Stan

Isaiah has been diligently reading his Bible lately.

And he came to breakfast this morning, Bible under his arm, and sat down to eat...and read.

As he was reading, he said,

"Mom, the devil's name is Stan!"

Me,

"What?!!  Stan?  No, Isaiah...it's SATAN."

Hahahaha!

He also asked a million questions about getting baptized, and told me

that he wanted to be baptized too.

I tried to explain, the very best I could, what that means, AND the importance of

first asking Jesus into your heart.

He was all over that idea!

And so, once again, I had the privilege of praying with one of my children to accept Jesus as Savior.

How fabulous is that!

The heavens are rejoicing!

God is going to use this ornery little guy in a very big way, I have no doubt!  

REAL. FOOD. {so grateful!!}

First of all, friends, I need to thank you for praying for us.

To fill you in very briefly,

our 18 year old son Nick had to have a biopsy on a lymph node on Friday.

(Nick is extremely private, so I need to keep this to a minimum.)

Thankfully, the surgeon feels very certain that it's not cancer.

Praise JESUS.

The test results will soon give us confirmation.

Please continue to pray, please!!

****

Moving on to TODAY.

(And ironically, Nick had a hunter safety class today...and to his surprise,

his surgeon was one of the instructors.  How funny, right?!)

Anyway,

I woke up with BELLS ON at around 4:30 this morning.

I hopped out of bed at 5:00 & haven't stopped until now!

Here's what I did:

1.  I made two big batches of beans.

(started soaking them last night, thank you very much.)

That's exciting, right?

2.  I colored and cut my hair.

That IS exciting!

(Though I still long to let my gray grow out.)

3.  I soaked grains for whole-grain tortillas.

(MORE excitement!)

4.  I made brown rice to stick in the freezer, along with my batches of beans!

(All this will be GREAT for soups, tacos, and who-knows what else, later this week!)

(HOMEMADE...NOT PROCESSED!)

Love.

5.  I made bread.  White bread.  I never make white bread.  But today, I did.

And it was delicious!

6.  And I made beef-vegetable stew!

7.  I washed scads of veggies & fruit in a soothing ACV/water bath!

(Apple Cider Vinegar)

8.  I made tortillas!  A new recipe that is DIVINE.

I will share with you super soon, I so promise.

9.  I gathered and washed many eggs.

With free-range chickens, it's like an Easter egg hunt every single day!

Lucy is SO amazed by our new white eggs, compliments of our young white hen.

It's like she's never seen a white egg before!  Because, she really hasn't.

10.  I gave glory to our Provider for His abundance.

In a very processed world, I pray that

 we will all step back and evaluate 

what we're putting in your bodies.

We are a chemical-laden society, and it's NOT the way God intended.

Make it your challenge this week to eat REAL FOOD!!

And give MUCH thanks for it.

Blessings, friends!!

a list of truths about me

1.  I don't have a smart phone.

In fact, my cell phone is about three years old,

which is practically an antique these days, so I hear.

But I am fine with that.

2.  I've never once seen an episode of Duck Dynasty.

Though I'd really like to!

But we don't get that channel.

**However, we DO get the Food Network, of which I am a JUNKY.

3.  I mash my own potatoes.

Always.

4.  I am a die-hard stay-at-home-mom.

This economy has really hurt our family budget, in a big way.

But K-Man and I resolved from the very get-go of becoming parents

that I would stay home.

And by the grace of God, I will continue to do so.

He is our Provider!

ALWAYS.

And I pray constantly for new and creative ways to earn/save money.

God honors a frugal and hard-working woman, He does!

5.  My dear husband sold one of his power-tools...

and handed me the cash so I could buy the fancy flat-iron that

I've been saving pennies for.

He is ALL-MAN, I tell ya.

But I still haven't pulled the trigger.

6.  Real mayonnaise is a very big part of my life.

7.  I have what I call my, Y2K/Joseph Emergency Food Storage Corner, in my basement.

You just never know.

More on that later.

8.  I am completely against government gun-control.

The reasons are obvious, if you know and understand American/world history.

Period.

9.  I am unashamed to be 100% PRO-Life,

ANTI-ABORTION.

Because that's what the Bible teaches me.

There's no twisting that truth.

10.  I have no idea who Abby is...or what she is doing downtown.

And lastly, I adore you all greatly!!

I am so busy lately that I don't have a ton of time to blog.

But, I love that you tune-in anyway.

If you have any questions and/or ideas that you think would make a great

blog post, please let me know!

Leave a comment or shoot me an email!

BLESSING TO YOU!

crazy hens on the loose

Every single day this summer

I've had escapee-hens.

And every single day

I try to coax them back to safety,

with little immediate success.

And every single day

I write a sermon in my mind,

as I'm chasing the above mentioned hens around 

my yard.

"Chickens," I say, "I am your keeper,

I feed you endless supplies of food.

And give you ever-flowing drinks of water.

I give you safe boundaries.

And within those boundaries, your life is

pretty darn good.

No predators that I can't single-handedly

take down.

Nothing is bigger than me,

your care-taker,

that I can't protect you from."

(Okay, maybe that's a bit far-fetched....

cause I doubt that I would rise to the occasion,

should a 

coyote/raccoon/opossum/anything-else-I-deem-as-creepy

 get in their pen.)

But for the sake of my sermon,

this works. 

How too often we

run around like crazy hens,

fretting, worrying, living-life-on-the loose,

thinking life is easier on our own...

free from the boundaries of safety and

endless Living Water,

yet resisting THE ONE who wants to

get us back to that very safety, as soon as possible?

Yes, we all do it.

It's ridiculous, right?

Yep, it is.

Thank you Jesus for your patience

and extreme measures to

get us back into the hen-house of life!

I will finish the outline of my sermon notes

and send them to area pastors.

I have a few loose ends to tie together first.

And perhaps some sort of

flip-chart.

Maybe a felt board.

Not sure yet.

Amen.

Oh, and to my hens...

Just so you know, 

I'm not Jesus.

And I will eventually leave you for dead

if you don't stop escaping.

(That's not part of my sermon.)

(Although maybe it should be.)

Speaking inquiries welcomed.

Shoot me an email.

amazing grace

Grace is neither lenient nor permissive.

Grace is not free, nor is it cheap.

Grace is the costliest, most precious

commodity in the universe."

Michael Youssef

Oh my, how I love this quote.

And how I love God's grace even more.

HOW TO KNOW GOD'S GRACE,

for yourself.

resist or rely

Last night was Girl Time at our church.

My friend Mary gave an amazing message,

Rely or Resist.

In our trials,

do we humbly submit and rely on the Lord?

Or do we pridefully resist Him?

I was one of the table leaders and after the message

we were asked to share our current trials.

I only knew one of the gals at my table.

I love that.

Getting to know new people...

and seeing

how God divinely brings them into our

lives at the very right time.

It always amazes me.

But it often makes it hard to share.

I kicked it off with briefly talking about what was on my heart,

then I asked for the others to share.

I got a lot of stares.

It was difficult to know how to go from there!

Ack.

Then one person boldly spoke up.

Then another.

Then everyone else at the table told what they were struggling with.

I was SO STRUCK by the heaviness of what some of

these ladies are going through.

My heart broke.

I prayed for each of them and the evening came

to an end.

But they remain on my heart and mind.

I woke up praying for them.

But I say all of that to ask YOU...

are you,

in your tough trials (whatever they are),

Resisting or RELYING?

And are you involved with other women

who will encourage, lift you up, and pray over you?

Stop resisting.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

James 4:6

We are ALL in need of a Savior.

And Jesus is so eager to help, guide, and lead us directly

to a place of rest.

100 years...or 14 months {it's a vapor}

Our sweet Chloe's funeral is today.
Her autopsy showed absolutely nothing wrong it her.
They have concluded that she died of SIDS.
As those of you who have been around my blog
for very long know,
I'm really not into doing serious posts.

I like to keep things light.
Very light.

And that's how I am in real-life too.

I guess that probably stems back to my sobering experience
at the ripe age of 6 when my dad was killed
in a tragic accident at work.

I remember vividly my mom taking me
into a bedroom at my grandma's house, sitting me on
the bed to tell me that my dad was gone.

I easily recall all the stupid things people said to me
at the funeral that were supposed to ease my pain.
Like empty promises of going for a ride on
someone's horse was going to magically zap away the
sting of death.

To this day I can't walk into a florist shop and smell what is so good to others,
but a stench to me, without
being jolted back to the time when our
house was filled with flowers
that were meant to make a very young mom and her three little girls feel better.
It didn't work.


I suppose all that and more has left me with no
doubt of my own mortality.

Death became very real to me, before I even reached first grade.

And it's why serious matters tend to make me feel
very uncomfortable and vulnerable.



But as light-hearted as I almost always am,
I take so seriously our need for a savior if we want to
spend our eternity in a
place of glory.
(And not to mention an abundant life on earth!)

Heaven is real. Hell is real.

We ALL will spend our eternity in one place or the other.

And though I'll save you a lengthy essay on how
the Bible has been proven historically and archeologically correct, so on and so on,
the bottom line is,

We all must do something with Jesus.

Accept or deny Him.

Whether we live on this earth for 100 years...or 14 months,
it's all just a vapor compared to eternity.

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here.
But just in case there's one person who is in doubt over where they'll
spend their endless eternity,
I do hope that you will accept Jesus as your savior,
because we simply don't know when our lives will abruptly end.




I love you all too much to not tell you what's true.

Lucy's Jesus

The other day Lucy and I were on the back
porch hanging up our laundry to dry.

As I was hanging and she was handing me
the clothes pins,
I was singing the song,

"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...sweetest name I know...."

She interrupted me and asked,

"Mom, what are you singing about?"

I said,
"I'm singing about Jesus!"

She said with great surprise,
"Are you singing about MY Jesus??

Me, chuckling...
"Yes, your Jesus and my Jesus!"

Continuing to investigate she asked,
"Jesus...from the Bible??"

Heehee.

"Yes, our Jesus from the Bible."

Sweetly Lucy,
"Oh...that's so nice, Mama!"

mystery delivery and a dancin' dress

Sorry to leave you hanging about the mystery
package that was delivered yesterday!
I wasn't trying to leave
you in suspense!

It was a DVD that we ordered for Shu Li.
So, sort of adoption-related but not anything
to shed more light on when we
will travel.
Rats!

Oh, and if you are adopting an older child,
you might want to look into getting
this video...

The Jesus Film

which is available in MANY languages to
reach the world for Christ.

I pray constantly for Shu Li...
that she would come home soon,
that she won't be fearful of her future,
that she will love us...
but most of all,
I pray that she will accept Jesus as
her Savior very soon.

That's truly the most important thing above all.

************************

Here are a few pics of Lucy and Brenden...

Lucy is absolutely crazy about
her brothers.
They are constantly scooping her
up and lovin' on her!

This is Lucy's dancin' dress...
well, every dress that she is
wearing at the time she calls her
dancin' dress.

And Brenden gives her a spin
on the dance "floor".

Dancin' fun!!

And funny!

Ok, I'm done.
And adorable.

Because I know you will ask, my mom bought this dress
at a garage sale that a lady made out of a pillow case.
I keep meaning to duplicate it but I just haven't taken the
time to sit down and figure it out.
But isn't it darling!

An IMPORTANT Question for YOU...

For each and every person reading this today, whether it's just one person...or many, I have a question for YOU....not as a group, but as an individual. YOU. Yes, YOU.






Do YOU have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Please don't misunderstand....

I'm not asking if you go to church.

I'm not asking if you are Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.

I'm not asking if you live a "good" life, doing good deeds.

My question for you is...have you had a moment in your life that you consciously made a decision to follow Christ?

If not...I am here to ask you to consider doing that today. I care about each of you way too much to not share the love of Christ with you. There is such freedom, joy, peace...and most importantly, eternity in a perfect heaven where there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more sickness or death. That ONLY comes through Christ.

It's your free gift from a loving God who made you and gave you the freedom to choose because you see, if He had made us to love him without choice (and He certainly could have), it wouldn't be love at all. But because sin separates us from God, we must have a Redeemer, a Savior...JESUS.

Please choose life today by sincerely praying this prayer (doesn't have to be this exact prayer...your own words are best. But this gives you an idea of what to say):

"Jesus, today I choose to follow you...I surrender my life to you. I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness through the blood you shed for me when you died on the cross. Be my savior from this day on."

It's as simple as that. If you prayed that and meant it, friend you are now my sister or brother in Christ. Though we may never meet on this earth, we will have eternity in heaven to get to know one another....and I can't wait!!

Please consider leaving a comment or email me if you made that decision today...I would love to rejoice with you and pray for you by name for your new walk with the Lord.

And if you already know Christ, I think it would be great if you left a comment, boldly proclaiming your salvation through Jesus...or better yet, briefly share your story of how you came know Him. Perhaps your testimony would lead to someone else coming to the Lord....