Family Life - January-February 2025

January and February could be summarized in 1 word: "winter storms". Well, technically, that was 2 words, but who is counting? =) Our first storm blew in the first full week of January, and it felt like after that storm followed storm, complete with freezing rain, wet ground, frigid temperatures, cold winter winds, ice, and snow. It was a true Kentucky winter! We were able to put the cattle with the highest needs in our renovated poultry buildings for shelter, for which I am so grateful. Though winter storms are hard, they cultivate some of the greatest memories and sibling bonds, another blessing for which I am thankful. 

In early February, Dad came down with singles, and a few weeks later, Olivia and Hope broke out with chicken pox. Not too long after, the rest of the kids followed suit, but that is moving ahead into March. Mom would say when we were little that if we knew of someone who had chicken pox, we would go visit so we would catch it and get them over with. This never happened, though, and although it was a very challenging season of illness and itching, the Lord provided, and it was a blessing that the kids got them relatively close together, and it was not prolonged any more than it was.  

For the other details of January and February, I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story....

There are some winter days when we wake up and do not understand
how the cattle made it through the night alive, only by God's mercy.

I had this "picture-esque" idea of doing a gingerbread house with the kids, 
and when I found one for a decent deal, I got it during the holiday season. 
However, December passed, and it never happened, so one evening in January, 
we broke it open for a sibling project. It turned out to be quite a house, and we 
discovered that none of us will be professional bakery decorators! =)

One Saturday, we sisters took off for town to do some shopping and 
drop into the local coffee shop!

January 20th - thankful for the sovereignty and mercy of God on our country.

Hope and Joel braving the winter weather

Mom and I drove out to visit Grandma at the end of January.

One of the decent days...

For my birthday, back in the fall, Joel gifted me with dinner out with him,
but by mid-February, we had yet to have our "date". So the night before
Valentine's Day, we went out for dinner (we tried Blaze Pizza for the first
time...highly recommend) and got a bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes
and ate it on the way home after doing some shopping. Joel has such a 
sensitive heart toward us girls, and along with Dad, spoils us on 
Valentine's Day.

The quality of this picture is not good, but there is nothing like witnessing
a new life emerge and begin in the world. It is beautiful every time, 
and it is a privilege to watch God-given instinct in nature.

Though we do not have house dogs, when the girls had chicken pox, we would
bring Peaches in to make visits and cheer up the sick ones.

"And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wonderously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." 

Joel 2:26-27

Resting in the Shadow

I do not know for all of you, but I believe that I can rather confidently say that the book of the Song of Solomon is not the go-to devotion spot for us single gals. No single word in the Bible is without Spirit inspiration and practical application, yet for those of us who are in the waiting period for the Lord to manifest our romance stories to us, the Song of Solomon can be a book of the Bible perhaps visited less than other parts of scripture. There are, though, several lovely passages of the Song of Solomon that can be taken and beautifully applied to our relationships with Christ. One of the precious verses that has blessed my heart over and over is Song of Solomon 2:6, "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me." What a heart-pattering picture of me being safe in the arms of Christ, His hand pressing my head against Himself and His right hand encircling me in love, acceptance, and protection. 

    

    Another passage from this book that I studied last week, after it arrested my attention from The Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional (again, very highly recommend), is from Song of Solomon 2:1-4, 

"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." 

    Verse 3 caught my attention, "I sat down under his shadow with great delight..." What is the purpose of and the help that we receive from a shadow? Shadows are used as places of coolness on an intensely warm day, they are a place to rest from the oppressive heat during or after exertion, they can be a place to comfortably commune with a friend without expereinces the uncomfortability of the sun's heat, and a darkened shadow can be a place of refuge from being seen by an enemy. They are a place of protection, rest, cooling, help, and comfort. Little help can be received from a shadow unless one steps into it and personally experiences its benefits. 

    Below is an excerpt from a commentary I read while mulling over this passage and its application.

"When a poor soul is parched with convictions of sin and the terrors of the law, as David (Ps. 32:4), when fatigued with the troubles of this world, as Elijah when he sat down under a juniper tree (1 Ki. 9:14), they find that in Christ, in His name, His graces, His comforts, and His undertaking for poor sinners, which revives them and keeps them from fainting; those that are weary and heavily laden may find rest in Christ. It is not enough to pass by this shadow, but we must sit down under it (here will I dwell, for I have desired it); and we shall find it not like Jonah's gourd, that soon withered, and left him in a heat, both inward and outward, but like the tree of life, the leaves whereof were not only for shelter, but for the healing of the nations. We must sit down under this shadow with delight, must put an entire confidence in the protection of it (as Judges 9:15), and take an entire complacency in the refreshment of it."

    

   So that is my new name for Christ, "My Shadow". His love overspreads me, and I partake of the cooling and comfortable fellowship with Him. My Shadow never shifts, never shortens with time, never loses its ability to rest me, but is ever present and always comforting. Full confidence must be placed in the Shadow, for there alone is full fulfillment. This week, ladies, take rest in The Shadow. Take a moment each morning to picture yourself sitting down there and pray to the Father to hold you there during the day's stresses, needs, frustrations, or pain. The Shadow is enough for you.

"For Thou has been a strength to the poor, a strength for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." 

Isaiah 25:4

"And a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." Isaiah 32:2

The Righteous Hand of God

I am making my way through the Psalms and I was recently reading Psalm 48 when verse 10 caught my attention.

"According to Thy name, O God, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of righteousness." Psalm 48:10

Passages that speak of the arms and hands of God have a special interest for me, and since finding cross-reference passages is fun, that is where my studies held me on this particular morning. I found many passages, mostly neighbor verses in the Psalms on the right hand of the Lord, which from the verse above, we know is full of righteousness, so that promise can be inserted into the passages regarding His right hand.

Psalm 18:35 came to mind first,

"Thou has also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness (humility, meekness) hath made me great." 

• The right hand of the righteousness of the Lord holds me up and gives me security.

"Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy." Exodus 15:6

• The righteous hand of God sets the wicked at naught and makes Satan flee.

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy: at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11

• There is a full, complete, and joyful rest in the righteousness of our Savior's right hand.

"For they got the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favour unto them." Psalm 44:3 

• The righteousness right hand of the Lord goes before me as a shining light of hope and direction.

"My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me." Psalm 63:8

• I fall upon the righteous right hand of God to sustain me through this life. Though I fall, the righteousness of the Lord is my stay and all my hope.  

"Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:10

• I am held in the righteous right hand of Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice, for eternity. 

Book Review- Mountain Breezes

I enjoy poetry, and I am grateful when a faithful saint can put into poetic words what I may struggle to articulate in comprehensible sentences. I first came across the compilation of Amy Carmichael's works at a conference several years ago. I took a picture of the book to look up at a different time. Several years past and it was not until this past fall that I obtained my own copy of this work and what a blessing it has been to my heart! 

"Mountain Breezes" is the collection of poems written by Amy Carmichael. Born in 1867 in Ireland and the oldest of 7 children, Amy grew up in a loving, Christian home. She spent time as a missionary in Japan before finding it necessary to leave due to the strain of the climate on her health. She landed in India in 1895, where she organized a traveling band of Christian women who wanted to reach other women and children. When made aware of the horrific and demonic trafficking of young children to be "married" to the Hindu gods and used to "religious" prostitution, Amy gave her heart and soul into rescuing those precious young souls. The Dohnavur Fellowship of South India was founded, and due to the faithful efforts and countless prayers of Amy and her helpers, child after child was rescued from the horrors of the life destined for them and lived to see the heinous custom of temple prostitution become outlawed in 1948. Though never marrying, Amy became "Amma" (mother) to many children who would have been lost to the evils of the world had it not been for her faithful obedience and willingness to lay it all on the line. She never had a furlough and spent the last years of her life as an invalid, but maintained a steady and fervent trust in the Lord in whom she had looked to for all those years. Amy Carmichael passed away in 1951. Her legacy continues in Dohnavur today.

The poems of "Mountain Breezes" are divided into several sections and touch a variety of heart cries, including poems for worship, surrender, ministry, encouragement, and more. There is a "rawness" to the verses that help me feel like my heart position, struggles or fears are articulated for me when I do not feel I have the ability to articulate. I highly recommend and encourage obtaining your own copy and I am thankful for how the Lord has used it in my life.  

"Missionary life is simply a chance to die." ~Amy Carmichael

Family Life - November-December 2024

November and December recaps...better late than never! Both months held holidays which, for us, were different this year than others, but we were together and we can laugh about it now. =) 

The weather was beautiful through the 2 months with unusually warm temperatures. It was excellent for our house building project and a great deal of progress was made. 

Caden was here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Emma, Stephen, and the boys traveled here the day after Christmas and were able to be here through New Year's. 

November began with a morning of cattle work!

House project: tearing apart the back deck

The quality of this picture is not good, but rain was coming,
the wind was strong and we were trying to tarp the open part
of the house. It was a rather scary undertaking, but it was successful
and has left us with a great family memory.

House project: picking up busted bricks...

... and stacking the bricks.

Several of the family enjoying a Saturday night SEC college
football game.

House project: shoveling gravel

House project: finished cleaning out the garage and the beginnings of
the plumbing begun 

House project: footers dug, block laid, and gravel poured

House project: the garage gutting begun

House project: garage gutting finished and the 1st wall up!

I began using some Saturday mornings to slip off to the local
coffee shop to work on ministry tasks, write letters, do research, 
and enjoy a hot coffee!

House project: concrete pad laid (and dried!) and framing up

Mid-December held a pro-life ministry fundraiser for me to help plan. 
I am thankful for this niche of ministry to serve and am looking 
forward to what 2025 holds in that capacity.  

We created donation Christmas gift boxes for that family member
"who has everything".

House project: roof on, "eyebrow" begun, some of the windows in,
and more of the brick off!

House project: ZIP siding up and ready for windows

Every once in a while, our family will have an outing together. In 
the past, this has usually been to Ollie's discount store, but we chose
Menards in December. Fun family memories and time spent together.

Christmas 2024

The Glass Elevator

My family was established in the animal feed business when I was born. My dad traveled occasionally with a certain feed company to promotional events, shows, etc. For a time and for certain events, our small family would travel with him and we would visit amusement parks or other areas of interest during the day while Dad was busy. I believe it was one such trip, we were staying in a hotel and as little children, there is nothing more disappointing than to find out your assigned hotel room was on the first floor and there would be no need to ride the elevator. At this certain hotel, however, it was not such a grief and joy upon joy, this elevator had a glass wall so you could watch the lobby below as you rose above it! What a thrilling experience for two little girls!

If my memory serves me correctly, this certain event happened while we were making preparations to pack the car to return home. Dad had made a trip to the car with Emma and me and we were on our way back to the room to pick up another load of luggage. My sister and I were gleefully watching the lobby below us when the elevator arrived on the floor, the doors opened and everyone got off. That is...except me. Too engrossed with the view before me, I was not watching my dad as he stepped off at the correct destination, and to my fear and horror, I turned to find that I was left alone, save for a hotel employee who didn't look the most compassionate on the little girl who was obviously in the wrong place. Naturally, when my dad realized that he was missing one, he returned to the elevator, which I had least at the good sense to stay in, and safely brought me back to the room. 

A small childhood story? Yes, it is, but the spiritual lesson that I see in it now, many years later, holds a different meaning.   

What distractions of the world cause me to take my eyes off the Father and therefore pull away my attentions and love? 

I would like to take a moment and say that I am not attempting to make the connection that by taking our eyes off the Lord, I am insinuating that we thus lose our salvation. Absolutely not! Salvation is a once-for-all decision (John 10:27-29). It is acknowledging to God that you are sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 5:12). We have each broken God's perfect law (The 10 Commandments) and it is in no power or goodness of ourselves that we can attain eternal life (Titus 3:4-6 and Ephesians 2:8-9). It is turning to Jesus, seeing Him as the sinless Lamb that was sacrificed for your sins because of the great love wherewith He loved you (Romans 5:8,15). Salvation can never be lost. Jesus only died once, you are only saved once and forever held in the palm of His hand. However, scripture says that the old man, the old flesh, still wars against our renewed and redeemed nature (Galatians 2:16-17) and this fleshly nature works to pull my love and focus away from my loving Father in Heaven.

The hotel lobby held all of my attention, so much so that I turned away from my dad who was my 

surest guide. By keeping my eyes on my dad I would have been safe, I would have been secure, and I would have followed him to where I needed to go, but the lavish-looking sights below, which only lasted a short time, dulled me to the greater need at hand, which was keeping my eyes on my father so I would not get lost. So then I ask the question again. What is in my life, your life, that causes our eyes to stray from the Shephard's face to the alluring sights of the world? What daily distractions draw our attention away from our Savior to sensual things? Are there pieces of entertainment that need to be let go that are filling your mind with fleshly desires rather than dwelling on pure things? What about a relationship that is pulling your affections away from the Lord? Is time with the Lord a priority on your list or is it "when I get to it"? Do you need to readjust your schedule to make Bible time and scripture memory consistent? The Lord Jesus Christ desires the first place in each of our lives. He asks for it, but He will not force it. So, ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas that need to be let go and ask Him to realign your heart's focus upon our Saviour. 

Do not be discouraged by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the refining work that He wishes to do, but welcome it as a sign of the seal that you bear of being in Christ and that it is growing you more into the image of our great God and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Would the Lord continue His sanctifying work in all of us to create and cleanse us into vessels of honor unto Him for His glory and honor. May He be praised!

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good...And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

1 Thessalonians 5:21,23

The Shell

Upon the sandy shore an empty shell,               

    Beyond the shell infinity sea;

O Savior, I am like that empty shell,

    Thou art the Sea to me.

A sweeping wave rides up the shore, and lo,

    Each dim recess the coiled shell within

Is searched, is filled, is filled to overflow

    By water crystalline.

Not to the shell is any glory then:

    All glory give we to the glorious sea.

And not to me is any glory when

    Thou overflowest me. 

Sweep over me, Thy shell, as low I lie;

    I yield me to the purpose of Thy will;

Sweep up, O conquering waves, and purify,

    And with Thy fullness fill. 

~by Amy Carmichael