CATCHING UP . . .
I happened to click on my blog today and was surprised that so much time has passed since my last posting. April?!!! It can't be! Well, we all know how it goes . . . "Time's fun when you're having flies!"
While I really don't have anything particular to blog about, I thought I'd just write a synopsis about the last six month's activities and experiences . . .
After Steve & Libby Becsi returned to Australia, life returned to normal, whatever that might be. Working, taking care of the dogs & chickens, being a housewife, sister, neighbor, gardener, etc. I really missed Libby's company and the seemingly endless conversation we always seem to have, even after almost 20 years of living half a world apart. We just simply took up where we left off without a single hitch. It's really a blessing to have a friend like that. They are few and far in between, but are true treasures in this life.
April and May
was the time to get my garden in order and getting the early crops set in - May peas, Snow peas, spring onions, and others. I also had my cucs, tomatoes, and squash sprouting in peat pots, waiting for the last frost to plant. I also did the Spring cleaning in the chicken coop (yuck!), and got all the chicken poop and wood chips into the compost pile. My hens seemed to like that just fine.
June
was not good for most of my veggies. The warm days were good, but the cool nights and over-abundance of rain just about did them in, especially the cucs and tomatoes. My corn died before producing a single ear. Not a good year for me.
July and August
were super hot, which made the rest of the garden wilt and produce very little. I did get six beefsteak tomatoes, about eight-or-so cucumbers that were slightly bitter because of insufficient water, and two squash. However, I had a bumper crop of Genovese Basil, Thyme, and a continuous production of ever-bearing strawberries that would ripen in small quantities at a time. The chickens loved them.
During the Spring and Summer, I planted a few fruit trees — two pear treas, an apricot tree, a concord grape vine next to my Muskadines, and four thornless blackberries. My two-year old plum tree gave me about a dozen plums, but was more useful as a cross-pollinator for my neighbor, Jason's, huge plum tree. I planted it just across the drainage ditch between our two houses to see if my suspicions were correct about it needed a pollinator to keep it's many fruits from falling off the tree before they had time to ripen. It seems my guess was right, as it produce an even bigger abundance of fruit that ripened into rosy little balls of sweet, juicy plums. They were delicious!
September
I read the book "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn and my heart was so touched by its message that I knew it was time to make a definite change. Bobby and I were in total agreement and we decided to find a new church. As spirit-filled people, we needed a church with an environment that would allow us to continue to grow, and we had found ourselves acquiescing to the belief that there was no such place in our little east coast town. But after reading Mr. Cahn's book, I knew that we could no longer sit in silence, listening to Christian self-help sermons that offered no real answers to those who were spiritually starving in the congregation. There just HAD to be a place where folks wanted to BE the church, not just PLAY church, didn't there? Why else would God light such a fire under us, only to leave us stranded in the desert?
So Bobby and I decided to embark on a search for just such a place, even if it was 50 miles away. We just knew God was calling us on. But our Heavenly Father is so good (all the time!), and he had a great surprise for us, a mere five miles down the road.
We decided to try Fountain of Life Ministries as our first stop in what we were thinking would be a long search. I didn't give it much hope as we had attended a wedding there several years earlier, and for some reason, I had not gotten a very warm, fuzzy feeling about the pastor. Never could put my finger on it, but I didn't give it much thought as I was just visiting for a wedding.
However, the moment we opened the doors and stepped inside, it was like we were home. I can't explain that either, but I was suddenly awash with an excited anticipation and I just followed the music to the sanctuary. We were blessed to find a seat and almost immediately was greeted by several old friends that we had attended toher churches with over the last nine years. This church had just finished its new sanctuary in the Spring, but it was already almost maxed out - a sure sign that God was in the house! And oh, yeah . . . turned out the pastor at the wedding was from another church that was just using the sanctuary at Fountain of Life.
I cried all during worship. There was no holding back the tears, even if I wanted to. It is now almost November, but I still shed tears in worship, even if I don't feel like crying. It's almost as if my body can't help itself when it gets in such a charged atmosphere of praise to God. It's a most amazing feeling. We haven't experienced worship like this since 1983 when we transferred to Richmond, Virginia with Bobby's job. While there were some good churches along the way, there NEVER was such awesome worship as we are now experiencing at Fountain of Life. I believe it comes from several sources that meld together like some great, spiritual 'perfect storm', and I can hardly wait until the next service to see what God is going to do.
I could write a book about what's going on at Fountain of Life, the things we are experiencing, the vision and dedication we see in the people there. That can only come from true, Godly leadership who are called "for such a time as this"; leadership that does not place itself above laity, but understands its' role as "coach/player" by training the believers to "do the work of the ministry" while continuing to roll up their sleeves to join in the work in the trenches. It's an incredible thing to watch and we are looking forward to filling our place in the ranks as we preach and promote the Kingdom of God. He has answered our prayers and we are home.
October
We just finished riding out the tail of Hurricane Sandy and are ever grateful to God that we were minimally affected. Some wind, and maybe two inches or so of rain. Today is still a bit windy, but we are hoping the wind stays on a bit to dry out the yard. We spent two days getting ready for the storm, battening down the hatches on the deck and screened porch, picking up all the gardening "stuff" and putting it away for the season, getting the chicken coop prepared so the hens would have a place to stay out of the wind and keep dry. But everything is still here and God has spared us anything more than a few broken branches that we need to pick up. Thanks, Jesus!
So, it's been a bit of a stressful month, especially having another person in our home. While she is only here for a few months to get back on her feet, it still makes for three women in a one-woman house. My sister has been here for three years now - along with her toy poodle "Mozart" - and while we are kin, there were still things that had to be worked out. She will most likely be with us until 'death do us part'. That's okay with me and Bobby and so we are a family of three with three little pooches.
Then a long-time friend needed some assistance and we took her in until she can get back on her feet. I thought it might be three months or so, but with the economy such as it is - along with some personal issues - she is having a lot of problems finding a job that will allow her to move out on her own. It now looks as though January or February may find her still with us.
This is not so bad in and of itself. But she has been alone so long (most of it as a single mother) that she has developed a lot of self-protective walls, some that are difficult to get past. Perhaps my sister, Cathy, was the precursor for helping me to be patient with others who have issues. I've found myself surprised at having little to no reaction to things that should normally have me very upset. And, best of all, I find myself able to be calm and non-threatening as I do more listening than talking when confronting conflicts. Even Cathy is learning to do the same, so this has been a good thing all the way around. Like I always say, God never works just one way. We all have something to learn in every situation. It just matters whether or not we do it God's way, in love, or let our flesh duke it out. God's way wins every time and brings peace as we grow.
Now we're getting ready for the Harvest Festival tomorrow at Fountain of Life. Lots to do and eat, and we're expecting a couple of thousand folks to show up. We're praying for the weather to hold out, as it should according to the forecast. Should be great fun with lots of opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, I've caught you up. Hopefully, I'll get back here more often between now and the new year. I really appreciate those of you who follow my blog and I encourage you to leave your comments and feedback.
Have a great rest of the week and many blessings to you all.
I happened to click on my blog today and was surprised that so much time has passed since my last posting. April?!!! It can't be! Well, we all know how it goes . . . "Time's fun when you're having flies!"
While I really don't have anything particular to blog about, I thought I'd just write a synopsis about the last six month's activities and experiences . . .
After Steve & Libby Becsi returned to Australia, life returned to normal, whatever that might be. Working, taking care of the dogs & chickens, being a housewife, sister, neighbor, gardener, etc. I really missed Libby's company and the seemingly endless conversation we always seem to have, even after almost 20 years of living half a world apart. We just simply took up where we left off without a single hitch. It's really a blessing to have a friend like that. They are few and far in between, but are true treasures in this life.
April and May
was the time to get my garden in order and getting the early crops set in - May peas, Snow peas, spring onions, and others. I also had my cucs, tomatoes, and squash sprouting in peat pots, waiting for the last frost to plant. I also did the Spring cleaning in the chicken coop (yuck!), and got all the chicken poop and wood chips into the compost pile. My hens seemed to like that just fine.
June
was not good for most of my veggies. The warm days were good, but the cool nights and over-abundance of rain just about did them in, especially the cucs and tomatoes. My corn died before producing a single ear. Not a good year for me.
July and August
were super hot, which made the rest of the garden wilt and produce very little. I did get six beefsteak tomatoes, about eight-or-so cucumbers that were slightly bitter because of insufficient water, and two squash. However, I had a bumper crop of Genovese Basil, Thyme, and a continuous production of ever-bearing strawberries that would ripen in small quantities at a time. The chickens loved them.
During the Spring and Summer, I planted a few fruit trees — two pear treas, an apricot tree, a concord grape vine next to my Muskadines, and four thornless blackberries. My two-year old plum tree gave me about a dozen plums, but was more useful as a cross-pollinator for my neighbor, Jason's, huge plum tree. I planted it just across the drainage ditch between our two houses to see if my suspicions were correct about it needed a pollinator to keep it's many fruits from falling off the tree before they had time to ripen. It seems my guess was right, as it produce an even bigger abundance of fruit that ripened into rosy little balls of sweet, juicy plums. They were delicious!
September
I read the book "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn and my heart was so touched by its message that I knew it was time to make a definite change. Bobby and I were in total agreement and we decided to find a new church. As spirit-filled people, we needed a church with an environment that would allow us to continue to grow, and we had found ourselves acquiescing to the belief that there was no such place in our little east coast town. But after reading Mr. Cahn's book, I knew that we could no longer sit in silence, listening to Christian self-help sermons that offered no real answers to those who were spiritually starving in the congregation. There just HAD to be a place where folks wanted to BE the church, not just PLAY church, didn't there? Why else would God light such a fire under us, only to leave us stranded in the desert?
So Bobby and I decided to embark on a search for just such a place, even if it was 50 miles away. We just knew God was calling us on. But our Heavenly Father is so good (all the time!), and he had a great surprise for us, a mere five miles down the road.
We decided to try Fountain of Life Ministries as our first stop in what we were thinking would be a long search. I didn't give it much hope as we had attended a wedding there several years earlier, and for some reason, I had not gotten a very warm, fuzzy feeling about the pastor. Never could put my finger on it, but I didn't give it much thought as I was just visiting for a wedding.
However, the moment we opened the doors and stepped inside, it was like we were home. I can't explain that either, but I was suddenly awash with an excited anticipation and I just followed the music to the sanctuary. We were blessed to find a seat and almost immediately was greeted by several old friends that we had attended toher churches with over the last nine years. This church had just finished its new sanctuary in the Spring, but it was already almost maxed out - a sure sign that God was in the house! And oh, yeah . . . turned out the pastor at the wedding was from another church that was just using the sanctuary at Fountain of Life.
I cried all during worship. There was no holding back the tears, even if I wanted to. It is now almost November, but I still shed tears in worship, even if I don't feel like crying. It's almost as if my body can't help itself when it gets in such a charged atmosphere of praise to God. It's a most amazing feeling. We haven't experienced worship like this since 1983 when we transferred to Richmond, Virginia with Bobby's job. While there were some good churches along the way, there NEVER was such awesome worship as we are now experiencing at Fountain of Life. I believe it comes from several sources that meld together like some great, spiritual 'perfect storm', and I can hardly wait until the next service to see what God is going to do.
I could write a book about what's going on at Fountain of Life, the things we are experiencing, the vision and dedication we see in the people there. That can only come from true, Godly leadership who are called "for such a time as this"; leadership that does not place itself above laity, but understands its' role as "coach/player" by training the believers to "do the work of the ministry" while continuing to roll up their sleeves to join in the work in the trenches. It's an incredible thing to watch and we are looking forward to filling our place in the ranks as we preach and promote the Kingdom of God. He has answered our prayers and we are home.
October
We just finished riding out the tail of Hurricane Sandy and are ever grateful to God that we were minimally affected. Some wind, and maybe two inches or so of rain. Today is still a bit windy, but we are hoping the wind stays on a bit to dry out the yard. We spent two days getting ready for the storm, battening down the hatches on the deck and screened porch, picking up all the gardening "stuff" and putting it away for the season, getting the chicken coop prepared so the hens would have a place to stay out of the wind and keep dry. But everything is still here and God has spared us anything more than a few broken branches that we need to pick up. Thanks, Jesus!
So, it's been a bit of a stressful month, especially having another person in our home. While she is only here for a few months to get back on her feet, it still makes for three women in a one-woman house. My sister has been here for three years now - along with her toy poodle "Mozart" - and while we are kin, there were still things that had to be worked out. She will most likely be with us until 'death do us part'. That's okay with me and Bobby and so we are a family of three with three little pooches.
Then a long-time friend needed some assistance and we took her in until she can get back on her feet. I thought it might be three months or so, but with the economy such as it is - along with some personal issues - she is having a lot of problems finding a job that will allow her to move out on her own. It now looks as though January or February may find her still with us.
This is not so bad in and of itself. But she has been alone so long (most of it as a single mother) that she has developed a lot of self-protective walls, some that are difficult to get past. Perhaps my sister, Cathy, was the precursor for helping me to be patient with others who have issues. I've found myself surprised at having little to no reaction to things that should normally have me very upset. And, best of all, I find myself able to be calm and non-threatening as I do more listening than talking when confronting conflicts. Even Cathy is learning to do the same, so this has been a good thing all the way around. Like I always say, God never works just one way. We all have something to learn in every situation. It just matters whether or not we do it God's way, in love, or let our flesh duke it out. God's way wins every time and brings peace as we grow.
Now we're getting ready for the Harvest Festival tomorrow at Fountain of Life. Lots to do and eat, and we're expecting a couple of thousand folks to show up. We're praying for the weather to hold out, as it should according to the forecast. Should be great fun with lots of opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, I've caught you up. Hopefully, I'll get back here more often between now and the new year. I really appreciate those of you who follow my blog and I encourage you to leave your comments and feedback.
Have a great rest of the week and many blessings to you all.
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