Evidence of Spring 2009

In past years, we watched for our first lamb all through February & March - one of our evidences of Spring's arrival at our mini-farm. When we fed the sheep, we would check to see if any bags were forming on the ewes. We also noted if one of the ewes separated herself from the flock & failed to come for the meal of hay or oats. Our ram was limping with old age arthritis before we sent him to the cull market in the Fall. He wasn't frisky with the ewes earlier in the Fall, so we assumed we would have no lambs this year. Well, guess again.

During today's morning feeding, the four ewes all came & ate as normal. A skiff of snow still blanketed the ground from the flurries late yesterday, so the chickens stepped gingerly as I let them out of their coop. March came in mildly this year, so we expected these off & on snow storms at the end of the month. You know, "in like a lamb & out like a lion". I left for some shopping in Stevensville & Hamilton. Mom House invited me to share a toasted cheese sandwich lunch, when I stopped for a short visit before leaving Hamilton. Around 1:30 p.m. I turned the Yukon into our driveway gate, noticing that one of the ewes was by herself up along the side of our garage/barn. Upon a second look, I spied our first lamb of the season, who had been born during the three hours I had been gone. Our mare, Beauty, was sniffing up to the ewe out of curiosity. The ewe, in turn, was attempting to shield the lamb from Beauty & so had not totally licked off the lamb yet. I ran to get the ewe some water & checked both her & the lamb. Then I snapped the first photo above.

Interesting & thought-provoking info. about the recent plane crash in Butte

This site was sent to us regarding information that the press is not releasing on the background behind the recent plane crash in the Butte cemetery. God is still sovereign!http:http:http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2009/03/abortion_chain.html

Completion of several activities makes room for others.

How I have enjoyed teaching Tano & Elli the Hebrew aleph-bet in an expanded style. Yet, tomorrow will conclude our fun classes. Tano & Elli will have completed their basic Hebrew ringbinders, which will enable them to review the aleph-bet, word pictures of numerous Hebrew words, Hebrew nuggets, some beginning vocabulary, etc. as they continue to memorize Psalm 119 with its 8 verses per Hebrew letter. Elli has been following the Iditarod the last couple of weeks & supporting the "Hardcore, #63" team. That's why she's wearing face paint & her homemade "Hardcore" t-shirt in the above photo. She is eating her hamantashen cookie during our Purim session break in the picture above that.

I will facilitate the last session on "Exodus & the Tabernacle" with the Women's Neighborhood Bible Study group on Thursday. However, after a two week Passover/Easter/Spring Break, we will reconvene to discuss "America at the Crossroads", using passages from Ezekiel. Precept Ministries offerred the discussion questions & DVDs for this 10 week discussion group back a month or two ago & we took them up on it. I will be camp nurse for the 8th graders at Camp Utmost the week after we finish this topic.

AWANAS will continue until mid-April & then be over until next school year... just as we finally returned to the remodeled nursery shown above. One of the mother's of a "puggle" painted the mural on the nursery wall.

Spring cleaning, a Passover seder at our home with Beth Tephila, raking & preparing our garden spot, a Women of Faith conference in Spokane, planning towards camp nursing & helping with Vacation Bible School are some of the activities that will fill the time left by the completed activities. Never a dull moment & always the joy of sharing Yeshua & our lives with others. It's an abundant life!

A new blog to check out...

A friend from Colorado, Laura, sent me a sample blog entry from the Thoene's Blog this week. I not only loved the great writing, but the relevance of their entries to this generation. Yes, I went to their site & read many back postings - partly because I have so loved their books. The blog site is found on their web site at http://www.thoenebooks.com I highly recommend their blog to you. It's more than worth the read!

Opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work mightily...

I wrote this to a dear friend & am pasting it from my e-mail to her to share with you:

Today is the funeral for one of Esther's classmates from Valley Christian School. Esther called me Thursday all shook up about Jordan's death. Jordan was fairly popular amongst his peers, but was not a model Christian in his high school days. He recently rededicated his life to Christ & returned home to speak to some of his friends. He had been working in Florida on a pipeline job & was soon to leave for the next job in Georgia. He & a couple friends spent Tuesday evening at Lolo Hot Springs & ran into blizzard conditions & below zero temps. on their drive back. Their car skidded off the road & landed in the river. All three managed to get out of the car, but were soaked. Jordan decided to walk for help while the other two snuggled into a nearby haystack. Jordan died of hypothermia on the way to find help. I am praying that his memorial service will be used by the Ruach to reach some of his classmates. That would have been Jordan's heart's desire. Would you pray with me? The service starts at 11:00 on Monday. Love, Cary

Purim reveals 3 keys to survival

We have just celebrated the festival of Purim based on the events of the book of Esther. This Jewish holiday is celebrated with great mirth, games, feasting, costumes & theatrical performances. However the subject of Purim, (the casting of lots to determine the best date to exterminate a people), is serious. Although this story is ancient, it is true & offers insight for God's people today. It provides at least three keys for survival in the midst of crisis.

. Contend for the well being of our family in Christ - our extended family. At least pray for the persecuted church!

. Stand firm in your personal righteousness. Draw ever closer to God, allowing trials & the Word to prune & purify your character. Take on personal responsibility & godly character.

. Renew your faith in the sovereignty of our unseen God. Proverbs 16:33 tells us, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." Our God is ever behind-the-scenes causing His purposes to be fulfilled. He will make sure everything will bring Him glory & also work out for His children's best good in the end.

A question for you: Which Bible-times Queen (other than Esther) proclaimed a fast & for what purpose?

Happy Purim!

Happy Purim!
Purim, the Feast of Esther, is this coming Tuesday. Several of the women from Beth Tephila will be coming to our home to bake hamentaschen cookies that day. (The recipie for hamentaschen is in one of my previous year's blog entries on Purim.) We'll serve the hamentaschen we bake at Beth Tephila this coming Shabbat. We usually dramatize the book of Esther during Purim.



Since the first night of Passover falls on a Wednesday evening this year, we have had trouble finding a facility to use for the large public seder that we usually sponsor. Our congregation voted yesterday to have a small congregational seder at our home the evening of April 8th. We'll return to the public seder in 2010 since it will be a Monday evening that year.



I've had so much fun reviewing my beginning Hebrew the last three weeks. I started teaching Tano & Elli Chidwick the aleph-bet letters & their meanings, etc. for 90 minutes each Wednesday morning. We've been compiling a beginning Hebrew notebook for each of them at the same time. They are very attentive & participate well...even doing homework in between our sessions. We will finish in March. Last week I picked up a "pink-eye" virus from the Lolo Community Church nursery children. I had my eyes checked at the Florence Family Practice Clinic so I could get eye drops for my bloodshot & irritated conjunctiva. An LPN stood me down the hall from an eye chart & asked me to read line 8 on the chart. The line numbers were to the right of the line of block letters I was to read. I rattled the letters off. The LPN looked puzzled & asked me to read off line 9. I could see the letters distinctly & again called them out quickly. The LPN really looked confused now & asked me to point to the line I just read. As I pointed to line 9, all at once I realized that I had read that line & the previous line from right to left, like you do in reading Hebrew. Evidently my brain clicked into its Hebrew gear when it saw the numbers on the right hand side rather than the left as is more usual in English. I burst out laughing & explained to the LPN what I had done. We then continued with reading several of the lines from left to right. My sight was normal. My brain? Now that is another matter.



Our Neighborhood Women's Bible Study has only 3 more sessions before we conclude for this school year on March 26th. How I will miss this group during the rest of Spring & Summer! I may continue to meet with a couple of the women for awhile & study Ezekiel with them. So many Christian leaders are beginning to warn the USA of impending judgment, that I want to stay in the Word in depth all through the year.