Daily Bible Reading Challenge

This past week I really enjoyed my time of reading through the book of Galatians. I read sections from other books too but Galatians we probably my favorite this week. Here are some treasures that I found there.

What caused me to worship God more?
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:4-7

That God was willing to send His Son to die for us definitely prompts me to worship Him more! What a extreme gift that He allows us to be His children and call Him "Daddy! Father!".

What Scripture Touched me?
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 9:8

What a beautiful encouragement!

What prompts me to action?
"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

Sometimes we are so caught up in our own burdens that it can be hard to think about helping others but I think this scriptural reminder is a good one because often when we take time to help others with their burdens then ours seem more manageable too.

What interesting fact did I find?
"You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." Galatians 5:4 

This was so interesting to me that if someone tried to justify himself by following the law rather than relying on Jesus' free gift that it would cause them to be severed from Christ and fall from Grace.

I would love to hear about any scripture that you have read this past week and your thoughts on it!

Frugal Friday

 Do your days fly by quickly too? Here it is already Friday again- it is amazing to me! I have been missing writing Frugal Friday posts as my time just seems to get away from me. But I remembered today so here it is.

Our house has been looking in need of landscaping since we finished it. I wanted to landscape but didn't feel like now was a good time to put a lot of money into the project as we have more important projects waiting.

 The other day my sweet neighbor, Alice offered for me to get a bunch of plants from her as hers were needing dividing. Life has been busy and I wasn't sure when exactly I would get it done but I did want them and am exceedingly grateful.

 We had a bunch of rocks left over from making the fireplace - so I am using those to go around the beds. So far I have transplanted Astilbe, Hostas, Bee Balm, Daisies and more from Alice's garden. I have also transplanted some wild things from the woods (wild but beautiful!) and have planted some seeds in the gardens. I am still quite a ways from done but it is looking better already and it was all free! (Except for a few seeds).

 It has been so fun to check out perennial things that we planted. These are producing food for us which is definitely a cost savings. The above picture is one of our highbush cranberry bushes.

 Here is our lovely rhubarb plant. We were able to harvest a little from it today to make a lovely rhubarb crisp. I am so thankful for our garden and all that it can produce and the money we are able to save from that.

I am also very thankful for our big kitchen that a bunch of us can work in easily - making yummy and healthy food very frugally. This picture is from this evening and I took it because I was just feeling very blessed. We had a lot going on in that room but we weren't feeling crowded or overwhelmed. It was just fun working together. Over on the left Jonathan was making oatmeal raisin cookies. Next to him on the counter was the crockpot holding a beef brisket (- I am so thankful that we are able to purchase beef in bulk!) for our supper. Next to that is a bowl of cream (we found a farmer that we can get raw cows milk from - Hooray! The kids and I are still primarily drinking goats milk from my parents - which they give us free!- but I started buying the raw cowsmilk for Ken and we are all enjoying the cream) which we made into butter. Over on and round the stove I was making mashed potatoes and peas for supper, boiled eggs for another day and a rhubarb crisp for this evening. On the Island Megan was making pumpkin bread. I am very thank-ful to have kids that enjoy baking/cooking and are willing to help in that area. Cooking from scratch saves a lot of money.

Some other ways we have saved money lately:

• I used a gift card that I had won to buy a watch for me (the one I fixed up ended up stopping too) and an undergarment for Mara. It was nice not to have to spend any money out of pocket for things that we needed.
• I have been having fun using a lot of repurposed items to make fun Bible story toys for my little tots Sunday school class. We like that class to be very interactive and so I was able to use old lids and such to make story toys for Noah's Ark and The Tower of Babel. I will try to take pictures sometime.
• I was able to wear a pair of shoes out completely. It is nice to feel that you truly got your money's worth out of something. This pair of shoes had actually come from my Mom so I didn't even have to buy them. :-)
• We started up our Summer Homeschool Baseball gatherings. It is a nice way for the kids to get to play baseball without paying anything (or running every day)!

I know there have been other frugal activities too but I am to tired to think of them right now. I would love to hear about your frugal activities though and meanwhile I will head to bed!

Biking at Itasca State Park

Yellow Ladyslippers were blooming all over.

 We are blessed to live within an hours drive of Itasca State Park - Home of the Mississippi Headwaters. This past Sunday afternoon we decided to take our bikes down there to go biking. Here are some pictures from that day:

 We rode the biking trails and then went on the complete loop around the park (we did around 18 miles) which also took us on a park road for part of the time. We loved seeing all the wild flowers all over as we rode. The Lady Slippers and Trilliums were the most prominent. I really love trilliums. We had them growing thickly at our first home in MN but haven't at our last 2 places.

 We stopped in at the actual headwaters. Aaron and Megan took off their shoes to walk across the rocks. Megan ended up slipping and getting fairly wet. A lot of people did that.

 I don't think I have ever had my picture by this sign before so I thought we should this time now that we live on the Mississippi too. This sign is a popular place for picture taking.

  It was fun at the headwaters seeing and hearing people of many cultures. I heard at least 5 different languages and saw all sorts of people.

 This is the size of the Mississippi as it starts. It is very shallow. It gets even narrower a bit further on.

 The trail was very full of hills. We enjoyed them going down but not always so much when we had to go up. It was great exercise.

 It was a beautiful day for a ride.

The towering trees are so neat.

Have any of you been to the headwaters of the Mississippi?

Daily Bible Reading Challenge

How is your Bible reading going? Are you trying to read through the Bible in a year? What is your method for getting into God's word? I would love to hear!

Here a some of my favorites from this past week:

What Caused me to Worship God more?
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything you may have an abundance for every good deed;" 2 Corinthians 9:8

God gives us sufficiency. He is the one that provides for us in abundance. That certainly causes me to worship him more.

What Touched Me?
"Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of afflictions their abundance of Joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us be the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning so he would also complete in the you their gracious work as well." 2 Corinthians 8:1-6

To me, reading about the Macedonians and their sacrificial giving is very inspiring.

What prompted me to action?
 "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:10 & 11

I want to work at sowing more bountifully. May I truly be a cheerful giver.

What interesting fact did I see?
" Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

This is a wise way to live your life. Unfortunately it isn't always popular but that doesn't make it wrong. Obviously this applies to marriage but can also apply in other areas.

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! A big thank-you to all of our veterans!

An Exciting Day

 Today was one of those normal, regular days except that there were a few unexpected surprises that made it rather exciting and very fun.

  Our first surprise was right away this morning when the Fed-ex guy brought a box. It was addressed to me and our homeschool. What could it be? I hadn't ordered anything. I opened it up and there was this big certificate that said Megan had won a Silver award for a picture she had submitted to a contest way back in the fall. There was also a necklace (she is wearing it in the picture above) and a nice set of oil pastels. How fun!

 Then this afternoon I was cleaning up and found a letter that had come a few days ago to Mara. I had thought it was junk mail and Ken had even written a note on the back of the envelope and then it had gotten placed on the counter while we were gone and busy over the weekend. I came close to just sticking it in the reclining when I happened to think about why Mara might be getting a letter from the National Right to Life. She had written an essay back in February for their essay contest. So I stuck it up on her bed for her to find and open when she got home from work.

  Just before supper my parents dropped in. They had been with my youngest sister and her husband (and cute baby boy) to check out a house not far from us (like 1/2 mile). And they like it! And they might get it! Yeah! How fun it would be to have them living close to us. We are praying that it will all work out if it is God's will. It is an old house (Mobile home) on 20 acres. The house would work for now and the land would be great!

  When Mara got home I asked her to open the letter and guess what? She had won first place in the Senior division. The letter had a $200 check in it. I am glad I didn't recycle it! That was unexpected and pretty exciting.

 This evening we took a fun bike ride over to the lake. Kitchi enjoyed coming along.

I thought you may enjoy reading Mara's essay. Here it is:

Right to Truth

       "Seventeen years ago, I was conceived.  I was perfect, one cell floating in a sea of amniotic fluid.  All my characteristics were written in my genes- my height (tall), eye color (brown), sex (female.)  I only needed time.  And time I received.  By eleven weeks, all my organs functioned.  My feet were perfectly shaped, all the little toes intact- yet I was only a few inches tall.  So I grew, and at nine months and a week, my mother held me in her arms.

      

      Another baby was conceived too, just about then.  She too was perfect, her every potential etched on strands of DNA.  She also grew and developed.  But then her life was sucked down a hose and ended. 

 She might have been a singer, a teacher, or a senator.  She might have been a sunbeam, brightening every life she touched.  We’ll never know, because her life disappeared forever, and with her went her contribution to the world.

     Why does our culture murder its children?  Some tout family planning, others discomfort.  Others say the babies would be neglected, that such a life is better left unlived.  The baby is not a person, they claim, only tissue to be discarded at will. 

      So we educate, showing new and ancient proofs that the baby is indeed fully human, and fully alive.  We elect congressmen who will pass laws restricting abortion.  When the world knows it’s murder, the horrors will cease.
     

       Or will they?  According to the article, “A New Ethic for Medicine and Society,” abortionists know that they are killing a human, yet they do it anyway.  Why shouldn’t they?  Most don’t believe in any higher power.  To them there is no truth.  Therefore a human’s value is only relative, not absolute.  The only reason they claim a baby is not human is because Americans, while starting to accept their “new” ethic, still hold to the Judeo-Christian knowledge of right and wrong. 

       This is not just about abortion.  If they accomplish their goal, if truth is proven false, then our whole world will be tipped into hell, and nothing will stop them.

       Fortunately, there is truth.   This truth was created by the Author of Life, God.   Without him, nothing makes sense.   With him, everything has meaning.   It might be possible to believe in truth without its author - I don’t know - but you’d have a hard time explaining it. 

      Remember that “new ethic” described a couple of paragraphs ago?  Well, that’s as ancient as Cain’s murder of his brother.   It’s inspired by the same person, too.  His name is Satan, and he’d like nothing better than for truth to be abolished. 
 

    So what can I do to build a pro-life generation?   I can show others that they need the God of the Bible, the author of truth, in their lives.  Only when everyone knows him will abortion, with a host of other problems, disappear.  And I can pray the translation of my Hebrew name:  “Come, Lord Jesus.”   We need you."

     

Daily Bible Reading Challenge

I have misplaced my little paper where I kept track of the verses that I read throughout the week and wanted to share with you. However I still have some things to share - I just think I am going to do it a little differently this time. I am not doing the questions today -  I just thought I would share some of what has been going on with us and how God's word just really encouraged me and gave me strength.

This past Friday morning we headed over to Duluth, MN for the State Republican Convention. It was Ken and I, 2 friends that were delegates too and our eldest daughter - Mara. My brother and sister-in-law also went over as my brother was a delegate and Mara went along to have fun exploring with my sister-in-law.

Anyway - we knew as we headed to the convention that we were going to try to encourage our party to recognize the issues that there are with our presumptive nominee. Recognize that he doesn't care about the Constitution or the party platform or the Bible or basically anything that we hold dear. There was a group of us that hoped we could get others in our state to see that and to not support Donald Trump here in MN or at the very least say that each person (even if they are in an elected position such as the chair of  a branch of the party) could choose for themselves whether they wanted to support the nominee or not. Both Ken and I had decided to run for National Alternate so that we would have a chance to talk and help to get that message out. Ken didn't really want to win but as I have agreed to go with a friend (who became a national alternate at the district level) to the national convention anyway I thought it would be more interesting to go as an alternate so I did think it would be nice to win.

  Public speaking isn't my favorite thing and so I admit I was feeling a little uptight over the upcoming events of the weekend knowing I would be speaking in front of over 1,000 people and knowing that we would be fighting for something that quite likely the majority did not agree with. As we traveled I read in my Bible. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 was what I was reading that day.

 I read: "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,"  (Verses 4 and 5). This was such a great reminder and a comfort to me. I didn't need to worry about what I/we could do. God is the one who is at work in me. He is the one that makes me adequate for the task set before me.

The first day of convention (State Central Committee Meeting and then the start of the state convention) did not go very well as far as our goal of getting people to understand that some of us have convictions that it would be wrong to support someone such as Trump for president and that we would still like to work in the party to support other candidates but be free to not support Trump. A resolution to that effect did not pass and meanwhile speaker after speaker pushed the idea of the need for Unity. Not unity around principles we care about but rather unity around a candidate who doesn't stand for any of the conservative principles that we care about. The situation was feeling pretty dark. To me it really felt like people were being blinded. That they were coming to the place that they no longer cared about what is right and good they only cared that we might somehow "win" (Is it really winning for conservatives if you elect someone that doesn't care about the Constitution and it's Bill of Rights and who doesn't agree with our platform?).

The next morning in reading 1 Corinthians chapter 4 I was encouraged by this:
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. or we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." verses 3-6

You might think - "Abbi, you are mixing up politics and spiritual matters". Yes I am. I feel they are quite entwined.  Politics is a result of the spiritual condition of the people in our country. When people are blinded spiritually and not following Christ's light then they are not going to make wise and godly decisions concerning the condition of our country either.

However, I do fully realize that the politics of this country are not eternal and so no matter what happens here we do not need to lose hope. I love these verses:

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Saturday at the convention we had our opportunities to speak briefly. I just encouraged people to stand strong for what is right and leave the results to God. I won't go into details about what happened that day but overall the majority of the convention did not seem to have an interest in standing up for Godly principles, our Constitution or our platform. It was sad and a bit discouraging that people just didn't seem to care. At the same time there was a minority group that was wanting to stand up for those things and they did care. I was encouraged by them. Several of them came up to me and thanked me for speaking up. That has really encouraged me that I can't be afraid of speaking out for what is right and good. I may get ridiculed and people may get upset with me (this has already happened some) but when I am willing to speak up it encourages others to stand strong and do what is right too.

Sunday morning my reading led me to this passage:
"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight - we are of good courage, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

That was the reminder I needed when feeling discouraged. Basically don't be discouraged - God wants us to be courageous and no matter where I am my whole goal should be to be pleasing to Him!

Another good reminder was in my reading that morning:
"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

What is really important in life (whether our country falls or not)? To be reconciled to God and walk with Him. My job as a Christian is to be His ambassador - to represent Him wherever I go. I pray that I may do that to the best of my ability!

I found God's word so comforting and just what I needed this week. How about you?



Update: Just so that it is perfectly clear - just because I do not support Trump does not mean that I in any way support Clinton or Sanders. The thing is - people don't assume that I will support them or try to talk me into supporting them. Nor is the Republican party (which I have been a part of) trying to nominate them. So I am standing strong against Trump but that doesn't mean that I am any less opposed to Clinton or Sanders. I just wanted to be perfectly clear on that. :-)