape and felt that it was a great disservice to a child to make them work.

Emily taking care of her chickens

 I laughed as I read the comment.  My children are all hard workers.  And what ignorant people, like the woman commenting on the blog, don't understand is that children who work hard and live productive lives are very happy children.  It is very rare for my children to wake up grumpy or even want to stay in bed.  They are happy and look forward to life.  I am not saying there is never a bad attitude, but it is rare to see my children feeling down or unhappy.

Boys helping dad pour concrete

  

Brandon mowing the lawn

Jonny cutting chicken throats

People that see work as a crime against children are most likely lazy people themselves.  In our home work is fun!  My husband and I love to work.  And if given the chance, most kids will like work too.  But if dad always sits on the couch watching television and mom always sits in front of the computer on Facebook, the children are not going to naturally think, "I should do the laundry and wash the floors."  They will want to self-indulge too!  And if they are made to work while mom and dad are being lazy, they will become bitter.

Mike and Jonny working on the sugar shack

Mike and Ben cutting off chicken feet

Apple picking day with friends and family

Ben changing the oil in his four wheeler - with Brandon's help

Emily showing of her baked goods

Brandon, Em, and Ben showing off the harvest

Ben with all his potatoes

What little girl will pass on baking with her mommy so that she can go play by herself in the playhouse?  Why play make-believe when you can do the real thing?  And what little boy will want to play with blocks when he can help daddy build something with a real hammer and real nails?  A child who is included in adult activities knows they are loved.  If you want your children to be confident and content, then include them in all you do.  Children who are pushed aside are angry, unhappy children.


Em and Jonny working in the garden

Ben mowing the lawn

Ben and Jonny choppin' chicken heads

Em watering the garden

Furthermore what girl, when considering a husband, says with a starry look in her eye, "I hope my husband is lazy."  No woman wants a lazy husband!!  Yet there are parents training their boys to play, play, play.  Then when the boy becomes a man (or maybe I should say...when he gets older), the parents will despise him for not being able to hold a job.  People have always admired my boys (and my daughter) because they are such good workers.  I told my oldest son that he will never have a hard time finding a job because employers are always looking for hard workers.  And he never has struggled to find work or keep a job! 

Ben, Jonny, and a friend (RJ) gutting our chickens

Yes, children need play time.  So do adults!  We love to play with our kids.  Family games and family sports are something we do regularly.  After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  But let's not forget that all play and no work makes Jack a lazy, unhappy, ungrateful, unproductive, bored, confused, and depressed citizen.  It will also make him a good socialist! :)

Boys playing army

A ride in the boat Brandon made

Two fierce Indians

The boys on their contraption

Riding four wheelers together



Making a brick oven



Hunting together

Four wheeler fun!

Time for target practice

We just really like our kids and want to be with them!  We play together, pray together, laugh together, cry together, work together, and enjoy an exciting productive life together!  The bottom line is, life is work, and I want my children to enjoy life! ...and they do! :)



Mama lovin' on Jonny



Sixteen and Pregnant

I met Tracie about a month ago.  She has an incredible testimony!  I asked her if I could share her story on my blog and she graciously sent me this written testimony. 
Her email is tjaigrademacher@yahoo.com  if you would like to get in touch with her.

16 Years Old and Pregnant
“Being 16, scared to death, confused, and deceptively misguided, I was at a loss for what I should do. Everything inside me was telling me that abortion was wrong. However after numerous conversations and an ever present pressure that abortion was the best thing to do by my family, I gave in.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The clinic workers were so cold and the entire place was vacant of any morality. The doctor who murdered my baby even asked me at one point ‘why are you crying?’ I knew before I went that it wasn’t right. However when I walked into that cold room I was literally debilitated. I felt like there was no turning back and no escape. That day I went home in tears and cried for days. No talking, just crying. My mom swept the whole thing under the rug and never brought it up again. I was never able to speak to a counselor or support group I suppressed these emotions for over 5 years. 

After I got married and started having children with my husband it all came flooding back, times 10! What had I done? The abortion didn’t make me un-pregnant, it just made me the mother of a dead baby. I spiraled downward into an abyss of sadness and pain. My depression worsened day by day and it became difficult to function. I didn’t want to ask for help because I was terrified of the “judgment“.

My husband was extremely supportive, however I felt very alone and confused.” After a while I finally hit bottom and I found God waiting there for me with open arms. Up until then I didn’t have much of a relationship with God . However I was so desperate for help that I began to read the bible and study God’s word. I realized that I was forgiven through the blood of Christ. This was great but I still wouldn’t forgive  myself.
God started to put it on my heart that I should get involved with the pro-life cause now that I knew how horrible the affects of abortion were.

It took a some serious time with God  in prayer but he revealed to me that my baby was a little girl and her name is Julia.  Having a name now helped me to focus on her and not the abortion.  I was finally honoring her life.
It was through  40 Days for life and the unconditional love I received from those involved that I was finally able to remove the heavy chains I was carrying and surrender my life fully to God. I realized that GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS ENOUGH!
Once I did that, God has blessed me by using me, my mistake, my baby and my journey to teach others about the TRUTH.  The truth about abortion, and God’s love and forgiveness.  I am now a public speaker on abortion, leading a post abortive bible study and a board member at Pregnancy Resource Center in St. Cloud, MN. 

God is so good and continues to amaze me with his blessings, mercy, love and forgiveness. He has bestowed amazing blessings on my family and I am eternally grateful.
There is a scar on my heart for Julia, but I will walk out the rest of my days on this earth following God’s call for me and honoring the short but beautiful life of my little girl.

With  all of my heart,  Tracie Rademacher

Have you found your life?

Many times, when you talk to the lost about the Lord, they are not interested in committing their life to Him because in their mind it means giving up everything they love.  But for those of us who have joined the Lord's Army, we know that commitment to Him brings about total freedom, joy, peace, and a love for what it right and good.  There is no remorse for what was left behind because through new eyes we see it as the pig pen of life.  The Truth has set us free, and the total fulfillment of our spiritual life has made us completely satisfied and content, beyond what words can describe.  If only the lost could know His freedom.

The evening before my planned abortion in 1992, I sat in my room reading a tract.  It was filled with scriptures telling how God feels about abortion.  I read:

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 10:39

All I had cared about was MY life and MY future.  God's way seemed like bondage.  I would have to give up everything I loved.  Yet when I read that tract, I knew that all that I was really longing for in my life was found in Christ. The verse above and many others brought me to my knees in repentance.  On that evening in March, almost 20 years ago, Jesus forgave me of my sins and set me free.  I didn't know the life I was living was bondage until I let it go.  Sin feels like freedom until you know the freedom found in Jesus Christ!  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23  Only when we surrender to Him, do we "find" our life and become totally free! 

If you do not know His freedom, get on your knees and confess your sins to Him.  Then confess Him as your Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  After believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  Now follow Him, and you will  end all your searching...you will have found your life!!

The Piano

Our old piano has had "issues" for a long time.  We bought it about 10 years ago, when Emily started taking piano lessons.  If I was musically inclined, I could explain its problems to you, but let's just say our piano is a tuner's worst nightmare.  But it is one of the most beautiful pianos I have ever seen. It was built in the 1890s and is a work of art!

Here is a picture of our piano in its new home - the garage.

Last fall we had it tuned again.  After 6 hours, our piano tuner was ready to pull his hair out!  Many of the strings broke as he worked, but he had the piano in good working order when he left.  A few days later, he let us know that he had a piano for us, if we wanted a different one, that was in very good condition, but it wasn't very pretty.  The sound would not compare to our old piano - it would be much better!  Some wanted to keep the old piano because it was so pretty, but Emily, who plays the most, was anxious to play one that sounded good.

Our new piano is very plain.  It was built in the 1950's and is a little scratched up.  It was in a first grade classroom for many years and was well cared for.  And boy can it sing! :)  I often hear Emily say, "I love this piano", while she is playing it. :) 

As I watched the men hauling our very lovely old piano out of the house, I started thinking about something that I have been meditating on for a few weeks - beauty.  How important is beauty?  In our culture, it is one of the most sought after attributes in a woman's life.  Oh to be beautiful!  We color our hair, straighten and whiten our teeth, pad our bras, cover our faces in make-up, purchase sunglasses with latest in-style shape, and search for fashionable clothes, all so that we can be counted beautiful with the masses!  Even men who are running for president desire to be handsome because they are more likely to get elected.  So, if physical beauty is necessary to win the approval of the world, why wasn't Jesus handsome?  (See Isaiah 53:2)

The truth is beauty is empty.  The Bible calls it "vain".  God says that this kind of beauty in a woman's life is worthless, having no substance, value, or importance...just like my old piano.  On the outside my old piano looks fantastic, but inside it's empty.  A piano was created and designed to make beautiful music.  What good is it if it just sits there looking nice?  We were created to glorify God, to be His representatives to a lost and dying world.  While I do not think there is any value in us trying to look ugly, nor do I think that that is what God wants from us, our true beauty is found in the heart.  The Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God made us beautiful, but His beautiful and the world's beautiful are two different things. "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30  This same word, beauty is described in Proverbs 6:25, with a warning to young men about evil women.  "Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids."  We need to start to see this type of beauty from God's perspective.  It is neither necessary or of any value.

When I get all dressed up and look my best, and I go out and someone says, "You look so pretty!", what value does that have in my life?  Not that it is wicked to get dressed up and look nice....don't get me wrong!  But do I really think that God looks down from heaven at that moment and says, "Mindy, that's my girl! I am so proud of you! You look so pretty!"  You would think, at times, by the value that my mind tries to put on beauty, that I really do believe that!

Trying to look beautiful is bondage!  There will always be a new and ever changing standard for "pretty".  It is like a hungry monster that can never be satisfied.  If we let it, it will keep us striving our whole life, never able to find rest and contentment.  In the end, it will keeps us full of ourselves and distant from God.  To be honest, I have bondages in this area that run so deep that there are days when I wonder if I will every be free from them.  Yet another thought reminds me that God is able!  I want God's mind on this matter! I want balance, but it is hard to find balance in a culture that worships beauty.  It feels at times like I am going against a tidal wave of lies that constantly bombard my mind and contradict God's Word, making me focus on the worthless and empty things of this world.

The real problem is a focus on outward appearance.  It not only keeps captive those seeking the world's approval, it keeps anyone captive who is overly concerned with how they look.  An Amish woman can be in just as much bondage as the young girl who is consumed with fashion magazines, seeking the next fad.  Oh to get our focus off ourselves and onto the Lord!  May we seek to impress only Him and rest in His love for us!  And like my new piano, may our true beauty be found within!

"I'm Bored!"

Years ago, I had gotten into the habit of putting movies on for Brandon.  He was my only child at the time.  When I wanted some time alone, I used the TV as a babysitter.  I justified this action by making sure they were good, quality videos. 

Brandon gradually got to the point where he needed to be entertained more and more.   When he wasn't watching a movie, he didn't have any idea what to do with himself.  I began hearing, "I'm bored!" more and more.

One day we decided that we needed to go on a movie fast.  I figured this would be a good exercise in self-control, but I had no idea that it would produce the results that it did.  Brandon suddenly became very creative!  I was amazed when he would show me the things that he had made out of Legos.  He began drawing and doing other things that showed great talent.  It made me so sad to think that I had squelched all these abilities in him by encouraging him to let something else control his mind.  By my poor decisions, I had created a lazy child.  But the reality was that Brandon wasn't lazy or dumb.  He just needed someone to unlock the potential that was within him.

It's easy to just let our children's time slip away in meaningless activities.  If they are quiet and entertained, why bother them?  But I want to encourage you to find activities for your children that will help them discover the gifts that God has put in them.  Ever since that day, when I realized how talented Brandon was, I have told him, "You will invent something one day!"  I have continued, over the years, to be amazed at his abilities!  And it's all because of that one decision to take away the TV.

That incident with Brandon happened about 16 years ago, but Mike and I continue to exercise caution when it comes to movie time.   Too much time sitting in front of a screen produces bad fruit, bored children, and unleashed potential!  Your children may not be thrilled when you take away the forms of entertainment that are not producing any good fruit, but, trust me, the day will come when they will be thankful for it! :)

Please Pray!

Our family and our church body have been praying for Youcef.  Would you please pray for him too?  We received this email today:

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED for cancellation of execution for Pastor Youcef in IRAN
This Prayer Chain is calling ALL Christians into action NOW on behalf of this Iranian pastor, who faces execution!

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani never practiced the Muslim faith and converted to Christianity at age 19, becoming a pastor later. But the courts say that since his mother and father were practicing Muslims, he must recant his Christian faith or die. So far, in three court appearances, he has refused to do so - RISKING EXECUTION AT ANY MOMENT.   The Iranian Supreme Court often acts quickly in administering the death penalty.

According to a report, when asked by judges to "repent," Youcef replied: "Repent,  What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

The judges replied: "To the religion of your ancestors - Islam." To which Yousef replied: "I cannot."

It's time for the body of Christ to act, to pray, to plead for the life of our Brother before Christ so that His servant may be spared.

Greatness

While prepareing a cup of tea the other day, I noticed that the tag on my tea bag said, "To be great, feel great and act great".  This made me laugh out loud! :) I guess it's that easy in the world's system. :)  In God's kingdom, good works turn into great works when we glorify God and draw people to Him.  Putting our trust in Him, to do His work through us, produces great works!  And the focus isn't on our own greatness but on His.  No feeling or acting involved - just rest in His Greatness! :)

Good-O-Meter

Good-O-Meter

Change

The other day, we were taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations which led to a full blown house cleaning project.  As I was cleaning the glass patio door, I decided to reinstall the wooden grid inserts that came with the doors.  We had taken them off one day while cleaning and had decided then that we liked the view better with the grids out of the windows.  Well they have been out for years, so I figured it was time to put them in again.

After I finished cleaning the windows and installing the grids, the kids all commented on how nice the doors looked.  As I looked at the doors, I thought to myself, "I like change!"  I always have.  My relatives used to tease me because I was constantly moving the furniture around.  Unfortunately, due to the size of our house, most of our furniture is now in fixed positions, but every once in a while I will get creative and come up with a new arrangement. :) 

As I continued on with my cleaning that day, I was thinking about how life IS change, and how we should embrace change.  While God never changes, all that He created does change.  Going through life hating the idea of things being different from the way they are right now will definitely make one miserable, because nothing ever stays the same. 

Our spiritual live should not stay the same either.  We would think it a horror if a baby never changed!  Growth equal health!   Just like children, our spiritual lives should be growing stronger and healthier by the day!

At church yesterday, one of our elders was talking about the changes we need to make as Christians. When we hear God speaking to us, we need to respond to Him in fear and honor, willing to do whatever He is asking us to do, no questions asked.  He read us Psalm 55:19.

God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah.  Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

Do we fear God?  If so, we will be willing to change!

During testimony time, one of the dads exhorted us to think about the voices that cause us to change.  Sometimes worldly influences can motivate us in an effort to be accepted.  What is changing in our lives and why?  Who are we listening to?  Are we drawing closer to the Lord or drifting away from Him?  It's one or the other!  Let's trust the One who never changes, to bring about necessary changes in our lives...and CHANGE!

The Best Test

Happy New Year!  It is that time of year when everyone starts talking about New Years resolutions.  Well here is a simple resolution that can be applied to every area of your life:

...the good, better, best test!

The poem goes like this:

Good, better, best,

never let it rest,

until your good is better,

and your better, best!

The test is simple, when you are about to make a decision about something you are going to do, ask yourself what would be best.  Say you have some time to sit down and read a book.  Reading a magazine would be good, but after a little more thought you decide a self-help book would be better.  Then one more thought brings to mind the Bible - the BEST choice!

Make the best choice in all that you do! :)