Alpaca Christmas

This rendition of an alpaca Christmas was taken out of an old edition of the "Alpaca Magazine".  It is so true and made me smile as I think of how perfectly it suits my relationships with my alpacas:)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Twas the night before Christmas and out on the farm

The 'pacas were dozing, no cause for alarm.

Their stocking were hung on the side of the shed

And their two legged friends were all tucked up in bed.

They smiled as they cushed and chewed on their cud,

Remembering happily rolls in the mud.

They dreamed of lush pasture and pretty spring flowers

Of leaping and pronking and eating for hours.

When up in the sky there arose such a clatter,

They sprang to their feet to see what was the matter.

The tinkle to sleigh bells the sound of deep laughter

What could it be, was it them it was after?

The moon was full and away to the north

A small speck approached; the sound billowing forth.

As it grew nearer, they saw 'twas a sleigh

Pulled by eight tiny 'pacas and loaded with hay.

With a little old driver, so lively and round

It was he who was laughing, a curious sound,

More rapid then reindeer these 'pacas they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.

"Now Suzy! Now, Sally! Now Murty, and Locky!

On, Becky! On Geordie! On, Dougal and Rocky!

To the top of the paddock! To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the housetop the 'pacas they flew,

With the sleigh full of hay, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

The 'pacas all stared, how could THOSE 'pacas fly?

And where did they come from, up there in the sky?

The hay looked quite luscious, but was it for them?

Or was some for the goat, and some for the hens?

Would all get a share or had some misbehaved?

It must be okay, Santa smiled, and then as he waved.....

He slid from the roof landing right at their feet

He spread out the hay and told them to eat.

You've been excellent 'pacas, he said with a smile

And sat himself down for a rest on the stile.

You've brought lots of smiles to the two-legged team

Who feed and caress you and keep your yards clean

You've taunted and teased and kept them on their toeses

You've waggled your ears and you've whiffled your noses

You've come when they've called and sometimes you've not,

You've shivered to worry them, groaned when to hot,

You've delivered your cria when it's suited you,

You've oft made them anxious and oft made them stew.

You've brought magic and peace to their boring routines.

You've coaxed and cajoled them and given them beans.

You've done all the things that alpacas should do,

And I'm here to thank you for just being you.

He rose then and stretched, said he must carry on

His team was now rested, his twinkly eyes shown,

As he smiled at the 'pacas and wished them adieu.

And he climbed to the roof while admiring the view.....

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But they heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas To All,

And To ALL A Good- Night!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the time spent with their family and friends, but more than anything giving thanks to the Lord for this special day to praise Him!

Have a blessed day!

He Silently Plans for You

I read this poem during my devotions and was so inspired I couldn't wait to share it with everyone! I pray it encourages you as it did me!

He will silently plan for you,

His object of omniscient care;

God Himself undertakes to be

Your Pilot through each subtle snare.

He will silently plan for you,

So certainly He cannot fail!

Rest on the faithfulness of God,

In Him you will surely prevail.

He will silently plan for you,

Some wonderful surprise of love.

No eye has seen, nor ear has heard.

But it is kept for you above.

He will silently plan for you,

His purposes will all unfold;

Your tangled life will shine at last,

A masterpiece of skill untold.

He will silently plan for you,

Happy child of a Father's care,

As if no other claimed His love,

But you alone to Him were dear.

By E. Mary Grimes

Whatever your faith says God is, He will be

Last Day of Thanksgiving

Just a couple of weeks ago I recieved a call from my Grampa while I was at work.  He asked what time I got out and if I could stop by his place on my way home.  When I said yes and asked why he said, "Because I am going to give you and your sister my truck."

Vehicles have always been an issue in my family, since we live in a more rustic area and have a farm, more durable and bigger vehicles are required....but with it comes the issues of gas prices and its more expensive to replace stuff when it breaks.

When I started my job in early October I was driving a Ford F250 to work three to four days a week.  It was unstustainable with the amount of money that was taken out my paycheck just to pay for gas.  It also left my Mom and sister without a truck at the house, so if there was ever an emergency they wouldn't be able to do much.  The situation was becoming more complex; then Grampa called and became an answer to our prayers.

God knows our every need, the truck is a no bells and whistles truck- but it works and is in excellent condition.  God does discriminate between needs and wants, He provides things that make us more grateful in the long run than if we had gotten exactly what we wanted when we asked for it.

Every day God's provision has been great in my life, and if I didn't have trials then I wouldn't have the knowledge of how to grow closer to my King.  If He didn't test me day by day in His Word, I would never understand how He laid Himself down as the greatest sacrifice anyone can ever make.  If He didn't open His arms to everyone to welcome them into His family, we wouldn't have a reason to live- for we are all sinners and deserve the penalty He took instead--for US.

Thank you Lord for Your continued patience with me, Your unfailing love, and the way You continue to mold me.  I love You Lord.

Day #4 of Thanksgiving

Every day of life is a blessing from the Lord, He has given us so much to thank Him for!  But sometimes it's easy to take for granted the little things in life, so I've compiled a "off the top of my head" list of things that I take for granted:

1. Every day someone one or all of my family is on the road driving, and each day the Lord has spread His safety net securely over us.
2. No matter how bad today feels, God promises a new day, a new morning, and promises that He intends to fulfill.
3. My family is my life.  The love and affection that exists in my family is something I cherish- I thank God for His grace in placing us together.
4. The priviledge of listening to God-honoring, conservative music in our generation is so huge in a Christian's walk with Christ!
5. My salvation is the thing I am most thankful for, the knowledge that God handpicked me for His family is so humbling and overwhelms me with love for Him!
6. The freedom I have to read God's Word is so precious!
7. I have been blessed with good health (besides the occasional common cold:)
8. The sacrifice of our troops in protecting our nation is something I need to think of more often, I sometimes forget that the reason I can still read my Bible and pray is because of the brave men and women in our service who made the choice to protect our country. May God continue to bring them safely home.
9. The influence writers have in our society today is huge, I thank God for the influence of Godly writers who pursue the path to teach truth and Godly principles.
10.  I am thankful to be a stay-at-home daughter and for the instruction my parents have given me in preparation for these years ahead.

So what are things that you take for granted every day? Simple things that don't cross your mind right when you wake up, but really should?  What are the first three things that come to the forefront of your mind?

God's promises are new every morning, so what has He blessed you with today?

God Bless!

Day #3 of Thanksgiving

It is the middle of the week and therefore I decided that my family should be in the middle as I also consider the word middle as the "balance point" the middle makes everything else stand straight and correct...and thus my family keeps me upright:)

I'll start out with my Dad, my Dad is the down to earth, country, Carhartt style, "I know how to fix everything without the instructions, just hand me a wrench" type of guy:) But he also knows his girls like the back of his hand.  He is our protector and comforter.  He is the one I like to curl up next to on the couch and simply sit there in silence, he loves his family and when he asks us what we think his passion is in life we all say the same thing- your family.

My Mom is the spunky southerner:) She's soft spoken with love that pours out in all directions to everyone.  She loves sharing her personal devotions with us every morning and then helping us apply it later in the day.  She loves researching things and finding answers, if there is ever a question in the house we go right to her, because even if she doesn't know it she's sure to have an answer for you in only a few minutes.:)

Stephen is my older brother, he's the brain in the family when it comes to school. He's also someone that always makes me laugh:) He loves sports, and being 6'8" some people immediately think of him loving basketball- but being that tall does make you a target on the court- so not so much competitvely, but more with friends and family:) He has a heart of gold and handsomer than any guy I've met:):)

Devin is my conscience, best friend, with true older sister traits of being protective and loyal.  Devin loves politics, history, family, and apologetics.  She loves being organized and organizing events.  She cares deeply about our country and the way God is treated in it. Her passion for human life is inspiring and I am certain she will touch the world someday.

I say all of this to ask you this question, can you imagine what your life story would be if you didn't have your family? If you didn't have the trials, blessings, and curveballs thrown your way during life, where would you be right now?

I can't imagine being placed in any other family.  When I was younger it was easy to think of my friends families as being "perfect".  But then I would return home and truly, "There is no place like home".:)

God constructs families to be a cornerstone in every generation, how we are raised and what we do impacts the next generation and the one after that and the one after that.  Each family in Christ's kingdom has an important role to play, no one is greater or less.  It's like a puzzle- you can't finish it until every piece is put in it's exact mold.  Christ has us in the families we are in for a reason, there is a bigger picture He hasn't shown us yet. It's our job to figure out what that is!

God Bless!

Day #2 of Thanksgiving

Hello,
Due to internet and computer issues, this post is a day late...but here nonetheless!:)

Monday I wrote about the salvation of my Nana, today I want to write about the Lord's work in my life this past summer.

In November\December of last year I felt led by the Lord to step into the leadership postition of becoming a teacher\mentor...suffice to say that my initial reaction was an immediate "Whoa! No way!" But the Lord's ways are the best and His plans do come to fruition if we yeild our rights and follow Him.:)

By January I began to take my first steps into writing a devotional for young girls (targeted specifically towards girls 10-13). I love to write- but what I was writing down was truly from the Lord.

By April the Lord revealed His full plan to me. He wanted me to begin a Bible study...I felt ill-qualified and completely unprepared.  However He does say that in our weakness He becomes strong!

I wrote up a newsletter aimed at young girls between the ages of 10 and 13 and distributed it among that age group of girls at my church.  The newsletter explained my desire to begin a Bible srtudy with them and that it would be a six week study during the summer.

By the middle of May there were five girls who were committed to the study.  The excitement began to build and I felt the Lord with me as the first Bible study approached.

Radiance was the name I chose for our group, it meant having a glow that eminates in such a way that many people don't know where it comes from.  But for us Christians there is an easy answer, our inner glow is that of Christ.  As long as we are actively seeking to be more like Him and follow His direction that inner radiance cannot be mistaken in our life as anything else other than His presence reigning over us!!!


As I taught throughout the summer I thought I would feel sort of like a teacher as each  week went by.  But the truth of it was, these girls were on fire for the Lord. They truly wanted to seek Him and follow Him in every area of their life!  Their encouragement and the friendship that they offered touched my heart in a way that I can't describe.  We truly became sisters in Christ, intent on the same mission of glorifying our Savior.

When the Lord first presented this ministy opportunity to me I thought it was a way that I could be a  mentor\ older sister to the girls that are younger in my church.  But the Lord showed His true intent as they taught me SO much in their observations, notes and behavior.  As we had the wrap up party at the end of the six weeks I felt like crying as I saw each of them having a light of radiance begin to come out in their behavior and speech.

These precious girls changed my life! As we went over the topics of maturity, purity, modesty, ect. I felt so blessed and challenged!

If you ever feel like the Lord is leading you in this direction, I encourage you, pray fervently about it!  Then if the Lord still leads you in this way, go for it! Always keeping Him first.  My main concern when I first started out my Bible study was how to keep everyone pure while still learning about Christ's desire for us. So my motto became: "Always speak and have them read things that allow them to read about purity without taking away their purity." This was the way my parents raised me, to always know my boundaries while still keeping my thought life pure.  I know there are many Christian devotionals out there that deal with the topics I discussed with my girls, but not all of them are appropriate and busy Mom's do not always have the opportunity to scan and read everything their daughter wants to read!!:) 

To end today's post I would like to add one more thing, as the time went on with the group there were blessings that happened in my life outside of being blessed by the girls...so on a note of encouragement, just because your life may seem like its running smoothly- don't always assume its because God has you there.  Continually seek His will and be ready to follow- no matter what.

God bless!

Praising the Lord all week long

I've decided that for this whole week before Thanksgiving I will post something every day that has been a special blessing in my life this past year.  From learning a few lessons in God's school, or a blessing of His provision, or the everyday things that I take for granted.... So here we go!

My first post will be on something that God answered prayer on after 17 years of prayer!!!

On August 17th of this year I was sitting in the living room with my Nana.  Now my Nana is the perfect, storybook Nana:)... The smell of cookies in her kitchen, high stools at the counter are perfect for long talks and sharing the said cookies.  She lives on a lake- and as I reflect on the years, she has put up with a lot of sandy feet trekking through her house:) She always believed that building people up is what everyone should be doing for their neighbor. However, saying all of this, I must also add. Nana is not a Christian.

As I sat in the living room of her home and chatted about anything and everything I began to feel the tug on my heart to veer the subject towards Christ...my time with Nana was limited as she now had in-home hospice taking care of her. So, swallowing the fear that bubbled up and tried to choke me I began to tell her a story about something that had happened to me only a few weeks ago.

The story revolved around our VBS week that we had had at our church. Before VBS begins every night at my church we have a time of prayer as a group in our auditorium.  The very first night my pastor looked out at all of us and said, "We only have one week to reach these kids, I want each of you to be prepared that if I am talking with a child about salvation and another one wants to talk about it too, I want to be able to turn around, look at you, and ask if you can go and talk with them."

After the meeting a friend of mine walked up to me and we discussed what our Pastor had asked of us.  I had led a little girl to the Lord only once and botched it up (in human terms)-  it was all the better as all the glory went to the Lord!!!:) But we both felt that we needed to be better prepared, so for three nights out of the week we met right after the meeting and ran ustairs to go over God's Bridge to Salvation and the Romans Road.

As I explained this to Nana I also began to tell her how we practiced and what the message of salvation was. After the story was done I asked her if she had ever asked Jesus into her heart before, she replied; "I've always had faith, but I don't have a faith like you."

I then asked her if she wanted to have a faith like mine and she replied that she did!!!

After praying with her I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry! I felt like dropping to the floor and weeping and the next minute jumping for joy and praising God!:)

If you have an unsaved grandparent, remember this - you are the grandchild, you can get away with a lot more things with that title.:) As the grandchild you have an open door to speak with them about anything. You are the apples from their tree.  They may have a more difficult time listening to your parents or any adult in general as the relationship is very different. But I will encourage you, if you have any unsaved family or friends, speaking up and proclaiming Christ does not make you look like a fool in God's eyes!

Rand Hummel once commented on how scared people are sometimes when they are trying to witness to someone, "They may laugh at you, your feelings may be hurt but you'll be fine; they may hit you, you'll heal; they may kill you, you'll go to heaven!":)

Sharing Christ may make you feel like butterflies are in your stomach; even the great evangelists say that! But the effect after you have spoken to someone about Christ is a lasting emotion that fills you with the Holy Spirit and makes you feel the Savior's loving embrace encompass you. I know for my part that I would love to have that feeling 24/7!!

This praise also comes with a prayer request, as I led my Nana to the Lord my unsaved Grampa left the room.  He has been witnessed to on numerous occasions, however he has closed the door on the subject and refused to speak of it.  Please pray for his heart to be softened and prepared for the Lord's entrance into his life.

Poem of few words, yet so much meaning

Watch your thoughts;

they become words.

Watch your words;

they become actions.

Watch your actions;

they become habits.

Watch your habits;

they become your character.

Watch your character;

it becomes your destiny.

Praise the Lord for Summer and a New Fall!!

Yes, I am still here dear readers!!  Everyone has certain months of the year that are the busiest for them.. and I would have to say that May through September are certainly my seasons as of right now.  I am sorry I have not been around, but that it is not to say that the Lord has not been showing me so many things!

I love summer, the gardens in full bloom and the blissful summer days of laying out on the deck with a good book and falling asleep because of how warm and comfortable you feel.  I love the bright colors of decorations in homes and the hazy smoke from a grill on comfortable August nights at a cook out.  I love the opportunity I have to visit the WILDS of NE and visit one night a week to listen to the new speaker of the week and be spiritually challenged to walk stronger in my Lord's path.  I love the warm sand of a private beach and the soft green grass of a field as you lay back after having a picnic on it.

But there is something to say about the fall as well.  That nip of cold in the temperature that causes you to pull on a fleece hoodie and bury your hands deep in the front pouch.  The crisp smell of Autumn wafting over the mountains and onto your front doorstep.  The sweet smell of cidar and apples filling the front hall after going and picking several bushels from a local orchard, the time for bonfires and devotions around the outside fire with a group of Christians just sets the scene.  And no, I'm not forgetting that I live in New England and one of our best attractions is indeed the change of color, the brilliant reds, burnt oranges, and spunky yellow that burst full and attractive from the trees certainly makes one look up to the Creator in awe of His handiwork.  

He has blessed us with so much!!!  How humbling it is when I think that He chose each of us specifically to take care of His possessions on earth.  Whether these treasures\possessions are seen by the eyes, such as pets, equipment, your home.  Or treasures that He has gifted you with personally, such as encouragement towards others, inspiration, mercy, a servant's heart. I thank you Lord so much for your love towards us and your trust in us!!!

I will still be away from my blogging for a little while longer...I would covet your prayers however as things around here are a little physically and mentally exhausting right now.   Since August I have been volunteering at the WILDS of NE, I have a few weekends left and am already so challenged by some of the speakers I have been able to hear! If you have a chance to look at their fall brochure I've attached the link HERE
They are still accepting sign ups for these weekend retreats...trust me you will come back from these spiritually rejuvenating weekends and refreshed in the power of the Lord.

I hope all is well with my followers!
I'm praying for you all!
God Bless!

Amazing Love

I found this poem online and loved the message and it's reminder of just how much God has done: 

 

"How is it that the blind could see

That the lame could walk
That the deaf could hear
And the mute talk

How is it that the sea obeyed
And that the nets were filled
How could the prophets know
That The Son was destined to be killed

How is it that the wise men came
To praise the newborn King
How on earth were shepherds picked
To hear the angels sing

How is it that King David
Could write about the cross
Knowing that Messiah's sacrifice
Would signal Satan's loss

How is it that the leper
Could see his hands made clean
How could it have happened
And what could it mean

How could His chosen people
Turn upon The Son
And let a ruthless killer free
As they scourged The Holy One

How did the water turn to wine
And how was the stone rolled away
How could He speak so assuredly
Of how He'd rise that day

How is it that the veil was torn
And that a virgin bore a Son
How amazing that He'd die for us
So our victory could be won

How is it that Lazarus rose
And that He walked upon the sea
How could He forgive the tormentors
As He hung upon the tree

How is it that Bethlehem was chosen
That His birthplace was foretold
That John The Baptist spoke of Him
In words so sharp and bold

How is it that His disciples fled
On that fateful night
Only to die a martyr's death
Convinced that He was right

How is it that we go on living
As if His words weren't true
How amazing that He still awaits
Sinners like me and you"

Mike Hall, Colorado

Life Verse

There are so many verses in the Bible!  How can you possibly choose one and claim it as your life verse???!!!  Many of my friends have several as it is indeed impossible to narrow down a favorite in the Word of God:)

However, I do get a few strange looks when I tell people what my life verse is- but I suppose it is only natural that there would be some surprise until I explain why I chose it:)

Isaiah 40:31  "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

But those who hope in the Lord...... I love how this verse begins- all who have their hope in Him He will uphold.  Hope is such a precious word, it holds so much and gives so much strength to those who realize what it means.   

Hope-a refuge and fulfillment of things dearest to you, it brightens a rainy day and gives strength to a weary soul.  And those who let it rest in the Lord will feel their feet securely anchored in His will.

Will renew their strength...... The renewal of strength when you are in a valley is so refreshing, it helps you suddenly realize that no mountain is too high to scale when you have your Lord holding you up.  Renew is another precious word in this passage.

Renew means to cleanse, refresh, and...well...feel strengthened!:)  To know it is the King of Kings who gives us this renewal makes it even more special!

They will soar on wings like eagles........ Eagles are such majestic birds, their elegance and courage is well known.  They are strong and beautiful, their very presence induces respect and awe.  As God holds you in his hand He will give you wings as eagles- of all animals to compare us to He chose the eagle.  The bird that carries itself aloft and soars to heights unknown, to soar on wings like eagles is such a special promise!

When an eagle is aloft I want you to imagine what it feels like: It's wings beat methodically and then still, allowing the air to gently sway and propel it forward.  The wind brushes against the feathers, but most of all I want you to realize the quietness.  There is not a sound to be heard.  God's voice is a "still small voice", He cannot speak to you when you have everything else roaring and playing around you- only in the stillness of a moment can He speak.

They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint...... Through all courses of life you will be running up and down hills and peaking mountains, falling into lush pastures and then walking a rocky road...but through all of this you will never grow weary or faint.  Why?  Because Christ strengthens your every move, as long as you don't walk in your own strength but rely entirely upon His strength to get you through.  There will never be a need to feel run down, because God holds you in the palm of His hand, and when things become hard He places you in the shadow of His hand to comfort and then, when the time is right, release once more onto your path.

This verse sustains me like no other, no matter what the trial, no matter what the decision or change of direction that comes my way, I have the knowledge that my King will always be in full and complete control.  He holds me up and challenges me to achieve the chance to soar like an eagle!  And when I walk the hard roads of life, I always know, my best friend is at my side.:)

I'm Back!!!

I am so sorry my dear readers that I have not been around!!  My house has been one that has been riding a 90 mile an hour train for two weeks:)

My Dad had vacation.... and I don't know about your homes, but vacation at our house usually means physical labor outside with weedwackers and brush piles.:)
  However we were able to go hiking twice.  Dad and I seemed to be copy catting each other as I twisted my ankle right before one hike (but insisted on continuing), and Dad sprained his on our second hike...although he had no choice but to walk as we were going downhill and back to the car, but we weren't even halfway.  So prayer that God will quickly heal us would be appreciated.

Our second hike had the most amazing view, however there was no going near the edge.  The steep incline was an adventure in itself:)

This was snapped on our way out- you had no choice but to get near the edge:)

This was taken out our car window- don't know the mountain though...

 

Well, now that vacation is over I will be able to share with you some of the powerful things God has been teaching in me.  Most importantly I'll be able to share with you some of the messages I have been able to hear at the WILDS over the past couple weeks.  For those of you who know Tom Farrell, he was able to preach at my church on Sunday- what a blessing and so convicting!!  I'll write soon and tell you of his messages and others:)

Hope everyone is doing well!

God Bless!

Molding Jonah Part 1

Two Sunday's ago we had a fill-in pastor preaching at my church, it was the first Sunday in three months that I've sat in on a morning service as I have been teaching Children's Church.  It felt so good to be back:)

The message was on Jonah- I may have to do this post in two parts- but I'll try and make it in one:)

Jonah 1:1

The first verse in the book of Jonah says that God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against it and expose their wicked ways.  Now in verse 3 the first word that starts this sentence is: "But" Now if any sentence starts with the word but, be forewarned!! Trouble is looming!

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port, After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord."

Now what floors me in this passage is that Jonah really believed he could flee from the Lord!!! Did he truly believe that the Lord wouldn't be in Tarshish as well???

Yet how often do we flee from the Lord when an unwelcome task comes our way, or a ministry opportunity that could open doors- yet we say "I'm too busy to commit to one more thing!"  Whose time are you working on?

Now you must also understand that Jonah is headed to Tarshish- and if you looked at a map you would see that Nineveh and Tarshish are in the complete opposite direction!!

So once Jonah boards the boat he goes down into the hold and falls asleep.  While he is 'sleeping' a great storm begins to rage- greater than any storm anyone had ever seen.

Now it says that Jonah was asleep- let me ask you- if you were in a boat and it was in a violent storm- would you be asleep?  I imagine that Jonah was in a fitful sleep while thinking "I know I'm the reason for this- but I'm not going to listen! It's not me! It's not me! It's not me!!"

Meanwhile on deck all the ship hands are calling out to their gods to save them, they are throwing cargo over the side in an effort to lighten the load.  But the storm is worsening and their boat is threatening to come apart.

So the Captain runs downstairs and finds Jonah- crying out in despair he yells "How can you sleep? Get up  and call on your God!  Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

Now it's interesting, the pagans are now ready to cry out to any god- they don't care who.  But Jonah remains silent in calling out to his God.  He went up on deck- but never cried out to the Lord.


Jonah is the #1 on his agenda- he didn't care if anyone else died, whether it was the pagans or the Ninevites.

Now at this time there was nothing else the sailors could do to keep their boat afloat, so they decided to cast lots and find out who was responsible for their misfortune- and the lot fell to Jonah.

Can you picture yourself in Jonah's shoes, the men are terrified, they decide that the only way to stop this storm is to deal with the one who caused it.  So they quickly cast lots...and as this is going on can't you see the wheels in Jonah's head turning saying "It's not me!" his conscience replying "Yes it is!"  Then the lot is cast and the fingers all point at him.

The men immediately turn to him and drill him with questions,
 
"Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
And he answered:
"I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of Heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

Jonah lied in this small speech of his, he said "I fear the Lord".  Well if he truly feared Him he certainly wouldn't be out on that little boat right now waiting to drown now would he??  And it's interesting that he mentioned God making the sea and dry land- maybe he was thinking of dry land and how wonderful it would feel right at that moment.:)


Now once he made his statement of being a prophet of the Lord the men were terrified, they asked him,  

"What have you done?" 

Then it says in verse 10  
"(They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)"

Now it doesn't say when Jonah told them he was running away from God, but it is interesting that they knew.

"The sea was getting rougher and rougher.  So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" and he replied "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm.  I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."

How sacrificial! How noble of Jonah to lay down his life!!! NOT!  In order for the seas to stop churning and the fears of everyone to be waylaid, all Jonah had to do was walk away from the men, cry out to God for forgiveness and tell God that he was wrong to try and run and that he will humble himself and go to Nineveh

But no, Jonah is still trying to get out of this, "Throw me to the waves! I will not bend my pride and go warn those sinful Ninevites!!"

Then in verse 13 it says: "Instead, the men did their best to row back to land.  But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before."

These pagans had more compassion for Jonah than Jonah did for them or for the Ninevites!! 
They didn't want to kill him, they didn't want to have the guilt of his death... so they tried to save him.  But God had a point to prove, and He was going to make it.

"Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life.  Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased."

These pagans were more concerned with pleasing God than Jonah was!!!! It is sad that sometimes God has to use an unbeliever to show us what we should be behaving like!! What a rebuke!!!

"Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.  At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him."

Through Jonah's disobedience God was able to teach these pagans about Himself.  It is hard to take that sometimes through our pain and discomfort we are simply being used as a tool to teach someone else.  As the waves grew calm the minute the pagans threw Jonah overboard these men began to make vows to serve the Lord- something the entire nation of Israel was refusing to do at the time!!!

"But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights."  Blech!!!!!!!:P

I will post part 2 soon!
God Bless!

Giveaway!

The Duggar Family Blog is having a giveaway of their newest book entitled:  

A Love That Multiplies

You can check out the blog here:http://www.duggarsblog.blogspot.com/

 

Shearing Day at the Farm

Well, shearing is finally done for another year!!!  My body always forgets how much pain goes into this project- but the end result is always satisfying:)

During the shearing process the shearer takes off all the old fiber to let the new fiber grow in, just like in our lives when God wants to bring us through something new we must "Put off the old man". 

However the fiber is nice and warm during the winter months and very much appreciated, it is good for a season and then new growth must be allowed to come forth.  Otherwise the alpacas fiber will mat and they might have heatstroke during the summer months.

God gives us what we need for a season in our lives, and although at the time we greatly appreciate it we must be flexible and ready to let go of it when Christ wants us to bring forth a different kind of fruit.

This was Faith's first time being sheared, and although she threw a hissyfit during the process she is much better off and enjoying this sun!!:) I just had to share some pics of her:)

Day before Shearing

Almost done! (And no, the ropes and position do not harm the alpacas:)

Sweet Freedom!

Too Cute!! (Yes, I know I'm biased:)

8 months 19 days old

I loved the blue sky!! We haven't seen it in so long with the rain we've had!!

All tuckered out- A great day in the sun!

 Have a blessed day everyone!
God Bless!