Pictures of Dad's Visit

Top Picture: Jeremiah, Crystal, & Dad

Second Picture: Jeremiah, Dad, Shirley, & Crystal at Sandy Bottom Nature Park

A snake we saw on one of the trails, non-poisonous, of course! Someone took one shot of it, then it started to go into a hole. Shirley stepped on his tail, so we could get more shots!

We visited Yorktown and Jeremiah took us to this grave marker for confederate soldiers.

Shirley observing some of history.

L to R: Shelley, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Jeremiah, and Shirley

L to R: Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Jeremiah, and Crystal

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We tried to get a group shot, but couldn't figure out which button on the camera to push. Only after Dad & Shirley embarked did we figure it out. Oh well, now we know for next time.

Testimony of Dad's Visit by Crystal

A few weeks ago I received a phone call that totally rocked my world. It was Shirley, my Dad's wife wondering if it was okay for her and Dad to come for a visit! I had never met her and had not seen Dad in over 9 years. It was a total shock! Yet, I consented.


Wait a minute, maybe you don't know my family too well so perhaps I ought to let you in on a few things. On April the first 1992 my dad decided for reasons unknown to us that he no longer wanted to be a part of our family. I was almost 10 and Jeremiah was 5 and a half. We went for a seemingly unending season of sorrow, emotional pain, and heartbreak. When the divorce was all over Dad moved out of state and very rarely contacted us. When he did it was via phone calls or mail. There were times when we did not even know where he was. During that whole season Dad was the "bad guy" and honestly, by his behavior he really was.

When I was about 15 the Lord convicted me being bitter towards my dad. The Lord used the tool of the Basic Seminar (aka "the Bill Gothard Seminar") to convict me of my unforgiving spirit. I remember it very clearly. Mom, who had already long forgiven Dad, was sick that night so she found a ride for me - I am so grateful for that! I remember choosing to forgive Dad for all the heartache he caused and the beautiful freedom that came immediately!! It felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders!

For many, many years I and others in my family have been praying for my dad. If there was one person in the world I didn't think would change, it was him! :-) Every once in awhile in the past few years I felt the Lord ask me, 'so what if he does change, what would it take to convince you he has?' I couldn't think of a response - I just didn't know. This brought a realization that, if he did change it could prove a great challenge to try and convince those he hurt that he really had.

A few months ago the Lord convicted me of another thing... I had been disrespectful to my dad during the time of my parents divorce. Ouch!! Yes, it could be explained away due to circumstances. However God says to "Honor thy father and thy mother..." Exodus 20:12a - not just when things are going peachy keen fine. You don't need a command then. The command is for when it is hard. I knew I needed to make a phone call, probably the hardest one I have ever made in my entire life. The Lord gave me great grace to do it. Mom prayed with me before, and I called my dad and asked his forgiveness for not honoring him like I should have. He did forgive me, we had some small talk and then ended our conversation.

When dad's wife, Shirley (married within the past few years) called I had no clue what was going to happen. Many thoughts whirled through my head, is he coming to cause trouble? Maybe he's trying to get some free labor to work on their ranch by trying to convince Jeremiah or me to come live with them. Was his wife going to barge into our lives and try to make us call her "mom"? Will he try and bring up things? Will he try and convince us that things that happened didn't? Or would he complain or talk bad about Mom? Will things be awkward? Or ???

On May 31st Dad called to let us know they were going to be arriving late. Jeremiah & I weren't home and Mom took the call. She could tell by his voice that he had changed - he did not sound angry. Then the day arrived.... we met Dad up at Bass ProShops on June 1st at noon (it somewhat felt like "High Noon", I could almost hear the theme music). He arrived by himself and thus began a great 3 days of fun! Wow. Dad had been the "bad guy" for so long that I had forgotten he could be fun. He had indeed changed greatly for the better, I was so amazed. Many were praying and I know that God blessed the time in answer to our praying friends (thanks guys!). We met Shirley the next day and discovered a very kind lady who loves the Lord. All my concerns, were of course unfounded. We did not have any heart to heart talks. But that's okay, after soooo many years this appears to be a good start to restoration. The visits crowning point to me anyways, was after a tour of the Yorktown Victory Center (the original plan was Colonial Williamsburg, but was abandoned due to the time required to tour there) when we hosted Dad & Shirley in our home for an early dinner! We all got along so beautifully - it was just amazing. If felt so much like family. Only God can do a work like that. My heart is continually praising the Lord for the great things He hath done. I am looking forward to what else the Lord has in store. I'm so glad that God writes the last chapter, aren't you?

One more thing. There's something I want to do now that I've not wanted to do since before the divorce, and that is to send Dad a Father's Day card! Good thing it's just around the corner :-)

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together"

Psalm 34:3

Family Update

Nothing major has really happened for awhile now, but I thought perhaps a little family update might be helpful for some. I know it's not Christmas :-). So either consider this very early or considerably tardy :-D.



Grandpa: Retired from Wal-Mart in spring of 2008. He enjoys not having to keep track of time :-) and is often heard to say that those in retirement don't need a watch or calendar :-) - though he still wears a watch, perhaps from old habit. He finds great enjoyment in tending the vegetable garden.



Grandma: Earlier this year she was down to 72 pounds and is now gratefully up to 80! She was blessed by several cards & drawings for her birthday back in February. She enjoys watching game shows. However if you should ever come by for a visit, she would love to talk to you. You might have to hear the same story 4 or 5 times in the same setting, but that's all right she will appreciate the attention. If you ask her, she might even bring out her harmonica!



Mom: Is unfortunately losing her vision. She is in the process of cross training her service dog, Shelley, for vision assistance. She enjoys listening to audio books and radio dramas. She is also ever learning new things on her Mac at the weekly classes she takes.



Jeremiah: Is currently looking for a job. His car, unfortunately is on it's last legs. He enjoys playing computer games, reading, and target practice.



Crystal: Is forever trying to find time to accomplish everything at once - house chores, assisting Grandpa with the garden, taking Mom to the places she needs to go, cooking, decluttering, sewing, hobbies, etc..... She enjoys many hobbies and is ever trying to figure out how to squeeze everything she wants to do into one day :-) If only there were more hours in a day...... :-D



Shelley: Mom's service dog who just turned 4 at the beginning of April. She enjoys laying on the deck swing, playing with her toys, but best of all being petted & cuddled!

Modern "Profits"

Today's profits of baal have made constant declarations of "global warming" from their high places (pun very much intended). As in the days of Elijah, they have in essence challenged God. The Bible declares in Genesis 1:14, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years". There are a few things these profits need to consider, #1 God always wins and #2 Gods is in control of the weather. Unless they repent before God and genuinely seek salvation through Jesus Christ alone, they will face some real heat - the heat of God's wrath & eternal judgment.

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Revelation 20:10

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15

Soup Tips

According to our co-op sales flyer January is national soup month. So I thought I would share some things I have gleaned over time. Hope these ideas are helpful to somebody. If anybody else has some ideas they would like to share, I would love to hear them! Feel free to share them in the "comments".

- When cooking a roast or chicken save the broth & freeze it. Use it in your next soup instead of bouillon cubes or powder. It has a lot less sodium than bouillon, plus you know exactly what is in your soup - not a bunch of ingredients you can't pronounce! Be sure to watch out for tiny bones unless you decide to strain it really well prior to storage. If you are short on freezer space, you might be able to can the broth with a pressure canner.

-Think outside the cookbook with spices. Just because the cookbook doesn't list the herb for a particular dish doesn't mean it won't taste good. Sage is normally used to flavor chicken dishes, however it tastes delicious in beef soup, too.

-If you have a kitchen herb garden don't hesitate to use the spices you are growing. I was until this past summer. Then I started using them - and presented some pleasant surprises to my families taste buds. I discovered that rosemary is excellent in meatloaf. It is best to start off with a small amount and slowly increase the amount of herb you are experimenting with until you acquire a taste that's 'just right' to your taste buds.


- Have you ever wondered why chicken noodle soup helps you feel better when you have a cold? The minerals from chicken bones cooked in the broth is what is helping you feel better.

- If using a crockpot try cooking some of the vegetables for a few minutes to help give them a "kick start". If I'm using carrots, celery, or onion I put them in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and cook for a few minutes. It sure beats having crunchy soup! :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009!!!

AND

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

May the Lord bless all you, our dear friends and relatives with celebrating Christmas for the real reason:

Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.

It is the beautiful truth of God loving us and reaching out to restore us to Himself.

And may the new year of 2010 find you drawing ever closer to Jesus Christ, the Saviour!

What Kind of Change? by Crystal

An interesting conversation occurred the other day in the store while talking with one of the sample ladies. Somehow this lady brought up the topic of "getting a husband". This Christian woman's advice was to quit wearing a headcovering, chop off my hair, slap on some pants, and *apply make up, then "abra-cadabra-you've got a swarm of 'would be grooms'". Mom quickly pointed out that I don't need to do those things, that the right man - the one God has me for will have the same convictions in these areas. This lady offered one of the saddest things I think I've heard in a long time. She declared that "those kind of men don't exist anymore"(see Romans 8:24 & Proverbs 13:12). It saddens me even more that if she would give this worldly advice to an acquaintance, then she would probably offer the same to her grandchildren & great-grandchildren - therefore effecting many generations. The thought troubles me that Christians would become caught up in this worldly web of lies, that you must throw out convictions God gives you in order to "get a life partner or be successful". I plead with you, that you will not listen to the world! Follow Jesus, He died for you. If He cared so much for your soul to give His life for it, then He also cares more than you do about your future life partner if marriage is God's plan for you. 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

If I would have to trade God's convictions for a husband, I would not take him. It could only lead to a life of misery. It would mean a life of grueling slavery for I would then have set up a man as my idol. Marrying a man because he thought I was pretty would mean that I would always be in competition with other women, after all there will always be someone out there better looking than me. It would be better to live a life of singleness knowing I was pleasing God than to lay aside His convictions and be outside of His blessed will (see Matthew 16:24-25).

So does this mean I don't need change? No, I do need change but not in the way this lady was thinking. I need: to be more self-less, more like Christ, more forward in sharing the Gospel, more meek, more gracious, a better listener, better manager of time, dye to self more, etc.... Ultimately, I need to keep my eyes on Jesus Christ and Him alone. Even if I were to change in certain convictions, it should be God changing my convictions, not man! The underlying principle is, who determines truth: man or God? If man determines truth, then anything goes. Praise the Lord that man does not determine truth, God does. "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." James 4:8.


(*As a side not, I don't have a conviction against wearing make-up. It is a personal preference issue, NOT a conviction. I don't like having my face feel like it's going to crack! :-).