Springtime

By Pearl-April 3rd, 2020

It has been pretty nice outside lately, around 60-70F. Yesterday, Skye, Heather, Rose, and I cleaned the chicken house. Several of us tied hankies over our noses to keep out the dust. We put several wheelbarrows full of the chicken house scrapings on the side of the garden that we plan to plant corn and squash in next month.  After we cleaned the chicken house, we did some orchard work and Skye and I also planted lettuce, peas, radishes, and carrots in the garden. Laurel also planted a blueberry plant.

Grandma’s violets are all busy blooming right now.

The fruit trees are all in bloom- peaches, pears, etc., and also the wild plums behind the pond.

As I write this, I am shaking a quart jar of cream, making butter. The cows make more cream at this time of year, so I have been making butter these past few days.

We are hoping for some new kittens coming soon, too.

Here are some more pictures of our family recently.

This is a flicker. Heather and I used Heather’s binoculars and a phone’s camera together.

Psalm 62

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.

How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work.

~~~

 

Abolition in Oklahoma and Missouri

March 2020

In mid-February we attended an abolitionist rally in Oklahoma. For the third year, Senator Joseph Silk has introduced a bill (SB13) to abolish abortion in the state.

 

There was about 2000 abolitionists attending the rally, about 1500 more than last year. And it was pretty chilly outside, maybe 35-40F with a cold north wind. After the rally, we all headed inside. There was one group of protesters, 18 total (and most or all were from out-of-state). Extra State Troopers were sent to protect the pro-abortionists.

As we walked to the Senate Gallery, we sang some psalms, hymns, and songs. At one point, while we were singing psalms on the third floor, one of the pro-abortion protesters next to us attempted to play her ‘music’ out loud and was trying to get a man on the first floor to sing to it. She turned it off after a little while. The women in red are dressed as some characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, a perverted fictional story.

The Senate Gallery was full, with only standing room left, and some people stood in the hallway outside. The Senate adjourned after a short session.

At about 3pm, we headed out to the van, ate a late lunch, and began the drive home.

~~~

On February 19th, we went to our abolitionist rally in Jefferson City. Representative Mike Moon sponsored the Missouri abolition bill, HB2285.

Most of the abolitionists at the rally (between 100 and 150 total) were from Missouri. There was one small group of 6-8 protesters. Their shirts said something like ‘teenagers advocating for safe healthcare’. Murdering unborn babies is definitely not real healthcare!

Rusty Thomas (a speaker-from Operation Save America) was surprised to see the Bible verses on the arches around the rotunda. He said, “This is amazing! Even the rocks are crying out!”

If you live in Missouri, call and ask your Representative to co-sponsor this bill (HB2285). As of March 4th, 2020, we have 5 co-sponsors.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land… ~Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Other States that have abolition bills: Washington State has HB2154, Alaska has HB178, and Kansas also has an abolition bill. Indiana’s HB1089 was denied a hearing, and Idaho has the Idaho Abortion Human Rights Act, which was denied a committee assignment. Also, the Texas abolition bill, HB896, was denied a vote during the last legislative season, but Rep. Tony Tinderholt has committed to re-running the bill in 2021 when the legislature reconvenes.

2019 Family Photo

Times Like These

I hope this post finds you all well amid this pandemonium. I thought it would be good to put up some pictures and thoughts, since it has been awhile.

It’s a good time to pray. To repent for personal and national sin; the murder of countless little babies comes to mind. And my own selfishness and lack of love.

It can be discouraging to look at ourselves and our world. So much wretchedness. Even many who claim the name of Christ have given way before the lies of our relativistic, humanistic age. How will we stand?

I love this sweet reminder from Psalm 34:5

“Those who look to Him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Yes, God is working. Though maybe in ways we never thought of.

As the prophet Ezekiel saw, in his vision regarding the house of Israel, our God is quite able to bring life to those absolutely destitute of it.

~~~

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”  Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

(Ezekiel 37:1-10)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

“A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How great are your works, O Lord!
    Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know;
    the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
    and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
    for behold, your enemies shall perish;
    all evildoers shall be scattered.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

(Psalm 92)

Rejoice Always

The days are growing even shorter, and our daylight is limited. It’s a good time to pull out the sewing machine, books, correspondence, and turn on Handel’s Messiah or Psalm 119X. No more weeds growing in the garden, no babies due at the moment, no working on anyone’s roof when it’s snowy like this. Even the local school district has canceled classes today. The cows spend much of their day in the barn, chewing their cud and waiting for the milk maids to come out twice each day. The dogs are glad to be walked, but maybe not so glad to be hitched up to the sleds. The children are enjoying the rare opportunity to play in more than two inches of snow.

Winter days are (almost) here!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Grandpa took a picture with his drone. This is obviously the Summertime.

We have six new puppies! Everyone is excited about that. There are three girls and three boys.

“I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:174

~Skye

Busy Summer Days

By Pearl

Chocolate’s calf, Cocoa, (the darker calf) was born on April 18. He was 50+ pounds at birth, which is pretty good-sized for a Jersey/Brown Swiss. Fern had Knox (the lighter-colored calf; a Jersey) on May 3. He was also over 50 pounds.

This is our first blanket flower of the season! Now that flower garden is ‘exploding’, thanks to Mama. (:

We finally got our farm sign put in!

Heather was baptized in a nearby river on June 8! After the baptism, nearly everyone came to our home for a potluck meal, some games, and a hymn-sing.

My heifer, Geneva, had her first calf (a cute lil’ heifer named Vevey) on June 13! The calf was born in the pasture, but, as she was a 37.5-pound newborn, I put her in the barn since I figured it was probably the best thing we could do. Once she was a couple of days old, I put her and her mama into the pasture with Cocoa and Knox (the bigger bull calves). Geneva usually gives 1.5 to 2 gallons of milk!

Yes, we did park in a reserved parking space…! The parking lot was mostly filled out, but eventually we found this place. Probably reserved for us, right? (:

Daddy and Violet at the St. Louis Zoo. It was hot, walking around there!

Violet and I resting on a shaded rock at the zoo.

Lily’s cow, Chloe, calved on July 11. Chloe has had 3 bull calves so far, thus, you can (probably) imagine the excitement when Danica, her first heifer, was born!

To make things all the funnier, Heather’s cat (Sunrise) had her second litter of the year last week! There are seven this time. And then, two days later…

Rose’s cat (Susan Rosemary Snowball, yes, Rose named her:) had a litter of six kittens! This cat had six kittens on March 26th, 2019, and two days later, Sunrise had her six on March 28th, 2019. This time Sunrise went two days before Rose’s Snowball. I happen to find that humorous! (This time they were all light/white/siamese:).

Lily, Violet and Pontiac. His Russian name is spelled P-O-N-T-I-A-K, but when translated to English it is written with a C instead.

Lately we have been getting ‘lots’ of hay in the barn. Right now we have over 270 square bales of hay to feed our dairy cows. Actually, we got over 200 bales in one day, and a couple days later we got the last 70.

Hand milking 3 cows twice a day can be a bit challenging, especially since we’re equipped to do one or two cows. Two stanchions, two milk buckets, two ice buckets.

We’ve also been doing quite a bit of yardwork and gardening; weeding, watering, mowing, and everything in between! 🙂

A 12-year-old friend and I are putting together a little baby shower party for a lady at our Church, so there’s that, too.

Here is my darling baby sister, Violet, to close this little post. (:

-Psalms 9:1-12 NKJV-

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.

~~~

Another picture-based post

~~By Pearl~~                                                                                                    ~~April 6th, 2019~~

I guess I’ll begin where I left off on my last post.

1. Sunrise, Heather’s kitty, with her firstborn right after it was born-March 28th.

2. Sunrise had 6 kittens. 3 white-with-light-gray splotches on them; 1 orange tabby; 1 black-and-white and 1 calico!

3. The view from a branch on the mulberry tree.

4. We saw 3 of these butterflies!

5. A snapping turtle resting at the edge of the pond.

6. A bullfrog (just chillin’) in the pond.

7. Some tiny little ferns peeking out!

8. Looking over a mossy rock.

9. The grass is growing up nicely in the big pasture. A dandelion decided to peek up in this particular spot!

10. Some little flowers are blooming…

11. This picture was taken in our front yard.

12. Another flowery spot in the front yard.

13. & 14. We have lots of hyacinths right now. Blue, purple, pink…

15. Here’s the last picture. The daffodils around my young peach tree are about to burst into bloom! I just planted the tree last year and it has 3 or 4 little pink flowers on it….

~~~

Psalm 107 NKJV

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.

~~~

Post-script: I took all the photos on here except the first one of Sunrise. I’m (trying to) teach myself some good photography techniques. My favorite is probably the 6th. You can give me some tips on getting better pictures.

Some notes on things of late…

By Pearl

I guess I’ll do this post with the oldest pics first so that it’s in the ‘proper’ order.

For a starter, the washing machine broke in early/mid November, so we did our laundry in the big bathtub for a few days!

It wasn’t long until the new switch mechanism that Daddy had ordered arrived! Then we replaced the old, broken one with the new one. That was pretty easy.

In late December, we butchered our Red Angus/Jersey steer. Let’s just say that bottle-raised steers are generally not very respectful of people! He was pretty tasty, though.

Jumping for joy??? (Look out the window at the nice sunset!)

We even ate our New Years’ house… Yum! Not gingerbread, it’s graham crackers, candy, peanuts and homemade chocolate.

Mommy got me a beautiful bouquet of roses and baby’s breath for my birthday.

Daddy and Ezra fell asleep together on the couch!

Daddy attempting to  ‘play’ the piano. Lots of laughter ensued…

Some good photos of the sky this winter. The last photo is- You guessed it! Baby Violet.

Last week we went to the  Branson area and our first stop was the Creation Experience Museum.

Ruby and Ezra rode Mr. Dinosaur, but Laurel just stood next to him.

The picture of the fossil: A human foot and a dinosaur foot together.

Heather held a Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Ruby pet it… gingerly, of course! I pet it, too.

 

Then we went to the College of the Ozarks, ate lunch and toured the place.

Checking out the waterwheel at the College of the Ozarks.

And the waterfowl, too! That particular swan (the cob) gave us quite a show-just to make sure everyone knew that he was THE king!

Looking at the flowers in the hothouse at the College of the Ozarks.

These Holstein calves were siamese twins. They were preserved. The glass case is very clean and shiny, so the picture was kind of whited out. This is in the Tractor/Farm Implement museum, also at the College of the Ozarks.

Ezra looking at the neat tractors in the museum.

Ruby and Ezra… at the tractor museum!

At the college grounds.

I don’t think I mentioned it yet, but this college has its own dairy. They milk 40-60 cows daily, generally.

Ruby is checking out the calves in the barn. There were 6 or 7 calves; Holstein, Jersey and an Ayrshire. The Ayrshire had just been born 2 hours before we viewed the calf barn.

Lookout point, overlooking the White River. It’s a LONG way down!

Don’t jump of the cliff!

Towards evening, we went to Table Rock Lake, ate a delicious dinner (homemade pizza) and waded in the water. We discovered some neat fossils, too.

There was mostly pebbles on the ‘beach,’ but we (more precisely, Ruby and I) found lots of tiny shells

Yesterday we did yard work and I made some ‘bath bombs’ among other things.

Rose’s cat had some kittens on Tuesday; there are 2 or 3 muted calicos, 1 bright calico and 1 muted tabby with a light orange-ish splotch on its head.

Someone left their coat outside on the porch, so Daddy’s cat possessed himself a bed!

A sneak peek note: Heather’s kitty, Sunrise, is having her kittens right now!

Psalm 5

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

 

Pointers on Life Preparation

I wanted to write out some thoughts I have for young women preparing for life. Really, I probably need to hear these things more than anyone else. But, I could use the practice communicating, and I do pray that what is shared will be a blessing to some of my sisters in Christ. Young adulthood is an exciting time of our life, but it is so easy to get distracted and lose our focus on what is most important. I do it all the time, and must constantly be brought back to reality by God’s Truth. Here are a few important reminders from Scripture.

1. Seek God

This is to be done with sincerity; with all your heart. I notice in Scripture that seeking God is often paralleled with righteousness and obedience to His laws. In order to rightly do this, we have to be in the Word.

“”Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” – John 15:4-6

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!” – Psalm 119:2

When young King Josiah began to seek God, it is noted how he purged the land of idols (2 Chronicles 34:3-7). In the same way, it is important to purge our hearts of idols and the desire to seek our own life or fame – anything that gets in the way of seeking the One True God and His Kingdom and righteousness.

2. Honor your Father and Mother

The disobedience of this command must be one of our nation’s greatest sins. Yet the promise accompanying it is “that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). I have found that asking my parents’ advice has been invaluable as I get older and need to make decisions with what I will and will not pursue. None of us have perfect parents, but the command to honor is still as important as ever. And we know that God does not make mistakes with who He gives as our parents. We would do well to heed our Lord’s words in Matthew 15:3-9:

“Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—  then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

3. Look to the Needs Around You

Humility is a must. Often, in our sub-consciously selfish desire to ‘do great things’, we miss out on opportunities right in front of us. Yet, in Jesus’ words, “…whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Mark 10:43). Luke 16:10 is another passage to keep in mind:

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…”

In the classic example of the Proverbs 31 woman, we see a capable wife who “watches over the ways of her household, “does not eat the bread of idleness”, “reaches out her hands to the needy“, and is also busy with productive economic efforts.

I am instructed by Romans 12, as well.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

4. Arm Yourself

 

Are you filling your mind with things that will equip you to stand against evil? Do you know where to get Truth? Are you ready to defend the faith? To share the Good News? It is imperative we get serious about the spiritual battle we live in in our culture.

 ^“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— “  (Ephesians 6:10-18)

When we were little

I enjoy looking at photos of our family growing up. It brings back many memories; some sweet, and some sad. Today Ruby and I decided to find old pictures of us children when we were babies. It seems like each time a new sibling is added, the similarities between our looks increase! 🙂

Baby Skye

 

Baby Lily

 

Baby Heather

 

Baby Pearl

 

Baby Rose

 

Baby Bethany

 

Baby Laurel

 

Baby Ruby

 

Baby Ezra

 

Baby Violet

 

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Psalm 90:1-2