Fall Fastivals

 This upcoming Labor Day Week-end is a big week-end here in NW Arkansas. A lot of fall festivals all over the area - two of our daughters and I are planning on attending at east two of them along with the local parade. Hopefully we will be able to take in all the other fall festivities, and  maybe a yard sale or two. I love to see all the creative ideas of others an maybe try to adopt and re-create them for myself and others God has blessed us with 4 seasons here and I love them all - but fall is my absolute favorite. The warm days, cool evenings, smell of spices in the air, and the changing of the leaves. also the anticipation of the winter season to come and the joy of Christmas.

I missed an awesome sight the other day Fred and one of our daughters we sitting outside early one morning and a doe came out of the woods near the house, followed by a fawn. A few minutes later another fawn appeared and they all enjoyed a quiet morning breakfast. The fawns still have their spots but have grown so much in just two months. Everything is here  on earth for a purpose and for us to see and enjoy. We have to take time, sit back, and smell the roses, (and watch the deer).

Our Sunday school class has been put on hold for a bit as COVID is increasing here in NW Arkansas. Even our Pastor Vance Eubanks contracting it, but so far our church services remain as usual. Since Vance could not give the message this morning, our Youth Director Matt Tibbet gave the sermon. AS we come to the end of the Book f Colossians, Paul was coming to the end of his life as he wrote it. He was writing to the churches about all of those people who encouraged him along the way. He wrote a letter to the people of Laodicea - he wanted thos letter to be exchanged with the one he had written to the believers at Colossae. Tychicus was a gentile from Asia. He was not a Jew but was a leader of the church in Ephesea. He was also in prison with Paul  at one time and Paul sent him to Colossae. Paul trusted him to relay the message to the church. Onesimus was a runaway slave whom Paul sent with Tychicus. Aristarchus was a Jew who was always with Paul when anything happened. He was sort of a good buddy who was always at his side. Aristarchus sent his greetings to the peple at Colossae. Mark, who was also known as John Mark, wrote the gospel of Mark. He left Paul and Barnabas in a disagreement when they were on a missionary journey together. they later reconciled and he was with Paul when Paul wrote this letter. Justus (Jesus) and  Epaphras were also with Paulin prison and sent their greetings and prayers to Colossae. Luke, the doctor, was trained in the region of Colossae and also traveled with Paul on Paul's journeys. Demas is the only person who Paul does not praise. Demas loved the world so much that he abandoned his faith. Archippus  was in Colossae and Paul wanted him to continue the preaching of the gospel in the church there. Nympha was a woman whom Paul had  held up in praise as the church met in her home. what do these people have to do with us? We like to tal about Noah, Moses, and David but never talk about these people. we don't talk about them because they are so much like us. Hold these people up in one hand - if Paul would write a letter to our church what would he say about us?  Paul probably would not mention us as he mentioned the others who had made church their life. We are not as committed to our church. We often have nothing to offer the church. We are spiritually consumers - taking but not giving back. We may be halfway to Demas' thinking, and Paul would not mention us. How do we become committed like those Paul mentioned?  They did not lose sight of the cross ns neither should we. 

We have a unspoken prayer request that we ask you to pray for as soon as you read this. Thank you. 

Fall is in theAir

 Although fall seems to be in the air, the weather doesn't tell us that. It is hot and humid here with off and on rain.  But, a flock of geese was forming up and flying South the other day, a few veggie plants are dying out, and pumpkin pie spice coffee creamer is on the shelves!! Fall festivals are being promoted all over NW Arkansas. I even baked pumpkin cranberry muffins the other day ( and there is only one left today so need to bake again).

 The weather is still ok to just sit for a bit and enjoy the wonderful world created for us to do just that - enjoy it. I talked about the wren nest close to house that we are watching - the parents would swoop in to feed the babies, take the dodo out of the nest in their beaks, drop it on the ground, then wipe their beaks off on a branch or the birdfeeder. Did not God create the perfect order of life?? One morning as I went outside to dispose of a dying flower arrangement, I wondered why the birds were flying up and down by the door. I opened the door and was astonished by a group of birds flying low and cheeping. Yep, the baby wrens had hatched, flew the nest, and were trying out their wings. After a few failed attempts, they all were fluttering around, except one who has gotten separated from the rest.  Mama wren was chirping, calling them all together under the hydrangea bush, except for the lost little guy. After much trial and error, and encouragement from his mother, he, too, flew to the hydrangea bush with the rest of the family. I am so glad I took the time to just sit and watch this marvelous miracle unfold. 

                                

                                             a yellow finch - or as we called them as kids - wild canary

                                        the stranded baby wren who found his way back to his family.

We both have doctor appointments this week - the yearly physical thing.  we have a few questions for him - all having to do with COVID, the vaccine, and the aftereffects. We both have been vaccinated, read that the MDA had approved the Pfizser vaccine and booster, but still have questions. Hopefully, we will get our questions answered and come back with a clean bill of health. 

Colossians 2:4-6. "Pray that I may proclaim it clearly , as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders , make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone".  God has given us tools to use. Be persistent and constant in your prayer - be devoted. Persistence can be annoying to some, but we are nt annoying to God. Pray devotedly. How often and long should you pray? You cannot pray too much or too long. What are the reasons we do not pray. We are independent and don't feel the need to pray - "I can do this myself". Prayer is important. We should we pray when we work, when we play, when we rest - pray God's words. When do you pray - pray when we commute, when we shop, and when we walk. Practice praying all the time. Be watchful - look around for what to pray for. Be devoted, committed, and persistent in prayer. Pray for your minister.  You don't have to pray to your spouse about God, spouse, but pray to God for your spouse. Pray for those who hear about Jesus but do not know Him. Pray that we proclaim the gospel to others - that we are clear. Keep it simple. Make the main thing the main thing. Nobody knows what you really care for unless you care. Be wise in the way you act to outsiders. People's perceptive of Jesus from you You don't have to have all the answers. If you know Jesus and others don't, you have all the answers for them - the Bible Focus on Jesus - again, keep it simple. We don't have to hide our Christianity because there are no secrets in being a Christian. Pray for the quiet times - the lulls in life and the lives of others. Be life givers, encouraging and fun. Look and pray for opportunities to share Christ. Let you words be full of grace, seasoned with salt. Jesus was a likeable guy - encouraging, full of grace, and tasteful. Pay less attention to areas where people mess up and more attention to where they exceed. Let's follow Jesus. Remember, keep it simple and easy. Use the tools God gave you and use them well. 

Keep Haiti and Afghanistan in your prayers. 

Girls (and girls, and girls, and girls) Day Out

 Sunday was truly a girls day out as our daughter took all 5 of her granddaughters to have their nails and toes done prior to starting school this week. After church I joined them for lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant. What a great time - all of the girls were so very good and we had a great time together. 

                                                           

                                                       

                                                                           all ready for papering

                                                         

                                                                      pretty toes

                                                            

                                                                  lots of pretty hands and nails 

                                                                                                                                           

all of us for lunch including another daughter - a gaggle of girls!

As many of you must have guessed by now, I love to just sit outside and enjoy nature at it's very finest. One morning as I was enjoying my morning cup of coffee in my pj's (yes, I know too much information) which have flowers on them, the hummingbirds kept checking them out by buzzing around my head, very close to me, and even closer to the flowers as if checking them out! I sat very still and just marveled in the joy of them being so close. A wren couple has made a nest in a hanging plant near the front door, so we watch them flying all day, trying to keep the growing youngsters feed. They fly into the nest, feed the kids, and then fly off with the bird dodo to dispose of it. How marvelous is nature! The babies are very loud as they wait for more food, even sticking their heads out of the nest. I think they are almost ready to fly off on their own. 

                                                 

                                                    wren babies - we think there are 4 of them

Our son-in-law does an amazing job of smoking meat and this weekend he smoked bacon for a friend. when it is done, after about 10+ hours, he will let it cool down, and then slice it. He has had 3 detached retina surgeries on his right eye and is discouraged because he hunts and cannot see well out of it yet. So he followed his motto "Adapt and overcome". He fashioned a new stock for his gun, stained it, attached it to his gun barrel so he could look through it with his left eye but still shoot right handed. Amazing. He tested it out and it was almost perfect! I need to take lessons from him. 

                                                     wonderful smoking bacon

A busy week as we continue to search for a place to live. The Lord has already got this figured out - we just have to continue to search until we see where He leads us.

Vance's sermon this morning was a continuation of Colossians - mostly pertaining to your relationship with your supervisors and your attitude towards your job. Yes, this pertains to working folks but can also be a lesson to us more  mature folks who volunteer or are involved in other charitable work. As Christians we are transformed in our new relationship with Christ. We no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ. Before we became Christians, it is all about us, afterwards it is about Christ. Accepting Jesus is truly a transformation in our lives. How do we as Christians allow Jesus to impact our work? We need to put Jesus in the center of what we do - put Jesus in your job. It can change your attitude in what you do. God designed man to work, even in the garden of Eden. Work was not the punishment for Adam' and Eve's sin. God gave man the privilege  and responsibility for work in the Garden of Eden. It is healthy and good for us to work. There are things in our job that we do not like but to do them is a mission field in our lives. It gives us an opportunity to be a representative for Christ. Slaves mentioned in the Bible was based on economic status and not race. Sometimes the "slaves" were overcome by enemies and made slaves. The old and new testaments talk about stealing men to be a slave as being wrong. Look at Colossians 4:1 as an employee or employer would. "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven".  Do your job. Do a good job. Do your job with a good attitude. Do a good job with a good attitude to be a good witness. You are not working for the man, but you are working for "The Man". To be a good employer or supervisor, you need to create a fair environment and treat people right. 

Goodbye Wisconsin - Hello Arkansas

As we prepare to leave Wisconsin we leave with great memories of a beautiful place here on earth ( but not in the winter). I am amazed at the height of the corn this year - up to 12 feet in height and full of cobs.   The fields of corn and soy beans are ready to harvest, second crop hay has been baled, (maybe a third crop this year?)  and the farmers markets are overflowing. A bountiful year for sure. As we head back t Arkansas, we look forward to the fall season there, a few weeks behind Wisconsin but just as bountiful. We ask the Lord to guide us on this next step of our journey, lead us to the home he has chosen for us, and show us where we can be involved in ministry. 

                              A typical old school farm in WI - most of them today are huge and hi tech

                                                   one of the 300+ barn quilts in a WI county

                                              beautiful flowers from the Amish greenhouses - 

  often seen here in the area - Amish buggy - a family lives on the next road over from my sister-in-law.

                     Respecting their religion, I did not take a picture of them or the front of their buggy.

Fairly decent weather this past week - a few storms but the rain is helpful for the farmers, along with the sun and heat. 

My sister-in-law, Susan, and I took a short road trip to a fabric store and a few other shops on Thursday. Lots of fun at the fabric store, checking out the sales, and picking up a few pieces of fabric to finish two quilts I have in progress, as well as a few pieces that I may need sometime sooner or later!

Vance's sermon (which we watched online this morning) was structured towards families with children, but parts of it could pertain to us older folks. Our church, as well as many others, form a partnership to raise our children. It Is necessary to carry on the Word of the Lord from one generation to the next. This has always been God's wish. Satan loves to divide and conquer, so if there is conflict in families, he is behind it. "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged". Colossians 3:20-21. Satan has caused much diversion in the world today. Set your hearts on the right path. God is talking about transformed hearts in Christians. Parents, don't let yourselves be divided. Satan will tear apart your marriage and family if you do. If parents are united, it will be reflected in the children. Set your hearts on things above and not of the world. Satan tries to draw the hearts of the children against their parents and parents against their children. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - so that it may go well with you and that you  may enjoy long life on earth". Ephesians 6:1-3. God has put a structure in place for order. Kids, honor your parents from the heart and resist rebellion. Be obedient because it brings a blessing.  Paul was writing to Christian parents. He was not saying to obey your parents if they were doing something wrong. He was not saying that it was ok to accept abuse. Obedience shows your love for God when obey your parents. This sets up children to obey authority. It causes unity and peace in the family. Your cooperation sets the tone for the family. Young people are not the church of tomorrow but the church of today. Because of the parents relationship with God, they can parent in a godly way. Do not drive your children away by relationships. Do not discourage them. Bring them up in the structure of the Lord. You can be too hard or too soft. By being too hard, too many children were brought up in church legalistically - too many rules and not enough love. Being too soft you can confuse their hearts. Be their parent first, then their friend. Parents today are too distracted by outside influences. We have to break the cycle of distraction. Our children have to listen to us and not to Satan. We have to be on high alert and give up some of our "private time" to engage with our kids.    Encourage your kids to be intentional in their relationship with their elders. Encourage your church to partner with you in this. 

Most of this is for younger parents, but we as parents of older, mature kids can also find helpful hints here.

Pease pray for the White family as they have lost both of their parents within 24 hours from COVID. The Whites were chaplains with CRM and served in the Valley for many years.  

Take Cover

 While living in S Texas, the only severe weather was a thunder storm or even a hurricane which we were notified in advance in order to evacuate if necessary I had forgotten about the tornados in Wisconsin. We were under a severe thunderstorm warning one day last week which turned into a tornado warning,  meaning take cover. So we sheltered in the basement for awhile until the storm passed. Our sister-in-law lives in a home close to where we lived years ago.  She was not living there at the time, but friends were. A tornado came out of nowhere and took down the barn where she now live as well as damaged the home as well. We had to drove around to the next road to check on Fred's parents as the roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines. The storm was severe as it killed a few folks in an nearby town. That was a long night, as all the farmers had to milk by hand and with no electricity. How well I remember that day 57 years ago!!!! 

After the storm there were a lot of trees damaged in the yard,  so we spent one afternoon pulling down broken limbs and cleaning up the yard. I am sure it would have taken people half our age about half the time to do it, but we did get it all accomplished. Sure am glad that no one was taking a video of it!!!

Just one of the many farms in the area It is sad to see so many of the older farms sectioned off and sold for homes, including Fred's family farm of 360 acres. It now has many private homes on it, and a few of the acres are leased out for soy beans or corn. Those farms that still are around are huge operations.

We have only about two weeks here in WI and then we head back to AR to finally settle down and try to relax. Today we are going to visit our #5 daughter - yes we only had 4 daughters but Barbara came to live with us and the 4 girls for a few years, and we consider her #5!!! She has a spot on a lake nearby, so we are going to spend the day with her. 

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him". Colossians 3:17. Everything exists to bring Glory to God. Jesus created and sustains all things. our families exist for the Glory of God, therefore our role in the family exists for God's glory. Marriage relationship were broken when sin entered into it. God sent His Son to restore order to marriage. Live in Christ through your marriage relationships. In early culture, women were not treated well or respected. We need to be obedient to God and let Him have authority over our lives. Spouses need to play the role of Jesus in our marriage. How can I be  like Jesus in our married life? "Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as is fitting to the Lord. Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh to them". Colossians 3:18-19. God is glorified by a wife who supports the leadership of her husband. How can a wife do this. It does not say submit to all men. It does not say obey your husband as he is not your boss or Dad. You do not have to do anything that is ungodly. It does not say that husbands need to command their wives to submit. What does it say? It is about structure not value. Both spouses are equal. It is a choice to willingly honor God who put marriage in place. It is a Jesus role, not a lessor or inferior role. It is a neutering role that holds great power. We don't expect non-Christians to accept God's word - but we as Christians are bound to do so. It is a choice for women to all man to be a leader, not a  ruler. God os glorified by a husband who sacrificially serves and leads his wife. Ephesians 5:25 tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Husbands have a role to serve their families. Husbands have to take responsibility to set the atmosphere of the home. Set a Godly vision for the direction of your home. "For me and my household, we will serve the Lord".  Joshua 24:15. Provide protection and security. Sacrificially sere your wife and live with her in an understanding way. Do not be harsh to your wife. Do not use your strength and size to intimidate your wife for selfish reasons. Do not let resentment and anger be the dominate attitude in your marriage. "However, each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband". Ephesians 5:33. Love unshown is love unknown. Women, respect and encourage your husband's leadership role. In marriage, either husband or wife, take the first step.

 During times like these, we need to remember to be respectful and be responsible. Be respectful of others political and personal beliefs, and be responsible about health issues.