Niki Agusta, Indonesia What joy swells in my heart as I look at this faces, sense the pain and maybe fear in those beautiful eyes, yet I also see the potential.  There is a song that is sometimes on the radio.  Just this week I bought it from iTunes because the lyrics are a prayer I occasionally pray for my daughters, and now plan to write to these children. The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets From one simple life to another, I will say, Come find peace in the Father, Be strong in the Lord and, Never give up hope , You’re going to do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so, Don’t live life in fear,Forgive and forget, But don’t forget why you’re here, Take your time and pray, Thank God for each day. His love will find a way And today while I am hoping what I share encourages someone else to begin singing hope over a child through sponsorship, I also want to leave you with these words, dear reader friend Be strong in the Lord Never give up hope You’re gonna do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so, Don’t live life in fear Don’t forget why you are here, Take your time and pray, Thank God for each day.

Ten years ago our state faced a similar situation with fires burning all over the state, but I don’t remember any of them being the threat that the current fires are posting.  The fire in Northern Colorado has destroyed almost 300 homes, another fire in Estes Park may have destroyed homes/national park building (I’m not sure on this).

Saturday, afternoon, June 23 Mae and I were driving home on I25 when we saw the first smoke plume and read the highway board … Fire in Waldo Canyon, Do Not Call 911, Emergency Services have been dispatched.  It was a large plume of smoke shooting straight up.  Over the next few hours we saw the glow of fire and smoke, so much smoke.

And while our family, our home is not in any danger except from the poor air quality, the concern and grief is deep. Here are some of the photos and video I have taken during the first 30 hours of the Waldo Canyon Fire.

Evening of June 23

We are praying and we are depending upon the steadfast faithfulness of the Lord in this time.  To keep our firefighters safe, to keep the people, animals and building safe, and to show Himself to any who will choose to see.

It has been a bit of a struggle this past week, to sort through my “failures” to seek what is failure, sin, poor time management, and what is just the stuff of life.  When routine gets knocked to the side in favor of fellowship with my traveler husband and preparations for house guests it seems that counting the gifts, recording where I look for and find the graces my Father leaves all around drops off.

And the heart changes are obvious.  Recording the gifts is oxygen to my joy.  When the gifts aren’t recorded, they wander out of thought, and the joy gets snuffed out.

As the fire burns right there in our mountains, the smoke smell strong in our yard, the smoke itself dimming the light of the moon, I wake up the computer and start recording, because whether the LORD sends the rain we are pleading for, or doesn’t, I will praise Him.  I will record the graces of my Father and remember His faithful love.

Here are the graces I’ve looked for, gathered up and jotted right down:

gifts 1065-1086

working in the kitchen with a sweet daughter friend

magpie chasing a squirrel down the fence line
fresh eggs for my children
clean water
evening walks
herons, ducks, geese and beavers all in the middle of the city
a fresh new fawn with his momma doe
children purging movies from the shelves
sharing how I found joy, and how I keep joy (by giving thanks) with a precious girl
 seeing how sharing “failure” defuses condemnation and produces life lessons and grace

prayers for our community during the service, whether God sends rain on the fire or not, we will praise Him and look for what He is doing.
Spunky elderly friends
Learning a bit about my family heritage from the Scottish evangelist speaking at services this week
Origami art for my birthday
Treasures from my granny
Ice cream with daughters
Pumpkins, squash and sunflowers growing, hope for the fall celebration

with joy,
because all is grace

 Home to Hickory Hollow, The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

A wrong turn in a rainstorm leads Englisher Amelia Devries to Michael Hostetler–and the young Amishman’s charming Old Order community of Hickory Hollow. Despite their very different backgrounds, Amelia and Michael both feel hemmed in by the expectations of others and struggle with how to find room for their own hopes. And what first seems to be a chance encounter might just change their lives forever.

Several years ago I discovered Amish fiction and have enjoyed a story here and there from that genre.  This story was one of the more enjoyable, as the main characters, Amelia Devries and Michael Hostetler seem to grow as people, separate from one another, without the tanglements of romance.  The story developed sweetly around each of the characters struggle to grow and mature into adult independence, seeking the life they were each created for, while respecting their parents and their expectations.  And of course, romance did appear, but it was refreshing for it not to be the focus of this story, but an ending.

The story was a gentle retreat during these hot summer days.

The Fiddler was provided to my by Bethany House publishers for my honest review.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Bumping right into the Media Free week from the Summer of 7 my Beloved Builder was home for a week, after working in the great Canadian North for 6 weeks.  Now he is back to work and I have pictures to remind me of the sweetest of dates nights that included pizza on a patio in the middle of downtown, a drive  that allowed us to see a doe and her fresh little spotted fawn and a walk to a pond in the middle of town that is home to beavers.

It was the finest of sweet moments all strung together.

And I’m not sure when I’ll get back to regular blogging or writing the reviews for books stacked on my desk.  That slower week full of walks and work and conversation has left me wanting more of that kind of time with our children and the friends being brought to our home.

Here’s to hoping for more fine sweet moments!

linking up with Amanda and Amy

Day #1 ~ actually 11 items, but I didn’t want to put anything back. Day 2 brings me a little revelation ~ this purging of 7 items per day is bringing relief to my soul, clearing clutter not only from my home, but from my mind.  I know that Jen wrote in her book that she purposely gave to specific individuals, but for me, just taking the step to actually remove these things from my home is freeing me in several ways.  Some items from each day are leaving with others in mind.  Other items will go into our donation box to be dropped off later this week. Day 2 Pictured here are “date coupons”, unit studies & lapbook printouts, flashcards, picture books, scheduling charts and a random doll hat. Day 3 & 4 ~ These two days washed over me and any further purging of 7 didn’t happen.  Other LIFE, good LIFE things did.  And I wrestled through to okay. But day 5, that day was different.  As I thought about things to pull and pass on, I came across a “project tub” a tub full of unfinished projects.  Instead of looking for more to pass on, I pulled out 3 projects to finish.  Two skirts, one dress that need a little, or a lot, more work and they are finished.  Less in the unfinished tub, more to to use wisely, or pass on generously.

Hi!
This is Mae.

me with Nenxy’s packet in April

Recently I got a letter from the Facilitator of the Compassion student center my Compassion child, Nenxy attends. There  were some very difficult things in the letter. The area where Nenxy lives is greatly influenced by gangs, drugs, crime, and high unemployment. As a  result, there are high malnutrition rates and other health problems. Compassion has come to strengthen the children and their families and to let them know that there is an answer for their basic needs and that there is a God who loves them and can help them get out of their situation.3

Nenxy

At the project, there are 247 children and 222 of them are sponsored. That is a lot, but 25 children still need sponsors.

Sponsorship provides children with nutritious meals, medical care, recreational feild trips, spiritual retreats, birthday celebrations and personalized tutoring. Also, the letters that children get from their sponsors encourage them and make them feel loved by somebody who doesn’t even know them and yet cares for them and that is very important to them.

If you want, here is the link to sponsor one of these children.

Perla, waiting for a sponsor

Fit to Serve.  That is the theme I found while reading Daniel over the past couple of weeks.  Here are a few examples from my journal:

* Chapter 2:14 Daniel replied with discretion and discernment.”  Discretion and discernment are qualities to learn, practice and teach my daughters.

* Chapter 3:18 Even if God does not deliver me from trials, danger…  Stay steadfast and faithful to God, cultivate that now, to develop strength for the harder days to come

*Chapter 3:28 Blessed by the God of Shadrack, Meshach and Abed-nego…yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God
    What is it that I need to do in yielding up my own body?  Romans 12:1 tells us Therefore I urge you, brethern by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. 

*Chapter 11:32, 35 In response to the evil one to come, people who know their God will display strength and take actions.  Some will fall in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time.

As I read through the book of Daniel this is the theme which took form in my mind…to cultivate a spiritual and physical fitness by cultivating discretion, discernment, wisdom, to be able to face trials & danger, to display strength and take action, to present my body, a living and holy, acceptable sacrifice as an act of worship.

These words fit well into a book I was reading called “What is a Healthy Church Member.”  Recently our pastor taught a series on the book “What is a Healthy Church?  9 Marks of a Healthy Church” and he offered the “healthy church member” to the people of the congregation.

In this book, there are “10 marks” of a healthy christian, church member, described.  This of course tied right into my thoughts coming from the book of Daniel.  The 10 marks taught in this book are:

Mark 1 A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener
Mark 2   …is a Biblical Theologian
Mark 3   …is Gospel Saturated
Mark 4   …is Genuinely Converted
Mark 5   …is a Biblical Evangelist
Mark 6   …is a Committed Member
Mark 7   …Seeks Discipline
Mark 8    …Is a Growing Disciples
Mark 9   …Is a Humble Follower
Mark 10   …is a Prayer Warrior

And so the theme has continued, just as always.  The Holy Spirit speaks to me, leads me, and confirms what HE is saying in multiple places, ways.  So as I begin this Summer of 7, focusing each week on a different fast topic it is confirmed to me that my over riding focus this summer is on becoming FIT to SERVE. 

And in actively pursuing that fitness, I will be practicing taking pause in the moments of my days, keeping hours you might say, to keep my focus rightly on the ONE I am seeking to serve, rather than on the work.  Ushering in peace, instead of stress.

Please, click the link below and read more.  The work Katie is doing in Uganda is rich, beautiful and inspiring.

Amazima Ministries International: Farming God’s Way: Earlier this year, Amazima had the opportunity to host a very unique training seminar at our land in Buziika called Farming God’s Way…