HOPE

A lot has happened since the last time I blogged.
My brothers step daughter was murdered. Please pray for God to be real to the family and a source of comfort for them.
(pulling out soap box...) I am tired of hearing stories about young people dieing, killing themselves, using drugs, alcohol, sex, etc to blunt their pain. They have been told that they are just animals (evolution) and that there is no God (humanism, atheism-also linked to evolution). What is there to hope for, if this wretched life is all there is? I could not hope. I believe this is what is happening to our youth.
When the house burned down, I was able to turn to the comfort of a Father who loves me. If I didn't have hope that He was looking out for my LONG TERM good , I think I would have just given up. Maybe killed myself, I don't know. Life without Jesus is not worth living to me. He is my hope.
Titus 2 (the whole-NKJV)
"But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:that the older men be sober, reverent,temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women like wise,that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers,not given to much wine,teachers of good things-that they admonish the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children,to be discreet, chaste, homemakers,good, obedient to their own husbands,that the word of God may be not blasphemed. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,in all thing showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity,reverence,incorruptibility, sound speech
that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering,but showing all good fidelity,that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."(emphasis mine)
How different would our world, and your (mine) life be if we really believed, lived, and shared these things with those hurting around us?


Ok, now for the house.............
All that is left on electrical are 7 light fixtures, 4 outlets, and the water heater (which can't be connected until the water is on). The wiring is all in place, so it's just a matter of installation. We put up some ceiling in the upstairs hallway. It's actually beginning to feel like a house on the inside! Soon we should be finishing the ceiling. Then we can blow the attic insulation in.

As for our "regular" life............
We aren't really decided about polans for Thanksgiving. We have had several offers, but this is usually our "home" holiday. We'll just have to see.
Farmer boy and Lionheart are helping our next door neighbor from up home move. We will sure miss him.
Over the weekend Farmerboy also went deer hunting. He helped a friend get a nice 8 pt buck. They will be sharing the meat. Yay!
Ms. Petite is playing on a traveling basketball team with other homeschooled girls from church. She seems to be enjoying it.
Gypsygirl and Farmerboy have been able to ride their ponies some. We do need to try to get more tack, though.
'da Dad's job is going well. No slow down there, b/c everybody is refinancing their homes and all those loans must be reviewed.....
The littles are doing well.Some days are tough, when it's raining and they have to stay indoors.
I am doing alright. I have good days and bad days. God has been so good.
A couple of days ago, I was having a pity party, when I drove by a church that was burned (arson)
a few days after our house went. They haven't even torn down anything to begin their rebuild. It could be worse. At least I can see the relief to come!
James 1 I Need Thee Every Hour

Progress

The last 2 weekends I have stayed at home. The first week it was b/c some of the little girls were sick. This past week it was partially that, but mostly b/c I hurt my back. I am doing much better, but I would have been no help working on the house.
Everyone else got a lot done. Yay for them! I am so grateful to have children who step up when they are needed.
The wiring is nearly finished. Yay!
Several weeks ago we purchased the insulation for the attic. Now that the electric is finished up there, we can put the upstairs ceiling in and insulate. There was a lot of prep work to do for this step. Someone offered us a huge stack of painted, tempered masonite. We decided to use it for the ceiling upstairs. (We did this with the old house, too, only it wasn't prepainted :)So, the older children spent most of their time ripping down 2x4's and pre-drilling holes. It is now finished (the prep work). I'm so excited to see this done!
Next will come the water lines. I'm really happy about that. It goes so much faster than electricity.
The challenge I posted about last time was eye opening. I hope you all will try it sometime. Also, I would suggest that you ask your older children if they see Jesus in you. Then, really listen, and do it with a humble heart, especially if your children are brethern in the Lord.
Life is going well. We have had a lot of rainy days. That always makes this house seem smaller, and tempers are shorter. Mine included. I just keep trying to encourage them (and myself) that our situation is not permanent. We sure will appreciate that new house!
Thanksgiving is coming up. It is my favorite holiday. No commercialization. Just family, enjoying each other and good food, and (hopefully) being grateful to the God who made it all possible.
I need to go set down with the children and start school.
Have a blessed day!
the mama
Ephesians 1-3 Great is Thy Faithfulness

Challenge

Yesterday our pastor was talking about young people (18-20ish) leaving the church. He believes it is because they don't see anything real in the "christians" around them, even their parents. So, he proposed that we all document how we spend our time the next week, to see if there was enough evidence to convince a young person that we were really disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ. His premise was to pretend we had an 18 yo hot on our heals, looking for proof this Jesus "stuff" is real. So, I issue you the same challenge. Comments would be interesting.
Saturday, we put face plates on outlets and put switches in,etc., downstairs. We can now actually turn on some lights. I received a gift this weekend that should speed up progress. Praise God!
Last weekend the men went camping and we girls stayed up late watching the 6 hour (yes!) Pride and Prejudice. We enjoyed other girl activities. I did miss the guys, but I think both we and they enjoyed extra space. It was nice to not be piled all over each other.
Moving home will be so nice!
Another thing about yesterday that I forgot to mention was the life chain. It is a silent demonstration reminding people of the tragedy of abortion. I stayed home with the little people. Our 5 yo asked me why people kill babies. The Lord used this opportunity to show her how evil came into the world. I opened the scripture to Genesis 3,verses 1-7. The thing that I wanted to make clear was that people were responsible for the knowledge of evil in this world. Eve and then Adam,made a choice to believe satan rather than God (see Ch.2 of Genesis). Up to that time, they had only known good.
To shorten this up, people still want their own way,not God's.
We live in a fallen world. This is why bad things happen, even to good people. People have a choice,they can serve God through Jesus, or they can purposely,or by default, serve satan (also known as doing it your own way). There is no middle ground. More on that later. The truth is, man is responsible for the presence of sin (bad things, evil) not God.
Have a blessed day,
the mamma

Romans 1-3 I Will Call Upon the Lord

Not Much

We have worked on the house since the last time I posted. 'da Dad improved the water situation and completed more of the electrical wiring. Some brothers came from church and almost finished siding 2 walls of the house. Hoping to get more done this weekend.
We have been busy. Just life, but a rich and full one.
I need to get back to packing. We are moving eventually:).
Jesus died for you. Have you trusted Him?

Acts 12 I Need Thee Every Hour

Work

Last weekend we got an access point for water fixed up. Now, we no longer have to hook up hoses at the neighbor's place. Thanks Richard and David.
We also started working on the upstairs wiring.
Last Friday was Lionheart's birthday. There are now officially 4 teenagers in our family. It sure makes life interesting ;).
In a few weeks some men from church are planning to work on siding more. This is very nice, because it frees us up to do other work. I really appreciate all the help we have received. We could never have done this by ourselves. Thank you, Jesus.
Someone mentioned to me the other day, that we had a daunting task ahead of us (finishing the house). I just listened. It is very overwhelming if I think of it as a whole. But, if I take it project by project, it's doable.
The Lord is really working on the unbelief in my life. Sunday morning was a particularly hard day for me. My focus was all wrong. I was looking at all that we still need to do and buy,etc......Then, the Holy Spirit just impressed upon me that a God who couldn't be trusted for a little thing like a house, couldn't be trusted with my eternity either. That'll get you straightened out fast. I'm just going to trust Him. Period.


Acts 12-14 I Need Thee Every Hour

Tired and Happy

That's what we are.
We had a full weekend. Friday night most of us went to a baseball game with friends from church. It was pretty fun. 'da Dad's team won, so he was very happy.
Saturday we went to a homeschool music festival. It lasted all day. We enjoyed the company of our "home" friends.
Sunday was the Lord's day. I spent most of my morning working on training her to sit quietly. This work will really pay off later, then I should be able to actually sit through the service. After church we had a meal and played games with a couple other families.
Today (Monday and also Labor Day) we worked on the house. More electrical. Ms. Petite and Gypsygirl removed the hardware from some drawers and cabinet doors we are refurbishing for the kitchen. The girls and I are planning to paint them country red.
So, we are tired,happy, and grateful.
May each one of you find peace through Jesus, joy in every good and perfect gift from Our heavenly Father above, and comfort through the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1 Amazing Grace

Getting Real

A couple of weeks ago I was reading a favorite blog, and the writer stated that she was worried about another blogging friend. The lady had just had a baby (by c-section) and it seemed like she felt like she needed to jump back in and start doing all the tings she was doing before (baking homemade bread, fermenting veggies,etc...). The blogger writing was concerned that sometimes we only share the "good", so people think we are always in control. I do have a tendency to only tell certain things, but it is more to protect my family or myself. Having said that, I will share a few things today.
There are so many areas of my life that have changed in the last year. I loathe change.I'm still struggling to make adjustments.One of the hardest things for me right now is church. I know we are where God wants us. I miss our old church family. I am trying to learn to know people, but it just takes time. Sometimes, I feel very lonely and out of place. The folks there are as nice as can be, I think it's just me.
Also, our oldest is going to be 18 in January. There's a lot we need to do for him. Where did the time go. I guess when they get this age, you see every mistake you've made as a parent. I have made many. God help us.
As you know, we were hoping to be moved by 'da Dad's birthday/our anniversary. Those days are now passed. I am surprised that doesn't bother me more than it does. I really do not want to be living here come winter. We are paying more in just utilities, living here. This does not include the extra gasoline for him driving 2x the distance to work. We also spend more because there are so many "conveniences" in town. At home we did not make special trips for some trifle, now it's too easy to go to WM. :P (Wanting to go home.......)
In all of this I know God is control. Change happens to everyone. Not all change is bad. A great deal of it uncomfortable.
This is where I am at. Learning to be content in whatever state I am in,trusting Jesus and His love for me. He is enough. When I am lonely, He will never leave me, nor forsake me. When I am afraid,He is my Prince of Peace. When I am discouraged and sad, He is my joy and song. When I am tired, He is my strength. Oh, how I love Jesus! He is my best friend.
My friend, what have you done with Jesus?


John 19-20 More About Jesus