Sum Bunny is here!

The day has arrived! My first book for Children is actually for parents and Sunday School teachers as well! It is a Parent-read Devotional Coloring Book. This is what my friend Beverly says about it.

This delightful story is aimed at young children. The fun coloring pictures are designed to help maintain a child’s attention while listening to their parent or other caregivers read the story. Children will love the exciting adventures Sum Bunny finds himself in. they will learn that they are a Somebody and that God loves them.

Sum Bunny would lend itself very nicely to a series that expands the life and lessons through his experiences. I highly recommend this book based upon its content and format. What a rich resource for parents and caregivers!

You will want to get your copy of The Tale of Sum Bunny here or on Amazon!

https://anekopress.com/product/the-tale-of-sum-bunny/

Right now my publisher is donating $1.00 for each book sold in November and you get a 10% discount! What better gift to give this Christmas! 

Farewell Message

This message was especially intended for our church family at Shell Lake Full Gospel on October 4, 2014.

My brother recently told me that it is easy to see what we are leaving behind, but without faith it is difficult to see what we’re moving toward.

God has so profoundly opened the doors for us to move forward in our move to Iowa that when our faith is challenged in the future we must remember the amazing miracles God has given us in this past month

Russell and I want to express our thanks and appreciation to all of you for your prayerful support to us during these past 21 years of our being here in this area. Thanks to all of you who have visited us, sent cards of encouragement and phoned just to see how Russell is doing during the past 13 years in which his health has been challenged with PD. We want you to know we appreciate it all.

I realize what an amazing opportunity we have to worship together in this gathering place with pastors who really care for all of us. I understand that they often wish they could fix us and our problems when in reality we, along with God’s help are the only ones who can fix them. I want to thank the pastors for their care of and commitment to Russell and me.

When I was a young girl a friend knew that I loved art work and gave me a ‘paint-by-number’ set. I hated it. I didn’t appreciate the confinement. I am also not a “well, whatever” type person, but a “thus saith the Lord” type. God has not allowed my spirit to be quiet and content with status quo.

The truth of I John 3:17 burns a challenge in me to share what God has given me. I do not want God to question me about His love being manifested through my life. With time I have learned that for some pain, poverty and discomfort become people’s comfort zone. I realize that people like me can bring discomfort to that zone of uncomfortable comfort.

I want to take this opportunity to ask your forgiveness if I have offended any of you. And I want to tell you personally and corporately that I love you sincerely. We can remain connected in the unity of the Spirit even when we are miles apart. Unfortunately I will not be around after the service as I have another commitment down the road this morning. I will miss you as we search for a new congregation to fellowship with.

Making Summer Last

Summer is passing like running deer on open land. I want to hold onto it with fisted hands.

To dig my nails into its warmth, Inhale the heat while there’s still time.

My days are passing way too fast, Time feels like covers pulled off at night.

I want to linger in the sun, even though the fall has nigh begun.

I want to hike, explore and sit where I can bring out my paint kit

I want to write of azure skies and lakes over which the sailboat flies.

I want to stop along the way and pick wild flowers while still I may.

Oh, why must winter seem so long and summer whiz by as whispered song

How will I prepare myself to love my winter as I do sunshine from above?

Lord, I need grace to guide my days, to serve You as ever I may

So help me live, and love and work, to help someone – not duty shirk

For as I reach to others here Heaven’s record will make it clear

That summer on earth will turn to cold, but in Heaven it will be the purest gold.

How Do We View Our Experiences

The Book of Ruth is a record of one of God’s families from Bethlehem Judah. Elimilech, his wife, Naomi and their two sons named Mahlon and Chilion faced a time of famine in their land. They packed up and went to Moab where they hoped to survive. For a time things were going well. The sons married wives of the Moabites, however evil seemed to follow the family. First Elimilech passed away and then the two sons died also! What a heavy heart Naomi had!

After this the father and then the sons all died in Moab. One morning Naomi rose up and told her daughters in law that she was returning to Bethlehem as she heard that the famine had lifted. She told her girls to return to their parent’s homes as she was going back to her people. Orpah was persuaded to return to her home, but Ruth would not be enticed to stay in Moab.

Ruth 1:16 and 17 record the words of Ruth: “Do not plead with me to leave you or to return from following after you, for wherever you go, I shall go. And where you lodge, I shall lodge. Your people are my people, and your God is my God. Where you die, I shall die and there I shall be buried: The Lord do so to me, more also, if anything but death part you and me.”

Finally Naomi realized that she would be unable to dissuade Ruth from following her, the two returned to Bethlehem together. When they arrived the whole city was moved with Naomi’s return and said, “Isn’t this Naomi?”

To this she replied, “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, Bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitter me, I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why call me Naomi, seeing the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

On the surface evil seems to have befallen Naomi and she has become bitter in her sorrow. She seems to be crediting God with her misfortune and is not counting the fact that she has resources at her fingertips that will bring her into the linage of our Savior, Messiah, Jesus Christ!

As the account progresses, Ruth provides for her mother in law and then married Boaz. The two are blessed with a son named Obed who becomes one of the people in the linage of Jesus. Naomi had no idea of the outcome of the situation, and had considered the loss of her men-folks as finality to the worthlessness of her life.

As it turned out she had her greatest resource still remaining. The devotion in the life of Ruth was the most valuable possession that Naomi had ever had. Ruth adapted to Naomi’s needs to the fact that she gave her first-born son to her mother in law.

When we have someone who is committed, devoted, adapted and purposed to cling to us and to the values God has placed inside of us, we may well have unlimited resources. Just because those we thought would be there for us weren’t there, doesn’t mean that God can’t raise up someone or something much better than the first.

As we see in this case, God took the seemingly evil circumstances and brought a beautiful picture of His grace, restoration, mercy and love into view. So what’s so bad in your life? What do I think is bad in my life? It’s time to wait on God and be assured that He has a greater and better plan in view for us. Let us be encouraged and encouraged the discouraged!

An Invitation to a Great Occasion

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The Riches of Worship

I recently heard a story told by a TV preacher. The story went something like this.

One night an old farmer in Nebraska rushed to his basement as a storm hit his area. He heard the rushing sound of the wind, and the banging noises of his shingles being torn off the house. Since it was midnight when the storm hit, he stayed holed-up until early morning.

In the faint rays of dawn he pushed open his front door to survey the damage the storm had brought him. He looked to the barn which was missing portions of its roof. Debris was scattered all across the yard. The large oak that had graced the homestead now lay uprooted. The chicken house lay in a heap of shambles and featherless dead chickens scattered the barnyard.

As the old farmer stood trying to collect his emotions he noticed a movement low in the heap of leftover chicken house. He wondered what could still be moving there. As he watched a half-featherless rooster pushed against the tangled mass and emerged. Unfalteringly he climbed to the highest peak and flapped his scrawny bare wings and crowed to the top of his voice. Somehow he seemed to know God was still in charge though his companions lay dead all about him.

This should be a lesson, not only to the farmer, but to each of us. No matter what…God is still worthy of praise. No matter what…He still rules and is still in control. Regardless of all the things we think are adverse in our lives, God is still in control and He loves us. He needs our praise, but we need to praise Him even more!

As I took my husband for a walk the other afternoon, we talked about the worthiness of God. We realized that if we lost everything but still had our voices with which we could praise Him, we would be rich!

There is nothing richer than God’s very presence! When we praise Him we bring down His presence. We bring Him near to us because He lives in the praises of His people! How awesome is that!

To be able to worship God in Spirit and in Truth makes us Rich! John 4:24

Inspirations From Nature

I’ve been wanting to get away and just sit by a quiet stream somewhere or by a magnificent waterfalls. I’ve longed for a day away from the routine of house and yard work, of care-giving and of our home business. I’ve wished I could just hole-up somewhere and sit and sing and listen. I might bring my drawing pens or writing materials and just sit and soak in the sun and shade.

This early morning I took the opportunity to step outside. The almost-summer air was cool and breezy. Clouds slid silently overhead arranging themselves in amazing shapes of swirly circles and swishes of wispiness. The circles—holes in the cloud cover—were opening that I envisioned the Lord Jesus Christ riding through on His white horse when He returns for His children.

But then the thought came to me…Christ does not need a hole in the clouds to come through when He returns. He will burst through the darkest most turbulent-appearing clouds and His light will contrast the darkness. Every eye shall see Him according to Revelation 1:7.

As I sat with God’s open Word before me the skies were full of air-traffic. I sat and listened and the wonderful things I heard are often missed by the human ear. the soft cooing voice of the turtle dove, the sweet “Tweedy-tweedy” of the chickadee, the contrasting caw-caw of the big black crow, the robin with it’s distinguished song, the ‘cheer-upping’ of the sparrow and the miraculous song of the mocking bird.

These and others filled the whole area with their unashamed song. It was then that my attention was called to their activities. Some where searching for their breakfast and for a means to feed their young.

I watched a turtle dove fly off into the distance, return and perch upon the power line where she surveyed her area to see if it was safe to dive into her hiding place with the pieces of grass and weeds she carried in her mouth. She flew in and out, in and out carrying her sought-out supplies for her nest. How hard she worked! She didn’t give up. She didn’t despair because we trim and rake our yards which made her job more difficult. She kept right on flying, taking time in between to preen herself and then she was off again.

I thought, how often do I want to give up in the middle of my projects. If I don’t get the days away that I long for, I have the opportunity to refresh myself in God’s presence just by stilling myself and coming away into the presence of God. I can sing in the middle of a testing day. I can keep on building my business when it’s not easy. I can keep watching for my Lord’s return, for He shall come in the moment, in the blinking of an eye.

God’s marvelous nature can teach us many things if we but listen.