Welcome, Friends! I am glad you have chosen to join me here as I walk through these days that God has given me. I hope these thoughts, musings, and ideas I write will bless you in your walk. I encourage you to leave comments and questions of your own. I would love to hear from you! May God's grace be with you always. ~Joyce
“Christianity, if false, is of no
importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it
cannot be is moderately important.”
~C.S. Lewis
"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After
that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the
greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." ~1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Stand up for what you believe or you will not longer have the opportunity to freely believe it.
"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me. "
~Niemöller
(A German pastor during WWII)
This is an interview with a former citizen of East Germany while it was still under Communism. Watch it (please). Remember that you have a vote. Use it while you still can.
Social Security, government-run healthcare, and further restricting firearm access are all prerequisites to Socialism/Communism. I really don't want to see the United States turning to Socialism, but it is definitely on the path there if we don't start speaking out.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,
the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy,
its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.."
~ Winston Churchill
So, you still have a vote in this country. Use it. Vote in the upcoming elections, especially the one in November. Be thankful that you can still make a difference.
I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. Do your research and vote for whomever you think is best for the country, but please vote!
We just got off Spring Break so I'm back to school on Monday. Yay for 5:45 am wake up call! (I realize this isn't early for everyone, but for me it is. It would probably be easier if it were every day instead of just twice a week...)
I didn't do much this Spring Break. I embroidered quite a bit (1 & 1/2 tea towels) and helped Tommy's Grandma cut out filler material for the quilt she is working on right now. Oh, and my FIL has a bottle calf so I got to help with it. He was just figuring out how to suck on the bottle when we left, but they said that he's doing much better today.
I walked out to check on a cow before heading to town Thursday, and I didn't figure that she would be calving until much later that day. As I was walking, I glanced over and the calf slid out. Hah! So much for later that day. :-) I went back to the house for my camera.
He's about 20 minutes old in the above picture and super wobbly when he started to stand up about 5 minutes later.
Fell down again. :-)
The brown calf was pretty curious...but the mama wouldn't let him very close.
I made Orecchiette with Mushrooms for supper tonight. It was good. I couldn't find the Boursin cheese that the recipe calls for so I added garlic and herbs separately and used plain chevre for the cheese.
I made apple butter in my crockpot last night and it was ah-maz-ing!!!! You should try it if you like apple butter at all. So. Good. Here is the recipe and directions. Try it. You won't be sorry. It's super easy too. I didn't make as large of a batch as the recipe did because I don't have a crockpot that big. I'll try to post a picture later if I remember after studying for my test on Monday.
Here's my version of the recipe:
4 apples (I used Granny Smith 'cause they're tart and they were cheap)
1/4 C brown sugar
1/8 t Nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
Approximately 1/2 C water
Peel and dice apples. Mix spices and sugar together. Layer apples and sugar mixture in crockpot. The crockpot should already be on high while you are cutting up apples and layering. Pour water over the top. Leave crockpot on high for 1 hour. Turn it down to low after the first hour and leave it alone for 14-17 hours. I slept in this morning so it cooked for more than 15 hours, but it didn't hurt it any. After that 15 hours, take the lid off the crockpot until the apple butter is as thick as you like it. (30-45 mins) Then puree the mixture somehow. I dumped it into my blender which worked great. If you have a submersible blender, I've heard that those work really well.
I put it all in the crockpot yesterday around 5pm and blended it this morning around 10:30. I don't think I'm ever buying apple butter again...this was great!
Also, did you know that buying bacon scraps is super cheap and you get about the same amount of bacon? I bought 2 1/2 pounds of bacon ends and scraps yesterday for 1.99/lb which is waaay better than buying bacon for 4/lb. Crazy. I also caught a roast on sale for under 3/lb (that's cheaper than hamburger!). Good day shopping yesterday. Yay for sales!
Anyways, have a great day! God loves you and He will lift you up!
Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Please, people, STOP texting and driving!!! I drive over 400 miles every week, and I'm tired of almost getting killed because people won't put down their phone long enough to drive wherever they are going. I don't care if it's "important." It won't be important if you get into a wreck and kill yourself plus whoever was in the other vehicle. Chances are, whatever is in that text message isn't a life or death matter. However, a possible wreck because you choose to look at your phone instead of the road is. So, please, stop. *Stepping off my soapbox now*
Had my first test of the semester today in Natural Resources Economics...it seemed really easy. That could be really good or really bad. Hopefully good.
I've been reading the Psalms while I eat my breakfast in the morning and I really enjoyed this one. Psalm 47. Go look it up, it's worth the read.
It rained today. I drove all the way back from school in the rain. It's really no fun when I can't see the road at all because of all the spray the semis are throwing up. Thankful that God kept my tires on the road. There are 33 places where people have wiped out in the median since school started. Thirty-three. That's a lot! I counted one day because I was bored. Also thankful that I'm not one of those 33 wipe-outs.
I made myself a Strawberry-Banana smoothie after school. Yum.
1 banana
1 C frozen strawberries
Around 1 C milk...if too thick, add a little extra.
2 T ground flax seed
1-2 T lemon juice
1 t honey (cause I like how it tastes.)
Blend. I find it works best if I put the banana on the bottom, nearest the blades. If it's too thick, add milk; too thin, add more strawberries. Pour and eat/drink. I would add a picture, but I already drank all of it.
If you haven't heard this song yet, you should listen to this. Great song! My uncle sang this for my wedding and did a great job with it. Still gives me chills to listen to it.
This is why death is not the end of the story, just the end of the chapter.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Disclaimer: Not my story. *smile* See II Kings 4:8-37 for the original telling, this is simply my version of it.
Harvest. My favorite time of year. She turns from the window as the servant bursts through the door, eyes narrowing with concern when she saw the servant carried her child, her only son. "A headache," the servant gasps out, regaining his breath. Quickly gathering her son from the servant's arms, she thanks him, and sends him back to the fields to re-join the reapers before the storm clouds rise.
She rocked back and forth in an effort to calm her son’s crying. He was starting to slow down finally, but he was warm. So warm. He felt as though he was dropping into sleep. This was good; he would probably sleep it off. She laid him on the straw pallet in the corner and wet a rag to lay on his forehead in an attempt to cool him down. Returning to her son, she thought his breathing was shallow but attributed it to him sleeping. But it kept getting slower and finally stopped. Elisha! He can pray to God and bring him back to us. I must go to him now.
She ran to her husband through the stubble in the wheat fields, skirts and hair flapping in the wind. "Jacob! My husband! I need a young man and one of the donkeys to find the man of God and return."
"Why do you need to see him today? It is neither New Moon nor the Sabbath."
"All will be well. Thank you, Jacob!"
"Do not slow on my account." The servant nodded and urged the donkey to move as quickly as possible. Although appearing relatively calm on the outside, her insides were pounding with shock and grief. Surely Elisha can bring our son back to us. They bounced quickly along towards Mount Carmel where the he was known to stay.
Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, met her before she reached Elisha himself to question if all is well at Elisha’s request. She told him that all is well.
They reach the man of God. She climbs out of the cart, and kneels at his feet, shuddering as the tears finally began to flow down, pounding the dirt and wetting his feet. "Did I ask you to give me a son? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?"
Elisha instantly realizes what has happened and sends Gehazi with his staff. "Do not stop to greet anyone and do not answer any greetings, but go and lay my staff across the face of the child."
The woman refuses to leave Elisha so they follow behind Gehazi who is running to reach the child. They reach the house soon after Gehazi and find Gehazi unable to awaken the child. Elisha closes himself in the room with the dead child and prays to the Lord. He stretched his body over the child to warm the child's body twice, and the child sneezed seven times and awoke the second time. She runs into the room after Gehazi tells her the news, falls to the floor and thanks Elisha while praising God, then gathers her son from the bed and leaves, crying tears of joy and thankfulness.
__________________________________________
All is Well-to her husband when her son had just died.
All is Well-to Gehazi when he asks in Elisha’s name
Not until she reaches Elisha does she ask “Why? Why did you ask God to give me a son to take him away?”
What faith. She knew that God could bring her son back through His servant, Elisha.
Yet I worry about little things. The test I have on Tuesday (if you think of me, please pray), projects due with too little time. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything anyways though, other than taking up precious time and preventing us from seeing the gifts that God has placed in our lives.
What can we do to stop worrying and start praising God all the time, not just when we feel like it? What do you do?
A video about Horatio Stafford, the man who wrote the hymn, It is Well, and his story. You can turn off the music player on the right side by clicking the pause button.
I thank Thee, God, that I have lived in this great world and known its many joys; The song of the birds, the strong sweet scent of hay and cooling breezes in the secret dusk, the flaming sunsets at the close of the day, hills, and the lonely, heather-covered moors, music at night, and moonlight on the sea, the beat of waves upon the rocky shore and wild, white spray, flung high in ecstasy: The faithful eyes of dogs, and treasured books. The love of kin and fellowship of friends, and all that makes life dear and beautiful. I thank Thee, too, that there has come to me a little sorrow and, sometimes, defeat, a little heartache and loneliness that comes with parting, and the word, "Goodbye," dawn breaking after dreary hours of pain, when I discovered that night's gloom must yield and morning light break through to me again. Because of these and other blessings poured unasked upon my wondering head, because I know that there is yet to come an even richer and more glorious life, and most of all, because Thine only Son once sacrificed life's loveliness for me--I thank Thee, God, that I have lived.
~Elizabeth, Countess of Craven, England (1750-1828)
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Hi, I've been meaning to write this to you for a while now. I just want to say thank you for all that you have done for me.
For giving me life
Encouraging my love of books and reading, even when I sometimes read instead of doing my school work
Encouraging my drawing
Letting me spend so much time with Grandma and Grandpa
Allowing me the freedom to bike all over town by myself
Encouraging me to keep going when I get discouraged and tired of life
Teaching my school
Putting up with me when I had a bad attitude
Putting up with me for being "brutally honest" as you called it (I'm trying to learn to be tactful!)
Letting me "help" with cooking when I was little; I learned more than I ever realized
Helping to talk dad into letting me have a dog
Helping us take care of the rabbits
Putting the time and effort into homeschooling
Always finding time to take us running in the mornings for soccer
Playing soccer in the front yard with all of the neighborhood kids
Sunday dinners
I remember mom and dad turning on the radio that morning, just like every morning. Only the regular programs were interrupted by the news updates. Calling us kids to come listen. I remember being confused because I didn't understand what was going on. America under attack?
We went to my grandparents to watch the news because we didn't have a tv with channels. We watched multiple replays of the towers crumbling inwards on themselves. I remember everyone praying for America and for protection for the rest of the country over and over again.
10 years later, we still remember. We still pray for our country and for the people serving. Thank you to the service members who have risked their lives to preserve our freedom. Thank you to the first responders for the people you saved and the lives you gave in exchange for theirs. You have made a difference and showed America the quality of the people serving our nation. Thank you for your willingness to serve.
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21
Well, I have not been on here much this summer in the way of writing. Life kept me pretty busy. After finishing a 10 day Chemistry course, I left on a 24 hour drive for S. Cali with a friend the day I took my final. I pulled my A! :-) Southern Cali is gorgeous! I couldn't live there (too many people), but it was a ton of fun! I loved the ocean!
I wasn't planning on swimming because everyone had warned me that it was cold so I wore jeans and waded. A wave caught me though so I was soaked! After I got used to the water, it wasn't bad at all.
While I was in Cali, I also got to see some family that lives there and my cousins and Aunt and Uncle who were visiting the family. I was really happy to see all of them! My cousins had grown so much since Christmas!
Then I got on a plane for the southern plains of the US. We were there most of the summer. It was over 100 degrees for the majority of the time we were there and super humid. Biking at 7 in the morning was even a bit of a stretch as far as temperature goes. I caught up on all of the books that I hadn't had time to read with being in school.
We also got to go home for a week and a half and help Grandpa on the farm. We loaded up a lot of scrap metal for the junk yard! Temperatures were much nicer! The sunsets were amazing, as usual. So were the stars, but I don't have a good enough camera to take pictures of the stars. Usually, I can see clear to the Milky Way. It stretches across the whole sky.
We also got to go to the lake with some of my old friends that are getting married this fall! Snow melt makes for nice cool water. Several hotdogs apiece with s'mores and many bottles of tea later we headed for home...oh, and one now-dead rattlesnake that was in the path. It had 6 rattles, but it wasn't very big. I don't have any pictures because it was dark at that point and I had forgotten my camera.
All in all, a good summer. School starts next week and I don't know if I'm ready to buckle back down to it, but the energy to conquer will come with each assignment. God will provide the energy needed. I am definitely ready to be finished with school though so I am really thankful that I only have one year left.
Over Easter break I was able to see the colt again. He has grown a lot! I am excited for this summer when I will hopefully get to see him more often. Of course I took pictures.
He is a lot more skittish now that he's older so he spooks more easily.
His mama. Isn't she gorgeous?!
And a one more of him...so beautiful!
The other mares came to visit while I was taking pictures so I took some of them too.
This one was really friendly.
Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic snorting is terrible.
He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He goes out to meet the weapons.
He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
With shaking and rage he races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
~Job 39:19-25~
You can see the pictures larger if you click on them, then just click on the back button to come back to the blog. :-)
Spring break was good and very, very needed. I was sick the week before break along with taking most of my mid-terms so I was super-tired at the beginning of break. I think I slept 1/2 way to where we went! Ok, not quite...Tommy has been tired of driving my car because it doesn't have cruise control so I drove most of the way there and then he drove for the last hour or so. It was good that he drove then because it was after midnight and I am not a night owl. I don't usually study after about 10:30 at night because my brain tends to turn off about that time. I saw a coyote while I was driving and Tommy saw lots of deer and a cougar after he took over. I don't remember the deer or cougar because I was asleep then. Bummer!
I drove tractor for Tommy's dad and harrowed his pastures to get them smoothed out. I have the radio memorized again now. :-) One evening I even listened to Adventures in Odyssey...it had been a long time since I listened to that show on the radio. I really enjoyed it. I also helped out at the airport and cleaned spray nozzles for the planes and helped take the airplanes apart for the annual inspections.
Since Tommy's dad has cows, I got to ride along for morning chores and help. Tommy was nice enough to do most of the work with feeding bales so I could take pictures. That was a lot of fun! The cows did not really know what to do think of me because I was getting pretty close to take some of these pictures. While we were feeding one morning, a cow calved...I didn't have my camera that day unfortunately. The calf was so funny trying to walk around because he didn't know how to walk yet.
The day we left Tommy and I stopped at a neighbor's place because they had a foal born several days earlier. He was really cute and so curious! Since the mare was really gentle, we could get into the pen with them. We were feeding cubes to the mare so we could get close to him and he thought that he wanted some cubes too, but he didn't know what they were. The colt wasn't sure if he liked us touching him either. It was pretty funny! He'd get close and then he'd spook and move away, but he would be back soon for more. I want to go back during our next school break and see how much he has grown.
While we were seeing the colt some of the calves in the next pen over became curious to see what was happening so they came over. One of them was a little bolder than the others (not much), but bold enough that we could hand-feed him. (Most cows/calves aren't) It has been a long time since I hand-fed a calf! He wasn't sure that he wanted to be that close to us, but he sure wanted those cubes!
And today I am thankful for:
Curious calves
Long tongues and courage to take the cubes.
Foal: just 3 days old
Long whiskers and curiosity.
God's painting
Soft muzzles nuzzling hands
Funny newborn calves
Easily fixed hydraulic hoses (yes, there is a story, but not today. I will suffice to say that it wasn't my fault)
You can see the pictures larger if you click on them, then just click on the back button to come back to the blog. :-)
My fingers itch for the screen with the words flowing through them into the pages...but they know not what to write. ~Several days ago
I have found the words to flow across the screen now...I hope that these thoughts will help you.
I have been trying lately to bring eucharisteo from my head into my skin. Some days I fail horribly. Others are better. This thankfulness habit can be hard sometimes. When tests are looming in front of me waiting to be conquered. When the papers need to be written, but the supper also needs to be made and dishes cleaned after. My expectations not being met.But expectations destroy the relationships I am trying to build.
However, the only way to form a habit is to keep on trying, keep on finding ways to be thankful.
The pastor at the church we attended last weekend (we are on break, so not our usual church) spoke on Philippians 4:4-7. It seems that everywhere I turn, I am finding eucharisteo more and more. This has blessed me. I have found, with the help of eucharisteo--giving thanks, that peace. The peace mentioned in the above verses which surpasses all understanding. Still not all the time, but much more often.
Also, the pastor mentioned this on Sunday, and I have found it to be true...long before I knew anything about eucharisteo. Worry steals the joy that we have. However, when I worry, I dis-trust God's ability to care for the situations which have entered into my life. He is able and will take care of my life. But isn't it wrong of me to question His ability to do so? All things work together for good. These situations may not come together as I want them to, but God is not planning my life around my wants. God made me, us, people to give Him glory! To thank Him for the things and circumstances He has placed in our lives. Good or bad. And even the bad circumstances simply give us an opportunity to praise Him in all things...not just when our life is going fairly well.
In the "Hiding Place," Corrie Ten Boom talks about her and Betsy (Her sister)'s time in the Auschwitz concentration camp. They were reading the Bible they had managed to smuggle into the camp and came across 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
They were then thanking God for their circumstances. Food, togetherness, crammed quarters for warmth, etc...but Betsy thanked God for the fleas. Corrie was horrified. Fleas?! Really? Why be thankful for fleas?! However, they were talking with another inmate several weeks later and were curious why they had not been bothered by the lecherous male guards. The other inmate disclosed that it was because of the fleas! So yes, even in the most unlikely circumstances, I should be thanking God for the bad things as well. Good can always come out of the darkest circumstances.
I can also be thankful for the work. Dirty dishes, laundry, normal household chores, homework, school in general. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31) Have I been thinking of my dishes sitting in the sink like this? Can thanking God for the opportunity to bless my husband by simply cleaning the dishes give God glory? Have I been doing these things to the utmost of my abilities? These questions have been coming up in my mind lately as I have thought about that verse. I should be working on being thankful as I go about these daily tasks which seem to be such drudgery sometimes.
Eucharisteo comes full circle. Grace from the Father--Thankfulness and Praise to our Father--Joy and Peace
~ Philippians 4:4-7* ~
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
