Why deny?



Credit

     World magazine, in their most recent issue, gave a short blurb (pg. 60, under "Notebook") entitled "Me, myself, and I." In it they quote University of Texas professor James Pennebaker, "Depressed people use the word 'I' much more often than emotionally stable people." That intrigued me. Why? Because that's exactly what the Bible tells us not to do - not to focus on ourselves, on the "I". Take a peek at Luke 9:23.

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

     God calls us to "deny ourselves," to quit saying "I" over and over again. Instead He calls us to "follow Him," to live for His glory. Has it ever occurred to you that this "redirected focus" for which God calls does more than what it seems at face value? When God wrote His book, he knew exactly what would best benefit His creation - including not letting His children get depressed. Call that amazing.


Scribbling Spiritual Sand

“So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!'” Matthew 14: 29-30

    I wonder how these corn stalks keep standing. They're the last four plants in our winterized garden, and they've survived more than one ice storm. Their stature amazes me, and even more  - that they keep standing in one of the windiest place in our yard.

    Let us stand tall on the Rock of our salvation, just like the corn stalks that keep whispering in the winter wind... and when we lose sight of the goal, let us not forget to call out "Lord, save me!"

Meet me at Scribbling Spiritual Sand, with Mrs. Wolf.

Make a difference: pray

Take a moment to visit Gospel for Asia - and maybe even consider commiting to pray.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23

Da capo al fine

      "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." Ephesians1:4-5

      Adoption. That simple word changes lives. It changed one specific life in my family today. The seven month long drag for full guardianship of Gabrielle Grace is finally over. [deep breath] She's ours.

     A date at children's court, a big family celebration, and then we're done - right? Not really. Gabrielle has a life ahead of her, and so does my family. It's almost exactly parallel to the Christian's adoption into Christ's kingdom. A big conversion, a heavenly celebration, and then what's next? Life with Christ Jesus for eternity. Call that amazing.

    Well, the adoption is finished, but life with our precious little girl isn't done yet. It's just beginning.

Da capo al fine

Just Peachy

  I can't stop loving this little darling!

Happenings

   We're training these kids up to weed, water and work. Gabrielle hasn't exactly got the hang of it yet... but little Jay sure does. We've indoctrinated her so much that when we walk on our road we find her picking the grass and weeds out of the cracks. Yes, my family is weed-crazy.

  Besides the weed pulling 101 that we've been drilling Jay in, my family and I have been keeping plenty busy. Canning, chicken butchering with our friends, starting some schoolwork, getting our chaotic speech and debate club going, writing letters, attempting to get some piano playing and teaching in, creating brand-new time lines, finally finishing hunter's safety, and weeding (some more) all make it on to the list of the wonderful things my family and I have been wrapped up in. Every day brings more opportunities to serve my Savior. He has blessed me with an amazingly full life!

My Little Girls

   Aren't shadows lovely?  Summer mornings are the perfect time to catch them, and these little girls know it. Each new day brings the shining sun, and two highly energetic little ones who are very ready to go play outside.

   Gabrielle just loves to pick the tops off of Mama's black-eyed daisies. Once the flower is sufficiently off its stalk, she then proceeds to pawn it off on the nearest bystander - only to go back for more.
   I've been blessed with a fun and full Summer. My days have been overflowing with wonderful things to do - weeds to pull, herbs to pick, books to read, vegetables to can, meals to share, children to teach, clothes to wash, and ultimate frisbee to play. Jesus has blessed me so much!

                                                           Something to make you smile...

  A typical homeschooler, living a typical homeschooled life, made a typical homeschooler mistake... who cares about the "r" in Happy Bithday - especially when it's only someones 50th!

Water from the Well of Life

   "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

   "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

  "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

Learning from the Word this week... 

Saving Your Thyme ~ A Tutorial

   Fragrant, delicious, and a powerful combatant of toxic bacteria and fungi, thyme is an herb that will grace any garden path with its sweet charm. Fresh or dried, it is a wonderful addition to any summer meal. Drying thyme (or any other herb, for that matter) is a great way to save it for future use during the cold winter months, when nothing will grow in the snow covered garden.

  

   Step #1, to drying your thyme is to gather it out of your garden, or purchase it fresh from the farmer's market. You will need to cut it off near the roots(but not containing the roots), giving yourself enough room to tie a knot around the base without squashing too many leaves.

    Step #2, is to rinse your thyme off. Or, in my case have your extra special helper rinse it off. I don't recommend scrubbing or rigorous washing, simply because you will end up bruising the leaves, and not get the result you want once it is dried. The point is to get any dirt off, which should happen with just a short little rinse - a full fledged bath is unnecessary. While you are rinsing, start organizing your thyme into orderly little bundles ready for tying up, and align the ends of the stalks in a somewhat even manner.

   Step #3, tie up your little bundle(s) with sturdy twine or string. Make sure to wrap it tightly, because when the thyme dries the moisture in the stalks and leaves evaporates, making it shrink. Leave a few feet of string on the ends, so that you will be able to hang the bundle wherever it suits your needs.

   Step #4, put your bundle(s) of thyme in a warm, dry, dark place for two or three weeks, or until they are dry enough that you would use them to cook. Make sure the leaves are a little crunchy, and feel like all of the moisture in them has left. Check on the thyme a few times during the two weeks, just to make sure it is not turning moldy. If it is, the space you have the thyme drying in, may not be dry enough. I recommend storing the dried thyme in a glass jar, and using it as you need. You can keep it in the jar for up to two years, but I usually only keep mine for about a year. The longer you keep it, the less pungent and fresh it is.

I would be delighted to hear about any herbal pursuits of yours, and your adventures in attempting to dry herbs.

Oh, the Joy of a Summer Garden

   My apologies to all. I believe... no, I am quite sure that I have been neglecting my blog a little too much. My minutes spent on blogger have been few and far between. My life is just so full, so wonderful, and so hectic, that sitting down at the computer for another half hour simply isn't on the top of my priority list. That's definitely not to say that I do not enjoy it, I just enjoy my family and my garden and my daily work a little bit more.

   The corn (as you can see from the picture above), is growing rapidly along with the rest of the garden. The weeds have not conquered it yet, as I hope they never will. My dad has implemented a new hoeing technique, or schedule, or system (or whatever you want to call it), and it has been working very well. It boils down to one simple statement: hoe one 50 ft. row a day, and you earn your breakfast.

  As you can see, the weeds in the green beans are a little more prominent than in the corn. But, enough with the weeds, I shall move on to a more interesting subject. How about squash bugs! Just kidding...

   The above photo is of a potato blossom. We planted close to seven rows of them this year, and I am firm in my belief that we will not run out of potatoes until at least February of next winter. This past year we made it until December, but that was only with four rows. The seed catalogue had sweet potatoes in stock this spring so we naturally had to tack on a few rows of those delicious things too. They account for about two of our seven rows of potato hills, and the rest consists of the all-to-delectable Yukon Gold.

   This either a bell pepper or a jalapeno pepper. I have lost my knowledge of which it is because of our lack of proper labeling of plants at the start of the year. That is definitely something I hope to improve on next year. It is not a fun thing to have to tell your Spanish tutor that you have no idea what the variety of pepper you just handed him is, simply because you were too lazy to label it when you planted it. We have the same issue with our vine plants. It is usually helpful to note whether you are planting a melon, a squash, or a pumpkin, especially when you are strategically trying to place the melon under a trellis and the squash in the back by the corn.

   Last but not least, this is a blurry picture of the top of my garlic. I just love the little circle it created of itself.

 One of my favorite things about the outdoors and our garden is the sweet goodness I witness in the plants and vegetables growing there. It is a testament to the perfection and glory and wonder of God. I marvel at it whenever I breathe the fresh air He has blown into my midst, whenever I contemplate the intricate design in a humble stalk of corn, whenever I look into the face of one of my mama's black eyed Susan's, and whenever I hear the lilting whistle of a chickadee in the wind. No wonder I like to hoe.

The blessings Jesus gives me



A very happy little girl, had a very happy little party, with a very happy - not so little - family.

  I can't get over my precious family. I love them so much. What would life be like with out my strong daddy coming home from work every evening ready to go and weed the garden? Could I survive a week without mom's amazing cooking and steady guidance? Where would I be without a hilarious joke-ster like Jack? I'm not sure life would be livable without thoughtful, gentle, loving Abigail. Is it possible to spend two hours without a wide, shining smile from little Jay? And, without little miss hyper diaper, Gabrielle, what in the world would I have to do all the time?
  God has given me more than I deserve. He has provided me with blessings so plentiful, so precious, so meaningful, so amazing, I can barely take them in. He gave me His Son. He gave me His Word. He gave me my family. He gave me the work I do every day. He gave me my everything.

Little Miss "Beet Face"

 The Lord has blessed me so much with this little package of joy. What's another poopy diaper, another load of wash or another mouth to feed, when you can spend a whole meal giggling your head off at a little girl who just can't get enough beets?! She's just another one of the treasures in my little bundle of blessings.

P. S. How do you like the new blog-do? I'm not sure I like the background enough to keep it, but the header is definitely a keeper.