Our Rosie and Hannah to Be Baptized Tomorrow!

Earlier this week, we were invited by friends to attend a baptismal service Sunday at the Cowboy Church where we are friends with the pastor and people. 

The baptisms happen in a big trough (western style) in the front of the church!

That sounds so unique! 

Rose had trusted Christ as her Savior in July at the Mountain Majesty Tent Meeting in Colorado Springs, and had a desire to be baptized.

There aren't many opportunities to be baptized, so, wondering if Rose might be able to be baptized as well, we made a call to the pastor who was absolutely delighted to include Rose in the service of baptism!
It would only be as a statement of faith and not a joining of the church, as we don't attend there except on rare occasions, and have a lot of differences of beliefs.
Plus, the pastor wants Jonathan to do the baptizing! But more on that later.

This is an old fashioned pastor, an army vet, who has always been so welcoming to our family on the occasional Sundays when there were blizzards or bad roads or we couldn't make it to our church for other reasons. He is about to retire the end of this year.

Pastor Shumpert told us it made his day when we called asking about Rose being baptized along with the other candidate. He said he told his wife his day couldn't get any better!

It's such a delight to bring joy to others!

And if it makes a pastor friend happy, how much happier must God's heart be with a young lady and her little sister decide they are going to trust Christ and follow Him all the days of their lives!

Hannah has trusted Christ as well, and after coming along with Rose to meet the pastor and discuss baptism, she made the decision to be baptized, too. 

I had been hesitant when Hannah asked about it.

Did she understand? Had she really made a genuine commitment?

But I felt she had, as she has talked about asking Jesus to forgive her sins, and has a tender heart,

willing to ask forgiveness when she does wrong.

When I suggested she wait to be baptized till she is older and understands better, she got tears in her eyes.

And I thought of Jesus saying "Let the little children come, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

So we permitted her to "come." And she is sooo happy!

I think it is important for us parents to validate our children's faith, however simple, innocent and young they are. I believe it could save them years of fears and baggage. 

Rose was 16 before she felt assured; Hannah is half that age. All children are different in their readiness, aptitudes and understanding, and may we not hinder them but help them.

Most interestingly, this pastor likes to have the father help with the baptism if he is a Christian.

So--Jonathan will get the privilege of doing the dipping while the pastor "says the words."

Baptizing in a trough on a November Sunday morning!

We had never heard of baptism in a trough, but yesterday when our friends the Zarkovackis came over for a couple hours and played baseball together, 

Audrey told me that both she and her husband were baptized in a trough not far from here in a Conference Center. The church folk rented the conference center and a trough!

I guess it  may be a western tradition in some circles!

We are so excited!

If any of our friends happen to read this post before tomorrow morning, you are welcome to come join us and witness our two daughters' baptism!

Of course, I hope to have pictures later on!

I bought brand new white towels for the occasion, with red roses representing the blood of Christ, and white baby's breath representing the purity of heart we have in Him.

Remember Rose and Hannah in prayer tomorrow as they take this step of obedience to Christ.

Sage for Sausage and Salt 'n' Herbs for Goat Cheese--Are We Salty Enough?

A couple days ago, I turned our extra milk into goat cheese as usual.

I mixed in salt, parsley, basil, oregano, dried pepper flakes and rosemary, and hung the little bundle up to drip dry.

I always love turning the cheese out of the cheesecloth and seeing how round and smooth it looks,

with speckles of herbs and spices.

The goat cheese is so good with a few herbs added in.

We made sausage recently, too, with various herbs and spices mixed in:
home grown sage grown by Rose, and rosemary, for two of them. 

That soft, homemade goat cheese is always much more appealing with salt and herbs added,
and the sausage wouldn't be sausage without the salt and spices.
"Ye are the salt of the earth," Christ told His disciples. "But if the salt has lots its savor, how then will it be seasoned?" 
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt,
that you might know how you ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6
Grace is compared to salt.
The graces of kindness--and honesty, gentleness--and firmness, gratitude and problem-solving.

Our family was discussing this evening about our speech and how it affects others, and how our speech (or silence) affects others.
Sometimes our speech can hurt others, if we are mean or make comparisons or say things that make ourselves sound superior,
but sometimes our silence can hurt, too.
Just because we are silent does not mean we are kind.
Sometimes people keep quiet in certain circumstances just to save their own hides, and then the person who speaks up about things ends up taking the brunt of the criticisms
while the silent people who considered themselves wise for keeping quiet sigh with relief that they "stayed out of it" and don't have to suffer for speaking up or getting involved.
Or they join in the criticisms themselves--just later with people who agree with them so their hides won't be tanned.

That is not acting in truth, when we stay silent when it counts,

and then speak up when it doesn't count. 

I so appreciate the friendship we have enjoyed with the Zarkovackis, our home school friends, with whom we have been friends now for nearly 4 years. Audrey, the mother, has always been kind and gracious and unselfish. She has also been open and honest. She speaks up about any differences or disagreements, or things she is not comfortable with. I tell her I appreciate that so much, because I know exactly what is okay with her and/or her husband, and what isn't. And then I can respect her boundaries and she mine.  And she is always respectful.

Because of her honesty, unselfishness, and respect, (and I hope I have been the same with her) we have been able to remain good friends. I keep being amazed over and over that this lady who is so much more gracious and kind and sweet than I am remains friends and lets her children be friends with mine, when we are kind of hill billy and country hicks and blunt and a little messy and don't have our children and other things under as good control or as well disciplined as hers.
I think Audrey's behavior is a wonderful example of having salt.
"Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another." Mat. 9:50

When God Gives You Liver 'n' Onions and Purple Potatoes

What do you do when "Give us this day our daily bread" results in liver and purple potatoes?

I didn't even know purple potatoes existed until a few years ago!

But this year, Rose raised some various colored potatoes inside tires, including purple potatoes.

They looked very strange, but it was great fun cooking them whole!

I scrubbed a bunch of those wee white, red, and purple potatoes last night and cooked them whole for supper along with "poor man's steak."

Actually, those potatoes were delicious, and this below is Danny's serving. Hannah forgot there were a few more people to eat potatoes, and pulled out about half the purple potatoes herself.

So no problem getting my kiddos to eat purple potatoes--we had to stand up for our rights to have at least one purple potato apiece!

Tonight, I made liver and onions.

Now I don't know about you, but I'll be honest with you.

Liver 'n' onions is not exactly my favorite food to eat.

Liver 'n' onions and purple potatoes have never been on my favorite menus. 

But that doesn't mean I haven't eaten them, especially when we raised the liver ourselves or harvested it from an elk in the mountains of Colorado! It was elk liver tonight.

You just don't waste that good meat.

You eat the liver and the purple potatoes and the peas and carrots like a good little girl.

But I'll tell you a secret.

When I make liver 'n' onions for supper, I always make a nice dessert.

This evening, Rose and Hannah made gingerbreads while I cooked supper. 

Gingerbread is one of my favorite desserts, complete with iron-rich blackstrap molasses and honey and half rye flour.  I LOVE anything with molasses!

So there we were with our plates of liver, rice, and corn--topped off with gingerbread and icecream!

Sometimes I think God serves us liver 'n' onions on our plates, and even purple potatoes.

And He, like a wise father who is interested in the health and growth of His children, 

expects us to eat it.

Liver, tomatoes, peas, asparagus, avocado, squash, onions, purple potatoes, and humble pies.

Boy, we never know what new meat or vegetable He'll put on our plate and just say,

"Now, you need to eat that. It's for your good."

 But like an understanding mother who knows that some things are just pretty hard to gag down,
doesn't our heavenly Father permit us a few gingerbreads to encourage us after eating our vegetables?

If we then, "being evil, know how to give good gifts" unto our children, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"

How much more will He give the best gift--better than gingerbread!
So for this, for our vegetables and liver and humble pies,
and for every lip-smacking gingerbread,
and, Father in heaven, for the precious gift of Your Holy Spirit,
we give thanks, with a grateful heart.

Congratulations to My Sister Dorcas and Ben on Their Silver Anniversary!

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of my older sister Dorcas and her husband Ben.

Congratulations, Ben and Dorcas!

 I still remember when they were just getting to know each other, while I was teaching in Honduras.

Ben's family met ours when my family had a music program several hours away from home.

Later, both Ben and Dorcas traveled with a team sharing gospel literature in Ukraine.

The day after I arrived home from Honduras, Dorcas showed her slides of her trip, and I knew right away that Ukraine was where I was supposed to go.

She just knew that this wonderful, kind young man who had gotten her roses during their trip to Ukraine was probably going to be her future husband.

And he was! 

They have nine children, of which these are the youngest seven, because the two oldest are both married now, and my sweet sister Dorcas is a grandmother and also a grandmother-to-be for a second time, since her daughter Annette just announced that she is expecting her first! 

 Oh, boy, I am awash with memories, and it doesn't help that

Crystal is playing a beautiful hymn arrangement on the piano right now, "Savior Like a Shepherd, Lead Us," 

and Hannah is singing with her.

And of course, I'm thinking of Dorcas's beautiful, low voice and the solos she used to sing and the ones she still does at times while accompanying herself on the organ or piano.

God has been very, very good to us!

To Him we owe all our gratitude for the 25 happy years He has given Dorcas and her Ben and their nine children.

Thank You, Jesus, that you won't leave anyone out who loves You!

We all owe You a debt of gratitude in this beautiful Thanksgiving season!

And now--back to my Wednesday mending and putting up Thanksgiving bulletin board in the schoolroom!

 

Remodeling Creates a Lot of Dust!

We made three trips up to this cabin in the mountains, when he had hoped to have it done in two trips!

The first time we were there about four days, the second time two days, and then yesterday we were there just one day, having driven up after spending the morning and afternoon helping at Denver.

The church was basically on our way to the cabin, so that was handy.

 Three different inspectors came in yesterday to check off various inspections on the permit. Here at the beginning of the job, Jonathan got the walls framed for the powder room in the loft.

He cut down the three-layered pipe going up from the gas fireplace.

Timmy  measured two-by-fours.

They drywalled after framing, Timmy helping in between schoolwork during the day.

Here is one corner from the outside (in the bedroom) after the drywalling on the outside wall was done.

Talk about dust in the air ! (I spent hours cleaning yesterday, washing curtains, dusting, scrubbing!)

Two of Jonathan's work guys traveled up with Sam and helped with cutting out a door in the wall and many other things. There was still much left to do, but the framing was done, and the outer walls drywalled and would soon be mudded and painted.

Sometimes our lives need a bit of a remodel, unless, of course, you are one of those people who is never wrong, can't accept any criticism (or anything imperfect in the other person) and at some spiritual high point of your life suddenly and instantaneously became superior to 99.999% of the rest of the population, including the population in the church.

No one has ever doubted that behold, you (along with perhaps, possibly, and maybe unlikely your spouse and two other people) are the one and only Mr. or Mrs. Perfect with every hair in place, every i dotted and every t crossed, who never does anything in the flesh or makes any sort of mistake and never, ever sins.

The rest of us are--well, pretty dusty.

In those instances where you may be an ordinary human Christian like the rest of us, 

there are times when we need to make changes to our little earthen cabin. 

Correcting problems, deleting bad character qualities or adding and building good character qualities is not an easy matter. First of all, we have to admit that we need a bit of remodeling and who wants to admit your cute little cabin isn't perfect?

Second, it is a lot of work, and who wants to have to work hard?

Aren't we just supposed to let Jesus do all the work--while we watch video games and browse Facebook and read or write blogs and talk on the phone and gossip about the people who aren't perfect like us?

Thirdly, it requires change, and who wants to leave his comfort zone, climb out of his deep rut, or mess up his cozy little cabin and actually change something?

Isn't the cabin good enough with just one bathroom?

Plus, we all know that it is always the other guy who needs to change, remodel, and fix his messy little cabin!

Also, usually, quite a mess and quite a bit of dust is created in the process of changing something.

It is much easier to just leave things the way they are and keep clean, safe, and secure.

It is much too hard to humble ourselves or take risks or work hard and trust God and make changes by the grace of God.

It is also much too hard and risky to talk to someone else about possible improvements or changes or corrections you both need to make in your lives or in the relationship between you and them. 

It is much easier (at least temporarily) to ignore problems and pretend they do not exist.

The mess and the dust and the hurt feelings are too much bother.
We don't like to deal with any hurt feelings, so we must leave everything the way it is--even though hurt feelings are simmering underneath anyway on a regular basis. 
On the other hand, we may discover that while there are things we need to take risks for and work on remodeling in our life or character, there may be other areas where we need to learn to rest more in the Lord.

When the dust has settled, masking tape is taken down after painting, drywall mud has been washed off the doorways, and things are put to rights the best we can at the time,

we really don't need to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.

God really is the One Who will take care of the impossibilities related to our cabins,
our problems, and our remodels. 

It really is He Who makes us into His image.
Hard as we may try, it's only as we trust in Him to do what we can't do that it really turns out to be a pretty fantastic remodel job!