Fellowship

I love spending time in a community of believers. Sometimes it is with a group Bible study. Sometimes it is with a gathering of like-minded friends. The fellowship between believers is always rewarding. I receive insight and encouragement from others and often find that we share common thoughts and questions.

That happened for me yesterday when I met with a group of about 20 women. Our study was on messing up as a Christian. We all admitted that we experienced times when our actions or thoughts didn't follow our teaching as believers. That we sometimes try to tell God the best way to do things. (Ha!) Or how we think things should go. But then we also ask for God's will to be done, contradicting ourselves in the same prayer. 

Believers need each other. We need to hear the insights that others have figured out. We need to be held accountable or corrected at times, too. In fellowship, we support one another and create a stronghold of faith. I envision a circle of women, locked in arms, in prayer. What a wonderful image of fellowship.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV).

Lord, thank You for friends of faith. Thank You for creating a fellowship of believers to strengthen us when we are weak. Open our eyes to the blessings we experience through friendships and Christian fellowship. We know You are the true source of all strength and wisdom. Help us see the unseen that is eternal. We pray in Christ's name, Amen.

Snapshots of Life

When I worked at the small town newspaper, one of my jobs was to take photographs. At that time we also developed the film in the dark room and made photos that we laid out on the newspaper pages. This was shortly before everything was done on computers. 

Most of my experience taking pictures came from family, especially children and grandchildren. When they were babies, I couldn't take enough photos. Every smile or facial expression was photo-worthy. I have 25 of the big photo binders (3-inches wide) in my office alone. There are more downstairs. Plus thousands of pictures saved on my computer since 2016. 

There are hundreds of vacation pictures of beautiful scenery we have viewed. Plus hundreds of sheep pictures, especially when the grandchildren began showing sheep at fairs and open shows. I spent hours sitting on bleachers waiting for the classes our grandchildren were entered in.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" (Isaiah 52:7 NIV).

Lord God Almighty, Creator of all things beautiful, thank You for the amazing earth that surrounds us. Thank You for the treasures in pictures and in our memories. Make us aware of the beauty that is around us today and give You all praise and glory for what we see. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Motherhood

Fifty years ago my son Brent was born and I became a mother. I was young, only 18, but I'd been around my nieces and nephews all my life. Still, to see the tiny baby I was now responsible for was an eye-opening experience. I chose to bottle feed him - probably the worst decision I ever made - but nursing wasn't a thing back then. Unless you wanted to go against the flow - not me, back then.

As I look back I believe if I had nursed Brent he would have been a much happier baby. Instead, he was colicky and cried and cried and cried. As he grew up he developed asthma and allergies. It was a rough start to motherhood. But, he was the cutest little toddler with long blonde curls.

"To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children." (Genesis 3:16 NIV).   "Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living," (Genesis 3:20 NIV).

Five years after Brent was born, his brother Brady was born. I chose to nurse him and he was a happy baby. Motherhood was an experience in contrasts for me. The boys are completely different but I love them both so much. I feel very blessed to be a mother.

John and I have both lost our mothers. We cherish our memories of those beautiful women in our lives.

Lord, I ask You to bless all of the mothers with a beautiful Mother's Day. Thank You for Your plan for families and the precious gift of our mothers. Amen.

Seeds In Good Soil

Spring is such a joyous time. Everything is so green! Perennial plants are popping through the ground in all their glory, anticipating the blooms that will come soon. Farmers wait patiently this spring for their grounds to dry enough for planting. They won't complain about the wait because they are so thankful for the moisture after the dry years behind us.

We planted a tiny patch of zinnia seeds again this year because they brought us so much joy last year. We aren't doing tomatoes in our raised bed this year because they have to be watered every day. The zinnias are in the ground this year, unlike the picture from a couple years ago in a pot.

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown," (Matthew 13:23 NIV).

Lord, may You open our hearts to Your Word and guide us to those who need to hear about You. Help us plant seeds of faith in others and nurture them in the days to come. Thank You for the rich soil that surrounds us and for the farmers who faithfully cultivate the land. Keep them safe during this planting season and bless their crops, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Great Shepherd

Our youngest grandson and granddaughter (ages 11 and 13) are learning to show lambs. It has been six years since the Stewarts showed lambs. We thought that it was the end of an era when our oldest grandson and two granddaughters had very successful years at the Iowa State Fair. But no, the tradition continues in a different state and on a different farm with different grandchildren and different sheep. 

Most of you know we lived on an acreage where we raised show lambs, before moving to Ankeny. We sold our flock of 50 sheep, and lock, stock and barrel (which was more sheep stuff than you could ever imagine). We moved to be closer to our younger son and his family on an acreage near Granger. He had a shed for enough show lambs for his oldest two daughters and his nephew to compete on the show lamb circuit and exhibit in 4-H and FFA at the county and state fairs for two years.

Then a job opportunity arose and that family moved to North Carolina, then Virginia and then Arkansas. Those were sheep-less years for the Stewart's. 

Since we started showing sheep in about 1983, (with a couple of ordinary farm lambs), knowing nothing about 'show' sheep, I developed an obsession with sheep. I just love the portrayal of Jesus as the Good Shepherd of the sheep (you and me).

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). 

And Amen.