Book Reviews!

During the past month, I have been blessed beyond measure by studying the book of Ruth through a Precepts Bible Study. I have learned so much about the Word of God and how beautifully individual books are woven together in perfect, God-inspired unity. The Bible is an amazing book, and my excitement to study it has grown exponentially in recent weeks.

I have also been thankful to read some rich Christian books and wanted to share my "book reviews" with you. I am learning to seek truth from the true source first, but I am grateful for the insights of Bible-focused Christ-followers who are wiser than I, and much further along in their journeys of faith! I have found myself veering somewhat off of my initial book list as I have grown excited about particular topics.

Because He Loves Me, by Elyse Fitzgerald. This is a wonderful book about how the truth of the Gospel should transform our daily lives. I have been reading and discussing it with my neighbor, Sera, and while we are not quite finished, I have been deeply impacted by her insights on how the Gospel is central to each moment of our lives, and how the way we think about our position as saints can transform our motives, our heart and the practicalities of our day-to-day existence. Christ wants to transform us; His sacrifice is meant not only to save us from eternal death, it is meant to give us new spiritual life!

Practicing Hospitality, by Lisa Tatlock and Pat Ennis. A very practical read about incorporating Biblical hospitality into our lives. This was a challenging and inspiring book for me. We are so blessed to live in a large and welcoming home -- I want us to glorify God in how we use it. Want to come over for dinner? :)

Heaven in the Home, by Ginger Plowman. This was a reread, and it is also wonderful! A balanced book about how to create a Christ-honoring home-life - a haven for our families with the outward focus of serving and ministering to others. She has sections on conflict managment, discipline, creating a daily schedule, keeping your home organized - you name it!

The Love Dare. I finally finished this one! It took me a while to wade through the forty days. I enjoyed reading it, and thought it was a very Christ-honoring book on loving your spouse unconditionally. It made me appreciate the beautiful romance I share with my husband. We have such a blessed marriage, and I love him more each day. I want to love him better, serve him more selflessly, and enjoy him more completely. I don't think Erik reads my blog, but honey, if you read this one, you are my Mr. Marvelous and I am grateful to pour my love into your life. :)

Set-Apart Femininity, by Leslie Ludy. This book was my favorite read in recent years. Leslie portrays a beautiful picture of Godly womanhood -- not an inward-beauty brought about by allowing "self to flash off frame and face," but a Godly beauty brought about by laying down self and allowing Christ to live through you. It is Christ that makes a woman radiant. Leslie's book challenged me and gave me a clear picture of valiant femininity. I long for God to transform my heart and love the lost through me.

The Bravehearted Gospel, by Eric Ludy. I was so inspired by Leslie's book that I decided to read her husband's recent book, as well. This is a book about the "manly stuff" of the Gospel, although he is clear that the truths presented are for men and women alike. It is the "grit" of Godliness - a return to truth and brave-hearted loyalty to Christ. We live in a society and even a church culture that is "emerging" and becoming tolerant to the point of becoming mushy - where truth is personal and "springy," where holiness is a bad word, and where the feminine aspects of allure and tenderness are more valued than the sword of truth that battles for the Kingdom of God. Eric calls for a return to bravehearted Gospel that fights for truth and sets the captives free. Amen!

Holiness, the Heart God Purifies, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. A challenging book about turning from sin and honoring God in every area of our lives. I enjoyed it so much that I invited a group of women from our church to do a book-club meeting studying it at the end of July. Anyone interested?

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes, by Robin Jones Gunn. I confess. My frivolous read in the last few months, my favorite fiction author. And I loved it.

Ask me if you want to borrow any of these great books!

After the Storm

This afternoon, Erik and the girls hunkered beneath the eaves of our house and watched a spring storm douse the yard. Then, they went out to play in the aftermath. Here are some photos of the fun.

From Yellowstone to West Virginia

The last two weeks have been filled with coast-to-coast adventures. On the the 16th, Erik and I loaded two sleepy girls into the car at 4 a.m., and drove north to Yellowstone. We greeted the slow-rising day by stopping at Artist's Point to view the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with all its morning glorious yellows and pinks. We stopped often to view wildlife as we trekked to the Lamar Valley. We saw two wolves lying in wait for a female elk; they had forced her out to a shallow patch in the lake, and she stood still there for hours, knowing they had her cornered. We saw black and grizzly bears, big horn sheep, bison, sand-hill cranes, swans, great blue herons... We stopped to tour geyser basins and hot springs, and picnicked while viewing a grizzly on the hill. We spent the night in the historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and the girls and I spent a quiet morning while Erik drove away in the dark in search of more wildlife. When he returned, we headed towards Old Faithful, stopping to fry pancakes and bacon at a lookout along the way. Elisa slept through the eruption of Old Faithful, but she loved the shimmering golds and blues of the many other geysers and bubbling springs. And she LOVED waking up to a happy cup of pink sherbet. :) It was fun to see familiar sights with the girls and to try to explain some of God's miracles in kid-friendly terms. And I was thrilled to see grizzlies and wolves - that was a first for me.

Bison crossing the road behind us

Elisa, leaning over the boiling, sparkling colors

My three favorite people in the world

We spent two nights at home, then the girls and I left on Tuesday afternoon to drive to Salt Lake and board a midnight plane to Ohio. We traveled blearily through the night, and arrived Wednesday morning. Amy, Nana and baby "Buddy" (as Sadie now calls him) were there to pick us up. Ryan's track meet began on Thursday. I am so proud of that crazy tough kid! He has class, determination, and talent and I think he's pretty great (I am not biased). He gritted out an 11th place finish in the decathlon, battling nagging injuries, a whopper of a cold, and sunstroke! He had to have an IV put in on Friday afternoon between events. The girls and Ephraim loved cheering and clapping for Uncle Ryan. He had season's best performances in the 100, the long jump, and the 400(I think), and personal bests (ever) in the pole vault and shot put. I was so proud of him running the 1500 at the end... you could tell he was so tired, but on the last lap he went deep and pushed hard. We are so thankful we had the opportunity to be there to cheer for Ryan and his awesome teammates.

We were able to stay in a beautiful brick hotel across the river in West Virginia. The 500 square foot room offered plenty of space for three babies to toddle, and all three slept well. We felt pampered by the services they offered, and were sad to leave! Seriously, I don't think any of us realized the history and beauty this corner of the country offered. We were in Amish country, and it was green and beautiful and full of age-old stories. We wished we had arranged to stay another day or two.

On Monday, Ryan's sweet girlfriend and a handful of other teammates passed through Jackson. (They had driven to Ohio (over 35 hours) to cheer for their friends.) We were able to serve them a simple meal, offer them beds, floor space, and showers, and send them back on their way. We wished they could have stayed to see some of Jackson's beauty, but they had to hurry home. We felt honored Emily, Casey, Garrett, Adam, and Cindy stopped to see us. Thanks, guys!

At home, our lettuce is ready to harvest, and the cucumbers finally sprouted. Yeah! My tomato plants are in the ground and the sun is shining! Hurray!


Sadie playing at the pole vault.

Elisa climbing the stadium ramps

Ephraim - toppling over the netting

Up and over! He cleared 14' 7 ".

Welcome to West Virginia!

Contentment

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYAN! My awesome brother turns 23 today! And, by the way, he is also a college graduate (as of last Saturday!) We love you, bro!

~

"Godliness with contentment is great gain!"

During these last weeks, the Lord has been showing me the joy He brings into our hearts when we make Him the center of our lives. Here are few moments of simple, God-given joy.

Contentment through Godliness is...

- a four person game of Duck, Duck, Goose in your living room... with your one-year-old shirtless, running around saying "Doose, Doose, wun!" and country music blaring over the squeals of your three-year-old.

- preparing a frilly tea party for your little girl, and having her say "Mother dahling, would you care for some tea?" in a hilarious British accent.

-hearing your children awake at 6:15, then listening to them giggle and chatter in their room until 7:20 while you enjoy leisurely morning tea with the King of Kings.

-sharing a Plowman's lunch with your girls on a blanket in the yard while a Spring drizzle patters down on you.

- watching your husband grow as a spiritual leader, wise papa, and disciplined man of God.


and

- sitting beside your friend who just lost her husband, and listening to her share verse after verse about God's tender faithfulness, and share about her trust in His love and provision for her family... even though her heart is absolutely broken and she misses Jeff so much. That is the supernatural peace of Christ restoring her heart as she seeks only Him.

Too Funny

I forgot to post two funny Elisa-sayings on yesterday's post. So, here they are. Boys, close your eyes for this first one. I had jumped in the bathtub with both munchkins (we have a deep tub in our master bathroom) and Elisa said, "Mommy, you need to cover your milker-squeezers so Sadie can't get them." Oh, I laughed. My "milker-squeezers."

My three-year-old has been slow to learn ABCs, but she has an amazing talent for memorizing books. She loves to "read" to her babies, and the combination of learned sentences is often hilarious. Yesterday she was reading "Fancy Nancy," and what came out was this. "I know how to say accessories, so I am extraordinary." Yes, Elisa-girl, you are.

The Joy of Spring

Hurray for Spring! Sunshine is a wonderful thing, especially when you live a place where winter lasts substantially longer than any other season. November through April is a long time to wallow in the cold (Okay, okay, we love winter. But by March, I am weary of snow jackets and boots and mittens and sudden flurries. And we are ready for warmth!).

Even though our last several weeks have been filled with heartache, the sunshine lifts our spirits amazingly. To wander outdoors without a coat... to gently stir bared soil and begin to dream of what it might produce... to wake up to pre-dawn gray at 5:30...to walk and feel HOT! I pray this season of warmth and grace and new beginnings can tenderly soothe Heidi, Dawson and Landry's broken hearts, as well.

Here are some pictures of our first days in the greenhouse. Sera and Owen (our sweet neighbors) have joined us as we hand-tilled the soil, added compost and peat moss, and began planting our first tiny seeds. Those nuggets of new life went into the dirt with fistfuls of our brave hope for an abundant produce. Elisa loved helping me create shallow furrows and then placing the seeds carefully in a row and "gently covering them up." She was very careful not to step on our newly planted rows, and she LOVES watering. Owen and Sadie, meanwhile, just liked the dirt.



Here is our main vegetable plot. Lettuce, carrots, beets, and radishes. There are cucumbers in the left corner, onions growing in the long pots, and peppers to the far right. Soon there will be tomato plants, too.


Here is Owen with a happy faceful of dirt. Let's hope he didn't eat any fertilizer! Oops. :)


Pots of flowers and herbs... and our many packets of waiting seeds, courtesy of the Territorial Seed Company in Oregon. Heidi introduced me to that company last summer, and I decided to order from them again. Grandpa Wachob, I planted two stevia pots just for you. I have no idea, though, if it will actually sprout. :)


Sadie shoveling.


The kids in their own corner. We planted zucchini and yellow squash just behind them, but for now that section is the baby zone.


Here is a random video of Sadie. She wasn't actually saying "no" to anything in particular. She was just saying it, and we were laughing, so she kept saying it. I thought it was hilarious.

Another Snainy Day

Snain: a cold, miserable mixture of rain and snow.

It is gray and cold and YUCKY outside, and I kind of feel that way, too. Yesterday, Heidi and the Gaertner kiddos returned to Jackson, driven by her parents. She asked the church staff and a few other friends to be there to greet her. I was honored that she asked our family to be among those waiting on her doorstep, but it was so hard. To see the beautiful home she has creatively, artistically decorated to be a haven for her husband and a place of gifted hospitality... filled with pictures and memories and reminders of Jeff and their life together... and then to see her enter that sacred place and try so hard to be strong when I could watch her face and know her heart was crumbling. It hurts so much. People keep saying to me, "You have gone through sudden loss recently. You'll be such a comfort to her." But I think that, because I have walked through that grief with my sweet mama, I just hurt more for Heidi. And all my hurt and emotions and tears just well so close to the surface that when I try to talk to her it's all right there, choking any comfort I might be able to give. She is so beautiful and strong and loving to her kids, but her heart is so broken. And though I wish I could just lift that burden and carry it for awhile, I can't.

So.... this morning, I was physically tired, and heart-weary. And I went to the bank in the cold snain, and Elisa said, "Mom, I have to go potty." There is a back stairway for employee use that I have been instructed several times to use for quick potty trips. This time, a customer service employee stopped me and said, "What do think you're doing?" I stepped back, shocked by her tone, and said, "I was just taking my toddler downstairs to the bathroom." And she answered, "Well, I don't know why you think you can go that way, but the bathrooms are upstairs, and that door is for employees only. Downstairs is a security area." I was so taken aback by the rude way she was talking to me that I just backed up and headed for the door. Another employee kindly stepped in and led us to the bathrooms - which, by the way, are downstairs. I'm not crazy. My emotions were still riding close to the surface (I think you women can understand that), so being "yelled" at by a stranger did not sit well with me. I think I normally would have just shaken it off, but I couldn't. So, as I ran my errands, I was mentally writing a letter to the bank to complain. But then, I decided such a response would serve no purpose other than to wrongfully avenge my unholy anger. I don't think I would honor God by venting my frustration in that way. Probably, humbly backing off was the best choice. However, I think I will stick with the drive-up from now on! It's funny how strong emotions feed strong emotions.

I wanted to share a few pictures from the wonderful week we had with Erik's parents before last Tuesday night's devastating news. We were thankful to have them here, and Erik and Doug enjoyed a great trip to the Dirty Devil River in Utah.


Erik at the Dirty Devil

Sadie bundled up. I think it was snaining then, too.

Riding on Grandma

Isn't she pretty?

Tongue out to catch snowflakes... or is it raindrops?