Finding a Good Wallow

Go ahead and call me biased, but I will still declare: 

My husband is a wonderful preacher, inspiring, passionate, exegetical, thorough.  

He was recently preaching on delighting in the Lord, (1 Chronicles 16)

and used the unusual analogy of his dog: 

Princess Buttercup.

 Buttercup is a yellow lab that adopted Brian as a stray puppy. 

Buttercup adores her family

 but the thing she loves best is wallowing in something she thinks is fantastic. 

We usually have other opinions of how fantastic her choice has been, 

but she is very pleased with herself. 

If you catch her in the midst of wallowing,

you will notice she is unconscious of you or anything else at the time,

just pleasuring herself in whatever she has found that she deems worthy of glorying in.

  

When the effect starts to wear off, you can be sure she will revisit that wonderful place

and glory in it some more, letting the aroma permeate her completely. 

She is glorying. 

She relishes every minute.

 

 It is not difficult to obtain a posture of spiritual wallowing,

delighting your self fully in the LORD. 

It is simply a matter of slowing down your pace long enough to do 

the most important thing,

sitting at the feet of Jesus, like Mary.

Time Alone with God should be so much more than a few moments of devotional thought.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus takes time.

  Time to unwind. 

Time to quiet my soul. 

To still my mind from outside thoughts and purely focus on Him.

Time to taste His goodness.

Taste.

Experience Him. 

Know Him.

  Who is this King of Glory? 

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 

Adonai, Beautiful  One, Creator, Deliverer, Eternal, Faithful, Gracious,

Holy, Immortal, Jealous, King of Kings, Long suffering, Majestic,

Noble, Omnipotent, Prince of Peace,  Redeemer, Shepherd, Trustworthy, 

Unfailing, Victorious, Worthy, eXcellent, Yahweh, Zealous,

this amazing heavenly Father who knows you and calls you by name.

See.

Look around every day and deliberately notice.

  His creation. 

His people. 

Where he is at work. 

Marvel in the little things. 

Every good and perfect thing comes from above. 

The green grass, the song bird outside your window.

  A child.

  His handwriting is everywhere. 

1 Chronicles 16:8,9, King David proclaims:   

“Give thanks to the Lord.  Call upon His name, make known his deeds among the people.  Sing to Him, sing psalms unto Him talk ye of all his wondrous works.”

  Let your soul overflow in gratitude,

Let it wash away all the anxiety, bitterness, stress, weariness that can weigh you down. 

Be  lifted up, transported until you are truly wallowing in His glory.

Unabashedly delight in the lord.

Revel in His goodness,

let it permeate so deeply that everyone that we come in contact with inhales the aroma of

Emanuel.

When the effect starts to fade,

go back and find that place where you can glory in Him until your cup is overflowing,

spilling forth His goodness in all areas of your life. 

 Vs. 10:  “Glory ye in his holy name:  let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.”

 

Thanks to my husband’s analogy,

Buttercup and her fragrant romps are a continual reminder to me to practice my own wallowing skills.

                Just like the dog, I am always revived, refreshed, and contented after a good wallow.

                                         “ O taste and See that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8

Backyard Camping

Summer weather creates excitement in our neck of the woods to go camping. 

Loads of camp trailers travel up the highway on their way to a favorite nesting spot

for a weekend of relaxing. 

“Thousands of tired, nerve shaken, over civilized people

are beginning to find out

that going to the mountains is going home,

that wilderness is a necessity.”  John Muir

While our family enjoys a camp trip, at the moment we are having plenty of fun around the campfire right in our own backyard. 

The romance of the outdoors is better, in my opinion, 

than the latest movie, 

an ipod whatever,

a video game victory, 

or a restaurant meal.

  Why sit around indoors when the twinkling lights of God’s creation can canopy your evening?

We have been cooking over the fire or on the grill,

eating outside,  and musing over the reasons that food tastes so much better outside.  

It could be the chatter of squirrels and  the carefree chirping of birds to serenade your dinner. 

Perhaps it is the smell of dirt, freshly cut firewood,  pine trees, and nearby flowers blooming 

that alert the senses, 

my children think it is the anticipation of partaking in smores,

 

and more smores,

until another sticky gooey concoction could not possibly be consumed.

 

Being outside is relaxing to most people. 

Close your eyes and think back to the summers of your childhood.  

For me, there was running through the garden sprinkler, climbing trees, riding bikes and horses, swimming in the pond, playing in the tall grass, catching frogs, swinging on the tree swing

and laying on my back at night looking at the stars. 

Back then, we were always outside and never bored for something to do.

                                          
                                                I am ever so thankful for our cabin in the woods.

Outdoor is our way of life. 

It always amazes me that somehow the children manage to get dirty enough to be happy in no time at all. As if that were their expression of letting down their hair.  

The outdoors seems to beckon us all to unwind, settle our hearts, and breathe deeply. 

 

                                    Our backyard evenings are like a mini vacation, without all the packing. 

There is plenty of campfire smoke, mosquitoes, and ease to make it seem close to real camping. 

The only drawback so far has been the lack of good fishing,

and certain toddlers having marshmallow hangovers.

 

A long walk down the drive and through the woods is the perfect ending to the feasting and over consumption of puffy sugary white things.

 

                                                               “I went out for a walk
                                                and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,
                                                                  for going out, I found,
                                                       was really going in.”  John Muir
 

A Wealthy Home

I remember visiting a regal home with beautiful gardens,

well set up, impressively inviting, like a place you would want to stay a while. 

My eyes scanned every inch of the lovely home, taking in each vista of magazine-worthy views. 

 But for all its charm, there was an obvious lack of atmosphere. 

There was an emptiness one could taste, a  bitter flavor, even though people were present.

 I sat thinking long and hard on the way home.

In every material aspect, that house looked like a place wealthy people lived. 

But what I saw of the lives there, made me realize that the family was indeed poor.

 

Memories of humble homey abodes I knew as a child flooded my mind.  None of them impressive in grandeur, but all filled with love and laughter, warmth from the very first welcome.

So what is wealth then,

if it is not what the media proclaims as a well decorated house with lovely views and gardens?  

Isn’t that the American Dream?

Perhaps the real dream is having a home that is beautiful in character

because it is filled with unconditional love, nurturing, learning, fondness for each other, and laughter. 

 

And perhaps the misconception is that you can buy things that will gain you that, as silly as it sounds. 

If I just had this couch, we would be happier. 

If only we redecorated the kitchen, then I would feel more like cooking.

 Wealth and Home are not items to be purchased,

they are byproducts of living the way God intended us to live;

selflessly, honorably, morally, lovingly.

 

“Home and family can bring us incredible wealth.  

Who can be richer than those who have shared joy-filled times, 

who have known the gifts of love and companionship,

and who carry within them a treasure chest filled with cherished memories.”

-Roy Lessin & Heather Solum in their book, The blessings of Family and Home.”

 

My husband and I were discussing this recently while snuggling on a park bench 

delighting in an ice cream cone together.  These are some of our thoughts:

Wealth is snuggling in bed with your little ones over a cup of morning coffee, trying not to spill it on the sheets.

Wealth is loving and enjoying your children like your parents love and enjoy their grandchildren.

 

Wealth is finding your marriage more passionate, intimate, and unified than when you were newlyweds

 

Wealth is being a child of the King of Kings, and an co-heir with Christ.

Wealth is having a circle of friends who know you well and like you anyway.
 

Wealth is found when home is the best place on earth. 

 

“Home is where hearts are united,

hands are joined, 

characters are formed,

truth is spoken, 

values are established,

care is given,

love serves all.”-Lessin & Solum

 A book title in a thrift store recently caught my eye, it's truth bearing proclamation captured my attention: 

Children Are What They Live.

It is of the utmost importance then, that we spend a great deal of our time and energy in our home,

making it beautiful and orderly, 

that it may be enjoyed,

making sweet memories by loving lavishly, 

promoting and teaching all that is good, noble, pure, and true.

  Every effort ought to be made to insure that the home is indeed as wealthy and full of life

as is utterly possible. 

 

The woman of the home has the most power to see that this is done,

she is the soul that is built to nurture, the one person that can make a home a haven,

 a place of rest, a refuge.

  Everything in the home that a woman touches should be 

and could be

ennobled by that touch.

 

As mothers, nurturers, cultivators of beauty, disciplers of children, ruler of our domain,

helper-completers to our husbands, 

we are ultimately; life givers.

  Shall we give little or abundantly?

Be it ever a mother's prerogative to make her home truly wealthy with  joy, beauty, and tender loving care,

instead of the alternative, unwise woman in Proverbs  14:1,

who tears down her house by her lack of delight in it. 

Taking pleasure in the homelife will gratify a soul immensely, providing peace to her household.  

“We need not power  nor splendor,
 wide hall nor lordly dome;
 the good, the true,
the tender
-these form the wealth of home.”  -Author unknown

What's a Girl To Do? pt 3

When I was young, I  remember canning peaches with Grandma, Grandpa and mom, 

all of us in the kitchen scalding, peeling, slicing, filling jars all day. 

The task was hard work, for we went about it from early morning until dinner

and then began again the next day, until Grandma and Grandpa’s capacious car was empty of boxes.  But we were all willing workers because we knew the end result would be lovely, firm, 

delicious, sumptuous peaches all the year long.

When parenting springs up in full swing, our young beckon us to play with them, teach them.

It is an invitation to shape a life, sculpt, inspire. 

We can choose what is important, where we will put a watchful eye,  and urge them  to reach out and discover a new adventure, a new skill, and new place for their talents. 

Here  we set our daughters on the path to cultivate skills while she is  young, 

introducing her to domesticity’s innovative offerings.

 

My mother included me, matter-of-factly, in all that she did. 

If she was cleaning, I was cleaning by her side. 

I was not forced, simply included, in her life. 

We fed the horses and took care of cows together, I learned as we went, how much hay and grain for each animal, how to walk carefully around them so I would be safe. 

She guided and gently corrected as we did dishes, cooked meals, washed the car, worked in the garden, sewed, entertained many guests, rode horses, and learned to drive. 

Her relaxed manner encouraged my interests and made everything enjoyable.  

The principle she taught me through unspoken words is that 

children learn best when doing their work with a parent.

Little daily activities unwittingly became my education, skills that I value greatly today far above the knowledge I attained in chemistry class or Algebra.

As I look to the training of my own daughters, I see that

the basics of life skills are more precious than book learning. 

Skills that could save her life, like tending a fire, simple cooking, first aid, wilderness survival skills. These are at the top of my priority list to teach my children beginning around age 7 or 8.

 

More and more opportunities abound that  will enable a daughter to become well rounded, 

capable of handling most anything life throws at her amid her journey. 

A thorough knowledge of gardening, sewing, childcare, cleaning,  hunting, cooking, baking, canning, and driving are what I consider essential skills for life.

 

 

 

  Grandma talked of herbal remedies and wild crafting,

Grandpa spoke of bee keeping, hunting, and living simply, without “perfumed coffee” and such.

Papa always thought girls should know how to handle a wrench or a power tool, 

and be able to back a trailer in anyone’s driveway. 

These are skills that have hung with me and proved to be priceless time and again,

skills we are teaching our daughters as they increase in age.

Now that our two oldest girls are teens, I look upon our home as

an informal university with classes that are conducted seven days a week. 

It holds the most caring and qualified teachers,

who know the hearts of their students better than anyone else. 

The curriculum covers every subject that pertains to every day living and managing of the home yet unaccomplished:  grocery shopping, budgeting, hospitality, home management, caring for the sick, haircutting, decorating, and etiquette.

As you can imagine, a young maiden attaining all these skills is never bored,

and rarely participates in idle, unproductive entertainments.  

She exudes an interest in learning new things. 

She is vivacious in her attitude about life.  

She is becoming prepared, acquiring skills that give her confidence for the days to come,

she will be able to look well to the ways of her household. 

Daughters are blessed immeasurably by the persistent instruction of a mama,

who forsakes much of her own interests

in order that she may devote the short time she has raising a child to them.  

I know from experience, that is what my mom did for me.  

This is my vision for my daughters, and I know it will be worth it all in the end, just like the coveted peaches my mom, myself, and our girls still can together today.   

 

Here is my beautiful mom, who does not know she is beautiful, inside and out.