Category: Jesus

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Apple Trees

Across the interstate from the campground we are managing is a small orchard. 

In early August we saw they needed help picking peaches and this unraveled into helping pick anything and everything!

It’s been fun to learn: when to pick a peach (when the point is gone and the grove isn’t too deep)…..how to harvest okra (with clippers, once they are about finger length and at least finger width. Chase has deemed okra his favorite vegetable plant…it’s tall, keeps producing, has awesome flowers- pictured below!!)…… when to pick a watermelon (once the tendril is dry and there is a yellow spot on the bottom) and the list could go on and on!

After a few days of work over there…..Mac, the boy who lived on the ranch came back to us. Jeans, button up plaid shirt, belt buckle, cowboy boots and hat…that Mac. He’d work over there with one of us. When Chase picked apples he wore that bag over his shoulders, filled it up and then dumped it in the bin for sorting in the warehouse later.

It’s been fun to do. And my heart loves being in a garden. It’s not Eden but man I just feel God differently in a garden than I do anywhere else. 

One time I was picking apples and I was in shock by one particular tree. On one side of it you saw a good ole normal apple tree. Green leaves full of fruit. Then I went to go pick on the other side and yikes. A huge portion had fallen….a storm….a bug….a something bad…had taken its toll on this tree. Some of tree was on the ground, the leaves were brown….yet it was fruitful. And my mind just could not get over it. 

Even during our tough times, our storms, the woes…… those stretches can still be fruitful! A storm is not an excuse to be rude, impatient, callused and hard. When we’re squeezed what oozes out of us…the yuck or the fruit? The fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control….may these be the fruit that are seen in us, even during the tough times! 

And I’ll leave you with this fun fact…Maelee was due on Monday September 26th…I woke up that day and knew I wasn’t going into labor any time soon….so I went to go work at the orchard and picked apples….and wouldn’t you know that evening around 10:00 the contractions started and didn’t stop and we had a babe in our arms the next morning! She’ll forever be connected to the orchard and Jonathan apples!

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Jonah

I’ve been studying Jonah with a few ladies and it’s just been so good! I would say I knew the story of Jonah but more from a children’s Bible story type perspective. I’ve had some take aways I never saw coming and it’s just been such a gift…

Previous take away…don’t be like Jonah…do what God says. 

New…. 

The sailors on the ship with Jonah have melted me. They were terrified. They did not know God. And here they were going through all of this…because of Jonah. Makes me ponder….Who else am I causing turmoil for when I do not obey?

They cast lots and Jonah is the reason for what is going on. Jonah tells them who God is. He tells them to throw him over, that is the solution to the sea storm problem. Even after this, they try with all their might to row the boat and get it under control. They do not want an innocent man’s blood on their hands but they have no choice but to throw him over. 

Walk with me here…from their perspective…I assume they think Jonah died, they have no clue how the story ends.  Maybe they saw him get swallowed by a fish or maybe they just saw him sinking into the sea but either way he is gone. After they throw him over the storm calms and they worship the Lord. Crazy, bad, insane things happen that we do not understand…. but we can still worship God.

The thing I want most in life is to know my babies love the Lord. These sailors did not know how Jonah’s story ended. They did not need to know it would all be okay, they did not have to understand God’s plan…..they worshipped the Lord. Period. I do not need to know the answer to how it will all unfold. I just need to worship the Lord. 

There may be people in your life who’s disobedience is bringing a storm into your boat/life…it’s okay to toss them out. Your relationship with God, your head space, your heart  should not be wavering, let it go and turn and worship the Lord. (God is still in watching over them too!)

How many times have I tried to row my boat through the storm when I just needed to give God the problem and let him calm the storm? 

Ahhh so much to Jonah! 

And another nugget….without Jonah’s disobedience we do not know if these sailors would have ever gotten to come to know the Lord. This just shows us how BIG God is. He can use our mess ups, our disobedience. How beautiful and amazing is that!

(Throw back pictures to that one time lived on an island for a few months)

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Birds

They LITERALLY make me happy. 

1- they connect me to my family. My mom likes birds, my sister likes birds, my grandma likes birds….we can talk about birds. We connect on a bird level and I love it. 

2- they remind me how to live. They live worry free. They aren’t stressed. They don’t have ulcers. Yeah maybe they had to fly away from a hawk….but you don’t see them sitting and stewing unable to eat because they’re so worried about life. No they eat. They communicate with each other. They take care of their babies. They go through ugly stages…winter plumage changing into summer is an awkward phase. But they don’t hide until they are looking fabulous, they just keep doing their thing, don’t care at all what anyone thinks. And God takes care of them, in Matthew 6:26 we are told that if He takes care of them….HOW MUCH MORE DOES HE LOVE US?!? Like stop and let that sink in. The creator of the world literally LOVES you! Thank you birds for that precious reminder!

3- I think could really get into bird photography. On any given day you can find me at some point with my binoculars looking at birds. And then it can escalate and I’m taking picture of said bird through the binoculars on my phone. Yes it’s true. I’m that lady. And now with out further ado some of my bird photo collect…because I know you don’t wanna see them all 🤣🤣🤣🤣 

Group of Cedar Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing
American Golden Finch
Red headed Woodpecker
Close- red bellied wood pecker. Distant- Red Headed
Ruby Red Throated Humming bird
Baltimore Oriel- Male
Baltimore Oriel- Female
Painted Bunting
Painted Bunting

Yes I might have lost my mind when I saw that painted bunting! Never had I seen one before and it was just outside on the red bud tree, a beautiful gift!

And because most of you probably don’t care this much about birds….here a few recent pictures of the boys, thanks for taking the time to read!

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Cave Time

I’ve spent very little time in my life exploring caves. 

But right now life feels kind of cave-y. I’ve heard of our spiritual lives described as mountains and valleys….but I’d like to add cave to the imagery. The cave is in the mountain, I don’t feel far from God, I’m not questioning God. The cave is solid, I know I’m held by its truth. It’s not going to fall in, the ground and walls are built on the strongholds of the Word. I know that. But it’s dark and I can not see. 

Several circumstances very much outside our control are heavy and stacking up one right after the other and it is just hard and dark. I have to feel the walls to move, I have to process things in a way I’ve never done. 

Praise Jesus there are walls, and they are solid. That truth in and of it self gives peace. When my mind starts wondering how long will I be in this cave? When will I start to see the light at the end? Why does it feel like I’m going in circles? What am I doing?!? I just tell myself….feel the wall. Literally get a grip. It’ll hold you.  

So to any fellow cave explorers….let’s keep on moving. One day we’ll look back on the cave and see more of its purpose how we came out different than when we went in. Reminding you and myself on the tougher days we can’t just stop and wallow in the cave. Let’s feel the wall and keep on walking. 

“Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22a

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Growing Season

In my Bible reading here lately something has just hit me a little differently.

I’ve been doing a lot of seed planting lately and now it’s a waiting game to see if anything will come up. And then it’ll be transplant time, then weeding, pruning and maybe just maybe we’ll get to see some fruit from this whole thing.

In James 1:21 it says….”so get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted (in your hearts) contains the power to save your souls.” 

The Word has been implanted in in our hearts! It is rooted in there!! 

In order for anything to grow it has to be cultivated, it has be watered, it has to placed in the Light. And when it starts to grow it will need to be weeded and pruned. 

Seeing and learning this is like a little weight lifted off my mama shoulders. I can not and will not be able to get my kiddos to love Jesus. But there is hope, because He already implanted His word in their hearts. May my parenting be watering and light giving and able to weed and prune when it needs it! 

🌱🌱🌱 So whatever season you’re in, there is always hope and there is always something that your plants need! 🌱🌱🌱