New and Renewed--Family Photos, Baby Booties, Porch Swings, and Fresh Oil

There have been lots of new things around here, including these new family photos my sister Kezia sent at Easter time.

She and Chris have such darling children!

And of course, there are darling new puppies around.

(Puppies help a lot with school work!)

And new stainless steel drainer board that my brother Gabriel and his wife Elizabeth sent us from Pennsylvania after seeing my poor old one here!

(Before picture of my old drainer board that was tooooo little. Cups would drip over the edge!)

This nice big one that must have come from Amish country!

(Thanks, Elizabeth and  Gabriel!)

 Brand new baby booties that Carrie knitted for Justin and Melanie Stanton's new baby.

These were tucked inside our gift bag before several children headed up the mountain today to four-wheel with Justin and to see the new baby.

 

New eggs every day--like God's mercies that are new every morning!

 New gateposts by our driveway (since one after another they got run into and broken--and we won't say any names here!)

Cousin Samuel helping our Samuel get the new gate up.

I'm so thankful to finally have it looking nice by the driveway again.

 A new barn door that Timmy made out of cedar fencing.

 But sometimes, we can't purchase or afford or make things brand new.
We have to remake the old things.

 This poor old swing that I got several years ago for our anniversary is weathered again for the second time.
But I like it and don't want to get rid of it. I don't want to spend the money to buy a new one,
sooo--

 Timmy and I took it down and he took it apart. We sanded or planed the pieces.
Jonathan trying out a new oil stain that we are using this time instead of polyurethane.

The swing finally done and put back together, thanks to Jonathan, Timmy and cousin Samuel.
I couldn't help noticing the verse in Psalms the day after this swing had been put together after being freshly coated with new oil.

It said, "I have been anointed with fresh oil."  Psalm 92:10b
Just like this swing, we get weathered by the scorching sun and the driving snow and the miserable, dripping rain, to say nothing of all the prairie winds that blow day after day.
Things that wear us out and weather us and try to take away our joy and our peace and our love.
Things that wilt us and take away our freshness and smile and shine.
 The things that weather us and beat on us and wear us down and take away our shine.

But we can go to God like the Psalmist and ask for a fresh anointing of oil.
Sometimes oil needs to be put inside us, like inside an engine, to help it run smoothly.
And sometimes we need the anointing on the outside of us, like the new coat we put on the swing,
to protect us from the elements of life, the things that happen to us that we have no control over.

God doesn't want to just discard us and start over with someone else when we are weathered and worn.

 He made us. And He likes what He made.

He bought us with the blood of Jesus, and He loves what He bought.

He chose us and He wants to keep us.

So He says, "I will anoint you with fresh oil."

That is what God does!