Foundations Destroyed?

Marriage has been much on my mind since May. I received some good books for my birthday which have challenged me and provided "food for thought." One is "Created to Be His Helpmeet" by Debi Pearl. I am sure that society at large would not appreciate the book, but I am challenged all the more that my responses and actions in the home as a wife are all that God requires of me. Godly actions will produce greater results than nagging, complaining, bitterness ...

The books came at a great time as I have been seeking to encourage 2 wives who feel that things are just falling apart at home. These homes are not the exception any more. All around us there is confusion about the roles in marriage.

We just got back from a family get-to-gether in NY to celebrate dad and mom's 40th anniversary. Quite the milestone! Marriage is a covenant to love, honor and respect each other. It is not without sacrifice, time in prayer, reliance on God. I am so glad for the example that my parents and Chris' parents have set for us. The way that was set before us is easier to follow because we can see the results. If your path was not so neatly laid out, do not despair, just follow God's way - wives being submissive, meek, and quiet; husbands leading and providing with love. God's way is perfect.

A covenant to live by

So what am I thinking about this week. I am thinking about Romans 12. Chris calls it a great example of a church covenant - but I will take it as also a personal covenant with my God. I heard Romans 12 preached in college and it struck me then, and Chris has been preaching through it this year as he has opportunities - What a challenge! Can I challenge you with it? Even if you take one verse at a time, or one phrase at a time - you will be convicted. My thought for today "...he that ruleth, with diligence,..." Much to do today in my realm in the home - I have watered garden, pulled beets, baked cookies - now lawn to mow, beets to freeze, ironing, meat to repackage and freeze ... Be Diligent!

Gardening and Other Events

Well, it has been awhile since I posted ... oops! I will claim the busy-ness of the Spring. There are only 2 weeks left of the semester and 1 of those weeks is just finals. "Just" finals comes from the one who doesn't have to take them. I think that only 1 of them will require a lot of time and study.

The garden is producing. We have had radishes and I finally got the strings for the peas to climb before they attacked the rest of the garden. It is looking really good. Chris brought home halved iodine containers from the farm and then a load of dirt/manure to fill them. They now contain pumpkins, watermelons, and winter squash. I was still desiring more area to work - so we peeled off the grass right beside the walkway and then around the back porch. This will allow areas for flowers!

The next project around here is a clothes line. It will be a big help with the electric bill and there is just something about clothes drying in the sunshine.

Looks like it will be a busy summer for Chris. His boss asked him to continue working Saturdays and hinted that a 6 day work week would probably be the usual. So far the allergies are not killing him, so we will press on. We are using a daily nasal wash, quercetin pills, an occasional Alavert, and masks while working on the farm!

Also taking on a new ministry as the school year concludes. Our church currently has nothing for the teens, so we are going to attempt a teen Sunday School class. We did this in Albany, but it has been awhile. We are looking forward to another opportunity to be involved in the lives of others.

3 more piano students come on this summer. Two are just summer - they are really beyond my ability to teach, but I will at least keep them motivated through the summer. The other is a new student wife in the trailer park.

Hopefully that catches everyone up. The summer weather is here and we are learning how to keep a trailer sitting in the middle of a field cool in the summer. It is a little work and sometimes a futile effort - I am sure that the AC will get some work very soon.

More Fun at Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock

I just realized that all of our non-facebook friends and family readers had not had a taste of spring break in NC. We set aside 2 days to have a little vacation and rest from all the reading, writing, and studying of the semester and headed out to Chimney Rock, NC. We were rained out on Monday, but spent the day mall walking and driving a beautiful back route to Asheville. It was a good day together, even if we were not hiking.

Tuesday dawned bright and clear. We began our "hike" with an elevator ride to the top of chimney rock. Then we climbed up higher for a birds eye view of the area. After that it was down to lower falls for a view of Hickory Nut Falls. Next lunch out in the village. Then we climbed some lower educational trails meant for children (I don't think we were disqualified). Before we left we climbed to the top of chimney rock and down 2 more times. Yes, we only planned one more trip to the top, but at the top we met a hammered dulcimer player and he gave me a lesson :) We wanted to buy a cd, but the ATM did not work in the gift shop. He let us take it on faith that we would send the payment, but when we got to the car we realized that we had the check book there. So - up we went again.

Oh, it was beautiful there. We upgraded our day pass so that we could return anytime in the next year. We plan to get picture in the summer and in the fall ... OOOOOHHH! We also realized that we need to plan a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall - it is supposed to be gorgeous. It goes near to Mount Airy (aka Mayberry) and far into VA near the Luray Caverns.

I'm Not Jealous!

It was a good night at Bible Conference last night, but I was particularly struck by this thought in the last message of the night (Monday night) and thought that I would share it.

Think of Enoch walking with God ...
Imagine being Abraham - "the friend of God" ...
Moses stood on holy ground and saw God pass by the cleft of the rock ...
The good hand of his God was upon Ezra ...
The Lord was with Joseph ...
The disciples walked with, talked with, ate with Jesus ...

So why shouldn't I be jealous? Why? Because I sit in "heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) I am a child of the king! (Ephesians 1:5)

It is hard to be down when I think on that thought. Just try it.

Time to Garden!

Well, our snow quickly disappeared as the temperatures soared to the upper 70's. Now it is time to work on the garden! This is the first year that we have had any land to work with and we are starting with our front "rock garden." We are using a method called square foot gardening. The area is sectioned off into "square feet" of course. Each square contains a different crop and is planted with something new when the first crop finishes. The great thing about this style of planting is that you don't need a lot of space (many sprawling plants are trained to grow upwards), you use minimal seeds (because you don't thin the plants), the crops are naturally rotated because have more than one crop in each place each year.

So it is time to experiment. We just planted peas, onions, beets, carrots, 5 different leafy greens, and radishes. Next time around will be pole beans, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. The last season will be summer and winter squash, more carrots, beets, onions, parsnips, and lettuces. There is also a packet of pumpkin seeds here, but I have to find a different plot to plant these. I am also being urged to try watermelons!

There is nothing like watching the miracle of life in any form. Whether it be a new baby, or the plant that comes from such a tiny seed and produces food for us.

John 1:3 All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Snow Day!

Well, I am a week late with this report ... OOPS! Last week the college had a snow day. I did not realize that colleges could do that. Being a college student in Florida introduced me to "Hurricane Days," but this was new and exciting.

We had figured that this was not going to be the year to see snow in NC, but on Sun., March 2 the snow started coming. We started to see the snow and freezing rain around noon while Chris was grilling our Sunday dinner (BRRR!). By the time we came home from church that night, it was just beautiful. As we drifted off to sleep, we could hear folks in the trailers around us enjoying it. We woke up to no power on Monday morning and the power company predicted it would be 5 pm the next day before it was restored (they beat the expected fix by 24 hours). The trailer got cold VERY quickly, but the snow was so beautiful. Yes, Chris did get the day off and got quite a few compositions done, some reading, and some studying as well as a trip to town! What a nice surprise it had been over a year since either of us had seen snow!

Valentine's Day

I just love Valentine's Day! Chris says I am more excited about it then even Christmas! I am not sure about that, but I do love the idea of conveying love, the hearts, the flowers, the sentiments.

This year was again unique, but has been my favorite Valentine's Day yet. On Friday, I asked hubby to put down the books and we went hiking along the broad river. It was a beautiful day and it was good to be out. We finished the "date" with cold drinks at Sonic. We were even thrilled to see a car hop on skates again.

On Saturday Chris worked, but in the evening we got dressed up and went to Chick-fil-A. YUM! They had set up a valentine section on the side with tablecloths, candles, and flowers. A waiter took our order and brought our meals to us on plastic plates. I got a beautiful pink carnation. There was even a roving minstrel playing love songs on the violin (also a student from Ambassador, so it was tastefully done). The promotion even provided FREE dessert. Cheesecake for me and a chocolate shake for Chris. Next it was on to the school for a Valentine's Concert. The concert contained some beautiful classical guitar music, some piano, and some violin. There was a soloist, some of his selections were good (old show tunes), but a few did not seem in keeping with the standards of the school which was disappointing.

All in all it was just a Valentine's Day to remember. We continue to remark, that it is just so nice to be together and remember that there are those sacrificing family time to protect our country and our freedoms.

"We love Him, because He first loved us."

Keeping the Weeds Down

I don't really know how to react to NC weather yet. This is our 3rd day nearing 80 degrees. In Washington, the weather men would have called this a heat wave even if it occurred in the middle of August. We may be in for a great adjustment this summer.

We are settling into routine now. Chris just passed the first round of tests on his way towards midterms. He works very hard 3 days each week so that he has very little homework the other 4 days. We usually have Friday night and all day Sunday without any school work, Thursdays and Saturdays are farm days. I am now sharing responsibilities for keeping the Prophet's Chamber at our church ready and usable. I love that kind of work! I have already started 2 piano students and 1 flute student. I am considering taking violin lessons myself. I am hoping that I could be able to play and pass along that knowledge by the time we leave NC.

So what about the weeds? Well all this beautiful weather has drawn me outside. Our front walkway was a mess of weeds when we arrived. I worked for quite a few days to remove the weeds in November. Then this morning, what do I see, but more weeds. Then it hit me. The weeds that I took out in the fall were tough, thick, and deeply rooted. When I finished weeding, the walkway was torn up and looked so different. The weeding this spring is just little weak weeds or weeds that didn't quite get completely removed in the fall. They were easily removed without a lot of work. Then I began to think about my life. God has definitely been doing a lot of weeding, especially this last year. It is not always easy to go through the "weeding", but when some of the big sins and stumbling blocks are gone, I can more clearly see the little things that are keeping me from full service and can remove them. I know that if I forget or neglect my walkway, by fall the mess of weeds will be back. I need to be faithful to remove the little weeds. So with my life. Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."