As I was having my quiet time today, reading in the book of Haggai, I made note of the following:
(From Haggai 1:5&7)
"Give careful thought to your ways"
This is a good reminder that I am not to live my life thoughtlessly.
(Read Haggai 1:6)
This reminded me to be careful not to take my abundant blessings for granted nor to become discontent or obsessed with my work; food; drink;clothing and saving $. God is my provider. I need to remember and be grateful and thankful.
(Read Haggai 1:9)
This cautioned me about personal expectations of blessing when living outside the obedience to God and His specified will/Word. I cannot expect selfish gains while neglecting God.
(Haggai 1:12)
It's refreshing to read when God's people Israel actually listen to Him when He speaks to them through His prophets. Here "the whole remnant of the people (of Judah) obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD."
(from Haggai 1:13)
God responds to His people's response of obedience to Him and fear of Him by saying to them:
"I am with you"
I love those four words from God. They are powerful words of assurance that I need to hold on to the Presence of God. I need to allow God's presence with me to be sufficient for me in times of trial.
Haggai Chapter 2 is God's encouragement to His people as they obey Him.
(From Haggai 2:3-4)
When our work for God seems to us "like nothing" (v3) God says: "Be Strong...For I am with you".
Indeed, His presence and grace are sufficient for us. I should never grow weary in well doing.
(From Haggai 2:5)
The LORD further encourages his people and leaders with this assurance:
"My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear."
Because I have the Holy Spirit, I never have reason to fear.
**As I read this verse: Haggai 2:9
"The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,"
says the LORD Almighty.
"And in this place I will grant peace"
declares the LORD Almighty."
My thoughts take me back to 10 years ago when the Spirit prompted me for about a month straight...every Mon.-Fri. to go to LEFC and prayer walk the church parking lot every morning from 6:00 a.m. until about 7:00 a.m., praying for the church and for God's mercy and grace and glory to fill His house at LEFC and bring peace. And as I read this verse (Hag. 2:9) today, I remember the Spirit speaking these very words of Scripture to my Spirit concerning LEFC. I remember feeling a peace in my soul that God had indeed answered "Yes" to my prayers concerning LEFC. I praise the LORD this day for the fulfillment of these words on behalf of my former much loved church home. I truly believe this day (2013) that God has granted peace to the fellowship of believers/brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ gathered together at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church. And I truly believe that His glory will be great there among that body of believers.
Praise Him!**
Haggai 2:19 - "From this day on I will bless you."
Praise You LORD Jesus!
Amen!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Our Log Home Pictures (Christmas 2013)
Below are some updated house pictures.
We excitedly await Samantha's arrival in a couple of days.
She will be celebrating Christmas with us in Idaho this year, driving in from her new home in Boulder, CO.
First off is a picture of a red fox that Bryan and I watched hunting (and catching) mice for breakfast this morning. It has been SO COOL watching ALL of the beautiful wildlife on our property.
This fox spent a good 10 minutes or so prancing around our driveway and the hill beside the house.
Very entertaining!
Here are two pics from the Master Bedroom.
We enjoyed our first snow (which was over an inch) for this season.
Just in time to put us in festive spirits for Christmas. :-)
(The fox picture was taken from one of the Bedroom windows.)
The above 4 pictures are of our Diningroom and views from the DR door.
And here are a few pictures of my lovely Kitchen.
I love my green granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and cherry cabinets!
And this is my view when I'm washing dishes at the kitchen sink.
Looking from Kitchen towards Main Livingroom area.
You can see we get LOTS of warm and wonderful sunshine flooding the house.
I am SO THANKFUL! (I love sunshine, especially in the winter.)
Pictures of the Livingroom from various angles.
Kelby and Frodo bark and wait at the door to go out.
Kelby especially loves to bark at the cows.
Idaho is a "Free Range" state,
which means that where we live, we sometimes have
herds of cows wander up our driveway for a visit.
Kelby scares the poor beasts away.
This Christmas, Bryan and I had a grand time hiking into the
Payette forest, and cutting down our Christmas tree.
(We bought a $10 permit from the forest service. The permit
secured us permission to cut any forest tree 12 foot tall or under.)
Follow me up the spiral staircase.
Next I'll give you a tour of my Office Loft.
My grandma's lamp sits at the top of the stairs
with a couple cherished pictures.
Next is the bunny Playpen/X-pen so I can enjoy
watching my gorgeous English Angoras playing
as I work in the office and spin their wool into yarn.
My desk and leather chair flank the window
so that I can enjoy great light &
great views whenever I am sitting in my office.
The sheepskin rug that Bryan bought me is warm
and soft on my relaxing bare feet.
On the side of the loft is framework for a future
built-in daybed with storage drawers beneath.
(For now, it is filled with an air mattress and my plethora of pillows.)
And here is my comfy hammock/swing chair.
Behind it you can see my spinning area set-up.
My loft is a quite comfy/cozy place to:
Sit/Read/Relax/Think
Spin
Do Desk Work
And the future built in Queen Sized Daybed
will serve as Extra Sleeping Area
(incase we have guest overflow from the guest wing.)
And right now,
this is what you'll see from my office window.
Not bad, eh?
Nice views of Cuddy Mountain and
the Weiser River.
A Brand New Queen Bed
awaits Samantha's Christmas arrival.
And though the guest bedroom is only roughed in,
it will provide a private sleeping space right now.
Our guest bathroom is almost finished.
[The jacuzzi tub & shower won't be hooked up
until January. I'll post the 2nd bathroom pics later.]
We joyfully anticipate Drew and Jenae's visit to Idaho in January
and
Brianna and Joel's visit this summer.
As you celebrate the birth of our Savior
Jesus Christ,
May you all be blessed and enjoy God's rich blessings
at Christmas and throughout the new year!
Rest in the arms of the Good Shepherd Always.
"The Lord your God is with you.
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17
I REMIND YOU:
Bryan and I would LOVE to have you visit us.
Plan an Out West Vacation.
Come and enjoy a quiet, relaxing vacation in Scenic Idaho,
America's Best Kept Secret!
Seriously, this is a GREAT place to get unplugged from the electronics that consume hordes of time...
kick the shopping addiction and the tyranny of the urgent....
Enjoy a personal prayer retreat or writing retreat where it's quiet, laid back, free of interuptions...
Get to know some authentic, real-life/real-time Cowboys and awesome people!...
and "go back in time" to a simpler era.
Oh, and if you like to snowmobile, ski, snowshoe, cross country ski etc.
Come in Winter.
If you like to hike, kayak, canoo, and enjoy the warmer outdoors (with almost everyday a sunny Idaho day)
Come in Spring or Summer or Fall.
It's Beautiful All Year Round!
We live in Idaho's outdoor playground!
Don't forget us! Come see us!
LOVE,
Cindy & Bryan
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Frustrations of Being Technically Challenged. Argh!
Okay so last week I created my "Bunny Blog" at this link:
Anglic Abi
.JPG)
Cuddly Cody
Cuddly Cody with Frodo
Glorious Gabriel
Smokin' Hot Rodney
Sheepish Shep
Smokin Hot Rodney
BUT...today I wanted to go in and post updated pictures of the buns...and, I could not get into my own blog to update it. Go figure.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but when I have a techo-literate person visit me, perhaps I can figure it out. For today...I shall simply post the bunnies 7 week old photo shoot here. Enjoy, and
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Enjoy the 7 week old photo shoot of the English Angora Bunnies.
Some day I'll actually figure out how to work my technology and then be enabled to post bunny pictures to the bunny blog. For now...here's the latest bunny pictures from West Nest News.
Cuddles and Blessings to All!
~Cindy
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Update on Life in Idaho
Now that we've been authentic Idaho residents for a couple months, I thought that I should send an update as to how things are going.
We are moved in and unpacked.
Bryan is working to finish the garage siding before it snows. His winter projects include finishing off the guest bathroom and guest bedroom, and getting the stonework on the fireplace done.
We love our new home! (After I decorate for Christmas I'll post pictures.)
The views are amazing. We never get tired of looking out our windows. You will simply HAVE to come and visit to fully appreciate what I am saying. Pictures honestly do not do this place justice. You have to stand in the bigness of it all to fully appreciate the experience and place we now call home.
Our home is a very peaceful place. Love it!
We're enjoying entertaining friends from church and our new community.
We're both looking into finding work. Bryan will be returning to PA to pick up his big truck as he's found some trucking work with brokers in the area. He'll be going out regionally, so he won't be gone for more than a night or two at a time(once he gets his truck out here, and the broker has a load for him to bring out from the East, so that will be a nice paycheck right away.) He also has some leads on demolition work down in Boise. Pray that some of those jobs come through, because he's pretty excited about a few of the jobs. I'm interested in part time work. I'm still working on my bunny business, Lanajoura Angora. Here's the links to my website and bunny blog:
Lord willing, I will be selling 4 out of 5 of the baby rabbits from a litter born to my doe, Tia. (See above link for the latest rabbit pics.) I am having A LOT of fun with the adorable bunnies. As soon as I'm done decorating for Christmas, I intend to get into a more regular routine of spinning and creating projects from my stash of angora wool. Those items, Lord willing, I would like to sell as well. So if you are reading this and are a believer who prays, please pray that the baby buns will be sold to good homes and that I'll be able to complete the three projects currently on needles and awaiting creation of more angora yarn (from the correct rabbit "dye lot"...ha ha, just kidding...I don't "dye" my rabbit wool, but I am currently spinning projects from each rabbit so that the color of that rabbit's wool is consistent for the entire project/piece.) It takes a good 8 months or so to gather enough wool per rabbit to make enough yarn to produce a medium length scarf or a hat and smaller piece. Obviously, at the rate I'm going, my production per year is limited to say the least. I believe that once I get into a more regular routine and once I have more rabbits in my rabbitry growing more luscious wool...then I will be able to produce more too. For now, I am content in accepting that I am in process of growing my rabbitry and business slowly...mainly due to the major move and house building factor these past couple of years. Good things take time. :-)
Bryan and I were very blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving with a fun couple from our new church. We were commenting to each other as we drove to their home that this is our first Thanksgiving in many years whereby we were not enjoying the day with our family. God in his goodness had Nick and Debbie extend us the invitation to Thanksgiving Dinner today "since we were new in town (and since their daughter who lives locally had a very full house hosting her husband's large crowd for dinner) they thought it'd be nice to host us for the holiday." What a blessing! We are very, very glad that they did. We had a great day! We were privileged to talk to many of our family members via telephone, yet it was still extra special to not be eating dinner alone. We enjoyed a wonderful day of good food, laughter and conversation getting to know these new friends.
It's getting late. I think I'll end the Idaho Life Update there and write more another day.
We are moved in and unpacked.
Bryan is working to finish the garage siding before it snows. His winter projects include finishing off the guest bathroom and guest bedroom, and getting the stonework on the fireplace done.
We love our new home! (After I decorate for Christmas I'll post pictures.)
The views are amazing. We never get tired of looking out our windows. You will simply HAVE to come and visit to fully appreciate what I am saying. Pictures honestly do not do this place justice. You have to stand in the bigness of it all to fully appreciate the experience and place we now call home.
Our home is a very peaceful place. Love it!
We're enjoying entertaining friends from church and our new community.
We're both looking into finding work. Bryan will be returning to PA to pick up his big truck as he's found some trucking work with brokers in the area. He'll be going out regionally, so he won't be gone for more than a night or two at a time(once he gets his truck out here, and the broker has a load for him to bring out from the East, so that will be a nice paycheck right away.) He also has some leads on demolition work down in Boise. Pray that some of those jobs come through, because he's pretty excited about a few of the jobs. I'm interested in part time work. I'm still working on my bunny business, Lanajoura Angora. Here's the links to my website and bunny blog:
Lord willing, I will be selling 4 out of 5 of the baby rabbits from a litter born to my doe, Tia. (See above link for the latest rabbit pics.) I am having A LOT of fun with the adorable bunnies. As soon as I'm done decorating for Christmas, I intend to get into a more regular routine of spinning and creating projects from my stash of angora wool. Those items, Lord willing, I would like to sell as well. So if you are reading this and are a believer who prays, please pray that the baby buns will be sold to good homes and that I'll be able to complete the three projects currently on needles and awaiting creation of more angora yarn (from the correct rabbit "dye lot"...ha ha, just kidding...I don't "dye" my rabbit wool, but I am currently spinning projects from each rabbit so that the color of that rabbit's wool is consistent for the entire project/piece.) It takes a good 8 months or so to gather enough wool per rabbit to make enough yarn to produce a medium length scarf or a hat and smaller piece. Obviously, at the rate I'm going, my production per year is limited to say the least. I believe that once I get into a more regular routine and once I have more rabbits in my rabbitry growing more luscious wool...then I will be able to produce more too. For now, I am content in accepting that I am in process of growing my rabbitry and business slowly...mainly due to the major move and house building factor these past couple of years. Good things take time. :-)
Bryan and I were very blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving with a fun couple from our new church. We were commenting to each other as we drove to their home that this is our first Thanksgiving in many years whereby we were not enjoying the day with our family. God in his goodness had Nick and Debbie extend us the invitation to Thanksgiving Dinner today "since we were new in town (and since their daughter who lives locally had a very full house hosting her husband's large crowd for dinner) they thought it'd be nice to host us for the holiday." What a blessing! We are very, very glad that they did. We had a great day! We were privileged to talk to many of our family members via telephone, yet it was still extra special to not be eating dinner alone. We enjoyed a wonderful day of good food, laughter and conversation getting to know these new friends.
It's getting late. I think I'll end the Idaho Life Update there and write more another day.
Link to my Bunny Blog
Hey all,
As I often have baby bunny pictures to post, I decided that I'd like to have a Blog devoted just to the buns and my rabbit stuff; while reserving this blog for Bryan and my "news" and "views"/ life updates.
So if you want to keep up with the bunny pictures....go to my Bunny Blog Link
http://englishangora.blogspot.com/
The rest of my WestNestNews Blog will be void of the bunny pics etc.
It was an personal organizational move on my part to create a blog devoted solely to my rabbits.
So, if you are a fan of the bun pics...go to the bunny blog above.
As I often have baby bunny pictures to post, I decided that I'd like to have a Blog devoted just to the buns and my rabbit stuff; while reserving this blog for Bryan and my "news" and "views"/ life updates.
So if you want to keep up with the bunny pictures....go to my Bunny Blog Link
http://englishangora.blogspot.com/
The rest of my WestNestNews Blog will be void of the bunny pics etc.
It was an personal organizational move on my part to create a blog devoted solely to my rabbits.
So, if you are a fan of the bun pics...go to the bunny blog above.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)