Sunday, November 23, 2014

I love missionaries, today we got to meet ours that minister in Thailand, such lovely people.

Today at church was potluck, the Preacher calls it a buffet, but us northerner's call it a potluck.  It was great but the most special part was meeting our missionaries from Thailand.  We, Poppie and the kids had never met them but the Preacher and Pianists were old friends and had gone to church together before. They were truly a blessing to meet.  CS, the male missionary, was a jovial speaker he brought their life in Thailand to life for all of us in the audience. JS, sang the most wondrous song to us in Thai language, How great thou art.....  They love Thailand so much that they intend to die there and they think of it as home and America is just a place to visit now.  How glorious it was to meet two people so in tune with the Lord and in tune with the people they love and share the Lord's message of salvation with.   We got to hear of the Thai people that are now a part of their family because of the love they share with each other.  Their son was with them and he has just finished Bible Missionary School and will be doing missionary work with them.  I don't know if he plans to stay in Thailand or seek another placement, maybe the Lord hasn't told him as yet. 


I do love when missionaries come and share a moment of their lives with us.  It makes me aware that all of God's children are called to go and spread the news of the Gossips around the world.  Some are called to go half way around the world, some are called to missionary in their own neighborhoods and I suppose some are called to talk to you all here from a computer.  I do think that on some level speaking to you is a bit like being a missionary.  Some one out there may have not heard the blessed news of Christ Jesus and I could be the one to bring the gossip to them if only in a little way.  I do hope that is so. 


Luke 10:2, Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.


I hope that I have watered and planted so the Lord will harvest many souls.  I pray you are among the ones already harvested into salvation by the Lord... tomorrow.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Words, so many in our lives, so simple, so big and a first thing a child must learn........ to become a child.

I often marvel at the thought of the Lord speaking the world into existence.  Have you ever thought of the miraculousness of speaking something into being? The Lord spoke the universe, the heavens, the world, animals and so much into being.  He didn't speak us into being he created us with his hand he formed the dust into man.  All else but man was spoken into being, do you ever wonder why? What made us, a little figure of dust, worthy of the Lords hands making us? Maybe the same thing that made us worth having a nail driven through that same hand as he died for us?  Why would the Lord love us like that?


John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 


The Lord who spoke the word that created all things, but us, was the Word (our Lord was the Word the Son of God) the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The Word formed us (man) with his own hand.  Later the Word became man, was killed by man (through the will of God, when that same hand was pierce threw and nailed to a cross), rose from the dead to save man.  The Word was man, to save man, from death.  The Word became our salvation and all it takes from man to accept salvation in the words, "I believe" through faith.  Where do we get the faith? from hearing the Word. 


Romans 10:17King James Version (KJV)
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.


So the Word (Lord) made us, The Word became man, was killed by man, rose from the dead (over coming death) gave us the faith to believe through his word, and awaits our words "I believe" to save us and give us salvation.  Yes, that is Grace, Grace is all from God, The Word gives you even the faith to believe and saves you by Grace...... so simply a child could understand right?  Funny how if we don't have the faith of a child, or as a child, we over think it and never believe something this simple. 


To believe is that simple, God made all, as the Word, we sinned, he gave us his son who was the Word, we killed him, God raised him, and if we believe we are given the Grace of God and that is Salvation....... Only a child would understand that, you can be God's child, believe it through Faith and Salvation is yours....... It only takes a word spoke to the Word and you become a child of God for all time......  Why is it that man makes it so much more complicated and drawn out, The Word just wants to hear the word.... tomorrow

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Today, I have to take great heed of my faith and know that God is in charge........ though we may not understand.

 




Sometimes I have days when I wonder what God has in mind, I know that God never makes a mistake and his ways are not ways known to man but days like today I have to really bring forth a great will to remember to trust God and have faith.  Yesterday same sex marriage was upheld in Montana,  today the president is going to wield his mighty pen and by pass congress, once again, to do what he wants rather than what America voted him in to do.  I know that God is in control but it gets harder and harder to understand where are government is going.  I do know that Revelation tells us that this is how it would be in the last days so maybe that is why God's will wills  our government to do this at this time.  I know that my time is not God's time frame so I pray that I will understand in the end and trust in the Lord when our country seems to be on a path to evil and destruction with our government at the lead.


Romans 13


1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject , not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery , Thou shalt not kill , Thou shalt not steal , Thou shalt not bear false witness , Thou shalt not covet ; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed . 12 The night is far spent , the day is at hand : let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.   




As an aside I do want to state that I don't disagree with same sex marriage because I hate or dislike anyone, I have a odd since of what marriage should be, maybe more so than most people who are against same sex marriage.  I believe that Marriage is a union of three.  (Funny a friend of mine told me her pastor's wife called it the marriage triangle, she must believe as I do) One man, one woman and the Lord as their guide in that sanctified by God union so therefore I don't actually believe in opposite sex marriage if it doesn't include God.  I believe that if you are not three being married you should go down to the Justice of the peace and have a civil union (a civil marriage) same-sex or opposite sex.  No, I don't believe Marriage exists out side of a relationship with God.  Funny how there is this big to-do about marriage like it was something that was always part of history and all of a sudden someone's rights are getting stepped on. Well it was always part of history if you have a Marriage of God, but I digress.  Did you know that marriage as we know it didn't exist out side of Church Marriages or State marriages, that were civil contracts between the extremely wealthy mostly to know who held all the money and inheritance of families, until 1639? Did you know it wasn't until 1830 – Married women were granted the right to own property in their own name, instead of being owned exclusively by the husband, and until then if you didn't have any money you didn't bother to get married if you weren't getting a Marriage sanctified by God, wow what does that say about the civil marriages from 1639 to 1830.  I really think that if you are fighting so hard to have something you should at least maybe see what it is you want to be part of..... Marriage was made of God and only he can acknowledge it as such, so I am all for civil marriages for all of the lost, same-sex or not. Climbing down from my soap box now..... I am praying that God lets us in on his plan for us in the foreseeable future, if not I know that he is in charge with, our lives, our marriages, our borders and our government and that is enough for me... tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Three days in a row, how long it has been since that happened....... ??

Yes, I am here again today.  I think back on the evolution of my blog and remember my vow, and those who know me know I seldom make vows because I think the Lord wants us to know that our word is our vow and we shouldn't have to make vows, but I have digressed..... Anyway, when I began blogging I vowed to do it every day for a year, and I managed to keep my vow, through sick and health, family, camping trips and busy days.  My second year I tried to keep to a daily schedule and for the most part probably did as well as possible but alas as you all know that this summer I fell away and didn't visit with you all that much and by the end of summer I found it had been a whole month that I had been absent and since then I have come by a couple time a month.  Well hurrah today is three in a row so we shall see how it goes from here.


I ended up with beautiful burnt orange soap dino's this morning when I released them from their molds, turmeric who'd a thunk.  I have used paprika and now I know that they are basically the same as a colorant.  I did make up and cut strawberry/cream and miracle oil French milled bars that are beautiful light pink (from the mica colorant I am trying to use up) and lovely pale green that is a mixture of the fish I made from the left overs of the light green dino's and the soap I rebatched.  I really love to make soap for those of you who don't know.  I think it is an art I can't live without and unlike my carving, that I may not always be able to do, I can always soap, well I do have to have the goats to make it perfect.  I can make it without them but they make it so much better.  I just remember yesterday that Cleo, my dear queen is 7 now, how time flies she was 18 months when I got her.  She does not provide milk as she is a meat goat but her dear Cora Beth ( you know from the Walton's) is half dairy and should be a good milker well there is the fact that she is a lot like her name sake so we shall see if she is in the end. But again I digress, I find that the more I talk with you all the more I tend to wander off but anyone that knows me knows that that is me..... sigh.


I did want to say that faith is on my mind of late but then I am not sure that it is not on the forefront of all my thought and has been for neigh on 5 years now.  I do so worry about all my children and am glad that in the last two years 3 have been saved.  One I think may never be drawn to God and I pray for her a lot but the other.  My dearest Mokie has probably always been my most faithful child but alas she has never been saved, may be like me she over thinks things.  I do know that in the last six months the Lord has really been at work in her life and I think she is seeing what God wants from her and will soon accept his call, I pray for it daily. 


You all know that I read a lot and no, I don't read much fiction, for those who really know me know that I am an addict and I have not read a contemporary novel since 1997. I have over the years explained it wrong in many ways I always said I didn't read fiction and I always mention that I had like historical romance that was enough of an explanation but I am not sure in the end that that is the crux of my addiction.  My real addiction is all novels that I can't walk away from in an instant might be a better explanation.  My addiction is not for the genre I have found, as I have aged, but the need to know what happens next above all else in my life.  I have been coaxed by friends to read a novel, and they good hearted they say I will not be drawn back into my addiction but alas would you ask an alcoholic to take a drink.  I began to assess my addiction under new light and have come to the conclusion it was never about the genre I read but the evil of not being able to understand that life, kids, family and God were so much more important than the need to know what happens to a make believe person or situation so I will continue to my death never reading another contemporary novel or even old novel that isn't a classic (no surprise there, most of them I have read and know what happens so I can walk away) children's book, what Nannie doesn't read to her kids and grands.  I will happily stay in my genre of the Bible, cookbooks and Christian literature, I think God had something to teach me and has been in the last few years specifically. 


I know that from my reading I have come to understand that unlike the modern generation that thinks that their path to God is of their own design I know that that is not so. I do know that our relationship with God is our own but not who the relationship is to be with.  The Bible  is the only living book that can lead you to God don't you and it tell us this.


 Romans 10:17King James Version (KJV)
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Matthew 7:14King James Version (KJV)14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Bible is very clear that the only way to have a relationship with God is through Jesus.  I have so many friends that believe in the great spirit, or the one true God or many other things they come up with as they don't want to talk about faith in Jesus Christ.  They think that their faith in "their" truth and "their" god will be enough and they will go to heaven because they are good people but that is not what the Bible says so I worry and worry about their souls and the loss they come to at death.  I recently was reading a book by Ann Graham Lotz, she told a story of having meant an old man in a foreign country after she had given a sermon ( not sure if it was actually a sermon or just a speach) but anyway.  An old man approached her with tear streaming down his face.  He said you have given me his name, I have worshipped a God I didn't know all of my life and you have given me his name.  I found that beautiful.  It is validation that our souls know God and seek him.  That if we have never heard of  Christ Jesus we will not be judges as harshly for not knowing him and accepting him as those who have heard the Word and walk away.  This man had worshipped Christ all of his life but did not know his name.  Those who know his name and still worship an unknown god will be lost.  I pray so much for the lost and so many of them are people who are dear to me who do not hear the Word of God.  Nothing is sadder than being almost persuaded but lost.... tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Back among the living I think, and dinosaur soaps.... adventures in color and I think I am finally perfecting it....

I have been sick about nine days but I think I am really on the mind this morning.  I only coughed up a little after a nights sleep and I am not quite as achy but as sure as I proclaim it I will relapse so we shall await and see.  I have had spurts of energy off and on this week not really enough to carve but I have drawn the carvings out and I have made soap....... yay.




I was at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago and I spotted some silicone molds, one of them was a dinosaur mold that I had wanted to buy but couldn't bring myself to spend 12 to buy and up to 8 to ship.  Another was a flower one that I had paid 10 for this spring at Joann's and then there was the cutest fishes that I thought would be good for the ones I donate to Belle for her toddler/infant sample bags. I was so pleased to get them all for about 4 dollar total, how cool right? 




I decided to use my spurts of energy to make soap in my new molds.  I got to play with colors more than normal as the dino mold only makes 6 bars so I had to make a batch a day to get more than just 6 bars.  On the first day I made plain goat milk color which if I work hard at it it is cream color, and I want to brag by saying most goat milk soapers can't get creamy white, kudos to me for my technique.  I next made dark green, a technique I have now pretty much perfected since I don't use colorants, well except for I had to buy some for my class last year and have decide to use them up in my French milled soap but that is another blog. I use only herbs or spice or heat of the soap to color with.  I made dark brown the third day, Poppie and Mokie says its purple (even cooler purple is really hard to make) and on the four day I went back to the green and got a wonderful olive color both greens made from varying amounts of my favorite green spirulina.  I think my dino's are well on there way to being little boys favorites.  Today I plan on yellow or maybe orange dino's they did come that color didn't they, who really knows but God as scientist haven't really a clue, so I will make them in the colors I like.  Here are the photos of my lovely little dino's.......




 
Well after trying for an hour to upload the photos I gave up and made the yellow soap well it is red, but that is good because red is hard to make.  I actually find I am now sick to my stomach, Poppie was yesterday so I think he shared.  Trying one more time (now several hours since I tried) to upload the photos...... Well no luck so asked for help from the homesteaders bloggers network they suggested I restart my computer, so while that happens I made my second batch of French milled soap I had grated yesterday.  I ended up making it strawberries and cream (pink) with miracle oil (green).  It smells nice and I hope it turns out pretty we shall see.  Well here goes another try at downloading.....


Well I managed to figure out how to put them in an album in google+ but they still won't load into my blog so I am at a stand still until I figure out how to do it the new way so no photos today.  I pray the Lord is Master of your life, you are saved in Christ Jesus and know that heaven will be you home.  If not I pray that you seek out the Lord and repent so you may know that you are saved in Christ Jesus..... tomorrow.



























 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

I have been a pebble in a pond at least twice in my life..... I wonder if in any other ways but I know twice in important ways??

There is a song about two people falling in love and the people their love brought into being.  I have been married almost 35 years and I can say that because we two people fell in love this world has a plethora of new souls.  If my count is right it is 15, I have 5 kids and 10 grandkids and eventually there will be more but not probably for a longtime as my to littles may be the only ones to have any more grands, who knows I might have great grands before I have more grands.......


Today I am not feeling well and have been sick about a week, but it came to me that I am the pebble in a more important ripple in a more important pond, okay I did say I was sick and my mind tends to wander.  It was about 4 years ago that it sort of started, I had just turned 50 and I really began to contemplate my life in Christ for the first time with real fear of God.  I had been saved when I was 16 but I can not on any level says I was much more that a Christian in name only, I was saved but I was not even started down a path to discipleship or being a Christian in truth.  I turned 50 and the Lord began to speak to me in ways he never had before.  I didn't know it at the time but the Lord began talking to Poppie soon after and he literally began the conversation by landing a tree on Poppie.  He will tell you, as part of his testimony of salvation that the tree was the Lord telling him he needed to be saved and become a Christian, but I digress.  I began reading my Bible and contemplating the years of not going to Church, the years of living sinfully, and the years of not using my life to become more Christ like.  I had periodically gone to Church, dragging Poppie along but you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink principle was all I had accomplished. Forcing Poppie to go to Church never got me any where, he couldn't be saved for me he had to do it for himself, himself.  I used any excuse to not go to Church, used my families Church to not seek another Church once our Church was no longer an option in our town.  I flat out was a saved person who had not even gotten on the path to being a Christian, or a disciple of Christ, little own gone down the path.  I decided that I had to quit being a Christian in name only because I was fooling no one that I was a real Christian least of all Christ Jesus. 


I began to pray and read my bible, then I read Christian literature to help me seek answers that for the most part I could tell you the answer but didn't know what the meaning of the answer was.  I talked it over with Poppie about 2 and half years ago and he said I could find a Church to go to.  I really investigated the options.  I knew having been raised in a New Testament Church, the church of Christ, I need it to be a local new testament Church or I could not go as I do have strong beliefs that I could not walk away from or throw out.  I knew I would be going to an alien church to me.  Poppie had been to a Baptist Church off and on as a child and I knew enough about the Baptist Church, as I had attend one in high school when I stayed behind to finish my junior year of school in Joseph Or.  We talked and decide that would be the first one we tried.  I knew some one that went to the local one, Belle goes to one in Zootown but I didn't want to go out of town, I knew it was important to me, and Poppie, to stay local so I asked her, Violinist, about hers.  She didn't give me much info but said we would be welcome to come. 


We got our nerve up and went the next Sunday, February of 2012.  We loved it, they were welcoming and loving.  We learned, as we had suspected that some of their rituals were different than what I was used to but we have learned to accept and know it is my difference not the Church I goto's difference.  I have changed some of my thoughts but I have to know it is God's will, in black and white, and some of the differences I will never change again because it is not black and white in the Bible.  Today I went to the Church I love and sat in a room of 30 plus people, 12 of whom are my children, grand children, sister, her child and grands (sometime the number of my family is 21).  Poppie has been saved, my two littles have been saved, my son saved, my son in law saved , my brother in law saved,(and more to come) and realized I was a pebble that had made a difference to one little Church and one big family.  I had stepped out and guided my family to a new Church, God had lead and I had followed and my family followed behind me..... I am no longer a Christian in name only, I am working on become a disciple with the command to go and make disciples of my fellow man, to lead others to the Lord...... tomorrow.