Lord, buck us up and get us going!

Good Morning Friends!  Fill me with Your word Father, Friday!  The other day while I was in the bathroom getting ready for work, Kim came behind me on the porch to get his boots on.  I could tell he was pondering something…never know with him, he is always reading and studying new ways to take care of the animals.  What mineral is best, rotational grazing with sheep and cows, what kind and how much feed is most effective for breeding and raising calves.  He isn’t stuck on doing things the same “way they have always been done.”  That’s what he was pondering….he had been having a discussion with one of our cattle-raising neighbors about some new idea he had and as usual the neighbor said, “Well, we have always done it this way…..no need to change.”  Now this isn’t the first time Kim has had a discussion like this with this neighbor and others….I have heard it before, but this time….I just couldn’t stop thinking about it….really bothers Kim that people are stuck in the same old ways of ranching that their fathers did, when they could be growing, learning, strengthening their herds…Well, it finally hit me….could I be stuck in “the same old ways” of spending time with our Father, strengthening my faith, growing in the word, serving…..doing the same things, saying the same prayers day in and day out because….. "that’s the way I have always done it.”  Yikes!!  Tell me it isn’t so……However, if I honestly look within myself, I have to admit that I very well could be in a bit of “faith growing/time with God” rut….Yep, maybe…..NO!  Not maybe!!  Definitely!!!  Time is now for me to change things up a bit….oh I will never give up my time with HIM first thing in the morning, have to have that to make it through the day, but I can spend a few more minutes reading his word, rather than watching the news, more time praising rather whining about things in my life, I can step out of my box at church and volunteer for a new to me project, I can spend more time thanking and praising rather than begging and crying,  I can look for new ways to let my light shine, out of my comfort zone……with God’s help I can….and I will Father for You!  Forgive us Father when we get complacent in our lives with You.  Buck us up and get us going….going with You, for You, learning, growing, praising, loving….loving others as You love us!

 

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!  2 Peter 3:18.  Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:4-5.  Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2Peter 1:6-8. (and there we have it!)  Let’s get going!

Love you all!

One string at a time...

Feb 3 at 11:09 AM

Good Morning Friends!  Wise and Wonderful Wednesday!!!  Last Saturday I went with Kim to help him feed, he had to get hay out and he says it sure helps him if I open gates and cut the strings while he hauls the huge round bales back and forth.  So nice to be needed, right!!!   I know it seems like an easy enough task, but really…..it’s harder than it looks.  The plan is, take a pocket knife and cut all the strings on one side of the bale;  the problem here is that the strings get buried in the hay and you have to hunt for them….there are about 10-12 strings per bale and sometimes it truly is hard to find them.  OK, once you think you have all the strings cut you walk around to the other side of the bale to pull off the strings…easy enough right??!!  Find the stings, gather them in your hand and pull…remember the bale is on the ground and you are pulling the strings all the way out.  Well, I was having a heck of a time, just couldn’t get them to come out; I kept going around to the other side to make sure I hadn’t missed cutting any strings, then back to keep pulling.  Darn it, this was taking too long, but I just couldn’t get them to come out….I hated to disappoint Kim, but sure enough he was back before I could get them.  He came over grabbed all the stings and pulled….and pulled….and pulled.  He couldn’t get them either (must admit that made me feel a little better), then he dropped all but one string and pulled the one by itself…hmmm it came right out!  He kept pulling one after another explaining to me that “sometimes it’s much easier to do them one at a time.”  For the rest of the day, bale after bale I pulled one string at a time and was quite successful.  Bam….it hit me…..so often I make things so hard….I try to accomplish a task all at once…rather than “one string at a time.”  Kim’s advice is so much like our FATHER’S…..If we come to HIM, tell HIM what we need to accomplish….HE will give us a successful plan….one string at a time….The hard part is….we must go and listen…I would have been out there all day and the cows might not have gotten any hay if I had not listened to Kim’s advice…..One string at a time got the job done, with no stress or frustration…So are so stubborn…we think we can do it all by ourselves, but there’s no need….HE is there ready, waiting and wanting us to come to HIM so HE can make the job, whatever it is, easier.  And I mean anything….no matter how small…why HE even helps when we go to Walmart…just gotta ask!  Thank you FATHER for giving us the guidance we need to pull the strings and get the job done.  We are sorry that we are so stubborn, forgive us because we need YOU so very, very much!

 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us—Whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him  1 John 5:14-15.  Pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.  Proverbs 5:1-2.  Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.  Deuteronomy 8:18. I will instruct you in the way you should go/ I will counsel you and watch over you .Psalm 32:8.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.  To Him belongs eternal praise.  Psalm 111:10.

Love you all!

 

Help me trust and believe

Good Morning Friends!  My oh my, what an Awesome God is our Maker, Monday!  Yesterday, Papa and I had Cooper and Katy all day!  Good times!  After church and a lunch of hotdogs, we all settled down for a cozy nap in the living room!  Papa put on an old western, Cooper’s favorite and we each snuggled into our little space and had a little nap!  Oh I do love those Sunday afternoon naps.  After naps we had the serious job of feeding all the cows and according to Katy, Papa really needs their help!!!  So we all loaded into the old feed truck, including the dog and headed out!  The wind was bad, but the sun was warm so it was a wonderful outing, in and out of the pastures dumping feed!  Thank goodness,  Cooper is really getting good at opening the gates gives the old Nana a break!   Job complete, we headed back to the house.  Cooper, Katy and I had our usual chores, chickens, bunnies, donkeys to feed as well as filling the wood box, silly kids love to fill the wood box!  Papa headed out to move some animals.  They grabbed their donkey feed cans and headed to the feed room, I opened the door and then the feed bin….Katy was in front so she reached in to fill her can…..she gasped, “Nana, look!”  I looked into the bin surprised to see several red wasps, feasting…..then it happened, Cooper began screaming, “And it just got me, it just got me!”  He was crying and jumping up and down in pain, I thought it was under his shirt so I was trying to get his shirt off, “No, Nana my hand, he got my hand!”  Bless his heart, sure enough already his little hand was red and his finger swelling.  I put my arms around him to console and head him to the house where I could treat it.  “Come on Cooper, come with Nana, I will fix it for you, let’s get to the house……”  He ran to the house, crying and shaking his hand, I headed him to the kitchen counter and began making my magic potent for stings.  I explained what I was doing, promising the mix would help his hand to feel better.  The tears continued, but he stood still and watched as I mixed the baking soda and vinegar…once I had it mixed I took his hand and began bathing it in the stinky mix….he didn’t flinch or fight me…..Cooper knew that I would take care of him….no matter how silly the method seemed to him, he knew that he could trust his Nana to take care of his problem…..No questions asked, no arguing or pulling away….he simply trusted and believed.  In no time at all he was smiling again and ready to go back outside…..as I cleaned up the mess, thankful that I could help him, my heart took a leap….That child totally trusted me to take care of him, no questions asked….why oh why can I not trust and believe in my Father like that……Oh Father, forgive me for all the times I pull away from You, question You, struggling against Your will….strengthen my faith Father, so that I trust and believe in Your will for me…..completely.

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5.  The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  Isaiah 43:2.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.  Isaiah 26:4.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22. 

Love you all!

Are you in a fog?

Good Morning Friends!  Wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  My ride to work this morning was interesting at best…leaving my house there was a high fog or haze, but as I continued the fog got thicker…at least in spots!  I was driving along pretty much at normal speed when BAM I hit a thick wall of fog.  You know the kind you can’t see through….I slowed way down and really concentrated on the road.  Gosh, I hate fog, so disorienting…then BAM….it was clear as a bell again.  High fog, but the road was clear again, aww, I took a deep breath, thankful.  I was just getting my speed up again when….BAM….POW…hit it again….so thick, I couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of me.  Again,  slowed way down…the fog was so thick that I felt…well….it was kind of a scary, unknown feeling….I hadn’t gone too far when….BAM….clear again!  Traveling the same road, but encountering such different conditions…..As I got on the highway the fog was really high, but I couldn’t help but think about my travels on 1600….hmm….kind of like our lives….as we travel through life we never know when we our going to hit a thick patch of fog….fog of financial worries, sick or troubled kids, health issues for us or our family, turbulent relationships, over-worked, stressed out and anxious we hit the fog.  We become disoriented…..not knowing which way to go, what conditions may be awaiting us….frightened….And then the road becomes clear again, the fog lifts….As I got close to town the high fog actually broke to display beautiful clouds enhanced by rising sun….pinks, blues, and purples enhanced the gigantic, puffy clouds…..I knew then that God, our Father, was speaking to me….I felt HIS presence, HIS peace…..Thank you Father for the reminder that we are never alone, no matter what we encounter on the road of this life, we know that YOU are with us….Just waiting for us to call on YOU…..YOU guide us lovingly through the foggy patches as well the clear ones….OH FATHER, help us to never forget. 

 

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16:11.  I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night (or in the fog) my heart instructs me.  I have set the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand,  I will not be shaken.  Psalm 16:7-8.  You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me (no matter how thick the fog) with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:12-13.  Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires wit good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalm 103:2-5.

Shine your light!

Good Morning Friends!  Forever in HIS LIGHT, Friday!  A couple days ago, Kim had a man scheduled to come from Bristow and buy a bunch of feeders that Kim and I had made.  They were so big that he was bringing a semi and Kim would have to load them with the back hoe; this was no biggie they were all in a nice easily accessible pasture and he was scheduled to be there at 2 pm.  Kim and I had planned to unload and stack firewood when I got home, however when I got home, the man was just on his way….Oh boy….another late night.  Well, he finally got there a little after 6, so Kim headed out on back hoe….me…..I pulled on my leather gloves and hit the firewood!  I had just been in the house for a little while when I got a call from Kim, they were about done, but he needed hydraulic oil for the hoe.  It was totally dark by then, but I found the oil and headed to where they were loading out.  Wow, it was so dark, how could they even see to get the job done.  I turned the car around and pointed the headlights where they were adding the oil.  I was so tired and still needed to cook, but my conscience wouldn’t let me leave them in the dark to finish.  Kim had to go into the pasture and load the feeders and it was dark!  So, I carefully pulled my little back car into the pasture, found the last of the feeders and positioned the car so the lights shined for Kim to see the feeders and safely load them.  Job done I headed back to the house to get to dinner!  As I pulled into the driveway, I felt the familiar tap on my shoulder, actually it was more like HIS arm around me pulling me close to HIM.  “Hi FATHER, what’s going on?”  “Well, Kathie sure glad you stayed and shined the headlights so the men didn’t have to flounder in the darkness……MY LIGHT….sweet child….is always there to guide you, to shine love on you, to keep you from being afraid….MY LIGHT protects you, there’s no need for you to ever flounder in darkness I am always there lighting the way, and MY LIGHT warms you, comforts you, shields you from the dangers of darkness….MY LIGHT shines endlessly, MY LOVE for you is eternal…Go, reflect MY LIGHT!”  I felt so warm and safe….Thank you Father for the gentle reminder of YOUR ETERNAL LIGHT of LOVE for us!

 

You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.  With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.  2 Samuel 22:29-30.  Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”  Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O Lord.  You have filled my heart with great joy than when their grain and new wine abound.  I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.  Psalm 4:6-8.  The Lord is my light and my salvation of whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1.  Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.  They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness.  Psalm 89:15-16.

Love you all!