Praying for Babies

This is Charles Owen. 

 He was born yesterday, 9 lbs 4 oz.

 He is the grandson of one of my best friends.

As I was rejoicing over this good news while vacuuming,

 my heart immediately beckoned me to pray for him. 

 Vacuuming the floor is a great time to pray. 

 You see, Charles Owen is in need of prayer...

... and here is the reason: 

 He has been born into a country who has lost its fear of the Almighty God.

  He has been born into a culture where the church goers

 are apathetic to the moral decline of our nation,

 a culture who has given up hope.

When people do not fear the Lord,

 there is moral decline, and hope wains.

Owen needs our prayers.

  His parents need them. 

 They, and all the believing families across the nation,

 need people to lovingly pray for them with endurance,

 that their children would be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, 

that parents would have wisdom and discernment to raise them to be  godly,

 God fearing, Jesus loving men and women.

 Why? 

 Because Owen's parents are swimming up stream.  

And this stream is a raging torrent full of debris to knock one over, 

get one caught in an eddy, or worse....trapped underneath, caught by some branch or rock. 

Because our nation, our churches, our families

 are devoid of faithful Christian men who will stand up and lead like God intended them to...

and lacking women who understand what God values in a woman and then gives her life to pursue His good will instead of her own.

Someone had better pray over this condition-

for it is the ruin of a once Godly nation. 

 It is the ruin of reproductive and spirit filled churches,

 it is the ruin of the Christian Home.

Theologian Karl Barth once said,

 "To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world. "

We all know of babies and little children like Owen, born into Christian families, and we think,

 "Oh that's wonderful."

  Yes, but let's not stop there.   Do we fervently pray for these young families 

struggling to do right in a society that loves wrong; to be faithful, patient, and wise in their parenting despite their young years?

  And how often do we pray for the children to be responsive to the Holy Spirit,

 having a tender heart toward things of the Lord, to grow up loving Jesus above all else?

This is what was impressed upon me this morning, and I felt compelled to share.

Whether it be Owen, or the little people you know personally, let us pray, pray, pray!

  Hope is not lost when there is prayer.

I wrote this prayer/song years ago...it is the cry of my heart,

 and the prayer for the morning:

"Build Your kingdom, Lord,

through our children, Lord.

 May this generation know you more.

  Raise up men of God who stand upon Your Word

 with integrity and hearts that are pure.

  Draw our daughters to a life of trusting You. 

 Servant hearted, wholesome, devoted and true. 

 Give us wisdom, we pray, as we train them each day 

with the vision of leaving a legacy of Your way. 

 Immerse us deeply in You so that it's You that shines through,

and by your grace we will see our children's children

 praise thee.

Build Your kingdom, Lord."

Sincerely,

 Julianne

Simple Camping

Desiring to get away for the weekend with our son John and his family,

 we planned for a simple and quick camp trip to our favorite campground. 

 Fall campground camping is wonderful, because the campground is virtually empty, 

the landscape turning fall colors is lovely,

 and the weather is fine, albeit a bit crisp in the mornings.

It was a beautiful, relaxing, and fun weekend.

Our tent site overlooked the play area and the lake, giving us a protective and lovely view.

Sitting around the campfire doing nothing for hours is my kind of relaxing!!

Others find sand an amazing relaxer, and can play in it for hours on end.

For those cool mornings, everyone needs a great hat.

Camping is all about taking time to unwind.

taking time to enjoy one another without the distractions of everyday life

And drink in deeply of the beauty of God's creation

How did we Keep it simple with 11 people?

We did all the cooking in the Dutch Oven, making meals and packing less complicated....so we took the water kettle, the french press, and the dutch oven, along with a small box of kitchen accessories.

What did we cook in the Dutch oven?
Just easy favorites, nothing fancy, although there are some very scrumptious looking recipes on Pinterest!
Friday night-chili dogs
Saturday morning- hashbrowns with eggs over the top, bagels toasted over the fire.
Lunch- "Pub Platter" our traditional camping lunch of salami, cheese, crackers, apples, pickles, and
cookies.
Saturday Dinner- pulled roasted meat on hogie buns, cabbage salad
Sunday morning- french toast casserole
Sunday lunch- pub platter again, with fresh picked plums ( a bonus to this particular campground)



Other factors for the keep it simple weekend:
organization for meals-
I keep all the plates, silverware and cups in a plastic washtub so it is handy and not scattered all over.
I have the meal plan written out so I don't forget something.
I precook (before the camp trip) anything I can...sausage for the casserole, made the salad ahead, grate the cheese, etc.

Minimal equipment and clothing-
tents, camp chairs, cooler, camp box, lantern, dutch oven, kettle, sleeping bags, fishing gear, life jackets for littles, towels, and I think that was pretty much all.
For clothing; layers!  We all took quilted shirts for jackets.  fleece pullover, flannel shirt, t-shirt, jeans, one pair shoes, jammies, swim suit, warm socks, and underthings.

And, for extra fun, we took the cutest grandbaby ever!...

  To ensure lots of cuddles, laughs, and endearing moments.

To ensure lasting memories, we took an amazing  photographer to capture the moments-

thank you Rose!

Blessings to you the glorious fall day,

Julianne

Diary of a Quiverfull Mom: Mastering Breakfast

Faintly I hear the pitter patter of little feet getting closer, closer...

...I strain to attain some sort of consciousness out of the deep, wonderful, life giving,

 (did I say wonderful?) slumber of the night.

Then there she is.  My eyes will not open, try as I might.

  Her eyelashes brush my cheek and suddenly she is kissing me, hugging me,

 like an over friendly cat that wants to be petted. 

 It is 6:09...

A.M.

 I finally get one eye partially open. 

This is my life, and I adore it...most of the time.

Olivia is 3, and very lovey-dovey, in the morning, especially. 

 So, while I try to attain vision and coherence, she reads to me "Blueberries for Sal" 

in typical 3 yr old fashion.  I should have video taped it.

  Priceless.

The inside thermometer reads 61, so Olivia and I head downstairs to start a fire.

  After a few cups of coffee, I am finally fully awake.

 The other 6 children start getting up, and I head to the kitchen to make Wednesday breakfast; 

German pancakes. 

Brian and I believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 

so we have a healthy cooked meal everyday. 

 Why do I think it is so important? 

 Because it starts the day off well, with a loving atmosphere and both spiritual 

and physical nourishment.

  When we all sit down together, hold hands, pray, and share a good meal, the days plans, 

and Bible reading, we pour the foundation for the day ahead. 

Most of my mothering life, I have delegated cooking breakfast to children, since I am

 A). not a morning person, 

and B).  over the last 22 years have usually have a nursling that needs me first thing in the morning. 

 Currently, I am the breakfast cook instead of the usual dinner cook 

because I have recently found that by the end of the day

 I am just plain too tired to deal with dinner 

and still be a human till bedtime. 

 Anyway,  I have three teenagers that need to learn to cook. 

 Last season, they took care of breakfast quite well and are now moving on to dinners. 

 They each cook two nights a week, leaving me one night,

 and that I have planned to be the weekend, not a school day,

 because I have more energy on non school days.

 It is really so much easier, I have found, to have a daily breakfast plan. 

 Mine goes like this: 

 Monday- egg casserole,

 Tuesday- hot cereal, 

Wednesday-German Pancake,

 Thrusday- Gluten free pancakes, (Bob's Red Mill)

 Friday- Oatmeal,

 Saturday- fried potatoes and eggs,

 Sunday- granola.

Like I said, I am not a morning person, but this meal is so important,

 it is worth the extra effort.