Those Who Were Willing to Come

Reading through Exodus, something jumped out. After Moses had been to Sinai and received the instructions from the Lord, he cast the vision for the Israelites: They were to be His People; They were to follow His Law; And He would dwell among them in the Tabernacle.


And so they prepared to build His Dwelling Among Them.


The blueprint was specific. The materials list was specific. 


Then in chapter 36, it says this:

"Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work."

The craftsmanship was exquisite. Those gifted by the Lord were gifted for His Glory, for His Purpose. But, even though some were gifted for the work, it is implied that there might be some who were not "willing to come and do the work."

Of course, that little phrase provided lots of "food for thought."


Are there gifts He has given us that we aren't willing to use for His Glory?


Perspective makes all the difference.


If those craftsmen, gifted by the Lord, had truly understood what this Tabernacle meant, could anything have kept them away? If they had understood how that Tabernacle would be filled with the Glory, wouldn't they have lingered as long as possible? And their work? Wouldn't it have been carried out with more joy and passion and excellence than they could ever have mustered for any other project?


What about our gifts?


Do we have the perspective for their use that brings Him the most Glory? Do we use them for His Purposes? Do we seek excellence in their use because it's all for Him?


How can we, as parents with incredible ability to influence, how can we help our children to capture that Vision for their gifts? How can we encourage excellence, not for their glory, but for His? How can we help them have the true perspective on our time here?


Don't we have to have a true perspective ourselves first, before we can pass that vision on to them?

"every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work"

May we be willing. With everything that is in us, may we say, "Yes, Lord. Use us as You see fit."

The Battle for the Imaginations of Our Children

This was drawn by "youngest" years ago

As those created in the Image of our Creator, creativity is at the core of our beings. Endowed with the incredible tool of imagination, man has been "creating" from the beginning. Intended for His Glory, our ability to imagine and create should be used to accomplish His Purposes through us. Is it any wonder the evil one has our imaginations in his wicked cross-hairs? Our enemy would love to hijack, for his own purposes, a Gift that is intended to be used in Holiness. 


So how do we thwart his efforts?


How do we protect the imaginations of our children?


Are we not the "guardians at the gate?"


No doubt, you remember your amazement when your young child came up with some incredibly fanciful idea or story or drawing. Watching their young minds at work is truly a humbling experience, because we recognize the potential contained in the gift of imagination. 


Is it any wonder there are so many attempts to capture the imaginations of our children? Attempts that do not have holiness at their core? Think of all the books and cartoons and movies and video games and regular games and apps for phones, and the list goes on forever, that try to capture the imagination of your children. Or even of yourself? 


Have you ever wondered why?


Have you ever wondered why millions and millions of dollars are spent creating things to sweep us up and away on flights of fancy? Have you ever considered just how many hours people in the United States spend each week allowing someone else to direct the course of their thoughts, strictly for "entertainment purposes?"


I'm going to spout off here, from my personal view of the world as I see it in black-and-white: I don't really believe anything is neutral. Either something is worth our time, or it isn't. Since time is our most valuable resource, the choice of how to spend it is of importance. Sure, there is value in relaxing. But we can't use the need to relax as an excuse to allow anything into our minds that isn't going to bless us in our walk with the Lord. 


We are choosing.


Whether we recognize it or not, we are choosing what captures our imaginations. Many people will argue that they aren't affected by watching something on television that they would never "live out themselves." But we must not be deceived. What we allow into our minds does affect our minds. 


As parents, what does this say about our responsibility to train our children in the use of their imaginations?


Their imaginations are always active. 


Are we offering them wholesome, encouraging, uplifting fuel for the insatiable appetites of their minds?


Their imaginations will be captured by something?


Are we being intentional about what that something is?


Do you know what your children are reading? Listening to? Spending time on? 


What is the value system of those who have created whatever it is that your child is fascinated by?


Our value system is reflected in what we create. 


If our children are reading, watching, absorbing things created by people who do not seek to glorify the Lord, is that truly what's best for our children? Especially when they are young, and their value system is still in the process of being formed? Especially when they do not yet have the spiritual discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy that may be disguised in a book or game?


As parents, the Holy Spirit offers us the help we need to discern what is best for our children. All we have to do is ask and then be willing to allow Him to reveal Truth to us. 


There is SO much great stuff out there to capture the imaginations of your children. Of course, books are some of our favorite resources. And with the growth of homeschooling, many materials are becoming available again that have been out of print for decades. There is a wealth of historical fiction from a Christian worldview that is filled with adventure and truth and will capture the imaginations of your children. Biographies of great men and women are treasures that will bless the whole family. There is an incredible power in watching how people walk out their faith. 


Even if we haven't realized how easily worthless or even ungodly influences can creep into our home, the Lord will help us weed out and replace things with better choices. And, our children will acquire a "taste" for truly worthwhile things. That doesn't mean that our vigilance will not always be required, but it does mean that it will get easier as our "tastes" improve.


Our imaginations are intended to bring Him Glory. May we feed them properly.

Creativity is Messy!

 As our preparations continue for the commencement of Thanksgiving festivities and incoming relatives, Rebekah has FULLY embraced her self-appointed roles as Set Director for our little play, and Table Decorator, and we've had to hit the pause button on the job of deep cleaning the house.

Hopefully, all her projects will be completed in time to make room for our company! :)

Book Review: Horse of A Different Color

Horse of a Different Color is the last in the series of 8 autobiographical books by Ralph Moody. In this volume, he was still in Kansas trying to make a living. After his successes with his crop hauling business, he added cattle feeding to his resume. In business with a man of questionable character, Ralph learned some very hard lessons. Combined with a crash in the price of livestock, his poor choice in partners left him holding a massive amount of debt. 


Discouraged but not defeated, Ralph's incredible ingenuity and hard work enabled him to see opportunities where most men found only bankruptcy. Even in his desperate situation, he refused to "get ahead" by climbing over others. Instead, he looked for solutions that benefited the entire community instead of just himself. 


The crash in the livestock markets was not the only disaster to strike. The small Kansas town was devastated by a flash flood that swept away every pig Ralph had. It looked like it was over.


Instead of declaring bankruptcy, however, Ralph went into an entirely new line of work: butchering animals and providing meat to the railroad and farms. Through non stop hard work and creativity, not to mention the wonderful friends he had made along the way because of his character, he once again came up with a profitable business and the ability to repay all of his debt, which was actually the debt of the man he had been in the livestock feeding business with when things went south. 


Because of the level of physical labor required, Ralph decided to go off his special diet to treat his diabetes. He started eating large, hearty meals and was actually able to put on all the weight he had lost over the last several years. His doctor, after running numerous tests, realized that the Boston specialists who had initially diagnosed Ralph with diabetes and given him a prognosis of only six months had been wrong. Ralph didn't have regular diabetes after all. He had a "temporary" form brought on by malnutrition and overwork. 


Out of debt and given a new lease on life, his thoughts returned to his childhood sweetheart. He began writing her and found that she still felt the same way about him. The story ends with Ralph telling his closest friends at a celebratory dinner that he was out of debt, in good health, and set to be married in a few weeks.


These books have been such a great resource for teaching the value of hard work and creativity. Ralph always believed there was a solution to any problem if one looked hard enough and was willing to do whatever was necessary to accomplish the solution. His hard work always paid off and the respect he earned through being honest and straightforward, as well as hardworking, endeared him to the entire community.


#39 out of 52, 13 more to go. This is going to come right down to the wire. :)

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Less Than 24 Hours

A beautiful little wildflower bravely standing amidst a field of rocks

Kregg wanted me to go with him when he and the four youngest kids went to the deer lease on Thursday. Normally, that's not someplace I want to be. It's not an area I think of as "pretty," and I really don't want anything to do with the "hunting" part of the deer lease, so I usually stay home when they go hunting. But, when your husband expresses a desire for your presence, it is always best to honor that, even if you would rather not go. 



We left here on Thursday at about 1:00 after lots of preparation during the week. The new deer lease is just outside the town of Sonora, about 150 miles south of here. It always requires a great deal of work to set up a new deer lease. The plan was to take the three new blinds Kregg and the kids finished building and get them set up near the feeders they had already put out. We loaded them on the flat bed trailer and piled all the tools and luggage in the bed of the truck. 

Part of me thought about saying I just wanted to just stay home and meet them in Abilene for ACU's Homecoming that we had already made plans to attend. But the Lord reminded me that I should honor his desire and go even if it was "inconvenient."

It was quite a job to wrangle all the blinds onto the trailer, and then wrangle them off again.

This one had to be wrestled into the bed of the truck because there was no way to back the trailer up this hill with these rocks and cacti. 

Kregg adding windows

It's so nice to have so many helpers.

Filling the feeder

Raccoons have torn things up

It's a good thing Kregg has a strong back because it sure comes in handy sliding this blind up the ladder.

Josh and Ben worked to clear the shooting lanes.

Elizabeth atop the tripod blind

Hard to believe that's a deer blind in that box

As always, He was right! I was blessed by my time there, even if it was less than 24 hours. We arrived around 4 on Thursday and left by 1 on Friday on our way to Abilene. There was much laughter, much teamwork, much fun, and He showed me Wonder in His Creation that I would have missed had I not gone.

Only God can paint masterpieces using lichens.

Tiny little cacti

This cactus is no bigger than Rebekah's finger. 

How does He do it? It is as if He painted each of these limestone rocks using the lichens, in all kinds of shapes and patterns. Incredible! 


Wonder elicits Worship. 


Lord, may I always have eyes to see the wonder in everything You have made. Thank you for showing me Your Masterpieces! Thank you for always being so patient with me. I'm so glad I listened to Your prompting to go. 


This time that I "spent," which I had thought shouldn't be "spent" was such a blessing to my heart. My presence, which I thought didn't really matter, mattered a great deal to my husband and children. I am so thankful He reminded me how simply being together builds so much into each other's hearts. Yes, there are things that needed to be done at home, especially after being gone so much during the past two weeks. But none of that was as important as just "being." Once again, He shows me Truth and I am blessed. Blessed by being with my husband, my children, and by being in His Creation to cultivate Wonder.

And then there was this. 


Rebekah used the string from the deer corn bags along with an emptied bag to fashion a kite. May we always seek to keep our child-like wonder and imagination alive and well.

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. 

Have You Seen This??!

The Creativity behind this technology is mind-boggling! 
 

Designed For Wonder

Our older three children were involved in 4H when they were younger. These chicks were one of their animal projects. It was a cold and dreary November day when we went to pick them up. Arriving home, we brought them in to the kitchen and turned on a heat lamp to try to warm them up.


Elizabeth was 5 or 6 months old and she was completely captivated. I love this picture of her watching them, that look of wonder on her face has long been one of my favorite pictures. The joy we all felt seeing her fascination makes me think how our Father must smile when the Glory of His Creation causes us to have that look on our face. No wonder He reveals Himself in the smallest details of Nature. Recognizing Him through His Designs puts us in the proper relationship with Him: the created humbled before Creator.


And what an incredible tool that sense of wonder is as we seek to train up our children to bring Him Glory and to become life-long-learners. We don't have to artificially create an environment that will stir up their curiosity. There is no need. All we have to do is fan into flame what He already programmed into their spirits. And one of the best ways for our children to learn this is to catch it from us!


We should be modeling a genuine sense of wonder for our children, marveling at all aspects of the world around us. We need to observe and ask questions about what we see. We need to slow down enough to notice details. We can't live our lives in such a hurry that there is no time to wonder and delve deeply into the things around us. It takes an intentional shift in our scheduling and priorities. If we are driving down the road and we see something interesting, have I planned our schedule well enough that we have a few minutes to stop and observe? Or am I always in such a hurry, because of poor planning, that there is not time to stop without being late to whatever we are on our way to do? 


Another way to help encourage wonder is to carry a camera around with us when we are out and about, even on the way to the dentist. You just never know when an "amazing bird" might be perched on a fence post along the road.  It's also helpful to keep a pair of binoculars in the car. The kids love to be able to grab a pair to better identify something that's a little too far away.  A nature journal is a great way to record their finds and encourage them to be observant the next time you are out. Past successes encourage future effort. 


There are so many ways to nurture their curiosity and imagination. How do you fan the flames of wonder in your kids?

A Feast for the Eyes

How could we ever doubt that we serve a Good God? When we stop to think about the Glory that surrounds us every day, He is revealing Himself to us. Everywhere we look, every inch of Creation screams to us of His Majesty, His Holiness, His Love. The infinite creativity displayed in nature speaks volumes of His Goodness to us. To think: My Father designed and crafted flowers and trees and birds for me to delight in. The wonder of it all causes my spirit to sing. Even in parched, dusty, dry West Texas, look at the incredible diversity of leaves. Each one, perfect. Perfection because they speak volumes about how He cares for the smallest details that frame our time here on Earth.

He could have simply created one kind of leaf. We would never have known. Instead, He created thousands and thousands and thousands of different kinds of leaves. Why? Because they reveal Him to us, in all His infinite Creativity. In His infinite Love and Provision, He is revealed to us.

I don't want to miss any of it! I don't want to walk by something that is whispering His Love to me without even noticing. May my eyes be truly open. May I walk in constant wonder. May I see Him everywhere. May I hear His quietest whisper. 

Lord,
We marvel at all You have made. We praise You for the wonder on display for us. We thank You for the incredible multitude of blessings. Help us to be so filled with gratitude that we cannot but declare Your praises!