ONLY A FEW DAYS LATER......

I went out this afternoon on another berry-picking expedition, forgetting all about the nest I found a couple days ago (see last post).  Suddenly I was looking down at this newly hatched bird, completely wet and without feathers.  Or so it appeared.  About five hours later we went out and took this picture.  His first downy feathers had now dried and fluffed out and he was eager to eat.

His nest mate still hadn't hatched yet at 7pm. I expect to find another hungry mouth peeping out from this same nest next time I pick berries! Blessings, LORI

THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL....

Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Matthew 9:37

Look what I found while out harvesting the vast amounts of wild black raspberries in our woods and fencerows! Suddenly I came upon this little nest (wren?). Later I went back to take these pictures and saw Mrs. Wren leaving the area in a hurry. I am so blessed to live in the country and get glimpses of these little treasures that go unnoticed by the fast-paced world. If I hadn't been up close in the thickets, this little gem of a site would have been missed. It was carefully hidden way back at the edge of our woods in a bramble of berries when I happened upon this nest.

The scripture I cited above became so real to me as I tried to harvest the berries the last two evenings. The ripe berries are so thick it is humanly impossible for one person to pick all of them. I found myself leaving many behind, becoming choosy and gravitating toward only the largest berries to save time. I felt really bad that so many other berries were left to dry out and be wasted, but I simply had no one to help me harvest. Jesus words are so true. The harvest of souls out there waiting to hear the Gospel is great! We need more laborers (equipped Christians) to get out into the harvest fields and start sharing the good news!

 

The above picture is me standing on our back deck after my first berry-picking expedition Wednesday evening after work. I got almost 5 qts., as you can see and that was all from one fencerow. I left two or three other prime areas untouched. Do you like my outfit? It included a tight-fitting bandana under the straw hat, long, baggy pants and hunting boots as well as the long-sleeved shirt. Picking conditions are not friendly. Thorns, bugs, spiders, mosquitoes, possibly ticks, poison ivy, uneven ground, etc, etc.

Here are the berries on my Mom's kitchen table awaiting their "bath." I picked almost as many on Thursday evening too.

Look what berry-picking does to your hands! My fingers and nails are still stained this morning after two separate rounds of picking the berries. Harvesting is hard work!

Here are the berries dripping through the homemade jelly bag. I place an old cloth diaper (never used, of course :)), over a large kettle, secure it with clothespins and then the cooked berries drip overnight and strain through the cloth to make a clear liquid for jelly.

I hope to get to the actual jelly-making today sometime after I weed the garden, put the wash on the line, and cut out play dresses to take to my granddaughters! Busy day! 

Remember the harvest.....it is plentiful! And though the harvest conditions are tough and it can be hard work, the rewards are sweet! Blessings, LORI

THOUGHTS FROM A FORMER PASTOR'S WIFE--PART FOUR

I am excited to post another installment of my "Thoughts From a Former Pastor's Wife," and show you some of the garden's latest glories! Above is a lavender liatris and below some peachy colored daylilies! I've been picking wild blackberries as big as your thumb, but I think today was the last picking!

THOUGHT NUMBER THREE--FITTING IN TO A NEW CHURCH

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs for a former pastor and his wife--fitting in to a new church. With us exiting the picture we hoped it would be possible for the new pastor to carry out his duties without former leadership clogging the way. There was simply no other way to handle this. That meant we needed to find another church, though we currently still live in the same community.

We did this in one simple stroke. We never visited anywhere else, we just knew where we should be. Our new church has been wonderful to us and we are "pastored" for the first time in a long time. We have completed some of the membership classes that they offer and are currently making our way through the various trainings they recommend.

However, there are drawbacks in moving from leadership to congregational member. I never realized how easy it was for me to attend church when I was paid to do it! I'm ashamed to admit it! I never could understand why everyone else wasn't there every time the doors were open like we were. Now that we have a different schedule and I work as well, I realize the difficulties families faced in making it to church functions. Plus, I always knew the schedule of EVERYTHING going on at church since Clint kept the calendar. I was used to just hopping in the car whenever it left the house and it was a given that I'd be in it and ready for church. Now we must make an effort to stay abreast of what's happening in our new church. It's a bigger church and in another town. All these factors make it challenging to attend every function.

I also think there was in my mind and heart a great desire to be accepted coupled with some trepidation about how another church would receive a former leader. I am not sure how much of my wonderings were fact-based or just imagination. We have been received warmly and embraced. But think about it, how many "FORMER" pastors and wives do you know?

If they came to your church, what would you do with them?

Are they valuable to you or a threat?

How does the leadership at your church view them?

Thoughts to consider. I think the American church needs to deal with these questions since church doors are closing at an alarming rate which in turn means pastors have the need to be absorbed into other churches at an alarming rate. Many couples each year become former pastors, thrust into secular employment and a new church due to various circumstances.

I hope you will consider the things I've said and think of former pastors you know. Maybe this little glimpse into our lives will help you relate to former pastoral couples should your paths cross! More in future posts.....Blessings, LORI

BACK TO THE OLD WAYS

I decided to title this post, "Back to the Old Ways," in honor of not having a picture to post! I used to post long articles in the old days, with no pictures.

I've been so busy I haven't had time to do much but work. Last evening I picked a good bunch of wild black raspberries in the fencerows of our farm! I thank the Lord for those each year. They make the best jelly ever! It was peaceful out there and I got a good extended time of prayer in while I worked. However, the garb I had to don for that work is interesting indeed. Long pants, long shirt, bandana (I want to avoid ticks!), straw hat (same reason), bug spray, and boots. Why do the berries always ripen in the hottest part of the summer so you can be so comfortable in that get-up?

The brambles and bugs are both very thick. But last evening I had an easier time that usual. My hands were barely even stained and I came out of the patches relatively unscathed--until I turned across our field and headed toward the beautiful patches at the east side of our woods. The sun had already dipped behind the front of the trees and the mosquitoes literally chased me. I couldn't get back out into the field and into the sun fast enough. It was awful. We've had a lot of rain and I suppose that accounts for the onslaught!

Getting very close to the publication of my third book, "The Call From a Distant Field." I am excited, of course. I have a small amount of re-reading to do then it goes to the publisher who is currently working on the cover. I hope it is out by September. I will be speaking for a ladies' prayer group later this month and had originally hoped to have it by then--my own fault!

Will try to post pictures again soon. I have lots of projects going on. We are very busy right now and I've been putting in more hours at work. I love my job and so that's ok. I welcomed four new chickens to the farm last week and they are growing fast. Our barn sale was a huge success and we're glad to have everything cleaned out! Blessings, LORI