30 Day Verse Challenge

 So here is the challenge: For the next 30 days, read one verse a day that will help you through this pandemic and help you stand strong in the Lord. There are so many verses that can encourage, bless and strengthen us, if we would just read them and apply them to our life. So a challenge  for myself is to post one verse a day on this blog that will encourage both you and me. Tune in each day and let God's Word change your attitude and life...

 Day 1 Verse Challenge - Psalm 119:105

Ever since we had a bear upset our garbage cans in the middle of the night, I have been a little reluctant to walk out to the garage or workshop after dark. But that is really not a problem because of the motion detector lights that come on as soon as I step outside. These lights light up the path that leads to the shop letting me see whatever is in the yard. So far no bears! That is the power of God's Word. It lights the way and shows us that we need not to be afraid and we don't have to worry about stumbling. 

   Today let God's Word guide you and direct your path. Read the verse again and again and let God teach and lead you. 

God Bless!

Mugwumps

     Benjamin Franklin came up with the phrase "Mugwumps". This describes someone sitting on a post and can't decide which side they are on. There "mug" is on one side of the fence and their "wump" is on the other side: Thus a "mugwump". Before and during the Revolutionary War there were many people who were loyal to England and many loyal to the new country. Then there was people who could not make up their mind and rode the fence.

   In the book of Joshua many Israelites could not decide who they should serve - The false gods or the one True God. Joshua told them to make up their minds and stop riding the fence. If you are going to serve God, serve God. He said as far as "me and my house - we will serve the Lord".

God does not want us to be a Christian "Mugwump" He wants us to decide to Follow Jesus and serve Him. Which side of the fence are you sitting on?

He Maketh No Mistake

   Yesterday we sent out our first prayer letter since we retired in January. We didn't get a lot of replies back, but one of the people who did reply was Wade Wadsworth. Wade and April are missionaries working in nursing homes sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They sent us a poem by a man by the name of A.M. Overton, written in 1932. Mr. Overton was  a pastor in Mississippi and his wife was expecting their 4th child. Complications set in and both his wife and new born child died. During the funeral service the pastor noticed that Mr. Overton was writing something down on paper. Later he asked him about it. It was this poem, called "He Maketh No Mistake".

My Father's way may twist and turn
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Tho' night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all, in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim,
But come what may,
I'll simply trust and leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift,
And plain it all He'll make,
Through all the way, tho dark to me,
He made not one mistake. 
   (A.M. Overton, 1932)

The poem speaks for itself. In these dark and confusing times - God makes no mistakes! The virus and all it's implications and complications are in God's hands.

Under His Wings

     It was quite an amazing day for photography. I went to Rice Lake to deliver a wood frame for a dear lady and her husband. On the way to the delivery site, I took a side trip on Lakeside Road to see if there was any new born goslings that I could take pictures of. They are so cute when they are young and following their parents around the park. That is when I saw what you see in the picture above. In all my years of shooting geese, I have NEVER seen babies under their parents wings like this. As far as I can see there was at least 5 goslings under her wings. What an amazing and exciting sight. What do they do when there are 20 - 30 goslings? That would really be a sight!!!
   The verse I thought of was Psalms 91:4: "He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall trust..." 
    I can think of several reasons these babies would seek shelter under their mother's wings.
1. Security and safety. She is guarding and protecting them from any enemies that might come by - including humans.
2. Warmth. It was a little chilly and misty this morning and what better place to be than under a warm, waterproof shelter.
3. Bonding with mother. Even geese need to bond with their young. This way they know who they can trust and run to in a hurry, if needed. 
   These are the same reasons that God wants us to find shelter under His wings: Security and Safety; Warmth of His love; and Bonding with God our Father. When we go through difficult times, run to our Heavenly Father and seek shelter under His wings. He is always there for us and ready to bond!!!

God's Protection

One of the things you learn very quickly growing up on a farm is that when a cow gives birth to a baby calf it usually is in an open field. But if she wants her privacy and wants to protect her newborn she will have the baby in the dense woods. On several occasions it would be my job to find the mother and baby and bring them back to the barn. Usually after you find them and when the calf is cleaned up by the mother, you could just pick up the calf and walk back to the barn with mama following close behind.
  Two Stories - both true:
#1: We knew that a cow had given birth in the woods, but we just did not know where. I started to look for the baby and mother, but I could not find it anywhere. In frustration I yelled out "Where are you?" Just then I heard a blackbird or some other kind of birds say "Over here, Over Here!" I followed the sound and sure enough there was the mother and baby, safe and sound.

   #2: Once in a great while the baby calf will be stillborn. My dad, Steve and myself searched for the cow and calf and finally found them in the woods. Now the job was to get the mother back to the barn. But that was not so easy. The mother was very protective of her newborn, even though it was dead. We could not get near enough to get the calf. The mother began to charge us, throwing us to the ground and rolling us with her head for several feet. She rolled me at least once and then went after Steve. Now it was dad's turn to be protective. He stood between us and the cow and the cow rolled him several times. All I know is that dad was willing to step in between us and the cow and protect us. That was genuine love in action. To this day I do not remember how we eventually got the cow and dead calf back to the farm. I think dad may have hooked a chain on it and dragged it back to the barn with the tractor and the mother followed.

   What a comfort and encouragement to know that our Father, God will protect us and surround us with His love. With a Father's love He watches over us and keeps us safe day by day. When I think of my dad stepping in between us and the angry cow, that is exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took our punishment so we could have everlasting life.  
                          THAT IS LOVE IN ACTION!!!

Toby

    Yesterday I shared about what our family was like over 60 years ago when we were kids. My mom always wanted to have a baby girl, but God instead blessed her with 8 boys. Five of those boys are still alive today. There was another family member that was very special to all of us. He was our family dog, Toby. I don't know when or under what circumstances my dad got Toby. He was just always there.
   Toby was half collie and half another type of dog. (Steve probably knows.) There could not be a better farm dog for small boys to play with. He was as gentle as can be and loved to be around us. In fact when we were very small we took turns riding on Toby's back. He didn't mind. The only time Toby turned on me and bit me was my fault. You never fire a cap gun about an inch from a dog's ear and not expect to be bit. I learned my lesson very quickly.
   Toby was a great cattle dog. He would go with us when we had to bring the cows in for milking. His job was to help herd and keep in line the cattle, which he did faithfully.
   We would come home from school and Toby was there to welcome us. One day we came home and Toby was not there. Mom and dad told us that Toby had passed away. I am still not sure just what happened, but all I knew is that Toby was gone. For some reason that simply did not bother us. We never shed a tear, just went about business as usual.
   Dad tried to replace Toby with several other dogs, one at a time, but none of them could take his place. If I remember right, one of them was an Alaskan Husky that was big and strong. Too strong for a 10 year old boy to control. He didn't last long. If you want to know more about Toby you will have to ask my brother Steve. He is a little older than I am and can recall some of these things better.

    Hebrews 13:5 tells us of someone who will never, never, never leave us and will always be there for us. That of course is God. We don't have to worry about coming home and someone telling us that God has left us. Especially today when we go through these trying times, it is important to realize and KNOW that God will always be there for us. Mom and Dad and even our dog may forsake us - Gut God will always be there!

Mother's Love

    My brothers and I grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota. Times were hard and we were relatively poor. (Although we did not know it at the time). I like to tell people that we were so poor that we could not afford shoes in the summer time, so we would go bare footed all summer. (Which was true).
   Even though we did not have much money, mom always made sure we were fed. She knew how to stretch food to feed our family. She would mix pieces of bread with fried potatoes, which we actually enjoyed. We ate a lot of potatoes, mashed with butter and cream.
   Mom made the best of the garden foods: potatoes, peas, green beans, onions, corn on the cob, etc...  We spent hours and days pulling weeds in the garden and could not wait until the harvest was ready. Much of it never reached the dinner table as we ate as much as we could right from the garden. Simply brush off the dirt and chomp away.
   She canned everything she could, fruits and vegetables. Every fall we would head for the woods with buckets to gather black berries and raspberries. We would make a day of it. What ever we did not eat on the spot, we took home, usually several pails full. Then would come the pies, jellies, and above all berries on ice cream.
   She also loved to bake bread, although I never figured out why she even tried. Our goal was to never let warm bread from the oven get cold. She made the best caramel roles in the world, which again very seldom made it to the supper table. There was something about walking into the house with the smell of fresh baked bread. To us it was like saying "sickem" to a dog.
   When ever she made a pie or cake for a meal, we had an unspoken pact that there would not be any left overs for the next meal. We would finish the whole cake in one meal. That was just common sense. One of the best treats was when mom would take left over pie crust, put sugar and cinnamon on it and bake it in the oven.
   I will admit that she always over baked meat in the oven. We had a lot of roast beef that was charred on the edges, but WELL DONE!!!  
   Milk was fresh milk from the cow with the cream skimmed off. The cream would go on the morning cereal. Every morning dad would have a bowl of Corn Flakes. To this day I will not eat Corn Flakes.
   Today's Verse is from Philippians 4:19, which says that God will provide our needs according to His riches in glory. If my mom could take little of nothing and provide for us, think what God can do with all the riches of glory at His disposal. This is not just food, clothing and water. His riches include His grace, strength, salvation and much more.