Trauma Drama vs. Peace

  So, I came across this poem the other day . . . At first, I laughed at it, and thought it was humorously morbid, but then, as I thought through it,  it struck me as a good example, of James 1:2 ". . . Count it ALL joy, when ye fall into divers temptations. . ." and 1 Thess. 5:18 "In EVERYTHING give thanks, for this IS the WILL of God in Christ Jesus concerning YOU." And Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because He trusteth in Thee."
     When trials happen, and they do...  1 Peter 1:6 "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:" Sometimes, we NEED manifold temptations and discouragement to make us lean on Christ. The important thing, is how do we deal with this heaviness?
    I'll share the poem, and then, some personal stories about situations in my life where God's been teaching me this.

HOW DID YOU DIE - By Edmund Vance Cooke

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way,

With resolute heart and cheerful? 

Or hide your face from the light of day

With craven soul and fearful?

Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,

Or a trouble is what you make it.

And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,

But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that?

Come up with a smiling face!

It's nothing against you to fall down flat, 

But to lie there - THAT'S disgrace.

The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce!

Be proud of your blackened eye!

It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts;

It's how did you fight and why? 

And though you be done to death, what then?

If you battled the best you could;

If you played your part in the world of men,

Why, the Critic will call it good.

Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,

And whether he's slow or spry.

It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,

But only, how did you die?

    I feel a little bit silly sharing this, because I know that I don't have it all together, and I DON'T live this way as much as I should, but the truth is the same, whether I live it perfectly or not.  Trials are going to come. But how do you take it?

   When I was twelve, there was this skirt. It was my FAVORITE skirt, and I lived in it. One day, the zipper broke. I cried. I came storming downstairs mad at the world, and made sure everyone at home knew how awful my life was! (I remember the day clearly because it also happens to be the day that I found out about Aaron and Naomi.) 

   On Tuesday, my phone died. Like dead died. If you know me, you know that while I think 'living on your phone' is wrong, I do have tendencies to be on there WAY too much. So, when my phone conked out, I had two thoughts. One - I'm going to die! But it was quickly followed by thought TWO - It's OKAY! "My God SHALL supply ALL your needs!" If I don't have it, I don't need it! I had total peace about it because I knew that it was God's timing. My phone could have busted a week earlier, or a few weeks later, but it didn't. It happened JUST when God knew I needed it. He ALWAYS gives us what we need! 

   The difference between those two scenarios? Simply my attitude. Both situations were similar. Both times, something was wrong in my life, and I had two different responses. One, I looked at the situation, and how it ruined MY plans. The second response, was to look up. When our focus is on HIM and HIS plan instead of our plans, our dreams, and our lives, HE gives us peace!!! Isaiah 26:3 says "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on THEE, because he trusteth in Thee." If our perspective is right, our attitudes will be right, and our day, though still filled with heaviness through manifold temptations, we can have the peace of God. We DO NOT have to let the devil control our lives! GREATER is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world!!! 

The poem put it so well, if you're going through trouble, a ton or an ounce, it's what you make of it. It's not the fact that you're licked that counts, but how did you fight? "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:" Proverbs 24:16

    So, my encouragement? Don't look at the circumstances! Look at the God who's going to be with you for ALL eternity! He IS the GREAT I AM!!!! Not the great I was, or the great will be, HE IS THE GREAT I AM!!!! GOD has got this!!!! He CAN and WILL handle your problems, if you let Him.

Flying in a Cloud

    I don't understand life. There are problems that I can't fix. Pains I can't heal. Sorrows that I can't mend. Questions that I can't answer. Decisions that I can't make. And a future that I can't see.

    I had a long conversation with my 'brother' the other day, about how hard it is to do the right thing when you don't know why things happen. When you don't understand what's happening in your life.
      We talked about people in the Bible. Job, and the pain he went through, with no understanding of why. Joseph in prison, with every right to be discouraged, depressed, and unhappy. Abraham, who picked up and moved without knowing where he was going. We have an awesome view of their lives, because we have the whole picture. We see where God led them, and what He did in their lives. But we often forget that they didn't know what God was doing at the time. They felt just like us. Lost, discouraged, unsure of the future, doubting their decisions. Yet, in the end, they did the right thing.
       How? How did these ordinary people end up where they did, when they couldn't see where they were going?
      My 'brother' compared it to flying in a cloud. When you're flying in a cloud, you can't see where you're going. Sometimes, you can't even see the tips of your wings. Your feelings get out of wack, and instinct, will make you respond wrongly. Make you send the plane into a Graveyard Spiral.
     In our life, we can't see the future. We can't see the big picture. Instinct makes us want to make decisions sometimes that can leave us with regrets. Leave us like David, with a lifetime of consequences from our sin.
       When flying in a cloud, you can't trust yourself. You can't trust your instincts. You HAVE to rely on the instruments. No matter how wrong it feels, you have to forget your instinct, and trust your instruments. They will help you get safely through the clouds. They will help you land without crashing. They will help get you to where you need to go.
     In life, we have GOT to trust our instruments if we don't want to end up in a Graveyard Spiral. Our instruments? The Bible. We may not be able to see our wings, or the future, or the end of our nose, but we can trust our instruments. The Bible is a light to our feet, and a light to our path. It gives us commands, and when we don't know what to do, we can always do what we know. The obvious commands, like being thankful, and the other gauges will fall into place.
    Whether we have a Mayday call, Pan-Pan call, or just need to talk, God is our ATC. We can talk at any time, and He will help. We have HIS WORD as our instruments to guide us, and free access to Him at ALL times. We NEVER have to worry about being on a wrong frequency, HE ALWAYS hears us!
    So, if you feel like you're in a cloud right now, like you can't see your wings, and you can't see any purpose, or end in sight, and like the big picture isn't ever going to show up, relax. Trust your instruments. Focus on them, not on the clouds. Talk to God, and follow your instruments. Don't let the clouds distract you and make you do things that you'll regret. Follow your instruments.

Apart from good conversations, I've been kept busy with corn maze season. In the 'Granary' gift shop, Mom lets me display my books.

Despite the corn maze season, I still manage to spend a little time on my computer with some writing.

I have no idea what I'm talking about in this picture, but our church had our 25th anniversary this year, and we had a banquet meal. It was REALLY awesome to get to see everyone and share a 'family style' meal together.

Standing in line and visiting with my family in Christ is always a blessing!

Us young people sang a few songs during the service and it was such a blessing to think on the words of the songs. 

Back at the maze, I don't normally get to talk very much to people at the maze, but once in a while, I get a second to grab a selfie with a friend! I LOVE our workers, who also happen to by my best friends. It's AWESOME working with them!!!! :):):) (And if we look bundled up, it's because it was REALLY cold! We had snow off and on.)

And while working in the Granary, I often get visited by cousins!

Our church had a campfire service at the maze, with a time of s'mores, hot cider, hot chocolate, hayrides, and fellowship afterwards. It is ALWAYS so encouraging to see people coming out in the cold and singing together to praise God. We had a prayer time, and Dad shared a devotional on Proverbs 27:1-2. It reminded me of a devotional he shared not to long ago. One that I think is crucial to understand in the Christian life.

     Satan wants us to blow it spiritually. He wants us to live with regrets. He wants us to sin. If Satan tempted us with outright sin, we'd probably be able to resist a lot easier, but he doesn't normally say things like . . . "Go kill someone." "Go rob a bank." "Go commit adultery." "Go dress immodestly." "Go burn your Bible."

     Instead, he tempts us by saying things like . . . "A little bit won't hurt you."  "Just one lie isn't a problem."  "You can handle looking at one bad picture."  "You can hide one lie."  "If you miss your Bible reading today, it's okay."   "If you forget to pray for a few days, it's okay."   "Talking back this once won't hurt."  "Wearing something a 'little' immodest isn't a problem." Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

    He follows these lies, with his second lie. "You've already blown it, so why try?"   "You've already lied once, why not again?"   "You've already disrespected your parents in secret, why not in public?"    "You've already broken your commitment of a pure mind, why keep a pure body?"    "You've already blown it, so just give in."

   WATCH OUT for these lies! A little sin DOES hurt you!!!! And if you do sin, it's NEVER to late to get forgiveness. You're NEVER beyond God's love. You will never be able to blow it so bad that forgiveness isn't possible. Consequences may follow you forever, but God's love will also follow you.

   My challenge to you, and to myself, is to keep your instruments in focus, not the clouds. Don't let Satan convince you that a little sin won't hurt you, and don't let him convince you that you've gone to far for forgiveness. Don't make soft choices. Make the hard decisions that will bring you through the cloud, and to a place where you can look back and say "I have fought a GOOD fight, I have finished the course, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH!"

     Look down the road. Ten years from now, where do you want to be spiritually? Are you doing things today to get you there? Are you saying no to the easy choices to slack of in your prayer life, and in your devotions, and making the hard decisions to seek God, and trust your instruments? Are you doing things that will help you down the road glorify God?
    Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay STRONG in the LORD, and weak in self. We don't get life, but God's got it. He can get you through.

The cat came back . . .

I know this is not the normal time of year to start a year long project, but I just started a read through the Bible chronologically in one year challenge using www.bibleinayear.org. I've never actually read through the Bible chronologically, so I'm excited about that.
   We all want to increase in our faith. Well, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, so if we want faith, we need to be in the Word of God. If daily devotions isn't something you do, I encourage you to start that. It's a time of devotion to God, encouragement, gaining focus, and hearing from God.
     Honestly, one of the reasons that I started wanting to read my Bible, was because of a letter than one of my sisters wrote me when I was somewhere between 10-12 years old. If you have a younger sibling who may be struggling to read their Bible, don't be afraid to step in and encourage them. You never realize the influence you have over your younger siblings. Use it for God!!!

Okay, so, I'm not really a cat person, but the other day, I was sitting in the gift shop at the corn maze, and this kitten wandered through. I was kind of busy, so I didn't notice it at first, but it climbed up into my lap and crawled all over me. :( 

And then fell asleep in my lap. It eventually woke up and left, and then returned for round two and three. Apparently, it decided it likes me . . . Like I said, I'm not really a cat person, but I figured you might enjoy seeing the pictures anyways. :) 

Today's Holocaust

    Some family friends were in the area, and I had the privilege of reading an article that one of them had written. With her permission, I'm going to share that article here. If you're pro-choice when it comes to abortion, I challenge you to read it and think through it very carefully. If you're pro-life, I challenge you to read it, think it through, and consider sharing what you believe with someone who may disagree.

   Article - Today's Holocaust
   Author - Annie H.
   Age - 15

Today's Holocaust

      Every day, thousands of babies are dying. These are not normal deaths because they are done by doctors. Not many people are aware, or excuse it by saying that they're not really people. This is today's holocaust, and as Christians it's our duty to stop it. Abortion is just as evil in God's eyes as the holocaust. Sitting around and doing nothing to save millions of babies' lives, is worse than refusing to save the life of one full-fledged adult if you have the power to do so, because each baby is a special creation of God and is fearfully and wonderfully made, as Psalm 139:14 says. Here are some ways you can help: Pray; Vote pro-life; Volunteer at a pregnancy counseling center, and if you know anyone considering abortion, let them know of the consequences and point them in the direction of a pregnancy counseling center where they will receive help and support spiritually and physically.

       Let me ask you this question: if it's okay to kill unborn babies, but considered "murder" to take the life of infants after they're born, WHEN does a baby become a human being?? Before you put this down, I want you to understand what abortion really is. If you are pro-choice and think abortion is okay, than this is what you are agreeing with.

  D&C method - The abortionist puts a long, loop-shaped knife into the womb. He cuts the baby into pieces and scrapes them into a container for disposal.

  The suction method - A hollow tube is attached to a suction apparatus inserted into the womb. The suction tears the baby into pieces which are suctioned out and thrown away.

   The hysterectomy method - This is done during the last three months of pregnancy. The mother's abdomen and uterus are surgically opened and the baby is removed and allowed to die slowly.

   The saline method - This method can only be used after the sixteenth week. A strong salt solution is injected through the abdominal wall into the amniotic sac where the baby lies. As the baby swallows the solution, he is poisoned, and dies. The mother delivers the dead baby about a day later.

  So, if you are pro-choice, you are saying that it's okay to throw away human life.

Forcing women not to have an abortion is not the answer, and it is not showing the love of Jesus. We need to lovingly share with them that abortion is not the answer, and will just bring them more hurt and pain. What they really need is salvation.

 Thank God that your mother chose life!

Priscilla here again. I'd like to add something to that. If you're already pro-life, I'd like to challenge your thinking a step further. Think of children as a blessing, and let God control your family size. I can't tell you how many times, I've heard pro-life, Christian people talking down about children. Oh, they want children! But not too many. Comments like . . . "I could never have that many kids." "How do they survive?" "I'd like to wait at least a few years after marriage before having kids." "I'm not going to have kids that close together!"
     The Bible is very clear on the fact that children are a BLESSING! Why wouldn't you want God's blessing in your life? Why would you say, "Hey God, I want you to bless me, but I'm too selfish to want that blessing now, can you wait a few years?" Do you trust God? Then trust God to give you the right amount of children! He's not going to give you more than you can handle.
    I'm so grieved when I see christian's using birth control. First off, birth control pills do not always stop you from getting pregnant! Sometimes, they allow a baby to be conceived, but then cause a miscarriage. In a sense, birth control pills are a form of abortion. And, even if they weren't, why would you have your doctor help you control your family size? Do you not want God's blessing? Do you not trust God to give you the right amount of children? Do you think God wants to ruin your life?
    Don't look at mom's with lots of kids and complain about how full their hands are, and how hard they must have it, and how you could never do that. Instead, look at them from a Biblical perspective. They are blessed! Sure, their hands are full, but so are their hearts! God gives grace, and I REALLY respect people who are willing to trust God with their family size.
   If you've never studied children from a Biblical perspective, I challenge you to do that. What does the Bible say about children and family size? Are you living in accordance with what the Bible says?

Drum Roll Please . . .

ANNOUNCING MY LATEST PROJECT . . . 

  COMING THIS NOVEMBER TO A CITY NEAR YOU . . . 

The Fudged Up Murder

So, I've been working on this book for a while now, and hopefully, I will have it out THIS NOVEMBER!!!! :) :) :)

The Fudged Up Murder is my 'cozy-small town-Christmas-old lady-fiction' mystery novel.

   "Do you think they'll blame me?" one of the elderly Martin sisters asked. "It was my fudge that killed the man."

      "It's our fudge," Auntie Bertha corrected. "And, of course, they'll blame us."

      For the elderly Martin sisters, the Christmas Season has never been so exciting . . . or so deadly! When their nephew Clay, an officer in the local police force, is asked to solve the case, things get personal. Can the aunts be cleared? And what about the new neighbor girl? Can Clay trust someone that's clearly hiding something to help him save his aunts? Is it possible to share the true meaning of Christmas with an unsolved murder in town? Or will they all spend a merry Christmas behind bars?

When Doubts Come . . .

     I know many of you out there in blog-reader-land, are just like me. You grew up in a Christian home. You knew the gospel before you knew the alphabet. You could quote John 3:16, and it was easy to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ . . ." (Acts 16:31)

      You knew that, "Christ died for OUR sin, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures . . ." (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4) You knew we'd all sinned. (Romans 3:23) You knew the punishment for your sin was death. (Romans 6:23)You never doubted that, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . ." (1 Tim. 1:15) And you knew that,  "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

      It was EASY for you to call upon Jesus. It was logical. It was Simple. It was True.

THEN . . .the doubts came.

And everything you knew to be true, came into question. For some of you, you never experienced doubts, and that is AWESOME, but I know that many of us struggled in our childhood, younger teen years, or even our older years with doubts. Doubts we couldn't explain away. Doubts we couldn't answer.

   When I was 3 1/2 years old, I accepted Christ. I remember it. I gave my life to God, and I knew I was saved. But when I got older, I struggled a LOT with doubts. It wasn't until I was 16 years old, that I KNEW with certainty that I was saved.

    I heard the voices of doubt in my head. "What if you didn't mean it last time?" So I prayed over and over. I heard other doubts . . . "Why would God save you? Why would a Holy God love you?" I struggled. I KNEW the truth, but I struggled. I could tell myself what the Bible said . . . but I still struggled.

    Why?

Because at some point in my Christian life, I took my eyes off of the cross. I doubted, because I was looking to the wrong person. Like Peter, my eyes were off the Savior, and on the waves. I looked at my faith, and doubted, because my faith was weak. Then I realized, it's NOT how hard I believe that saves me!!!! It's God that saves me. I can pray. I can beg God to help me MEAN it this time. I can try to have faith, but if my eyes are on my pitiful attempts at faith, I'm going to DOUBT!

   I had to step back . . . and give it to God. I had to come to the place where I could say . . . "God, I know you love me. I know you died for me, and I know you saved me because I called upon you in faith. Right now, I doubt MYSELF, but I'm SURE of YOUR LOVE."

    God is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever!

God doesn't say one day, "Call unto me and I'll answer thee!" And say the next day. "Figure it out yourself." God WANTS you to KNOW that you're saved.

    So, for me, I doubted because my eyes were off of Christ. What about you?



   I'm sure I'm missing a few, but from my limited experience, people doubt because of one of three things.

1. Feelings.

They don't FEEL saved. Well, feelings lie. Our feelings change from day to day, but God DOESN'T. Think back to a time in your life when you felt close to God. Guess what? He's still the same. He's still there. He hasn't left. If your feelings have changed, it's not reason to doubt God, it just means you're an emotional person! Don't trust your feelings. Feelings change, God NEVER CHANGES!

2. Sin in Your Life.

From personal experience, I can say that when there is sin in my life, I can't maintain a good relationship with God. When we're not in a good relationship with God, we're going to have doubts. We NEED to stay close to God. If there is sin in your life that's holding you back from loving God the way you should, DEAL WITH IT!!! There is NO sin that is worth holding onto instead of God.

3. You're Not Saved.

It's possible to grow up in a Christian home and know all the facts, and not be saved. Your faith cannot be in your family's Christian status. Your faith can't be in your church, or your pastor, or your parents. Your faith can't be in a prayer you said, or even in your own faith. Your faith MUST be in GOD, and GOD alone! If you're not sure about your salvation, MAKE SURE!!!! We don't know how much time we have left on this earth, and we need to KNOW that we know that we know we're saved. God wants to hear from you. He stands, offering the living water to all. If you're thirsty, COME TO HIM!



Maybe you're not sure? Maybe you're having doubts, but you don't think it's related to any of the above three things. That's okay. Whatever the issue is between you and God. Take it to Him!



    Do you want to know a secret? God actually gave us a book so that we could know if we were saved or not. Ever read 1st John? "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that yehave eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:13.



  READ 1st John. There are SO MANY things in 1st John about KNOWING we're saved.

You Can KNOW!

What if you know you're saved, but you're confused . . . you don't have a date where you can say you got saved because you were so young, and maybe you've heard someone say you have to know the date. Well, just like a child being born, there is an EXACT day, where you were born again spiritually, but remember, there are many people in the world, who don't actually know what day is their birthday is. Some cultures don't keep track, some children's parents never told anyone before they died. So, I'm NOT worried about the date, what I am worried about is . . . DID it happen? Can you say with certainty that there was a time when you put your faith in Christ? Maybe you don't remember because you were so young. Do you have faith in God now? Then there was a day when you put your trust in God. When it happened is not important. DID it happen? Is the important question.



   Maybe you've never done that. Don't put it off. Talk to God! If you have questions, ask them! Talk to your pastor, or parents. Feel free to ask questions here! Get the answers you need.



   If you're saved, and you're doubting it, let go, and trust God. If there's sin, deal with it, if there's doubts, cling to Christ.

The Last Few Weeks in Pictures . . .

So, I apologize if I've posted some of these pictures before, but the last few weeks have been a little crazy. It's hard to believe that less than two weeks ago, I was still working at camp in WI. Since then, I've driven to SD for my cousin Abby's wedding where I was a bridesmaid, (a lot of the pictures are from that,) Also, we had some friends visit us, and help us out with the prep work before the maze, then we had our opening weekend of the corn maze and ALL the craziness that comes with that so . . . yeah, I've got a bunch of pictures. :) :) 

The wedding was great, and it was so fun to get caught up with some cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile.

My 'little bro' / cousin Josh and I had a LOT of fun!

And more cousins . . . :) 

The happy couple!

Sometimes you just have to take a break from work and take time to race ducks!

Or test out the straw couch. . .

Or go for a walk through the maze . . .

Or try out the Escape Room!

Back in WI, we drove by this waterfall every week on the way to church and decided to stop one week for a quick picture. 

The three of us have grown up together and done SO much together, it was an AWESOME wedding!!! :) :) :)

At the maze, we had a good thunderstorm, with some nice size hail.

This sign is for sale in our gift shop, and I laugh every time I see it. It sounds a little too much like me . . . :):):)

So, there's an old costume room on campus and sometimes, we have a little too much fun! Can you guess which one is me?

If you've ever seen me do the 'funny house' thing, you may enjoy this. A friend videoed me doing it with a filter and . . . well, yeah, you'd have to see it for yourself!

A Few Photos

I'm HOME!!! Hopefully I'll be able to do a long post about my time at camp one of these days, but with this being the week before our corn maze's opening weekend, I'll be pretty busy. Until then, I'll leave you with a few pictures. :) 

So, after I came home from camp, I left for a wedding in SD. It was SO EXCITING to be able to stand beside my cousin and friend at her wedding.

Back to camp . . . here I am cleaning in a stair well.

And one day, Hosanna, Abby and I were all matching!

You can pray for us this week, as we'll be doing a LOT of work getting ready for the corn maze.

An Escape Room

So, one NEW thing at our corn maze this year, is an Escape Room! Here's a link to the video Mom made about it. It's an old west escape room that takes place in a cattle trailer. :)

https://www.facebook.com/CountryCornMaze/videos/1536113783167721/

Write Hard and Pray Harder!: What Do I Do In The Fall?

Write Hard and Pray Harder!: What Do I Do In The Fall?: CORN MAZE!!!!!!  Now several of you have asked me what exactly the corn maze is . . . what is it about that place that keeps me so busy? I d...



    So, it's that time of year again! Two weeks from now, the corn maze will be in full swing! Since I'm not home yet, I can't post pictures of our newest activities at the maze, but last fall I posted several that you can check out. For more recent updates on our newest activities, you can check out the corn maze website at www.countrycornmaze.org or https://www.facebook.com/CountryCornMaze/  Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay strong IN the Lord! :)