Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Organic Aids and Natural Planting Tips For Gardening
http://tipnut.com/organic-aids-natural-planting-tips-for-gardening/
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
For Those Of You With Daughters...HopeChest Magazine Being Revived
HopeChest magazine nurtured hundreds of young women to Biblical womanhood by creating a haven of fellowship and beauty. As a new season begins in the lives of all its readers and staff, fifteen “HC girls”--plus many others on the sidelines—have begun to create a new magazine for the readership who still miss the haven that HC was. Friendship and godly encouragement came through this magazine and we pray it will shine through ours as well.
If you were an HC reader, or know some others, pleases pass this information on to them so that they can subscribe or join in filling its pages, and most of all reconnect with old and new sisters in this haven of fellowship and beauty. This as yet unnamed magazine will release quarterly with the first issue due out this fall. For updates you can visit the brand new blog: HC Revives http://www.pursuebeauty.blogspot.com or email us at pursuebeautymagazine@gmail.com.
We need writers and we need subscribers but most of all we need people who will help us spread the word that HC is, in a new form, "back." Can you share this with your old HC friends? And please forward this on to anyone you think might be interested. Feel free to write or call whenever. :-) Would you let me know whether or not this is something you would be interested in?
Trusting His Mercy,
Natalie (Nyquist) Ference
natalieference@gmail.com
816-507-0657
If you were an HC reader, or know some others, pleases pass this information on to them so that they can subscribe or join in filling its pages, and most of all reconnect with old and new sisters in this haven of fellowship and beauty. This as yet unnamed magazine will release quarterly with the first issue due out this fall. For updates you can visit the brand new blog: HC Revives http://www.pursuebeauty.blogspot.com or email us at pursuebeautymagazine@gmail.com.
We need writers and we need subscribers but most of all we need people who will help us spread the word that HC is, in a new form, "back." Can you share this with your old HC friends? And please forward this on to anyone you think might be interested. Feel free to write or call whenever. :-) Would you let me know whether or not this is something you would be interested in?
Trusting His Mercy,
Natalie (Nyquist) Ference
natalieference@gmail.com
816-507-0657
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Lilac Reflections
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My Testimony
Several years ago I shared my testimony with a special group of ladies, and, sadly, I think that's the last time I shared it with anyone. Since tomorrow celebrates the 18th anniversary of being smoke-free, I thought now might be a good time to share my testimony with you! So...here goes...
I came to know the LORD Jesus and was saved at an alter at the Country Assembly of God Church at the age of 7. I knew that I believed in and loved Jesus with all my heart, but, as time went on, and as my parents skipped around from church to church...in and out (mostly out), I became confused, had a few bad experiences, and, eventually, fell away from any kind of close relationship with the LORD. I always had my Bible near at hand...sometimes I read it...especially if I was in trouble and was looking for answers...and sometimes I even slept with it for fear of what would happen to me during the night if I didn't. I grew into a frightened, rebellious teen-ager, hooked up with the wrong crowd, and began partying heartily.
I came to know the LORD Jesus and was saved at an alter at the Country Assembly of God Church at the age of 7. I knew that I believed in and loved Jesus with all my heart, but, as time went on, and as my parents skipped around from church to church...in and out (mostly out), I became confused, had a few bad experiences, and, eventually, fell away from any kind of close relationship with the LORD. I always had my Bible near at hand...sometimes I read it...especially if I was in trouble and was looking for answers...and sometimes I even slept with it for fear of what would happen to me during the night if I didn't. I grew into a frightened, rebellious teen-ager, hooked up with the wrong crowd, and began partying heartily.
For several years I ran pretty wild....smoking, drinking, running from man to man. It wasn't until 1992 that I got serious about the things of the LORD and truly became "born-again." By then I was in my third marriage, had born four children (one of which had died), had taken on John's children as my own, and was settling into the most wonderful adventure of my life...even though I was still so rebellious against God and man that I couldn't see straight at the time!
It was in April of 1992...April 11, 1992 to be exact...and I was smoking four packs of cigarettes a day (I had been smoking since the age of 15 and I was 31 at the time)!!! I had tried to quit, but couldn't. Even though we weren't doing a very good job of it, John and I had committed our lives to the LORD, and were serious about getting our lives, and our household, in line with His Word. LOL! Needless to say, we're (and still are) working on it!!!
Anyway, it was on the evening of April 11, 1992, and I was sitting in a chair in the corner of our bedroom reading my Bible. I heard a voice just as clear as day say, "Throw away your cigarettes and lighters and wait 24 hours."
I immediately picked up all my cigarettes...I had an open pack, an open carton, and an unopened carton...and all my lighters and went carrying them through the house. John was in the livingroom and, when he saw me, he said, "What are you doing?"
Now, anyone who knows my husband knows that he HATES cigarettes (he always has), and he hated me smoking them, but he was very skeptical. He knew how many timed I had tried to quit smoking, and how often I had failed at it. He knew how awful my lungs were. Not only did I smoke like a chimney, but I had chemically burned the lining out of my lungs a few years before when I mixed sulfuric acid and Clorox in an attempt to unclog the toilet. I ended up in the hospital. After that I couldn't hardly breathe most of the time...I couldn't even blow a balloon up for my children to play with!
Anyway, I threw the cigarettes away, and I waited. That 24-hour period was on of the longest...most awful times of my life, and I never thought I'd make it through it...yet, somehow, I knew that, if I did, the LORD had something very special waiting for me on the other side. I knew that He was going to do something very special for me!
Well, sure enough, the next night...the evening of the 12th...I was sitting there reading my Bible again. All of a sudden I had the most horrendous pain in my stomach. I looked up at the clock, and it was 11:00 p.m. I jumped up and hit the bathroom. I was there until 4:00 a.m. My stomach hurt so bad! It wrenched in pain, and I kept passing this black, tarry-like substance. When it was over, I KNEW that the LORD had, literally, cleaned me out, and, to this day, I've not been able to stand the thought of smoking another cigarette. I can't even stand the smell of one! This year I celebrated 18 years of being smoke-free. Praise be to the LORD above!
During this same time, our oldest son was suffering from a rare blood disorder...one that only runs in people of Mediterranean decent...one that my mother-in-law's sister died from at the age of 16. The specialists at Children's Mercy in Kansas City had done everything they could for him, and the only way to control what he had was to keep him on 2000 mg. of antibiotic a day, and steroids for the rest of his life. We were told that the medication would shut his body down eventually. Without it he would bleed to death internally. Our child was given a death sentence.
It was around this time that we began to question some of the teaching at our old church, and, as a result, were, eventually, asked to leave...which we did. For several months we didn't know what to do or where to go. We were devastated! While we waited on the LORD, we studied. We studied the Bible for ourselves at home, and were amazed as the LORD began to reveal deeper and deeper truths to us. Soon after we found a new church. It was at that church that the LORD fully and completely healed my lungs, filled our family with His precious Holy Spirit, gave us a 5-month crash course preparing us for ministry, and, the greatest miracle of all...fully and completely healed our son of the blood disorder. It was amazing!
We were sitting there one evening, and the pastor of the church said, "There's someone here who has just been told that they will have to be on prescription drugs for the rest of their life. Would that person please come forward?" No one moved. Our son looked at me and I knew it was now or never. "Go!" I told him, and go he went! The men of the church laid hands on him and prayed over him.
Many a time during the months that preceded this time, our son had tried to go off the medication. If he'd miss one pill, he would begin bleeding under the skin again. After we got home that night, I found our son standing at the pantry door, looking at his medication. "What are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm going to throw it all away," he said.
"Are you sure? I asked.
"Yes," he said...and he did. He went straight to the toilet and flushed it all away. To this day our son has never exhibited another symptom of that blood disorder. He was 14 at the time; he's 31 now. Praise the name of the LORD!
Since that time our family has experienced many miracles...about 13 years ago my husband was totally and miraculously healed of kidney stones, we've seen a busted milk jug that had spilled out half the milk fully fill an empty gallon jug when we so desperately needed it, and we've seen miraculous provision more times than we can count...almost continuously at times. Our God is definitely an awesome God!
Well, I could go on and on, but I'm going to have to stop there for now. I just felt really impressed to share this with you all this evening. I'll let you go for now, and I'll talk to you all later. God bless all here.
Love,
~Rebecca
Monday, April 5, 2010
Resurrection Sunday 2010
Grandlittles, Lizzy and Audrey.
Grandma Rebecca and five of her seven grandlittles - Lizzy, Audrey, Timothy, Heather, and Silas.
Grandlittles, Audrey, Lizzy, Silas, and Timothy dancing around the front yard. I love this shot!!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Resurrection Rolls
Crescent rolls
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon / Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Give each child a marshmallow, this represents Jesus. Have him dip the marshmallow in melted butter, which represents the oils of embalming. Then dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside. This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes (The oven represents the tomb-and remind them of the three days!). When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty). Then the children eat them for breakfast.
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon / Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Give each child a marshmallow, this represents Jesus. Have him dip the marshmallow in melted butter, which represents the oils of embalming. Then dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside. This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes (The oven represents the tomb-and remind them of the three days!). When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty). Then the children eat them for breakfast.
O' What A Week That Was
My mother wrote this poem back in 1997. I thought that I'd share it here with you...
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS
PALM SUNDAY! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!
THE PEOPLE CAME TO HONOR JESUS IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY.
AS JESUS ENTERED INTO THAT GREAT CITY, JERUSALEM,
HE RODE UPON THE BACK OF A YOUNG DONKEY THAT HAD BEEN LOANED TO HIM.
THE PEOPLE BOWED BEFORE HIM, SPREADING PALM LEAVES ALONG THE WAY.
"HOSANNA! HOSANNA!" AND "KING" THEY DID SAY.
WHAT MORE COULD FOLLOW SUCH A TRIUMPHANT ENTRY TO THE CITY?
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS TO BE!
THE WEEK TO COME WAS FILLED WITH ACTIVITY.
THIS WAS "PASSOVER", A SPECIAL TIME OF JEWISH FESTIVITY.
THERE WERE STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING TOO.
JESUS SPOKE AS IF HE WERE GOING AWAY VERY SOON.
ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR THE PASSOVER FEAST.
AS THEY ATE, JESUS TOLD OF THE ONE WHO WOULD BETRAY HIS TRUST.
IT WAS TRUE! HE WAS BETRAYED--TRIED--HUNG ON A CROSS TO DIE!
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS! WHAT AGONY! WHAT DESPAIR!
THE SABBATH WAS AT HAND! HIS BODY WAS QUICKLY LAID IN A BORROWED TOMB.
THE HOLY DAY PASSED, THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW WEEK CAME,
THE WOMEN WHO HAD MINISTERED TO HIM IN LIFE,
CAME NOW TO ANOINT HIS BODY IN DEATH.
BUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED? THE TOMB WAS EMPTY! JESUS BODY WAS MISSING!
A MAN CLOTHED IN WHITE APPEARED, SAID, "JESUS IS NOT DEAD, HE IS
RISEN!"
HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS HAD PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN! THIS IS HIS
STORY.
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS, WHEN DEATH WAS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY!.
MARGE BROWN
3/23/97
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS
PALM SUNDAY! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!
THE PEOPLE CAME TO HONOR JESUS IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY.
AS JESUS ENTERED INTO THAT GREAT CITY, JERUSALEM,
HE RODE UPON THE BACK OF A YOUNG DONKEY THAT HAD BEEN LOANED TO HIM.
THE PEOPLE BOWED BEFORE HIM, SPREADING PALM LEAVES ALONG THE WAY.
"HOSANNA! HOSANNA!" AND "KING" THEY DID SAY.
WHAT MORE COULD FOLLOW SUCH A TRIUMPHANT ENTRY TO THE CITY?
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS TO BE!
THE WEEK TO COME WAS FILLED WITH ACTIVITY.
THIS WAS "PASSOVER", A SPECIAL TIME OF JEWISH FESTIVITY.
THERE WERE STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING TOO.
JESUS SPOKE AS IF HE WERE GOING AWAY VERY SOON.
ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR THE PASSOVER FEAST.
AS THEY ATE, JESUS TOLD OF THE ONE WHO WOULD BETRAY HIS TRUST.
IT WAS TRUE! HE WAS BETRAYED--TRIED--HUNG ON A CROSS TO DIE!
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS! WHAT AGONY! WHAT DESPAIR!
THE SABBATH WAS AT HAND! HIS BODY WAS QUICKLY LAID IN A BORROWED TOMB.
THE HOLY DAY PASSED, THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW WEEK CAME,
THE WOMEN WHO HAD MINISTERED TO HIM IN LIFE,
CAME NOW TO ANOINT HIS BODY IN DEATH.
BUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED? THE TOMB WAS EMPTY! JESUS BODY WAS MISSING!
A MAN CLOTHED IN WHITE APPEARED, SAID, "JESUS IS NOT DEAD, HE IS
RISEN!"
HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS HAD PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN! THIS IS HIS
STORY.
O' WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS, WHEN DEATH WAS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY!.
MARGE BROWN
3/23/97
Resurrection Cookies
This is a great recipe to teach your children the REAL story of Easter. That the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior is not dead but has risen. We serve a Risen Savior......
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
Instructions:
These are to be made the evening before Easter. Preheat oven to 300F.
*** (this is very important --- don't wait until you are half done
with the recipe). Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the
wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested.
He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read: John 19:1-3
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing
bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar
to drink. Read: John 19:28-30
bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar
to drink. Read: John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus
gave His life to give us life. Read: John 10:10&11
gave His life to give us life. Read: John 10:10&11
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and
brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by
Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read: Luke 23:27
brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by
Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read: Luke 23:27
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.
He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read: Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.
He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read: Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff
peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of
those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read: Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3
peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of
those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read: Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered
cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body
was laid. Read: Matthew 27:57-60
cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body
was laid. Read: Matthew 27:57-60
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven
OFF.
OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed. Read: Matthew 27:65-66
GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven
overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read: John
16:20&22
overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read: John
16:20&22
On Resurrection Sunday (Easter) morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read: Matthew 28:1-9
Yesterday
Yesterday (4/1/10)...BEAUTIFUL! Sunny, warm! PRODUCTIVE! Energy levels up! Walked local errands on foot...TWICE! Garden tilled, potatoes planted, yard mowed, house cleaned before bedtime, laundry done. Had multiple visitors. A perfect spring day!