Use Your Towel More Than Once

One way to cut down on laundry is to hang your bath towel up and use it more than once.

(Note: Hang it up; don't leave it dumped in a damp heap on the floor.)

Even guests at Glen Eyrie Castle are asked to "consider using your towel more than once,"

in order to conserve water and energy.

 

I have a brother-in-law who likes a fresh towel each time, and that is something my sister tries to provide, just like I try to see that Jonathan's handkerchiefs are ironed the way he likes them.

He doesn't require much of me personally in the way of special laundering or cooking, 

and I am happy to iron hankies, and my sister is willing to launder many towels a week.

They are lowly tasks that are simple to perform and that we are willing to do for the one we love

and who loves us.   

(These towels were in the castle.)

But speaking of towels, Jesus used a towel more than once. 

He girded Himself with a towel, and went about the lowly task of washing His disciples' dirty feet, drying them with the towel. 

He must have dried all twelve sets of feet with the same towel. Imagine!

I read these potent thoughts in Desiring God this evening:

"Francis Schaeffer, in his prophetic sermon 'No Little People, No Little Places,' warned us all,

Jesus commands Christians to seek consciously the lowest room. All of us — pastors, teachers, professional religious workers and non-professional included — are tempted to say, “I will take the larger place, because it will give me more influence for Jesus Christ.” Both individual Christians and Christian organizations fall prey to the temptation of rationalizing this way as we build bigger and bigger empires. But according to the Scripture this is backwards: We should consciously take the lowest place, unless the Lord himself extrudes us into a greater one.

"Schaeffer went on to explain that, in a lower, less intense place of ministry, we face fewer distractions away from our own intimacy with God. And it is only in personal quietness before God that we can do anything that is truly spiritual in power. It is only as we remain quiet before him that we contribute to the real battle being fought in our generation.

"Settle into the place where you are. Deeply accept your present moment. It is where Jesus is nearest to you."

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/your-ministry-will-take-a-lifetime

Crowded Camper or Empty Castle?

I guess the illness the rest of the family had is finally catching up to me! Jonathan has all three boys helping him in town today, and after some sewing on a nightgown with Hannah, I sat down to do more editing on Jonathan's and my courtship story that I hope to publish some day. I hate to waste time doing nothing, even if I am not feeling well, which is how this blog got started and continued for years as a means of doing something useful even in my down time.
But anyway, here is a plaque that I purchased for Jonathan for Christmas, after our wonderful one-night visit at Glen Eyrie castle.

Glen Eyrie wasn't the only uppity place we were inside during the Christmas season.
Two weeks ago, Jonathan had to travel all the way to Menards in Cheyenne, WY, to pick up oak doors for a remodel job.

For a little family outing, several of the children and I accompanied him that afternoon.

We even got to meet up with Tim Anderson at the governor's mansion where we all got a one-hour tour together.

It was good to get acquainted with Tim, who had been at Hobe Sound until just recently, and who had gone down with a team to the Bahamas to work on a home that had been badly damaged.
Jonathan asked him about accompanying us on another trip to  Bahamas in January, with the 16 of us who have tickets, but Tim will be busy with online classes.
The dining room in the old governor's mansion (no longer used by the current governors). 

 The staircase

Then we had a supper together at Burger King and did the necessary shopping at Menards where Jonathan loaded the doors. Tim Anderson accompanied us everywhere (that's him on the right in the above picture and on the left below) and we enjoyed the fellowship.

It's always fun to visit sturdy old mansions or castles.

Every day, the nine of us live in a humble little house on the prairie, a bit crowded sometimes, but we trust with room for the Savior always.

We try, however imperfectly, to make room for the Savior born that Christmas Day.

Though there is quite a different thought that came to me yesterday as I read Psalm 15.

"Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?

Who may dwell in Your holy hill?"

It's not just about us making room for Him in our little camper.

It's about Him making room for us in His castle.

And how do we become the kind of person who is allowed to dwell with Him in His castle?

What kind of person is allowed to dwell with HIM?

"He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;

he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, 

nor does he take up a reproach against his friend."

A lot of how the Lord will receive us is based on how we speak about and treat our relatives and neighbors and friends behind their backs. 

Castle or camper, may there be room for Him,

and in turn, may there be room with Him for us.

Christmas Day--Having a Ball or a Brawl?

Just as we were getting ready to sit down to Christmas dinner, Sam arrived home from a call to the fire station.
There had been a Christmas brawl.
A son had hit his own mother and grandmother in the heads, and one had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, while the other drove herself there, too.

And there we were, gathering around our table, full of love and laughter, fun and joy,
despite some illness that had several of us still not feeling up to par.
Instead of a Christmas brawl,
we had been having a ball. 

Christmas Eve began the festivities, as we had to give up going to Christmas Eve service because of sicknesses. Instead, around the supper table we had read a Christmas devotional, about how many babies have become kings, but only one King became a Baby.
And then I'd passed out a Christmas card to each of the family, to pray for the ones who sent the cards.

So many cards came this year! We had hung them on a string here,

and taped them up on a wall there,

and still there was a pile left over!

May God bless all our friends today!

Rose mixed a batch of sourdough bread, covered with a towel embroidered by cousin Amaris.

We usually open some of our gifts on Christmas Eve, saving a few each for Christmas morning.

I've suggested exchanging names, but the children insist on making or buying gifts for each other, and so we just have a merry time.

The girls took a turn opening a gift each, then the boys, then Mom and Dad take a turn, so we can have a chance to admire and enjoy each other's gifts, yet not one by one or it would take a LOOOng time. Jonathan and I are standing in the middle of everything because we want to see everything and have a blast.

This is the girls' turn.

Carrie loved this gift. Almost everything lemon.

"When life hands you lemons, clean the house!"

She loves a clean house, and she likes lemon anything-

lemon-scented bleach, lemon oil, lemon-scented trash bags, yellow cleaning scrubbies, etc.

Danny and Hannah admiring their bird identification book.

Boots for Dad.

Omelettes for Christmas breakfast, 

with avocados I got 3 for $1, and mushrooms and for Jonathan, jalapenos!

Bread fresh from the oven- a little overdone.

Trick gifts.

Christmas arrangements played by Crystal on the piano.

Making a puzzle they were given.

Cowgirl boot hair clip.

My favorite Christmas wrap was these cardinals.

 Crystal sold another puppy today- a wonderful Christmas gift for her!

Sam was given a new wallet from his dad, and promptly switched his stuff over from his poor old one. Danny checking out a new game.

We had a simple Christmas dinner. The ham our neighbor gave us graced our red-and black tablecloth today, with simple baked sweet potatoes, plain green beans, fluffy rolls, and apple/celery salad.

Simple is best.

Rose made a snowman cheeseball.

Rose made Sam a batch of smoked jerky.

This afternoon, the guys worked on cleaning and repairing vehicles, and I went out to help, too. 

Hannah and I vacuumed the van and I scrubbed it out where the goat had been in there, 

being taken to the live nativity earlier last week.

Jonathan asked me to help him get seat covers on the seats in his work truck.

Those covers had sat in the garage for nearly two years, and finally, for once, Jonathan had a chance to do something for himself, instead of nearly always being on call for others.

 It had been a beautiful day, so pleasant and happy.

This evening we had chips and dip, and played a new game, Balderdash, where one player tells the others an unknown word, and we all have to create a definition. Then, after the first player reads all the definitions, including the correct one, we vote on which definition we think is the correct one.

What a blast!

After supper, I read to the family the little story Glen Gault shared on Facebook, of the young mother thrown out of a place to live in Lesotho, and how a pastor's family took her and her toddler in.

Glen watched the little child run past his window, clad in a new pink dress.

I couldn't read without tears. 

We had such a happy Christmas.

But there were those with nothing, begging for a place to stay.

And a fellow Christian African reached out and took her in.

"Can we send some money for this little mother?" I choked to Jonathan.

He said yes.

And that is how our Christmas ends.

It's not just about us, our gifts, our games, our happiness, and our blessings.

It's about sharing with those less fortunate. 

Jesus, thank You for leaving the riches of heaven to come to earth for us.

Teach us how, right in the middle of the love and joy You give us,

to care about others, and share the joy and love with them! 

Christmas Sunday Blessings

This was a special Christmas Sunday--with all seven of our children home and well enough to go to church--in between bouts of sickness.

With the girls all dressed in red and black, I wanted a picture of them just for myself--

but to share with you as well!

Jonathan was kind enough to pose with me for this special picture.

Christmas Sunday morning we had been invited to the baptism of the son of home school friends.

We could not imagine anything more special on a Christmas Sunday.

The pastor incorporated Christmas and baptismal themes into one message, using as his text the verse about Jesus at eight days old being named Jesus at His circumcision.

The pastor explained how that Christ's coming freed us from the bondage of the law, 

and how baptism now takes the place of circumcision.

Baptism, like all things new under the new covenant, is so much better.

Under the laws of circumcision, only Jews and males were included.

Under Christ, all may be baptized who believe in Him--

Jew and Gentile,

male and female, 

adults and children.

These thoughts were new to us, and we love learning under Pastor Matt Holst's teaching/pastoring ministry when we have a chance to go.

Here, Peter Tschappler, age 12, is sharing his testimony.

The baptism was by laying on of hands that had been dipped in water,

three times with the names of the Trinity.

 Pastor Holst explained how Paul appealed to baptism as a means of unifying God's people in the church, whereas many people today use means and modes of baptism as a reason to divide.

Whether immersing, pouring, sprinkling, or laying on of wet hands, 

the issue is whether or not you believe in Jesus as your personal Savior, 

confessing and acknowledging your sin, and trusting in Him alone for your salvation.

Then Peter's family and church elders had prayer over him.

It was very, very special to be part of this service.