to have Courage....In Family Life, In Spirituality, In Health, In Living Simply

I'm on a journey...... as we all are. Learning, remembering, re-discovering about health, spirituality, relationships, emotions and the mind.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Layne is Engaged!

Yes, it's true. Our eldest daughter has just gotten engaged to Micah.

Yes, its sudden, and that almost seems to becoming a family tradition now!!

Everette and I were wed 5 1/2 months after we met, and we were living in opposite regions of the province for much of that time. And here we are, 24 years later and happily married. One of my older brothers has already celebrated his 25th with his lovely wife, and they were wed 4 months after starting to date. Another brother of mine also dated less than a year, and they've made it to 20 years. And we all have many more great years ahead of us!!




We look forward to getting to know Micah better, as I'm sure we'll get ample opportunity over the years to come. We will gratefully embrace a new son into the family as we see the blessings of the Lord coming through a different means of increase! And we pray that the Lord will help us each adjust gracefully to new roles in our relationships as our little girl becomes Micah's wife.

I never imagined that these changes in Layne's life would take place while we are sssooooo far away geographically. But I am blessed to have a close relationship heart to heart with Layne, and that's immeasurably more important than being geographically close and yet miles apart in the heart. Another blessing from the Lord. I'm counting my blessings!!


PS.
Thanks for waiting till we get back to BC, Micah!!!

Get Your Head Out of the Box!!



Here's proof that although we might think we are living in freedom, we might find ourselves comfortably with our head in a box....and quite content about the whole thing!




Who says you need a baby-carrier? Well, our favorite is Ergo, but see here that Rauchelle and Laars can enjoy the free-style freebie (good practice for backpacking & hiking).




The side yard was a pile of about a dozen dumps of fill this morning. Then more dump trucks arrived leaving more dirt along the driveway so we had to get a machine in to level it out so we could get more loads delivered into the backyard. We're almost up to 30 loads total now, and the crowd has dwindled down to those with the highest levels of testosterone of those pictured here.



Sunday, November 29, 2009

Words worth a Penny??

If we say words without really meaning them, like when we say to the children "I told you to be quiet" but we don't guide or help them change to another activity, or we don't have them play somewheres else, and we repeat "I told you to be quiet" or "How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?"....we are throwing words out and teaching them to not give weight or value to our words. Our words might as well be worth a cent each.



But if we use less words but make them count, we might get a whole different scenario. The carefully chosen words we speak might be worth a hundred dollars!!

I think that way with flattery, too. I know that for one of our daughters when she played on a worship team at our old church, people would say "You did really well today". But she didn't put much value in those words because it appeared that most of those people spewed those words out quite flippantly. However.....the music director wasn't so free with words of praise. So when she spoke them, our daughter knew that they were spoken sincerely. They held far greater value to her. They were the hundred dollars!

I charge myself to be more careful about the words I speak. That I don't say something I don't wholeheartedly believe or willing to put actions to my words immediately. May my words be well chosen and valuable.

Question for You: Nobody's perfect, but do you think you are doing pretty well in this area?

****************************************************************************

James 1:26
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

Psalm 39:1
I said, I will take heed and guard my ways, that I may sin not with my tongue; I will muzzle my mouth as with a bridle while the wicked are before me.

James 3:
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Romans 8: 1
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Look, Auntie!!

The only bathtub in Auntie's house is in their ensuite, which requires a walk thru the walk-in closet to get there when its bathtime. Laars' eyes scan the horizon quickly and he always finds something that interests him. It used to be that Uncle had some kitty-cat toys laying around in a new package, and Laars wanted to claim those fuzzy things for himself. But I think they got put away somewheres. But now he's found something far superior....and fashionable.....Auntie's red shoes!!




Question for You: My favorite shoes also happen to be red dress shoes(but they belong to me, not my sister). What are your favorite shoes?

Friday, November 27, 2009

Paul Nison 100% Raw Vegan???


Paul Nison has a change of diet, and he's honest and open about it. See his video here. He is no longer 100% raw vegan, but has made some modifications to that after scrutinizing his own bloodwork over a 4 year period of time. He's saying that he believes (like Jordan Rubin) that 100% vegan diet is not a healthy diet for long-term. I admire that honesty. Thanks, Paul!!

There may be a time and a season where its crucial to be strict with ones diet to get the upper hand over an ailment or get a disease conquered. But once the body has overcome a dis-ease and major cleaning has taken place, then there's a building time where a well-balanced healthy diet is required.

I'm still learning in these areas, and I certainly haven't had the strictness that Paul has had. But neither have I suffered from a debilitating disease like he has. Maybe that would make me have better resolve?

Anyways, I admire how Paul has shared his transition with honesty and integrity. None of us have 'arrived' with all knowledge. It's a journey, not a destination.

Question for You: Do you think that vegan, whether raw or not, is a healthy choice long-term?

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Faith Required

Proverbs 3:5-7a

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;

I can't see the Big Picture, so I don't always know the right things to do. God, who is unlimited and outside of time is the only One who sees the wholeness and fullness of the Big Picture. So, if I trust Him, even in times when I don't understand why He asks me to do something, then that is wisdom. People around me might think I am being foolish because they don't understand the situation, but that's exactly where faith and trust come in. If I understand it all, then faith is not required. It is when I don't get it that I move beyond my own understanding and step into faith.


I endeavor to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7)

Question for You: Do you have a favorite Scripture or saying that helps you keep in Faith?

Happy 23rd Layne

They say, "You don't want to have a baby during the first year (or two) of marriage. You want to be able to focus just on the two of you."

Oh, how thankful we didn't live that advice. Because our Honeymoon Baby is turning 23 today, and life just wouldn't be as pleasant if she hadn't been a part of it.



(Isn't that nose scrunch just so cute when Layne laughs?)











HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYNE!! (Yes, I'm yelling at you. Otherwise, how you gonna hear that from way over here??)




Question for You: Who do you think has the cutest smile or funniest laugh?

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Power in Words

I have a few videos to share from XP Media (ministry of Extreme Prophetic).

They talk about the power of our words, for both good and bad. There are encouragements for us to be careful about what we speak, and to purpose to decree the word of God in our own lives and those of our loved ones, and even for the country and churches and leaders.



The Power of Words

What do we speak over our children? Watch Stacey Campbell here.

One of societies problems that the church of Jesus Christ certainly has not escaped, although we should have, is Gossip. Gossip even seems to sneak in under the guise of 'concern' or even via prayer chains.


Here's simple instruction on how to crush gossip. It's about The Test of Three spoken of by Socrates, and Patricia King shares about it here.

Blessings and Curses

Life and Death are in the power of our words. What a huge responsibility!! Let's encourage.


Getting a Tune-Up. Julie Meyer shares about a dream she had, and how the Lord wants to help prepare the Bride of Christ.

Question for You: Do you have a good word to share?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Yellow



I bought matching shirts for Anders and Laars yesterday when we were in Halifax, because sometimes I think its cute for the siblings to wear matching clothes, and they seem to like it, too. Just as long as it isnt too often.

So, here they are in their yellow shirts. I love yellow because its like wearing sunshine!

And here are 3 of my favorite guys, watching the ump-teenth dump-truck dump fill in aunties sideyard. Guys just love anything big and noisy! And dirty!!


Question for You: Do you have a favorite color you like to dress your children (or yourself) in?

Our First Born



What a wonderful week we had with Layne being home. As you would see in many photos, she's a
happy, bubbly type of girl. Her love language is Quality Time, particularly talking, so we got quite a bit of that done.

The first morning she was here I asked her if there was something in particular that she wanted to do or somewhere she wanted to go while she was here & she said, "No, I just want to hangout with the family!" So that's exactly what she did.

And when we were on the early morning drive to the airport yesterday I asked her if her love-tank was filled up and she excitedly said,

"Oh,yeah, absolutely!"

So, I guess for all of us, it was a successful week. My love tank feels full, too. We all loved being together, and we sent off a love-filled girl.

Here's a pic of mama and her firstborn.



Love you, Layner. Always!!


Question for You: What's your Love Language?

Monday, November 23, 2009

Family Resemblance??









If you look at some of the photos of our children, can you see which parent they resemble the most?






I don't think there's any proof that I would ever behave like that. So, obviously, they take after their dad!!!

Question for You: Do you have a silly or funny habit?

The Mark Gungor Dance




We've watched the "Laugh Your Way to a Better

Marriage"
videos many times and always get a hoot out of them. We like to share them with

friends and acquaintances for a fun evening (with much to learn and be reminded of). If you

have opportunity, watch them. Some parts are available on YouTube, like
href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=LaughYourWay#p/u/23/rqgsD-IhFtw">Men's Sex Drive
.



Anyways, any of you who have had opportunity to watch Mark's videos, you might recognize that in these pics Mitchell is portraying Mark's dance.


Question for You: Do you have some marriage strengthening materials you recommend?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Yummy M& M Bugs



Unfortunately, I just missed the wonderful scrunched faces Mitchell made immediately after I shut the video off.

Question for You: What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

Layne's Bday Gift From Chelle

Chocolate covered bugs. Chelle actually paid money for these, and made Layne eat them. She's gonna take some back home and make Micah try them. Happy chewing, Micah!



Question for You: Have you ever eaten bugs?

A Time of Encouragment and Blessing


Our last day having the whole family together (for now) under one roof. We took the opportunity to share words of encouragement between one another and pour out blessings on each members' lives. This is what we did (minus Anders who refused to be a part of any of it. Bummer)





We put one person at a time to sit on an ottoman in the centre of the living room. We each voiced what we liked about that person, what they've done that has been a blessing or been a good example to us, what we admire in their life, how we see the Lord working in their life, etc.


We worked our way up from youngest to oldest. Notice, everybody was wearing a happy face! I'm not sure exactly why, but mama was the only one who cried. (Chelle admitted to getting a bit teary-eyed, but I just thought she was coming down with a cold!)






When you sit there with a room full of people talking about you, it can be a bit embarrassing and awkward to hear them praising you for something you feel utterly inadequate about. We are our hardest critics. We give grace to others, not expecting them to be perfect, but when people admire us we seem to think "Yeah, but you don't know how many times I ________ (fill in the blank.....ie.screw up)."



Of course, we aren't looking for perfection in one another. We are looking for the good (not the perfect), and we are focusing on that, to build one another up in the Lord. To see how the Lord is working through each other, and how we see them yielding to the Lord.



After we blessed Everette/Dad (oh, yeah, he was kinda looking like a cold was coming on, too, with teary eyes and a bit of a runny nose also!!) then we put an individual in the centre of a circle we formed around them and danced around them while holding hands with the others and shouting/singing "We Bless (insert name)!" along with kisses, pinched butts, tickles, or in the case of Rauchelle we kick-butt!!! Lots of laughter and giggles and loves.


What a great time! I think everybody feels better after an uplifting time like that. Nothing beats a family having fun together!!!!





Question for You: Does your family do something to purposely bless one another?

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sisters







Having a good time amongst the sisters tonight. Nobody is looking forward to Layne leaving early Monday morning. Well, Layne is a bit excited about leaving....because of some fella (Hi, Micah!). Okay, she isn't excited about leaving the family. She'd love to stay. But it's that she wants to get back to Micah. Maybe it would just work best if she could stay out here, and Micah would just come out here?!! Yeah, I think that would work ;) Then these crazy sisters wouldn't be separated from one another.




As you can tell, they really love each other. Well, there is some concern about Rauchelle with her hand around Layne's neck like she's gonna strangle her, and Layne seems to be trying to lick them all. Just chalk that up to the strangeness of our family. We can handle that.

Question for You: What's your favorite thing about your sister?