Night work

What seems like ages ago, I used to work a night shift of milking.  This was when we were milking 24/7 (milking 24/7 is not normal for a herd our size, but the reason we did it is a long story that I don't know if I will ever tell on my blog.  Too complicated and probably wouldn't be that interesting to read.)

Sometimes, especially on nights like tonight, when I take a walk after dark around the barns in this beautiful weather, I miss those late night milkings.  

I would turn on the worship music and sing as loud as I wanted because no one else was around except the cows, and they really don't care what I sound like when I sing.  It was kind of exhilarating, being up when very few other people were.  Doing something productive and good and seeing how good of a job I could do each time.  And being alone.  That place became my personal worship and prayer room.

Of course, that room no longer exists in our new parlor setup, and I no longer get to milk because I'm taking care of Joshua.  

But I still pull some night shifts of a different kind.  It's hard to feel the same way about these shifts as I felt about milking because they're just so different.  Then, I was caring for 250+ cows, and I could see the progress and outcome of my work very clearly, almost instantly.  Now, I'm caring for 1 little human.  And the progress feels so slow, the amount of work that we've put in feels greater than the "outcome" we've seen so far.  The past 7 months have seemed to crawl by, but at the same time, I'm wondering how my little boy is growing up so fast!

I guess those night shifts were preparing me (a little bit, nothing can ever really prepare you for having a baby) for now, as a reminder that the work I'm doing is still exhilarating.  I'm raising another human being, for crying out loud!!  It's been the most crazy, and scary, and wow-I'm-gonna-need-so-much-jesus-and-coffee-to-make-it-through-this, and hard, and wouldn't-trade-it-for-the-world challenges.

Happy Father's Day & Joshua's story

So today, along with being Father's Day, was also the child and baby dedication at our church.  There were 8 children being dedicated!!  And Joshua was one of them.  (Only one child was a girl!)  I thought I would share what we shared in front of the church, which is an abbreviated version of Joshua's story of existence and words of encouragement for him from us.

        .................................................................................................................................................

Valerie:  In 2012 (and really since 2009) the farm was going through a difficult financial time.  I was reading through the book of Joshua and I felt the Lord prompting me that the name of our first son was supposed to be Joshua, which means "the Lord saves," because the Lord was going to save us through that hard time (and He still is).  So I wrote that down on a piece of paper and hid it away for later.  (I brought it along to the hospital to show family and friends after he was born.  The date on it was 10/29/2012)
  Then in February of 2015, I had a dream that we had a baby boy on December 1 (I asked the date several times in my dream just to be sure) and we named him Joshua Clay.  **Side note that I forgot to share: If I had been a boy, my parents would have named me Joshua.  I had forgotten all about this until after Joshua was born and my mom reminded me!!**  When we had the doctor's appointment to confirm the pregnancy, they told us our due date was December 11, which is the date of our dating anniversary.

Josiah:  I am the fourth generation in the Garber family with the initials of JCG.  We thought this was a neat tradition that we wanted to carry on.  And Joshua Clay fit that "criteria."
  At our 20 week ultrasound, we found out we were having a baby boy and he was growing well.  The next day Valerie had to go back for some follow-up ultrasound pictures and received the diagnosis that our baby had a 2 vessel umbilical cord, a normal cord has 3 vessels.  **Another thing not shared:  Valerie also had a low lying placenta, which can also lead to more complications.  Thankfully it moved up to its proper place after a few weeks.**  Because of this we were scheduled for a few extra check-ups.

Valerie:  At the first of these extra appointments, I went by myself (Josiah had been able to go to all them so far).

Josiah:  Shortly after Valerie left, I got a phone call from her saying she was headed over to the specialist (Maternal Fetal Medicine or MFM) for an emergency ultrasound because the baby's heart rate was irregular.  I joined Valerie for this appointment and every appointment after this.  **They didn't find anything wrong, his heart rate was normal and continued to be normal at every visit.**  Monthly, then biweekly, then weekly ultrasounds (and non-stress tests) followed and consumed the last 3 months of the pregnancy.  These appointments confirmed Joshua's health, renewed our faith in God and reminded us that "the Lord saves," and an added bonus was that we got to see 3D pictures of him almost every week until he was born.
  We prepared for a December 1 arrival.  And on Monday, November 30, we went in to the hospital in the evening, hoping now was the time.  Joshua Clay was born November 30 at 11:55pm.

***Big side note here:  The midwife asked if we wanted to wait until December 1 to have Joshua because we mentioned the dream, but we decided that we didn't need to specifically wait for that date.  Whenever he came, we would be happy.      So when Joshua was still inside me, he apparently pooped, a lot.  This first poop is called meconium and is black and sticky.  When this happens and the baby is born, they may have meconium in their mouths and can inhale it which is pretty bad for their lungs, as you can imagine.  So they try to take the baby quickly after birth and suck as much meconium out as possible before they can breathe it in.  We later learned that the midwife said this was the worst amount of meconium that she had ever seen and she was a bit worried that it could basically have killed him (this midwife (lovely woman that she is) tends to be very excitable and even maybe a little overdramatic at times, so I'm not sure really how serious it was).  Thinking back on this, I wonder if part of the reason for my dream was a warning?  Maybe Joshua wouldn't have made it if we had waited until December 1?  Either way, God's timing was perfect!***

Valerie:  Joshua, it would have been easy to see all these challenges arising and be discouraged and even fearful that we may never be able to meet you.  But the Lord is consistently faithful.  All your extra check-ups were an assurance of this and of His promise to save you.
  It would have been (and sometimes was) easy to doubt God's timing of your birth, but we kept holding on to that promise of December 1, even when others may have laughed it off as a simple dream.  Through your birth, our faith has been strengthened in the promises and faithfulness of God!

Josiah:  Joshua, may you live a faithful, passionate life; whole-heartedly chasing the dreams the Lord lays on your heart.  Be a strong and courageous mighty warrior, fighting battles for the Lord.
  Joshua 1: 9,  "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!

Summer memories

Summer is officially over.  Fall has begun.  A new season, that will bring a lot of new things.  Changes.

So, I just thought I would sit down to try to remember the things that happened this summer that I am thankful for.

I've decided that one of my favorite things to do during the summer and one of the things that I've enjoyed most about this summer was making s'mores around the campfire with family and friends.  But there are so many more things that were also so fun!

Other things I am thankful for this past summer:

-beach trips with my mom and sisters.
-beach trip with Josiah's mom and sisters (even if it was cloudy all day and it rained, it was still fun to be together, and eat donuts while it rained).
-week of waterskiing on the Bay, along with other waterskiing excursions
-campfires with s'mores
-weekend trip with Josiah's family to the mountains
-baby gender reveal party around the campfire with our families
-evening walks with Josiah
-going to a wedding on our anniversary
-making applesauce
-painting the nursery
-peaches and pears! Yum!!
-eating from my small garden
-zucchini boats
-the pedal kayak
-kayaking with Charise
-worship nights
-planting some perennials!
-seeing my sunflowers come up again!

There are so many more, I'm sure!  But my brain can't recall anything else right now!

It has been a good summer.  A very special summer.  Our last summer just the 2 of us, next summer we will have another little family member here on the farm!  And there will be even more to be thankful for!

I have something I should tell you

I have something that I should probably tell you.  I don't know why I've kept it secret for this long (on my blog, at least).  I couldn't keep it a secret forever, so I think it is now time to let this one out.  For a while, I couldn't decide the best way to reveal this, but...

This is going to be a huge change in our lives!  I feel like I've been holding back in my writing because I wasn't ready to share this, but it's a big part of what's going on in life right now, so I kind of had to share.

I am not really working on the farm at all, maybe helping with a few small things on weekends.  But getting ready for a baby is weird, and busy, and so much to think about!  It can be a bit overwhelming because there is so much information out there, and everyone has advice, and everyone's pregnancy and delivery and child-raising experiences are different.  So it feels like slogging through a whole lot of stuff, but in the end, kind of tossing it all to the side and just doing what you feel is right for your own situation.

So, that's exciting, right?!

The above picture was fun to set up.  I had some onesies laying around and I dressed one of my old teddy bears in it and then got this idea and ran with it!

A few close-up shots:

Monkey trouble

Old buddies: this is Josiah's oldest and my oldest teddy bears.

Riding the rocking horse

My biggest teddy and my oldest stuffed animal "playing" with the Quiet Book my mom made me.

A letter to my younger self

Dear you/me/young one,

There are some things you need to know as you grow up.

First of all, never eat avocados.  If you heed this warning it will save you from a night of sickness and sleeplessness.  They make you sick, don't do it!  (At least, I think they make you sick and I wouldn't take the chance of eating them again, it's not worth it, and you don't really love them anyway.)

Secondly, avoid tackling in soccer with the outside of your foot.  You will sprain your ankle and it will swell up to the size of a softball.  If at all possible, avoid the sprained ankles, they really hurt!  You will enjoy your sports experience much more if you follow my advice.

Wear sunscreen, getting sunburned isn't worth it.

Don't just buy stuff at the store because you want it.  Think it over, if you can't see yourself using/wearing that item in at least 1 year, don't waste your money.

Take a photography class in high school.

Try not to procrastinate so much, it really will make school easier and you'll be more rested.

Look out for that young man in gym class (and every other class), he is cute and seems overconfident, but that's because he likes you.  It's okay to like him back. (Josiah wanted me to add this one)

Cows are not that scary.  They might be big, but they are gentle, curious, lovable creatures.  And yes, they do smell, but you'll get over that.


And most importantly, don't be afraid of being who God created you to be.  In order to learn this, don't look around at what other people are doing, don't compare yourself.  That is a game you cannot win.

You were made in the image of God.  You are smart, beautiful, and creative, because He is.  Get to know Him and you will know who He created you to be.  Never stop pursuing, knowing, and being known by God.  Hunger after it above all other things.  He knows your heart.

He has given you dreams.  He has plans for you.  He wants to use you.  He wants to fill you with joy.  He wants to free you!  Don't be afraid of what He may ask you to do.  He will give you what you need when you need it.

Don't be afraid of other people.  God has given you the words to say, if not in person, then in an email or letter.  We're all human and all walking around with scars and hurt, so be sensitive but strong.  Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4: 15).

Please, don't lose hope.  Pray more for that one impossible thing, you'll know what I'm talking about when you're older.  Don't give up hope, I haven't given up hope for that one yet, even though it does seem impossible.

Read/devour the Bible.  You'll need those words of truth.  Pray.  A lot.  It really makes a difference.

One last thing.  Your life won't turn out how you expected/dreamed it would, but it will be okay.  It's called growing character, and although painful, it is worth it.  You'll make it, I promise.  God is still faithful.

Come On Ring Those Bells: Advent Dec. 20

I don't have much time to write today.  I know I have over 2 hours left in the official day, but somethings have come up and I only have a few minutes right now to write.

"He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”  -Luke 1: 17

Four hundred years passed between the last writings of the Old Testament to the beginning of the New Testament.  Can you imagine that four hundred years of longing, waiting for the Lord to speak again, to fulfill all His promises.

Then he speaks again, finally after all those years, to an old priest named Zechariah.

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had longed for a child, and finally, well along in their years, they are told they will have one.  And not just any child, but one who will prepare the way for the Messiah!

John the Baptist is coming to prepare the way for the One.  Emmanuel.  God with us, even after four hundred years of seemingly God without us.

God is on the move, miracles are starting to happen.  God shows up and shows us that nothing is impossible with Him.


On an unrelated, but still related note, I remembered this song today and listened to it for the first time in years!  It brings back good memories of Christmas' past, record players and Christmas tree lit nights.  And a sigh of peace...

Take Hold Of Joy: Advent Dec. 19

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights."  -Habakkuk 3: 17-19

Even though...

God is always extending joy out to us.  But whether we take hold of it is our choice.

Even though times are hard.  Even though money is short.  Even though Christmas is less than a week away.  Even though bills keep piling up.  Even though the sickness is debilitating.  Even though all whom I've loved are gone.  Even though...

I get stuck there sometimes.  Submerged in that first part of "even though," incoherent to the part that contains the hope and joy.  There are days when I can see all that I have been blessed with, but if I sit down and be still for a few minutes, the panic starts to creep over me.  And then my perspective gets all out of whack.


And other times, I stand obstinate in the face of uncertainty, shouting "YOU WILL NOT STEAL MY JOY!"  It sounds more like "Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains.  And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains.  Glo-o-o-o-o-oria in excelsis deo.  Glo-o-o-o-o-oria in excelsis deo."  At the top of my lungs when no one is around.  At least that's how it sounded today.

Ann Voskamp says it wonderfully:

"The secret of joy is always a matter of focus: a resolute focusing on the Father, not on the fears.  All fear is but the notion that God's love ends.  When does He ever end?" -from The Greatest Gift (p.189)

Ravished With Love: Advent 2

"So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1: 27

Christmas begins at the beginning.  Where God created us.  Where He became our breath of life.  He formed our human bodies out of the stuff of earth and He breathed us into being.  Where He gave us hearts and hands, emotions and brains.

Why would He create us?  Why would He form us with His own hands and breathe into us His very breath?  And in His own image!?  It shows a deep tenderness.  Love for who He created us to be.  It's quite amazing really.

"Ravished with wonder." (from a quote by John Calvin)  To be honest, I had to look up the word "ravished."  Like I "know" what it means, but what does it really mean?

Dictionary.com tells me that it means:

1. to fill with strong emotion, especially joy.

2. to seize and carry off by force.

Synonyms: enrapture, transport, enthrall, delight, captivate.

Filled with wonder.  Carried away with wonder.  Gripped with wonder.  Captivated, enthralled, delighted with the wonder of how I was created, Who created me, and who I was created to be.  Filled with awe at the creation around me, the creativity around me and in me.

Question: "What does it mean to you that you were made out of the overflow of God's love?"

It means that God must have an infinite amount of love.  For the amount of times that I mess up, He already knew the number of those times, but He has enough love to forgive me and shower me with grace every time.  More than enough.  His love will not run dry.  It is constantly overflowing.  He still shows me the beauty in the sunset or sunrise, that is Love.  He still hears the needy cries of my heart, that is Love.  He still gives me words to write or sing, that is Love.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  -John 3: 16

That is Love.

So this advent season, may we be ravished with the wonder of God's love for us!

Day 30: The end

To be very honest.  I'm tired.  I was excited at the beginning of this month.  I didn't take much time or thought or prayer before I started this 31 days.  Things started out well.  And I was super excited to write.

But here I am at the end of October, tired, worn down.  I need a break.  I was full of energy when I started this challenge.  And I really wanted to finish.  But I think I am going to stop a day early.

I think I've been trying to do to be on my blog, at least the last weeks of this month.  And it has worn me down.  It takes so much effort to do.  I was no longer writing for my own benefit, but trying to be witty, smart, basically the best writer.

I haven't been waiting with joy.  I've been impatient and easily offended, and at the stupidest things.  I don't think I've been waiting on the Lord enough.  

I've had a lot of guest posts over the end of this month, which has been fantastic!  And I've been using a lot of things I've written in my journal.  So nothing has seemed too hard, but all the same, today I feel spread too thinly.

I've decided to take a break.  I don't know for how long.  But until I can get back to the place of writing more for myself than for anyone else, not worrying how many people read my blog or what they think, a place of being, receiving, and living from God, I will be writing more in my journal than on this blog.  I love to write, but I need to do this.  It doesn't mean that I've failed, it just means I need to wait some more.  Dwell on what this phrase really means.

I already have some posts already written, like what I learned in October, so that will go up when that link-up opens, but after that my posting may be sparse.  But only for a time, a season.  I promise I will be back, with more words and more pictures, and if I'm the only one who ever reads them or sees them, that will be enough for me.

Haha!  Have fun joyfully waiting!

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 29: Be

It is easier to do than to be sometimes.

I try to do to please others rather than just be.  Be me.  Be who God created.

Doing is rushing in with my agenda, pushing what I think is right for the situation.  There is a time to act.

But joyful waiting is being.  Being aware.  Being present.  Listening more, talking less.  Not having to prove everything all the time.  It is trust.  Resting in His strength, in His love, in His life-giving Word.

My life, my purpose, isn't about what I do or don't do.  It is about who I choose to be.  Am I being, or am I trying to do to be.

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 28: From

Living for God.  It's a phrase that I hear often.

What does that look like?  Aren't there a lot of things we can live for?  We can live for something that we are waiting for.  But that isn't necessarily God.

When I think of living for someone, I think of someone who can't get around, who is not physically able to do some activities.  You can experience things for them and express those things to that person, but it won't ever be the same as them having the experience themselves.

It means we are an individual, independent of everyone else.  We can choose to turn off that "living for" someone in an instant, and live for ourselves.

Living from God.

It goes deeper.  I picture God's hand, and I am laying in His hand, connected to it.  I am no longer the same weak, flawed individual that I was.  I am an extension of God.  Not that I am God, but His work, His love, the life that He gives, flows from Himself out through me.  The Holy Spirit is that connecting piece.  The Holy Spirit is what grips us.

Young children live from their parents, they don't live for their parents.  Their parents provide for their needs.  That is how we are to live from God.

It means I can have joy in the waiting because I am not depending on myself for that joy.  The Holy Spirit grips me in the palm of His hand.  God already knows my needs, I just need to live connected.

Live from Him and receive the grace that I need.

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 27: Receive

Yesterday, I was reminded of a journal entry that I wrote  back in April.  I didn't know it at the time, but it has a lot to do with joyful waiting.  I was reading Emily Freeman's book, Grace For The Good Girl, and three words struck and pierced my heart.  Receive.  From.  Be.  All of these words are connected, but I think for the sake of length I'll talk about them separately then tie them back together in my 30th post in this 31 day series.

Receive.

It is so hard to receive sometimes.  To open up our hands to allow them to be filled with blessing.

Compliments.  What am I supposed to say back?  Just thank you?  I always want to rush in right away and say something nice back, but does that come across sincere?  I don't want to become or look prideful about the things I am complimented on, so sometimes I just brush the compliment away, put the attention back on someone else.

Gifts.  As much as I love to get gifts, it is so awkward to sit there and have everyone stare silently at you as you open up a wrapped box or gift bag.  And then you pull out the gift, and whether or not you love it, you don't want to be fake, so you say "It's so great," but you never feel like you can express how much gratitude you actually have.

Necessities.  Basically, I feel like a beggar when I accept food or clothing from someone.  I appreciate it, but it makes me feel ashamed to be in need of something.

Grace, the Holy Spirit.  I think I know what both of these are, but how do you receive grace.  Or how do you receive the Holy Spirit?

It takes a change of my heart and mind.  I don't need to give more to receive more.  It is a hunger, a desire for knowing who God is.  Sitting down with Him to receive what He wants to give.  I don't receive when I don't take the time to be with Him, when I crowd Him out with all the things I need to accomplish.

I need to go into my room, shut the door, wait... and receive...

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6: 6

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 26: In The Barrenness

I will have 5 days left after this post!  It would be amazing if I just kept getting guest posters, but I don't think that is going to happen.  But for now, I am enjoying reading what other people have to say about joyful waiting.  Today's post comes to you from father-in-law, Joe Garber...

Isaiah 64:1-3 (NLT)

Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!    How the mountains would quake in your presence!
As fire causes wood to burn    and water to boil,your coming would make the nations tremble.    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
When you came down long ago,    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!

In my barrenness I am easily drawn to the urgency of the moment...the unresolved situations at hand...the healing that is not yet...the unpaid bill...the relationship that is yet to be reconciled...the dream or vision that is yet to come to fulfillment.  Life is filled with a myriad of scenarios that parallel these short descriptions of life's experiences.  What should my posture be as a child of God?  What did I say?  Yes, this is it!!  I am a child of GOD.

Let me put things in perspective once again.  OK. I am a child of God, the Sovereign who reigns forevermore.  He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He provides the rain for just and the unjust, He created all things for His glory...In fact the scripture says that by HIS WORD He holds all things together.  Is it any too big of a thing for me to expect GOD to hold even my life together...a solution for the barrenness that I am experiencing?  Our verse for today beckons God to burst from the heavens and to come down!!  His presence will shake the situations of life that seem to be immovable!!  His coming will bring even our township, our county, our state, our nation,  THE NATIONS to a place of trembling.  Bring me Lord to a place where I will tremble before your amazing presence.

As your word says you will do things beyond my wildest expectations and I glorify your awesome name for you alone are God and I am your beloved child.  I know you care for me and my family along with everyone that calls you LORD.  We know and believe that In our barrenness there is a Rainmaker (click here)

           

                               there is joy in the waiting!!

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 25: Life Is Now

I'm on a roll with all these guest posts!  I'm kind of glad.  I feel like I have more to write, but I don't know what it is right now.  So here is a guest post from my littlest (and youngest) sister, Kristen.  :)

Joyful Waiting. Waiting Joyfully. Filled with joy in the process of waiting. Joy. Wait.

After Valerie asked me to write a guest post I got really excited but then also apprehensive. I’m not much of a writer. But here it goes!

While thinking about the topic of joyfully waiting many different scenarios came to mind. However, they all have something in common. Waiting, waiting, waiting…

There is something that needs to be broken off of our culture. We have to stop waiting for our “life” to start. We go from “once I’m in high school, then I’ll feel grown up”, to “once I graduate college” to “once I have a real job” to “once I get married” to “once I have kids” to this to that. We continue to wait to grow up and wait for life to start. What if we lived with the mindset that our life is NOW.  Not tomorrow, not two years from today, but now.

Our life is now and our life is for Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven. In that we can find JOY.  We have to model our lives after Jesus, after all we are Christ Followers. What did his daily life look like? He lived in the moment and for the people. And he wants us to do the same. John sums it up for us, check out 1 John 4 7-21 ::

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

How did Jesus keep his focus on loving people? He had an eternal mindset, He knew the Father’s heart, and He had a sense of urgency for the hour that He lived in. We should model our lives after Jesus and do the same. In this we will find JOY. For there is no truer joy than to see…

Someone FOUND who was once lost

Someone FREED who was once bound.

Someone DANCE who was once lame.

Someone HEALED who was once sick

Someone ALIVE who was once dead

they had an encounter with the King of Kings because someone was Jesus to them.

“Freely you have received; freely give”

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 24: Sacrifice Of Praise

Waiting is hard.  Joyful waiting is harder still.

It takes sacrifice.

The other night I had to make a sacrifice.  I had to give up what I thought was going to happen to do something that I wasn't looking forward to, basically I didn't have any other choice.  I wasn't too happy about it.

Then I think about sacrifice in the Bible.  It was supposed to happen on a regular basis, but there were also special times that it happened.  Like when someone had sinned, to atone for that sin they were required to make a sacrifice.  But it also happened in times of celebration, with praise and thanksgiving.

The time that I think of this happening was when David brought the ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem.  He and all the people danced in crazy celebration before the Lord.  There was this huge celebration.  Then they offered sacrifices to God.

"They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord."  -2 Samuel 6: 17

When I think of the sacrifice that I made, although it wasn't the same kind (like a physical thing that you could touch and see), my heart was not in the right place.  My heart was not in the place of making that sacrifice with praise.  I was more making the sacrifice with anger and frustration.

How much could this change my perspective, if I think about how a sacrifice was made in the OT when I have to make a sacrifice?  We don't need to make those animal sacrifices today because Jesus came and died as an atonement for all our sins, but what we do can still be a sacrifice.  A pouring out of ourselves in thanksgiving, in humility, in praise, for who God is and for all that He has done.

It takes God changing my heart.  Instead of being hard and bitter, waiting with joy for the Lord to come, to speak, to give me peace.  It happened the other night as I prayed for God's strength, because I knew on my own I could not make it through.

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 23: I Love Surprises

My wonderful, thoughtful husband surprised me by writing a post for me while I was working late last night in the barn.  Another guest post!!!  Yay!  So here is a guest post from Josiah...


When I contemplate Joyful Waiting I think about the root words:  Joy and Wait.  Both of these words can bring an incredible amount of gratitude when we realize what Joyful Waiting meant over 2000 years ago.

Joy-  A feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  To Rejoice

When the Angels appeared to the shepherds while out in there fields tending sheep.  Luke 2:10-  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

Wait-  a period of waiting. or Used to indicate that one is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen.

Wow, think about life before Jesus.  A time where we heard about the Messiah coming, but when?  Many people ended there lives before the Messiah ever came.

This takes me back to a thought about a vacation or something we look forward to.  Part of the satisfaction of going on a vacation is planning the trip and when everything is planned waiting for the time to come when you will leave.  Leading up to that time there is joy in waiting for the time to come.  Not very often do we have joy in knowing our vacation is over:)

Back to waiting for Jesus to come.  It is all planned out, Jesus will come back and take each one who surrendered their lives to Him.  Take a moment to reflect and think:  Is it planned out?  If so, are you living with Joy as you Wait?

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 22: I Shall Come Forth As Gold

10 days left with this post!  This has been a wonderful, agonizing, mind-blowing experience.  These last 10 days, I still have no idea what I'm going to write about.  And I don't know if all that I've written so far has come across clearly or has just been a mess of jumbled thoughts, too difficult to follow.  But the journey continues...


I used to hate waiting.  Patience was not a virtue that I would say I had possessed when I was younger.  I wouldn't say I have it a lot of the time now either, but it is different.

I think God has been feeding me patience as I need it.  He has been drawing me along, through this long, hard time.  Showing me I don't have the control over as much as I thought.

I can't change or soften the heart of anyone on my own.

I can't prevent every cow or calf from getting sick, just like a parent can't prevent every illness or injury from touching their child.

At times it drives me crazy.  Knowing I can do my best at something, but in the end, my best might not be good enough, it might not live up to the standard of success.  That is such a hard thing to learn, or see, even now.

That's how it was playing sports or getting graded on homework.  The decision was up to someone else.  The authority, the coach, the teacher, the boss.

God.

His authority is different though.  He knows what will happen.  He knows the consequences of all of our actions.  He knows what we need.  He knows you.  He knows me.  He knows.  Deeply.

"But He knows the way that I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold."  -Job 23: 10

"But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations."  -Psalm 33: 11

"I will proclaim the name of the Lord;

how glorious is our God!

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.

Everything he does is just and fair.

He is a faithful God who does no wrong;

how just and upright he is!"  -Deuteronomy 32: 3-4

We will be tested, our endurance will be tried.  It seems I learn best through struggle, I don't like it, but the outcome will be worth it.

We aren't promised an easy road.  But God already has plans and purposes for us.

He will not fail us.  He is not like us.  His ways are perfect, we may not think so when we go through hard stuff, but somehow they are.

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.

Day 21: Surrendering Ourselves To God

I have another guest post today!!  Yay!  This one is from mom-in-law Yvonne Garber.  Here you go.

Waiting on the Lord is surrendering ourselves to God.

John Bisagno observed:

"Waiting upon God requires our entire being.  It is not drifting into day-dreaming, but is rather an exercise that demands our keenest attention, our most alert frame of mind, and all of our soul's attention to the Heavenly Voice."  

A "Waiter" waits on tables.  Attentive to the needs of those he is serving.  Ps. 123 says,

"As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

    till he shows us his mercy."

Psalms 130:6

"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,

    more than watchmen wait for the morning."

God we choose today, to wait on You, to put our hope in You--help our hearts not to be troubled, but to enter into active, joyful, waiting--show us how to do this, and reveal anything that stands in our way--for Your glory.  Amen

To see more posts in this series just click on the label "31 Days" under the title of each post in this series, or go back to Day 1 here and choose from the list of days listed at the bottom of the post.