Men in the Making . . .

(Please excuse little Andrew's bare chest in the first picture! He had worn a hot long sleeved shirt and was just needing a little relief!)

Note: Son-in-law Eddie pointed out the duplication that had somehow "snuck" in under the radar -- hope it has been corrected! Thanks, Eddie, for keeping me straight!

Our oldest grandson, R.G., turned 16 years old last week. It was certainly an exciting day for him! He passed his driver’s exam and came home with the golden passport – something he has been chomping at the bit for, for a while now. He especially wanted to be able to help the family business more, relieving his father of some of the delivery runs. He has proven himself to be a man in many ways, and his desire to be productive in the family enterprise has been a blessing to watch.

Up to this point, it has been granddaughters reaching this milestone, and after discussion with “the parents” (our children and spouses), we decided to give the girls a “tea” to mark their 16th birthday. As each first is precedent setting, we thought and prayed about R.G.’s gift and decided on a canoe trip down the Peace River, with Granddaddy, fathers and uncles, brothers and friends.

So this weekend, R.G. and a bunch of “men in the making” as well as family men, took off down the river. Danny says the day couldn’t have gone better. The weather was beautiful, the river was clear, although a little low, the sub sandwiches were great, the tipping, dumping, and swimming were a ball, and the fellowship was sweet. They found sharks’ teeth, fossilized mussels and clams, and even part of a mammoth tooth. (This is the river where Vision Forum held a “dig” a few years ago.) At the end of the run, they had a wonderful, meaningful devotion, with Granddaddy reading Psalm 78:1-7 and each of the men sharing stories of God’s faithfulness. They prayed over R.G. and commended him to the Lord as a faithful young man.

The ladies had dinner together, and then some of the more ambitious played volleyball. Grandmama took a little nap while watching a DVD of Judge Roy Moore (I remember most of it, really!). The men returned exhausted but relaxed. It was a golden day! Thank you, Lord, for the fine young men you are raising up to lead tomorrow’s families and take your kingdom forward!

Ummm . . .

Wow, I have GOT to start making these posts a little less wordy! If you read the whole previous post, bless your little heart!

Today . . .

April 27, 2007
Today . . .

The children had a performance at the VA Hospital and Nursing Home in Tampa. It was the facility’s “Heritage Day”, or as we call it “Multi-cultural, Politically-Correct Diversity Day”. Last year (our first) and this, it seems that every “culture” or “heritage” has been represented except what used to be considered the “American” heritage. I guess we were that.

The children did a wonderful job, aside from the wind in the microphones. But thank God for the wind! It was breezy and a little overcast, plus the performers were blessed with a nice canopy on the asphalt, so in all it was not nearly as HOT as last year.

The older ones are becoming very adept at handling unexpected occurrences on stage, such as mikes toppling, forgotten solos, unusual audience members, etc. And it is rewarding to see the younger ones become more stage-aware. It helps them to be able to concentrate more on blessing others than on their stage fright. Markie (9) and Abby (10) are becoming real little troupers with their Little Cowgirl solos!

What a privilege to be able to span the generations for our grandchildren – seeing them shake hands with the shrinking number of WWII vets who take special pains to come down and hear them sing and play old songs they used to know when they were just boys. They always, always express their exuberant gratitude for the time the children have taken to come all that way to honor them.

My mother, of course, beamed when we arrived. She is such a fixture there at the VA that everyone knows her. She is my father’s greatest advocate, and he has been there a good while, so the staff and long-term patients all smile and greet her when she walks by. She always brings sunshine wherever she goes.

My husband spoke for a moment to express younger America’s appreciation for the sacrifices of these men, especially bringing attention to my father, who probably didn’t have a whole lot of awareness of what was going on. But he surely did know when the children were performing some of his favorite old hymns and bluegrass classics.

Well, we have decisions to make. Every performance brings more requests for CDs and live performances by the children. It has never been our intention or desire to go for the “big time”, but many people feel they could attain a level of success. And our quiet, beautiful country life close to each other is too precious to toss away for the big push.


That is just not who we are. First must come the Lord and our relationships in individual families, then the wonderful bond of extended family. These relationships will be the sheltering, strong arms that carry the children through changing years ahead. It has been a purposeful, dedicated effort on the part of their parents, and in many ways their grandparents, to root into them the beauty of character that the world loves and wants to see more of. Only the Lord can give us the wisdom to find that balance between sharing the gifts and talents that come only from Him, and carefully guarding the precious treasure of a family whose desire is to live whole-heartedly by His precepts and for His glory alone. Thank You, Lord, that You promise that very wisdom in your Word.

Melissa is Home!

Thanks to the Lord for His merciful intervention on the behalf of Melissa Busekros, the homeschooled German girl who was forcibly ripped from the bosom of her loving home when her parents dared to take the Word seriously and train her at home. It has been three months since she was taken, and she has been subjected to isolation, psychological testing, and who knows what else. All so the nanny state of Germany could prove that it knows best for children than their parents do. Read more here http://www.hslda.org/docs/link.asp?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elifesite%2Enet%2Fldn%2F2007%2Fapr%2F07042301%2Ehtml

On the day she turned 16, Melissa was savvy enough to know that she gained more rights than she had when she was 15. She left a note for her foster family and returned to her home under cover of darkness, to her family's amazement! The Lord has been with her, and now she will be able to celebrate her birthday where she belongs – with her family. Please continue to pray that the government does not try to save face by removing her again or making trouble for others who are homeschooling.

This normal, time-honored practice has been illegal in Germany since Mr. Hitler decided parents couldn’t be trusted in the 1930’s. It would seem that, after the struggles of the 20th century, right-thinking German folks would be able to recognize the shackles of bondage to the state when they see them, especially as it relates to the most precious trust the Lord has given us – our children, His precious seed for the generations to come. Thank you for your mercy and providence, Lord, in sparing Melissa.

Bits and Pieces . . .

Thanks for reading and greeting, Shannon, another HAH friend! So good to hear from you! I trust the Lord is blessing that sweet family of yours. Yes, RG has just about passed up everyone in the family except his granddaddy and Uncle Jay. Come down and see us some time!

This past Thursday morning, Kitty and Gracie participated in the Rotary speech contest locally, and Gracie won first and Kitty third. They are becoming quite confident at being ready always to give an answer. It was quite interesting last week at the children’s state competition to see three of the cousins who usually do not want anything to do with public speaking. Callie, R.G., and Sarah, who have no trouble performing music in front of hundreds, decided to enter the oratory competition. They wanted to try for a leadership award which Gracie and Kitty always try for, and they needed a public speaking event to add to academic, arts and crafts, and music in order to qualify. So, each of them had written an essay, and they decided to present their essays as oratory.

What a blessing to see them speaking persuasively and convincingly, because it came from their deep convictions. RG spoke on the concept of states rights; Sarah on daughters giving their hearts to their husbands to prepare for giving their hearts to their husbands; and Callie spoke on the noble calling of motherhood. It was new for our family, but it was a wonderful experience! More power to you, children! The Lord needs good spokespeople!

Last night was the last Bluegrass Jamboree at Miller’s General Store until the snowbirds come back in the fall. It was a fun evening! The children played and sang, and, as the evening wore down, some of their other homeschooling friends got up on the stage (a hay wagon) and joined in the fun. It was what family fun should be – just like my mother telling me about how they used to sing around the piano on Saturday nights in the old days. Before WWII, her father and brothers would play bluegrass instruments, and her mother would play shaped-note music on the piano, and what a wonderful time they had! I can see the warmth of love and closeness in her eyes when she tells about it. Now, we feel like we are bringing that sweetness back, because the children love to play and sing and share with others what the Lord has placed in their hearts.

RG has turned 16 this week. Oh, my goodness! Danny and I have been giving the girls a lovely tea for their 16th birthdays, and we pondered what to do for the boys at that milestone. Danny has decided to do a canoe trip down the Peace River for the honor boy and men of the family, as well as little brothers and cousins and other friends. It is still not too hot for a nice river trip, so it should be a good time. We’ll pack a cooler for them and then wait for the stories of gators and turtles and overturned canoes . . . Better them than me!

Oh, one other thing . . . Beth’s family is so excited! They qualified for the Vision Forum Jamestown400 Treasure Hunt order of 1000! This is an online mystery hunt which will culminate with an actual treasure hunt for 400 gold coins at the Jamestown 400th anniversary celebration in June. Most of our family is planning to go, for the historical experience of God’s providential faithfulness to His people. But the treasure hunt has made it all the more exciting! Even if they don’t make it any further, it has been so much fun, and we have learned so many things about our founding that most people never hear about. Thanks, Vision Forum.

What do we expect?

Our sweeties, the Country Cousins, in their much-too-hot-for-Florida-but-cute-as-a-button outfits. This is the picture they submitted with their "music" for the regional competition. I say "music" because one of the judges made the comment on their judging form, "Next year, submit string ensemble sheet music". As Daniel (who will be old enough to participate with them next year) would say, while doing those two-finger air quotation marks, "Yeah, right!" Have you ever tried to find bluegrass gospel music written for every instrument? So we just submit singin' music from the gospel song book.

This year they combined songs for a "Medley of Mountain Hymns". Sarah started out with a plaintive fiddle solo in minor of Come, Ye Sinners, then joined by the rest. It transitioned into Brethren, We Have Met to Worship, and then slowed down for Angel Band. Sarah and RG traded instruments, and RG closed it out with Will the Circle Be Unbroken. It was a good combination. They placed first and played for the whole crowd one evening. They love playing for crowds and do well when there are more people.

Well, what does that have to do with the title? Nothing. The title came from the events of the week -- a tragedy to be sure. How terribly sad for parents and families, as well as for the university family in general. I don't need to go into detail here -- we all know how bad it was. My concern is hearing pundits and government officials acting so surprised when something of this nature occurs. But realistically, if we believe the Word, what do we expect? We have seen the devaluing of life in so many ways in our culture. We have fostered a "victim" mentality -- "it's not my fault", "I can't be held accountable", "I deserve better".

A sovereign God is not impressed with, first, the culture we have allowed to developed; and, second, the emotional "feel-good" response we have when the law of sowing and reaping actually comes to fruition, surprise, surprise. I am not heartless. I am mourning with those who mourn. May the God of all comfort become very real to them at this time. I am just looking at the larger picture here. If we don't sow the valuing of life in the culture, we will continue to reap the devaluing we have been seeing. As my husband always says, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go." Well, enough of that. God help us.

Random shots

This is the whole gang (including Jason's family) on Resurrection Sunday. What a blessing!

First Picture: ALL the Country Cousins! (Well, I guess little Savannah is probably a city girl, but we'll call her a country cousin anyway!) From l to r, back row: RG holding Baby Samuel, Matthew, Peter, Daniel, Sarah Beth, Kitty holding Baby Emma Jane, Gracie, Callie holding Savannah, Mary. Front row: Abby, Markie, Benny, Andrew, Rachel, Margaret Anne, Rosie, CJ, Joey. "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye (precious children!) are our glory and joy!"

I Thess. 2:19-20

A Note of Thanks . . .

. . . to some special friends from a great bunch of homeschool mothers -- the HAH (Homeschooling a Houseful) group. Thanks, Lynn, Marylou, Robyn, Tracey (oh, I hope I haven't missed anyone!) for taking the time to read and comment. Your friendship is sweet -- God bless your families as you walk His way. God is doing a great thing through you, ladies.

Oh, and Lora Lynn, I did not forget your question. I have it in a special place so I won't forget it. Hopefully, life will slow down a little next week. God bless the remnant families He is drawing to Himself in these uncertain times. Faithful is He Who has called you, Who also will DO IT!

Greetings . . .

. . . From Hudson, Florida, where most of the family has come for the Accelerated Christian Education Suncoast Regional Student Leadership Convention. (Wow, how is that for a name!!) At any rate, the older grandchildren are here competing, as did their parents as high schoolers; their mothers and younger siblings are here supporting them and enjoying the fellowship; their fathers are holding down the forts at home (hoping to come up for the last night, Friday); and Grandmother and Granddaddy are here keeping everyone on track and handling academic judging.

It has been a good week so far. We arrived late Monday night, and competition/rallies began Tuesday. Students from around the state and islands compete in academics, arts and crafts, athletics, music, and drama, honing their God-given talents for His service. The grandchildren have done well in several areas, and tonight at the rally, the "Country Cousins" played a "Command Performance" of their Medley of Mountain Hymns. They thrive on engaging the crowd, and this one was very appreciative!

Today, 21 events were finished, so tomorrow will be a light day, for which Grandmother's feet are very grateful! What a blessing to see children year after year growing in the Lord and returning with their own children, as they take their place, establishing Godly families. The fellowship of old friends can be so sweet this side of Heaven!

Well, off to bed -- this hectic week gets more challenging with each year (we've been doing this for 30 years!), but you know what? It keeps me young! Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to impact lives and see fruit that remains!

Devotion

That's Margaret Anne. Her daddy used to call her "Sporty" (it fits!) -- or "Deeda", a strangely-evolved nickname. Margaret Anne is holding a potato she grew for me. She took some potato eyes from an old potato and put them in the ground. She diligently nurtured the little plants that grew up and waited patiently for the day she could dig up that potato and give it to Grandmother. She beamed when she presented it to me the other day, and I said, "We have to get a picture of that!"

Grandmother's heart was touched by her devotion. It took a lot for that little girl to follow through on her project to get to the desired end. What a lovely example she is of our Heavenly Father's devotion to bringing us into full "sonship" -- nurturing and tending, providing and protecting, He knows the desired end He has for us (Jer. 29:11), and He knows just what we need to bring us to that point. In His sovereignty, He planned His desired family from before the foundation of the world.

What a privilege to be part of that plan! What a clarion call Margaret's real life object lesson is to never, for a moment, forget that devotion He has to His own purposes, not for me only, but for His eternal Father-heart.

And do you think that potato had any right to tell Margaret Anne how it should be used? Or to whom she should give it? Or when to pluck it from its root? As the potter to the clay, as the gardener to the 'tater, so is the Sovereign of the Universe to the objects of His desire. Thank you, Lord, for this clearly seen picture in my life. And thank you, Margaret Anne, for your devotion -- you were devoted to that potato for a larger purpose -- to present it to your Grandmother. I love you, Sweetie!