Worth Repeating - A Few Words to "The Mother Club" on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

 

Here is a new article I wrote on the Home Maker’s Corner. I hope that you will make the time to read this if you are a Christian woman. It is something that has been heavy on my heart and the Lord brought about a situation that forced me to get this said. (First published in 2014.)

A Few Words to "The Mother Club"
on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own...

Recently I read a blog post by a well-meaning lady who was addressing an important subject.  She was debunking the "perfect family" ideal that has developed, thanks largely to Quiverfull, Hyper "Biblical Patriarchy" and Family Inclusive Churches.  This is the ideology that large families are more special, more blessed, have better "quivers" and are generally more to be admired by Christians than small families.  (And, let me say here that I have no problem with large families if that's what the parents want.)  The attitudes of some become almost idolatrous, if not fully so.  I was very glad to see her dealing with this subject as it is a serious issue.  No mother should be made to feel like a failure or inferior because she "only" has one or two or three kids!

However - my heart was also very deeply hurt by this lady's article (which is one reason I'm not sharing the link or quotes).  As I read her article I was so glad she was saying many of the things she said and yet so torn because of all the things she missed and even the things she was making worse and more hurtful for others.  You see, for all her good intentions she totally missed the fact that mothers of small families are not the only ones that are hurt by the "motherhood IS our identity" ideal.  She pointed out that women who are mothers to one or two or even adopted children are still "in the club" of motherhood.  I sat there and grieved in my heart for all of us who are mother to none.

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Letters to My Friend - Until You Eat It

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 

When my mom was a little girl she hated oatmeal porridge. Sometimes when she refused to eat it, her mother made her sit at the table until she had finished it. As I recall, on one occasion she was still sitting there when lunch time rolled around. I don't know when she finally did get it down, but it was a hard lesson for her.

My Gramma also taught her children to eat the things they didn't like first so that they could get them out of the way. This works pretty well, since once the serving of what you don't like is gone, you're free to enjoy the rest of your meal. It did backfire on my mom's youngest brother once when he was a little boy. He didn't like peas. He and his siblings were guests at someone's home without their parents being present, and they were served peas along with the rest of their dinner. My uncle ate his right down so quickly that the lady was impressed and, remarking that he really loved peas, she generously gave him another helping. Thankfully, his siblings spoke up and told her why he had gobbled his peas down. Being a very understanding and gracious lady, she told him he didn't have to eat the second helping, much to his relief.

Years later, when we were kids in our own home, I remember my mom putting food in the fridge that one of us had refused to eat. The offender was told they would have eat it at the next meal (probably before they got anything else). It seems like my sister might have pushed this through two meals once, but I don't remember clearly. Much of the time, however, we were made to eat the food one way or another.

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Worth Repeating - The Rich Family In Our Church

 

2 Corinthians 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

I don't remember where I first found this story, but it is worth repeating. It was first posted here in Jan. 2014.

The Rich Family In Our Church

By Eddie Ogan

I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy, 12, and my older sister Darlene, 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died 5 years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older sisters were married, and my brothers had left home.

A month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. Then we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us baby sat for everyone we could. For 15 cents, we could buy enough cotton loops to make three potholders to sell for $1. We made $20 on potholders.

That month was one of the best of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the Pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before. That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church!

On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt so rich.

When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us girls put in a $20. As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes!

Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash.

We kids had had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our mom and dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the fork or the spoon that night. We had two knives which we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor. That Easter Day I found out we were.

The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed that I didn't want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew we were poor. I decided I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time.

We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know.

We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.

Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks, but they need money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?"

We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."

Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."
We were the rich family in the church!

Hadn't the missionary said so?

From that day on I've never been poor again.

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Mark 12:41-44  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

An Open Letter to Christian Parents

Dear Christian parents,

There is a lot of information being put out by various groups about how to raise “good, godly” children. There are various methods promoted, some even will imply or say outright that their method is the best and will absolutely give the desired results “if followed correctly.” Some go so far as to form cult-like groups to keep their children “safe” from not only the world, but also from the real or imagined problems with other Christian groups and people - and I do mean real Christians, just to clarify.

I'm a married Christian woman who has no children. But, I watched my parents raise two much-younger siblings, and I have observed a lot of friends and other people with their children, and I'd like to share some thoughts with you. I know some people get all uptight about single or childless people having opinions about raising kids. I understand that because I know how intrusive some people are with their uninformed opinions. However, I also know that some of us see real problems and, because we know our thoughts are not welcome, we are afraid to say anything. Sometimes they are things that would actually be helpful to you if you would stop to consider our perspective. So, I'm writing this with the hope of helping someone who may be feeling overwhelmed with some aspects of raising children in this day we live in. I doubt any honest parent would say they haven't been overwhelmed!

1. There is no foolproof plan.

The Pearls, Bill Gothard (ATI, IBLP), your pastor, Voddie Baucham, the Duggars, James Dobson, S.M. Davis, Tedd Tripp, Scott Brown, and dozens of others, do not have a perfect plan. They are not experts on your children. Even you don't know everything about your children. Only your children’s Creator can claim that role. Only their Creator should claim that role. In fact, when parents become obsessed with knowing everything and controlling everything about their children very bad things can happen. Just sayin'...

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Worth Reading - Some other People's Thoughts On Shiny Happy People

 

Acts 20:28-30 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 

In case you were not aware, Prime Video released a docuseries on the Duggar family in June. Shiny Happy People (Duggar Family Secrets) is a four part documentary on the beliefs of the Duggar family and the IBLP at large with an emphasis on people who were abused by the system and have escaped. 

There has been a fair amount of controversy around it, partly due to the fact that many of the former IBLP members who were interviewed are no longer professing Christians, or they have embraced a much more progressive version of Christianity. I watched the docuseries starting the day it was released, but I want to watch it a second time to write down my observations and thoughts without the first impressions dominating. 

In the mean time, I thought I'd share this post from Lighthouse Trails Research Project for your consideration. The editors made a few clear observations and then linked to an article by Don Veinot at the Midwest Christian Outreach. Mr. Veinot has quite a considerable knowledge of Gothardism and its errors as he has been exposing it for years and made the effort and point of confronting Bill Gothard in person with his false teachings. Mr. Veinot and another man wrote a book on the subject, in fact, as you will see in the linked articles.

As always, I encourage you to look up the scriptures used in the KJV where other translations are used. I observed that, as usual, the KJV translation was much more useful and powerful in its language.

1 Peter 3:14-17 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Sadly, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and Bill Gothard  and many others have given the adversary a weapon to use against the true faith, once delivered to the saints. They are suffering for their evil deeds, but as they have put themselves themselves forward to the world as representatives of Christianity at its alleged finest (especially the Duggars on their reality show), they have given the unsaved and unbelieving space to blaspheme the name of God as David did when he committed adultery. (2 Samuel 12:13-14. Romans 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.) It is little wonder that the world misinterprets Christianity because of their behavior. But, it is tragic that the Bible teaching churches have allowed the errors of Gothard to pollute their beliefs so widely - a subject for another day.

Here is the post from Lighthouse Trails:

A Look At Shiny Happy People and What the Church Can Learn

Another item at their page that is of interest:

Letter to the Editor: The Teachings of Bill Gothard – A Misinterpretation of the Bible That Leads to Abuse

Disclaimer on other versions than the KJV and possibly some content.

Worth Repeating - The Lights of Home

 

In loving memory of my uncle, Don Hoover, who went Home to Jesus Saturday, August 5.

The Lights of Home

O the friends that now are waiting,

In the cloudless realms of day,

Who are calling me to follow

Where their steps have led the way;

They have laid aside their armor,

And their earthly course is run;

They have kept the faith with patience

And their crown of life is won.

Refrain:

They are calling, gently calling,

Sweetly calling me to come,

And I’m looking through the shadows

For the blessed lights of Home.

They have laid aside their armor

For the robe of spotless white;

And with Jesus they are walking

Where the river sparkles bright.

We have labored here together,

We have labored side by side,

Just a little while before me

They have crossed the rolling tide.

On those dear familiar faces

There will be no trace of care;

Every sigh was hushed forever

At the palace gate so fair.

I shall see them, I shall know them,

I shall hear their song of love,

And we’ll all sing hallelujah

In our Father’s house above.

Fanny J. Crosby

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Letters to My Friend - Thoughts On Queen Elizabeth II

I wrote a letter talking about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, and a few things she knew and did in her life. I also pondered what it would mean if she was in fact a believer and went the heaven, and how we might learn something about sacrifice and duty from her life. Though hers was an earthly duty and our is to our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can to ask ourselves if we have done what we could in service to our great King.

--------------

Excerpts:

In my mind, it is the end of an era, a breaking point in history, a disconnecting from the past. This lady saw a truly amazing stretch of history over her 96 years. She saw the abdication and its aftermath of Edward VIII, moving her from a comparatively unimportant princess to the daughter of the king and heir to the throne. She saw the rise of Hitler and Mussolini and the horrors of World War II as it affected her beloved country and people. She saw her parents sacrifices through all of that as she stayed in London with her parents who insisted that they would not leave and go to a safe place, but would risk their lives with their people. Perhaps she was in the palace when Buckingham Palace itself was bombed. She herself served as an ambulance driver and mechanic during that War, an unheard of thing for the female heir to the throne. Indeed, there were many historical "firsts" for her in her lifetime.

...death is the great leveler. Speaking from the point of view of human reasoning, King Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived said this: "For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool." Ecclesiastes 2:16 Despite her wisdom and the good she did, at the end of the day, when HRH Elizabeth II passed out of this life, a body was left behind and it was no better than any other body that is left behind. Dead is dead. Grand memorials, expensive monuments, massive amounts of flowers, and well-spoken eulogies can't change that...

As I was thinking about the Queen, I was wondering, "What if she was truly saved?"...

When she entered Heaven after leaving her body on this earth what happened?...

Continue Reading.

A Tale of Two Guardian Bands - A Story from My Dad

 

Kijabe mission station where RVA is located.
Taken from the air around the general time this story occurs.

2 Kings 6:15-17 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Hebrews 1:13-14 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

For Father's Day I am sharing a true story from my dad's childhood in East Africa during the Mau Mau Uprising. Both of my parents attended the Rift Valley Academy boarding school for missionary children in Kenya when they were kids, as did their living siblings. As I was growing up I remember hearing this story told by different family members separately, but usually various ones together, and it left a tremendous impression on me. As you will see as you read, if God hadn't intervened at that time, both my dad and my mom likely would have died as children and I would never have been born. 

We are not superstitious people, but we do know that sometimes God steps in and alters the course of nature or man's evil intentions through the ministry of His angels. Usually we are never the wiser to this, but once in a long while He pulls back the veil for His purposes (there is always a biblical purpose) and lets people get a small glimpse into that world of spiritual warfare that is around us all the time. As with Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings, and as with Daniel when the angel came to answer his prayer for understanding and told him that he had been delayed in the spiritual world by the prince of Persia (a spiritual entity, since a man could never stop an angel), there are times when we are given a small look into what is happening there that we are unaware of usually. 

I hope you enjoy reading this and are encouraged to know that, no matter how grim the situation may appear around you, "they that be with us are more than they that be with them." We are not always "recued" in this flesh, but God is always victorious in the end.

He Shall Give His Angels...

P.S. My dad mentions the "pseudos" without going into much detail as to what they were. They were spies who posed as Mau Mau to infilterate them and find out what they were doing - a seriously dangerous job. As he mentions there were a few white men who did this - by dying themselves black. But they had to speak the language like a born native.

Cooked Salad Dressing - Gramma Hoover's Recipes

 

Some time back I scanned my Gramma Hoover's recipes from her write-in cook book. I posted them eventually on a photo storage site that I use so that family could access them. I am going to share them with you as well. :-) I have not tried many of these, so just be forewarned that I don't know how some of them will turn out for you. Others have stories or are family favorites and I may mention that when I post them.

Today I'm sharing the first recipe in her book, which happens to be one for cooked salad dressing. The blank recipe book itself was given to her in 1960 according to what she wrote in the front, so these recipes are all at least that old, and most or many are older. As you can see from the picture, this particular recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens, a magazine that has been around for years. 

This recipe came to her from Ginny, and I believe this to be a fellow missionary, Ginny Stier (sp?), who was a good friend of my Gramma's.

I grew up with recipes like these where you were actually expected to know some things from your experiences of cooking. To help out a little bit, I have added a few Editor's Notes in brackets with "EN:" to let you know it's an addition.

Salad Dressing

1/4 C. sugar (or less)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 Tblsp. flour

4 egg yolks (or 2 eggs)

1/2 C. vinegar

1/2 C. water 

3 Tblsp. butter or salad oil

Blend sugar, salt, mustard, paprika and flour.

Add egg and beat until smooth and well-mixed.

Add vinegar and water.

Cook over hot water until thick and smooth. [EN: in a double boiler, stirring often.]

Add butter, remove from fire, and chill before using.

If salad oil is added it may be stirred in while hot or cold.

1 C. sweet or sour cream, plain or whipped may be added. 

[EN: Be sure to mix well after the additions where it isn't specifically mentioned.]

Quiz - Are You Countrified?

Photo: Near Kingston, Tennessee.

This was originally a "redneck" quiz, but in my opinion rednecks don't have an entirely good reputation and there's a bit of a prideful thing about being stupid for some of them. Being a country girl or farm girl is more what I'm used to, so I took the liberty to change the name. You don't have to be stupid to be countrified. :-)  Some of the wisest people I've know where country people.

Have you ever...

1. Owned a pellet or BB gun as a kid? Used my brother's as a kid. We have one now, though. It is mostly used for getting peafowl off of the truck and to discourage the peacock from screaming too close to the house from late winter through summer.

2. Owned a real gun? No. My husband does. I've never shot it.

3. Shot a real gun? Yes, I think so.

4. Gone squirrel or rabbit hunting? No.

5. Gone fishing? Yes. The most fun I ever had fishing was on the pier at Pismo Beach, California. We were fishing for baby red snapper and an old timer from out of town had given my dad a tip on how to set up our lines and how to bounce them to catch the most fish. My little brother and I were catching them so fast that my dad didn't have time to fish himself. The locals were not pleased to be out-fished by a couple of kids who didn't know what they were doing. hehe Otherwise fishing seems boring to me. I'd rather be reading a book without the bother of keeping track of a fishing rod. ;-)

6. Owned or used a slingshot? Yes, used one.

7. Plucked a chicken/turkey?  Yes, when we lived in Kenya I helped a Kenyan lady dress a chicken. I think we plucked feathers, among other things.

8. Eaten poke weed? No.

9. Eaten deer meat?  Yes.

10. Eaten frog legs? Yes.

11. Fed a baby farm animal with a bottle? I don't think so.

12. Gathered fresh eggs? Yes, but very little.

13. Driven a stick shift? Yes. My brother tried to teach me to drive his VW Bug. It was not a big success. I never did it enough to really get comfortable with it. That's the kind version of the story. ;-)

14. Started a vehicle using a manual choke? No.

15. Rode in the back of a pick-up truck?  Yes. 

16. Shucked or shelled corn? Yes. I've also eaten field corn when it was still soft enough to cook and eat off the cob.

17. Waded barefoot in a creek? Yes, but I managed to never get a leech attached to me.

18. Caught fireflies in a jar at night? Yes.

19. Tasted wild honeysuckle? Yes.

20. Gathered wild blackberries? Yes. And I had the poison ivy rash to prove it.

21. Used an outhouse?  Yes. In leopard country and once on a very cold and snowy day in Michigan.

22. Rode a horse? Yes.

23. Smelled the scent of cured tobacco hanging in a tobacco barn? No. But my dad uses tobacco to make insecticide for his plants. That stuff has its own "unique" smell. <insert eyeroll here>

24. Taken the ashes out of a wood stove or wood heater? Yes.

25. Carried in firewood? Yes.

26. Walked barefoot down a gravel or dirt road? Yes.

27.  Slept in a tent? Yes.

28. Been attacked by a rooster? No.

29. Eaten raw apple, potato or turnip off the blade of a pocket knife? Not directly into my mouth. It was someone else's knife.

30. Dipped skoal or chewing tobacco or had it applied to a Bee sting? No. We used baking soda mixed with water on bee stings, I think.

31. Eaten homemade snow Ice Cream? Yes.

32. Used a pump to draw water from a well? Yes, but not the old timey type.

33. Been on a hayride? Yes.

34. Jumped into a pile of raked leaves? Yes.

35. Carved your initials into a tree? I don't think so.

36. Sucked on a piece of water hose to siphon gas out of a gas tank? No.

37. Been shocked by an electric fence? I don't think so, but only because I was chicken. ;-) 

38. Split wood with an ax? No.

39. Hung laundry outside on a clothesline? Yes

40. Eaten fried bologna? No. Well, I have eaten cooked Lebanon bologna (and that is not a Middle Eastern thing. It is a Pennsylvanian thing.). Lebanon bologna is another whole thing than the usual type of pre-sliced American stuff.

41. Eaten grits for breakfast? Yes.

42. Eaten wild hog, racoon or opossum? Yes - racoon. It was terrible. And wild hog, which was meh. And I never did cook the second piece that was in the freezer. The dog(s) got it. 

Other things I've done as a country girl:

1. Picked corn and fruit at you-pick farms.

2. Picked up apple drops at an orchard.

3. Made apple cider. Made maple sugar candy from syrup my brother cooked down.

4. Canned and frozen vegetables we grew and fruit from our own tree (as well as purchased produce).

5. Picked wild raspberries and I think strawberries.

6. Found a bird's nest and watched baby birds grow up.

7. Notified the sheriff's department as to who the owners were of the loose pigs they found. (Not us. ;-) )

8. Had stray animals on our property (before we got a fence). White donkeys one time and goats another. Oh, and that miniature bull.

9. Had wild animals living under the place I lived (woodchuck in Michigan, skunks in Tennessee).

10. Had to think about running across wild animals in the dark and take appropriate precautions.

11. Started a kerosene heater.

12. Been broken down on a country road in the winter.

13. Found abandoned apple trees growing wild in the woods.

14. Cultivated a wild rose.

15. Started a fire in a woodstove.

16. Eaten dandelion flowers and greens and dandelion jelly.

17. Eaten daylilies.

18. Eaten bantam chicken, duck, and peafowl eggs. (Not all at once.) I used to feed green grass to the neighbor's bantams trough the fence too - when I was a kid.

19. Laughed at a city slicker. ;-) (I'm sure I've been laughed at by city people too!)

20. Harvested wildflower seeds.

23. Gone to a country church where there was no air conditioning for hot, humid weather. Played the piano for an old fashioned "sing" in one of those too.

22. Picked pussy willow. 
(I don't remember if I picked this bunch, but I picked a bunch the day I took this photo. It was our neighbor's bush/tree in Tennessee. She let me pick some.)

23. Stored an old appliance behind the house or shed. haha Keeping it real, folks. ;-)

Listening to God's Voice with Your Feet In Motion - Guest Post

Here is a thought from my dad, Stephen Van Nattan, about listening for God's leading. Often times we have to be moving before we hear His voice telling us which way to go.

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THAT VOICE 

Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Scott McNealy — a co-founder of Sun Microsystems said this about decision making: "It’s important to make good decisions. But I spend much less time and energy worrying about 'making the right decision' and much more time and energy ensuring that any decision I make turns out right."

In Isaiah above, we see that there are times we "turn" to the right or left. So, how do we make sure that, when we "turn," we end up making a decision that, as McNealy said, "turns out right?"

1. Do not stop your progress in life by standing still..... take a turn and keep in motion. The captain of a ship cannot steer a ship that is not in motion. You will not hear the voice behind you if you are dead in the water.

2. But, be very alert to hear if a voice tells you to go another way. That is how to make sure your decisions turn out right. Scott McNealy seems to be alone in the task of making sure his decisions are the right ones. You are never alone with Jesus Christ. 

So, in terms of knowledge, do not hide in a corner and shut out everything around you. That will get you no knowledge upon which to act in wisdom. Keep looking for knowledge, BUT, listen for the voice behind you that says, "Click out of there my son, that knowledge is rubbish and will only destroy your peace and fellowship with me."

We had to leave our work with Sudan Interior Mission in Ethiopia in 1974 because of a Marxist coup. Christian Ethiopians were being accused of being the friends of Imperialists, and the mission decided to quickly downsize from 300 missionaries to 12. National Christians should not have to suffer persecution for being the friends of Americans. Only for being the friends of Jesus Christ. 

We were among the first to leave. We did everything to get ready, sold most of our possessions, and moved to the mission headquarters to wait for a flight back to the USA. But, we could also move on to join another mission somewhere else in the world and continue being missionaries. We were in motion but also wondering if we might hear the voice of God behind us.

The word got to George Machamer of Gospel Furthering Fellowship in Kenya, the next nation south of Ethiopia. My wife and I had grown up in Kenya as kids when our parents were missionaries in the region. George Machamer took it upon himself to send us a letter inviting us to join the GFF at once and move to Kenya to help in the work. 

There was that voice, and it came in the mail like a voice out of the blue. We then moved to Kenya and became part of the work of the GFF.

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My comment:

As many of us focus on giving thanks to God this week, consider some ways that He has led you in directions that were a surprise - maybe they even seemed scary or disappointing at the time. Can you look back, as my dad does, and thank Him for taking you away from something and to something else? We don't always know the reasons this side of Heaven, but we can often know that it was definitely the Lord who led us. 

Maybe you are stuck in your life at the moment and don't know where to go next. How can you start to move forward? By doing even the most basic right things commanded to Christians in scripture. This will open up the way for God to direct your steps to where He wants you to go, or perhaps to something He wants you to do right where you are.

Psalm 85:13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. 

Even though we sometimes feel like we have no idea what we should be doing or where we should be going, with His voice behind us and His righteousness setting us in His steps, we have a great deal of guidance. As it has been said, if you don't know what God's will is for you, do the things that you can clearly see from scripture are God's will - pray, study His word, testify of the gospel, be part of a local church fellowship, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus, do good to all men, etc. And keep moving forward, even if it's "only" in these most basic things. The voice of the Lord will lead you in the bigger matters as you go. 

As we have some big decisions looming ourselves at the moment, I'm saying this to myself as much as anyone.

And just in case we forget how powerful God's voice is:

Psalm 29 

A Psalm of David. 

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. 

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 

Fewer Gifts Could Actually Be Good - A Different Perspective on the Threatened "Gift Shortages"

Well, the talking heads have been threatening Americans with less availability of gifts this year for the holiday season. I'm not sure if this is a legitimate thing or just another way to fan the flames of fear, capitalism, and compulsive buying. I guess some areas are being affected more than others.

Those who have been reading my blog for awhile may remember that a few years back I did a "Holiday Challenge" to Christians that observe Christmas encouraging them to make the holiday more about the birth of Jesus Christ and glorifying Him since that is the claimed reason for it. In short, to act upon the claims and celebrate in a way that makes Him the center and object entirely instead of bowing to the idol of consumption and worldly pleasure.

Colossians 3:5-7 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

This seemed like a good opportunity to repost a couple of the challenges specifically and the series in general.

The 6 part series can be found here: Running In Vain? A Holiday Challenge

The two parts that I want to especially emphasize, though are these:

Spend Less, Don't Buy Stuff, Plan Ahead 

This one is to help you think about simplifying your gift giving - ideas for homemade gifts, ways to cut back, etc. Spending and giving less in order to take the focus off of getting and stuff. This would be a great year to begin this if you haven't already. 

Simplify Your Holiday Activities

This could help reduce spending and also, as you reduce the spending and giving, this could give you the time to focus on some more intentional together times and ministry.

As I was writing this I also thought about all the people who have lost loved ones in 2020 and 2021 and it seemed like I should encourage you to think about them as well, so here is the challenge that deals with that. 

Seeing With Compassion

Quote: "Making your celebration quieter and less intense, less cluttered with the myriad of holiday junk that China has put at our disposal, will give more opportunity to notice people and to focus on their real needs. If this is done with the mind of Christ it will result in compassion and conscious acts of kindness and love. In short, Christ-like behavior will follow."

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

How about if you stop hoping the ships get unloaded and that the stuff gets delivered in time and think about ways that you can do more with less - more that will glorify the Lord Jesus and show people what His love looks like with shoes on. :-)

In Honor of Fathers

A collection of scripture and illustrations in honor of fathers.

In Honor of Fathers

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Artist unknown.

Worth Repeating - A Family Resemblance

Originally written 2006, edited 2021

In family Bible reading this week we read 1 John 2:29, If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

The thing that struck me is that doing righteousness is a "family trait" of those that are in God's family. We know that ...we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 But, in Christ Jesus and through Him, we can do the righteousness of God. In this there should be a family resemblance.

Continue Reading. 

A Selection of Things for Mother's Day

I started to write something for today, but it isn't finished. I know, we've been down this street before. Anyway, here's a selection of things that might encourage of bless you today. :-)

Tender Strength - A photo and some thoughts from my own family history.

From Mom's Collection - A selection of items that my mom saved over the years. A variety of topics.

Mother's Question - A poem with a thought provoking question.

A Christian Mother's Life - A poem.

In Honor of Mothers - Scripture and pictures.

Bless the Hands and Hearts - A prayer.

Thorns - An encouragement for mothers whose babies died before birth.

I Love Homemaking... - Rejoicing in the the lovely work that God has given.

Random Acts of Blogging - Photos and Stuff

I haven't been feeling very well this week, but I wanted to schedule a post for today, so I'm just giving you some random pictures to enjoy and a few verses that my sister-in-law in Australia posted this week.. :-)

I think this is stork's bill. These grow on our property.

These are blackfoot daisies, so called for the little "foot" that sticks out at the center of each petal. They have bloomed nicely this year around my dad's driveway.

Part of the vegetable garden in 2017. These are sweet potato starts. My dad's strength is much reduced this year so I don't know how much garden we'll have since he is our chief vegetable gardener on the property. The slats of wood and the PVC pipe frame in the background were to help hold up plastic or old tablecloths and blankets to protect the plants from late frosts. We can get them as late April here.

I think this may be spider wort. This photo was probably taken by my husband when we were on a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

And here I am in the apron my mom gave to me for my birthday in April of 2017. It was the last thing that she sewed for me. I have it in my kitchen still. I have used it some, but I knew even then that it was probably the last, so I haven't worn it as much as I would have under different circumstances. It has musical notes and bluebirds on it. My sister-in-law helped her with the project and also made the quilt behind me (which belongs to my dad.) :-) Every piece in that quilt represents something from my dad's life in some way.

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1 Chronicles 29:10-13 ...Blessed be Thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.

Feel Good Friday - My Dad Remembers George Bennard

George Bennard

He wrote The Old Rugged Cross. He and his wife visited Emmanuel Mennonite Church of Downey, California in 1954, and they sang George's hymn, and then he preached the Gospel.

A fourth grade boy was sitting on the front row in awe. Just to think, that hymn I had sung so many times, and that nice old man wrote it. I was only a kid, but I still remember the moment, a rare epiphany for a young boy. My Dad took their picture, which you find [at right].

Many years later, the boy was a man and married, and he and his wife were on deputation speaking about their going to Ethiopia as missionaries. The church was Granville Bible Church in Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids.

After speaking in the evening service, Pastor Boger found me, and he had a very old frail lady in tow. He said she was the wife of George Bennard, and my jaw dropped. I had seen her back in fourth grade, and she showed the effects of over 90 years of her journey. George Bennard had died in 1958. She said she was so pleased to know we were going to the mission field, and she handed me a twenty dollar bill.

That was possibly the most precious gift I had every received. Some day, I will see them both in The Glory again, and we will sing The Old Rugged Cross for the Savior who died on that cross.

In one person's life, there are rare events that are beyond price. They are special moments God gives us that we never forget. They are given to us to fire our imagination, light the fire of passion, and send us on down the road feeling like God has been planning things so well for us. Do not let go of any of those moments. They are eternal, and all the actors will be there around the throne to welcome us to the eternal gathering in Heaven with our Lord.

- by Stephen Van Nattan

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Ephesians 5:18-19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Hebrews 11:4 ...he being dead yet speaketh.

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven - by Annie Johnson Flint

 

Those who read here or at The Home Maker's Corner regularly will know that my mother went to be with the Lord in 2020. She is not the only one. Among our family, friends, and church we have had or heard of a lot of deaths this year. Many have been Christians, so we have the hope and comfort of looking forward to seeing them again. But the "firsts" after the death of a close loved one are always hard. Today, January 1st, was my mother's first birthday in heaven. It has been a day of sun mixed with rain emotionally for me. I know others are experiencing this as well. I remembered this poem and thought it might be a blessing and help to someone else who has seen a loved one go on to heaven ahead of them. We don't know much about what is going on in heaven for these people, so Miss Annie has taken some poetic license here, but in a blessed way.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven

We gave thee gifts when thou wert here--
Bright flowers that faded with the day,
And dainty fineries to wear,
And books to read, and games to play;
But now--what shall we bring to thee now?
What can we give thee where thou art?
Gone from us to that larger life,
What dost thou lack, dear heart, sweet heart?

The joy of God is in thy soul,
His peace upon they forehead lies,
And 'round thy feet forever bloom
The fadeless flowers of paradise.
What can we bring but love that grieves
And memories that sadly cling
'Round the dear spot where thou didst dwell,
And sorrowing hope with broken wing?

Nay, couldst thou speak, wouldst thou not say:
"Are these the gifts that honor me?
Bring love that triumphs over death...

Continue Reading.

Letters to My Friend - Thoughts on Unexpected Grief and Being Childless

Mother's Day was really hard this year. I knew it would be because of my mother going to heaven in March. It is so raw and fresh still in some ways. What I didn't expect was the grief I had that I don't have a mother here any more and that I am also not a mother.

After years of dealing with pain of not being a mother, I didn't expect that one to crop back up again. It isn't that I don't know how to deal with it, or that I don't know where to go for help with it. It's more like the feeling of, "Hey, wait. I thought I got off of this train at an earlier station. How did I get back on it?" Somehow losing my mom from this earth brought that old hurt back again.

Life surprises us sometimes...

Continue Reading.

Good Reads for Bad Times

This has been a rough year. My own family has been through a lot - in addition to the coronavirus stuff and the lock-down. Sometimes I find I need to read things that are more uplifting and encouraging for awhile and avoid anything that is too dramatic, too intense or too morbid. Here are a few books (and some poems) that can be helpful for those times.

For family reading:

The Sugar Creek Gang books by Paul Hutchins.

These books are Christian fiction geared towards kids. We recommend the books prior to the 1990's editions because they made some changes in the books later that weren't great. (Why update a good thing?) Plus the older books give a look into how people used to live in mid-western rural American farm country. There are lots of details of life that are now forgotten or little known.

The stories follow the adventures of the Sugar Creek Gang - a group of boys who live in rural Indiana. The adventures are varied and interesting from catching crooks to going on vacations in the north woods, visiting a missionary in Cuba, snowstorms, and visiting Chicago. They include a lot of roaming around in the woods, learning to be responsible, doing their chores faithfully, learning people relationship skills, and working towards the goal of seeing various people become real, born again Christians. There is also an emphasis on growing in the Christian walk throughout the books. There is a lot of humor as well as some difficult lessons. These books are bit exciting for some kids, but enjoyable for the adults reading them out loud as well. I always like the parents of Bill Collins (the storyteller character) in these stories because they seem like people I would like to have for friends of my own. :-) There are some books that deal with some more sensitive subjects - the destructive aspects of alcohol consumption and the use of bad language are repeating themes that I recall, but some other things are addressed as well.

Here's a website about the series.
For the older editions I recommend looking on AbeBooks and Ebay. Possibly Amazon as well.
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The Grandma's Attic books by Arleta Richardson.

These are Christian fiction based on true stories. These stories take place in Michigan back in the old days and follow the adventures of Mable O'Dell from her childhood into adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. The first books in the series have stand alone chapters - each one being a separate story with the biblical lesson given from "Grandma" (Mable herself). These books are fun and there is a lot of humor from the real life stories and events. Some stories are also more serious or heartwarming. Part way through the series the format changes to each book being a continuous story with a plot. These later books follow Mable through her later education and teaching years and then into marriage and motherhood.

These books can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. I took the first book and read some of the stories to my mom when she was staying in the rehad hospital and memory care facility in the last weeks of her life because the stories were interesting and only one short chapter long, so she could follow them. She really seemed to enjoy them a lot. :-) (She had read them to us when we were younger.) My husband also read some of them out loud to me during our pre-marriage months when I was sick and not able to do much. :-)

These books will probably also have to be purchased second hand either online or locally.
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The Jungle Doctor books by Paul White

These books are Christian fiction based on true stories. These stories take you back to British East Africa to a hospital in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and follow the adventures of a missionary doctor and his African assistants. (There is an English nurse - called a "sister" - as well, but she doesn't figure as much in the stories.) These books give a great insight into the thinking of the African people in that place and time. There is drama, humor, and a lot of encouragement and adventure. The biblical lessons are very clear. The books can be enjoyed by children and adults and the books do not have to be read in order, although there is an order to them. (A more recent publication of these books has them out of order, which was a puzzle to me.)

Note: Some difficult subjects are sometimes dealt with. Also there are medical situations that may be a bit much for squeamish people. :-) There are also Bible quotes that are translated from the local African language back into English or perhaps come from the RSV. Look them up in your King James Version if you would like.

These books are sometimes available on Amazon, but can also be purchased second hand online. I do not know if the more recently published editions have been altered.
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And here are a few fiction stories that are just fun or sweet without being Christian.

The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I doubt that I need to say much about these to explain them because they are so well known, but these books follow the adventures of the Ingalls family as they moved around in the United States frontier in the early days. They are fiction based on a true story and, while they have a fair bit of struggle, they are also inspiring for learning to live through hardships and survive.

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For adults and young adults:

Then I will recommend two fiction books by Grace S. Richmond. These books were written years ago and have a winsome vintage quality that I personally find to be gentle and enjoyable.

Strawberry Acres - [Spoiler Alert] Follows the adventures of a family of four young adult orphans and their uncle as they shift from city life to country life. This book has it's humor and a little romance, but I think it is also good to encourage you to get out and dig in the dirt and grow things, which is a good way to cheer up in and of itself. :-) It's also a good reminder to make the best of a difficult situation and not assume that something that looks bad can't be turned to something useful.

A Court of Inquiry - This book follows four adults through their relationships with various young ladies in a country boardinghouse. It initially presents various types of young women for the consideration of the reader. Then later it shows where these various young women end up as married women. It is a humorous commentary on human nature - especially young female human nature. Obviously it is from a by-gone era, but it still has its charms and is applicable to modern young women in some ways. :-) This book has an element of romance as well, but it is not exactly the main story.

These books can be enjoyed by young people as well as adults. They have been reprinted and are for sale on Amazon (or at least one is), or you can find them free in various ebook formats or to read online at gutenberg.org

Strawberry Acres
A Court of Inquiry

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Last but not least, I recommend the poems of Annie Johnson Flint for encouragement and edification in the truth of the Lord. These poems have been a great help to me during various dark times of my own life. Miss Flint experienced some very difficult things in her own life, and God helped her to pass on the comfort and courage He gave her to us in the form of poetry.

The Poem of Annie Johnson Flint