My Legacy

    A legacy is defined as "a thing handed down by a predecessor". While walking Christian, my  5 year old grandson, to school one morning during the 5 weeks I spent with Rebecca's family this spring I began thinking about my legacy to him and my other 7 grandchildren (3 still in the womb). When I'm gone what will they remember of me? I'm struck by my responsibility as the Bible states:

Deuteronomy 4:9 "Teach them (God's truths) to your children and to their children after them."

Deuteronomy 11:19 "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Psalm 78:4-7 "We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done."

These verses often echo in my mind. So how can I teach God's truths to my grandchildren? One way I've discovered is to tell them Bible stories. All children love stories, especially at bedtime. Christian also loves me to tell him stories as we walk together to school. During my recent visit I told the following stories, adding humor, acting out scenes, and in general entertaining with God's Word:

David & Goliah (I've told this one over and over and over! Chrisitian and I often act this one out together- with my role always Goliah!)

Noah & his boat of animals

Samson with his long hair welding a donkey's jawbone

Daniel sitting among a room full of lions

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. (The boys love to say these names!)

The many "adventures" of Paul

My advice to any grandparent is open up the Bible and share the marvelous stories you read with your grandchildren and you'll be" leaving a legacy worth leaving"!

                                               

Springtime in Italy

Asiago and Bassano Del Grappa

Butterfly Garden

Playing School

Easter Activities

Facepainting

Egg hunting

Easter morning Resuurection eggs & cinnamon rolls

Family photos

(didn't want a tie-typical male!)

Having fun!

Faith and the Tandem

Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the Gospel. What exactly is "faith in Jesus Christ". 

1. It is  believing that Jesus Christ is the only literal Son of God. (John 3:16)

2. It is believing that Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of all mankind through the shedding of His blood, death on the cross, and bodily resurrection from death. (Isaiah 53:3-12)

3. It is recognizing that all mankind is born into sin. (Romans 3:23)

4. It is admitting that you are a sinner and need to be "born again". (John 3:3)

5. It is understanding that Jesus is the ONLY way to become "born again"; the ONLY way to heaven. (John 14:6)

6. It is confessing your sin and trusting Jesus as your personal Savior. (Romans 10-9-10)

Acting in faith means we trust Him.

 This little story of the tandem bike is an excellent example of how we struggle to control our lives versus trusting God and allowing HIm to take the lead. 

"When I decided to give my life over to the care of Christ it seemed as though I was riding a tandem bike with Christ pedaling on the back seat. I kept steering the bike as best as I could. It was a hard and rocky road. So I kept pleading for Christ to pedal harder to help me make it through the dangerous areas. There were treacherous corners, steep mountains, large rocks and deep holes on the road I was traveling. Because of the complexity of the path I kept crashing the bike and running off the road. I kept getting injured and I often lost hope that I could follow such a difficult path. After several serious mishaps, my Savior asked, 'Might I steer for a while?' Reluctantly, I agreed and climbed on the back of the bike and began pedaling as best as I could. I watched in wonder as to the new way that Christ maneuvered the bicycle through the obstacles on the path. He was able to navigate through every danger ahead. If I ever felt frightened He would lean back and touch me with comforting assurance. When I needed rest, He would stop pedaling to give me living water and the bread of life. He guided me to places and people who helped me gain knowledge, healing, acceptance and joy. Now I understand, the power of the tandem bike is to let Christ do the steering and when I think that maybe I can’t do it anymore, Christ always smiles at me and reminds me to keep pedaling." (Author unknown)

I pray you are "on board" with Jesus and allowing Him take the front seat!

Counting my blessings!

There is a song I remember singing in church as a little girl titled: Count your Blessings
Although the verses are written for someone dealing with discouragement and dispair the chorus goes like this:

Count your blessings, 
Name them one by one 
Count your many blessings, 
See what God has done 
Count your blessings, 
Name them one by one 
Count your many blessings, 
See what God has done. 

Today, as Hunter and I walked along the LBJ Lake here in Marble Falls, Texas and enjoyed the warm breezes and 75 degree temps. my mind was filled with the words of this hymn. God has so richly blessed me with; access to His Word, good friends, a loving extended family, health, a happy marriage, children walking with the Lord while raising godly families, & the excitement of three new grandbabies coming this year that I could have almost "broke out in song". I didn't, thankfully for those who might have to hear my off key tones! 

It is good for each of us to daily count our blessings and attribute them to the Lord. Yours will not be the same as mine but each of us has them. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Off the wagon-permanently!

If any of you have been following my stomach issues-which have been an epic event spanning 13 years-you know I have tried everything, including all types of diets, seeing many doctors, and reading every available article on the web pertaining to the stomach! Nothing has seemed to be the correct solution. In fact last fall I was on an extremely limited diet, loosing 20 pounds in the process. I amazed myself with will power. I got to the place that I could bake Hunter a triple layer boston cream pie for his birthday and not put one morsel into my mouth! Along this journey I've learned to seek God for strength. Phil 4: 13 "I can do all things, (even going months with no dairy, no grains, no beef , and a lot of other "nos"), through Christ who strengthens me." I often referred to that verse.
If these measures had produced positive results-freedom from stomach distress-I would gladly have continued them indefinately. But there was no improvement and the stomach aches continued.

I decided to make one "last ditch effort" and see yet another gastroenterogist in the Austin area. I figured he'd want to do a series of tests, as the other three gastroenterogists I have seen in the past insisted on doing.
To my total surprise he said he knew what was wrong and it would involve no tests. He said I had a spastic stomach, a form of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and with medication I could be free of stomach distress in a matter of weeks!! I looked at him in shock-really?? After 13 years could I really have found a DR. that was interested more in me than test results? As I left his office he said to start taking the meds, call him in a week so he could tweek them if needed and go out and eat anything and everything and gain 20 pounds!

What a bit of wonderful news! And he is right, absolutely. As long as I am on medication I can eat anyting and feel good most of the time. I can't wait to go to Italy once again without any dietary restrictions!

I'm back to baking my own aroma filled bread, desserts, and enjoying once again creativity in the kitchen. Lesson learned? Be patient yet persevere through as many doctors as you need to find one that is understanding and will work with you to achieve healing!

Thank-you, Lord, for seeing me through this tough time. Verses to help in times of frustration:

1 Peter 5:10
"The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."

Ps. 27:14
"Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Why you might have to wait for years I don't know but God has his plans and they will be accomplished in His perfect timing!!

Just remember to- "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Ps. 37:4

Cowboy Church

Hunter and I have recently started attending a "Cowboy Church" here in the hill country of Texas. What is a cowboy church? According to wikipedia:

Cowboy churches are local Christian churches within the cowboy culture that are distinctively Western heritage in character. A typical cowboy church may meet in a rural setting in a barn, metal building, arena, sale barn, or old western building, have its own rodeo arena, and a country gospel band. Baptisms are generally done in a stock tank. The sermons are usually short and simple. Some cowboy churches have covered arenas where rodeo events such as bull riding, team roping, ranch sorting, team penning andequestrian events are held on weeknights. Many cowboy churches have existed throughout the western states for the past forty or fifty years, however just in the past fifteen or so years has there been an explosion of growth within the “movement”. Prior to 1980 there were no less than 5 cowboy churches in Texas, now the number exceeds 200, and there are an estimated 750 nationwide. There has been no definitive group that established the movement; rather it seems to have had a spontaneous beginning in diverse areas of the country at nearly the same time. Some of these cowboy churches are an outgrowth of ministries to professional rodeo or team roping events, while the roots of many can be traced back to ministry events associated with ranch rodeos, ranch horse competitions, chuck wagon cooking competitions, cowboy poetry gatherings and other “cowboy culture” events.

Cross and Spurs is the name of the particular church we are attending. The photo is of their own country gospel band. The music was wonderful and brought you "right into the presence of God"! The congregation was extremely welcoming and you could "feel" the atmosphere of love. I felt like I was "back home" in the country where I grew up and at the same time out west where I spent summers as a horse wrangler. The only thing I missed was my own cowboy hat and boots! And, of course, a horse to ride!!

The "daredevil" in me!

A daredevil is defined as a reckless person who enjoys doing dangerous things.

   Now, I do not think of myself as a reckless person, in fact, I feel I'm the opposite in most situations.  I carefully examine my position and cautiously proceed only when I feel all is "safe". Or at least I thought this was my view of life, at least compared to those who participate in ultimate sports like skydiving or skateboarding, or wind surfing. 

    So why would a 63 year old "skinny" female buy a dirt bike and attempt riding dirt trails, some with rocks and protruding tree roots? What kind of conservative lady would do that? Me? Yes, me! So am I, then, a closet daredevil? I began to reflect over the years of some of my past "exploits" and finally came to the conclusion that, yes, I am a daredevil or at least I possess a daredevil gene somewhere in my makeup. Here's the proof:

    -Growing up on a farm in Iowa we relished our bag swing in the barn. Summers were spent swinging from one side of the barn to another jumping or rather diving across the open spaces grabbing onto a rope suspended from the rafter attached to a straw stuffed bag. Your legs would encircle the bag while you hoped you could hold on until the bag swung over the ledge where you'd jump to safety. I was known as the one who would jump the farthest and pile onto at least four other riders before letting go and landing either on the ledge or plummeting down to the barn's floor. 

    -During two summers of my college years I worked on my aunt's dude ranch in Wyoming as a horse "rangler". I rode a wonderful horse named "Boy". He was a barrel racer and a cutting horse, which means he was trained to cut cows away from the herd. Both of these skills defined him as a fast horse. And I rode him fast when I actually got to "cut" some cows with a local cowboy. I still remember the thrill of galloping Boy along side a real cowboy, the wind pushing my cowboy hat back on my head, the adrenaline tightening my hands on the reins. Barrel racing was also a stunt I tried now and then in my free time.

    -Iowa farm girl marries New York city "slicker"-is that a daredevil move or what! Ha!

    -Living 3 years in Beijing, China: riding taxis with drivers who had no idea where you wanted to go, teaching English to Chinese nationals, shopping in local markets while attempting to speak Mandarin, navigating a culture full of a multitude of  taboos.

    -Scuba diving-me? Never! I get seasick. But wait a minute. My husband is doing it and loving it. What am I missing? OK-try it. I did. I got sick but wouldn't give in and pushed my way through the classes, got certified and went on my first dive. Got sick again! But I refused to give up. Tried it again and again and finally had success with lots of meds and grit. Going 100 feet under and discovering a sunken ship-another adrenlin rush worth all the hardships getting there!!

    -Dirt bike in the hands of a retired teacher-safe-no-fun-yes!

    I guess sometimes I do dangerous things and I may be a bit reckless but that is what makes life exciting. If each of you honestly examines your life I bet there would be at least one example of a daredevil stunt in it somewhere.