Fluffy Sand for Milk Cows--and How Not to Become Weary in Well Doing

This summer, while visiting friends, we got a trailer load of hay for a very good price.

While there we also visited a nearby Non-GMO dairy farm.

It is not organic, but they do make sure all their feed is certified non-GMO.

With 1500 head of dairy cows, (and the overseer told us that is a small dairy!) they use up tons of feed every day.

Ground corn is mixed with various other grains.

Straw is added for fiber.

Then molasses is added from this huge container and mixed in. You can see the dark liquid drizzling in as a mixer stirs inside the huge feed container.

One of the most interesting things we were told was that every two or three days, this machine pictured below is used to fluff up the sand used for the cows' bedding.

As you can see, there are stalls for the cows to bed down in at night, and each cow seems to know which stall she belongs in.

The workers could leave the sand as it is all the time, but when the machine churns the sand up nicely every couple of days, it is sort of like you having a new mattress that hasn't been lain on for 20 years and doesn't have any spring anymore. 

Fluffed up sand for bedding literally increases milk production by approximately 4 or 5 pounds of milk a day!

He said that when "the girls are happy," they make lots of milk! 

They have everything figured out scientifically so that as much milk is produced as possible--for these cows that means around 13 -14 gallons a day. They are milked three times a day and when they don't produce more than 10 or so gallons, the cow is no longer used for milk.

Comfortable, daily rest is very necessary for the milk production in these cows.

And rest for our minds and hearts is necessary in our Christian walk to produce abundant fruit in our lives.

 I couldn't help thinking about the Lord.

He has said, "Come unto Me and rest."

He wants us to come to Him not so that we can sit around doing nothing all day, 

but so that He can refresh us for the good work of "doing good."

Every day, He fluffs up the sand of our hearts with a fresh promise, or a fresh verse, or He speaks to us from a hymn or a song,

or we are encouraged by a friend or a pastor or a mentor. 

Every day we grow weary.

Yet God wants to keep us fresh and rested so that we do not become discouraged and weary in doing good. How can this be?

Today's devotional from Desiring God about not growing weary in doing good was one of the most inspirational and encouraging messages I have read in a long time.

David Mathis writes: "Those who genuinely “do good” will be tempted soon enough to grow weary. Give yourself to doing good for others — on God’s terms, to fulfill his calling — and it’s just a matter of time before you will be tempted to tire...

When doing good gets tough — and it will — Paul does not simply say, “Don’t quit.” He says, “Do not grow weary.”
...God means for his people to give our lives, what precious little time we have, to “doing good.” ... That kind of doing doesn’t simply “overflow” or happen effortlessly. It takes intentionality and practice and planning. “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

 

“Doing good” is not just for peaceful, convenient times in our life, but just as much for seasons of suffering and conflict. [italics mine.] “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19; see also 1 Peter 2:15). Are we excused from “doing good” when wronged? “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). How do we fight back against the darkness? “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."...

First, when tempted to grow weary, ask with open hands, Am I “doing good,” on God’s terms, for others’ good and not just my own? Am I serving others, or self, with my sense of calling? When resistance comes, internally or externally, we do well to ask about the nature of the opposition:

• Is this resistence a gift from God?
• Are people who manifestly love me trying to helpfully redirect me?
• Am I being opposed by those who aren’t defining “good” on God’s terms?
• In my “doing good,” am I seeking my own glory instead of God’s (John 7:18)?

Opposition presents us with the opportunity to humble ourselves and test our labors. The temptation to weariness begins as a chance to check our own hearts. As we release our grip on what we’re doing, we can test to what degree it is “good,” and whether it might be better. Are we truly serving the needs of others, or just actualizing our own selfish desires?"

For the whole article here is the link: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-grow-weary-doing-good

A Woodpecker's Surprise Visit--and When God Surprises Us, Too!

"Oh, look! A woodpecker!" Rose gasped this morning as she looked out our sliding glass door.

Her announcement interrupted the quiet studies of the three younger children who were doing their school work.

Sure enough, there was our friend, Mr. Woodpecker, probably the same one that I had seen a couple weeks ago on the trunk of the tree just outside my bedroom window.

On that day he was not alone! Mrs. Woodpecker was there with him!

Mr. Downy Woodpecker had just kept darting about up and down and around the tree trunk, as well as all about in the branches.

I was able to get several pictures of him. 

It was a lovely surprise!

A little like how it feels when the Lord suddenly pays you a surprise visit like He did this morning just before Carrie called for lunch, when I had come to sit down and read the emails.

There was one from Ed and Heather Durham (under HIM in Hungary and Slovakia) about an orphan named Anna who is a new girl at Bridge of Hope girls' transition home in Slovakia, the home where Carrie, Hannah, Jonathan and I had gone two springs ago to help put in a second bathroom, prep for painting the upstairs hall, work on another bedroom, and do other needed projects.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I read about this precious girl with my same name, and saw her picture, and read that she is attending church services, Bible studies, and youth services, and now she has asked to be baptized!  I thought how precious this unwanted girl is in God's sight. There is a home that wants her! There is a God that wants her!

And as I couldn't help laying my head down on my desk to thank God for this priceless piece of news and to pray for Anna and Natasha, the girls' home director, I felt like the Lord just suddenly came for a little visit.

Like that friendly woodpecker had suddenly appeared, God came gently out of nowhere.

All of a sudden, I thought of that wonderful trip to Slovakia about 19 months ago, and the work we'd done at the transition home, and how sick I was for days. But how much we had enjoyed our time there with Natasha and the girl who was living there at the time. 

And I remembered, too, the time probably 19 years ago in Ukraine, when Natasha, the girls' home director now, who was a college student then, was sitting in the kitchen of our log home with me, telling me sadly that she didn't think she had many talents, and didn't feel like she was worth anything.
And how I had explained several Scriptures to her about the value of us women in God's sight, even if we are just a homemaker and mother.
God loves to pay surprise visits to let us know we are worth something!
He gave me a surprise visit right there today, after reading that email.
He reminded me of the small part I had to play behind the scenes in this scenario, and how that small part, along with many others, was all part of His great big plan, for the lives of those in this transition home for orphans.
His surprise visit let me know my living was not in vain.
I had just come home Saturday evening after our daughter Carrie's violin recital, (she's the violinist in the center of the picture below) and after we got home, I sat in my seat in the van after Jonathan got out.

For a moment, I felt like a nobody who was not worthy of existing.
I guess it had something to do with how much of my early life included being involved in public music ministry and missions, and how little if any I am involved in music or what is typically thought of as "missions" or "ministry" anymore.
And I said something about this sense of worthlessness to Jonathan who came to open my door. 
There had been lots of somebodies there at the recital--teacher, students, accompanists, moderator, pastor of the church, photographers.
The next day there would be somebodies at church--pastor, mission director, Kids Club teacher, pianist, etc.
I was a nobody.
But I had made myself get out of the van. Resolutely I got a little food ready to eat.
I started washing dishes at the sink thinking, "Jesus, I'm washing these dishes for You."

In those acts, there had been a little bit of dying,
and a little bit of living.
Dying to being up front or being seen or heard, or even making a difference for somebody,
and being willing to just do an ordinary kitchen duty that wasn't very exciting.
Just God noticing.
But there was a little bit of living, too.
Doing the dishes for Jesus made it something beyond doing dishes.
It was doing this duty for Him.

I wasn't being a missionary or a spectacular person or a leader or a singer or musician or Sunday school teacher or someone up front,  just doing my common, ordinary housework at home with nobody to see except family, on purpose for Jesus.
By faith. No special surprise visit from God in those moments.
Just a resolute doing of my duty and being content with just that.

 

God's surprise visit let me know my dishwashing and cooking for my family and my interest in missions and unwanted girls was not in vain.  

Right now my three daughters are gone to town to play their instruments for an invalid.
It was their idea, not mine, though I had gotten them started last year. It is an incredible satisfaction to me to see my children choosing on their own to go use their newly gained musical skills for someone who can't get out and who is suffering.
No, I'm not somebody great or somebody up front.

But when God pays you a surprise visit, you know that you are valued!
You are worth something to Him!
And your living shall not be in vain!

Car in the Ditch on the Sabbath Day

Well, it wasn't exactly in the ditch. It was clear down the bank in the grass 50 feet from the shoulder of Interstate 25 this morning on our way to church.

We had started on our way to Denver where we were excited to get to hear our friends Wilmer and Linda Paulus tell about God's Missionary Church missions. (Here is Linda showing Hannah how to crochet a bookworm yesterday when they stayed to dinner with us. Wilmer had gone with Jonathan down the road to the ranch where our kids work, where everyone got to participate in a branding.

(Not something I enjoy, so I stayed home with Linda where we could crochet, mop, make lunch and visit.)

Anyway, they were supposed to be at our church in Denver this morning, but snow started piling up and causing all manner of traffic problems, so the Pauluses decided to stay put in the Springs where Foothills Missionary church switched to have the Pauluses speak in the morning. We started on our way to Denver, planning to help with Kids Club as usual in the afternoon, but the van spun out going up the first steep hill, and snow continued coming down heavily, so even though we backed up a long ways and got over the first hill, it just didn't seem like we should try to do that 90 mile drive today. 

We decided to instead attend at Foothills as we really wanted to hear the Pauluses anyway, but we had slow going to get there.

Down the interstate one car after another was along the side of the road, having slid clear around and facing the wrong direction.

This one was way down the bank.

Jonathan saw it first, and decided to pull over to see if we could help.

We had three big strong boys in our van besides Jonathan. 

And just as we parked, we noticed another vehicle behind ours pulling over, too.
Later we learned they had been called by the car's driver to help, and they just happened to arrive as we did.

Two men jumped out of that vehicle, and soon the men were hurrying down into the snowy grass to see if they could push this car out.

They did!

At one point, it spun out, and Jonathan encouraged the young man to let off the gas and not spin it out.

The young man was also afraid of flying over the shoulder now that they were pushing, and sliding into oncoming traffic.

But little by little, they got the car over the hump and back on the shoulder safely.

The older man in the orange jacket caught Jonathan's attention after the little car with its young driver was safely back on the highway and going on his way.

He told him they had come on purpose to help.
"We couldn't have done it without you," he said appreciatively, offering his hand. "Thank you for being good Samaritans!"
The boys and Jonathan climbed back into our va.
I thought about the helplessness of the young driver 50 feet down the bank. Observing the tracks, it appeared he had tried to get out on his own.
Observing the two men who parked behind us, we knew they could not have pushed him out on their own, either.
And there are so many places and times in our lives when we have found ourselves in a stuck place.
Maybe we've not necessarily run off the road or gotten ourselves stuck in a ditch,
but we are just plain helpless.
Maybe we call someone for help, and they come or they offer suggestions, but they can't really get us out of our predicament.
It takes "Somebody Bigger Than You and I."
It takes a Greater Hand, a Mightier Help.
That is found in Jesus Christ, our help in time of trouble, our Hope when all else fails.

And how kind He is! He sees right away when we are in trouble, and with so much more readiness than we stopped to help,
He "stops by" just to help.
I wonder if He loves the adventure of it, just like we did?
It is totally exilerating to help someone helpless and see hope on their face and feel appreciation in their handshake.
How much more must God love to help His people when they call on Him?
Yes, "Before they call I will answer," says the Good Book.
Thank You, Jesus, for being our Almighty Helper!

The Oldest Church in Colorado

 A few weeks ago as Jonathan and I were heading to the mountains where the rest of the family was elk hunting, we decided to stop along the way at this oldest church in Colorado.

On the phone as we were driving two vehicles and making plans to stop, I told Jonathan that I would like to spend a few quiet moments there.  It was Sunday afternoon and we'd spent the morning with friends.

I didn't know this oldest church was Catholic.

I have to admit, when I saw the idols, the images, the candles there with suggestions for donations, I really didn't want to stay

and pray.

The idols and images just didn't lend themselves to my personal idea of worship, especially after reading for weeks about different Reformation leaders who were martyred by Catholic church leaders of that day.

 Jonathan and I told Danny and Hannah, who were with us, that thankfully nowadays here in America, Catholics and Protestants alike can worship in freedom. That is what America has been about.

Just inside the door was a sign that I liked very much.
(See, I can find something to appreciate even in a Catholic church!)

Christ Himself said that His house was to be a house of prayer.

Not a den of thieves.

Thieves that steal not just money but joy, peace, love, reverence.

Thieves that steal one's ability to worship.
Somehow I appreciate the request for respect and for prayerfulness
 as well as the request for focus upon the things of the Lord
by turning off our phones and devices.
Could we learn something from this Catholic Church?
******

So there we were, quietly going up the aisle (for there is such a thing as respect even when you don't at all agree) and looking at everything.
You can see a huge dark brown urn there in the center of the front of the church, for "holy water" to baptize babies, I suppose.
Just recently in our home school group, we mothers were discussing baptism and different beliefs, since one of the mothers has come out of the Catholic Church and into fundamental Bible-believing churches.

"In corporate worship," writes David Mathis of Desiring God, recently, "we gather together expectantly, reminding ourselves that God is our giving Father. This is who he is. This is what he loves. God delights in cheerful givers because he himself is one. This is what he produces in the hearts of his people. Not dutiful, reluctant, obligatory worship, but willing, eager, cheerful praise. The kind of worship that comes to him as a rewarder, not a killjoy. As a treasure, not a troll. As the great satisfier of our souls, not as a slavemaster conscripting our service."

"What is the heart of corporate worship? Enjoying Jesus together."--David Mathis of Desiring God.

Not worshipping a picture or image, but truly enjoying Him in Spirit and in truth.

Veterans' Day Tribute to My Wonderful Uncles

(I've been saving this post I wrote a long time ago for Veterans Day.)

This summer my mom wrote about her sister, (my Aunt Rhonwen) and Uncle Jack stopping by to see them there in Missouri.

My parents, aunt and uncle were reminiscing about long years ago, and came to find out that Uncle Jack (his nickname) went into the navy about the same time as my dad went into the air force.

(This is Timmy checking a beehive at a friend's place I took him to)

Jack visited 30 countries, and then met my aunt Rhonwen while she was a nurse for his mother in a hospital. He was apprenticed as a meat cutter, did meat cutting for a while, then moved to Florida where he ran a lawn care business for years. Then he and my aunt kept a motel successfully for 20 years. My aunt Rhonwen worked as a nurse until a few years ago. Now they enjoy taking their motor home and going traveling sometimes.

My  mom said how wonderful family ties are! This is the second time Rhonwen and Jack have stopped in there at Missouri to visit my folks.  

So that set me to thinking about my other uncles, too. I think Timmy takes after the Morley side of the family, with the same gifts and creativity that his grandad Morley and two great uncles had. 

My Uncle Warren, who passed away some years back, lived to be 85 years old. He was 14 years older than my dad. Uncle Warren was in the army in World War II, and worked as an ambulance driver. 

He rarely talked about it. I can only imagine the sights and sounds that he heard during that time.

Back home after the war, he married, had four children, and worked at a factory called the Cooper Bessemer in Grove City, PA. That is where my other uncle, Rod, worked as well.
Uncle Warren would ride his motorcycle to work and then come home after 3 o'clock and work in his garden or other hobbies, such as raising bees and beagles and homing pigeons.
We seldom went to visit Uncle Warren and Aunt MaryLou without coming home with fresh produce from their lush garden or a pigeon to keep or some nugget of new knowledge.

Then there was my Uncle Rod, seven years older than my dad. When Rod was about 11 years old, he was run over by a vehicle and was in the hospital for about a year. He feels it was his mother (my grandma) and her soups and constant care that brought him through. He has limped on a stiff leg throughout the rest of his life, but my uncle Rod was definitely beloved by us children! His stiff leg didn't hold him down. He worked at the factory all his life till retirement, and now at 89 years old, (at the writing of this post), he was still walking a mile or two or three every day, stiff leg or not.

 He always had a twinkle in his eye, always paid attention to each of us children, teased us, played with us, showed us his hobbies (making lamps decorated with the cutest miniature outhouses or cabins), and gave us rides on his horse when we were young. He treated his wife Barb (whom he called "Barbie Doll") with great love and respect even when she was so crippled with arthritis that she was in a wheelchair, and passed away probably around 25 or 30 years ago.

He has been an incredible example of overcoming one's disability and going on cheerfully with life.

These are my uncles, two of whom served in our nation's military, and with whom our family kept in touch while we were growing up,

and still try to keep in touch with. 

When one of my uncles ended up in the hospital recently, my mom notified all of us and I for one sent cards and news.

I remember clear back when I was young that my  mom used to write a letter to her parents every week on Tuesday. Our family tried to go visit our grandparents almost every year in Florida whenever it was possible. Ever since her parents' death, my  mom has kept in touch with her sisters by card and phone. I am so thankful that I have a mom who values family and keeps in touch with them--

and every once in a while reminds us all of the stories of our heritage--

including two of our uncles who, along with my father, served our country during World War II or the Korean War.  

****

Losing Prayer Lists--and What Are the Rules for Quiet Times with God?

I keep losing my prayer lists--probably because I take one in my pocket on my walks, or take it along in my purse on a trip to town, or--as you can see in this picture, leave it on the front porch swing with my gloves and water bottle to get snowed on!

I seem to be really good at losing prayer lists and then having to struggle through my prayer time trying to remember who I am supposed to pray for that day!
I do better when I have something written down to guide me; and journaling my thoughts when I read my Bible is a blessing to me.
It was such a comfort to read that even such a famous speaker/author as Dr. John Piper needs to write his thoughts down.
He said,
"I cannot get clarity in my mind about biblical texts
or the will of God
or relationships
 or ethical or social issues without writing."
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-does-john-piper-journal?

But sometimes do you ever end up wondering if prayer lists are the Lord's idea or somebody else's?
When my list gets lost, I wonder if God has another plan for my prayers that day.

So that is why  it is such a comfort to read in the blog of another of my favorite writers/bloggers a couple days ago:

  "Wouldn’t you say that guilt is an interesting accoutrement" [I think that means accompaniment??] "to the classic Christian 'quiet time' of spending time reading the Bible and praying? I recently talked to some women who felt guilty because of their Bible study habits or lack thereof.

Where does much of this guilt come from? I’ll tell you where –it comes from not having any actual rules about quiet times.

Do you realize there are no rules about having quiet times?

Nowhere in the Bible will you read: “Thou shalt read x amount of verses or thou shalt burn in hell” or “Thou shalt pray for three and a half hours or you are a slacker. S.L.A.C.K.E.R.”

There simply aren’t any rules about spending time with God. We just know he loves us and wants us to value his Words and talk to him nonstop.

Let me tell you that I love no rules. This is my briar patch. No fences. No list. Doing whatever I imagine, with every ounce of my creativity. Total artistic license. Yeeees. When I realized there were actually no quiet-time rules, it opened the door for me to have joyful, awake, vibrant times with God instead of guilt-driven, am-I-doing-this-right experiences.

But I know you (most of you), and no rules makes you need to breathe in a paper bag. So I want to give you an idea that allows for freedom but with a little baby fence around it:"
And Christy keeps writing:

"Build Your Own Quiet Time Basket

"A basket has edges. Does that make you feel better?

But your basket can be little or big. It can be made of tin or hand-woven fabric or wooden twigs or even just cardboard from a leftover Costco run. (But please tell me you care a little more about aesthetics than that, because pretty matters.) It can have handles or no handles. Covered or not covered. Expensive purchase or a great thrift-store find.

Now, what to put in it! Well, the two main activities you’ll want to include in your quiet time are reading the Bible and praying, but what about supplies? (Fun! Supplies are so fun.)

If your soul is a please-just-tell-me-what-to-do-and-I’ll-copy-you soul, then just follow my lead. But if you like to be creative, use my list the way you would a good sourdough starter. So here’s what’s in my quiet time basket:"

But that is where I will leave you to check out the rest of her devotional at the following link:
https://christyfitzwater.com/build-your-own-quiet-time-basket/

I LOVED that idea and wanted to share it.

Of Elections--and Our Father's Discipline Meant for Good

Yesterday our four ballots went into the ballot box in town. There were loooong lines of cars streaming in to the East Library where a ballot collection place had been set up.

Don't think I'm proud of how our beautiful state went so incredibly liberal--the boys told me almost every seat available went to Democrats, except, thankfully, our El Paso county voted for Lamborn again, a conservative. 

Praise God the Senate still has Republican majority. 

I didn't spend much time checking on election results as there was too much to do--like putting away laundry and teaching school and checking lessons and stacking wood with the children outside, and washing a big huge batch of beets and putting them on the woodstove to cook for making pickled beets--

and other sundry womanly chores.
We must trust that God will work even evil things for our good.

Today I read, "When God deals finally with the wicked, he will wipe them out forever..., but when he comes to us, "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” ... If we are his, hidden in his Son, not one ounce of our pain is punishment. Proverbs says,

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
     or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
     as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11–12)

This article was about how "The Bible Comes Alive in Conflict." from the following link:

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-sweetest-words-for-the-deepest-wounds
It was a precious article to me; I hope some of you might read it if you are in any conflict.

"If we are his children, any pain we are feeling is ultimately our Father’s loving kindness meant to lead us into righteousness, peace, and joy. Even in our worst trials, when someone we love wants to do us harm, God relentlessly wields every moment, every conversation, every injustice in love for us — and not against us."

  *******************************************

"When conflict comes, and your soul weighs heavy, and the heartache stands tall, don’t let your Bible lie closed. Expect the words of God to hold you up like nothing else can."--Marshall Segal

I'm afraid this post is a bit haphazard, but here is another quote I read recently that I saved to share.

"Look deeper into the Reformation, and you will see that it’s more than printing presses and theses nailed to doors and theological debates. It’s the story of ordinary believers, husbands and wives and fathers and mothers, poised in the words of Scripture, reclaiming the primacy of Jesus Christ for their lives, their marriages, their families, and their eternal hopes, who stand as a cloud of witnesses calling us to do likewise. They call us to hold our biblical convictions without wavering, to enjoy God’s earthly blessings, and to endure all momentary afflictions now for the great eternal joy set before us."

Tony Reinke of Desiring God