It's Been Awhile

Hi all,

Thought I would post a quick update on the garden. Unfortunately, our home computer crashed, so I'm having to go to the library to get online. So, no pics to post today. Bummer.

Anyway, the garden is all in and I'm enjoying the shorter days of fall/early winter. I love summer, but I'm always thankful when the busy, rush-rush is over. Now, maybe I'll settle in for winter with some knitting, crocheting or quilting. Yeah!

We had a 'bumper' crop of beans this fall. The beans had kinda shriveled up and finished for the summer, but after a spell of cooler weather this fall, they kicked in again for a week or two. That was kinda neat.

I have over a dozen pumpkins sitting in the back entry waiting to be cut up and baked for freezing. We got about a hundred pounds of potatoes and LOTS of carrots.

Overall, the garden was a big success. We did have a few things that didn't do well. We only got ONE cucumber out of eight hills we planted. The watermelon, cantelope and butternut squash never came up. And, I wrote earlier how a good chunk of our corn got smoked when the neighboring farmer sprayed his beans with roundup. Oh well, we still had lots of corn to eat, freeze and give away...and plenty of other veggies to keep us busy!

Hope all of you are enjoying the season you're in! God bless!

What Amnon and Absolom Deserved

How many of you have read the story in the Bible of Amnon and Tamar? Just in case you haven't, here it is in a nutshell.


King David had several wives and lots of children by them. Amnon, his son, thought Tamar (David's daughter by another wife) was beautiful. He fell in love with her. Amnon's friend told him to pretend to be sick and have King David tell Tamar to go and take care of him. So, he did and Tamar went to Amnon's house to fix him some food. When she brought it to him, he told everyone else to leave and then he raped her. It's recorded that Tamar pleaded with him to not do such a terrible thing. She even advised Amnon to ask King David for her hand in marriage rather than force her right then. Amnon refused. In addition to raping Tamar, he threw her out of his house immediately afterwards. As she left, she tore her beautiful robe and threw dirt on her head, crying. Her robe was the kind the king's virgin daughters wore.

When King David heard about all this, he was furious. Tamar's brother, Absolom, hated Amnon for disgracing his sister. Later in life, when Absolom married, he named his daughter Tamar, after his sister.

Two years after Amnon's crime against Tamar, Absolom held a feast and invited all the king's sons. Amnon was invited as well. Absolom commanded his servants to kill Amnon during the feast. They did and Absolom fled to another country.

After three years, King David was consoled about Amnon's death and wanted Absolom to return. So, he sent Joab, the captain of the army, to bring him back. Approximately six years later, Absolom committed treason and King David and his entire household fled. Absolom was soon killed and his troops defeated by David's army.

Okay, I've always read that story and felt Amnon got what he deserved. He messed with his half-sister and her brother got even by killing Amnon. However, as I read the story this time, I was curious. What was the legal punishment under the Jewish Law, the Law of Moses, for Amnon's crime? So, I went back to the books Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Under the law of Moses, the crime for raping an unbetrothed virgin (one who was not engaged or married) was this: the offender was required to marry the girl and pay her father 50 shekels of silver--or about $340 and the man would never be allowed to divorce the girl because he had disgraced her. The girl's father could absolutely refuse to give his daughter to the offender. In that case, the man was still required to pay the 50 shekels of silver.


It's interesting to note that if the girl was betrothed, the offender was stoned to death and the girl lived, but only if the rape occured in the country where there was no one to hear the girl scream. If the betrothed girl was violated in the city (and apparently no one heard her scream) the offender and the girl were stoned.

Amnon and Tamar's case is complicated. The Law of Moses stipulated that close relatives were not to marry, especially half siblings. If they did, they were shunned. It was rightly considered a terrible dishonor to do such a thing to a sister and Amnon would have born the responsibility for his actions for the rest of his life.

King David did not force the marriage of Amnon and Tamar (probably out of compassion for his daughter!), but it's not recorded that he actually punished Amnon in any way. It's possible that Amnon was shunned, but I wish that we were told if he at least had to pay the bride-price (the 50 shekels of silver, $340 dollars) for Tamar. I'm guessing that to Absolom, it appeared that Amnon got off pretty easy and I'm guessing that did not sit well with Absolom at all.

So, two years later, Absolom plots revenge. He hosts a large feast with the intention of murdering his brother. He orders his servants to kill Amnon and the deed is done. Now, what is the legal punishment for Absolom's crime?

The punishment for premeditated murder with more than one witness (such as the murder of Amnon by Absolom) was immediate death penalty. That's why Absolom fled!

When I realized that, I thought, why in the world didn't King David enforce the law?! I'm looking back at history and seeing how allowing Absolom to live (and inviting him home again) almost cost King David his life! It also allowed Absolom to commit treason, start a civil war (with over 20,000 casualties) and defile 10 of King David's concubines. (We're told in the Bible that David left 10 concubines to keep the palace when he and everyone else in the palace fled from Absolom. Absolom then set up a tent on the roof top and slept with each of the ten concubines.)

If only David had executed Absolom instead of forgiving him! Then, I started looking at this story from the perspective of a mom. I have two sons. What if one had committed a terrible crime and I forgave him and offered him mercy. Then, the younger son, in revenge murdered his brother. What would I do? I've lost one son. Do I want to lose another? Would I be able to demand my remaining son be executed? Would I be able to forgive and offer mercy like David did?

What if I've had this story wrong all along? What if it isn't about Amnon committing a terrible crime and Absolom getting revenge? What if it is about a very merciful king and father who instead of punishing his sons to the full extent of the law offered them mercy?

We don't know how Amnon behaved after the Tamar incident. Maybe he repented and became a better person, maybe not.

We do know how Absolom behaved after he was shown mercy. And, he was shown mercy! We're told that King David was consoled concerning Amnon's death. He knew why Absolom had murdered Amnon and apparently he forgave him! He invited him to come home, and he did not execute him! Even when Absolom rebelled, declared himself king and brought together an army of over 20,000 men against his father, David ordered his entire army to "be gentle" with Absolom. (They killed Absolom anyway.) Talk about the mercy of this king and father!

Hmmm...what is that a picture of? Do we not serve a greater King? Have an eternal Father? And One who showed us mercy instead of punishing us to the fullest extent of the law?

And what is God's Law? Well, it is at least the 10 commandments! I am the Lord your God...you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make an idol. You shall not misuse God's name. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder, or commit adultery (any sex outside of marriage), steal, lie, or covet.

Jesus clarified the 10 commandments by showing us that God sees hatred as murder and lust as adultery. He said that all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Has anyone of us, if we're truly honest with ourselves, kept EVERY commandment? No. We've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

Sometime, go back and read through the punishments described for sin under the Law of Moses (which he got from God).

Picking up sticks on the Sabbath: stoned to death. (You know why that seems so harsh to us? Because WE do not remember the Sabbath or keep it holy.)

Worshipping anything other than the LORD God: death.

If a person lied under oath in a court of law, whatever the accused was going to get as punishment, the liar got.

If a girl was given in marriage and upon consumation of the marriage, it was shown she was not a virgin, she was stoned to death.

If a man had a stubborn and rebellious son who would not obey his father or mother and would not listen when they disciplined him, they were to take him to the elders of the town. They were to say, "This son of ours is rebellious and stubborn. He completely lacks moral restraint, is a drunkard and playboy. He will not obey us." Then the whole town was to stone the son to death.

If anything, these laws show us that God absolutely does not tolerate sin. And yet we spend our whole lives sinning! I've wondered why God doesn't just strike down murderers with heavenly lightning bolts of justice. It would save us a lot of trouble! There would be no tax dollars going to fund lifetime inmates or repeat offenders if God Himself saw to it that as soon as a crime was committed, justice was carried out. The only problem is that God is SO holy and SO just that we'd all be dead. Not one of us is innocent, yet graciously, thankfully, this Great King and Father keeps giving us more time, showing us more mercy.

Yes, there is a day coming when we'll stand before the Great King--our Judge. We will be held responsible for how we've lived. What then will you do with the mercy God extends to you? Will you trample it by rebelling? Will you gather an army of followers to rebel with you? Will you take revenge on the wrongs done to you and those you love? Or, will you forgive as you have been forgiven by God? Show mercy to those who wrong you? Love your enemies? Pray for those who mistreat you and slander you?

We know that Absolom never did change. He abused and trampled the mercy that was shown him. Yet, even at the very end, after King David's army had killed Absolom, we find that the king grieved over his rebellious, traitorous son. When he heard Absolom was dead, he wept and cried out, "O my son Absolom! My son, my son Absolom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absolom my son! (NIV)" The father cried out for his son and we see a picture of how God, our Father, weeps and grieves for the ones who never change. Our God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

So, what will you do with the mercy shown to you?

Pressure Cooker Boils Over

Saturday morning, Hubby and I relaxed with our ritual cups of coffee and morning reading. When our two turbo-toddlers woke up, I expected the day to errupt in a frenzy of noise and activity, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they played quietly most of the morning.

My plan was to spend the day canning corn. My husband picked a crate full of cobs, shucked the ears and brought them to me. After reviewing several websites for canning directions, I began cutting the corn from the cobs. In a few minutes, I found a comfortable rhythm and corn was quickly accumulating in my biggest pot.

After a short lunch break, I cooked the corn and readied the jars, lids, and bands. I poured 2-3 inches of water into the pressure cooker, set it on the burner and turned the heat to high. Once the jars of corn were filled, lids held in place with the bands, I set them in the pressure cooker, locked the lid and set the timer for the 10 minute venting period. It was then I realized I had not stirred the corn inside the jars to release air bubbles before I lidded the jars. New as I am to canning, I didn't know if it was a big issue or not. But, better safe than sorry, so I turned off the burner, let the cooker cool, opened it and took out a jar to see if I could stir the bubbles out.

Eeesh. What a hassle. After one jar, I decided to take the risk and just can them as they were, extra air bubbles in the jars. Back into the canner the jars went. I locked the lid in place again, set the timer for another 10 minutes and waited. I put the jiggler in place and prepared to wait again...until the pressure hit 15 lbs and the jiggler started...yep...jiggling.

Just moments later, the sound of boiling water hitting the electric burner caused me to run back to the kitchen. The canner was hissing, spewing clouds of steam, and spraying water from under the lid. It looked like an angry thunderstorm had errupted on my stove! I quick grabbed the children and started to run outside. Then I realized that I was going to have to turn the stove off so the thing would not explode. So, here I am, yelling at the kids to get back, running to the stove and fast as lightning trying to reach around this terrifying pot to turn the knob to off without getting burned, scorched or exploded on! By this time, the commotion had reached such a frenzy that the overflow had sprayed all over the stove and run down onto the floor. I turned the knob to off and rushed outside with the kids. I stood on the deck shaking all over. I have never been so afraid in my life.

We waited outside for awhile and then my husband went inside to check it out. It was finally safe to go back in, so we all traipsed inside. I tried to figure out what happened...was it because of the air bubbles? I called my mother-in-law and a friend, but couldn't reach anyone. Finally, I got in touch with my friend and found out that the air bubble issue was not an issue. It would just mean that there would be less liquid trapped in the jars when the canning process was complete.

I discovered that because I used our tap water (well water--HARD water) that it can leave buildup and harden the rubber seal on the pressure cooker. Several hours later, when I was sure it was safe, I removed the jiggler, waited some more and opened the canner. Ping, ping...ping...the jars started to seal. THIS was a problem. Yeah, they're sealed, but the corn (a low acid vegetable) hasn't been cooked long enough or hot enough to destroy all the bacteria. I ended up having to pop all the lids off the jars and heat new lids to use. (Since the lids were off, I stirred the air bubbles out.) I soaked the rubber seal in hot water for several minutes. Cleaned the pressure cooker and started over with the jars inside.

Thankfully, everything worked that time. Now, I have corn put away for winter and a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime story.

Just Me--Heart to Heart

I knocked on your door last night. You opened it a crack and I could see everyone sitting around the table. Fine china, silver candlesticks, happy faces, friendly chit-chat, plates piled high with fancy food.

You were busy, you said. I thought maybe you heard my stomach growl because I saw you glance down. But, I didn't tell you that I hadn't eaten for days. You had company, you said. It just wasn't a good time. You closed the door and I turned away, but I could hear your muffled voice answering that it was 'you know who'.

Honestly, it surprised me to be turned away from your house. You told me if I ever needed anything, I should come to you. Then, since I heard you talking about me from inside, I sat down to listen.

"Who was that?"
"That, was 'you know who.'"
Murmured 'oh's' were voiced around the table.
"What'd he want, anyway?"
"I thought he'd left town days ago"
"I didn't ask him," you said matter-of-factly. "But, seriously, who shows up uninvited at suppertime? It's just rude!"

I became your special topic of discussion for the rest of supper. Now I know why people say that churches are filled with hypocrites. Talking about me behind my back? Discussing my moral failures? I heard all the judgment in your voices. And what's worse is that you don't even know my side of the story. Oh yeah, that's because you never asked. I doubt you'd believe me if I tried to tell you. Oh, nevermind. I'm done here.

The visitor stood up and dusted off his pants. Silently, he walked away from the house of someone he thought had been his friend. He simultaneously labeled Christians as hypocrites, God as dead and life as meaningless. He never visited a church again. Whenever he flipped through channels on the TV, he made sure to avoid the religious ones, knowing they were just a bunch of phonies anyway. He died at age 52. His family and friends mourned his departing.

Of course, you never cared to know any of that. You wrote him off when he was nineteen. When you didn't see him in church the next Sunday, you were kind of relieved that you wouldn't have to pretend to be interested in his situation. A sort of satisfaction came over you because you knew from the start that he wouldn't make it anyway. That's why you didn't bother wasting too much time on him.


What Have I Done?
by Joy Wegener

Heed the cry of desperate people
No tuning it out. No looking away.
No plugging the ears
as they, falling, begging, slip further away.

Away and over and down, down, down.

Because cavernous, hungry, darkness needs
the blinded, wounded, the bitter, deceived.
The proud and oblivious, the naive and agnostic.
Digested, expelled. The beast craves more.

Mouth open wide, he eats whoever falls inside.

Where is the watchman? Where is the shepherd?
Something is missing! Where is the man?
Someone to warn them. Someone to stand.
A friend or brother, son or daughter!

They're distracted, busy, too tired to care, too timid to preach.

Then a face, a hand, a finger is seen.
Recognition. You know me. I remember.
I stand unmoving, frozen stone and ice
and your eyes ask 'why?' as you slide by.

All my reasons...not one of them is good.

You're gone. Over the edge, the beast grunts.
Still eating, still hungry. Smiling as he's continuously fed.
Still growling, more, more, more!!
And I hear screaming, terrified.

What have I done by not doing anything?



Friends,

It's so easy to ignore the real needs of people around us. It is too easy to not even see. Our friends and families, the people we work with, go to school with and eat lunch with put up a good front. Unless we purpose in our hearts to look past their tough or satisfied exteriors and ask God to help us address the issues of their hearts, we will fail to reach them.

Deuteronomy 32:46-47 "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day...they are not idle words for you. They are your life."

When did we stop recognizing God's word as our very life? Slowly, we let one thing and then another and another fill up our lives and we ran out of time to read, to pray, to study, and even to care about people. Instead of life being about getting to know God and bringing others to know him, it became just an endless to-do list. Rushing from one task to the other from dawn to dark and always knowing that there's too much to do, but never being able to cut back on activities...some of us live like that.

When we are confonted with an opportunity to help someone, we shrink back because we're exhausted from the incessant rigamarole of life. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the important thing and it would not be taken from her. What had Mary chosen to do? To forget about the mess around her and sit at the feet of Jesus, just focusing, listening to Him. Really, she just became so captivated by Jesus that everything else seemed so unimportant.

The world tells us to set time aside for yourself. Love yourself. The Bible says the exact opposite. Forget yourself, your needs, wants and focus on Jesus. Because here's what happens. When you actually focus your life on Jesus and you do this day in, day out...he defines you! What He wants over shines what you want. What you want changes into and becomes what He wants.

There is a closeness to Him and of Him that can be experienced on this earth that we have fallen far short of. He can lead us, strengthen us, cause us to rest. He keeps us from wasting time and from missing opportunities. He gives us energy and strength and causes us to lay our heads down at night and sleep peacefully, waking up satisfied from a good night of sleep. He steers us clear of danger and takes us on wild adventures. He opens our eyes to wonderful things in his word and speaks through us to others.

There IS a degree, a level of closeness to Him and of Him that we have thought was impossible, but it is not. It's not impossible when you turn the TV off, shutdown the computer, open the Bible and spend time with God. When the focus of our lives becomes knowing Him, pleasing Him, loving Him, and serving Him instead of WIIFMs or 'what's in it for me' great things can happen, even 'impossible' things.

These are just some things that have been on my heart and I wanted to share them with you.

-Joy

Lost 240 Corn Plants to Round Up

Compare the "before" picture of the beautiful corn rows...well, here's what it looks like now: a nice big chunk of dead corn right in the middle.

A farm hand for the man who farms next to our garden accidentally sprayed a third of this section of corn with roundup. Thanks. A LOT. Brandon was out in our garden when it happened. He was weeding the radishes and saw the tractor come in at an angle. He saw the guy hit the brakes really fast and suspected that our corn had just been sprayed with roundup. A week later, no doubt remains.

Brandon first estimated that 150 stalks were killed. Then he actually counted. 240. Two hundred and forty!!! At 2 ears of corn per stalk, that's 480 ears of corn or 40 dozen. At 4 ears of corn for a $1.00, that's $120 big ones that we won't make selling corn this year.

Too bad, huh. Part of me is really--and I mean REALLY--ticked about it and the other part of me has accepted that there's nothing to be done about it at this point. We're not going to go demand the farmer pay us for it. We still have two-thirds of the first planting of corn left along with the 2nd and 3rd plantings of corn. Granted, the first planting was the BIG one. But, we'll still have LOTS of corn.

On a happier note, our radishes are doing really well. Brandon and I picked about eight 15 foot rows of radishes tonight. German Giant radishes are way cool! They really got BIG. Cherry Belles did well also, but we were not too impressed with the Champion radishes.

Here's a picture of a potato plant. I never knew potatoes had such neat looking flowers!

Our Garden 2009

Gardening Stories and Updates...



I spent about an hour and a half yesterday weeding the raspberries. I planted about 2 dozen shoots this spring in one long row. Then, I planted rhubarb at the end of the row. Well, I'd given up on the rhubarb because it never did come up. The raspberries were surrounded and covered in weeds in not much time at all. Yesterday, I finally got around to weeding them. I did not know weeds could get so large! I was pulling up pig weeds that were almost as tall as I am!

Despite all the weeds, my faith in the power of nature was restored. Not only were those raspberries still alive and growing under all those weeds, I found the rhubarb! It finally came up.

Also, I was amazed and very pleased to find a volunteer tomato plant growing in between our raspberries and corn. It was hidden by weeds and with the corn and raspberries so close, it wouldn't have room to really grow. So, I dug it up.

I already have 18 tomato plants, so I decided to plant this one in a pot and take it inside. I'm going to try to keep it alive over the winter and have fresh tomatoes in December! I'll let you know how that goes.

I have a very bad sunburn on my right shoulder and a sunburn in the shape of a smile on my lower back. Apparently my shirt rode up as I bent over pulling weeds. Ahh...the joys of being super fair-skinned. I have a number of muscles telling me that I worked them way to hard yesterday. But, after being sick last week, it feels so good to have accomplished something and still have energy.

An Unforgetable Evening

I did not feel well last night and was trying to take it easy, but that is easier said than done when you're a mom. Brandon was off to work at 4pm and I was on my own with the boys, Elijah and Daniel. The weather went from cloudy and windy to severe storm warnings, lightning, tornado warnings, flash flood warnings and the like. I was sitting at the computer thinking about how nice it would be to really get to relax, but I needed to keep an eye on the weather and my children.

At one point, I looked out the window and saw some ragged, low, dark clouds with definite rotation going on. It appeared as if a funnel cloud was forming and would try to touch down right smack in the middle of an RV Campground within a quarter mile of our house. As I watched the clouds swirl closer and snake toward the ground, I pointed my finger at them and told them to get back up in the sky in Jesus' name. And they did! This danger passed and I was relieved. (The picture above is of a storm that passed a week ago. I wish I'd taken pictures of the rotating clouds last night.)

Then, as it was starting to get dark, we lost power. Now, I'm faced with getting two little boys ready for bed in the dark. I got the flash lights out and an oil burning lamp (which I actually lit without any trouble!). I soon discovered that since our well is on an electric pump, we also had no running water.

Our electric company has an 800 number to call to report power outages. So, using my cell phone, I called it. No answer. Tried again, no answer. Third time, no answer. Ugg. I gave up on that.

My son, as mentioned in previous blogs, is potty training. He's been going to the bathroom on his own and is now using his step stool and pees into the big toilet (which is better because the bowl is bigger and easier to aim for).

I called my mom on the cell phone to tell her how the power went out and the electric company has a number to call to report power outages that they apparently don't answer! My 11 month old was crying to be fed and my 2 1/2 year old ran to the bathroom to use the toilet. Since it was dark, I followed to help him. As I entered the bathroom, he was going #2 in the big toilet! Wow, I was so proud of him, until I saw the poo in his underwear, too. Well, I got him cleaned up and in a new pair of underwear. All the while, Daniel is still crying to be fed. So, I pick Daniel up and head for the couch, sit down and begin to feed him.

It hasn't been more than 2 minutes when Elijah runs back to the bathroom. He comes out without underwear on, so I set Daniel down and go investigate. His underwear are on the floor soiled with poo. So, I clean him up again, get him a fresh pair of underwear and go back to nursing Daniel. Just a reminder...no running water to wash hands with, so we're making do with hand sanitizer and baby wipes and doing it all in almost total darkness.

Back on the couch, I started to nurse Daniel again. Not more than another two minutes later, Elijah runs to the bathroom again. I'm thinking, okay, he's already gone poop twice. He's probably just peeing, so I'll let him be and I'll finish nursing Danny. A minute or two goes by and it is really quiet back there. I set Daniel down, grab a flash light and go again to investigate.

I found Elijah on my four legged stool, bent over the counter with his hands in my jar of expensive dry skin lotion. I then notice lotion on his butt along with some more poop. Now there is poop in my lotion. He's pooped again in the toilet. I clean him up and go to put his underwear back on and discover that there is poop in this third, new pair of underwear! Okay, the bathroom is really starting to stink now! I told my mom I had to go clean up this mess as best I could.

That was kinda the last straw for me. Elijah got in trouble and sent to his room. I called my husband and vented all my frustration to him. He laughed and said, "You know, if it wasn't so many things gone wrong, you'd probably be laughing." I chuckled a little. Yeah, I know, but it still stunk to be going through it at the moment--literally.

The night did have a good ending, though. Elijah didn't have anymore accidents in his pants, the power came back on, I got the kids to bed, and did get to relax for a few minutes myself.

Sitting at the table, just before the power came back on, I did think it was kinda cool to be using an oil burning lamp to light the kitchen while the kids ate a snack before bed. If I'd felt better, it would have seemed more like a neat adventure. I guess it still can be.

Potty Training Again

Smile. I've re-entered the potty training phase for the 3rd time with my 2 1/2 year old. I started trying to potty train him a year ago, which was too early. When he turned 2, I started again, but having never successfully potty trained a child before, I made a lot of mistakes. I was so afraid of him failing that I never really let him succeed. Whenever we'd go out and about, I'd put him back in a diaper. He wore diapers at night, but underwear during the day. I tried letting him run around naked, but found that he pretty much just peed everywhere. Then, my husband and I added a new puppy to the mix and I was overwhelmed with messes. So, I backed off again.

So far, third time's a charm! He's definitely ready to make the switch from diapers to big-boy pants this time. (Mommy's ready, too.) With the puppy happily relocated to outside the house, I'm not dealing with her messes. Of course, 1o month old baby brother can still make potty training interesting. I usually have to hold the youngest so he's not trying to climb on big brother during potty time.

Mornings seem to be the hardest to get through without a mess. (That morning BM is just not making it to the potty!) Elijah is doing really well during the rest of the day. I decided to let him sleep in underwear at night after I noticed that his diaper was dry when he woke up. He's made it two nights in a row without any messes so far!

I'm so proud of him!

Truth is Simple

Everyday, someone, somewhere is discovering some new theology, idea or 'truth'. The majority of these philosophies can be easily recognized and discarded by their complicated, mind-bending explanations. Some seem simple at first, but the more you learn about them, the more complicated they become. One thing I've learned so far is that the closer you get to the truth, the simpler and clearer it becomes.

Not everything confusing is false. I'm just saying, don't reroute your entire life because you found a new 'truth' that you think is really cool, but doesn't make a lot of sense. If you can't explain it to a friend, you don't understand it. If you don't understand it, don't buy it--yet.

Sometimes, it's better to let a new idea or belief sit on the shelf for awhile--not that you forget about it, but rather watch it. Observe how those who hold to it end up. Follow the reasoning to the end. Think on it awhile. Test it. If this is true, how does that affect other beliefs that you hold? What will believing it require of you?

This questioning is vital. But, it is only valuable if we question long and hard enough to find answers. To continue questioning, discover a wealth of information, and continue questioning, never making a decision as to what to believe is foolish. Unfortunately, many people don't want to make the effort to educate themselves on anything more than the newest Hollywood hottie or the evening news. It's too much work for them. They realize that decisions and persuasions require action. Action equals actually getting involved. Getting involved means getting off the sofa. It's sad really, because a person who is convinced of something and knows what they believe is incredibly confident and powerful.

Someone once told me, and it bears repeating, "Once you've searched out the facts and the evidence clearly shows you what is true, make up your mind. Settle it on that issue. Case-CLOSED."

I am unashamedly close-minded on issues, beliefs, and ideas I've researched. Sure, there will always be those areas where I've not studied enough to make a final decision, but I intend to continue learning and studying as long as I live. Hopefully, at the end of my life, I'll be absolutely sure on the things that are important and I'll be able to explain and illustrate everything I believe because I understand it.

Mice in the House

Have you ever been intensely frustrated about a behavior that you just can't seem to stop doing? If you're like me, you have plenty of good intentions in your heart of hearts that never make it to reality. You want to do what is right, but have no energy to accomplish it. You hate feeling guilty for wasting your time and energy on worthless activities, but when you try to change, nothing does. A dear Friend of mine recently showed me something that helped me tremendously.

The Bible says that a person's physical body is like a tent to the person's spirit. The spirit is the real being, and the physical body is just what the being lives in. (2 Corinthians 5:1). In Bible times, it was common for people to live in tents. Today, in the USA, I would say 'house' would be a better comparison. Don't let that spiritual-physical stuff weird you out. Just keep reading.

For now, let's think of your actual house. Say you decide to do some spring cleaning. There has been a musty stink coming from your closet for some time, but you just haven't had the energy to figure out what it is. You're finally cleaning out the closet when you find a pile of clothes far in the back corner: the source of the smell. Dirty, old laundry. So, gingerly, you reach out and with your finger and thumb, you pinch the pile, grabbing as much as you can, but touching as little of it as possible. As you lift up the pile, you find an even bigger mess underneath. A mouse has built itself a cozy little nest in your forgotten laundry and has shredded some of it. There is mousy pee and poopy everywhere and now it REALLY stinks.

Your first reaction would probably be immediate anger. Stupid mouse! Uhrgg! What a mess! You see a small hole in the baseboard where the mouse apparently entered. Nuh-uh! Not in my house! You think to yourself. Mice are not allowed! This mouse MUST GO! So, you clean up the mess. Then what? Since you saw where the mice were getting in, you would plug up the hole! Next, set a couple traps, and thirdly, you'd probably put out poison--if you hate mice as much as I do.

Now, for all of you out there who think mice are cute and should be allowed to live in peace in your home...I hope you don't get Hantavirus. Mice are dirty, destructive and definitely not welcome in my house.

So, what does a mousy mess have to do with destructive behaviors you can't seem to stop?

Well, here's the deal. IF you have repented from your sins (which means you have apologized to God and turned away from sin, trying to not do it anymore) and put you faith in Jesus Christ, making Him the Boss of your life, then I have good news for you. Your spirit is saved. The real you that lives in your physical body is saved. (If you are not sure about being saved, you might not be. The Bible says that God's spirit will witness inside your heart that you are saved, which means, if you're saved, God will make sure you know it.)

Sin is worthless activity, destructive behavior, anything that violates God's Law. In Romans 7, Paul states: (verse 15) For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. (16) If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. (17) But now, it is no longer I who do it, by sin that dwells in me.
What? What did he just say? Paul, one of the writers of the Bible struggled with doing the right thing? And what did he realize?

Paul realized that because he was saved, his spirit was made alive to God and therefore couldn't sin anymore. But, there was still a struggle inside of him and sometimes, he still ended up doing what was wrong! He discovered that even though he (the real Paul) wanted to do what was right, there was something inside of him that didn't want to do right.

You and I have the same struggle everyday of our lives. We know what is right, but just can't do it. We want to do right, but end up not doing it. We try not to do wrong, but find ourselves giving in to temptation. Evil is right there with us.

Sin in your life is like a dirty mouse living in your house. When you discover these areas of sin...look at them just like you would if you found a mouse nest in your closet: get mad! Not at yourself, though! I think that is one of the dumbest things we do as humans. When we mess up, we tend to get mad at ourselves and 'beat ourselves up'. Wouldn't that be ridiculous to get mad at yourself and literally beat yourself up when you find a mice nest in your closet? Uh, yah. Crazy. You didn't shred your clothes and put the mouse poopy and peepee all over! The mouse did! Get mad at SIN!! God HATES sin and so should we.

Next, plug up the holes! If you are tempted to do a certain thing that is wrong, try to find out where the 'holes' are. For example, if you are tempted to look at porn online or spend hours wasting time watching movies and reruns online, GET A FILTER! We use the filter by Bsafe Online, which I highly recommend! This filter not only is great at blocking junk, it also has an option where you can have a weekly internet usage report sent to any email address you provide. And that brings me to 'setting traps'.

Accountability is a good trap for sin. Find someone you trust, and ask them to ask you the hard questions--regularly, daily. For the internet example, have the internet report sent to someone who will check it and call you on it. Install the filter and let someone else control the password and settings.

Here's why I put out poison for mice: no matter how much you try, you'll probably never block every single hole the mice can get in through, and even the best traps don't catch every mouse. We'll never be able to plug up every crevice that sin uses to sneak into our lives. Even with an extensive array of traps, some mice will inevitably escape. Though you may find several people to help keep you accountable, knowing that you'll have to fess up doesn't guarantee that you'll never mess up again. So, if you really want to rid your house of mice and your life of sin, use poison.

Now, the question is: What is poison to sin? What is it that kills sin in our lives?

THE WORD OF GOD: The Bible.

Obviously, unless you open the box of poison and set it out where the mice get in, it isn't going to do you any good at all. Ironically, the same is true of God's Word. If you want to rid your life of sin, open your Bible. Find some verses that specifically address the area you are struggling with.

For instance, I tend to be pretty lazy sometimes. As a wife, homemaker and mother of two, there is a list a mile long of things that need to be done. Frankly, most days, I just don't feel like doing much. I'd rather--or I should say--the sin in me, would rather sit in front of the computer and watch movies online, spend hours at a time on Facebook, or 'research' every little thing I'm curious about. In a one week time period a couple weeks ago, I estimated that I watched over 15 hours of movies online. Seriously, that is really sad.

At least I realized I needed help and sought it out. Getting back to the Bible, I found a verse in Proverbs 31 that describes a good woman. Verse 27: She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. I found another verse in Philippians 1:6. It says, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Now, I'm going to give you the advice I got that helped me overcome the bad habit of wasting too much time online at the expense of my family. (BTW, I do realize this post is getting long, but the time spent on this is hardly wasted! Besides, I spaced the writing of this out over several days. If it helps anyone out there, it is completely worth it. And I know if you take this advice to heart and do this, it will help! )

Here's what to do:

1) Pick ONE (1) area in your life that needs improvement. Maybe you need more patience, or wisdom, or restraint (i.e., self-control) in some area. Write it down.

2)Find TWO (2) verses in the Bible that address the area you need help in. If you need help finding verses, post a comment or send me an email and I will help you find some. Write your verses down on the same paper you wrote your area of improvement down on.

3)Take 10 minutes everyday for one week. Break it down into the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes. For five minutes, read the verses out loud, silently, under your breath, or however you feel comfortable reading them. Read them again and again, stopping after the 5 minutes is up. Now, pray for the last 5 minutes, asking God to help you do better in this area. You can be honest with God. Maybe, you don't feel like praying. Tell God what you're feeling, but also ask Him to help you in your focus area. Thank Him for helping you.

I know it could be tempting to pick several areas that need help and go 'all out' on this. DON'T! Just keep it simple. There are 52 weeks in a year. If you take one area per week and focus on just ONE, over the course of a year you could focus on 52 different areas of your life! So, keep it simple!!! Your life didn't get to where you're at today in one week and it's not going to be entirely fixed in one week. But, this is a start! Change takes time.

To be honest, when I first heard about this, I really wasn't that excited about it. I did it, but I didn't feel like doing it right away. I picked the area to focus on and found the verses, and since that took time, I prayed really quick and counted that for the first day.

On day two, I decided to log something about what I was experiencing each day. My area of focus was on time management. I wanted God to give me the power and desire to manage my time well.

Day two, I wrote: Feel no different. Extremely tired. Looking at dishes and wishing they were done, same with laundry. So tired. But, I'm going to keep doing this. Exercising godliness.

Day three, I still didn't 'feel' it. I did it grudgingly. I muttered the verses under my breath and prayed and sighed for 5 minutes. I wrote: Well, I did watch several hours of TV/movies on the internet, but, I got a lot done, too. Dishes, trash taken out, errands run, house looks picked up, took to my son to the doctor. Tomorrow I should do better.

Day four: Rested a LOT today, but actually got the kitchen all cleaned up, even after cutting and drying fresh chives and making a BIG supper. Pleased to see the kitchen clean. I even cleaned the grime and gunk off the stove knobs. Thank you, Lord, for helping me do better.

Day five: Made home made pasta to go with left over alfraedo sauce. Still need help with housework, but got some stuff done.

Day six: Highly productive day!!! Cleaned kitchen, did laundry, filled flower pots, weeded flower beds (partially), planted 2 dozen raspberry shoots. Plus, made late supper for Brandon and his friend who was visiting. Actually got kids to bed at a decent hour. But, I did get side tracked by internet news sites and didn't get to bed till after midnight.

Day seven: Break through!! God gave me revelation knowledge on how to beat sin. It came alive in a new way, illustrated by mice in a house. "It's not I that do it, but sin living in me." You didn't make the mouse nest and leave mouse dumps. Sin living in you like mice in your house did. And now, how to get rid of mice/sin... Thank you, God! Praise Jesus!

It wasn't until days six and seven that I really felt changed. I can say that since then, I have seen a night and day difference in how much time I've wasted online. Not to imply that I've been perfect--in the last two weeks, I've maybe watched a total of a couple hours of movies online. I asked my husband to help keep me accountable and set up some new parameters on the filter.

I also taped two 3 x 5 note cards next to both of our computers with my verses on them. When I get online, I read the verses. Every time I sit down to use the computer, they are right in front of me. The Word of God is life to me and poison to sin. It will do the same for you.

I want to point out that this 'formula' for beating sin will NOT work if you are not a child of God. Meaning, if you still plan on running your own life, doing things your way, and ignoring God's Word and His way of doing things, don't think that by just reading the verses and saying a prayer that you will somehow find the strength within yourself, all by yourself to overcome sin in your life. Success through this method only comes with surrender to God's will, God's Word, God's Way.

If you are serious about change, if you're frustrated by your lack of willpower to change yourself, and if you are willing to let God run your life, He is ready, able, and overjoyed to. Invite Him in.

Now, go get your Bible and get started!

How Was Your Week?

After the rest of the week, I really don't remember anything about Monday.
Tuesday afternoon, I discovered my oldest child was hot with fever. I'm not one to worry too much about illness. Everything I've read about fevers says that if there are not any other symptoms, and the fever is not too high, just keep an eye on 'em and try to control the fever with tepid baths, and medicine. So, that's what I did. Of course, we also asked the Great Physician for Elijah's healing. Fever didn't go away. Wednesday, he was still hot. Thursday, he stopped wanting to eat anything. So, I made sure he had lots of liquids. Friday, more of the same. He, for the most part, was his normal two year old self--playing, laughing, being a bit ornery, but still hot to the touch and not interested in food. Then the fever spiked to 104.1*F.
I called an aunt who is a Physician's Assistant and asked some questions. She recommended taking him to the doctor, but by then, it was Friday night. I called my husband and he agreed with my aunt saying he'd feel better if I took Elijah to the doctor since he had been three full days with a fever.
On a Friday night, 'to the doctor' means to the ER. So, feeling a little foolish, I bundled him and my 9 month old up and headed to town. At least I didn't have to wait several hours just to have a fever checked out. I thanked God for small town hospitals. There was no one else in the emergency room. It was a weird thing to walk into the hospital with a normal acting 2yr old--supposedly ill, but who didn't look sick at all. When the nurse checked his temp it was 99.2*F. Good!--Well, it was a lot better than 104.1. Why did I even come? I thought. The prayers and medicine are apparently working and I feel foolish for this unnecessary hospital visit.
Elijah suddenly started saying he wanted 'num-nums' (our kid-talk for food). Then, my 9 month old, hungry to nurse, started making a fuss. I was trying to hold him as he squirmed and bucked and hollered. Elijah joined the din and started climbing on me. Daniel grabbed Elijah's sippy cup and started sucking on it. The doctor asked, "Do they share a cup?" I answered, "Well, I guess they do now," as I took the cup away from Daniel. "Now he's going to get sick," she stated quite certainly, eyeing Daniel. I could just hear her thoughts: Gee, don't you know that germs spread?! And I was thinking, I've got two crying kids in my lap and I'm barely hanging on...a little help, please!?
Then she asks if Elijah is up-to-date on his shots. Ohhh, big can of worms there! My husband and I had been leery about immunizing, but had decided to go ahead and have our firstborn immunized. Then we discovered that one of the shots he had been given as a routine vaccination, was recalled a few months later and was no longer being administered because too many children had adverse reactions to it. My son is not our government's guinea pig! Have you even researched what they preserve the vaccines in? Mercury...fermaldahyde... uh, yeah! Let's take a vulnerable infant and put a bunch of known poisons into him!? I don't think so. Not in my kid, they won't. But, I only tell the doc that he hasn't had any immunizations since his 12 month shots and we don't immunize anymore. Now, I'm really on her black list.
Anyway, we made it out of the ER pretty quickly. The doctor instructed me to keep doing what I had been doing. He just had a virus.
Saturday, he was still feverish.
Today is Sunday and the fever is finally going away. He still had a slight fever this evening, but at least it is no where near as high as it was. I'm really looking forward to getting some sleep sometime soon. Waking up at night with a sick child is not fun, but it's part of being a mom (or a dad--thanks Honey).
At least I didn't get puked on this week. A lady I know of is celebrating her first Mother's Day today. Her son puked on her four times before it was even time for church this morning. She commented dryly, "Yay. Happy Mother's Day to me." When her brother learned of her bummer morning, he said, "Sis, he was just giving you all he had to give!"
One thing is certain: I'm glad it is Sunday, the start of a new week. Another chance to do better, have more fun, keep calm, be a good mom...I'm praying for nice weather, lots of energy, healthy children, and to always be able to see the funny side of everthing.

Catching Up and Catching Fish

Where to start?

Our driveway is passable again. With all the spring run-off flooding the fields around our house, water started to go over our gravel road, so we had to trench it. Deep and wide, deep and wide, there was trench across our road deep and wide...okay, I'll stop now. It's filled in now and we don't have to park the Jeep, jump a creek, and walk a 1/4 mile just to get home!

We've ordered the seeds for our garden. I'm not going to say how much we spent, but Brandon probably should have culled a few items before I confirmed the order. I'm not sure we really needed 3 kinds of radishes, peas, beans and lettuce. We probably didn't need 2 kinds of pumpkin and watermelon seeds either. OH WELL...We'll see which of each grows best in our climate!

Brandon and I took the boys fishing on Saturday. I haven't been fishing for a couple years, which is really sad since my husband is a fishing guide. But, I wanted to go with Brandon and Elijah, so I got a fishing license. Actually, what happened is that while I was getting the boys ready to go, Brandon pulled up the ND Game and Fish website and typed in all my info and printed off my fishing license for me. When it got to the part about my height and weight, Brandon asked, "You're 5'4'', right?" Yeah. "And 150lbs, right?" Uh, NO! I told him what to put in, but he kept joking about the 150 (okay, so he knows what I weigh and it's not even close to 150). So, I told him that if he put in 150, I'll eat my 'weigh' there. Haha. We had a good laugh about it.

I know the really big deal about fishing on Saturday is that Elijah, being of sound mind and body, at the sweet young age of TWO, caught his very first fish ever...that is a big deal. But, since no one else will tell you this, I'm going to. The other big deal about fishing on Saturday is that I caught 3 fish myself and, get this...actually took 2 of them off the hook all by myself--And they were Northern Pike! Can you see how mean and ugly Northerns are? They have like 30 million teeth--SHARP teeth! I am the woman! (Okay, so maybe it's not such a big deal...I, Joy Wegener, being of sound mind and body, at the uh...sorta young, sorta old age of 27, took my own Northern Pike off my own hook for the first time. Naaahh, it just doesn't have the same ring to it.)

Now, if you're wondering why I didn't take the first Northern off myself, well, it was because the stupid fish swallowed the hook, then twisted around so that the leader was wrapped around it a couple times. Then, to top it off, (and I'm not joking) the fish bit a dead cattail next to shore and it wouldn't let go! So, obviously, I'm gonna let Brandon take care of that one.

I do have to admire that Northern. At least he wasn't complacent. "Okay, here I am. Yes, take the hook out. Okay, now keep me for supper. Woe is me. I'm done for."

Lately, I've had the feeling that life is just happening to me--like so many things are out of my control. Can you relate? You're just swimming along, minding your own business, and wham! Something is taking you somewhere you don't want to go and no matter what you do to fight it, you're still being dragged toward it. Well, my friend, when you get pulled out of the water, just bite a cattail. But, seriously...don't give up yet! It might not be as bad as it looks. We did let the fish go.

Getting Outside and Cleaning It Up

My summer is going to be busier than I thought. Along with plans for a large organic garden, raising chickens (for the first time), learning to can vegetables, caring for two small children and the everyday duties of life, I now realize that the farmstead we just moved to needs A LOT of clean up. I don't quite understand why people will clutter up an otherwise beautiful farmstead with old rusty machinery, junked out cars, miscellaneous discarded equipment, and trash.

Hold that thought. I should make one confession here. I like the outdoors. I just prefer to look at all the beauty of God's creation from inside a nice, comfortable home. I would like being outside a lot more if there weren't so many bugs and if my fair skin didn't burn so easily. But, I'm not into spraying a bunch of nasty chemical pesticides on everything to get rid of bugs, sunscreen is annoying and so are sunburns. So, I just stay inside most of the time.

This summer, my goal is to break my habit of living indoors and spend most of my days outside. There will be plenty to keep me busy! Somehow, I need to rediscover that tomboyish 18yr old who loved excitement and adventure, fishing and exploring, hiking and rollerblading. Or at least rediscover that part of myself just enough to enjoy cleaning up trash, collecting eggs, feeding chickens, planting, weeding, harvesting produce, oh yeah...and playing outside with my two boys--I almost forgot about the one thing that actually sounds like fun and not work.

Do you know that feeling when you know something should be fun and it's good for you, and probably will be fun once you get into it, but you're kinda scared that you won't like it or that you'll fail at it? That's kinda what it feels like looking at this summer. I really want to garden, raise chickens, learn to can vegetables, make this place look awesome, but I'm a little scared that I'll 'chicken' out. That I won't like it and that I'll end up watching it all from inside again.

It probably sounds like I'm one of those agoraphobic people who never leave the house. Seriously, I'm not. I go to the store, appointments, church, wherever I need to be. But, this summer, I'm going to spend as much time outside as I can. In North Dakota, winters are long (especially this last one) and I don't want to find myself suddenly in October, full of regrets about spending so much of another summer inside --even if my outside 'to do' list isn't as exciting as it was when I was that 18 year old tomboy.

When a Two Year Old Thinks He's in Charge

Elijah, my two-year old son, is a sweetie. He's a good helper; he's cheerful and quirky; he's a kind older brother to Daniel, my 8 1/2 month old son; but at times, he's a REAL handful.

Like lately, he's discovered a million and one things to ask for at bedtime. We (my husband and I) send him to bed for the night and every 2-5 minutes for the next hour and half, he's getting out of bed asking for water, to be tucked in (again), to have a story read to him (again), to get help to find his toy truck, to tell us he is 'scared' (although he shows no signs of being actually scared or knowing what scared means), to ask for another diaper change (he's peed about a teaspoon of urine into his diaper and now he's wet), to show us his newest (invisible) ouchie, to ask us to pray for his last five ouchies...okay, I'll spare you and not list off all the reasons.

During the day, he requires constant vigilance. He's started pushing over Daniel (who, thankfully, is a pretty tough chunk of baby) and taking his toys away. He also copycats behavior that Daniel gets scolded for. He screams bloody murder when he doesn't get his own way, or doesn't get it fast enough. He's also entered the "MINE!" and "NO!" stage. Uggh. Was I ever that whiny and demanding as a child? Okay, yes, I'm sure I was.

But, last night, after getting in trouble for throwing a fit at bedtime, he actually came out of his bedroom and found me and said, "Mommy, I sorry. Sorry, Momma." I gave him a big hug, thanked him for apologizing and told him, "I forgive you, sweetie." Then he went back into his room, got into bed and went to sleep without any more dramatics!

I was left sitting in the living room in shock. Was that my kid? My Elijahman? Well, all I can say, is that I knew that sweet little boy was in there somewhere and it sure was good to see him again!

I'm trying my best to raise him in a way that honors God, teaches him to be a good citizen, and hopefully produces a responsible, kind young man in a couple decades. Sometimes, it seems like a losing battle, but then there are those small glimpses that make me think I might not be failing at parenting after all.