Pie in the Devil's Face

Jonathan thought I should title my next blog post, "Pie in His Face."

The devil takes away a big hunk of money that is owed to Jonathan--

and one week afterward, Jonathan said he is signing the biggest contract he has ever signed in his life! That happened yesterday.

And Jonathan's wife and family are taking the free apples God provided and making pies to give away.

 One went to a friend who lost his wife several weeks ago. At the funeral, we promised to bring a meal sometime, but I haven't been able to make it happen since he lives on the other side of town.
But then yesterday I found out that he actually works in Falcon not far from us.
So I made supper fixings early, and went 15 minutes away,  looking for the auto body shop where he works. After stopping at three different auto shops in the same culdesac, I found the right one! It had changed names recently which is why I couldn't find the right one to start with.

 When he came in from the garage after being called by someone who seemed only too happy to hear that someone had brought supper in, he looked so thin! The secretary had shared with  me that she was worried about him because he was losing weight.

 I told him I had brought supper for him, and we went out to put the apple pie, zucchini muffins, coleslaw and meatballs in his car.

We stood there under the hot sun and he shared a little about how things were going (or not going) in his life, and I extended an invitation from Jonathan and me to come out to supper sometime.

We have only a humble abode, and the back yard needs mowed and we never do seem to have everything under control here, but people like him are welcome here.
People with losses and griefs and heartache.
People who need country and horse rides and smiles and a good meal
and to be around others who care--even if we are a bit of a mess.

I came back home from delivering that supper, and I was halfway to heaven.
I get my greatest joy in life not from selfish things but from sharing, and watching people open their hearts and tears come into their eyes and them feeling cared about--
us, imperfect though we are, just trying to be the hands of Jesus reaching out to someone who can't find a reason to go on. 
When I got back home, someone else was here for supper, someone who couldn't seem to want to leave. A pie went home with that person, too. 

Pies in the devil's face!
Pies from Jesus! 

Let Me Count the Ways God Provides! Coupons from Heaven

The day the lady told Jonathan she wasn't going to pay him the final invoice for his job was the day Crystal left for college.

We didn't think it insignificant that we got slammed with this situation the day Crystal left for her junior year of Bible College.

Sometimes God chooses to test our faith.
What do we love the most--our children? Our money? Or God?

The very next day we read the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac--and how God provided
for Abraham,
for Isaac,
for the sacrifice.

Abraham gave his only begotten son to God--and God gave him back, besides providing a ram caught in the bushes for a sacrifice!
Abraham called the name of the place "Jehovah-jireh," or in another translation, "The-Lord-Will-Provide."
So let me count the ways God is already providing!


*This  year we are getting one of the best harvests of zucchini and squash that we have ever gotten!
We are baking zucchini muffins and canning zucchini relish with zucchini from our own gardens!

*The very next day after Crystal left, our children who work at a ranch down the road returned home with a bag of fresh corn on the cob and another big package of pork loin from the ranch lady they work for. 
*The next day we found an ad for free, organic apples that had been hammered with hail.

We weren't sure they'd be worth the trip, but yesterday we went to town and checked out the apple tree, and we got three or four bushels of delicious red apples! We stopped at another place that we saw had a loaded apple tree and asked about the apples and were told to pick because they don't use them all. The landlord of the place said he had been thinking of putting out a sign about the apples. He said, "Be blessed today!"

We were blessed!

 Out of the first batch of hail-hammered apples, we made the most delicious, thick, pink applesauce today!

We got almost 50 quarts of applesauce, with lots of those apples left for pies, and we hadn't even started in on the second batch of apples from the other tree.

That was with just Rose, Timmy, Danny, Hannah and me to work on the project!

I praised God for supplying the energy to me to keep on my feet the whole day, and keep going. 

*I praised God for the "new" used grill we'd gotten recently that had a burner on the side so I could can the applesauce outside.

I even canned in the rain!

(This is what happens when you are canning applesauce all day and don't have time to do the dishes!)

*That evening the kids brought in the mail, and there were three envelopes--one each for Rose, Timmy, Danny and Hannah.

They had raked up battered twigs, evergreen buds and leaves after the hailstorm at a place were Jonathan was to remodel, and the owners had sent the children money in the mail--more than the children were expecting! They were so happy!

*Crystal told me on the phone that at one place where she and Carrie stopped and visited on their way to college, she had been given $50 toward her school expenses.
*Sam brought home another puppy to replace the one he sadly lost when it ran out on the road and met its end.
This one is absolutely adorable, charming, sunny, friendly, cute, darling, and everything sweet you can  name. Sam is still trying to pick a name for it. Any suggestions?

God blessed the children with two batches of beautiful puppies.

Yesterday when I went to get ketchup at Walmart, there were three bottles of Non-GMO ketchup (with no high fructose corn syrup) that had 50 cent coupons on them!
So while Jonathan is looking into his options for how to get the stubborn customer to pay what she owes, we are tickled about 50 cent coupons that were there just for us!

 Lord, You are so good! You are already providing, as You always do!

God Is Still in Control!

A couple weeks ago, after writing about the peace the Lord gave me because He is for me.

a friend from Pennsylvania read my post and shared this photo back to  me--the calendar post for that very day on her daily calendar! 

"He is for you...He is with you...He is in control."

That was so special. 

And today, even though Jonathan's remodel customer refused to pay him last week, we rejoiced in the fact that God is still in control.

Friday there was this beautiful rainbow after a shower, and as I cleaned Jonathan's old truck to get it ready to sell, I found an orange notecard years old, from the Waldo Canyon Fire time.

It said, "We believe in miracles. Anything can happen."

 So, with his business struggling to make ends meet until God intervenes, we continued with our plans for our next Mission Helps trip. It's to be next week. 

The sermon today was about Satan tempting us not to trust God,

to ask as he tempted Christ, "Can God provide bread in this wilderness?"

 Can God provide for our family when that customer withholds such a large amount of money?

Can God provide food for our table and for our animals?

Can He provide so we can go ahead and go to South Dakota to help two missions?

There is a church in Winner, SD, that needs the siding finished and another Native American mission church near there that needs the foundation repaired.  These projects have been waiting a long time.

My brother Hoshea is needing us to come up to North Dakota to help him frame his mechanics shop.

Our own church in Denver needs the steeple put up (after an engineer makes some needed decisions). 

The Church of God Holiness in Denver needs a new door since the old one was broken into. 

Can God provide so these projects can be done?

Can You, God?

Can You trust us to trust You? 

The sermon today was about trusting God to provide in the middle of the wilderness, even as Christ trusted God to take care of Him in the middle of his fasting in the wilderness, 

in the middle of being tempted by the devil himself,

and in the middle of all the wild beasts (see Mark 1).

That message ministered to our hearts so much.

"I'm Not Going to Pay You One [bleep] Red Cent!"

"I'm not going to pay you one [bleep] red cent!"

That is what Jonathan was told two days ago as he sat in front of a woman who owed him quite a few thousand dollars for the job he and his crew had done for her. He had brought his invoice (and me, who was sitting in the truck praying).

And this is what he was told.

It's too long a story to tell, just that as the weeks have gone by, it has gotten increasingly difficult for Jonathan, 

and then this heavy care of many thousand dollars owed him to be refused to be paid, from someone who claimed to be a Christian (and seemed to use it as leverage rather than really living it out).

How to scramble financially now, having just sent a daughter to Penn View and seeing her have to spend over half her savings on a car, and us promising to try to help her with tuition. 

So it's a relief to have one day a week to lay aside our cares and go to church.

I appreciate church--a real place for real people. 

A place to lay aside the work of the week days.

the work of hauling old rafters off from a work place for son Timmy to re-use on his chicken coop,

and the work of three brick walls to knock down and load into the dumpster.

 The work days of laundry and ironing and sweeping and cleaning and organizing and mopping and sorting and cooking and canning and freezing

and doing dishes and straining milk and baking and washing bedding and taking care of critters.

 A few weeks ago, I stopped by where Sam was working at Faith Covenant Bible Chapel. He was jack-hammering old concrete out and getting ready to pour a handicap ramp. It is always interesting to me to get to see what my son and husband are doing when they are gone all day. Usually they are working on homes. This time, Sam was working at a church.

I read an excellent article recently in the God's Revivalist, about why to still go to church, even if it isn't perfect.

The author wrote, "Many who are disillusioned with the church today romanticize the early church, not realizing how broken things were there as well."

And then he went on to remind us about the churches in Galatia and Corinth!

I also thought of the church right there at Jerusalem, where right after Pentecost there was a a big problem about who of the poor and widows were or were not being served--and how the apostles, instead of judging the people as being "carnal" for having a problem to begin with, simply and wisely sought to choose godly men who would deal with the needs and the problems.
They needed wise men who would deal with problems in a wise way.

 And then one of those wise men whom they had put in charge of some of the problems made more problems!
By speaking the truth plainly about Jesus and the gospel and speaking more truth sharply against the religious rulers, he made the religious elites of the day so mad that  they stoned him.
Peter was imprisoned, and Saul persecuted the church until he was converted.

After which, despite that he had been converted long after the other apostles, he ended up having to rebuke Peter for his hypocrisy in trying to please the Judaizers instead of living in the freedom intended by Christ; and Paul also ended up having a big, huge, sharp disagreement with Barnabas about using John Mark on a mission trip.

 Paul didn't think it would be good to take him and Barnabas thought it would indeed be very good.
They ended up splitting up, and it was such a big disagreement that it ended up in the Bible.

I read in an article that came in yesterday,
"One of preaching’s many paradoxes is the disparity between how hard it is to stand up and preach well, and how easy it is to sit there and take it lightly.
Wouldn’t it be great if I were up there and telling people what I think? Wouldn’t it be nice to have all these people listen to my thoughts? All with little to no consideration of the actual pressure, the demands and deadlines, the dying to one’s own perfectionism and putting yourself forward to be misunderstood and criticized."

 "Pride in some of us dreams of ourselves up front as the center of attention. Pride in others terrifies us from saying anything firm to so many, especially in public, face to face with a crowd of potential critics.Pride will not only jump to speak when it’s puffed up, but button the lip when insecure. Preaching bids a man come and die to both."
--David Mathis

"Beyond the solemnity of the moment is the call to courage. Public speaking is one challenge. Speaking into the church’s most important hour is another. Preaching with courage, when God’s word is at odds with the prevailing word in society (which inevitably takes root in the church in some form or fashion), requires even more. If we are faithful to God’s voice, it is almost certain that someone within earshot each Sunday, if not many, will not like what we are saying."
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-does-a-good-sermon-cost?

Another author of desiringGod recently wrote,

 "Satan puts question marks in your life where God has put periods."
Lord, on this Your day, may we find a place to worship in Your presence, to hear Your Word, to  fellowship with other believers, and to leave your Word as statements not needing question marks.
When others refuse to pay us what they owe,
remind us about the debt you did NOT owe, that You paid for us.
How good You are!
We find our refuge and strength in You!

Our Friend Leroy Adams' Memorial Service

Today I was able to watch just a little of Bro. Leroy Adams' memorial service livestream at the Beavertown God's Missionary Church.
I forgot to get online till the service was mostly over, and then I couldn't get one computer to work, and on the other, I couldn't get the speaker to work. When finally I got a computer working, it was at the end of Steve Height's message. He was talking about Leroy Adams' love for his family and love for God's Word.

I've known Leroy Adams since I was a few years old. I remember him playing both accordion and trumpet and pump organ pedals all three together at a missionary service at a church in Franklin, Pennsylvania! Young as I was, I have never forgotten it.
(Interestingly, at that same service was young Stephen Gibson, son of the pastor. Stephen Gibson, who served with us a short time in Ukraine, is now new president of EFM.)
When I was about 12 years old, my family attended a service at Penn View Bible Institute where Leroy Adams and his wife and children were speaking and singing, all dressed up in I think it was Nigerian costumes. Since then, our paths have crossed numerous times, most notably when Bro. Leroy was teaching and getting ready to be president of Kiev Wesley Bible College in Ukraine. We served in Ukraine together with him for some months before we came home.

I always appreciated Bro. Leroy. His consistent kindness, his genial smile, his music made him a friend. Just before we moved away from Ukraine, I remember Bro. Leroy being in our home and I told him that I have always appreciated him.
Even in the last while, he and/or his wife have been friends via Facebook, liking or commenting on our posts. They are jewels in God's kingdom, I feel sure.
But "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. "

Leroy didn't die last week. He died quite a number of years ago--and the life in Christ that was lived ever since then has borne much fruit.
I was glad for the kind words of Steven Height for Sis. Myrtle, thanking her for her work in missions as well, as she supported her husband. Somehow, Myrtle's accomplishments have probably not been quite as well-known or glamorous, since it was Leroy who did the teaching, directing and playing music, and led in many ways in many different places.
But I have a feeling Leroy was who he was largely because of a faithful, helpful, supportive wife. 
I look up to people like Bro. Leroy.
But somehow, I guess I can relate to the wives who are much lesser known, yet who have a huge place to fill in supporting a husband who is in heavy demand.
I noticed the deaths of two wives recently, printed in God's Revivalist.

Both were wives of well-known husbands, if I remember correctly. I've heard of their evangelist or preacher husbands for years. Never or rarely heard their names.
I doubt my name will go down in history, either.
I'm just a wife.

 I just do dishes and make meals and pack stuff to go on trips and wash clothes and take my kids places and teach them to drive and go pick apples and sort my husband's business receipts and mundane, homey things like that--
with sweet moments here and there like when my niece Elisa presented me with this lovely gift before leaving to go back home.

I won't ever be famous or popular, but I can keep an efficient home and teach my children--and pray that they will be part of the bloodwashed throng that Bro. Leroy is now part of.

All of those who have fallen into the ground and died--died to sin and self,'

and become alive unto God.

I can pray for my husband and children. (I'm collecting prayers from various sources and making copies to help deepen my prayer life.)

And I can give the children to the Lord--like we did our oldest daughter two days ago as she left for Bible college. 

Interesting that it was the very next day we read in family worship about Abraham offering his son Isaac on the altar.

I could empathize with Abraham. I had just said goodbye to Crystal again. 

She belongs to the Lord, not to me. 

Perhaps some day she will be a supportive wife to a missionary or pastor or teacher husband and I could not be happier with that.

"Don't worry about tomorrow," said this plaque at the Bible Methodist Church in Oklahoma City two weeks ago.

"God is already there!"

Bro. Leroy doesn't have to worry about tomorrow. 

God is there! 

But we who wait behind, continue in the "glorious mundane" of every day living and serving. Here is a link to wonderful thoughts about that!

 https://christyfitzwater.com/celebrating-the-glorious-mundane/

When God Gives You Sunflowers Instead of Roses

When God gives you sunflowers instead of roses...

,,,enjoy them!

When my three rose bushes that Jonathan bought me earlier this year won't produce more than one rose, I let the back yard run wild with sunflowers.

Can you find the little yellow-breasted birdie that came to visit our back yard sunflower garden this morning?

He was filling his little tummy with sunflower seeds!

Only a few feet away, Timmy and brother and sister were painting bee supers, and the bird didn't seem to care. He was having too much of a feast on sunflower seeds!

My back yard is so cheery, with sunflowers all over the place, 

even in the raised beds full of beets and onions.

Cosmos is blooming in this corner, a flower we didn't plant.

Aren't you glad sometimes the Lord lets flowers bloom in our lives that we didn't plant--

undeserved mercies, random kindnesses--like the large print NKJV Bibles I was given free at a yard sale yesterday. I assured the folk that the Bibles would be well used in family worship!

Our back yard is just one beautiful garden of sunshiny faces of blooming sunflowers!

I love roses.
But when God gives me sunflowers instead, I'm content.

And when You, Lord, give me something other than what I want in other ways, too,

Lord, give me a heart of contentment and joy in what You choose.