Pigpen, Doghouse, or Cozy Corner?

So I wonder what these winter scenes teach us about our homes,

our lives,

our influence.

Are we part of the pig pens of this world?

 Do our hasty words, foolish decisions and negative attitudes drive us into the doghouse,

into which our foolish hen disappeared when the dog started after her?

Not very smart, even if she meant to just get out of the snow?

 One way to stay out of the doghouse

is to work at keeping our mouths shut just a little more.

But don't fear.

Sometimes opening your mouth when you really should can also land you in someone's doghouse.

In that case, you can trust your Heavenly Owner to take care of you, just as we rescued our poor hen
who had nowhere to go except the doghouse when the dog came after her.

And then there are those people who can't seem to stand on their own two feet,

but must ride someone else's coattails all the time.
They are out for all the free rides they can get. 

And then sometimes there are those of us who can't help that we end up in stuck places. 

Having spent a long time digging ourselves out of a mess,

we still spin our wheels and rock back and forth, back and forth,

just trying to get out of our own driveway and back to work,

back to health,

back to peace.

So we don't have a lot to say when the other person gets stuck, too, and can't get out of their own driveway 

or out of their own mess.
All we can do is give the best advice we can, based on how we got out of our last stuck place!

 We are all such a bunch of poor humans that it is such a blessing when we find someone who just seems to exude peace.

They are like a gentle dove landing in your back yard, bringing in a breath of fresh air,

showing confidence in you,

quietly letting you know, "You can do it!"

 And yes, there are those people who, like us, sure aren't perfect, but they just pick up the shovels

and get busy and get the work done.

 They pick up the broom or the cutting board and knife, or the vacuum, or the mop, or the duster,

or the skillet, or the laundry basket, or the hammer and wrench, or pen and paper--

and they just get the job done.

 They don't even worry who gets the credit.

They are fine being the lesser light that rules the night

instead of the greater light that rules the day.

 Because they know it is not all about them, 

but about Him.

They are the kind of person who is a peaceful, cozy corner in the middle of a frigid world outside,

when the temperature drops down to zero

and everyone just needs a warm corner to cuddle up in.

When trust and confidence and courage are at a very low ebb,

this is a person who provides food for the hungry in body,

affection for the hungry in spirit,

and courage for the hungry in soul.

 And so may each of us be such a person!

More Snowstorm Pictures--and "Making Your Household a Church for God"

What an amazing thought!

A friend texted us this beautiful quote this morning.

For a mother to make her household a "church for God" is quite the metaphor. 

Yet I understand, because all day long we are part of a plan to glorify God in all we do.

Early  morning prayers and Bible reading, whether personal or family, greeting one another with cheerfulness, (we can't underestimate the power of a cheerful "Good morning," and a special hug especially for the little ones who watch Mom and Dad get hugs, so why not them, too?)

Then prayer or song before the first meal of the day, and a devotional reading at breakfast after looking outdoors at what the wind and snow

had done!

All day long, teaching our children to do their work responsibly without complaining, grumping and fighting,

to do their studies diligently, 

while also taking time to have fun,  to sled or ice skate,
and to have adventures like watching the grader finally coming down our road after the storm is over!

Just love this photo!

 Teaching them by example to give thanks and look for the beautiful even when vehicles are half buried in snow.

To look for adventure instead of complaining and bellyaching. 

To be excited about the amazing creation of God.

That, too, is making a "church for God" in the middle of our daily lives.

To find joy in shoveling snow and in the beautiful light that wants to streak through our clouds.

There are anywhere from one to three feet of snow in many areas around our house, and some drifts were up to five or six feet over by the barn.

Outdoors, several of the family helped shovel snow after the wind died down.

 Inside, in the afternoon, I was checking lessons while Jonathan worked on business paperwork.

Carrie diligently reading her American Literature while Timmy also reads.

And then suddenly there was this great excitement over a mouse that had been caught in a trap,

and which was still alive! 

Danny let it out of the trap to feed the cat. 

Such is what happens when little boys are in the house on a snowy afternoon.

I sat there checking history tests and quizzes while the cat crunched mouse parts. 

Thank you very  much, Danny! Yuck!

And the snow plow created huge waves of snow.

And yes, discipline is part of the daily routine. 

When children accidentally on purpose "forget" the job Mom gave them to do, 

they must do a few more jobs--like vacuum the stairs.

 Amazingly, they did all the extra jobs cheerfully!

It was like an obedience game.

They like obedience games, where Mom gives them several things to do to practice obeying.

And does God sometimes give us "obedience games"--

just to practice?

I wonder, does He ever expect something from us just to train us,

just to prepare us for something ahead?

But always, it's with our best interests in mind, just like a mother or father who loves their child

will never just expect something on a cruel whim,

but will purposely train their children in  obedience for their own good later on. 

To think that is as important as leading an army for the Lord!

But then soldiers are made of mothers' boys--and the best soldiers are the ones obedient to the General.

And so, it was a big boost of encouragement to receive that sweet note from a friend this morning.

Thank you, Naomi French!

The Evening the Snowstorm Began--and "Does Job Serve God for Nought?"

Sunday morning the roads into town were snowy and icy, and by Monday morning, there was enough snow that Jonathan took the older children sledding behind his truck before leaving for work.

I don't say much about such stunts because the children LOVE it, and so do the dogs.

I just stay home with the little ones and try not to imagine any mishaps.

And so far, they all come home safe, freezing and very, very, very happy!

Here one dog has found a place on Sam's lap in the last toboggan.

That evening, they went for another ride, after rescuing a chicken that had fallen into the water and needed dried off in the house.

Danny rode in the truck with his daddy, but Hannah begged her mommy to play this game with her.

So I did. It's called Wordsearch, and it's great for helping children who are learning to read.

Here is a devotional thought that someone sent me a week or so ago, by Charles Spurgeon.

"Doth Job fear God for nought?"       Job 1:9

"This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright man of old, but there are many in the present day concerning whom it might be asked with justice, for they love God after a fashion because He prospers them; but if things went ill with them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God," Spurgeon writes.

If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord.  Their love is the love of the table, not of the host;
 a love to the cupboard, not to the master of the house.

As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this.  THE PROMISE OF THE OLD COVENANT WAS PROSPERITY, BUT THE PROMISE OF THE NEW COVENANT IS ADVERSITY. [emphasis added]  Remember Christ's words--"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit--What? "He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction.  "Alas!" you say, "That is a terrible prospect."  But this affliction works out such precious results, that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus.  Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod.

 Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire.  Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you.  When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future."

And then here is another quote from a page I read today as I was struggling through a tough afternoon hour after a busy day of work,

"The mistaken belief that life should be sweetsey, nicey, and without problems will make you quite miserable. With these ideas in mind, you will seek to avoid or run from trouble rather than overcome it.

Jesus tells us quite clearly that we will encounter negatives in this world and that there will be problems, trials, and temptations of all sorts. He said, 'In the world you shall have tribulation.'

He warned us of a devil, the enemy of God who seeks to destroy man; but then He said triumphantly,

"But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'

Steering Our Steer to the Freezer

When the steer, who has plenty of hay, decides to continually climb over the fence

and eat from our bird feeder

and act like he owns the place and things like that,

it is time to take him to his final resting place.
We had to wait for weeks until the butcher had time to butcher our steer.

Mr. Steer had broken the door off the little shed, knocked gates off hinges one too many times, and made himself nothing but a nuisance for weeks.
So the steer had been hanging now at the butcher shop, curing,  for almost a week when Sam brought it home.

The same day we ended up getting the meat home, we had company coming for supper.
And Danny tossed a big heavy bolt of some kind through the air--hitting my ankle smack dab.
So there I lay that afternoon with an ice pack on my ankle, on the couch, having done school in the morning, and defrosted two freezers with the children's help, with one still needing finished before filling them up with fresh meat.

And then I end up in bed, weak and hurting!
That's when Jonathan called, saying an extra person, whom I had only met once before, may be coming along with the company.
I hardly knew this lady, one with such a mixed up and difficult past, and I envisioned myself struggling to entertain her all evening. And I about fell through the floor.

"I can't do this!" I gasped to Jonathan. "I mean, I'm in bed!"
My house was not the greatest, dinner hasn't even been started, and I was weak in bed with an injured ankle.
"Well, I can call and tell them not to come," Jonathan said.
And that did it.
All of a sudden, I knew that I could not tell this woman not to come.
Did Christ ever tell somebody not to come to Him?
 This was not about me and my house and everything being perfect.

It was about someone who desperately needed God--and Jesus' love.
All of a sudden, I was changing my mind, and I was getting out of bed, and I was saying that I thought God was trusting us with another person to reach out to.
I was in tears. Weak or not, suddenly I felt that God was trusting us with this needy person
And that thought lifted me right out of bed!
In moments, I found myself recovering the strength I needed to help the girls get the house in order and dinner on.
God truly touched me and gave me strength when I didn't have it.
 Ward and Naomi French are such easy company.
I don't have to worry if the place is perfect or not. They are always kind and understanding.
And it was such a pleasure having Naomi's brother Tim and his ex-wife come along, too.
She loved the baby bunnies--as did Ward and everyone.

No end to the adventures, though, that evening!
I was busy washing up dishes in the kitchen while waiting for Jonathan to arrive for supper
when there was a terrible explosion right beside me!
Rose had taken the huge glass dish of lasagna out of the oven and set it on the stove top--
on a burner that was still on medium heat!

There went our supper!
Glass was everywhere, and we had to throw the lasagna away.
Here we are scooping lasagna mixed with broken glass into a box to be thrown in the trash.

Thankfully I had just bought some baked chicken marked down the day before, and so we baked that, and thankfully I had made baked beans already so we had enough supper--complete with a delicious very berry cherry cobbler--complete with pits!
We thought the home frozen cherries had been pitted, but when one after another announced how many pits they had found, we realized to our dismay that the cherries were not pitted!
"This supper has gone to the pits!" I laughed.
But pits or no, the cobbler with ice cream really put a nice ending on that meal.
Then, to add to the laughter, when Jonathan read Psalm 28, he read, "Save me, lest I be like unto those who go down to the pit!"
He had to stop reading for us to all laugh! Even Tim's usually so sober face lit up!
Isn't it amazing how God's Word is pertinent--and can even give you a laugh when you need it?

Well, after supper, Sam brought in the first quarter of our steer.
We had just found out that evening that Tim, pictured above, used to be  a professional meat cutter for 11 years for two different stores!

He was eager to help us and show us how to do it.
Here he is busy sharpening his knife.

I could not stop marveling that on the very evening we brought our steer home to cut up,
God sent an experienced meat cutter to our door to help us!
And I had almost said no!

What if I had said they could not come because my ankle hurt and my house wasn't perfect?
Because I didn't want to be bothered to open our home to someone who was toothless and needy and messed up?
What if I had closed my heart to God's gentle prodding?

Cutting out a chunk for roasts.

Tim came out again Monday, despite the snowstorm and helped us do up the last quarter, too.
We managed to get the two other quarters done ourselves--
cut off the bone and turned into roasts, steaks, burger and soup bones.

So Monday here are the rib pieces that Sam and the girls had sawed  into pieces with Tim's hand meat saw.

Packaging ribs. We love barbecued ribs.

I did a lot of wrapping and marking, besides cutting the scrap meat into chunks for the younger children to put through the big grinder so graciously loaned to us from our Hungarian friends.
Danny and Hannah loved taking turns putting the meat through, and then they bagged the ground beef.

When we took our last beef to a certain butcher in the area, we only brought 250 lbs. of meat home from a steer that weighed around 500 lbs. hanging weight (that means after being skinned and gutted and hung up to cure). So out of a one thousand pound steer, we'd only gotten 250 lbs of meat to eat.
We thought we could do better.
Doing it ourselves, we weighed over 400 lbs of meat, not including the liver and heart and tongue (oooh don't those sound delectable!) when we were done, out of the 500 lb. hanging weight.
Below Sam is watching and helping Tim, his strong young hand helping while the worn but skilled hand deftly cuts and trims the meat.

I'd say 155 extra pounds out of the same size steer was quite an improvement.  I believe we will do it ourselves from now on. We plan to pay the children for helping. There really weren't all that many pounds of bones and scrap that we gave to the dogs, either. There were a few pounds of suet that we saved to hang in trees for birds.

And so later I'll have pictures of buying a new steer calf at auction.

But before that, there will be photos of this incredible snowstorm.