Time flies, yet again

 Time flies when you are having fun. :)

That is how the old saying goes, and I must agree. 

Time flies, and suddenly it has been 23 years!

It is surprisingly hard to find pictures of just Andy and I. 

Obviously, there are tons from the wedding, and a few from when we were still dating. 

Several from “dress up” events over the years. 

We tried to always take one around my big surgeries. 

This one I already have craziness sticking out of my brain, and he had shaved his head too.

I didn’t have to shave my hair again for the next big brain event. 

But he loved on me a lot, and made me laugh instead of be afraid.

I can’t find one from before this last surgery, but this picture is just a few days later. 

I don’t have any hair grown in yet, but he has plenty to make up for it, haha!

 

And this picture I just love, under one of my favorite trees ever. 

So today, on our anniversary, when I asked for some pictures, this is what he gave me. 

Since time flies when you are having fun, and we plan to keep having fun, I suppose time will just keep flying. 

Twenty three years in, and I love him more every day!

Seek the good, my friends. 

See the happy.

Remember, sometimes you see what you choose. 

Sometimes you choose what you see.

Think on that for a minute, and then focus your eyes where they need to be, please. 

Be blessed. Choose Joy. See the good!

Proclaim!

 

This was Jesus speaking. He did all of those things- healed the sick and brokenhearted, released the captives and oppressed, brought good news to the poor. 

Then, He called us to do the same. Not only proclaim what He did, but live it out with action. My call to you, my friends, is to live like Jesus. 

It may not be your spiritual, or physical, gift to give healing, but I am confident you can bring a meal or give some joy to someone who is sick. Share emotional healing with simple love.

Perhaps releasing the captives and oppressed isn’t your calling, but those who are not released yet (those currently in prison) need ministry, and simple love, too. Their families as well!

And I am POSITIVE that every single one of you can share something with someone who is poorer than you. But I am prompted to give a gentle reminder that money might not be the only thing worth sharing. Time and energy are beautiful gifts

Here is the verse again, in the Passion translation. Soak it up for a minute. 

““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, ‘You are set free!’ I have come to share the message of Jubilee, for the time of God’s great acceptance has begun.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Be the hands and feet of Jesus, my friends. 

Go out, be a blessing, and be blessed as you work!

Rising waves

 Gentle reminder, my friends. Sometimes those waves will rise. That doesn’t mean the God of Hosts is missing from the picture. The promise is that He will still them, not that they will never rise. 

Cling to Him when things are overwhelming. I promise, He will come through. Sometimes it just takes longer than our fast paced modern selves would like!

Preserving more than fruit

I spent almost all of last week with my mother-in-law, Ellen, making jams and preserves. She has both apples and pears on her property but something had been stealing more than their fair share, taking a bite or two, then leaving the rest behind for her to find on the ground. Squirrels? Raccoons? She decided to just pick the fruit when it was not quite ripe yet, a day or two before the thief animal wanted it, save it in the fridge and make jam with it. Most of it wasn’t yummy enough for eating plain, but cooking it made it delicious. 

We had 4 of these buckets overflowing with apples, and nearly 3 full of Asian pears. 

It was a LOT of peeling and slicing, some at Ellen’s house and some at mine. 

(So, enjoy the variety of kitchen pics!)

The beautiful thing is that goats, chickens and worms (all of which I raise!) love the scraps that are left behind. Peels, cores and even the bruised parts that we picky humans don’t want were all put to use on my miniature little farm. 

All we did on Tuesday was peel and slice, then peel and slice some more! 

But on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we were able to actually create beautiful new things also.

We ended up with four types of jams, 76 jars total, all different sizes and styles. 

Because that is how you do it on “the farm”, lol. 

Use what you have!

I have been planning to write about my adventures with fruit for several days now. Not surprisingly, God has brought the Fruit of the Spirit into my morning reading twice in the last few days. Isn’t it lovely when He reminds us of the connections that He already took the time to make between our regular daily life and our call to a life that is pleasing to Him? 

Even our modern, city dwelling, grocery store buying selves know that fruit has to grow. It has to start small and become more.

That is what I want to remind you about the fruits of the spirit too.

Even when they are small, in you or the annoying people around you, remember that the fruits of the spirit aren’t done growing. Some days it will feel like the enemy has snuck in and stolen the whole crop. Don’t get discouraged. Just find a different plan- maybe you need to “harvest” early!

Share your fruit with those around you, my friends.

Patiently help them ripen theirs.

The more you share, the more you will have.

I promise!

The battle belongs to the Lord

 

“So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him, but there was no sword in David’s hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.” 1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭50‬-‭51‬ ‭LEB‬‬

The battle was not over yet when Goliath fell. The rock that David slung may have killed the giant, but it hadn’t completed the battle. The warriors around him couldn’t tell that Goliath was dead. David had to grab that sword and do the ugly work of cutting off the head so that those enemies could to see him win more completely. 

The giant fell, and that was beautiful. 

Please, my friends, remember to see the success in every single battle as it happens.

But… don’t get lazy. 

Sometimes you think the battle is over before it is ACTUALLY over. 

Sometimes you think it was the last battle when there are still more to come. 

Don’t let the giant falling be enough. Cut off its head too. 

David proclaimed that first verse before going into battle. He knew that God had things under control. But David also took the action of gathering stones, using his slingshot, running toward the enemy and picking up someone else’s sword (that the was laying there, available to him, provided by who?!) before he declared the battle over. 

He declared it won, belonging to the Lord, before it began. 

He was ready to fight every step of the way. 

Please, hear BOTH of those things. 

So now, be blessed with courage and strength as you go out to fight, for the battle is the Lords!

A very belated surgery recap!

Hello my friends! 

It has been nearly a year since I have written and I am sorry. So, first, an update on life. 

I had another brain surgery last December. 

A computer, like this, is in my head, doing a pretty good job of stopping the seizures.

It is sort of like a pacemaker for the brain. 

It just took a lot of cutting, and then stitches, to get it there!

A beautiful spring rolled around while I healed.

 I love this tree, the boy in it, and the family photo shoot we had with it.

We took some great family pics…

And had a quick family trip to Savannah before Canaan deployed to the Middle East. 

He keeps in touch every single week and I cannot complain. 

So I try not to!

But prayers for my deployed boy are always appreciated!

I got more chickens…

And more goats…

I am settling into farm life and healing really well. 

Andy has settled into a new job, not military any longer.

This is my last year as a homeschool mom. Zion is a senior this year! 

Lots of transitions and changes for our crew. 

So, I am seeking what God has next for me. 

It is time to write again, I hope. 

Check back again soon. I am trying to find words. The brain is healing. I just have to make my typing hands work now too!

Past, present, future

 I have been looking through old blogs again. It is like reading an old diary, reliving those old memories, and it is beautiful. 

 I am so very glad that God allowed me to write at different times in my past. He didn’t always, and what He has impressed upon me recently is “speak, even without words”… so I haven’t been posting much. I pray my actions are speaking, and my smile is speaking, and my eyes themselves are simply sharing His love.

But while I am learning, again, something new, I am so very glad to have this old to look back on. 

————————————

Marriage: Anticipation and Planning

Originally posted Sept 18, 2010

 Most of us, at least us ladies, plan our marriage well before the event. Not just the wedding - the marriage. The dress and the flowers and the cake are always talked about as the thing every little girl spends her childhood dreaming of. I would venture to say that there are plenty of young women who spend a good bit of that time budgeted for wedding planning dreaming about the groom also.
 Not just who he will be, but what he will be:
 "Tall, dark, and handsome." "Rich, dashing, and debonaire." Or even "Bold, strong and courageous."
I knew exactly what I wanted.
 I was the daughter of a missionary, granddaughter of a preacher. I was looking for someone with a similar background. I was a bookreading, high GPA, classical music loving nerd, who wanted to settle down, have kids I could homeschool and shine Jesus wherever I was. Once again, I thought I would find someone similar.
 Everyone I dated, or even had a serious crush on, was serious minded, slightly bookish and had very set plans for their future. Not that we didn't know how to have fun - I am making us sound like a bunch of sticks in the mud. My life was just very planned out. How can I put this...

 Ever watch X-men? I was planning to marry a Cyclops. Good man. Steady, strong, full of love and ready to work hard to get the job done, whatever the job may be.

 But then, Wolverine showed up. Simply rode into town, and threw everything in my world out of balance.  I was introduced to Andy one night at a concert on our college campus. He was a transfer, fairly new to town and needing friends. One of my girlfriends said, "Bethany, this is that guy I was telling you about. The one who got arrested last week."
 I was 20 years old, and nothing in my life has EVER been the same.

 He had sideburns and tattoos, and was an art major. Where did that fit into my plan?

 But, he loved Jesus, and he loved me, and somehow, that was all that mattered.

(He always wants me to clarify the whole "arrested" thing. That was mostly a wrong place, wrong time, 19 and stupid thing. He sat in a holding cell for about two hours until his parents came and got him and he ended up with a ticket. Still, it makes a great story!)


Having a plan is a good thing. Thinking ahead, preparing for what might come. But even more important is the ability to be flexible. Sometimes what we plan for just can't work. If we get our hopes set on something and focus all of our attention on it, then when something changes we get lost.
 Last night when I was trying to take a picture of Zion I zoomed in from across the yard. Then, he moved. That super focus on just one spot was nice and clear, but the object I wanted was no longer in that spot. I had to change my point of view entirely, drawing back to see the big picture first, before I could zoom in again.
 In fact, in the meantime, I got some really great shots from farther away.
 Those close ups are precious, because they show facial expression so nicely. But sometimes seeing the wider angle, looking at more then just one face at a time gives just as amazing of a picture.
 Not what I originally planned, but it made me just as happy when I sat back and rolled with it.

 So Wolverine and I keep making our little plans. Every day we are learning more about each other, where we are going, and how to get there as a team. 

 We have changed each other, but in wonderful ways. He loosened me up. I toned him down. He taught me to ride a motorcycle. I make him balance his checkbook. 

 There are moments when we fight over who has control over the zoom button on the camera - and what exactly we focus on. In the end we always reach the same conclusion though-

 Who is making the plans around here anyway? Certainly not us!

 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

 And after all, "the foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength." 1Cor 1:25

———————————————-

Over 20 years later, I am so glad God changed all of my “plans”. As we wait for God’s plans, again, I am so very glad to have my Wolverine to wait with still. 

 Be blessed my friends, as you look back and remember to see the good. 

 Be blessed while you wait right now, with Joy. 

 Be blessed as you choose to have faith that the future is in the hands of our God. 

The Whole World

 I grew up with the song “He’s got the whole world in His hands”. 

 I grew up with lots of songs about my Jesus, but that one popped into my brain very strongly as I was writing a text message this afternoon. I had just finished a fairly intense Bible study about listening to God’s prompting. About Elijah and Elisha being amazing men, but reminding us that God was the one who was even more amazing. 

 Deep thoughts. Heavy thoughts. Inspiring and beautiful.

 Yet what God gave me to write was a children’s song. 

So I felt the need to look into those words. To see what I was missing, what God was teaching me, what heavy thoughts God was leading me to. 

What I found was beautiful, and inspiring, and breathtaking and yet… simple. 

Truth often is, my friends. Simple. 

Just as Zion held this baby chick a few weeks ago, God holds us. In His hands!

Plain and simple.

 Now, what He asks us to do isn’t always simple. How he asks us to respond while we are in His hand…. that is a different story. 

 But He holds us, in His hands! 

 Be confident of that my friends. When you ask, He hears. 

 Please, look at that first verse again. 

 

All things- the Whole World- is in His hands. 

Be blessed my friends and be confident that He is holding you! 

Still beautiful

 This post is originally from April of 2020 and I called it “beautiful scars”. 

 Covid was in it’s beginning. I was waiting for my first Litt brain surgery, but already waiting for my hair to grow back from being shaved off during testing. Andy hadn’t retired from the army yet, both my children still lived at home, which was in a different state then now, and the questions of life then were different than the questions of now. 

 Yet now, even with so many things different, I don’t think I would change a thing it says. 

 Beautiful scars are still beautiful, if we choose, and remember, to see them that way. 

 Those wounds that need binding come in so many different shapes and from so many different sources. Some are deep and need stitches to stop the bleeding. Some are more shallow, but so very wide that they seem to stretch out forever. Others will scab over, then get opened again and again and again. I have seen emotional and spiritual wounds that require “surgery”, the complete removal of a limb, for healing to happen. 

 But healing is always happening, if we allow it. 

 The thing is, there are often scars left behind. Healing stops the bleeding. Healing closes the wound.

 But the scars are still there. 

 What do you see when you look at a scar? Do you see something ugly or the mark of a battle won? Are you inspired with pride because you survived?  

 I think they are beautiful. 

 As time passes the scars smooth out. They show how we have grown and changed and matured- but they remain, as gentle and beautiful reminders of the battles we have won and the wounds that our Savior has already healed. 

 There will be new battles and new wounds. We will need new healing, over and over, and there will be new scars along the way. 

 And they will be beautiful too. 

“He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:3‬ ‭TPT‬‬

We know in part…

There is so much we can’t see. For example…

 Do you see the giant tree in this picture? 

 Let me rephrase that. 

 Do you see the small portion of the giant tree showing in this picture? It is solid and strong. It has roots going deep into the ground and branches reaching high into the sky. Small plants grow under it and around it. Deer sleep in it’s shelter. Rabbits play in the shade it provides. An annoying armadillo digs holes all around it, looking for interesting things to eat. Under and on and in it there are oodles of insects. In the branches there are a multitude of birds. 

 But this picture shows one tiny portion. 

 That is what was impressed upon me so deeply with that Bible verse as well. 

 “We know in part.” 

 In our modern times with our “search button” allowing us to know more all the time, we want to know it all. We want to see the whole thing.

 But as this beautiful picture reminds us, we can’t. 

 You can’t see both the front and the back at the same time. You can’t see above and underneath. You can’t see inside the tree- you will kill it.

 Sometimes we have to simply look at what we can see, what is visible to us where we stand right now, and have faith that what is on the other side is doing what it is suppose to and going where it needs to. 

 

 We have to trust that our Heavenly Father is doing amazing things on the other side of the tree. Even when HE isn’t explaining it to us, HE is still involved. 

 I am confident. 

Be blessed with faith my friends, even though you can only see one part of the picture!

A Summer Recap

                               

Summer sort of flew by. Suddenly it is time for school again! How did that happen? I will show you a few pictures of what we worked on, before I dig into some deeper thoughts. 

 

I got chickens for my birthday- a wish for years and years! 

Sweet little babies :) 

(The big redhead included, haha)

Andy got me 4, then my friend Amanda got me 4 more, just a few weeks younger. 

Andy built this chicken coop completely out of recycled things. 

The only thing new is the nails. Everything else was part of something else originally, or a scrap piece, not able to be used for it’s original purpose. 

I LOVE it, and my amazing man for building it for me. 

Only 7 made it all the way to adulthood, but they are loving the coop life so far and will hopefully start laying eggs soon. 

Next, we got goats. 

This is Peanut. 

He is a Pygmy, probably around 10, so getting old. We are his third owners, and he has been well loved and spoiled. He is extremely easy going and fat, lol!

This is Penelope.

She is a Nigerian and is around 3 years old. Like Peanut, she is a people lover. I am hoping to get her some babies… but need to meet someone who can make that happen, haha.

They are both easy going and laid back, obviously loved on and raised more like pets by their prior owners. I can’t promise that I give them attention as often as their prior owners, and there is no pizza served here (which is the story of what was served to Peanut by his original owners!) but I have gotten very attached to them already. We are hoping to add a few more to the flock, after we get a fence put up. For now they have to be leashed or on a run, thus moved often. The fence is coming in just a few weeks!

We also had a bird’s nest with sweet little babies in it, right on the front porch. 

I very much enjoy living “in the country”.

Summer was beautiful, and peaceful and calm. 

 Canaan came home over the 4th of July to get some of his belongings. He was in training almost his entire first year in the military, but is now stationed about 4 hours away and working and living a more normal military life. 

Somehow, this is the only picture I took during his visit. 

His Grammy sent him home well supplied with candy. :)

Last, but certainly not least, Zion is loving his time at Chick-fil-A.

My mom’s brother and SIL dropped in and surprised him on their way by (from TX!)

He started his Junior year last week. Where does the time go?

My family is strong. Our Jesus is faithful. We are blessed. 

 There are still many, many questions about what we are doing and how we are going to do it. But over and over (and I have to say it a third time) over again our Jesus gives us what we need, when we need it. 

 This verse is what God was asking me to remember today. 

 What He pointed out, repeatedly, was the word ALL. 

 We want to praise Him for good. We want to celebrate and rejoice if those “mighty works” line up with our ideals and wishes. Sometimes, although amazingly mighty and still His Plan, those “mighty works” are not what we would have wished for. 

 But ALL is in almost every translation. 

 The old fashioned KJV says, “I will meditate also of ALL they work”

 The more modern Passion Translation says, “I ponder ALL you’ve done, Lord”

 The NIV that I grew up with, “I will consider ALL your works”

 ALL. 

 Whether they are what we would have picked or not, ALL. 

 Be blessed my friends, with hope and faith that overflows onto others around you. Keep smiling, even when it is hard. Keep loving, even when you are tired. 

 Perhaps pet a goat, or feed some chickens, or weed a garden full of beautiful produce. But choose to enjoy your life! 

 All of it.