Reflections

Recently I was looking over this poem I had written several years ago when reading through the book of James.  My inspiration for this poem came from chapter 1 verses 22-25.  Let's take a moment to review this challenging passage of scripture.

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

James 1:22-25 

The word of God is like a mirror.  It reveals the imperfections in our lives and hidden secrets of our hearts, convicting us of what we have done wrong, and challenging us to do what is right.  Will we change or will we continue on in our selfish ways?  On Sunday, our pastor's message was about judging others.  Often we get so caught up in the problem that someone else has that we are blind to a similar problem in our own lives.  We need to change ourselves before we can change others.

This reminds me of a conversation about horses I had with a friend the other day.   I concluded that we need to change ourselves before we change our horses.  Many of the problems I have with my horses are because of me.  By allowing my horse to do an undesirable behavior, I'm teaching my horse to continue doing the wrong thing.  If I teach my horse how I expect it to behave, the undesirable behavior will disappear.  For example when I was young and naive in my horsemanship skills, my horses had the problem of sneaking out the gate when I would open it.  In reality, I had the problem of letting my horses stand too close to the gate when I opened it.  Once I got in the habit of chasing the horses away from the open gateway when I entered and exited, they began to walk away from the gate when it was opened.  My horses have had the problem of getting nervous when I ride them out in the pasture while being comfortable at home.  The real problem is I feel comfortable at home and nervous out in the pasture.  I also have the problem of riding them casually around the yard and making them work out in the pasture when they acted up.  As I learn to be comfortable and controlled by challenging myself to ride my horses in various locations and making work and casual riding something I do equally wherever I ride, my horse's problems are continuing to diminish.  This mindset has helped me to view problems differently.  It's helped me to look at challenges as "what can I do differently?" rather than "what can they do differently?"  Horses are a mirror of ourselves.  If we're nervous, inconsistent, and insecure, our horses may exhibit those characteristics as well.  

My challenge for those with horses: Get out there and start changing your problems with horses, one step at a time! 

My challenge for all of us:  Desire to be more like Christ.  Ask Jesus to help you be more like Him.  

Now, Go!  Find the Godly character traits you are lacking, be constantly aware of them, and start changing your behavior!  If you're struggling to change, ask someone to remind you.  

I want to be humble here and share some of the challenges I'm seeking to change in my life.  I ask those of you reading this to hold me be accountable for these areas in my life.  Feel free to write me and ask me what steps I am taking to change.

Pray that I would:

Be orderly with my time and activities.

Be consistent in what I say and do--mean what I say and do what I say I will do.

Not become bitter about other people's problems.

Be diligent in praying daily.

 

Wally and the Rabbit

The beginning of this story is a nice friendly account of a rabbit trying to steal a meal from a horse, but takes a rapid turn of events that will disappoint bugs bunny lovers and the writer will suggest those against eating bunny from reading the scrumptious ending.

Now for the humorous and rare incident we witnessed the other day between my curious Quarter horse Wally and one boldly hungry rabbit.  

I was quietly reading an intriguing, inspiring chapter from a book when it was insisted that I come down to the dining room and look out the window at the horse I had just fed.  I sighed and reluctantly left a good read to glance out the window.  I was met with a barrage of comments as I stared in disbelief at the cute, but bold theft.  “Look, the rabbit is sitting there trying to eat hay with the horses!”  “Wally doesn’t even see him!”  “Come on, Wally, chase him away!”  The rabbit nibbled away at the hay while Wally munched.  It took Wally a couple minutes to realize what was happening to his pile of hay.  Then his head raised and he chewed a mouthful of hay staring down the intruder with wide eyes and pricked ears.  He seemed to be contemplating what to do as if he were thinking, “I don’t remember this happening before”.  He stepped towards the rabbit and attempted to sniff it.  The rabbit backed off and Wally snatched up what was left of his hay, leaving the rabbit to finish off the chaff.   

Above was the pleasant ending for those of you who like rabbits.  

The following is the ending for those of you who like rabbits as a delicacy.

Meanwhile the two expert marksmen from the house, grabbed their rabbit execution device, and made their plan.  They returned shortly with a live rabbit!  “How did you do it?”  Was the excited question from the girls in the house.  “Well,” explained my brother (next in birth order to me), “we chased him into a pile of junk right into a tin 2ft cylinder-shaped object.   I blocked the one side with my foot and grabbed him when he ran out the other side.  Then I carried him to the house.”  “Wow, didn’t he try to bite you?” came the disbelieving reply.  “No, I read that rabbits don’t bite…except when protecting their young,” came the educated answer.  Apparently this rabbit didn’t have any babies to protect at the time and my brother had retained his science studies.  I decided that since I didn’t have to work the following day, I would make the rabbit, along with two of its relatives in our freezer, the next night’s supper.  Putting my prairie cooking skills to work, I cut the wild rabbit into serving sized portions and rolled it in a breading of flour, salt, and pepper. 

 Next it was fried in some bacon drippings. 

   

The browned rabbit pieces were put in the crock-pot, a piece of bacon was laid over each one, and gravy was poured over the top.  For side dishes we had green beans, peaches, and what I call fancy potatoes: thinly sliced potatoes with skins placed in a baking dish, sprinkled with salt and pepper, drizzled with butter, and baked to perfection!  

A scrumptious ending to a rather unbelievable story.  As Dad would say, truth is stranger than fiction!!

What is the point of this article?  Um...... here are some suggestions:

*To give you something fun to read.

*Learn to take the time to appreciate the unique details or detours in your day!

*An idea for cooking if surviving off the land. 

*Make sure you've done your homework before hunting.

 

Cooking Cowgirl Style!

What does a cowgirl do when the temperature or weather suggests it would be wiser to work inside?

Head to the kitchen...

to do some baking...

cowgirl style!

 

Put on your riding boots and cover your western shirt with an apron.  You could even wear your hat just for fun!  Then put that imagination to work tweaking recipes to satisfy your taste buds and the hungry stomachs of your hard working farmhands!   Not a cowgirl?  Don't worry!  You can come up with your own cooking style!

 

 

Howdy everybody!  One of my favorite ways to spend a frigid cold wintry day, is filling the house with the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread products.  Home ground wheat flour sweetened with honey enhances the flavor of my breads.  A warm butter melting slice of this bread is one of the best ways to satisfy a food craving!  I often acquire new recipe ideas from farm newspapers, magazines, cookbooks, and sometimes the internet.  I usually end up not following the instructions for a recipe exactly---substituting ingredients and adding new ones.  I like to use whole grains, natural sweeteners, and healthy oils.  Our bodies are better able to digest foods that are closest to their natural form with the least amount of processing.  When we feed our bodies with wholesome foods, we are being good stewards of the bodies God has given us and our bodies are fit to serve God.

 

The following is a meat and cheese filled bread that can be frozen to be thawed later for a quick meal.  I like it because it can be made ahead of time to be used later, but is delicious and filling.  One of my brothers came up with the name.  It's been called football bread too.

 

Zipper Bread

What you'll need:

*bread dough *cream cheese (set out to soften) *cheddar cheese *garlic powder *onion powder *chives

 

 

First take one loaf of bread dough and role it out into a big rectangle on a greased cookie sheet.  Use your favorite bread dough recipe and if you don't have one, go look in a cookbook!  I usually make 6 loaves of bread at a time, so setting aside one of those loaf sized portions for this recipe works out easily for me. 

 

 

 Next, layer ham down the center.  Leave a 1 inch space at the top and bottom and a 2 in space at the sides.  I used 16 slices of ham: 4 rows with 4 in each row.  You can use any kind of meat that you prefer.

 

Now mix up the cream cheese filling: 4 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 t onion powder, 1/4 t garlic powder, 1 c cheddar cheese, and chives.

 

 

Dump the ingredients into the cream cheese that you let soften at room temperature and sprinkle in enough chives to taste good and look pretty.

 

 

Spread the seasoned cream cheese over the ham.  I use my fingers--the best spatulas you'll ever find!  Then take a knife and cut 2-inch long slits at each corner and every 1-1/2 inches along the side.  Fold over the dough at each end in preparation for the next step.

 

 

Now we're going to start braiding the dough.  Don't worry!  It sounds and looks hard, but trust me it's really easy!  All you have to do is take one strip of dough from the side and lay it down at a diagonal with the end crossing the center a bit.  Then take the strip directly opposite it and cross it over the  one lying on top of the filling.

 

 

See?  It's really quite easy and fun! 

 

Doesn't it look cool?  See why we call it zipper bread?

 

 

Let it sit for an hour.  While you're waiting, wash up the dirty dishes!

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.  It should look like this!  Now it's ready to eat or be frozen for later.

 

Now that's my kind of cooking.  Simple but professional looking and delicious!

 

I only wish I had taken a picture of a piece of it.  We ate it before I remembered.  It was that good!

 

So long for now! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Woman of Valor

Feminine in character, mighty in heart.

The virtuous woman.  I had never looked at this amazing industrious wonder woman described in Proverbs 31 as someone, well, valiant.  Just recently a Bible study revealed that the words virtuous and valor have the same Hebrew word roots and meanings.  Could this mean she had qualities similar to that of the mighty men of valor mentioned throughout the Old Testament?  So started my quest to study out just who these mighty men of valor were and what character traits the virtuous woman had in common with these valor men.  

     
Mighty men of valor were always about the king's business, at their God appointed leaders side, helping him fight the Lord's battles, and doing the Lord's service. They willingly offered themselves to the Lord for His use. They defended their God, their king, and their homeland. They could be depended on to complete important tasks that required them to be alert, courageous, and timely. They were skilled in what they did and were known for their success in battle.

      
Now let's change some words from the previous paragraph and wrap our minds around this new meaning we're going to consider. Mighty women of valor, noble character, should always be about their husband's business, at their God-appointed leader's side, helping him fight the Lord's battles, and serving God. They willingly offer their lives to the Lord for His use. Women of valor should defend their position of humble submission and respect to God, their husband, and their home life. They are women who can be depended on to complete important tasks that require alertness, courage, and timeliness at home with their family and in their community. Virtuous women should be skilled at the abilities of a wife, mother, and homemaker that God intended. Women who will be known not for what career status they've accomplished in the world but rather for what they've accomplished on the home-front lines conquering the challenges of each day, proving themselves to be true women.

I had read a book by Kim Meeder called Fierce Beauty. In it she challenged women to be warriors for God. I had wondered if it was appropriate to associate a woman to a warrior, but now I understand that the virtuous woman is a warrior at heart. She is not described as wearing male attire, doing physical combat, acting like a man, nor trying to do a man's job. Instead she is described as a wife and mother, a good steward of her husband's resources, an amazing seamstress, an avid gardener, an early riser, and a wise shopper. This kind of woman is certainly not a wimp nor a lazy couch potato. She is a strong and goal oriented woman.

Wow! Now, for the young ladies reading this, you may be thinking, “Well! This fascinating information is all fine and dandy for maybe my mother, but I'm not married! You're right, and neither am I, but who says it's too early to start preparing now? The family, under the guidance and protection of your parents, is a perfect place to practice. Your brothers and Dad are the perfect men you can practice helping, communicating with, and understanding. I hear you! For some of us it's not as easy! Your Dad may not be someone you look up to.  Your dad may get angry or yell.  There may be some things you want to change about your dad.   He may say unkind things to you.  Perhaps your dad isn't there when your need him most, or his work keeps him away for long periods of time.   When he is home, your dad spends his time watching TV.  Maybe your Dad is not passionate about his relationship with God or he may be lacking the desire to be the leader God intended him to be.  You're not going to like me saying this, and these words threaten to leave a bad taste in my mouth as well. God gave you and me the Dad that is perfect for us. Ouch! Maybe it's time we look and change ourselves.  Sometimes we can be ugly little ladies too.  Yes, your dad may have some bad habits, but you may have habits that need to be changed as well. 

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  

Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 

That it may be well with thee, and thou may live long on the earth."

Ephesians 6:1-3

Then again maybe your Dad really does have a problem. What can you do? First of all pray for him. Prayer makes the biggest impact. It's also hard to not to love someone you're praying for. Second, try to think of at least one thing that you can give him credit for or that you admire about him. If you think of several, that's great! Third, purposely be near him when he's doing something he enjoys or thinks is important. Whether it's just sitting next to him watching a football game for one afternoon, looking underneath a truck hood listening to him rattle off a bunch of vehicle parts, kneeling in the mud handing him tools for the tractor, sitting quietly with him while he's hunting, riding with him places, or eating lunch with him on his break. Now girls, I know some of you like to talk. I'm more quiet so I have an advantage sometimes, but men don't really like to listen to rambling, nonstop chatter. Sure they'll listen to it, but if you're really trying to spend time with your Dad, make your time with him as pleasant for him as possible so he will enjoy your company, even if it means being silent. If he wants to talk. Talk to him. Answer questions short and concise not in story book fashion. Ask him questions about certain things he likes to talk about: whether it's trucks, plumbing, farming, people. You name it. Try to really listen and appear interested in what he says. Trust me, this is good information to have, even if you have no idea what he's talking about, you'll figure it out eventually and I can almost guarantee that you'll pull it out of your memory bank to use one day!

A word about brothers. You may look at them as a pain, Lego fanatics, car-crazy, wrestling show offs, or comedians, but no matter who they are or what they're like, just think, they may get married some day. Yes, there is a girl out there that will love your brother and so should you...with sisterly love that is. God commands it.  

 "If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also."   

1 John 4:20-21 

  

"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."  

1 Thessalonians 4:9 

Why is it so hard to love our brothers, but so easy to love our friends? We're with each other, sometimes 24/7, so we see each others weaknesses and habits. Guess what, your friends have those too, if you were their sister or brother you may not want to spend time with them anymore. Let's face it. If we can't love our own brothers, our own family members, how can we truly love anyone else, including God? Try praying for your brother and talking to him with courtesy and respect as you would to a friend. The same rules apply to brothers as to dads.

Well ladies. That's what I've been challenged about lately. It is a big work in progress for me. Especially in my tone of voice and words. I'll say something to my Dad or brother and then kick myself thinking, “I just did it again! That wasn't nice or God honoring.” This is where we must ask God to help us. We can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us!

Hope you all found this as interesting as I did and you had the time to read through all this. Let me know what you think of this post! I would be encouraged to hear what you think, be it criticism or praise!

 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

1 John 3:18 

  "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."

Hebrews 6:10