The Garden

When we moved into our newest home in Madison, we were thrilled with the size of the lot. We own roughly 1/2 an acre... which is a lot of room in town. In fact, there are three full back yards and a smidgen of another that butt up to our property! Why were we so excited??? We could finally have a garden!!

During all of the years that we lived in the Pekin area, we had a garden. Each year we put out tomatoes, peppers, squash, and green beans. Every year, Mickey canned salsa for himself, and green beans that were enjoyed at nearly every family function. He does make THE BEST green beans you've ever eaten. I no longer try!!!! While they are tasty when he has fixed those bought from the store, using his canned green beans makes them even better.

Last year we had no garden, our Wolf Trails home just didn't have room for one. By Easter of this year, we were using the last three quarts of our home canned beans. So when spring rolled around, we put in a small garden - 7 rows of beans, 10 tomato plants, two jalapeno plants, and green onions. I must say, the green beans have already outdone themselves!!

Our first pick, Mick was able to can 35 quarts and we gave a "mess" to my in-laws. The second pick, Mick canned 19 quarts and I fixed a huge amount for the family to enjoy on Saturday. This morning I walked out to check the garden after all of our rain, and the beans are ready to pick again!!! Mick said he guessed we'd just keep picking and canning until we ran out of jars!!!

I must admit, when I first walked up to the garden this morning I thought, "Oh no... we will have to pick beans again!!!"  However, I was quickly reminded that I need to be THANKFUL!!!!!

I should be THANKFUL that we have the space for a garden, where so many would just love a yard of their own.

I should be THANKFUL for more beans than we anticipated, when so many go without even a mouthful of food in a day.

I should be THANKFUL for the rains and the sun that God provides that help our garden to grow, while so many areas of our country are in a drought.

I should be THANKFUL for a husband who takes the time to can what we have grown. You see, I am terrified of the pressure canner... yes.... I'm a chicken!!!


I am reminded that I need to be THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS.... not just in those times that I get what I want, but at ALL times!!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says:  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  

It is God's will that we BE THANKFUL....  so I think that it is time to change my way of thinking!!! How about you??

Have a Blessed Day!

Lynn

I love VBS... Yes I Do!!!!

What fun we are having at Jungle Safari!! Day 2 under our belts!

This is my first year to work at the Community VBS in our new home town. This is a huge event, with several churches offering their time and money to make it happen, including our home church North Madison Christian Church. It takes a lot of volunteers to pull off an event like this... and I think that those who don't volunteer their time... even for a night... are missing out on a wonderful opportunity ... teaching about the love of Christ to the next generation.

Now, I not only do VBS, but I am back in the saddle teaching Sunday School again, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I would like to share a few reason why I feel that volunteering to work with kids is important.....

* Seeing a child who might not have the greatest home life come alive when they feel loved. Kids need to see that someone cares... even if it is only for a short time... it can make a difference.

* Being available to answer questions about Christ, his death, and resurrection so that kids can meet the REAL Jesus...  humbling!

* Knowing that for one week, you can build a relationship with a child who might not meet Jesus any other way... so needed in our world today.

* It is a joy to serve alongside others who have the same love of Christ that you do. Watching them love on these kids is a truly amazing experience.

Now.... not all VBS (or kid's ministry!) positions require you to teach!!! This year, I'm a crew leader during VBS. My job?  Simple... take kids from point A to point B, C, D, and back to point A without losing any kids!!! I get to sing with them. I get to hear the lesson with them, and help drive home the point. I get to work on their crafts with them... all the while talking to them, learning about their lives, their likes, and their dislikes. I get to give them high fives, hugs, and tell them "Way to go". How easy is that???  There is no planning... I just show up and love on the kids!!!

If you've never volunteered to work a Vacation Bible School, I encourage you to give it prayerful consideration. There are so many spots that need to be filled, and you might be surprised at how well you might fill the bill!!!Even that little smile given to a child as they are handed there snack speaks the love of Jesus. THAT is what it is all about!!!


Have a Blessed Day!

Lynn

Are your True Colors Showing???

Our Community Group recently finished studying the book of James.... what a wonderful book to dig in to!!!  Seems like I spent most of that study thinking wow... just... wow!!!! I mean, come on... the first chapter starts out powerful! No "sliding in to a topic", BAM... right to the point!

James 1:2-4:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

 not lacking anything. ... NIV

That is powerful.... but I LOVE looking up different versions, they sometimes make things a little more clear. The Message translated these verses this way :

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 

You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its 

true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work 

so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. 

This is one of those instances where I feel that the message really opens up the Word, in particular where it says your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. That really makes me sit back on my heels to ponder what colors (if any!) I show when I'm under pressure?

How true it is that when our lives are going great, and we have "balance", our faith-life looks pretty good. We go along saying the right things, doing our best to do the right things. We go to church, we smile, we sing songs of praise, and then we leave the building with God tucked right back in that little box, all safe and snug, to be taken out again the following week. From the outside, we look pretty good to those around us. We 'have it all together', so to speak. It is pretty easy during this time to have our colors shine like a sunset... calm and serene, the picture of contentment.

What happens when we come under fire? When the pressure is on? When our life starts to resemble a roller-coaster ride instead of a leisurely ride on a carousel? What do we look like when our faith-life is forced into the open then? During times such as these do people look at us only to find a total lack of color? Do they find that our contentment is gone? That our smiles falter? That our songs of praise have lost their fervor?

What is MY true color? Have I become mature in my walk with Christ? Am I deficient? Where will I stand when the "heat is on"?? These are really hard questions... and I think that James is right on target when he says that we must "consider it pure joy... a sheer gift.... when we suffer trials... when we are tested... when we are challenged". I think it is then when we learn how deeply our faith is Christ is rooted. It is then that we either choose to  draw closer to the one who sustains us and let HIS light shine for the world to see, or we choose to keep Him in that box we've created for him and only take him out when it is convenient.

The gift we receive?? Christ IN us... where he holds us up... where he gives us peace and comfort... where His light shines through us so that others can be drawn TO Him.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

Have a Blessed Day!
Lynn

A Conversation that STILL has me wondering!!!!!

I recently was in conversation with a group of people about the use of technology. Is it good? Is it bad? Do people rely too much on it? Are kids really getting what they NEED in life by constantly utilizing their cells, I-pads, and Kindles?  You get the drift, right???

So I happened to mention that one of the kids in my 4th grade Sunday School class recently asked me if there would be technology in heaven. He wondered how he would manage to be in heaven if he couldn't have his phone (yes, 4th grader with a smart phone!!!). I told him that I doubted that we would have need for our devices in heaven, as our sole purpose will be to glorify God.

Well, one of the ladies in this conversation just looked at me and said, "Oh, I think we'll have technology in heaven. The bible says that we will all have mansions and that they will be filled with the things that we love, or are good at, in this life. So if I use my phone or computer a lot here on earth, and it is important to me, then I will have it in heaven."

I sat there, dumbfounded... as I've read the bible through completely once... and other portions many times... and I just can't seem to place where that is in scripture!!!! John 14:2 tells us, "In My Father’s house are many mansions;^[a] if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."  I'm just not sure that we will have access to our gaming systems, cell phones, or The Hopper!!!!

So, what are your thoughts??? Pretty sure I know which side of the fence I'm standing on, how about you????

Have a Blessed Day!
Lynn

Out of the Habit

Of late, I have gotten out of the habit of writing for God. When I first began this blog I used it as a way to reach out to people for Christ (hence the name of the blog - Neal At the Cross!) It was easier then... I had written articles monthly for a Christian Newspaper that I owned, so that style of writing came naturally. But I have to admit... it hasn't seemed to roll for me lately.



I have come to realize that a huge part of that is because I really miss the paper. I miss spending my days finding out little ways that God has blessed others. I miss spending time asking God what he would have me write about, and then being directed to the very article that He would have me write. In short, I think that I am MISSING spending time with God. And that is no body's fault but my own!!! You see... even if I no longer have the paper, God is still blessing people all around me, and he is still giving me plenty of material to write about, I have just stopped looking for it!



So, while this blog doesn't have the circulation that the paper had, I can still use it to bless those who do visit, and I think that it is high time that I got back to the basics of why I began this blog to begin with!



Now, that doesn't mean that I'll stop posting pictures of my family and our adventures, because my family is the GREATEST GIFT that God has given me... it just means that I am going to start looking for God's direction as I write... because this is also a gift that He has given me, and I am choosing to use it to bring Him all the glory!!!!!

Safe Arrival

Mickey and members of the Greenville Christian Church mission team arrived yesterday in the Dominican Republic. While there, the team will serve the people in many different ways. I think their favorite activity will happen on Saturday... VBS for the children of the area.

The team will host two separate VBS programs that day in two different locations. They have been told to expect a total of 300 children.

This is Mickey's second year to go to the DR on a mission trip. Last year, he was amazed to find that children of all ages randomly roam the streets unattended. In the center where children are fed one time daily, small children around 5 or so would bring in even younger siblings and make sure they were fed. Some small children just arrived with parents or older siblings. There were even those who seemed to weak to feed themselves. These children were often fed by a worker or a child they just happened to sit near.

These children break the hearts of those who go to work... the members of the team spend the week hugging on, loving and playing with these little ones. They will play ball, hand out candy, blow up dozens of balloons, and give piggy back rides as often as they can. They will do all in their power to show Jesus and his love to these little ones, and they will come back changed.

This year we have 6 teens on the trip... and only two of them have been on a mission trip. I believe that this could be a turning point in their walk with Christ and I look forward to hearing from them when they return.

Please keep our team in your prayers, and be in prayer for the hearts they will touch while there. (And pray for those of us waiting for our loved ones to return... especially the mommas of those teens!!!)

Up in the Air

As I have shared prom pictures with you, I decided that I needed to share the photos Mickey took of our Michael, and Johannes... the little brother of one of Carly's friends. While the girls were being made over... having their pictures taken, etc... Michael and Johannes were busy being boys. Mickey turned around to find them jumping from the bank to the sidewalk and decided to take advantage of the photo op.

As you can see, Michael enjoys jumping... he was very excited to do so, especially since his new shoes sport lights on the sides. Nothing better than jumping and making them flash....

and so he jumped some more....

But I absolutely loved this picture of Johannes....

perfectly suspended in the air, with his arms outstretched...

As I looked at this picture this morning, I couldn't help but wonder how we would each feel if we saw ourselves suspended that way... arms outstretched... out bodies conforming to the shape of the cross. Would it bring home to each of us the fact that Christ died in our place? That he took our sins upon himself so that we would never have to find ouselves in this position because our sins are so great? Isn't it amazing that the very act of the cross literally wipes away death, and gives us each the opportunity for eteranl life with him?

So many thoughts from such a simple pictures... but I am finding that the more I allow God into my life... that the more I love Jesus... the more I see of him in the everyday events of life. And I am thankful to see him even in the small things.... like two little boys up in the air!