The Things God Taught Me in My Circumstances

First of all, I had a very busy day today.  I had BSF - Bible Study this morning, was supposed to fix Lasagne for 100+ people at my church, attend a funeral for a dear friend, serve the Lasagne, attend Prayer Meeting at my church.
I made a point to honor God by going to BSF even though I felt like I didn't really have time.  I had finished my lesson and everything.  I went to the Discussion Group but did not stay for the lecture.  When we started, I realized I had done the wrong lesson.  Ugh.  God is at work in all things.  I needed to sit and listen, and focus. I love BSF, if you haven't written anything on your paper you can't talk.  I didn't even have my paper so... I just listened.  We were studying Isaiah 24.  It was about how Israel/Judah had forgotten God, betrayed Him, played the harlot and the consequences of that, ungodliness.
I rushed back to my church (20 minutes away) to start the Lasagne, I had asked a friend to come at 1 PM to help while I was at the funeral.  I cooked the meat, but that is all I could do. The groceries had not been delivered and weren't scheduled to arrive until 12:45.  Time to breathe in and out. There were also no disposable pans for the cake, I learned that cobblers had been ordered, so we would have those instead when they arrived.  Save the cake for next week.
Through my circumstances, I remained calm, unflustered.  God was in control, He knows what He is doing.
I left at 1 to go to the funeral.  The funeral was interesting, worshipful, and instructive, and full of love. There were many people there who I had not seen in a long time.  People I love and who love me.  I needed that.
Seeing Bro. Charley and Darlene, reminded me of all the things they taught me, and something he said once, "You just have to love people.  Love God and love people."  God continued to speak to me through the funeral.  The funeral was beautiful.  But more than that.  Maybe because it was about a man who had spent his life loving God, worshiping Him, and loving people.  Something that was attributed to Russell saying was "Jesus redeemed 'Joe' Jesus will use him."  Hmmmm.  Jesus redeemed me, Jesus will use me.  Listen, Tracey.  How is God using you?  Is He?  Do you need to make a change?  Jesus will use me.  Jesus will use me.  Yes, Lord.  Use me.
Then the music,  two songs spoke volumes to me:
Christianity is about the greatest story of liberty and freedom ever told.
"My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy rains Unending love, Amazing grace"  My chains are gone, I have been set free!  (I need to find a Bible verse to go here)
Unending love and mercy, Amazing Grace!
Followed by: "How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great How great is our God"
The greatest story of liberty and freedom is written by the Greatest God, The One True God.
The scripture that I remember comes from John 14:1-6  "Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going.  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going, How can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  It was as if God was shouting from a mountain top for all to hear,  Don't be troubled or upset.  I have prepared for Russell, I am preparing for you.  Don't let your hearts be troubled!  Ahhhh.  What a comforting thought.  These happen to be some of my favorite verses in the Bible.  They are so beautiful.  If God is preparing a place for me, He wants me there.  He will come back to get me and bring me to where He is.  Makes me cry everytime.
Then something else about Russell, repeated over and over. Two things really, the first one was something I had heard and been led to recall earlier, "Love God and Love people."  Or "Worship God and Love people."  And then... Authentic worship.  Authentic heartfelt worship.  That is what happened there in that place today.  Oh, how I wish I could hang on to that and carry it with me.  Authentic heartfelt worship by all those around me.  They love the Lord, they strive to live for Him.  Wow!  What a feeling!  Russell never did anything (at least that I know of) half-hearted or halfway.  He did his very best for the Lord and used the very best that he had.  He was always organized, and things were well planned.  Yes, he had helpers.  But isn't that part of planning, to plan who you need to help you accomplish what God has given you to accomplish.
Then to return to my task for the day, Lasagne.  The groceries did not arrive until 3:45, too late.  We (actually Krystle and Kim) made Pizza Pasta.  It was awesome.  Had to rush a bit, but it was good.  Didn't have to do the dishes, the drain was clogged.  I hate doing dishes anyway.  I was at peace about dinner. A little harried but not anything like I would have been if I had been there all day.  Thank you so much to Kim and Krystle.  God was at work.  Then I went to prayer meeting because I was not exhausted from cooking and didn't have to do dishes so...
In prayer meeting we studied Psalm 78.  Have you ever read it?  It gives God's plan for a godly generation.  How to raise up a godly generation.  Fathers are to teach their children about the wondrous things God has done.  About the Exodus, the Red Sea, the Manna, Jesus in Bethlehem and on the cross, and their own testimonies of what God has done for them.  Teach them to their children so that they turn around and teach them to their children.  So they will set their hope in God, not forget the works of God and keep His commandments.  It goes on to show the character of God, always faithful.  He provides for our Deliverance.  Deliverance.  That brings us back to liberty and freedom and life with Christ everlasting.
Was I frustrated with myself for doing the wrong lesson?  Yes.  Frustrated about the groceries and dinner?  Yes.
Was the funeral sad?  Yes.  And yet, it was full of Joy.  Real joy.  And liberty.  And worship.
God was in it all.  I was looking for God today.  He was there for me.  How about you?
(Maybe these things don't speak to you.  They spoke volumes and volumes to me. I wanted to share. Tomorrow, I will look for God again.)

Butchering Turkeys

As you may or may not know, we raised turkeys this year.  We started with eight.  Something ate two of them.  So we have six, now.  Well, actually five, but will get to that in a minute.
Turkeys are beautiful except for their heads, well, and their necks.  The rest is beautiful.  And sooo, interesting.  I have really enjoyed having them.
Alas, it is time for them to go to Freezer Camp.  A very sad day.  Jerry decided to butcher one.  It is different than the chickens.  The chickens, he just pulls all the skin off, doesn't have to deal with the feathers.  Then when I see them, they have been in the frig for a day or two, and he slices the meat off the bone or cuts them in pieces and I put them in freezer bags.
Turkeys have feathers.  They have to come off.  So, in the dark, cold night my sweet husband decides to butcher a turkey.  He pulls most of the feathers off and brings it inside.  Dripping, holding it by the leg, and saying to me, "Can you finish pulling these little feathers off?"  I look at him.  I look at the turkey.  I look at him.  I am thinking of the beautiful creature that adorned our pasture not so many minutes ago.  I look at him.  He goes outside.  I look at the turkey, for a long time. I touch the turkey.  I pull several feathers.  Some come off, some stay stuck.  I think of the turkey.  I look around for the man that has me standing here doing this.  I start to cry.  I think to myself, "Self, this is so dumb.  It is just meat.  Pull the feathers off."  I can't do it.  It is all I can do to clean a turkey from the store for Thanksgiving.  And they don't come with feathers.  I haven't seen them strutting around my yard.  I start to gag.  And cry again.  I give up.  Jerry comes in, he looks at me.  He looks at the turkey.  He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.  I think, that is what men are for, pulling feathers.
Oh well, five more to go.  Maybe I will improve with experience.
So much for me being a farmer... I wanna be in my dream farm...

The Birds

Ahh, the memories.
"The birds are coming!  The birds are coming!"  I screamed.
Like something out of a nightmarish land.
There we were out in the middle of nowhere in my Grandfather's pickup truck, riding in the back.  Thinking we were right up town.
Being from a big city, it was always a treat to visit my grandparents in their charming little town.  We would get Tall Cherry Limeades at the Fountain Drug Store and sometimes order Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  We would walk in the creek that was icy cold until our feet were blue at a nearby State Park.  Oh wow!  Those were fun days.
One year, my grandparents decided to take us for a drive in my grandfather's pickup truck.  This was a novelty for us.  We got to ride in the back with my grandmother.  We took stuff for a tea party.  When we got out in the country, my grandfather stopped the truck so we could have our tea party.  After a little while, he tried to start the truck to go home.  It wouldn't start, or so he said.  He would have to walk to get help.  So, off he went.  No worries, we just extended the tea party.  My grandmother, my little sister and I, until...
This HUGE flock of black birds starts approaching.  Having recently watched Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds," I panicked.  I started screaming, "The birds are coming!  The birds are coming!"  Jumped in the cab of the truck, screaming, "Roll up the windows!  Hurry!  Faster!  The birds are coming!"  I think I was slightly hysterical.  My grandmother thought it was quite funny.  The truck was not really broken.  Grandfather came back.  The birds flew on by.  We went home.
Until this day, those large flocks of black birds, "caw, caw-ing"  send a chill down my spine. I want to run.  I want to scream, "The birds are coming!"
Even today, as they invaded my backyard.  The yard and trees were covered with birds.  That is a lot of birds, with twenty-six acres, my backyard is big.  They were flying into the windows.  It was really getting to me.  Kind of creepy.  But funny, that it bothers me so.

Oh, well.  You just gotta love me!

Thankfulness

I have so much, so much, so much to be thankful for!  Can't help singing that song and thinking of my friend Steve Lane.  Makes me smile every time.  By definition thankfulness means "a feeling of appreciation" or "expressive of gratitude."  So what does gratitude mean? Well, according to my dear friend Webster it means "affording pleasure or contentment" or "appreciative of benefits received" or even just "glad."  During this season of Thanksgiving, I want to share with you some of the things I am thankful for and some of the benefits of being thankful.  Maybe it will inspire you to count your blessings. 
Today, because this is America and it is an election day... I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to vote.   People in other countries don't all get to vote or maybe they do but the elections are rigged.  It is a great privilege to vote.  I hope you did, if you are able.  I am even thankful for the fact that I live in The United States of America.  The land of the free and the home of the brave.  It is a beautiful country full of diversity and freedoms and responsibilities.  God has richly blessed this land and its people.
And because today is the 2nd of November... I am also thankful to live out in the country on a "farm."  It is so much fun, hard work, and wonder.  I learn something everyday.  Notice something new.  Stop and enjoy the world that God has created for you.  We live at such a frantic pace sometimes that we don't notice the small pleasures He places there for us. 
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Cicero
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;" Psalm 92:1
Our world has little room or time for thankfulness and gratitude.  We have all but lost the art of writing "thank you notes."  Practice thankfulness today, write a note to someone thanking them for their kindness.  Smile, and sincerely tell some one "Thank You."  Take the time to notice and be thankful, it will make your day better.
What are you thankful for?

Cowherd?

Yesterday about dusk my husband calls me.  He is out doing chores.  He says, "Go look out your front door you will see something interesting.  Nevermind the fact that I am in the middle of trying to get dinner ready.  We all, myself and the two children who are home, go stand on the front porch.  Fortunately, I grabbed my camera on the way out the door.
It was so funny.  Here comes my husband, walking along the fence row, and nine (all that we have) cows (well, technically they aren't all cows, but you know what I mean) following him in a line.  Totally cracked me up.  The picture is not very good because it was almost dark. 

He said, he walked back to the back of our property to count the cows and turned to head back to the barn.  He didn't say anything or have any feed.  As he was walking along the path, he hears the "pitter patter" of hooves.  When he turned around to look, there was the bull chasing after him with all of the others following.  Is there a such thing as a "cowherd" as opposed to a shepherd?  You know sheep follow their shepherd, now the cows are following their "cowherd"?  The joys of country life.  I am glad God has given me the opportunity to experience country living.

The cows followed me home!

Love is...

Love: A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

Beloved: Dearly loved,well loved, dear to the heart

On the Eve of our 27^th Wedding Anniversary...October 22, 1983 was forever a turning point in my life. So in honor of my husband's love for me I am writing this post. I have also posted pictures on Facebook. My life with him has been amazing. Sometimes a struggle for me at least. He is always so full of patience and goodness. I can't imagine life without him.

When I think of my husband... strong, good, kind, caring, beloved; I think of our life together and our marriage and union.  I am reminded of the account given in

Genesis 2:18-25 says, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

There was not a fit helper for Adam out of all the animals, think about how many creatures that is, don't forget the bugs, caterpillars, snakes, etc. That is a lot of creatures. None of them were a good fit for Adam. But God has a plan. I just love that God always has a plan. He knows just what to do. He gets busy, and prepares a surprise for Adam. I love surprises (well, good ones anyway.) God gets creative and makes Eve. Now Eve was perfect for Adam, Adam recognizes this immediately. Don't you love Adam's reaction to Eve... He burst into poetry (verse 23.) Now, if I think about my husband bursting into poetry, I crack up. Not his style, I guess. Although sometimes it might be nice. Then God says, “Therefore”, I love this word, because it is a pointer word. It points us to something important. Because of what God did for Adam, He makes a pronouncement for us all, it is recorded in verse 24. Because God gave Adam, Eve, specially made just for him, men shall leave their parents and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh. Remember the definition for love, we started with? Remember the part that says, “a sense of underlying oneness?” Look at that verse again what does God tell us, “they shall become one flesh.” This is more than just the physical part (I know that is what you were thinking of.) It is a spiritual, emotional, mindful oneness. As Anne of Green Gables would say, you become “kindred spirits.” The last part of that verse talks about being naked and not ashamed, more than physical, but more like they were not afraid to bare their hearts to each other. They could be themselves and feel loved and accepted, just as they are.

Loved this quote from Matthew Henry on Genesis 2:18-25, "The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near to his heart to be beloved." Right where I want to be!

I love the feeling that I have when I go to bed at night and lay my head on his shoulder and he wraps his arm around me. I feel safe, protected, and loved, but more than loved, cherished, treasured, a part of him and all that he is. I guess we really have become one.

On the Farm

Today on the farm, we have one pig, nine cows, six turkeys, 21-23 hens, 40 baby chickens, two dogs, three cats, and four hives of bees (which makes for over 200,000 bees, I think).  Thirty of the chicks are Cornish Crosses for eating and 10 are Rhode Island Reds for eggs next summer.  Why we need more chickens for eggs... the egg situation around here is pretty desperate!  We get 18-20 eggs a day.  I have over 100 eggs in my refrigerator.  They are beautiful brown, fresh, farm eggs.  We can not possibly use 18- 20 eggs a day.  Ludicrous!  So, we get more chickens to lay more eggs, go figure.  Jerry says, he plans to send some of the hens to freezer camp soon and because of their age, they will slow down on egg production next Spring.  So, we have new egg layers getting ready to do their job.  We chose a different breed just for fun.  The different kinds of chickens available is absolutely astonishing.  The hens we have now are Buff Orppingtons.  The are beautiful, calm and lay brown eggs. We do have one chicken that lays green eggs.  We don't know what kind she is though.  We will see what the Rhode Island Reds are like. 
Bees are very interesting, I think we have fed them over 500 pounds of sugar since July when we first got them.  That is a lot of sugar.
One pig has gone to freezer camp.  The other one was not quite big enough, he will go next month.  We are also contemplating taking a steer or two to freezer camp soon.  The turkeys will soon find they are attending freezer camp.  This is sad.  I love to watch the turkeys.  They fan their tails and prance around turning their tails first one way and then the other.  They are very interesting creatures.  Their head is ugly, but the rest of them is very beautiful indeed.
The autumn colors are beautiful, red, yellow, orange, burgundy, and many shades of green.  God is a fantastic painter.  The clouds have been fascinating.  I enjoy watching the sky. The fog in the morning has been extremely attention getting.  Funny, how when you start noticing things and point them out to your children, they in turn notice and point them out to you.
For the time being, I am focusing on housekeeping chores, creative projects, and dreaming of the garden for the Spring.