Inspired Prayer

This prayer INSPIRED my soul while reading it:


Friday, Feb. 14, 1896

I awake at half past two, and seek the Lord, as is my practice, for wisdom and grace, mingling my prayers with thanksgiving for His tender, loving compassion toward us. The words of Isaiah 40:28-31 seem appropriate and impressed upon my mind.


Isaiah 40:28-31 (supplied)

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.



My prayer is, Help me, O my heavenly Father, to trust wholly in Thy wisdom and not to lean to my own understanding. Guide Thou my pen and direct my speech that I shall not sin against Thee with voice or pen. I must have grace. I plead, Teach me Thy truth, that I shall not err from Thy way. O my Lord, I am weakness itself, but Thou art strength, fortitude, and courage to Thy people if they will only diligently make Thee their trust.

Sabbath, Feb. 15, 1896


The Lord is good and merciful. I want my gratitude offering constantly ascending to God. I long to have a deeper sense of His goodness and of His changeless love. I long daily for the waters of life. I must continually have my strength in God. My dependence must not waver. No human agency must come between my soul and my God. The Lord is our only hope. In Him I trust, and He will never, no never, fail me. He hath hitherto helped me when under great discouragement.


I will thank the Lord and praise His holy name. I will praise the Lord that in Him I can trust at all times. He is the health of my countenance and my strong tower into which I can run and be safe. He understands my necessities and He will give me the light of His countenance that I may reflect light upon others. I will not fail nor be discouraged. I look to Thee, my heavenly Father, to give strength and grace. I will praise the Lord at all times and not wait for a happy flight of feeling. Then praise the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies will attend me morning, noon, and night. A happy flight of feeling is not evidence; His Word is my assurance.


Taken from: That I May Know Him pg. 266

God's Perfect Love

Contemplating 1 John has been an awesome experience. I just can't seem to move on. The book itself seems to be a book of contrasts.

Light::::::Darkness
Spirit of Truth::::::Spirit of Error
Keeping His commandments::::::Not keeping His commandments
Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God::::::Denying that Jesus is the Son of God
Sons of God::::::Children of the devil
Loving your brother::::::Not loving your brother
Righteousness::::::Unrighteousness

It lets us know, that we do have to make a choice. There is no straddling the fence but a "one side of the fence or the other". A firm decision for one or the other. Keep in mind that no decision is actually making a decision.

BUT...

The overall theme that really caught my attention is such a simple thought yet not deeply contemplated by many and I think just simply overlooked...

God's perfect love.

God manifesting this love by sending His Son to redeem us

Not that we loved God, but that He loved us

God is love

Because of this love that God has toward man, this is our duty:

• Loving God
• Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (we have been given enough evidence)
• Keeping His commandments
• Don't love the world
• Confessing Jesus Christ
• Love one another in deed and in truth and perfecting that love

Just a thought

Fall Beauty

 

 The last lingering sunflower colored just right to remind us of fall...

 A nest used and laying wait for next year...

A road leading to where???

A butterfly out of nowhere.  Isn't too cold???

 A girl and her dog...

Which road do I take???

I think I'll take this one...

I think I'll walk up there.  Maybe not today...

God's beauty is everywhere!!!

 

 

Wherever we turn, we hear the voice of God and behold His handiwork. From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean's ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature's ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God's care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God.   
     Shall we, then, in the enjoyment of His gifts, forget the Giver? Let them rather lead us to contemplate His goodness and His love. Let all that is beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river and green fields, the waving trees and living fountains, the shining city and the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home-- that world of beauty which no artist can picture, no mortal tongue describe. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Goodbye My Friends

It was a moment of sad departure...

 Mario and Sassy 

We will miss them!!!!

  We had a family conference and decided that it was time to find our horses another home.  They had been with us for 4 years and not serving any purpose other than kinda hanging around and eating lots of hay.  We knew that we were coming upon a hard winter and to get another 6 tons of hay was going to be very tight on the wallet.  


So, we began the hunt or rather look for buyers.  We checked around and began hearing that horses were a dime a dozen in the area.  Would we have to literally give the horses away or sell them for really, really cheap???  Two purebred Halflingers!!!   It was beginning to look like it.


We then got a response from a family in Montana that wanted to make a trade after seeing the listing on Craigslist.  Oh my, they were heaven sent.  (See a full post on Consecrated Families).  It was just what we were looking for and just what they were looking for.  Thank goodness, we weren't going to have to just give the horses away. What a great deal.

Anyway!!!!

This is who arrived at our homestead Monday evening:

Cloe

Purebred Nubian Doe

4 years old

Pregnant--Kidding in February

Lightning

 Nubian Doeling

4 months

 Annie

 LaMancha

2 years old

Annie, Cloe and Lightning

Racer

Purebred Nigerian Dwarf Buck

1 year old

What have we gotten ourselves into???!!! 

It has been an interesting experience so far.  We did our research and decided to take the plunge.  The girls are totally committed (actually, it was their decision) and are having a great time.  Totally different from handling two 850 pound horses that eat like you wouldn't believe.  

So, thus far, we are tickled pink and learning like crazy.  I think I could get use to this.  All except Racer. Boy does he have a scent.  We will decide what to do with him--whether we breed him or trade him in for a Nubian Buck.  He is kinda cool though.  Really mellow personality. 

Oh my goodness, what am I turning into.  A modern day "homestead loving, make your food from scratch, quilting, homeschooling mom" country girl.  I AM LOVING IT!!!

We will keep you posted.  

Hope and Prayer

Hope is defined as: A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable.

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. Romans 12:12

We must find ourselves "rejoicing in hope," for we serve the very God of hope.  He fills us with joy and peace so that we may "abound in hope"; through the Holy Spirit.

God is forever training us through the difficulties that we have and it is our privilege to approach God in prayer with humility and a helpless heart.  Let us petition the throne of grace with our thoughts and desires forever upward.  Our heavenly messengers are waiting for our sincere and heartfelt prayers.

 

"Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence."  COL 173

Prayer has "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."  Hebrews 11:33-34


And then we WAIT on the Lord...

in cheerful anticipation

[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.  

Proverbs 13:12

God's Promises

 

Yesterday, we were picking tomatoes from the garden--a freeze was predicted for that night.

I was questioning myself.

Which tomatoes should I pick???

Can we still cover the plants and leave some of the tomatoes out a little longer?

I was getting kind of anxious.

We hadn't gotten as many tomatoes as we hoped.

I was feeling that our harvest would be short.

Before I knew it, we began to have sun showers.

It was beautiful.

Then we saw this beautiful rainbow.

God reminded me of all of His promises.

For all the promises of God in him [are] yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 

2 Corinthians 1:20

My heart rejoiced!!!

How wonderful God is!!!

But, He wasn't done.

He decided to show us a double rainbow

(We get those often here)

 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

 2 Peter 1:4

Food Storage and Winter

 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. Proverbs 31:16


She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet.  Proverbs 31:21

Afriend of mine asked about food storage, so I thought I would post some of what we do. 

There are so many different reasons why families practice food storage.  Some times it has to do with people having large families, biblical principles (a good example is Joseph in Genesis 47), locality, emergency preparedness and sometimes a well stocked pantry just puts a smile on a mom's face. 

When we purchased our 20 acres our home wasn't big enough to have a cold storage inside, so out we went.  Our first choice was to place in a root cellar. The hole is dug and ready to go (oh yeah, winter is on the way--project for next year).  So, we took one of the small outbuildings and fit it with shelving.   We use rubbermaid buckets and 5-gallon pails fitted with Gamma Seal Lids to store grains and legumes.  The shelving is able to hold all of our canned foods.  The only problem that we ran into last winter was during the coldest of winter (below zero--doesn't happen often).  We didn't think to insulate the floor and our potatoes were sitting on the floor, so we had some damaged potatoes.  We do keep a small heater in there that runs to keep temperatures just around 40 degrees.  We also store our winter squash and onions (burlap bags).  My husband is in the process of turning a larger room inside of the work shed/his office to move everything into for this winter since the root cellar will not get done before winter starts.

Once a year, usually in the fall, we stock up using our winter shopping list and replenish in late spring.

Canning is a big to-do around here.  Last year, we canned nearly 600 jars of food.  We harvest from our garden and there is an area about 40 minutes from here, Greenbluff, where there is over 30 farms that we usually get our fruit.  I also can dry beans which I use to think was a dumb idea, but I got a little wiser.  Because of where we live and winter, if we just happen to have a big snow, and the electricity goes out, canned bean are easy to open and warm up on the wood stove.  It is also cheaper than buying from the store.  Now that is a good idea.  We usually do pinto (great for refried beans and other stuff), garbanzo (hummus, soups, sandwich fillings etc.), and kidney (great for soups, different vegetarian patties etc.). 

We also dry lots of strawberries, cherries, apples and bananas--great for granola and just eating.

We have a staple home-made food list such as bread, granola, gluten, and other food stuff that we keep in the freezer for use.  That comes in handy during canning season when no one wants to particularly cook and during the winter.

Peek at our shopping list at Consecrated Families.

Food storage is so much fun.  My family claims that I "keep stash."  Yes, I do!!!

No Work is Greater or Holier

The mother is God's agent to Christianize her family. She is to exemplify Biblical religion, showing how its influence is to control us in its everyday duties and pleasures, teaching her children that by grace alone can they be saved, through faith, which is the gift of God. This constant teaching as to what Christ is to us and to them, His love, His goodness, His mercy, revealed in the great plan of redemption, will make a hallowed, sacred impress on the heart.


The mother who cheerfully takes up the duties lying directly in her path will feel that life is to her precious, because God has given her a work to perform…


The mother's work is given her of God, to bring up her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There are opportunities of inestimable worth, interests infinitely precious, committed to every mother. The humble round of duties which women have come to regard as a wearisome task should be looked upon as a grand and noble work. It is the mother's privilege to bless the world by her influence, and in doing this she will bring joy to her own heart. She may make straight paths for the feet of her children through sunshine and shadow to the glorious heights above. But it is only when she seeks, in her own life, to follow the teachings of Christ that the mother can hope to form the character of her children after the divine pattern. Amid all the activities of life the mother's most sacred duty is to her children.


Let woman realize the sacredness of her work and, in the strength and fear of God, take up her life mission. Let her educate her children for usefulness in this world and for a fitness for the better world. We address Christian mothers. We entreat that you feel your responsibility as mothers and that you live not to please yourselves, but to glorify God. Christ pleased not Himself, but took upon Him the form of a servant. AH 233-236

About me!

Since I haven't gotten around to the about me page, I thought I would just make a list to share.

I was born in Las Vegas, NV--moved to Central Louisiana during my teen years

I have 2 older brothers

My Dad lives in Central Louisiana. My mom died about 17 years ago at the young of 52 from breast cancer

I went to school at Southwestern Adventist University--Nursing degree

My specialty is Critical Care/Open Heart Recovery

I worked at one of the best Open Heart Recovery Units in the country

I have a wonderful husband who is so persevering and such a visionary that it is sometimes scary

I told my husband before we got married that "I am not domesticated." Boy, how the Lord changed my mind

I enjoy paper things such as fancy pens, pencils, crazy paperclips, different kinds of sticky pads, etc

I have two wonderful daughters (Meg, 19 and Ari, 14)

Anything that is pink peaks my interest. Pens, water bottles, flashlights, office supplies

My daughters think I am eccentric(maybe they don't know the definition)

Quilting fabric is on. I like to touch and take in the colors. I can spend hours in a quilt shop. What am I talking about, I have

I live an hour from any worthwhile grocery store. The nearest gas station is 18 miles away

My youngest daughter is a duplicate of me. Sometimes I just laugh at her

My oldest daughter says that I am soulful. I think it is just my southern roots

I love linen material. Not bad for a woman that hates to iron

I am totally into heirloom tomatoes. Buying heirloom seeds is like picking fabric for a sewing project

I like making bags

My family says that I am dainty because I don't like to get my feet dirty. Whatever

I love books, books and more book. I love buying my children books

I love fluffy towel and they have to be folded a certain way

I like 600(+) thread count sheets and flannel sheets in the winter.

I love gardening but I am just not allowed to touch the houseplants, I kill them

My house is not totally finished and sometimes it drives my crazy. Very cozy though

I am passionate about "True Education"

I enjoy homeschooling even though about 3/4 of the way through the year, I am dragging my feet

I thoroughly enjoy buying school supplies

Some people say I am very organized. That is from many years of nursing

Rubbermaid storage bins are on the top of my list. It is difficult to do without them

I hate talking on the phone. I don't even answer my own phone. I'd rather visit

I love my church and the message

I enjoy kitchen appliances and gadget. I think I use to be just on the verge of obsessed until I learned about simplifying

My favorite comfort foods are homemade biscuits (which my grandmother taught me how to cook--I had to modify to a healthier version) and butter beans

I don't exactly like cooking (especially since the girls do such a wonderful job) but I like to cook vegan food with a southern flair

A little over 90% of the food we eat is made from scratch and home grown

I like the concept of food storage. My food pantry puts a smile on my face

I enjoy the history of the deep south

I love quilting

I live on twenty acres. I have two other neighbors--the closest a 10 minute walk. It is a mile down my driveway to the country asphalt road.

Well, there you go!!!

School Fever

School fever is here!!! I always look forward to what God has in store for us for the school year. As I have prayed, He has been faithfully revealing what the plan should be for the year. I am so excited.

One of the things that he has really placed on my mind is the "heart" of raising "Daughters of the King" not just the practicality of the matter. The heart of homemaking and not just the mechanics. My daughters know the mechanics well. How to cook--gourmet meals, nutritious, meal planning, frugal shopping (I am actually kind of spoiled), preservation techniques (canning is just a way of life around here), how to bake a good loaf of bread, cleaning, gardening--planning, sewing/quilting, medical missionary skills. Deep Bible study and how to apply those principle to their lives. God is showing me the holes that are missing and I praise Him for that.

Then it is on to Physical Science (a few more modules), Biology(my oldest daughter would enjoy teaching that--that is her forte'), Algebra, English(10), Composition, Geography and some kind of History--maybe World History. Any special reading projects? Of course many sewing projects for the winter. We are also making our way through Polished Cornerstones.

I am anxious to see what the Lord is placing on my husband's heart. For the past several years, he has a special Bible class for the girls called "Reading Between the Lines" that is tailored especially for them. 6:30am Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I have my quiet time during that time and I can hear some of the conversations. They go very deep. I know the girls will hold that time that they spend with their dad close to their hearts.

I was just contemplating, our youngest daughter is trying to finish school in the next 1 1/2 so she can start mid-wife courses. Okay, that is not a funny thought. I am not sure what I am going to do. They both claim that I am going to find some little boy to bring home and teach. Just a random thought.

Life and Death

I would like for you to take a moment and think of Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection. In Romans 6, Paul is making a parallel between Christ’s death and our death through baptism and Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection to a new life of loyalty to God. It is liberation. It is a destruction of “the body of sin” and “freedom from bondage.” “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:7. There is no service to sin and your members are used “as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

As I was reading through Romans 6, there were a couple of phrases that had the same tenor and theme. “Let not sin reign,” “that ye should not obey it,” “yield in your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.” Sounds like bondage.

I really thought about it. How can something have dominion over you? Dominion is defined as “sovereign or supreme authority or power to direct, control, use.” Romans 6:14 suggests that sin can have dominion over us. Consider it. Can sin have authority and control over us? What thing is there as we are working throughout our day as moms, wives and homemakers that may keep us in bondage?

Daily, what are we choosing? Who are we serving? Who are we obeying? (Just some thought questions.) We are servant to whom or what we obey. If we indulge selfishness, anger, materialism or any other sin, we have put ourselves in a position of serving sin. And if we are serving sin, we are not serving Christ. A Christian will feel the temptation of sin, for the flesh fights against the Spirit, but the Spirit works against the flesh. It is a constant battle. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Our human weakness unites with divine power and battles are being won. Victories obtained by faith through Christ Jesus.

As I thought about the above phrases, this is also what jumped out at me. “Freedom from sin,” “dead unto sin, “servants of righteousness,” and “members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Praise the Lord!

Paul sets before us two options--life and death. Deuteronomy 30:19 says:

…that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

When we as moms choose life, this life is passed on to our children. What a legacy to leave our children. A legacy of loyalty, faith, obedience and love to God.

Lessons from a Mamma Moose

What a site to see a mamma moose and her twin calves meandering up our drive-way. It was early one Monday morning and I had just made my way down the stairs and was listening to my family laughing and joking around after their early morning Bible class. I spent a little bit of time talking as is our usual routine before having worship. My husband had stepped out onto the porch to feed our dog and there they were. A cow moose and her twin calves.

During worship, we watched them wander about. At times we could only see the mother as she foraged for food and then she would disappear and either one or both of the calves would appear. They seemed to be about their business but each in its own world. We watched as they very slowly made their way up our drive. They were getting closer and closer and I was excited at the prospect of a closer view of these enormous and spectacular creatures from my huge living room window.

After we finished worship, my husband went out to feed the horses and to see if he could get some good pictures of our moose friends. I sat there for about a minute and I couldn’t resist the urge to go out and get a better view of our morning visitors. I quickly got dressed and headed out. The moose had started their way up the mountainside and my husband had found a place in the road where he could watch them. He signaled for me to come quickly but quietly. When I got to where he was crouched down, there was momma moose and her babies very close on the hind legs of their mother. When she took a step, they took a step. When she turned, they turned. What a beautiful sight.

My husband let me know that when the cow moose realized his presence, she called for her young. When the call of danger went out, they moved with dispatch to her side and remained there.

This early morning encounter bought a somber thought to my mind. Where are our young ones? Are they responding to our call as those twin calves? When there is danger lurking about, and we send out a call, do they stop and ask us why or do they move with quickness of mind and obedience? Are we teaching them to move quickly when we call?

Where Have I Been???

The blogging world!!!  I have spent hours searching and reading.  There is a blog for everything you could possible think of.  When I decided to enter the world of blogging, I was drawn in.  What is that thing that captivates?  That wants to keep you going to a blogroll and clicking onto any link that interests you?  The funny thing about it is, that I am not a computer guru even though I am surrounded by talented and competent computer users.  I can barely turn the thing on.  It has always been my philosophy "to get a piece of paper."  How impractical.  My family has been patient in answering my question and explaining the ins and outs of computer jargon.  I think I am now sold.  My husband just laughs and looks at me with a look of "I told you so."  His line of work is marketing and he spends countless hours in front of the computer screen and on the phone.  And trust me, I have spent just as much time preaching on the "evil" of spending so much time on the computer.  I won't tell you how many hours I have spent setting up, learning and searching information.  I wonder if my fmaily is wondering "where is my mother?"  This is a serious learning curve for someone who thought "a piece of paper" would do the job.  How archaic.  Where have I been?

Now, I have to write.  Hmm.  I am just now discovering that I have writer's block.  For the past 20 years, I have been writing nurses notes.  Critical writing.  Short, factual and concise.  Where was the creativity?  Can you imagine me creatively writing about a code blue event or creatively describing the eight different intravenous drips that a person has infusing.  How boring.  I now have to go pre-college days and dig out some creative writing skills.  There's a task for you!

As we were sitting around before family worship, I was expressing my new found experience in the computer world and how I was so gracious for learning something new and totally out of my realm.  My family laughed and began to express the virtues of computer knowledge and how it is used.  I finally got it.!!!

By the way, thanks to all you God-fearing, stay-at-home moms and wives, homeschool teachers, homemakers, women of wisdom (and the list goes on) that have inspired and paved the way.

12 New Things

Hey my friends, I am joining Sarah Mae over at Like A Warm Cup of Coffee to enrich my skills.  

August:  Learn how to use chain saw.  (My husband informed me that it doesn't come in pink.  What is this world coming to?)

September:  Learn Wordpress well

October:  Learn basic Photoshop

November: Make some serious aprons

December:  Learn to make a jean quilt

January:  Work on Machine quilting skills

February: Learn some basic embroidery stitches

March:  Learn to make laundry soap, bar soap, natural deodorant and toothpaste

April:   Learn something new about gardening

May:  Learn to efficiently use Canon 10-D

June:  

July:

Ongoing Spanish and piano

Join in and be inspired by what others are doing.  Like A Warm Cup of Coffee.

Some Things We Need

 The courage born of God, not man,

The truth to speak, cost what it may

The patience to endure the trials

That form a part of every day;

The purpose firm, the will to do

The right, wherever we may be;

The wisdom to reprove the faults

That in our loved ones we may see,--

Reprove in tone and spirit sweet,

And ne'er in temper's eloquence;

The heart to love the ones in wrong,

While wrong we hate in every sense;

The strength to do our daily task

As unto God,--for we're His own,--

To seek His approbation sweet,

And not men's praise, fame, or renown,--

These, these, and more, are things we need

If Christ we'd represent indeed.

C. C. Roberts

What inspires you???

What inspires me:

Contemplating God's deepest love.  It runs so deep that I do understand that we cannot comprehend it.  He has set so many object lessons in nature (that is why I believe nature is God's  lesson book).

Tulip coming up through snow

 

 

God's Holy Word

 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
   That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.  

2 Timothy 3:16-17 

 Early spring morning here--

The sounds of nature--birds preparing for their day

The stillness of the air

Crisp coolness of the air

The freshness of mountain air

Black-capped Chickadee on front porch

Cool spring evening here in the mountains!

 Sunny winter day with clear blue skies, about 30 degrees, undisturbed snow and total stillness--it is as if you were at the very gates of heaven

Daughters' ramblings about:

Ferry on the way to church

Montana Mountains:  
They are awe-inspiring

Why don't you shout back and let me know what inspires you.