Consider the Lilies~






Consider The Lilies
 Joel Hemphill

Consider the lilies they don’t toil nor spin
And there’s not a king with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrow they don’t plant or sow
But they’re fed by the Master who watches them grow.

We have a Heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when
Your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know.

Now may I introduce you to this friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars and tells the sun when to shine
And kisses the flowers each morning with dew
But He’s not too busy to care about you.


Someone has said if you took all of Bill Gate's money it could not buy enough bird seed for one single day to feed all the birds on this earth~Yet, God does it! The song tells us that the sparrows  don't plant or sow but the Master cares enough to feed them. In fact~ the Bible tells us He knows when a robin falls from it's nest. If our Heavenly Father cares this much for the fowl of the air. Think about how much he cares about about you~who He created in His own image!

He cares to tend the the lilies of the valley and He cares when their head is bend low~how much more He cares when our hearts are breaking or fearful! Is your head hung low today? 

Are you living in worry or fear today? God knows your situation! Sometimes life gets really hard~but God is always good! We can put confidence in knowing He will walk with us through our difficult days. Worry is the opposite of peace-full. It leaves me peace-less.

But we don't have to live this way. God promises to provide just what we need – to keep us in perfect peace, as we put our trust in Him and not in our worries. So, today when our concerns consume us, let's choose to stop and empty our hearts of our worries, talk to God about what we need and thank Him for His faithfulness and provision. It's amazing how "peace-full" comes when we stop worrying, start praying and begin thanking God for what He has done and will do.

Isaiah 26:3

 3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 
whose mind is stayed on thee: 
because he trusteth in thee. 




Matthew 6:25-34
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.






  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Power Outage~




It never fails ~ when my husband goes away on business~ something always happens. I am not kidding. I am not afraid of it anymore I just count on it and I have become use to the idea. He has been gone on business this week and sure enough the first night he had left we had the storm of all storms at Farming on Faith~ we live up on a big hill and the wind never stops blowing even on a normal day but when it storms it is major up on this hill~ all my flower pots have been broken this year. I just can't have a flag pole on the house at all~ in the past our trampoline had been picked up and did a yo yo dance across 5 acres until it rested in the top of the trees in the back woods and our garage door has been sucked in like a juice box just to name a few.

Well Sunday night as it began to storm~ we lost power~ we had no Internet and no way of knowing what the weather was going to do. Brian was keeping us informed from Tennessee throughout the night if we should head to the storm cellar or not. It stormed all night.

As the power went out it was not such a big deal until morning came and it was time to start my day. During the night we lit candles and it was not big deal but when morning came ~it was a big deal. I mean after all~ a girl needs her coffee~ and I need a blow dryer for Heaven's sake. I had no TV news ~no toaster and the telephones did not work. Beginning the day with no power was simply an inconvenience and a disruption of routine. And let me tell you ~ I am a creature of habit!  I like routine. Call me dramatic~but it felt like my own little disaster! Thank the Lord the power came on before I had to look as though I got ready in the dark.

How often do you rush through your day without connecting to the Almighty Power Source? How often do we spend more time reading the day's news or watching TV than we spend reading our Bible? When was the last time you picked up your Bible and prayed until God gave you some answers to the issues that face you today? Unfortunately the radio replaces listening the the Spirit. Even this morning I find myself reacting to people and circumstances in a spirit of fear rather than the spirit of "power and of love and of a sound mind" that God has given us.


2 Timothy 1:7(KJV)

 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

A spiritually unkempt person appears to be one dressed and groomed in the dark~not so pretty~especially without a blow dryer.

Our power outage was short-lived but it reminded me just how much I need my power source each and every day. I need to start each day by seeking the Lord~ we have no idea what a day may hold and we need to stay connected to God. Not only do I need His strength for my well being and success in this life but we were created to glorify God by living in His power and letting that power shine to a lost and dying world. So I ask you this question ~ How long has it been?

How long has it been since you talked with the Lord
And told him your heart's hidden secrets
How long since you prayed how long since you stayed
On your knees till the light shone through
How long has it been since your mind felt at ease
How long since your heart knew no burden
Can you call him your friend how long has it been since you knew that he cared for you.


How long has it been since you knelt by your bed and prayed to the Lord up in heaven
How long since you knew that he’d answer you
And would keep you the long night through
How long has it been since you woke with the dawn and felt that the day’s worth the living
Can you call him your friend how long has it been since you knew that he cared for you.






2 Timothy 1:6-12

King James Version (KJV)

 6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
 10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
 11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
 12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Watching The Mighty Mo~ Flood 2011


With a very wet Spring and more snow left to melt in the Rocky Mountains in Montana ~ the Missouri River through the Dakotas, Nebraska and Missouri is expected to be a huge problem well into the middle of the Summer.

It seems as if it has been a trickle down effect until it has finally reached our city of St. Joseph, Mo. We have been watching as our neighbors have tried but failed keep the waters back and keep the levies safe. 


Up north about 40 miles is Big Lake, Mo ~  the flood has surpassed all previous flood records. My father has a small place on the lake and it has been covered in water. His garden that was doing so well has been replaced by a sea of water as well as his small cabin.

Sunday night we had horrible storms dumping up to 8 inches of rain in most areas in our city and surrounding areas. The rain waters have pushed the Missouri River into a rapid rise of 29.1 feet. This is the second-highest level on record in St. Joseph, Mo. This is 11 feet above flood stage and rising~ according to the National Weather Service.


State officials have closed some main routes to our connecting towns and cites due to flooding. Several businesses have been forced to close and evacuations have been underway for those who live in the flood zones. This flood will affect our city greatly due to the fact so many of our businesses are in the  flood areas. People are watching jobs and money drown in the flood waters. As small rapids and waterfalls are flowing into parking lots ~many businesses are being forced to close their doors to customers.  Many of our church families are being affected as well. Please continue to pray with me for those who have lost their homes and jobs.

Flood waters rise in St. Joseph, Missouri_20110623164504_JPG





2 Peter 3:9

King James Version (KJV)

 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Fabulous Friday At Farming On Faith~ Birds-A-Singing

birds-9-pdphoto.org  Bird 2


It has been unseasonably cool here at Farming on Faith. I have turned off the air and opened the windows. Along with a wonderful cool breeze flowing through my window I hear beautiful harmony from all the birds~ along with some protest of my chickens to be let out of their coop. It simply amazes me still after living here three years to listen to all the birds~ they sing in three part harmony~it is so soothing. Farming on Faith is  kind-of noisy in the morning and evening ~but it really is music to my ears. It sure is different than living in the city. Now My Brian on the hand has his head covered in pillows~he is home today and doesn't wish to enjoy the birds singing at 6:00 AM. LOL


Why do birds sing? 

Birds sing “because they can and because they must,” says David Rothenberg, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “Songs are used to attract mates and defend territories, but the form is much more than function. Nature is full of beauty, and of music.”
Birds sing because they have a syrinx instead of a larynx. The syrinx is the bird’s voice box, an organ that lies deep in a bird’s chest and is uniquely fashioned for song. That, at least, is the natural explanation for their gift.

But I ask you again ~ why do birds really sing?
 Because their Creator put a song in their hearts. Each bird is “heaven’s high and holy muse,” said John Donne, created to draw our hearts up to our Creator. 

So as I am listening just now to God's little hymn-birds ~they remind me that God put a  song in them~ and He has given me a song too. I am reminded  to sing my own song of salvation. I want to lift up my voice to praise my Creator, Redeemer, and Lord! 

Psalm 104:12 (KJV)


 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.



Psalm 104:33 (KJV)


 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.


Here is my challenge for you today
Are others pointed to Jesus because of your song? I am going to sing today ~how about you?







Psalm 40:3

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.


I am taking part in the~Farmgirl  Friday Barn Hop.
Welcome all you farm girls!
I am so glad you stopped by~Howdy!






Please leave a note on the Hen House door on your way out! 


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Where Is Your Attitude Of Gratitude?



Yesterday I was talking to my girl on the phone and Boston was hungry so she gave him some blueberries~blueberries are his new favorite thing in life~ and I heard him say, "thank you." Only I wish I could type how he said it~ he kind-of has his own little language. It was so~ so~ cute. Of course~ Grammy will say so.


I remember like yesterday teaching his momma to say~ "thank you" and "please." Nothing did my heart more good than to hear my children and now my little Boston utter those words for the first time~ priceless. These words make the connection between asking politely and receiving gratefully. 


But as our children grow we become more lackadaisical at saying please and thank you. We somehow let it slip as our children grow older. Shame on us! But even worse yet God's children become adept as we grow older with our Heavenly Father. We can tend to petition more than we praise~ouch! While God wants us to come to Him with all our needs ~ He urges us to make gratitude a habit. 



Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

God urges us to make gratitude a habit. 

In Colossians 3:15 the apostle Paul is telling every follower of Jesus to "let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Then three times he reminded us to remain faithful to God: "be thankful" ( vs 15) sing with gratitude to the Lord in verse 16 and to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus ~giving thanks to God  the Father  through Him in verse 17.


Dr. Michael Avery, president of God’s Bible School in Cincinnati, Ohio, has said: “Very few things honor and glorify God more than the sweet fragrance of a thankful soul. It expels gloom and ushers in sweet peace and blessed hope. Gratitude encourages graciousness.”

Today let's remember to be a thankful people filled with gratitude!

*******************************************
The Evangelists Seth & Bessie Sykes were well-known in Springburn, the U.K, and even in the United States. In 1929 Seth, who was a tram conductor, resigned in 1929, and both of them travelled to mission churches throughout the length an breadth of Britain with a barrel organ, singing, preaching the gospel and retelling stories from the Bible with lantern slides.

Thank You Lord~

Some thank the Lord for friends and home
For mercies sure and sweet
But I would praise Him for his grace
In prayer I would repeat
Refrain:
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free
Some thank Him for the flow’rs that grow
Some for the stars that shine
My heart is filled with joy and praise
Because I know He’s mine
I trust in Him from day to day
I prove His saving grace
I’ll sing this song of praise to Him
Until I see His face



Colossians 3:12-17

King James Version (KJV)

 12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
 14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.




  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

H-E-L-P!!!!!



Happy Monday~ I just love Mondays. I know ~call me crazy~but I always have. To me they represent a brand new page and  I love nothing more than to organize a new week. I am catching my second wind on this beautiful Monday. We have traveled and had company and ran from one event to another~no lazy days of summer so far. I have been reading your post but not commenting much~ I hope to get caught up this week.

Please pray for our city as the flood waters are being released up north of us and we are praying that our levies will not be break. Missouri has bit hit hard by storms and floods this Spring season for sure. 
******************************
H-E-L-P!!!!!!!


Psalm 17:6

I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

As I opened my devotion from Girlfriend's in God this morning the writer~Sharon Jaynes~ is sharing this story.


My husband, Steve, graduated from dental school in 1981. In the beginning I was his only employee: his dental hygienist, dental assistant, receptionist, and insurance clerk.  On the days that I was not helping him, I worked for another dentist in town. I was so exhausted most of the time that our joke became, "Sharon works six days a week and cries on the seventh."
One thing that amazed me when we started his practice was all the emergency phone calls that Steve received on nights and weekends. I usually answered the phone, and asked the caller several questions, one of which was, "Mrs. Jones, how long have you been having this problem?"  Invariably the patient would say, "three days," "two weeks," "a month." I always thought, So why did you wait until Saturday to call?  Of course, being the sweet person that I am, I never said that.
One night the phone rang at about 2:00 a.m.  I groggily picked up the phone and managed a weak, "Hello."
"Hello," said the caller. "My son is having a terrible toothache. Is the doctor in?”
Where did she think he would be other than "in" at 2:00 in the morning? (OK, I’m being grumpy again.) "Yes ma'am, he is.  How long has this tooth been bothering your son?"
"Oh, I'd say for about two weeks," she answered.
So why did you wait until now to call...thought, not said, of course. Something didn’t feel right about the call. Then I asked, "Ma'am, and how old is your son?"
She answered, "27. My son is 27-years-old." 
I was so shocked that I quickly sat up in the bed, accidentally jerking the phone cord out of the wall and disconnecting the caller. She did not call back. I had envisioned a distraught mother with a crying five-year-old. But twenty-seven!
I laid back down complaining and grumbling. "Lord, why is it that people won't go to the doctor regularly but only want help on demand when they have an emergency?"      
 When I got quiet enough to listen, I heard Him say…"Now you know how I feel."


Then I listened to a teacher this morning talk about the very same thing only she stated that we Christians are kind-of-like a piece of steak.   We have a choice~ we can either be tenderized by a good marination ~ slow and painless or God can get out his meat clever and go to work on us. I remember my grandmother taking that silver hammer- like thing that looked like a torture device and pounding that meat to death. (I wonder why we don't do that any more?)  Maybe she was just venting.  

Is it not true?~ Life is easy when you're up on the mountain~talk comes easy when life's at its best but when things change and we're down in the valley~ it is then our faith is really put to the test.  In the valley ~ life is more than we can handle. So we run to God in our hour of distress.  I don't want to be a Christian who only calls on God when I need a 911 call!  

You know how sad that must make God feel when we only call out to Him in need. God did not save us to only take us to Heaven when we die. He wanted to have a relationship with us on a daily basis. How long has it been since you talked with the Lord and told Him your hearts hidden secrets?  How long since you stayed ~how long since you prayed on your knees till the light shown through? How long has it been since you called Him your friend? How long has it been since  you knew that He cared for you?

Oh my friend let's not wait until we really need an emergency rescue to seek our Heavenly Father. My heart is saddened by the thought of my children only speaking to me when they need something!  Your Father is waiting today to hear from you!



I have a challenge for you today. Leave me a comment with three reasons why you love God today!



  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Happy Father's Day~


Happy Father's Day to the best Father I know!
I love you ~My Brian!

Proverbs 17:6


Children's children are the crown of old men;
and the glory of children are their fathers.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Happy Saturday At Farming On Faith~


Oh my stars ~have I been busy. I am going to post it all in pictures.
Since I have returned from my trip to Washington I have been running non-stop.



I made some new curtains and a matching tablecloth for my kitchen!
I found this fabric at Walmart~ can you believe it? 

My men went on the yearly Father and Son float trip minus Alex and Jacob~ maybe next year.
With my men gone what did I do?

Let me tell you~ I went shopping.


I went to the Nell Hills Tent Sale. We lined up at seven in the morning ~the doors opened at nine. We drank coffee and visited in line. I went along with my sister and a group of ladies from her church. We had a really fun time listening to stories from a missionary from  Papua New Guinea. A stalk of celery is selling for $32.00 a stalk there~ made me want to eat celery all day that day. A container of Betty Crocker frosting sells for $50.00. Most all the families live on rice and what they grow in their gardens. My~ we have it good here in America~even with the bad economy.





This was my place in line~there were about 50 ladies in front of me ~
but there were tons of people behind me.







There were six of us and this was our pile~someone had to take turns standing guard and I 
mean you had to guard. Never seen anything like it~ we had a blast!
I took home some amazing items for pennies!


Here she is deciding what she wanted to keep. You fill bags and put anything you think you may want in your bag~then you decide later if you wish to keep it or put it back. It is the most crazy shopping I have ever seen. Hell Hills is a very nice ~high price store but at this sale items are really cheap. 


Nell Hills Store~ Kansas City


Then we took a trip back to Michigan for our niece's wedding.
My Brian and I went alone and we so enjoyed our trip.

Then we had our family from Texas and Colorado here visiting this past week.
We have had so much celebrating going on around here!


We had so much fun with these two and are already missing them.

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday~ 
I am off to clean and get ready for yet another celebration~
It is after all  Father's Day tomorrow!

It has been such a fun summer so far at Farming on Faith!

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.





  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS