Smack Between the Eyes: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

I am so thankful for this man. We have been married for over 26 years, parenting for over 24 of those years, and he still loves me. :) 


He generally avoids confrontations, whenever possible. But there are those times when, as the head of our family, a situation requires his gentle, but firm touch.


Today, it was me.


I required him to speak Truth into my life because I have been careless at times with the tone of voice with which I speak to my family. He lovingly explained the situation and then prayed over me.


How can you argue with that?  He's right. I can allow frustration or weariness to build inside my soul and then speak harshly to the kids or to him. That's not okay. And every time I do it, a spirit is wounded by my tone. 


I didn't want to hear it. But I needed to hear it. He did exactly what he was supposed to do as the one in authority over me. And I am thankful for it. Even though it was unpleasant, he loves me enough to give me what I need, not just what I want. 


And that's exactly what my Father does for me. He Faithfully convicts, corrects, and offers Grace for me so that I may learn to choose better going forward. He will not leave me here, at this point in my sanctification process. He doesn't want me to speak harshly to anyone, and so He, through my husband's authority, rebuked and corrected me and my heart is at peace, knowing that I am guilty as charged, knowing that they both love me too much to allow me to continue.


I'm thankful.


Today has been filled with a gentle tone of voice. And we are all better off. Any frustration or weariness needs to be taken to Him, not dumped on my sweet family. 

The Lord's Faithfulness is evident in so many ways. And I love to take notes when He, again, displays His never-ever-ending Faithfulness to me, or my family. It helps me to chronicle this Journey of sanctification so that, when the hard times come around again, I can look back and remember that, no matter how hard things seem, He will never leave me nor forsake me. Never, ever, ever. And that fills my heart with Hope.


I would love for you to link up a post here that testifies of His Faithfulness to you or to those you love. It can be something you wrote a long time ago, or something you type out right now. We give Him Glory when we declare the Truth about His nature. So jump right in with both feet. :)

My Beloved: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

As 2011 winds to a close, reflection is natural. And we've had a great deal on which to reflect this year. 


As Kregg finished his time with his former employer, it became very obvious that he would be sorely missed. The president of the company told me that the thing he most valued in Kregg is his ability to just know when something is "off." To put that statement in context, you have to have some background. 


The company that Kregg has spent half of his life working for has grown from a small business owned by a family into the largest employer in West Texas, other than the government. He has worked his way up, over the years, to be the Treasurer and Vice President of Finance. The man who started the company, passed away suddenly several years ago. His wife told Kregg that he had always considered Kregg to be another of his sons.


Because of Kregg's long years with the company, and because of his God-given talents, he is able to know when the numbers don't add up. He always has a total in his head for how much something should cost, or how much something should add up to, and so he can tell instantly when something has a mistake in it. It's is truly amazing to me because my brain just doesn't work that way. At all! 


Kregg's boss told me that he just can't hire that.


Now, after interviewing people from all over, the president of the company has decided he will need to hire three people to replace Kregg. But, at the Christmas party the other night, he told me that he is going to tell these replacements that, if Kregg decides to come back within a year, they will be out and Kregg will get his job back. Incredible! This is a company that had over 1.2 billion dollars revenue last year. And my sweet husband can account for every penny. 


It's one thing to have the people "over" Kregg feel this way about him. But, it is also very telling to hear what Kregg's employees think. 


Last Friday, his last day, was brutal.


Kregg cried off and on all day. And so did his employees. I picked him up at the office that afternoon, because he had to turn in his company truck, and his eyes were red and swollen. Knowing ahead of time that it would be hard, he had planned a hunting trip. He took Josh, Ben, and Elizabeth with him from here and then met Caleb at the deer lease. It was a good plan. It would give him time to unwind and process his feelings while just having fun with the kids. 


But that evening, he received an email that started him grieving all over again. Two of his sweet employees, a married couple, told him they had gotten home from work that day and received our Christmas card in the mail. They said they both just sat there and wept, realizing that Kregg wouldn't be back. It ripped his already tender heart out again. And, of course, I had to cry, too. Again.


As the kids have watched and listened to all of this about their father, they have come to better understand just how blessed they are. Caleb sent Kregg a precious text telling him how much he admires him and how much he has learned about the need for a work ethic of excellence through his dad's example. Priceless!


As hard as it has been on Kregg's heart, it has also been so very dear to him. When you work with someone for years and years, it can be easy to take them for granted. Kregg is the very last one at that company that anyone would ever have thought would leave. He could have stayed there for the rest of his career and they would have been thrilled to have him. But knowing he was leaving made him realize just how much they loved and respected him. And that fed his soul in deep places. So very precious.


And this process has reminded me, again, just what an amazing man God has blessed me with. My husband is such a gift. He is such a rare, priceless treasure to me. And the Lord has used him over and over and over again through 26 1/2 years of marriage to show His Faithfulness to me, to our children. I am so thankful. It's hard to take it all in, at times. Through Kregg's faithfulness to me and our family, I see daily a reflection of the Father's Faithfulness. Our family is far from perfect, but through the godly leadership of my husband, we are blessed beyond measure. 

God is Faithful! In our lives everyday, there is evidence. Proof. Are we paying attention? Or are we merely taking it for granted? I have to be careful to intentionally notice and take notes. That's the purpose of this link-up every Friday: to encourage all of us to keep a record of ways the Lord shows Himself Faithful to us. Recording it builds our faith in Him. Having a written record serves as an anchor in the storms we will face in this life. When we can sit and reflect on all the ways over all the years that He has always been Faithful, it gives us courage to walk without fear, regardless of the circumstances we face. And the blessing your testimony will be to your children, and their children after them, is without price. You cannot put a value on a Heritage of Faith. It is one of the most precious gifts we can give to the future generations of our family. 


Have you started your "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith?" If not, you should. It will bless you. And if you link up with us here, it will also bless us! It is such fun to read your testimonies here. I am so thankful for each of you who have linked up over the last several months, telling of what He has done for you. And I look forward to reading what you have to say this week!  


Will you do me a favor? Grab the button in the sidebar and add it to your post. We would love for others to join us here. Merriest Christmas to each and everyone of you!

A Major Job Change: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

A firm foundation allows incredible freedom

The Faithfulness of the Lord defines our experiences, whether we realize it or not. His Faithfulness always remains true to His Purposes by helping to point us toward Him and what He desires to accomplish in and through us.


I alluded to a time of decision making for our family in a previous post. Details are now "public," so I don't have to be so vague.


When Kregg and I married, we had nothing of much intrinsic value. We both had our degrees and were blessed with jobs, me teaching, and Kregg working with his brother at their uncle's CPA firm. It was a small firm and their uncle was older. The plan was for Kregg and his brother to eventually buy out their uncle. So we moved to Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.


Things went along well. Kregg passed the CPA exam and became an official Certified Public Accountant. But when it came closer to the time when their uncle would retire, it became obvious that there would not be enough business left to support more than one of the brothers. His brother had already been working there for several years and so it made sense for Kregg to find another job.


We were concerned. Here we were with a house payment, expecting our first child, we were committed to me staying home with the baby, and Kregg would soon be without a job. This wasn't part of the script. 


The job search began. 


It wasn't long before he received an offer. I vividly remember sitting on our bed in our little house while Kregg agonized over what to do. We prayed. Our parents prayed. And he decided to accept the job offer, working for a complete stranger for a company he didn't know much about.


The Lord was SO Faithful to us!


Fast forward 25 years, add in a relocation to Midland, many promotions, the births of 5 children, the adoption of 2 more, and we can look back and see just how Faithfully He provided for us through that job. 


So when Kregg was recently offered a job at another company, it was a huge thing for us. People have tried to hire him for other companies numerous times over the years. He had always declined their offers. I had kind of just assumed he would finish his career at the company he went to work for all those years ago. The very character qualities that make Kregg so good at his job (loyalty, integrity, diligence, thoroughness, responsibility, etc.),  also make the thought of leaving his job nauseating to him. 


And so we prayed.


We prayed for wisdom and discernment. And I specifically prayed that the Lord would make the choice very, very clear so Kregg wouldn't have to guess. There were blessings with whichever choice he made, but we knew the Lord sees all the factors that are invisible to us. Using our reason and understanding wasn't enough. Way back when he started this job, it was just the two of us, with Hannah on the way. Now, his responsibilities are multiplied many times over and so the consequences are also multiplied exponentially. 


On December 19th, Kregg will begin a brand new career with a new company in an industry that is new to him. Thankfully, no move is required. His drive to the office will be shorter. His new boss has been his good friend for over 20 years. And he leaves the company he has been with for a quarter of a century with nothing but fond feelings.


Under the best of circumstances, there will always be unexpected things come up with a new job. But, because the Lord made the choice so very clear, we have Peace. His Faithfulness is our foundation. And it couldn't be any more firm. For that, we bless His Holy Name and give Him thanks, knowing that He sees clearly the road ahead, even when we have no idea what's around the next bend. Because He has shown Himself so very Faithful to us all of these years, we trust Him to lead us down this new path, believing He will give us Wisdom to walk it in a way that will bring Him Glory.

It's Friday again. You know what that means if you have frequented the Antbed for more than a week. This is where I say, "Tell me your story. Tell me of His Faithfulness. Declare it. Write it down. Add a Page to Your Heritage of Faith." Grab the button in the sidebar and add it to your linked up post, please, so that others may understand what we are doing here. Your post can be anything about how the Lord has shown Himself Faithful to you, to your family. 


We want to intentionally, habitually take notes so that "the next generation will put their trust in the Lord." Begin a volume of Pages that tell of what He has done for you, through you, in you. We are a people of forgetfulness. We need reminders. And these reminders, as they accumulate, provide us with ammunition to combat the lies of the evil one, as he hatefully whispers lies in our ears that our Father doesn't move on our behalf, that He doesn't care about us. Collect your stories. Create a strong heritage of those stories for your family, for future generations.  

She Was Slipping Away: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

This is my mom during the few months she lived in the Alzheimer's Unit here. We had moved my parents near us because there was no place for her where they lived. By the time this picture was taken, most of her memories were gone. She knew that she knew me, but she couldn't remember why. She couldn't remember my name. 


It was such an incredible blessing that she was so happy during those months. She simply smiled or laughed the majority of the time.


It had taken several years for the disease to progress that far, though. Looking back, it's hard to know when it all began. There were odd clues sprinkled through those early years that something wasn't right. But there is one Thanksgiving that stands out vividly in my memory as the point where there was no longer any doubt. Living 300+ miles away, that realization was probably slower in coming than it would have been had we seen her more often.


But I will never forget that Thanksgiving morning when my mother, who had always prepared a wonderful feast for all of us, stood in the middle of her kitchen with a blank look on her face and said, "I don't think I've ever made dressing before." Her dressing had been one of the highlights of the yearly celebration. But suddenly, it was gone. She had no idea how to fix it any more. She had no memory of ever having made dressing.


As I sat there reeling from the shock and the grief, my precious husband, without missing a beat, said, "Doris, you don't worry about that. I will make the dressing for you." She thanked him. And I loved him so much in that moment. She went on about her list of things to do. We helped when her mind went blank. And my husband made the dressing for us. And it was delicious. He's been making it ever since. 


Later that same day, things got ugly.


It was all so new to us then that we didn't understand. We didn't understand that when she became tired, the frustration level for her would reach a boiling point. She grew very irritated and vocally angry with our children. They weren't misbehaving, but it suddenly became unbearable for her to have them in the house. We were unsure what to do. But Kregg and I knew we had to leave. Right then. We gathered up the kids and explained that we were going to have to change our plans and go. I remember making it out to our car with the kids, loading them all up and sitting there in the driveway crying. 


"That's NOT my mother!" I screamed through blinding tears and pain. 


Kregg was my rock in that moment. 


I told him we couldn't stay there another night. He found us a hotel. I knew our budget was really tight, so his gesture meant even more. His goal was to protect his family, and he would do whatever it took to accomplish that goal. 


I see Kregg's faithfulness to us and in Kregg's faithfulness, I see the Faithfulness of my Father. Kregg was the Provision for me in that crisis of my soul. Through him, my Father provided for us. As painful as that day was for me, and still is when I think of it, I can't remember the pain without also remembering the Provision. My Father WILL supply ALL of my needs. Period. End of story.


And in those moments when my heart shatters in pieces over whatever new grief this life holds, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, to the marrow of my bones, that I am not and never will be alone. Ever. And the Peace that fills my spirit testifies to His Faithfulness. Even in the darkness that seems devoid of hope, His Provision is already there before I even know of my need. 


I never need fear. His Faithfulness is the very nature of His Being. He cannot deny it. He cannot act contrary to it. He will always be and has forever been Faithful.

It's Friday again. You know what that means if you have frequented the Antbed for more than a week. This is where I say, "Tell me your story. Tell me of His Faithfulness. Declare it. Write it down. Add a Page to Your Heritage of Faith." Grab the button in the sidebar and add it to your linked up post, please, so that others may understand what we are doing here. Your post can be anything about how the Lord has shown Himself Faithful to you, to your family. 


We want to intentionally, habitually take notes so that "the next generation will put their trust in the Lord." Begin a volume of Pages that tell of what He has done for you, through you, in you. We are a people of forgetfulness. We need reminders. And these reminders, as they accumulate, provide us with ammunition to combat the lies of the evil one, as he hatefully whispers lies in our ears that our Father doesn't move on our behalf, that He doesn't care about us. Collect your stories. Create a strong heritage of those stories for your family, for future generations.  

Mission IMPOSSIBLE

During all the preparation for the Tabernacle Experience, Kregg hit a milestone: the BIG 5-0! We celebrated with just a little family dinner and Kregg thought he was off the hook. He had threatened me if I tried to do anything "big" for this special day, but I could tell he was a little disappointed when he thought that dinner was all there was. It was so hard to leave him that way, but I knew the only way to surprise him was to let him think that for a little while.


The Tabernacle kept us so busy, it was hard to think of anything else. In fact, Kregg spent 10 out of the 11 nights that the Tabernacle was set up providing overnight security by sleeping on site in our travel trailer. Bless his heart! He was so sweet, insisting that I get to go home each night and rest. 


But, here and there as I could, I secretly made plans.


We help with the youth at church on Sunday nights, but it became obvious pretty quickly that there were no other nights open in our calendar for weeks and weeks that would allow Caleb to come home from college and Jeremiah, Hannah and Samuel to come into town. So our youth pastor agreed to teach for us and for the other couple we had invited. He even sent out a phony email to all the youth helpers saying that we all had the night off, so that Kregg wouldn't become suspicious or insist on being there to help. 


So here's the plan we ended up with: we would drive to the deer lease on Thursday (about 160 miles), then on to Abilene on Friday afternoon for ACU's Homecoming festivities (another 160 miles), where we went to the musical Friday evening, the parade Saturday morning and then drove home (another 160 miles) about 9:30 Saturday evening, in order to be at church Sunday morning. That afternoon, I told Kregg I wanted to take him to dinner. Little did he know that Jeremiah and Hannah were driving in from Lubbock with Samuel, and that my in-laws and Caleb were driving in from Abilene. 


Bless his heart, he had been working on all the accounting from The Tabernacle Experience all afternoon. I asked him if we could leave about 5:30 so that I could stopped by Target to get a gift card for a shower I had missed. The real goal was to get him out of the house so Jeremiah and Hannah could come by and pick up the four youngest kids and have them at the restaurant by 10 til 6.


He had NO idea what was coming! It was perfect!

We had our own private room and everyone was waiting inside!

He made a beeline for his grandson!

We also had our own chef! He was incredibly talented. And hilarious!

He challenged each guest to catch a small clump of rice in their mouths. Here's the "birthday boy's" try. It was so funny!

 Here's Hannah's attempt!

 Ben was the first one to actually catch it in his mouth!

 Next, he turned the rice into a birthday heart pointed toward Kregg.

YUM! The best part: veggies!

He made an onion volcano.

For his finale, he juggled flaming salt and pepper shakers.


It was a precious evening and Kregg loved every minute of it. I am so thankful because he is a tough customer when it comes to surprises! 


Happy 50th birthday, Sweetheart!!! I adore you!

My Talented Husband

Kregg wears many hats: father, shepherd, businessman, hunting guide, board member for many organizations, and craftsman. In his spare time, he enjoys building furniture. He is completely self taught, just picked it up and figured it out. Amazing! I can simply rip a page out of a magazine showing a piece of furniture I like, and he can build it! 

When we were expecting our first child, he built a baby bed. He then decided he would make each one of our children their own, so they would be able to use it when they started having children. So sweet! But a dangerous precedent. :)


As the older ones began to graduate from high school, he decided to begin a new precedent: a piece of furniture. For Hannah, he made a mission style bookshelf with glass doors. I cannot find a picture of it in my files. But as life has grown more busy, the schedule has been a little delayed. Instead of having it finished when they graduate high school, it has now moved somewhere into the college years. 

But the wait is definitely worth it to receive a "Kregg Conder Original." Mackenzy's hope chest is basically finished!!! It still needs some felt "bumpers" so that it closes softly, and one more piece of hardware to keep the lid within the desired range of motion. But, it is now in her room, filled with all the things she has been saving. So sweet!


I love that my wonderful husband wants his children to have things crafted especially for them by his strong, loving hands. 

Unanswered Questions: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

There are times when, no matter how "hard" you pray, it seems as if your prayers go unheard, unanswered. We know in our heads that's not the case. He ALWAYS hears, ALWAYS answers. But when the answer is, "Wait" or "Just Hold on to Me" or "Just trust," it can seem like no answer because nothing "moved." Nothing "changed." And our hearts question what our head "knows." 


I've mentioned before that Hannah was not a very happy baby. She screamed. A LOT! For months! Nothing helped. Nothing. We were rookies. People offered lots of advice for what helped with their babies. Didn't help. She wanted to be held and entertained and she didn't want to sleep. We were stressed. Bewildered. Sleep deprived. Glassy eyed. 


Kregg had started a new job while we were expecting her. It required LOTS and LOTS of hours. Then he would come home to a screaming baby and a flustered, exhausted wife. So much fun. 


During this season, he developed some serious pains in his midsection. His doctor wasn't really sure, but guessed reflux. The medicine didn't help. 


Another doctor.


The same guess.


The same treatment.


The same results.


Lots of pain. No real answers.


A screaming baby.


It started affecting his ability to sleep. It started affecting his job. We prayed and prayed. After months and months, there seemed to be no answer. It began to be scary. Why was the medicine not helping? What if it was something else? Something serious? Why could no one help? Why did the doctors just have to guess?


Pain + Fear +Stress + No Answers + Lack of sleep, added up to depression.


We really didn't know what to do. It was a long, dark tunnel. And we didn't know if it would ever end. We felt alone. We were scared. But He stayed beside us. He helped us keep going.


I'd like to say there was a miraculous answer and healing.


That's not what happened. 


We learned to cope. 


And to keep on going. 


Even through the fear and the depression. My precious husband just kept going. He would get up and go to work, even if he hadn't slept. Even if the pain was excruciating. He faithfully did his best to do his best in all the areas of his life. But, he felt like a failure. 


We both cried a lot during that season. 


There would sometimes be weeks at a time when he would be free of pain. And that was wonderful. But always in the back of his mind was the question, "When will it come back?" 


And it always did. 


We felt like we were holding our breaths, simply waiting for the next wave to crash over our heads. 


For eight long years, the tide of it all would ebb and flow, with no real answers to what it was or why it wouldn't stop. Eight years of questions. Eight years of waiting. Eight years of holding our breaths.


Finally, the Lord moved on our behalf. A friend of Kregg's he had known years before was talking to my mother in law. She mentioned Kregg's problem. This man just happened to be able to get Kregg in with the head of the gastroenterology department at Scott and White Medical Center in Temple, Texas.


We were scared to hope.


But we went.


We met the doctor. He personally ran tests on Kregg. Within 36 hours of arriving there, he said this, "In all my years of practicing medicine, you are only the second person I've ever seen who has this combination of conditions."


Kregg had two different medical conditions that contraindicated each other! The medicine for one problem aggravated the other problem and visa versa. That's why none of the regular doctors he had seen over all those years was able to help us. That's why the medicine didn't help. 


The new medicine he prescribed actually had nothing to do with the actual condition, but helped anyway without interfering with the second problem. 


It didn't fix things. There's still pain. But it's better. And just knowing what it really was relieved so much of the fear and stress. We would like for it to have been "fixed." But 23 years later, we can say that God is Faithful. He never left us. He never ignored us. And just because He didn't "fix" things doesn't mean He didn't answer our prayers. He did answer. And there is a reason why He answered the way He did, when He did. We don't have to understand. We stand in Faith because He IS Faithful. And we are okay not knowing all the answers. It's enough to know that "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."


In ALL things. Not somethings. Not sometimes. Always. In everything. Even when it makes no sense from our perspective.

Now it's your turn. How has He shown Himself Faithful to you? To your family? As always, it can be old or new, "big" or "little." Don't think you have to share some "parting of the Red Sea" story. It's all a testimony that brings Him Glory when we see His Hand move on our behalf. Grab the button on the right sidebar if you like and add it to your post so others can read what He has done. Your testimony is a blessing to us. Thank you!

My Lawnmower Man

My sweet husband has been teased for years about the tale I am about to tell. He made me promise to let him approve it before I let the world read it and I have honored that request.  It's such a great story, it really does deserve a broader audience.


Kregg grew up outside Abilene, Texas on two and a half acres. His family are all hard workers that can turn their hand to just about any task. When things needed to be done, they just took care of it. If they didn't know how, they would find out. They are still like that.


When we got married, we followed the same game plan. If something needed to be repaired or built or whatever, we would just take care of it. Our first little house had plumbing problems, so Kregg just dug it all up and fixed the mess. It never crossed our minds that there needed to be a permit or an inspection to tie into the main in the alley. Out in the country, you just took care of it. So he just took care of it. He did a great job, too. Dug a 60 foot trench, replaced all the sewer pipe making sure he had the grade just right, connected it to the main line and covered it all back up. Never gave us another bit of trouble. 


He taught himself to build furniture, too.  We had a little one car garage that he used for his projects. He built everything from cooling racks for the kitchen to a baby bed for each of our babies. I could just tear a picture out of a magazine and he would build it. It really is amazing. 

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is he is a man who analyzes a problem, comes up with a solution, and then carries it out. He doesn't think anything about it, that's just what a man does. 


When we moved to the house we have lived in for the last 16 years, we had to make a few adjustments. Our yard is one acre. The first season or two of mowing, we managed with a push mower. In fact, I remember carrying Caleb around on my shoulders when he was a baby while I mowed the yard. He would sit on my shoulders and I would hold both his ankles in one hand while I pushed the mower with the other. Sure glad he was smaller then!


When we could afford it, we decided to buy a riding lawnmower. Kregg researched the different models, asked his dad's advice, and picked out the one he wanted. It was at Walmart. We went to look at it after church one Sunday morning and he decided to just go ahead and buy it. We didn't own a truck or trailer at that point and so I asked him how we would get it home. Silly question, Anne.  He said, "I'll just drive it home." 


At that time, Walmart was about 4 miles from our house. (They have since built one just 2 1/2 miles away.) He bought a gas can, went across the street to get some gas, came back and filled the thing up. My job was to take the kids home, feed them their lunch, and get them down for their naps. He would be there in a little while. I was a little concerned, but knew he would figure out a way to take care of it. Of course, this was also before we had cell phones. So I left him at Walmart as he prepared to embark on his journey. 


I didn't get really worried for a while, but after an hour and a half, I began to wonder where he was. The babies were asleep so I couldn't go find him. I was supposed to be helping with a baby shower and it was getting close to the time I needed to leave. I kept thinking that any minute I would hear him coming. I finally hopped in the car and drove to the end of the street to see if I could see him coming. Sure enough, there he was. It ended up being about two hours after I left him at Walmart that he finally pulled into the driveway. No big deal, right?


Well, for the next two to three weeks I had the same strange thing happen over and over and over again. A friend would come up to me with a sheepish look on their face and hesitantly say, "Anne, was Kregg driving a . . . riding lawnmower the other day?" Followed by an awkward pause. "We were on Mockingbird/Midkiff/Midland/Briarwood/etc. street (all major, busy thoroughfares) and we saw someone who looked just like Kregg, in his church clothes on a riding lawnmower!"


Of course, I would start laughing again, and explain why they had indeed seen my husband out for a Sunday afternoon drive, all dressed up, on our brand new, bright red, riding lawnmower.

From  an earlier post

Engraven on His Hand

Watching our son-in-law become a father this week has been a profound reminder of the incredible responsibility that goes with that job title. He so desperately wants to do this job with excellence and that longing of his heart drives him to seek wisdom. He asks big questions of Kregg and I about priorities and goals and value systems, how to make wise choices in his role. We often don't know how to answer. 


He and Hannah spent months praying over Samuel's name, asking the Lord who their son is so that the name they chose would bless his calling. I love this picture of Jeremiah just watching Samuel sleep and I love to hear him talking to him, speaking blessings over his son. As he recognizes the awesome responsibility the Lord has given him, he will press ever more deeply into the Father's Heart to learn his job well.


All of this causes me to give thanks again for Kregg and how he has poured himself into fathering all of these children all of these years. I remember the night Hannah was born. We both kind of expected her to be a boy because there were so many boys on Kregg's side of the family, at that point. (Our four daughters kind of evened up the count) When they came in to do the birth certificate, while they had her little foot inked up, Kregg asked them to put her foot print on the inside of his forearm. He walked around the hospital telling everyone, "That's her footprint!" He showed people at the office and at church. He would stick his arm outside the shower so it would last as long as possible. Talk about adorable!! He melted my heart like Hannah had melted his. 


Remembering Kregg's excitement the night Hannah was born and that little footprint on his arm, reminds me so much of how our Father writes our names in the palm of His Hand. And nothing can remove it. Nothing. We are His. Always and Forever. 


Seeing these two precious papas dote over their children shows me a clearer image of my Father God. The evil one seeks ever to destroy the "father" image in our lives because he understands how powerful the picture a godly father is in pointing people to Him. And, unfortunately, many people never learn to trust the Father because they never learned to trust their father. 


So on this day that celebrates fatherhood, may we pray that the true picture of the Loving Father be written on the hearts of all those who have yet to understand the blessing of a Father's Love. All of those whose fathers were the ones who wounded them the most deeply need to know of the redemption that awaits their broken hearts when they gaze into His Face and see what a true Father's Love looks like. If any of you have wounds inflicted by your earthly father, open your hearts and let him bring healing and hope. He is so Good. He is so Trustworthy. Everything He does, He does in Love to bring about the very best for you. You were created to be His Beloved Child. You were a gift He gave Himself. Don't let the evil one rob you of your inheritance. 


No human father will ever be perfect. They will each inflict wounds on those they love, because they are human. 


There is Grace. 


It is Sufficient to redeem any hurt. But we have to choose to trust. 


There is no substitute or replacement that can fill the hole in our hearts meant to be filled by Him. And He will fill it to overflowing, if we let Him.


To all those precious fathers out there, you are heroes! Press into His Heart and learn to walk in the fullness of your calling. He will reveal to you how to bless those He has entrusted to you. He will teach you how to train them up to glorify Him. Ask Him. Just ask Him.

26 Years and Counting

Two cities

One apartment

Four houses

One new car

Thirteen used ones (including kids')

Five company vehicles

One pop-up camper

One travel trailer

Thirteen dogs

Innumerable cats

Goats, sheep, barbadoes, chickens, turkeys,

snakes, lizards, birds, fish, turtles, frogs, 

gerbils, rabbits

Seven children

Three high school graduations

One college graduation

One hundred and sixty two birthdays celebrated 

between the two of us and our children

One wedding

One son-in-law

One grandson due today

Dozens and dozens of road trips

Who knows how many trips to the ER?

Thousands of memories

Tens of thousands of prayers

Millions of blessings

26 wonderful years of being married to my very best friend

Happy Anniversary, Kregg!

Marriage Reminders

Well, Tim stepped on lots of toes yesterday in his sermon on the relationship between husbands and wives. And mine needed to be stepped on. I need to be reminded to work on my relationship with Kregg. I need to be reminded for the 4,294,865th time (this month) that I cannot ever take him for granted. That is hard for me to remember because Kregg is so good and so stable and so dependable and so loyal. And so it is easy for me to let all the "crises" that we deal with as parents and shepherding couples cause me to forget my first job title in our home: Kregg's helpmeet. Tim told a joke, he always does, that went like this:


Man who has been married for years: "When we first got married, when I got home my wife would bring me my slippers and my dog would bark to welcome me home. Now my dog brings me my slippers and my wife barks." 


Sad commentary.


It wasn't enough for Tim to simply list the points he wanted us to consider and reflect on; he had us rate our "performance" in each area. Ouch! The areas he dealt with were these:

1. Communication
2. Compromise
3. Consideration
4. Commitment
5. Christ-centered

The one that really stuck out to me is #3. I realized how little I think about doing special little things for my sweet husband each day. I tend to be so busy with other things that I miss countless opportunities to simply show him how much he is appreciated. And, if I'm not careful, that lack of expressed gratitude can shift to becoming irritable about silly, inconsequential things. 

It was funny because the rest of the day, my sweet husband went out of his way to be considerate to me. (I'm thinking #3 got him, too :) In fact, it got to be a joke before long because he was taking it to such an extreme. So we laughed a lot at the silliness and often that is the best way to handle conviction and adjustment in our spirits as the Lord faithfully shows us areas in which He wants fuller obedience. 

Tim also made an excellent point for #5. He said when we are each filled with Christ, the Christ in me will be at peace with Christ in my husband. Christ in us will not fight and argue with Himself in our spouse. It's only when I get in the way--when I am full of self that there is anything to argue with. 


There go my poor toes, again. :)

The Gratitude List: May 23, 2011

What an incredible week! So many blessings to list! All the Glory is His!

1515. A new reason to blog: Pages in Our Heritage of Faith
          A way to encourage parents to "write it down" and build a 
          legacy for their children and grandchildren!! I am so excited!
1514. Such encouraging comments from precious readers
1513. Remembering my dad on this, his birthday. He would have 
         been 86.
1512. "I miss you, Mom," from our oldest
1512. New things listed in our gratitude list for marriage
1511. My new computer! I have been editing photos all this time
         with only 1 gig of ram--found out I need at least 4!
1510. Being silly with Kregg on Skype--the "delay" is pretty funny

1509. This darling little pet lamb that thinks it's a puppy--if only they
         stayed this small

1508. Ben's cocoon imitation

1507. Making memories sleeping in hammocks in Grandma and 
        Grandpa's backyard

1506. A precious new grandniece! 
1505. Great grades for another one of our college students
1504. A pediatrician who will honor Hannah and Jeremiah's wishes
        for their baby

1503. Mourning doves on the powerline
1502. A trip to see Kregg's parents
1501. Chris Rice's album: Peace Like a River
1500. A message from Caleb!!
1499. Everything falling into place for the Tabernacle Experience
1498. Kregg taking the kids fishing--3 hours away-what a good Daddy!

1497. The enjoyment the kids have in the bunnies
1496. Cotton ball shaped clouds

1495. Protection for all our tiny, tender plants during the hail
1494. Dwelling within the desires of my heart
1493. Practice is sitting before Him
1492. Practice in trusting
1491. Practice in patience
1490. Seeing the Lord "grow up and mature" a new spiritual leader
1489. Such a rich relationship with a child
1488. The SMELL of RAIN!!!! So refreshing!!!
1487. The sound of the rain on the roof--it has been SO long!
1486. RAIN!!!!! We have had .11 inches since September 2010. I
         am guessing we might have gotten .5 inches at our house!
1485. Kregg getting to see Caleb on skype, even though it was
         only working one way
1484. A chance to bless a young family through service
1483. Special words of spoken blessings--a gift to me

1482. The fun of "all things baby"--like these little shoes!

1481. Being forced to slow down for a little while with a precious
         friend's baby
1480. Generous funding to pay the expense of The Tabernacle 
         Experience 
1479. The Tabernacle Experience is coming!!
1478. Precious phone call from my sweet sister that was filled with
         wisdom and insight
1477. A message from Caleb!! From Uganda!
1476. Great dental checkups for 5 out of 5! WooHoo!
1475. A safe trip home for Mackenzy as she drove home from KC
1474. The International House of Prayer and the precious time
         Mackenzy spent there last week

1473. The Lord's "vision casting" for precious Mackenzy, showing her
         things He has gifted her to do
1472. "My sin is always before me," as Kregg surveyed the pile of 
         his things on the counter in the closet--too funny :)
1471. Sweet friends that rejoiced with us in a safe arrival for Caleb
1470. His Peace that sustained us while we waited to hear from Caleb


The rest of my List is here.


If you haven't started your Gratitude List, could this be the week?? :)