For the past several years, I take a vacation in the fall and just stay home.  I use the time to finish all the little things that need to be done before winter.  Clean the mower deck and take it off the tractor . . . Put away the motorcycle . . . Change fluids in various vehicles . . . winterize the 5th wheel . . . Till the garden . . . and hunt!

Since my dad is retired, we take the opportunity to spend some time in the woods together.  The picture above was taken this past Monday.  My brother, dad and I all headed into the woods just after (yes, after!) daylight.  I picked a spot that I hadn’t hunted from in the last few years, but have gotten several deer from in the past.  God blessed me, as I saw four bucks.  After I shot this one, I almost drew back on another but he spotted me and veered off course.

Dad helped with the field dressing, skinning, and quartering.  I’m sure he had better things to do, but I appreciated the help!

A couple of days later we headed to the woods again, but got skunked.  Since the weather was nice, we wandered around the property a bit and looked at new placed to put up stands next year.  Then we ate lunch and headed to my Grandmother’s farm.  We set up a blind and wandered around her woods, looking for potential hot spots for the firearm opener on Sunday.  My son will be hunting with us, so we needed to find places for everyone.

All in all, it was a nice day spent with dad, and one of the highlights of my vacation.  Disneyland?  No, I’ll take the woods any day.

A few hours later, we were doing the “meet and greet” between worship songs.  I saw a friend and his small baby, and asked to hold her.  At the moment, I had forgotten all about my sore back, and just wanted to hold the precious child.  As the child began to fidget, I took her to the back of the assembly and stood rocking her back and forth until she fell asleep.  It was then that I began to feel the ache in my back well up into pain.  I didn’t want to put this little sleeping child down for anything,  so I tried to ignore the pain and focus on her.

It was then that I began to wonder if this was/is like the love God feels for His children.  He would rather suffer to the point of , rather than let someone take His little ones out of His grasp.  It also made me realize that God will let me out of His grasp, if it is what I will.  Like a squirming child that wants to get of his mother’s lap, sometimes we think we know best and want our freedom.  God still loves us, and watches us, but knows that it would be much better for us if we were to remain on His lap, wrapped in His arms.

Thank you Lucie, for letting me love you.  For in that love, God taught me a lesson.  And I’d suffer through many more backaches to hold you again.   And thank you Father, for letting me climb back onto your lap, time and time again.

Wow!  Maybe I don’t give them enough credit for the things they know.

I think that was what jinxed me.  Sure enough, the package arrived broken and I spent about 3 weeks trying to get the proper paperwork to file the claim.  As of today, I still haven’t received any money.  But the post office assures me that it’s in the mail!

Although Courtney usually grumbles a bit over such things, she kept her mouth shut and just started working. Caleb, knowing that it’s better to just get it done than argue about it, started working as well. I think it got under Angie’s skin a little that they didn’t really seem to mind doing it.

All of a sudden, Dillon grabs a rag and starts helping Caleb. And feeling left out, Megan asked if she could scrub the floors, too! Of course Caleb thinks this is all hilarious, especially since he and Courtney had divided up the floor, and Megan and Dillon were working on his part. Courtney on the other hand, is telling Dillon and Megan that this is her and Caleb’s punishment, and that they CAN’T help!

Me? I’m just sitting quietly in my chair, listening to the whole thing, not knowing if I should be helping, splitting them up, giving them more to do . . . or drawing Angie a hot bath to just relax in.

This story of of Jesus meeting Legion, the man with many demons.  The demons didn’t want to be d, or destroyed, so they asked to be cast into a herd of swine.  Upon entering the swine, the demons caused the swine to jump over a cliff and drown.  This upset the townspeople and they asked Jesus to leave.

I don’t know for a fact, but the swine may have been a large source of income for the townspeople.   So when they saw that having this Jesus fellow around was going to cost them, they decided they would rather have him leave.   They were looking more to their monetary possessions than to their heavenly possessions. 

Lord, help me to count the true cost of following You.

I’ve been this woman.  Having a desire to be healed by Christ, and yet not wanting to be noticed by the crowd.  On one hand knowing that just being near to Christ will grant me the peace I need, and yet feeling that I am not worthy to be so close.

Imagine the woman’s fear when once she had touched Jesus’ clothes, and was healed, that he stopped and questioned the incident.  The synagogue ruler was waiting, since his daughter was near .  Both of these men were important, surely more important than her.  (At least in her thoughts and fears.)  But when she fell to her knees and humbled herself before Christ, he told her to go in peace, healed.

Why would I want to only get close enough to touch Jesus, when He has given me the promise to dwell within me?  The only answer I can give is the same as this woman.  Fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of what might happen.

What does this phrase make you think?  Scary?  Funny?  Curious?  Unbelievable?

Whatever your thoughts, the disciples were afraid.  When they were in a boat, in the middle of a storm, and they thought they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them . . . they were afraid.  They must have thought that the end was near!  But Jesus told them not to be afraid.  In fact he told them to have courage!  He even asked Peter to walk toward him!

Satan places lots of “ghosts” in my life.  Often when I feel that the Lord is leading me in a certain direction, I look around and see the ghosts.  “Oh, it can’t be God asking me to do that.”, my brain will say.  Or, if I do take a step of faith and begin to follow Christ, like Peter, I start looking around at all the scary waves and I begin to second guess myself.  Luckily, Jesus is right there willing to put me back into the boat, but chastising me for not having enough faith.

I need constant reminders that God created me, and He created the ghosts.  If He asks me to do something, then He also already has a plan for the ghosts.  I need to just trust in Him, and take one step at a time. 

And laugh at the ghosts!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)