Ministry Training

A few of them aren't in the picture, but this is most of my nieces and nephews. They're an AWESOME bunch, and I enjoy being the 'Crazy Aunt' or 'Auntie Silly,' as they call me.

This last weekend, we had ministry training. Basically, it's two days of training for VBS, our church's fair ministry, and sharing the gospel. We had a great group, and had a lot of fun. The theme was from Ephesians 6, with the armor of God.

We also did a bunch of 'one-on-one practice'. Here, I'm playing the part of an unsaved kid who wants to get saved, and Matt is showing me how to get saved.

In addition to all the basic 'sharing the gospel' training, we also were encouraged by hearing different people's testimonies, and some challenging devotionals about applying the armor of God.

The Bible says to  "Be ready ALWAYS to give an answer . . ." Are you prepared? If someone stopped you on the street and asked you why you're different, would you be able to share the gospel with them? Would they even notice a difference in you?

I commented to one of my cousins about how he didn't eat as much now that he is done growing. For the first time, it made sense to me why sometimes we quit growing spiritually, it's for the same reason, we stop growing physically. When we're growing, either physically, or spiritually, we're hungry. When we're not hungry for the Word of God, we quit growing spiritually. Whenever you catch yourself losing your appetite for the things of God, make sure you take the time to dig back in so that you can keep growing. It's been said . . . "The more you read the Word of God, the more you want to read it, and the less you read it, the less you want to read it." Let's make sure we're reading it more, and keeping our spiritual appetite strong so we can grow in Christ.

R.S.C. 2018

  This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Upper Midwest Regional A.C.E. Student Convention. Dad brought a few boys from our church as students, and I was blessed to get to help with the food at the convention, as well as some judging.

Hosanna also came and helped with judging and meals. The boys did GREAT, and we had a LOT of fun! I was also really challenged and encouraged by the speaker. In his last message, he used a phrase a few times, and it really stuck with me. "Satan is working, BECAUSE God is working." When you feel discouraged, and depressed, and Satan seems to be gaining ground, don't be discouraged! The reason Satan is working, is because God IS working. And God has already won the victory!

We ended up at a McDonalds and they had a Ronald McDonald! Since I hadn't had my picture with him since I was two or three, I wanted my picture with him!

I tried getting one like my first one but . . . either he's shrunk or I've grown!

So I pulled out the old picture. :)

One of the things I helped judge, was the puppet category. It was VERY entertaining and it was neat to see these young people using their talents to glorify God.

It was really awesome to see God working throughout the convention. Through all the problems, trials, and unexpected events, we were all able to see God working, and be encouraged that He is always good! Everything He does, is good!

We sang Victory In Jesus, and when we finished, Pastor C. commented on how amazing it is that we can sing about the victory, while still in the battle. It was encouraging to remember that no matter how long or difficult the battle may seem, it's ALREADY been won! We can have confidence in Christ! We can KNOW that HE has conquered death!

And this last picture . . . I saw it the other day couldn't help but laugh. If you're a writer, or if you live near a writer, you probably understand! I've researched some REALLY strange things with my writing. From bone cancer, while writing Never Without Hope, to studying cocaine, while writing Mission of a Lifetime, to researching the effects of shooting cars tires out while the car is in motion in Traffic at Graveyard Bend, and many other strange things about Pomeranian dogs, poisons, ransom notes, and other weird things, I'm sure I need this mug! What's the weirdest thing you've ever re-searched?

TRF Re-cap

  This last weekend, I was in Thief River Falls, MN at the Home, Sport, and Family show. It went pretty well, and I'm VERY thankful for all the friends and family who stopped by!

As you can see from the picture, my book table was right by a car dealership booth. In all, there was around 150 different companies represented, so it was to date, the biggest show I'd ever attended with my own vendor. A HUGE THANK YOU to the AMAZING friends who helped me set up and run my booth! I wanted to get a picture of us together, but I forgot. After setting up, we had a great time shopping in TRF, and visiting some stores I'd never been in.

So, my next vendor booth is coming up May 11-12 in Sioux Falls, SD, at the SECHE Homeschool convention. If you're planning on attending, make sure you sign up before April 27th, because after that, the registration fee goes up.

   A note on the SD Homeschool Convention - Israel Wayne and Patrick Nurre will be the key note speakers.

On another note, we had a great winter of skating and ice hockey, and although I didn't get to go as much as I would have liked, I'm still very thankful for all the people who lined up days to get a group together.

I found a few pictures from our family get-away in March that I thought I'd share as well. This is at the home of a missionary that we had the opportunity to fellowship with. Mom actually traveled with this missionary to France for a summer when she was younger, so she enjoyed catching up again. It was REALLY neat hearing his stories. If you ever get a chance to listen to older people sharing the things God has done in their lives, make sure you take advantage of that! It's amazing how encouraging it can be to listen to them share of God's goodness in their lives.

On our trip, we also did a fair amount of shopping and when we girls were done shopping, but Mom and Dad weren't, we did what we always do! Try out the cool chairs and couches! :) 

And on another note yet, I'm in grave remorse over the fact that I FORGOT my cousin/brother's birthday! :( :( :( :(  So, here is my "Happy Birthday!" to Josh, WAY late. :( Sorry, Bro! Thanks for being so understanding! :) :) :)

Camp Nano

So, I've never actually done any of the Nano write things, but this April, after some encouragement from a friend, I decided to do the 2018 Camp Nano. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, basically, I'm trying to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.

In some ways, I feel totally CRAZY doing this because of my schedule, but during a recent webinar I watched with Michael Hyatt, he reminded me that I'm no more busy than anyone else. We all have the same length of days, and the same length of weeks. So I'm giving it a try.

Currently, I'm at 6,221 words so . . . yeah, I have a LONG way to go.

You're probably wondering which book I'm writing? Well, it's one that I'll probably not be publishing anytime soon, but I'll be putting the rough draft somewhere and I do plan on going back to it someday. The book? 

The Secret in the Steeple.

Synopsis - Detectives solve crimes. Preacher kids pray. When the two worlds mix, life gets interesting for the Mancefield family. When a spark ignites, and the church is gone, Pastor Mancefield is the main suspect. Can his kids clear his name? The police say it's an open and shut case, but for the five Mancefield children, things are just heating up. Does the stranger on their doorstep know something? Can they get to the bottom of things before the town fires them? Or is the family not cut out to solve mysteries?

Also, this weekend, I'll be at the Thief River Falls Home, Sport, and Family show with a vendor of my books. If you're in the area, I'd love for you to stop by!

Green Pastures Farm: Mini Vacation

 Mom got a few more pictures of our family trip that she posted on our family blog. Green Pastures Farm: Mini Vacation: Sometimes you just need to get away! For the last couple of years we've been going on a short trip between Priscilla and Hosanna's...

Spontaneous Campfire

I'm not the most spontaneous person in the world, but the other day, when I looked out the window and saw that Dad had lit the pile of branches we'd been stacking on the camp fire pit over the winter, I told Miriam, "We should go roast marshmallows!"

          For those of you who know me, you know that I'm always suggesting random things, but I don't usually think we're actually going to do them. Well, this time, I guess everyone else liked my idea.

So, when I roast marshmallows, (you'll probably all hate me for this,) I DELIBERATELY burn them. That's right. I catch them on fire, and burn them all around, until they have the "delicate taste of charcoal," (As Marty would say.) Then, I pull off the outer burnt layer and eat it, before repeating the process to the next layer. Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT because I CAN'T roast a marshmallow perfectly toasty brown, because I can. I just like them this way. And, by eating it in layers like this, it lasts way longer! :) 

How do you like your marshmallows?

Meeting Patch the Pirate

The last few years, we've tried to take a little family trip in the spring. This year, we went to Iowa, where we visited a friend of Mom's from when she was in France on a missions trip, and we attended the Patch the Pirate Live in Ankey, Iowa.

I grew up listening to Patch the Pirate, and if it was only for that, I'd have still thought it was cool to meet him. (For those of you who know me well, you've probably heard me quote Patch the Pirate before.) But the opportunity to meet him wasn't just about his fame as Patch the Pirate. 

Our church has used the Majesty Hymnal for years, and there are several hymns in there written by Ron Hamilton. In some ways, he kind of feels like the Philip Bliss of our day. His most well-known one in our church is probably Rejoice in the Lord, but he's written many others.

As for Shelly Hamilton, well, she wrote the song that we used as the theme song at my graduation. (The Secret Place)  She's also put together a LOT of great materials for the church pianist.

So whether it was Patch the Pirate, or Ron Hamilton, I've been blessed by their ministry all my life, and I was THRILLED to get to meet them. Even if we did drive through a blizzard to get there.

It was also neat to meet some of the crew on board the Jolly Roger. Over all, we had a great trip, shopping, spending time with fellow believers, and being together as a family. I was reminded of how fragile life is. Take the time to cherish the moments with your family. Another of Ron Hamilton's songs is Cherish the Moments, and it is so true. We don't have this life forever, so be sure to love your family while you can.

Minnesotan, You Betcha!

Since Hosanna and I have birthdays so close, we decided to combine them this year and have the married kids and grandparents over between the two. I didn't think of it till the food was all made and set out, and then I realized something. We eat strange food. What's just a normal, northern Minnesotan thing to us, is really weird to the rest of the world. I just had to take pictures of these two platters to share with you. Two types of open faced sandwiches that you can find at any potluck.

Growing up, I never thought ANYTHING strange about the peanut-butter and pickle sandwich. I mean they're GREAT! Apparently, the rest of the country doesn't eat these. Do they eat them where you're from?

And my personal favorite, the cheese-wiz and olive sandwiches. Now these are great on normal bread, but to get the VERY BEST experience, you have to use the round cinnamon bread. That's what we did here. The round cinnamon bread, with cheese-wiz and olives will always be one of my favorite open face sandwiches. Have you ever had one?

Since it was just 'light snacks,' we didn't serve any hotdish or jello salad, but those are two other things that you ALWAYS find at a potluck. 

I've been told that we do other things weird too. For example, we eat our pears green. (All of us accept Mom.) I mean a crunchy green pear is WAY better than a messy and soft yellow one. And bananas, once they get the slightest bit of brown on them, then they'd better go into banana muffins or something because then it's not much good for fresh eating. Honestly, I like mine to still be green on the ridges. And cottage cheese, that should ALWAYS be eaten on buttered toast with salt and pepper.

So, now I'm curious. What kind of things do you eat that would be considered 'strange' outside of your area, or outside of your family?

Memorizing God's Word

   For me, there's never been any doubt that I ought to be memorizing and meditating on God's Word. Obviously, God commands us to hide His Word in our hearts, and mediate on it day and night, but that's WAY easier said, than done. I've been reading a book lately where the people don't have the Word of God in writing. They only have what they've memorized, and it really gets me thinking. If I was suddenly unable to read the written Word of God, how much of the Scripture would I have?

     When I'm completely on my own, trying to memorize, I find that I don't get much done. It seems that no matter how much I preach at myself, and want to do it, it just doesn't happen. But, like the rest of our Christian life, we don't have to do it alone. With the body of Christ to help, we can keep each other accountable.

  How does that look in my life? Well, before I was 19, I was in the Bible Bee. (www.biblebee.org) Some summers, I memorized up to 800 verses, and while I don't still know them all today, some of them have stuck. If you're 7-18, and wanting to memorize more, the Bible Bee is a GREAT tool to motivate you!

  Since I'm too old for the Bible Bee now, I've had a hard time staying consistent in memorizing. Here are a couple of things that have helped me.

Number one - the kitchen marker board. Miriam is very good at putting verses up, and making sure that we learn them. Often, she motivates us with treats like ice cream or something, and sometimes she goes so far as to say, "No supper till you've learned the verse!" It's very effective, and I've learned a LOT of verses this way. 

And number two - A church Bible memory program. Recently, our church has been doing the Scripture Memory Fellowship Bible memory books. We all get to pick our book, and we're assigned someone to quote verses to on Sunday.

When you know someone is going to check in on you EVERY Sunday, and you have to quote them to them, it helps motivate you to learn them!

If you can memorize on your own, without encouragement, go for it, but if you're like most of us, and you need extra encouragement, find something to keep you accountable, and stick to it. The Word of God is a treasure, and we're commanded to memorize, so find something that works for you, and get to it!

Random Pictures.

I was going through the pictures in my phone, and I found a few I thought I'd share. Enjoy! (Although my phone doesn't take great pictures so pardon the blurriness!)

We had a fun cousins game night with a few of the cousins around. We had some awesome games of four-on-a-couch, Dutch Blitz, and some kind of pictionary something or another. I'm not sure exactly what it's called. 

After some of the nieces and nephews had been away on trips, it was fun to get to babysit again!

This is from when Miriam, Hosanna, and I were in ND at the homeschool convention. We were just getting ready to check out of our hotel when the fire alarm went off. We're not sure exactly what happened, but there wasn't a fire. Anyways, when we got to our vehicle, I took a picture of the firetruck and texted it to . . .(name omitted) she didn't see the firetruck, and thought I was showing her where we were parked! I guess it's a good thing that I didn't alarm her!

This is outside of Chick-Fil-A. If you look close, you'll see the bunny rabbit in the snow. The reason for this picture goes back a few years ago to when my sisters and I were taking a walk through the woods. I heard a rustling, and this rabbit jumped up in front of us and took off. It REALLY startled me! As I let my heart rate get back to normal, I looked down, and saw that I was holding my sister's hand! They haven't let me live that down. Every time we see a rabbit, they joke about me being deathly afraid of rabbits, and needing to hold their hand. So, when we pulled up into the Chick-Fil-A drive through, I had to take a picture. Even in the city, the rabbits are after me! But seriously, I'm NOT afraid of rabbits contrary to popular belief. I simply get startled a little too easily. :) :) :) :)