My Prayer

Several years ago I was given a book called, "A Mom after God's Own Heart."  After all this time, the thing that has stuck with me is the urgent necessity of praying for our children.  I've always prayed for their salvation, their maturity, their love for Christ.  But in the last week my prayers for them have focused on two things.  First is that they stand firm in their faith.

Eleven times the New Testament authors tell us to stand firm.  Here are a few:
1Cr 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. 
1Cr 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
2Cr 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.
2Cr 1:24 ...because it is by faith you stand firm.
Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Eph 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...
Col 4:12 ...He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
2Th 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you...

It might be the current fervent popularity of the movie 'Magic Mike' or the book '50 Shades of Grey,' both glorifying extreme sexual immorality.  Or it might be the hate-filled political comments (some by believers) that I read on Facebook.  They're worried about the path the current administration is taking our country.  I worry about the path the disrespect and disunity will take us down.  There are a thousand reasons, but in the end it's about fear.  Fear of compromise.  Fear of being of the world and not just in it.  The influence on my children is not a balance; as long as I put enough weight on one side to balance out the other side, then it's okay?  The weight on God's Word should completely zero out the weight on the world's side.  I thank God for truth.  For solid, firm, unshakable, immobile, unchangeable TRUTH.  That they can stand firm on without worry, without danger.


The second part of my prayer is more complicated.  Because I know that if they stand firm in their faith, against the evil of this age, then I know this will happen: 1Pe 4:4-5 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.


It sounds so depressing!  The world is coming to an end!  Everything is evil!  Everything is bad!  But that's not how I see it.  I pray that they stand firm in their faith because when they do, it's the exact opposite.  It's joy (long and sustaining).  It's peace (pure and sweet).  It's love (true and strong).  And I know, with a surety that goes straight to my soul, that the world cannot offer these things.  Only replicas, impostors, fakes.  Nothing that lasts.  So I pray that they stand firm on God's truth, because even when the world heaps abuse on their heads, the reward will be so much greater.  2Cr 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Life...And Everything

When we first bought our place in the country, we knew we wanted to eventually get to a place of self-sufficiency and sustainability.  It's about being healthy, conserving resources, and relying on the things God's given us (i.e. land for food, sun and wind for energy). We haven't yet gotten one step closer on the energy part of things, but we are slowly dipping our toe into relying on ourselves for food.  

Hand-in-hand with self-sufficiency is the fact that I know myself.  I'm not the kind of person that jumps into something both feet forward.  I'm not going to go overboard.  For example, when first learning to garden, I didn't go out and buy 8000 books on how to create the best dirt, then dig a huge 1-acre garden and fill it with vegetables.  I know myself.  If it failed, I would probably never get back into it.  I start small, then slowly work my way up.  I won't ever win big, as the saying goes, because I would rather not lose big.  We aren't risk-takers or gamblers in life.  Time also has a lot to do with how much I bite off.  How much time everyday am I going to have to devote to these things?  Our children are young and we homeschool.  Time is a precious commodity to us.  We've also learned to accept failure.  Lots of times, things don't work right the first time.  Whether it's what can or can't keep a goat fenced in or to what extent those worms are going to eat my broccoli, we aren't too disappointed when things don't work out.  We learn from it and eventually get it right.

So we bite off little bits, and I'm proud of where we've gotten.  Every year our garden expands a little bit, and we learn what works (carrots!) and what doesn't (handpicking worms off your cabbage).  Last year we bought a few goats to help keep the brush down.  Hopefully, our fences will expand every year and we won't have to rely on lawnmowers and chainsaws to keep the brush back.  This year, we've started milking one of our goats.  I was worried about the time commitment of having to milk everyday, but we've managed to get a good routine going.  And the kids love handling the animals.  We've got four chickens (one rooster and three hens).  It's a small operation, but it works well for us.  In the next couple of years we might expand it and start raising chickens from eggs.  I make my own bread.  I have a very versatile recipe that can be turned into french bread, sandwich bread, pizza dough, dinner rolls, etc.  It's quick and easy, and full of good stuff for the family.

So here is a picture that I'm really proud of.  Home-grown spinach in the back, homemade bread, strawberries (in the picture because I found them for a $1 a pound), hand-picked blueberries, farm fresh eggs, raw goat's milk, wild blackberries, carrots from our garden, and a smoothie on the right with a lot of those ingredients in it.  Because we do things slowly, success often sneaks up on us while we're not looking. I was washing blackberries this morning and making the kids and I that smoothie when I realized it was there.  Small gains, every day, every year.  

The Sandbox

We got a sandbox for Eli's birthday.  He had been playing in the dirt of my flower beds so we thought it would be something he might like.  He doesn't just like it; he loves it.  He had three different change of clothes on his birthday because he kept getting sand in every crack and crevice.

Filling up the sandbox.  After an day of play, we realized we would have to move it further away from the back door.  Too much sand getting tracked in.

The twins came out for his birthday and they enjoyed the box as well. 

Eli slowly venturing in.

What's this toy?

A dumptruck!  Perfect for a sandbox.

 

Quickly getting the hang of it. 

Thank goodness there's a lid.  Chewy took a moment to lay in the cool sand before we managed to put the lid on it.  And yes, we did put the slide into the box.  They loved it.

Lunch and Birthday Cake

Eli giving me a cheesy grin for his birthday lunch.  (Aunty Sissy gave him stickers for his birthday - so that's why he has a sticker in between his eyes).

Train cake!  Aunty Sissy decorated it for me.  He liked the choo-choo.

He only ate the icing, none of the cake. 

This is the expression I get when I ask him to show me his face.

 

Shoving his face into the cake, at the urging of Aunt Sissy.

So Aunt Sissy gets a gooey kiss.

We had a nice time for his birthday.  He woke up and saw his presents all set up for him.  He was much more with it than Silas was at two - he knew they were for him to open and that they contained toys and sweets.  He would say, 'Presents! Mine!'  (trying to celebrate his birthday while training the 'mine' out of him...)  Shana and the twins came out mid-morning just in time to get in the sandbox with him.  We had gotten him a dumptruck and a sand/water wheel for him with some of his birthday money.  They were perfect for the sandbox, which was a big hit with all the kids (and a big mess as well; more training needed on not dumping it out of the box and tracking it inside!).  The Masseys and Dad and Jill showed up for lunch (white cheese and chicken lasagna - never made it before) and a chocolate cake afterwards.  He didn't quite know what was going on with all these adults singing and staring at him, but he seemed to enjoy it.  He only ate the frosting on the cake, and stuck his face in it at Shana's urging.  After that we opened the presents from Auntie Sophie and the cousins and then spent the afternoon and evening outside playing in the sandbox.  Silas, the twins and Eli had a great time with it, and we eventually moved it out a little further away from the door and arranged the slide so they could land in the sand.  To finish the day, Uncle Lynden arrived (who seems to be his favorite at the moment; poor Auntie Char can't show up without Eli asking for Lynden) and gave him a squeeze and a toss around.  

Eli's Second birthday: Presents

Eli's second birthday!  He woke up that morning and immediately noticed all the presents awaiting him.  He was much more with it than Silas was at two - he knew they were for him to open and that they contained toys and candy.  He would say, 'Presents! Mine!'  (Hmm...trying to celebrate his birthday while training the 'mine' out of him...)  Throughout the day he would ask to open more presents, taking me by the hand and leading me to the pile of presents.  Family tradition is that he opens them throughout the day, allowing each present to be played with and enjoyed before moving on to the next one.

Silas helping Eli get in a picture-taking mood.

Opening Great Nan's present.  He definitely knew how to rip them open and get into them.

Opening one of those shake and move cars - he loves them.

Having a good laugh with Aunt Sissy.

Opening presents with Abi, Malachi and Zac.

Playing under his new umbrella!

Car?  Check.  Loud noises?  Check.  Police sirens?  Check.  Loves it?  Check.

Aunt Sissy and the twins' presents.

In his pajamas, ready for bed with all of his new presents!