Heartaches

Please pray for two dear young ladies who are friends of ours. One is facing a very sudden and serious cancer in her mother, one is dealing with a second miscarriage and she and her husband are wondering whether to continue to remain overseas as missionaries. My heart aches with both of these young ladies not only because they are sweet ladies but also because the Lord has seen fit to have me deal with both of these issues in my own life and I feel that I should be better at comforting them than I do. It was especially hard to lose my Mom so suddenly since (foolishly) I had always thought of her being around to see her grandchildren grow up. Both miscarriages I had were much harder physically and emotionally than I ever imagined. You see why both of these young ladies hold a special place in my heart these days. My prayers are continually with them, I wish I was along side them to hug and hold, and my heart aches with theirs. Please join me in praying for their strength, wisdom, and that they will hold onto THE Comforter who can give them what they need each hour of each day. Thanks for your prayers.

Christmas Wrap-Up

What fun we have had this year! The joys of watching our children not only get gifts but give them to each other and other family members and friends. We did our annual Baking last Friday, visited with relatives on Saturday at a "half-way point", had a relaxing day Sunday, had Derwin's Dad's family's get together Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day stayed at home except for a fantastic brunch at my SIL's across the road for a couple of hours. All five children were here, my nieces, SIL and BIL, Grandma, Katy and even a brief visit from neighbors. We (yes, we, not just them!!) had fun with their tinkertoys, having radio control races (my 5yo got 4 RC vehicles and is ecstatic!! I am thrilled that I stocked up on batteries ahead of time!), playing Othello,

having "sword fights" with this ,


launching rockets with this
making pot holders with Emma with this kit


and eating and eating and enjoying each other immensely. My oldest son gave my hubby this DVD (they both enjoy that stuff - personally my daughters and I prefer something like Pride and Prejudice !). The greatest gift of course was time. Yesterday we had lunch with Shelley and Jimmy and we were talking about just that. Time. Time spent with each other. Time spent laughing and sharing and even a few tears over those who are no longer here to share our time. I wish somehow we could bottle up a few hours or days or weeks and wrap it and give it to each other. So today and for 2008 my wish for you is the gift of time. With those you love. Doing what is important. Sharing your heart and dreams and love and laughter and tears. Sharing why you have hope. Sharing why life is so precious and "stuff" like toys and clothes and movies are good only when they are shared with those we love. May we each cherish the gift of time and give it away to those we love each and every day. Remind me when I get too busy. Remind me when I get too caught up in the "stuff".

Christmas Ponderings

We finished reading "Jotham's Journey" today (yeah, two days early but we just couldn't wait!) and every time I finish it I am in deep thought about why the King of Kings would stoop to being born in a dirty, smelly stable, live a very rough and poor life, be beaten and scorned and nailed to a cross - for who? For me - who goes about every day as if life is all about me. It's beyond understanding with my head or my heart. Yet somehow something in all of us knows it rings true. This weekend we visit those who have nothing to offer us - just like we have nothing to offer our Savior. Like the neighbor who just had her husband leave suddenly wiping out her bank account and taking everything of value, including her heart and self-esteem. Pray with us that each person we visit will understand that the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a gift we can never buy or work for but is free and ready to be given.
And it's for people like me who go about as if life is about me.
He loves us anyway. He proved it on the cross. He offers a new life to us and the empty tomb showed His Power to make that offer.
Amazing.
Messiah. Immanuel. Redeemer.
Hope for the Hopeless.
Healer of Broken Hearts.
Savior.
LORD.
JESUS CHRIST.

A Trip Down Christmas Lane....

I don't know exactly why, maybe it's all the ornaments the children made over the years, but the Christmas season always makes me nostalgic. You too? Memories of digging up our tree (yes, we dug it up and replanted it long before the word "environmentalist" had been conceived - it was called being cheap smart with your money), shopping for my Dad's present to Mom at roughly 4:50pm on Christmas Eve (the stores closed at 5pm), and sleeping on the floor all night so I would wake as early as possible on Christmas morning (I think our earliest was 2am, our latest about 5am? Isn't that right Joye??!). It's a wonder my parents didn't cancel Christmas!! One of the clearest memories of Christmas is when I was 12 and we had just moved into a new house with new appliances. I woke my Mom at exactly 2:48 A.M. in a panic because the oven power was ON!! No, I didn't check to see if the oven was hot. No, I had never heard of this thing called delayed cooking. No, I didn't want to be tanned and would lie back down (beside the tree of course!!).

Did your Santa come wrapped? Ours did. It wasn't until after I was a parent and my dear hubby asked what planet was I from that I actually realized there might be a easier better way. My favorite present? A chemistry set. Yep. I think I was probably the first female to earn the title of geek. But it really was my childhood favorite. Because it was what I wanted and didn't think I would get. Because no one else thought I'd get it (in a "you'll put your eye out, Ralphie" sort of way.) Because it affirmed to me that I had parents who actually loved me for who I was and not what everyone told me I should be/not be.

My favorite Christmas? This one, of course. Memory lane is beautiful but today I can give hugs and love and laughter that will make beautiful memories for tomorrow. Presents will come and go, memories will last for a while but love will never end. Enjoy, savor, laugh and cry with those you love today. And as Lea says so beautifully, "Have a fine day, all day long."

Missionary Monday

Want a blessing and a challenge to be persistent in your witness to others? Watch this ! (Thanks Brian!)

Want to know about how to help orphans in Ethiopia? Watch my friend Eileen's slide show HERE and if you want to contribute to this orphanage, do so through Gladney and earmark the funds "Kolfe Orphanage".

RAIN!!!

Temperatures here have been ridiculously high for the past week - there is something totally wrong with wearing shorts and having your windows open while you sing Christmas carols and decorate the tree! Even in the South! But in the past 24-hours, the temps have taken a nose-dive, brought in clouds and blessing of all blessings - RAIN - to this drought-stricken land. My 5yo did not want to believe me this morning when I told him to change out of his shorts - until he stepped outside and with a yelp exclaimed "MOM - IT'S SNOWING!!!" "No," his Dad quickly but calmly explained, "that is just rain, son - it's just been so long since you saw it you forgot what it was!" I think we had all forgotten both what rain looked like and what December temps were supposed to feel like. Tonight we cut off all the lights and sounds and sat for a few minutes and just quietly listened to the wonderful sound of rain flowing in the gutters, splattering the windows, and refreshing the whole earth around us, while we sipped some hot cocoa and snuggled under soft blankets. Now that is the perfect evening to me! Thank you , Lord, for rain and seasons.

Christmas "readings"

Every year during early December we began to drag out the decorations - in our case most are not store-bought and most "normal" people would classify them as "tacky" with a capital "T" but they are special to us because they bring back wonderful memories. Ornaments made from jar lids and felt, sandpaper and yarn, even one made from a (new)ash tray (no kidding, from a school project no less!). Each has its own story of which child made it, which house we were living in (we have moved 10 times in 28 years, although really only 6 different communities), and something funny or special or interesting about the Christmas when that ornament was made. Needless to say, it takes us a L -- O -- N -- G --- G ---- G time to decorate the tree! Then there are the homemade Nativity scenes, a "wreath" hanging made from my second son's handprints when he was 5, two angel paintings made by both the 19 year-old and the 5-year old at age 3 each, etc. These are the reasons I decorate. To reinforce those wonderful memories in my mind and to establish them in the childrens'.

We have other traditions, too. Like baking goodies and delivering them to the neighbors the week before Christmas. Now these may not make the cover of Martha Stewart magazine but they are made with love by us and as we pack them in containers we pray for the recipients, many of whom do not yet understand the true Hope of CHRISTmas.

Then there are (of course!!) Christmas books. Each day we (try to) read at least one story about giving, gifts, selflessness, hope. Some of our favorites are "The Giving Tree", "The Legend of the Christmas Tree", "The First Christmas", "The Legend of the Candy Cane", "The Three Trees", and several Jan Brett and Max Lucado books. We have some wonderful short stories that are about Christmas or giving and the youngest ones ask for "How Grandma Came for Christmas", "The Red-haired Doll", "Unlucky Jim", "Debbie's Jewels" and several others to be read and re-read. These are in some great books that I picked up years ago at a used book store for almost nothing. One set is called "Uncle Arthur's Storytime" and one book was published by Focus on the Family called "Great Stories Remembered". Tuesday we began reading "Jotham's Journey" by Arnold Ytreeide which can be used as an Advent reading (although we started it a little late this year). What do you read during Christmas?

Happy Birthday Dear Daughter!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Craft Fair

Last Friday we had a blast at our annual Christmas Craft Fair with our homeschool group. The children made snowmen candy cane holders,

photo frames from CD cases,


Felt Poinsettia napkin rings,




Snowman rulers,



Marshmallow Nativity Scenes,




Snowflake Headbands,


and several other crafts. It took about 2 hours of our time and by going straight from one craft to another they got almost all of their presents made for the family, with each craft costing between 50 cents and $2.00.

An 11-year-old was selling beautiful Poinsettias to raise money to buy a water buffalo! No, not for him but he asked his parents to take his Christmas money and help him buy one for a needy family in Asia through Gospel for Asia. What a sweet thing! So we got two beautiful red ones for us and Gran and one gorgeous yellow one for my SIL (whose kitchen/dining area is yellow and red). Overall a great day and lots of fun!

Through the week

Tuesday afternoon we dashed about getting passport photos made (I'll explain later!), dragging out Christmas garland, picking up coffee urns and taking them to get set up for our annual Mom's Christmas Tea that our homeschool group holds. Dashed back to get 8yo ready for acro class, bake brownies and change clothes, drive back up to our meeting location and gladly sat down to a wonderfully relaxing time of fellowship and food with other Moms. We were treated to visions of beautifully decorated tables, filled our tummies with scrumptious goodies of all sorts (I especially enjoyed Beth's tea sandwiches and the pumpkin cheesecake), listened to wonderful music by some children and joined in for some carols as a group, and then were treated to a dramatic presentation of Mary by Dianne Hart which touched everyone in the room. A great evening! After taking some info for the next field trip I'm planning, collecting some items to mail to soldiers and helping clean up, I talked a few minutes in the parking lot with friends, made a late evening run to Target to pick up toys and games that were on sale and came home to re-tuck the little ones into bed.

Yesterday we went to the public library for "Story Time" where we were treated to several good books, including one by Jan Brett (one of our favorite authors) called "The Gingerbread Baby". The children then made gingerbread men (girls) as fridge magnets. Later after some school was done we stood in line at the Post Office to finish off the passport applications (OK, now I'll tell you - D and I are going to MEXICO in January!! All expenses paid for both of us by one of his company's suppliers - what fun!!).

Last night was the semi-annual "Awanas Store" at church so I had to arrive a little early and help with that and it was lots of fun to see the bright faces chose "gifts" that they had earned by attending and learning verses since September. My 8yo is going to participate in the T&T Bible Quiz in January so she has been working especially hard to learn and relearn her verses. Today we are doing school, cleaning house, hanging out clothes and hoping to get outside to pick up more rocks and roots before the day is over. Tomorrow we have a Craft Fair in the afternoon for the children to make crafts for friends and relatives for Christmas - I'll try to post some pics of it after it's over if I get a chance to take any in between helping made pot holders. Have a great week (what's left of it!) -

Missionary Monday

What an unbelievable Creator we have! Sunday we got into a discussion from Genesis and our Ss teacher made a small comment about being made in God's image. How in context it is clear that our desire, no, our driving passion to create comes from the fact that we are made in God's image. THE Creator's image. So I've been thinking on that, how many people want to create a "perfect environment", some want to create a beautiful home, some want to create the biggest, best business or the most unique something. We all crave it. Creation of our own minds, our own hands. Yep, it made so much sense. Then the next step is to think about what will I spend my time and energy creating? And there are only two things that any human can create that will live into eternity. One, conceive and give birth to a child who has an eternal soul - what a wonderful, indescribable way to create, and then to nurture that creation to the best of your ability. Two, be used by the Lord to bring someone into the knowledge of Christ so that they will spend eternity with their Savior. That's it. Now, there's lots of good, even great, things you and I can or might create. But those are the only two things that will stand the test of eternity. Kinda puts it all into perspective for me.
And here's some great eternal creation going on - Audrey in Japan shares her praises of how new believers are being born in a country that some people said is "hopeless". Eileen and Jerry are holding and touching and loving the children God has seen fit to place in their family. Brian and Mandy are trying to help two believers who were literally "kicked out of the house" for reading their Bibles. All for eternity. No worry seems very big now. Tomorrow I will begin to ask as I go about each chore "What am I creating?"

Red faced and Egg on the face, too....

Well, tomorrow morning on my calendar was the Play "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". We have been so excited all week about going, with my 8yo picking out a nice Christmas outfit, talking about play etiquette and even having a back-up plan in case one of the vehicles wasn't out of the shop in time. Well, this afternoon I get online to check my emails and a friend had written "Missed you at the play" --- huh?? Yep. It was this morning, not tomorrow as my "live or die by calendar" said. And had I gotten at least 3 emails referring to the play on THURSDAY? Yep. Had it registered in my scatterbrain that my calendar said FRIDAY? Nope. And who posted the information on our group's master e-calendar? Oh, that would be me. And who scheduled the reminders to go out to the group about the play? Ummm.... yep, me too.And who was the very first person to sign up for that play? Yours truly. So I am not only thoroughly disappointed but also thoroughly wiping the egg off my face! Next time I will be a little more diligent in making my dates and checking them twice!

Sorry....

Well, Monday came and went and I didn't post a "Missionary Monday". Sorry. Here it is almost the end of another week and well, I have lots of excuses that you don't want to hear but let's just play catch-up by trying to get back on schedule next week, OK? Praise that my MIL is doing very well after her nasty fall on Thanksgiving "eve" and that no other people are sick, only the cars (yes, plural, part of that phrase above about "you don't want to hear"!). Thanks for all the prayers for my MIL.

Tonight our friends should be returned from Ethiopia with a much larger family (by 3!) than when they left here 10 days ago. Rejoice with them! If you haven't read their story, scroll down to the oldest postings and read them in chronological order. It will truly bless you - GOD is so very good!!

Other friends of ours are dealing with 1) an unsaved brother's terminal cancer amidst a very dysfunctional family, 2) a wayward son who seeks the truth everywhere except the one place it can be found, 3) an unplanned teen pregnancy (praise that they will have the baby!), 4) & 5) loss of jobs, 6) financial woes, 7) major church split and 8) a possible separation/divorce. All in all we are doing very well, thank you! Sometimes lately when we pray it almost smothers me and then I realize none of this is my responsibility or that I can do much of anything to help but I can pray to the One who can help. And then I am overwhelmed by the amazing fact that He lets me be part of His cure. I get to be the observer and sometimes even the one who helps give the cure to the patient. I can't help anyone, especially not even myself, and yet the Creator, the Great Physician, allows me to be a part of seeing His wonders by aching with and for my friends, by bending my knees to pray for them, by watching amazing miracles happen in the midst of heartaches and sorrow.

Truly rejoicing with some and truly aching with others - and always seeing astonishing things happen to those who trust the Lord!

One More Reason to Be Thankful

Yesterday I thought I "had it all together" and was quite pleased that I not only got 3 different salads made, everything ready to cook pies, rolls, potatoes and corn this morning (we were eating at noon), made tea, did laundry and washed dishes (twice), but also had time to go help my MIL with last-minute cleaning at her house where we were all scheduled to go eat lots and lots and lots. So here's what a reminder I got for focusing on the wrong things - my hubby's transmission went completely out, we need to get my daughter's car re-inspected after several things get fixed, and we found out a friend was ill and wouldn't be able to join us. No big deal, though. Well, shortly before midnight (yes, we were still awake), I see car lights flying down our path toward my MIL's house. Hmmmm... she had eaten dinner with us and been back at home for several hours so who could be going there at this late hour? We called her house to check on her and my niece answered the phone. My SIL and my nieces were in the "flying car" rushing to get my MIL to rush her on to the ER. She had gone out her back steps (and not turned on the light so she wouldn't wake the cat!!!), mis-stepped, and fell headfirst into a very hard, very wooden table. Long night short, after numerous tests and no less than 8 hours in the ER she returned home with 14 staples in her head! Yikes!! Thanksgiving cancelled? Oh, no! She insisted on cooking the turkey and dressing (with some help from family) and we were all very acutely reminded of how blessed we are and how very quickly life can be snatched away or dramatically changed in a matter of mili-seconds. So today we gave thanks for many, many things but most of all for the fact that my MIL did not pass out (as blood gushed from her head) before she could call for help and that she will be fine in a few days. My 8yo did her Ralph Waldo Emerson poem again and then later told us she wanted to add "and for ....(name of each family member) , Father in heaven we thank Thee." Says it all, huh?

Quick Update....

We've been a busy bunch here as I'm sure you all have, too. Over the weekend D returned from his trip to Texas, we had some of the older children home visiting Sunday afternoon, my oldest got lots of pics posted to his website from his Japanese trip, the youngest two and I participated in a Thanksgiving Feast on Monday with lots of crafts, good food, great fellowship and even had a slight shower of rain as we were giving Thanks to God for His blessings! How neat is that?! EK said the whole Emerson poem "Father In Heaven We Thank Thee" and she will have a repeat performance of it on Thursday. Today we are trying to finish our Thanksgiving Folders (like lapbooks), EK has her acro class, lots of laundry to catch up on with J home :) , and a homeschool leaders meeting tonight. Tomorrow will be one last dash to the grocers for a few items I forgot last Friday, some errands to run and prepping a congealed cranberry salad (with pecans of course!!) for Thursday's lunch at MIL's. Now I know most people have their big Turkey and fixin's at dinner time but I really like the Creech family tradition of having it at lunch. We say it's because that way we can all head off in different directions to the "other sides of the family" but mostly I think it's because it gives us an excuse to eat such a scrumptious meal twice in one day! Have a very Blessed Thanksgiving and count your blessings every day!

Thank you to all our Soldiers, Veterans and Military Families!

I know you've probably seen this, but just in case you haven't - it is a must see. Amazing that a girl of 15 has the insight to put together a piece as heart-wrenching as this. And if after viewing it you want to do something, go to THIS SITE and chose a soldier. Send them a card, letter, anything to encourage them. Please.

Texas!!

My dh is off to Texas bright and early tomorrow to look at .... trees. Nope, not fall leaves or Christmas trees but nursery stock of pecan trees. We have to decide in the next few weeks who to use as our supplier for our farm and it is such a costly and important decision (possibly THE most important one) that we decided he needed to go and see them in person. I'll post some pictures when he returns (if he can get the hang of our camera) and post lots of details on our farm blog, too. In the meantime, we will keep on slogging here at home with school and Bible Quiz meeting and Gran's house to get ready for Thanksgiving (don't ask!) as well as all the "normal life" stuff. Hopefully next time he returns to Texas will be to actually bring the stock back with him and I will tag along. In the meantime, my heart will be in Texas for the next few days.

Missionary Monday

Yesterday I got to meet a precious couple (call them "K&K") and their two-year-old son. Neat. For over two years we have "had dinner" with this couple and have prayed for their language studies, their cultural adjustment to Asia, the birth of their son, the many things that they have encountered while being half-way around the world from friends and family to serve the Christ that they love. We found out about them from our friend who was then Youth Pastor to my 2nd and 3rd children. His daughters became good friends of our daughter's, even after they moved to another state and we have kept up with K&K through these friends and felt as if we knew them. Today we were blessed with making that a reality! Pray for them as they complete their "vacation" time in the states and then return to a very cold (literally and spiritually) region of the world. Pray for an easy transition for the 2-year-old who has been on the road with Mom and Dad for many weeks. Pray for the blessings of more children if it be the Lord's will. Pray that their language skills will continue to improve and that they will remain healthy in the midst of much sickness in their city. And Praise that you, too, will meet them face to face someday if you know our Savior! Won't we all have fun celebrating in HIS presence in every tongue and every race and every culture for ever and ever?!

Awanas

We love Awanas. Our children learn an amazing amount of scripture, biblical truths and discipline of the mind, all while having loads of fun. Here is my "widow with her two mites" on October 31st "Bible Heroes Night" at Awanas:

and here are the two cars my children raced in the Awanas Gran Prix: Emma's "Jewel-y" truck (note "bed of roses" in truck bed!) got 3rd place for design (yes, that's google eyes and purple sunglasses!)

and Ethan's got 3rd place for speed (note the "guns" on top - what a difference between boys and girls!)

out of all of these cars:

What the major news won't tell you...

A wonderful image of one of the results of our presence in Iraq. Regardless of what each of us feels about this war, we must support our troops there and remember that even the worst situations can be turned to good with God's Hand. Go HERE to read about this story by Michael Yon of how Muslims invited soldiers to join them in replacing the cross atop a Christian church.

Aborted Abortion

Amazing story of how man's attempt to end a life ended up showing God's mercy! Go read it HERE and thank the Lord for every new life.

Missionary Monday

Do you know an elderly lady that is in her late 70s? How does she spend her days? Well, there is a dear woman 76 years of age in dire need of your prayers. She is currently imprisoned in China - why? What terrible crime did she commit? She believes in Jesus Christ and has a son who preaches the hope of Christ's death and resurrection. So she is in prison. Arrested within a stone's throw of a 2008 Olympic stadium being built in large part to show the world that China is "normal" and "civilized". Want more info about her? Go to the VOM website and read about her and other prisoners who suffer untold pain just because they live in a place where the darkness hates the light.

1 Cor. 12:26 "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."
And Matthew 25:39-40 "Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. "

Fall fun

So here are Emma and Ethan with some of their tree identification rubbings and our traditional "waxed paper leaves" - this was perfect timing for studying trees.
And then here they are getting ready to record the measurement of their plants (we are recording the germination time and rate of growth for 3 different seeds)
We had rain last week when friends were over and they all had a blast making a "dam" to build "the world's biggest mud puddle"! Funny but I didn't realize until this week that our next study was on dams and bridges - again, great timing!Big brother "alien" ??
Hmmmmm.......

Missionary Monday

We have the most incredible friends. I keep wondering why God has blessed us with such great friends and honestly I am in awe of it. There is Bob and Shannon who spent two years in a Muslim country in Asia and continue to minister to the persecuted there even from here while working and raising 3 beautiful daughters, one of which is severely autistic, and another child on the way. Their faith in the Lord's Will and their heart to reach the lost is a passion that you cannot ignore. There is Eileen and Jerry - adopting 3 children from Ethiopia after adopting twins a few years ago and an incredible testimony to Christ everywhere they go. Megan and Kostya are selling what little they own to follow God's calling to the Ukraine with 3 young children in tow in order to help train pastors there, knowing hospitals and conveniences will be too far away to be of much use to them. Brian and Mandy are adjusting to new parenthood in a country where little English is spoken and most people completely misunderstand Christianity. We have dear friends in China who know that they will go two years between visits with their precious grandchildren and who can be deported at the drop of a word but they ache to see those bowing in worship to ancestral gods bowing their hearts to the One who died for them. There are David and Dawn, Sarah and David, Russ and Cindy, Debbie and Steve, and numerous others who have turned their backs on very lucrative careers to help train future pastors and missionaries with a salary hardly enough to keep them above the poverty level. There is CT - a man with a testimony so incredible most people think it is fiction - whose love for the Lord and desire to grow in the Word is such a great encouragement to everyone around him. There are Beth, Wittney and Renee who remind me to be a better mother and teacher, role model, neighbor, friend and servant. I could go on and if you are one of my friends reading this, you deserve to be mentioned but if I didn't include you it's because this post could never be long enough for all the blessings of friends! Why do I post this under "Missionary Monday"? Because all of you are missionaries. I have personally witnessed you reaching out to the lost, your neighbors, your family. I have seen you walk the talk. And today I thank you for being a missionary.

From Baghdad Prayer Patrol - Praise!

Can I share some good news with you?
Last week there was not a single military casualty; Iraqi or U.S., in Anbar Province. This is the first time that has happened since March 2003.

These statistics reflect the changes since mid-June, which was the peak of the troop surge (and also the Baghdad Prayer Patrol surge) until the beginning of this week.

- Violence in and around Baghdad is down 59 percent.

- Car bombs are down 65 percent.

- Casualties from car bombs and roadside bombs are down by 80 percent.

- Casualties from enemy attacks down 77 percent.

- Operations against Iraqi security forces are down 62 percent.

- Assassination attempts for sectarian reasons are down 72 percent.

Do I hear an amen!
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in prayer.
Only heaven will reveal how much our little Prayer Patrol is contributing to these successes.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing.
Our troops are still there, the Iraqi people are still suffering, our job is not done. Rejoice, give thanks to God for His faithfulness, be encouraged, then strap on your boots and get back on patrol, we've got a job to finish.

I am honored to run with you to the battle,
Wayne Dillard
Baghdad Prayer Patrol

P.S. Please pass this good news on and recruit some more prayer troops, so we can finish well in Iraq and bring these heroes home.

Join me on patrol at: Baghdad Prayer Patrol

Warning: Not for "tickled ears"

Last Sunday in our church our pastor (who is very soft-spoken, humble, quiet) got pretty riled up as he proclaimed that we want everything FROM Jesus except Jesus Himself. How true - for me, anyway. I love the new hymn "In Christ Alone" and I've determined that for me focusing only on Christ is a full-time job without adding the second job of judge or jury for others. During this week those words have rang in my heart again and again - here's where I have heard their chorus:

On Monday a friend and her 2 teenage daughters went to hear Josh McDowell and he stressed to the parents that they need to not point only to the Bible but more importantly to the author of the Bible - the Word Himself. What good is looking to the Bible if you don't see the author who is Creator, Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Jesus Christ Himself in it?

On Tuesday I ran across this quote tucked away in my prayer journal - one of my favorite quotes - "Jesus is something to you but is HE everything?" from E.M. Bounds.

On Tuesday I also glanced at Jimmy's blog and found one of my favorite hymns - "Be Thou My Vision" - the essence of desiring Christ in every particle of my life.

On Wednesday I got a devotion forwarded to me from a dear friend who is serving overseas in very difficult and dangerous situations and the message was from 1 Cor. 2:2 "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Period.
Amen.

Missionary Monday

Say "Hello" to a fascinating family raising three little ones as they are called to minister to the lost in Bolivia. They have battled everything from the flu to having one of their young children have to undergo surgery. This is while trying to learn a new language, adjust to a very different culture and trying to establish some relationships in the community. Please take a few minutes today and pray for John and Jenny and their sons - Caleb, Luke and Elijah. Pray that the Lord would heal them quickly and help them see what He wants them to do each day. Praise the Lord for their faithfulness and willingness to go and tell!

Quote of the Day

The leaves fall,
the wind blows,
and the farm country
slowly changes from
the summer cottons
into its winter wools.

-Henry Beston

(Photo by Matt Creech )

Frugal Friday - homemade "stuff"

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1/2 cup cocoa (I use store brand)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix cocoa, sugar and water in pot. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 1/2-2 minutes. ( The longer you boil, the thicker the syrup will be) Turn off the heat and let cool, then add to one of your empty choc syrup bottles or to a mason jar and keep in fridge. [Inexpensive and easy with no additives! Look for great deals on cocoa between now and Christmas and stock up!]


Homemade Maple Syrup
My mom always made our pancake syrup and I never knew why. After running across her recipe recently and pricing it out, now I know! It costs a tiny fraction of store-bought pancake syrup and doesn't have all the preservative junk in it.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups water
1/8 (dash) salt
3/4 tsp maple flavoring (more or less to taste)
Bring first 4 ingredients to boil, remove from het, stir in maple flavoring and let cool. Leftovers can be refrigerated. (You can experiment with the combination of sugars to equal 2 cups and the amount of flavoring, all based on your preferences). [Again, sugar goes on sale and some coupons, too, in the fall and around Christmas so stock up. I even found a great deal on maple flavoring last Christmas. ]

Pretty gift from friend

Yesterday I watched my friends' seven children while they went to a doctors appt. They have 6 girls and one boy and found out yesterday that they are expecting another girl!! They grow and sell vegetables, he works at the post office, she homeschools and they also grow pumpkins and flowers to sell, have goats and chickens and I don't know when they sleep with all of that going on! As a gift for watching the children Karen gave me this that she had made:It adds a beautiful touch to my fall tablecloth! Thanks, Karen and Congrats!