Set in place

Is your place a small place?
Tend it with care --
He set you there.

Is your place a large place?
Guard it with care --
He set you there.

Whate'er your place,
It is not yours alone --
But His who set you there.

-John Oxenham

Mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Mine.

Mine. Mine.

MINE.

Matthew 25:23

"Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things...enter thou into the joy of the Lord."

The reward of being 'faithful over a few things' is just the same as being 'faithful over many things' ; for the emphasis falls upon the same word; it is the 'faithful' who will enter 'into the joy of their Lord.'

Charles S. Robinson

Settling for less?

Both Scripture and experience teach that it is we, not God, who determine the degree of intimacy with Him that we enjoy.

We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be.

True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved. The qualifying conditions are more stringent and exacting than we are prepared to meet; so we settle for a less demanding level of Christian living.

-- J. Oswald Sanders

da-Assignment:

Babies and waterballoons.
More specifically: Charissa with waterballoons!

Good ol' fashioned fun --
throwing water at everyone!

Water in plastic, to quickly explode,
Who'll get soaked? -- does anyone know?

It could be YOU!

Surprise!

A kitchen makeover! As my sister said on our family blog -- we love surprising Dad and Mom while they are out. This time, our kitchen was in BAD need of paint and re-decoration, the only problem being we had roughly 28 hours...what can be done in 28 hours? I guess we found out!

We pulled a marathon, including a very short night which enabled us to get as many useful hours as we possibly could. Cornflakes and burritos were the 'grab-n-go' staples as we worked and time passed rapidly.

Rachel posted all the details of how it was done. Great smiles, a lot of elbow grease, and fun pictures! She is letting me post pictures of the 'finished project'...

This was Rachel and my favorite project. It used to be three solid cupboards, painted a creamy white (which had gotten very dirty with wear and tear.) We painted the insets with creamy yellow, then carefully pulled the doors off the top cabinet. While decorating the top shelf, we watched in amazement as it totally opened up the room and gave it a much warmer feeling.

Fun, eh?!

Fresh flowers for a special touch....

scripture on the wall...

accents on the fridge...

... new light fixtures and everything!
(Curtains coming soon -- as quickly as they can be cut and sewn!)

The smell of paint still lingers in the air, but I know that will disappear in good time.

So now ya'll should just come on over and see it! [grin!]

What makes a lady?

A 'sure enough lady' doesn't pretend to be,
she is.


The lady heart comes first.

Then, the 'sure enough lady' must have a lady mind, knowing how to talk and think about things that really matter.

Third, a lady will keep her body as strong and as beautiful as possible, for in this way she expresses her heart and mind.

-Harold Bell Wright

Joyfully HIS!

Give me strength, my God!

Wherever, whenever, whatever ---

I am Your's to command.

Joy in the journey;

that of serving the One I love.

Who wouldn't rejoice in such a life?

When I stand in glory

I shall see HIS face.

There to serve my KING forever

in that holy place!

Ha!

I have pictures of you, too, Megan!!!

What fun it was being 'camp photographers' together! [grin]

So many fun memories were captured -- they will probably have to hold us over for another year!

Finally --

Camp posts are popping up all over! Yay!

First of all, go check out the slide show my sister Ruth put together -- it's amazing! (And a big thanks to Rachel for figuring out how to load videos on to blogs!) And of course, Daddy and Mommy were a vital part of our camp week, playing many, many roles.

I was already posted about our time reaching out at the nursing home, and you mustn't, mustn't forget the exciting R.G. LeTourneau drama we were able to act out for the kids. Loads of lessons and laughter!

Answered prayer, friends and fellowship, food, late nights; wow -- all summed up in:

Prairie Bible Camp 2007!

Ambassadors of Christ

For camp this year, our theme was from Mark 4 about the parable of the sower – and the differences between the different kinds of soils. It was such a wonderful week of learning about the different ‘heart conditions,’ and what soil is needed to produce the wanted fruit. For the older that attended, we had a special session for them each day -- teaching them how to use the flipper-flapper to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.


Then on Wednesday we loaded them all up and headed to the nursing home to give them some hands on experience of using the little gospel tool. The flipper flapper uses the principles of the wordless book to tell the salvation message. It is a very clear, fun, and easy way to present the gospel. I was blessed to be able to go along – what an amazing opportunity!

For me, it was sobering to see how the different heart 'soils' played out in the people we visited. Katy was very willing to hear the story, so one of my girls began. As she got the to salvation point, Katy suddenly piped up, “One just has to do good, and believe in heaven.” Wondering if she just hadn't understood, I again went over the main points, asking her if she ever had accepted Christ as her Savior.

“No, I haven’t. You just have to stay away from the wrong and do what is right and believe in heaven.”

As we continued talking, I asked her if she was always able to 'do the right thing.'

“No, I try, but I can’t all the time.”

So I repeated the main points: our sin and very real need for a Savior. She remained unconvinced, saying over and over again that all we need to do is 'do good and believe in heaven.' Before leaving that room, she did allow us to pray for her, and I did – praying that the Lord would soften and open up her heart.

I think the girls I had with me were just a little intimidated after a response like that. It was very sobering to again realize what was at stake – the eternal destination of these dear people.


So we head to the next room. The lady was more on the quiet side, but again, very willing to listen. As like before, one of my girls began to tell the story. She was very attentive, and even reached out to examine the flipper-flapper several times. When it came time for the invitation, she said, "No - I have never prayed to receive Christ."

"Would you like to today?"

And she did! What an incredible blessing to bow my head and fold my hands with hers to lead her in prayer! And how the angels must have rejoiced in heaven!

It wasn't till later that I had a chance to mention this to Rachel, (who had come last year with the youth). Rachel shared that she had visited that same lady last year -- except at that time she had been very adamant against praying or even anything to do with the gospel message. Praise the Lord for her change of heart and that the Lord had given her time to change!

Then the last room we went to had the two dearest, sweetest older ladies, and my girls shared their story.

They nodded their heads in total agreement. As we visited with them, what a blessing it was to fellowship with them and hear their stories of growing up in God's Word, and how it had born fruit in their lives.

One last note – my sister, Rachel, went into one of the rooms and noticed the lady was just morose. The nurse shared with Rachel: "Her son just died this week." Rachel went to minister to her – holding her hand, praying with her, and just sharing her sorrow. As they visited, over and over she said, “He was so young! Just so young! Sad – it is so sad when they go so young.” As they continued visiting, she shared that her son had been 70 years old! It is all in one's perspective, I guess! [grin] And by the time we left, she had a smile on her face.

God be praised for His indescribable gift and the hope of eternity in His presence!

The group of youth outside the care facility

"We are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were pleading through us:
we implore you on Christ's behalf,
be reconciled to God.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
II Corinthians 5:20-21

Robert G. LeTourneau

Over the course of the kids camp, we put together a three part drama based on the life of R.G. LeTourneau. As R.G. was a man of powerful words and actions, here are a few pictures and excerpts from the drama...

Robert Gilmore -- the boy, with his friend Billy

R.G. getting invited to the revival meetings in town

"I went to the revival meetings for four nights, and then decided I wasn't getting anywhere. I was looking for something but I didn't know exactly what. I thought I was seeking after God but I was really seeking after the things which He had. The next night I stayed home and thought the whole thing over. I saw myself going down into sin and realized I was a lost sinner. I knew all the Bible answers, yet there was something between my soul and salvation.

I couldn't seem to get it; it wasn't real to me. I went to bed and as I lay there and this thought came to me: 'If I should die tonight, I would go out into a lost eternity. Hell would be worse for me than for anyone else because I had heard the Gospel and rejected it.'

Then I cried out in desperation to God, 'Save me or I perish.' Total surrender. Right there something happened. The glory of the Lord broke over me and the full reality of salvation came into my soul! Praise the LORD! Now I want to serve the Lord - however He directs!"

The first car R.G. ever fixed -- the Peters family,
who were quite an interesting crew, if I may say so!

Ahhh-- carb cleaner works wonders!

R.G. and his young family

R.G. started his business in 1921 and after the first two years he was $100,00 dollars in debt. Then, over the next 18 years he expanded into a $10 million dollar business with 4 factories and 3000 employees. His equipment was used around the world to build highways, dams, playgrounds, reservoirs, airport runways, carry 150 tons of supplies across the desert, and even make incredible advances in World War II. R.G. also gave way 90% of his income to the Lord's work.

R.G. in the mechanic shop with his employees and salesmen

The dear Piggly Wiggly ladies, whom Mrs. LeTourneau still managed to surprise now and then (right, ladies?!) [grin]

The cast and crew from Day 2

And Robert's take on it all?

"I believe the secret of the power of the Gospel is to be willing to go all the way with the Lord. I believe a man who is on the fence cannot enjoy the things of God. I believe when he tries to get betwixt and between, he gets into an awful mess. I wonder sometimes whether some folks who say they are Christians really believe in the Lord or not. I don't know whether they have been born again.
If you want to go all the way with God...when temptation gets hold of you young folks, you feel that you just can't resist. That's the power of sin. But the power of God is bigger than the power of sin. When you feel yourself slipping, say, "Lord, help me! God help me!" And something will happen. There will be victory right then and there. He can change our heart, He can change our lives, He can change our desires.

That's the power of the Gospel. That's what we mean when we say, 'Ye must be born again.' What I want you to understand is that all it takes to put power in our lives is one touch of God. It isn't a matter of education. The moment you and I say, 'Lord, here am I. Put that power in my life,' that moment God will do that very thing for us.

Some people think we are doing God a favor by doing right, but we are really doing ourselves a favor. Sin carries its own punishment. I was brought up in a Christian home and knew the theory of salvation. I could quote chapter after chapter of the Bible by heart. But I did not want to surrender to His will. Choosing to believe His way is best isn't easy. But we are promised in Deuteronomy, if we keep planting His word in our hearts, choosing to believe and surrender to His will -- then blessings will overtake us...and when God sends blessing to overtake you, there is no way you can out run 'em! GO ALL THE WAY WITH GOD! AND DO IT HIS WAY!"

[All quotes from the books "Mover of Men and Mountains" by R.G. LeTourneau and "Mom LeTourneau" by Norman B. Rohrer, currently out of print.]

You know you are busy when...

...the word "blog" doesn't even enter your mind for a whole week!

Christ in me

Father, make me a crisis man.

Bring those I contact to decision.

Let me not be a mile post on a single road;

make me a fork,

that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.

-Jim Elliot

Posted:

Preparing.
Packing.
Prayer.
Props.
Mrs. Peters.
Prairie Bible Camp.

Go check out what it's all about
and why I won't be posting for a while!

Caption contest

As you can tell by the previous post, Charissa and I had fun with straw hats today. As I looked through the numerous pictures, I couldn't resist laughing at this one -- I'm not sure if it was me, the hats, or the camera that she was getting fed up with!

I'm enlisting the help of my readers -- give me your best caption!

See my hats?

Oh how I love dressing up!

Yee-haw!

Too big; entirely too big...

...or maybe I was just wearing it wrong!

Begin right

Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards.

Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.

-Hudson Taylor

Spare time project

It's done!!! Finally done! I love that great feeling of accomplishment! [big grin]

I pieced this wall quilt over a year ago now, and just today finished all the quilting and binding. Hooray!!!

This quilt contains the tiniest pieces I've ever worked with by far. I mean, seriously, have you ever tried to make a bird's beak out of fabric?! If the urge ever comes upon you, do remember to allow plenty of time and patience!

Ahh -- but the reward when it's completed!