Snakes

I heard David Jeremiah tell a story this week about how this snake ask this man if he would carry him to the top of the mountain, it would be quicker for him to get there than for him to have to sliver his way to the top. The man said you will bite me and the snake said no I want I just need to get to the top, so the man put him in his jacket and carried him to the top and when he went to get him out the snake bit him. The man said you promised not to bite me and the snake said you knew what I was before you brought me to the top what did you expect. The reason for this story is that in spiritual warfare we all have to " put on all the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will be able to stand in that sinful day. When it is all over, you will still be standing. ¹⁴ So stand up and do not be moved. Wear a belt of truth around your body. Wear a piece of iron over your chest which is being right with God. ¹⁵ Wear shoes on your feet which are the Good News of peace. ¹⁶ Most important of all, you need a covering of faith in front of you. This is to put out the fire-arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ The covering for your head is that you have been saved from the punishment of sin. Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  If you see a snake it isn't going to change its character or shape it is what it is. So don't put yourself in places and things that you know from the beginning are going to cause you pain. We have a helmet to cover our head and protect our minds and we need to be using our spiritual war pieces everyday.

New Clothes

Have you ever read a book and a line in it just stands out. I was reading a book this week and the main character used this quote:
"I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes"
Now the author did not have it correct because her book was based in 1780 and the manwho made this quote was not even born til 1817. But any case I looked up the quote and the meaning of it.
you should be careful about becoming involved in anything that calls for an outward change (new clothes) and not for an inner change of character (new wearer of clothes).  by Henry David Thoreau. For some reason it caught my eye. I remember thinking as a lady in one of my small groups class made a comment the other day about a girl, who is pregnant and lives with her boyfriend, that she was looking for a church like the one she went to as a child where everyone dressed up on Sunday, all the churches she had been to lately were just to casually dressed.  The lady in my class who allows this couple to live with her, didn't get that the purposeful sin going on in her own home was wrong because this was to be her grandchild, but totally got why the girl didn't go to church. Of course I called "bullcrap" and told her this was just a excuse not to go to church, but made me think about what it is that I believe. And realized that there is a whole world out there that is very confused of the scriptures. That we make God who we think he should be, we make him to fit our lives instead of us fitting in to what he has planned. So I tell myself be careful of worrying about the outward change and focus more on the inward.

Snow OH how we love it...

Out my back door



Olof

Happy Family

We had such a great day in the snow. Abby's mom and dad, Joey and I, Audrey,(Wesley had to work)
a young couple from church, and a another couple with 3 small kids came. We went sled riding all afternoon. I chose not to sled ride quite as much this year, I have had a migraine for about two weeks and I told my family my body is half way in place I didn't want to knock it back out. I did go down a few times and each time got faster and faster. We doubled on each others backs and Heather and I crashed and rolled because we got to going so fast that we were afraid we were going to hit the creek and trees at the bottom of the  6th green. Josh and Abby have great places to sled near their home so everyone congregated there.  Kim made delicious taco soup and potato soup. Kim said last night I was suppose to work but snow seems to only come about once a year here so vacation day was calling her name.  We made really great memories and that Harper played all day outside, ate white snow(that not one had stepped in, I think we all said all day) she would not wear her gloves so we had to have warm hand moments. Bella and her rode sleds down those steep hills for hours. It was a great day, so now I can say I am ready for Spring(Cindy, the birthday girl, who has now finally joined the nifty fifties group) So up crocus, up tulip, up daffodils...

coyotes & snow

Today was a snow bust but we still went out and played on the sleet. Rode sled behind four-wheeler and went on an adventure behind the house.  As we were walking I noticed coyote poop right behind the house and then we saw tracks, Joey said I guess we scared him off when we started the four-wheeler. We decided to hike for a while and there he was just walking in the field about 100 yds from us.  Joey told us to be real still and he started this squirrel call about that time that coyote started running right at us. Did you know that they also hop like a antelope when they run, I didn't either till I saw if coming straight for us. Joey kept telling us to hold still but I was getting nervous but about the time it came out on the mowed section 60 ft in front of us it realized that we were not what he was running to and stopped and bolted the opposite way.  We headed back home and Harper made Joey carry her after seeing the coyote so close up, on the way back I wiped out, never even tried to catch myself, the next thing I knew I was laying looking straight up at the sky. Thinking, I hope I didn't break anything or I hope I didn't land in the coyote poop I saw. It took me a couple minutes to catch my breath because it was totally knocked out of me when I landed so hard, then I started to laugh thinking oh no I broke something, I'm afraid to move. Joey looks at Harper and says Mam-maw is pitiful.  We had a great adventure for the day I just know next time where better shoes.

Its just what we do

Harper loves the outdoors rain or shine warm or cold it doesn't matter. So Monday we decided to go and look for a pink ball that I had on my front porch but those winds last week took it to another county I think. We went on what Harper calls "an Adventure" looking for it. We searched the fields across the street, the woods behind our house and all around the neighborhood but never did find the big pink ball. However we did find things that started with her name Holly, Acorn, Rock, Pinecone, Evergreen, Rock (white one)

Yesterday we played outside while Pap-paw put our pine needles at all the houses, office and shops. If you look closely Harper is tied up by the leg to the trailer, she is in jail, because I was Hans and she was Elsa and I locked her up because she had frozen Anna and her hair was turning white. It is amazing what little minds will think of next.