Deck Update

I know there's not been too much going on around the blog lately...somehow life always seems busier than I mean it to be, and I haven't had time to think through things to write. So, I thought I'd at least show you some deck pics. Very fun to see it coming together...Brandon's been doing a really good job on a relatively challenging structure. 

from the upstairs sliding doors - looking to the right
 

also from the sliding doors - looking straight out
 

looking out the side garage door
 

from the corner of our property
 

from around the middle of the house
 

Brandon also took the old Trex and put it on our small deck/stairs instead of regular wood
 

 

Staycation

I know all you inquiring minds are wondering what Dave and I have been up to since the kids have been gone all week. We had talked about going somewhere for at least a night, but thought we'd enjoy our time at home better - and we certainly have! It's been a great mix of getting things done around the house and getting out of the house to do fun things. Here are some pics from the week...

picked bazillions of apricots - are drying many of them and made apricot sauce
 

we went to parent's day at camp and saw the kids
 

 

they put on silly skits for the parents
 

 

Dave chopped down a tree that was in the way of the deck


we continued watching Brandon work hard on the deck - it's even farther along now

we biked Sage Hills
 

 

We've also gone out for dinner twice...at super yummy places! The first was at Tastebuds for a informal interview of a potential Radiology candidate and his wife. They are actually Christians so that was a great thing to find out and are both within 6 months of Dave and my ages. Hopefully they will end up relocating here. The food there is very interesting and flavorful. Dave and I split a pizza with blue cheese or something on it, and we all shared some delectable appetizers. The cost is definitely on the higher side, but since they use such specialty ingredients, it's not a real surprise. 

The second place we went was Shakti's. We actually went there to celebrate our anniversary which was back in May. Very good food and lovely atmosphere. Also on the more expensive side, but a good place for an anniversary or special occasion.

I've actually eaten out every day but Mon, but I can't remember the last time I've eaten out before that! My dad and I went to our favorite breakfast place - Rivertop Bar and Grill which is located in the West Coast Center hotel. They have yummy omelets and a lovely view of Wenatchee. And, this afternoon for lunch, my mom took me to The Best Bite in Cashmere. They had a great variety of tasty sandwiches and soups, and good apricot cake as well. :) (We're pretty sure Brandon (our deck builder) is convinced that all we do is go out to eat and have fun :) )

There have been a few projects that we've accomplished around the house...we finally got blinds for Hannah's room and vertical blinds for another room. We rearranged the storage room and are getting rid of stuff that's been hanging around for a long time. There's also been yard work and some baking. And, lastly, I've spent many hours working on organizing the children's ministry at GCC. They asked me a while ago to take that on and now it's somewhat more official so I can tell all of you. :) I'll officially take over in Sept. All my years at BSF in children's and everywhere else I've taught should come in handy. 

Well, I need to go and get some more things done...less than 24 hours left till I get my kiddos back!!!

Gifts 514 - 529

Well, we dropped off our kiddos yesterday afternoon at camp...kind of a strange feeling driving away and knowing you won't see your kids for a week. :( But, I am really excited for them to be going and think, especially for homeschooled kids, that it will be a good growing experience to have to be somewhat on their own. And, it is also nice for Dave and I to have a week to get lots of random things done and spend more time together. :)

514 - seeing the kids baptized!

515 - being shown a different perspective

516 - people in your life that cause you to be changed, whether you want to or not

517 - having Hannah change from being anxious about camp to getting excited

518 - excited chatter about all the fun things to do at camp

519 - God's patience with me as I learn/grow so slowly at times

520 - playing with someone else's goats

521 - that I have a great husband like Dave and not a crazy, terrible one

522 - stability

523 - playing Taboo with the kiddos and getting a glimpse into how they think

524 - reading Winnie the Pooh and laughing together

525 - walking hand in hand

526 - having some growing up talks with Toodle

527 - seeing a friends lovely new house

528 - knowing that small efforts bring blessing to others

529 - having such a great, diligent, trustworthy, don't-have-to-babysit, hard worker build our deck

here are some more pics of deck progress, but they are from a
couple of days ago, so a lot has changed already
 

the holes he dug for the new posts were practically perfect
 

we decided to use our old, but still relatively good condition,
Trex to redo another small deck and stairs
 

 

Depression/Discouragement

The other night my friend and I were working through a chapter on depression. One of the activities was to look at some Old Testament people who seemed to struggle at some point in their life with depression/discouragement - Elijah, Jonah, Moses, and Jeremiah - and see why they were depressed, whether they stayed in their depression, and if it was remedied. I thought you might also benefit from some of the neat concepts we came across...

Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-4) - fearful, felt all alone, tired of continued persecution - we don't know to what extent he turned back around - God responded by challenging him in his response to run away, passed his ministry on to Elisha, and confirmed there were still 7000 faithful to God - Some things to learn: we sometimes should challenge ourselves/others in times of depression/discouragement about why we are acting why we are, sometimes we need to be done with what we have been doing, sometimes we need to be reminded of the big picture

Jonah (Jonah 4:3) - didn't think life was fair - have no idea if he turned around - God confronted him with spiritual truth - Some things to learn: what we think of as fair or not fair is often very short-sighted and self-serving, God sees the entire picture and we need to trust him regardless of the circumstances, we may need to confront ourselves/others with God's truth whether we like it or not

Moses (Num 11:10-15) - tired of people grumbling, felt like carrying burden alone, had no answers to the problems he faced - he doesn't appear to continue in his depression/discouragement - God provides clear direction for him, gives him the help he needs - Some things to learn: when we feel overwhelmed take our problems to God, there are often answers to our problems that we can't see but others can, God doesn't intend for us to do everything ourselves, God won't call us to a job He doesn't equip us for

Jeremiah (Lam 3:1-36) - this is a really amazing section, if you are prone to depression/discouragement or in that place right now I highly suggest you take the time to read and meditate on this selection of scripture - he's basically feeling like everything is against him, he's living in darkness, sees no escape, nothing he tries is working - the last couple verses of Lamentations seem to imply he's still struggling - his remedy was to remember God's character, that God alone is enough, that he should wait quietly, to humble himself, to remember God's compassion, to remember God's sovereignty, to remember he is a sinner - Some things to learn: being depressed/discouraged can feel totally debilitating, but we need to not wallow in it, we need to hold onto truth about God whether or not it seems true at the moment, we should realize that since we are sinners, every good thing we've ever had is a gift from God, we don't deserve anything good, God is in control of all things and has specific purpose for us in it, there is never a time when something happens that He is surprised, His affliction will not pass beyond the point of purpose in our lives, we need to not make everyone else's lives miserable if we're feeling depressed/discouraged

It was really interesting and helpful to look at these men's lives because we all feel to some degree or another aspects of their depression/discouragement. Thankfully God not only gives us examples in His Word to guide and direct us, but is always ready to hear and help us in our time of need through prayer.

O What a Wonderful, Wonderful Day...

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;
After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Chorus
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, (filled my soul)
When at the cross the Savior made me whole; (made me whole)
My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul! (filled my soul)

Born of the Spirit with life from above into God's family divine,
Justified fully thru Calvary's love, O what a standing is mine!
And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer, He saved me, O praise His dear name!

I have a future in heaven for sure there in those mansions sublime.
And it's because of that wonderful day, when at the cross I believed;
Riches eternal and blessings supernal, from His precious hand I received.

Today was a day full of delight and praise for us...Hannah and Josh were both baptized surrounded by family and close friends. Back on Jan 2, Josh committed his life to Christ, and Hannah did the same on July 4. I put their testimonies below...

 

 

 

 

Hannah---I was a good kid growing up in a Christian family. I knew that I was a sinner from going to church and reading the Bible. One night, I was praying for something to happen, and God answered. I started thinking more about God, and I wanted to believe in Him. So I prayed and asked God into my heart, and now I want to please Him. I try to be more like God and not be mean to Josh. I think more about God now and when I’m about to do something bad I pray and ask God to help me not do it.

Josh---My name is Josh Weber, and I’m nine years old. I was born in a Christian family. One night I was thinking about if I was going to go to heaven. Then I started crying and was going to wait till morning to talk to mommy and daddy. But, then I decided to go that night. Upstairs I talked to mommy and daddy about being a Christian. I need Jesus so that I won’t go to hell, and he would forgive my sins. We prayed and asked Jesus to accept me. Now Jesus is in my life and the Holy Spirit. I think about Him more and want to please him. I know that Jesus will always help me in hard situations. 

Even Donkeys Speak

This book has been what we've been reading for first thing in the morning "Bible time." It is a compilation of 19 stories about God's work in Asia through the Gospel for Asia ministry. They are a ministry we've supported for a long time both by sponsoring kids and missionaries and general needs. The book tells of how God does amazing things to further the spread of the gospel. There are many sad stories of persecution and many stories of people seeking help and having their prayers answered. I must say there is a small feeling of "health and wealth gospel" in the stories, but on the other hand, I know that God can miraculously heal/provide if/when He desires to. Overall it's an encouraging read of how many serious obstacles are overcome and how God has won people to Himself through a variety of means. 

deck demolition has begun...
before:
 

in progress:

 

 

 

Gifts 503 - 513

Watching a gorgeous sunset, writing out thankful things...good way to spend an evening.

503 - sermons that challenge you - Dave passed along this great sermon on missions by Platt

504 - good reminders

505 - wispy clouds

506 - overcoming crankiness
507 - tootsie rolls
508 - pastels of sunset
509 - patches of rainbow
510 - cherry pitting assembly line
511 - playing volleyball
512 - boys playing football
513 - water balloons

some more lake pics - these are from one of my favorite spots - Deer Point
 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't Escape, Engage

This last year or two have been ones of change in my mind. I'm looking at the world differently...at people differently in particular. God has been working in my heart to be diligent about engaging people at a spiritual level when the opportunities arise. For most of my adult life, I've worked towards surrounding myself with wonderful people...and I do have the most excellent friends. I've also worked towards escaping from the world as much as possible. That is good in many ways as there are truly many defiling things everywhere, but I've come to see that we aren't called to escape out of the world, but to engage the world for Christ. We all have a limited life span, and this life is the only time we'll be to proclaim the excellencies of our Savior to a lost and dying world. So, now, I'm looking for ways to seek out relationships where I can be a witness, even in some small way. Rather than escaping to my book in a public place, I can engage the person sitting near me. Rather than escaping to my friends at an event, I can engage someone I don't know. Rather than escaping to the comfort of my home and family, I can engage my neighbors. Living for Christ requires getting out of our comfortable, self-made, happy, tidy bubbles and getting into the uncomfortable, uncertain, sometimes scary, messy world.

As I've been working on this post, it occurred to me that I've also been focusing on engaging my Christian friends a lot more at a spiritual level. If our desire is truly to become more Christ-like and God-honoring, empty conversations about the weather and such aren't going to get you there. So not only do we need to be open and honest about our struggles and failures, but we also need to be ready to respond to others with spiritual truths...and that isn't always easy. Most of us have sins in our lives that we like pretty well, and we don't like someone pointing them out, but someone who truly loves you will be willing to say the hard truth while supporting and praying for you along the way.

I definitely still have a long way to go on both of these areas of engaging, but I'm thankful for God adjusting my mind set to live purposely for Him now rather than wishing I had done more looking back.

 

 

 

 

 

Yielding to the Spirit

I was reading tonight and wanted to share this good section:

I yield, Lord, to Your Spirit. I pray that He will fill me today and minister to me and through me. May He enlighten and nourish me through Your Word, strengthen my inner person, and fill my heart to overflowing with Your love. May He produce in me the very temperament of Jesus--His ways of thinking and behaving and reacting. Father, may this be especially true in my relationships--family and otherwise--in which I'm most prone to act and react in unloving ways.

---pg 74, 31 Days of Prayer

my cherry girl...we are blessed with two cherry trees at the cabin...yum!