When You're Left Swinging at the Top of a Ferris Wheel

 On September 11th this month, after the ceremony involving the giving of bullet-proof vests to first responders in the parking lot of Sheels Sporting Goods Store, people were invited to look around inside. Our family enjoyed roaming around this beautiful store a bit and some decided to ride the ferris wheel which usually costs $1 a ride but which, when we asked to purchase tokens, was said to be "on us today."

So Jonathan rode with Danny, and Rose rode with Hannah, and away they went! Meanwhile I climbed the many steps up to a spot where I could take a picture of them! And Jonathan took a picture of me!

I got to watch Rose, who has gone hunting for elk and bear but who has never ridden a ferris wheel before, teeter at the top when the operator stopped the wheel to load more people way down at the bottom! I watched Rose reach to grab something to make the silly seat stop swaying with her in it six stories high!

I didn't ride at all. I do not like heights. They are scary. Except in an airplane. Thankfully I usually manage to stay calm in airplanes even though we are miles high. But ferris wheels only six stories high? That is a different story! (No pun intended!)

No matter how one feels about heights, few people like to be left hanging, swinging precariously in thin air! And neither do we like to be left hanging in the middle of uncertainty and fear anywhere else, either. Yet there are those times and places when, like Rose, even though we know God's arms are underneath us and all is well, we get the sense of an unsure footing, of being left swinging in the breeze six stories or more high, and we reach for something to steady us.

Or, more often, we get the sense of hitting bottom, somewhere down near the middle of the ocean, where there are all sorts of strange sea creatures and slimy seaweed that perfectly matches the stuff that must have wrapped around our friend Jonah's head when he ended up in the middle of the whale's belly. 

Strange things like those inside these columns of aquarium in Sheels store that day.

But we can rest assured that neither "height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39) For "if I ascend up into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:8-9) So if you feel like you are left swinging six stories high today or that you have descended into the depths of Hades, remember that even there shall His hand lead you, and His right hand shall hold you, steadying  your seat on the crazy ferris wheel of life, and calming your heart when you have no hope left.

 

Honeybee in the Chicory--Work for the Winter Cometh

 One morning a couple weeks ago, I discovered honeybees already busy first thing in the morning.

They were buzzing from one blue chicory flower to another by our wood pile!

We never used to have chicory around here, but the last couple years, blue chicory has been coming up several different places around our little acreage!

God must have known how much I miss those beautiful blue flowers from Pennsylvania!

So He planted some around here just for me!

How busy those bees were, collecting pollen and nectar for the upcoming winter!

My daughter tells me that the worker bees only live about three weeks.

They literally work themselves to death.

You can see the balls of white pollen on the legs of the bee in the picture above.

It is busy working, for the night is coming, the winter is coming.

Death is coming.

And judgment is coming. 

There is a prayer in the Bible that asks God to "teach us to number our days, that we may seek a heart of wisdom."

All day long we are busy. We work, we pray, we write, we study, we help others, we serve God, we watch and pray and are sober and keep on serving.

Because our days are numbered. Our opportunities are numbered.

We must work while we have opportunity.

Sometimes I am tempted to throw up my hands and say, "What's the use? Time is short. The world is going to pot! We may as well give up now!"

But that is not the spirit. 

As long as we are able, we must do good, evangelize, witness, help others, write, reach out, pray, believe God, and keep serving Jesus. 

Just keep on with our humble little tasks each day, sweeping, sewing, mopping, straining milk, cooking, cleaning, washing the curtains, repairing screens and going bear hunting. 

Always looking for opportunities to do good or to share the gospel--

like I had an opportunity last week.

A wonderful opportunity to share with a young mother who was full of questions about what to believe and how to raise her children right. She wanted a mentor, and we visited for about an hour and a half and just discussed what the Bible says about it all. 

I didn't want to just share my views, but to share what God says in His Word.

That is what is important.

And all at the same time that we must stay faithful and busy to work while the night is coming, we also have to remember that we can only do so much. The rest simply has to be left with God. 

Today Sam attended a town hall meeting where he learned of issues at our public library system which we need to write about to the county commissioners, who appoint the library board members. Tomorrow we plan to be part of a peaceful protest/demonstration regarding our losses of liberty. And today I also prayed over one set of prayer needs after another, 

the EFM weekly prayer list,

the whole newsletter full of prayer needs from Jews for Jesus, 

and others. 

The burdens are simply too heavy for me. I can work myself to death and not even touch all the needs. And that is where we must remember that God said to cast our cares on Him, for He cares for us. 

We must and ought to pray, but we also must and ought to cast the cares of those needs on the Lord, Who is the One to carry them and minister to them. 

Then with a light heart we may go about our day, because HE is carrying our cares.

 

When You Catch a Daughter Praying

 I can't think of anything that touches my heart more than to catch my children praying.

 

In the early morning, this is what can be found in our livingroom before the rest of us are up. 

One daughter is an early bird.

And I'm so thankful she spends that early hour with God. 

Danny's Bear--and Sam's--and Rose's

Can't wait till morning! It was almost midnight when my phone dinged. 

And here is the picture my children texted!

Danny got his bear! Nearly 400 pounds of bear!

Look at that mambo paw!!!

Maybe more pictures later, but that is all I have now! Sam could have had a bear, too, but the one he saw was a mama bear with two cubs behind her. 

And Sam couldn't,

wouldn't,

and didn't get his bear.

And his mama was as proud of him as she was proud of the son that did get a bear. 

    

And Rose could have had a bear, but when Hunter's gun jammed, she let him have her rifle. And he got the bear. But Rose's mama back home was as proud of Rose as if she had gotten the bear herself.

Bear hunting makes a man out of boys.

But letting a mama bear go because it is caring for cubs,

and letting the other person have the opportunity you wanted

are the things that make real men and women out of boys and girls.

Compassion and unselfishness--the world needs more of it. 

And if my children are learning those things while bear hunting,

 as much as how to get a big bear in the woods,

they are learning what has most value--and what makes their mama happiest!

Black Bear Diner--and Black Bear for Dinner!

With four of our children gone bear hunting in western Colorado (and so far not being successful as of Thursday evening), Jonathan and I decided to give up on them and instead go to Black Bear Diner in town for a date! :)  :)

 

Timmy had given us a gift card which we decided to use since we were both in town. I had to come in to pick up Jonathan from dropping his truck at the mechanic, and we also were busy dealing with getting a higher resolution video of the thieves and their vehicle who stole Jonathan's dump trailer. Having to be our own detectives due to police being too busy is taking a lot of time.

We had never been to this diner before, but we found it a very homey, cheerful restaurant, full of bear-themed decor!

Upon arriving, we were handed "The Black Bear Gazette," which contained not only menus but the story of how two unlikely entrepreneurs in California started the first Black Bear Diner restaurant--and now there are about 140 all over the States.

I wasn't really hungry, and when we decided to order a meal to share plus a blackberry cobbler for me, the waiter had to say that they had been out of anything blackberry for weeks. So he graciously brought us an extra bowl of turkey rice soup! I ended up being hungrier than I thought, and Jonathan let me eat his bowl of soup, too, while he ate the brisket! I really loved that thick, wonderful soup!

There were bottles of chipotle sauce in styles of Papa Burn, Mama Burn, and Baby Burn!

Everything was bear!

The best part of the meal for me was the huckleberry shake with cream on top! And lots extra in the tin cup! It was a wonderful taste, and real huckleberries left in the bottom!

Wow! I recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting a bear-related experience with very good food at comparable prices elsewhere. You can see that we ate every stitch off this bear paw plate!

I kept sending pictures of our Black Bear Diner experience to my bear hunting children in texts until finally Carrie couldn't stand it any longer! She sent me this picture! Behold, Carrie had gotten a bear! Her first big game ever! We plan to have bear for dinner Sunday!

 

Song in the Middle of the Morning

Every morning this week with most of the children gone, Hannah and I have had to scramble to keep up with everything--packing Jonathan's lunch, milking the goats, feeding and watering the animals, getting our own breakfast made, dishes done, and school started.

This morning there was even more to do with making two batches of goat cheese from all the extra goat milk, 

and forming sourdough loaves of bread from the dough I'd mixed late last night.

There were also gardens to water,

and later today there is the nightgown to start sewing that we cut out yesterday for Hannah.

But about 11 o'clock, I sat down to finish my breakfast and read my Bible. 

Today it was Psalm 34, a Psalm often read in my home growing up. 

Way back when I was 8 years old, I remember us children memorizing this Psalm and my dad not being satisfied with how we recited it until we put lots of expression into it!

No boring monotone allowed in our household!

But today as I was reading about the praise of the Lord being in our mouths, I thought about a deeper meaning than reciting a praise Psalm about the Lord with just the right expression.

I thought about how many times I was part of families or choirs that sang praises.

The praise of God was in our mouths.

Until one day.

One day I had to choose between praising God with my mouth and with the sound of music

while bowing to something God said was sin

and actually loving God more.

I could not bow.

I loved God more.

I loved God more than I loved singing about Him.

I have paid a bitter price

for what happened at that time.

This morning I could not sit in front of my Bible or the Psalm any longer. 

Instead, I walked in tears out to the porch swing.

"I wonder," I said to the Lord, "if what I did, or how I felt at that time, that I could not bow to anyone besides You, meant anything much to You?

Was it just a big mistake?

Did You understand that really it was because I loved You,

that really I was not just trying to create trouble?"

I sat crying on my porch swing, wondering,

And so this morning, when the words to an old song came into my mind on the porch swing,

I came inside to sing it with my autoharp.

Just to the Lord I sang it.

"My Jesus I love Thee, I know Thou art mine.

For Thee, all the follies of sin I resign.

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now."

Just to the Lord I sang it. 

Softly. 

Very softly.

No audience, no heart in the congregation touched to tears. 

Just me, my heart, and God.

And I wondered, "Did it mean anything to You, God?"

I wonder.

Our Dump Trailer Stolen

Yesterday Jonathan arrived at the garage he rents in town expecting to begin his day of hauling dirt and moving equipment with his dump trailer he purchased about three years ago--only to discover that his dump trailer was gone!

This one. (Thankfully it had no equipment inside it!) 

It seemed like a heavy duty loss until we heard about the death of a godly and well-loved acquaintance, Steve Stetler, also yesterday morning. 

While we only lost a dump trailer, Mrs. Stetler lost a husband, his children lost a father, a mission organization lost their Missionary Care director.

My prayers for our dump trailer to be returned to us were few and far between, in between the waves of shock at the Stetler family's loss, and the memories of a phone call only days ago from a loved one who was suffering from the effects of a cruel divorce in the family.

Taken in perspective, our loss was so small.

"Lord, although we have our days turned upside down with the loss of a much-used dump trailer, we want to thank You 

That we only lost a trailer and not a husband and father.

That we only lost a trailer and not a prodigal son or daughter.

Thank You that when one financial loss after another keeps us from ever pulling out, we can still have a refuge in You. 

I could still pay for the groceries I was buying in Walmart when the texts started coming in about the stolen trailer. 

As my Psalm for this morning says, "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You."

September 11 Today--Bullet-proof Vests for our Sam and Other First Responders

Today, September 11th, we had a bit of a surprise--which turned into an absolutely stunning evening. Sam let us know that as a first responder, he was to be involved in an event this evening near Colorado Springs where bullet-proof vests were to be presented to a number of first responders in the area. 

Our family decided to hurry with an early supper and jump in the van to attend. This event was sponsored by the new sporting goods store, Sheels, on the edge of town.

That's Sam on the very far left in the row of first responders. The event began with the leader taking off his hat and asking that we have a short time of silence to remember September 11th, 2001.

The leader of the event, Jake, (I forget his last name) used to be a policeman in the Springs area, and he told about his personal involvement about ten years ago or so in dealing with the shooting at the New Life Church (which church incidentally was just a few blocks away from this event this evening). He was one of the police who had to stay there by the dead body of the shooter while all the investigation was underway. 

I remembered back to that day as well, how I had a talk with our children and we practiced having all of them dive under the table at a command from me, just to have a bit of practice to be ready for emergency!

It was while in that situation that the idea was born in Jake to start a non-profit organization to provide bullet-proof vests for first responders--not just the flimsy kind, but the kind that can withstand rifle bullets. 

It is a sad day when even firemen and ambulance drivers need bullet-proof vests in their vehicles, but such vests were needed just last week up at the bluffs near us. An active shooter, a suicidal man, was causing a rumpus within only a mile or so as the crow flies. After a couple hour seige, the man had to be taken out because he was starting to shoot at police. But a fireman or two from Sam's station had to be staging there the whole time. That was already one time they could have used bullet-proof vests.

Another story Jake told from when he was in the SWAT team was about his involvement in the active shooting at the Colorado Springs Plan ned Par ent hood Clin ic that happened only six years ago. (I remember the news about this as well.)

He described how it was on Black Friday and he was off duty, but when he saw on his pager that it was an active shooting and several officers were already down, he jumped into his truck to head to the scene--only to have that Chevy not start!

 

So he jumped into his wife's car and took off. One police was yelling into the radio that he was pinned behind a vehicle, and the active shooter was apparently inside the building. Automatic rifle fire was blasting everyone's ear drums. Jake said that in those moments, he knew that if he were shot, he would not be going Home. At that time in his life, he was not ready to meet his Maker. And he was afraid.

So he prayed! And he said something happened in his heart!

And at this point in the story, Jake reached behind him to pick up a Bible off the table, and he read from Philippians 4:4-7 about the peace of God which passes all understanding.

God gave him peace and courage with his team in those moments to face the danger around the corner in the building. 

Jake paused right there in his story and looked all around at the first responders behind him. He said to all those police, sheriffs, EMT's, firemen, and forest rangers in that Sheels parking lot that if they did not have that peace in their hearts that God gives, "now is the day of salvation." 

"Don't wait!" he urged. "The time is now! I welcome you to come talk to me afterward and I would be happy to talk to you!"

Jake returned to his story. He had been wondering how many rounds that shooter guy had in his rifle, and was nearly deafened with the blasts. But the next thing he knew, he was hearing, "Okay guys, I give up!" And it was the suspect! He came around the corner and gave up.

But that was not the end of the story. Of course, as Jake was involved in this awful shooting, he was again reminded of the need for strong bulletproof vests. And I think it was that night after all that happened, he heard a voice saying, "The time is now to start your non-profit organization to fund this project."

He talked to his pastor who asked him to speak about it the very next Sunday in church. Then he spoke later at another church, and at that church a very pregnant lady made a beeline to talk to him. This lady had been one of the people in the Pl. Parent hood clinic that day! She was in there for an abortion, and had sheltered in place while the shooter was going around.

After that carnage was over, in which a fellow police officer lost his life and several others were in critical condition, this mother decided to give her baby life. 

Jake said that right in the middle of something so evil, God was doing a good thing!

A little boy is running around alive today because a mother was interrupted in her plan to kill him, and decided instead to give him life.

 It was one incredible evening. All of those first responders were given a chance to hear about the gospel and a chance to talk to someone about God and their need for Him in their lives. I was incredibly impressed with Jake's courage. 

Out there under the warm clouds in the Colorado sky (we've been having record-breaking heat this week), we were amazed to hear something besides the bad news from people in high places of government, and instead to hear a common ordinary former policeman share his heart about each first responder's need for salvation.

 

One of Jake's sponsors of body armor for first responders is Safeway, KOAA news, also Dickey's BBQ, etc. This made me happy to frequent Safeway more and other stores such as Walmart and King Sooper less. Safeway also supports helping rescue children from trafficking, etc. while King Soopers, the girls told me, supports the L G B T Q agenda. 

After a fun visit inside Sheels store, (Jonathan had never been through it) Sam took the children home in his firetruck. 

And Jonathan and I bought ice cream for us all.