~~experiencing the Presence of God~~

during the summer, i managed to read books one & two of a four-part series about the origins of Quakerism. two themes have stayed with me: there are 'good' and 'bad' people in any age, culture, or race, and the concept of 'going to meeting.'
that phrase has gripped me. simply put, it's stopping whatever you're doing and quieting yourself before God to meet with Him. definitely not as easy as it sounds. setting my self, thoughts, and plans aside is nothing less than complication in it highest form! anyway, i thought, why not try it? when i had a bit of time by myself...
i stopped.

it took a while for the busyness (and business) in me to stop, but finally a solid Sense of Quiet settled into me and Peace ruled. it was wonderful.
a few days later, i thought, why not lead the children into this Peace? when t4 had gone down for his nap, the other three and i met on the trampoline (so the free-ranging turkeys wouldn't hassle us). after we talked about a few things, i explained what i had been doing and that they could have the same experience with Jesus.
**i have to admit that i had my concerns! for a four-year-old to sit for very long and wait for an Unseen Presence is a lot to ask--of both the child and the Presence! :) inwardly i sent a pistol prayer asking Jesus to be quick.... please**
after we had prayed a little bit, i directed them to sit and be very quiet and wait until i said 'thank you Jesus.'

at about 40 seconds, t3 could hold the wiggles down no longer. after a quick whispered reminder (and a pistol prayer for God to remember a child's time table:) ), he sat a bit more. i only waited a few seconds more before i thanked Jesus for his faithfulness. then i explained what had happened in me during that very short instance.

as i described the deep Peace that had settled into my spirit, missT replied with awe & amazement, "mom! that's how i felt!!"

wow.

i asked t2 if he had heard/felt anything or thought of anything special during that time. no, he hadn't. then t3 provided the comic relief. "i did, mommy! Jesus told me that he loves all the people in the world and that everyone has to give me candy!"

**sigh** isn't that beautiful? i can't wait until i remember to do that again!

~~also introducing...~~

"Rosco"... not his real name because we all misunderstood daddyT when he was chatting on the phone. this handsome 19-year-old is "Rascal." we do call him Rosco sometime because that is what has stuck in our heads! the two middle T's think The Dukes of Hazzard is the best tv series in the world and so when we heard 'rosco,' immediately thoughts went to 'rosco P coltrane' of the Dukes. thus the nickname. (if you know the Dukes, you will understand why the P is in bold)

this old guy has more energy in his ears than i have in my whole body!

they say the way to a man's heart is through his belly.

we're trying that approach.

~~introducing.....~~

**the third picture will make some squeamish**

mr T3... now 4 years old.....

mr T2... now 6 years old...

(get ready for this one.....)

missT... now 7 1/2 years old...

and number last....

mr T4... now 15 months old!

~~not paid for this~~

Riding Tornado is my new favorite flick. have any of you watched this movie? it is time well-spent. i mean, it's about a man & his horse (not really his... a stable owner's) ... what more is there to say? even better, it's about a messed up man and his messed up horse and they find healing in trusting each other. you can preview it on amazon.

my 'not-so-cowboy' husband thinks it moved too slowly but in my opinion, it was a good speed for the type of story it is.

one of the favorite concepts presented in it is that so many christians feel that to be healed from brokeness is to be perfect and it's in our brokenness that we are perfected. i love that.

anyway, if you're up for a quiet movie night and need something edifying, here ya go.

~~school days loom ahead~~

when i opened my email this morning, i was delighted to read a short paragraph that spoke directly to who i am. for those of you who know me, flying by the seat of my pants is what i do best and trying to force myself into a schedule is a little like pushing a rope. i do it for one day (the schedule--not the rope), two if i'm lucky... if i make three days in a row, someone better call the ambulance.

oh, yes, back to the email. here's what it said:

**if you change your plan, it won't mean that your first plan was a mistake. it will mean that your first plan became a step toward your next plan** (How Do I Know? (...if my plan for the year is a good one!) By Virginia Vagt

now that's more like it. i can live with that.

enjoy the wind up!

~~what keeps me going~~

a few days ago i found a love message that the Lord had given me a couple of years back. in fact, i think it came before the children did! as i read it, i could feel life being drawn from it the way that only Ramah words can give. i think maybe it will encourage you, too.

~~~It isn’t how much you love Me, but that you love me. I don’t want anything more than that. Don’t make things so complicated that you forget about the simple things I enjoy. Your laughter, your singing, your tears, but most of all, I enjoy you. Uncomplicated, unsophisticated you with nothing to hide behind or to cover what you deem unacceptable.

Do you know that most of the things you detest so much about yourself, I have no issue with? You get more concerned about being perfect than I do. Relax. Take your time going through life. Enjoy it. Stop focusing on the product—a perfect life, a good reputation—and enjoy each step of the way. Take time to smell the roses, play in the puddles. Don’t be panicked. You have already been guaranteed a home in Heaven. So, for now, remember that with every step of the journey I’ve gone before you.

                                                                                    ~~~from Jesus

~clouds are the dust of his feet~

when i was (much) younger and still treeplanting, my camp was moving north to the swanell logging camp on the ingenika river. the road had recently been improved which only meant the dust was thicker than ever. as i was turning onto the logging road from the highway, a logging truck blasted by me. i waited a bit for the dust to settle, then turned to join my convoy. i brought up the back of 5 or 6 pick-ups, trailers, and now a logging truck. i managed to stay a distance behind but as the trees closed in along the road, the dust hung in the air. of course you can imagine how quickly it becomes too thick to see through.

all of a sudden i had the heart rocking view of logging truck tail lights WAY TOO CLOSE!!! how could i not have realized how close i was...

...His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
                    Nahum 1:3b

that is my favorite verse.

so many times our view of God is so very clouded. we wonder where He is... at least that's me! so often i hear my thoughts ranting, 'where are you? i've followed you as best as i can...' you know how it goes. :) i like to think it is those moments that i am closest to 'seeing' Him. what a comfort.

...His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3b