Throw up the Flag

A while back I found this hive queenless.. they had several queen cells formed and I thought they had the situation under control.  When a hive is growing and breeding a new queen you need to give them space.  If you open the hive on a newly hatched queen you can cause a disruption in pheromones and cause a riot that would make Ferguson look like five year olds on a playground.


Several weeks later I decided to check and make sure the hive was queen right.  It wasn't. Why, it wasn't I don't know...perhaps she was eaten on her madien flight. perhaps she grew weary and couldn't make it back. Maybe she never even made it out of the hive. Maybe the rest of the hive followed her and none of them returned. There are a million "could be's"

Regaurdless, when I opened the hive instead of finding a thriving body I found this...wax moth. box after box.  frame after frame. covered in putrid filth.

While the bees were busy dealing with life, they had turned their back and the enemy crept in.

The hive was three boxes high and I began to disassemble it rather roughly.  In the bottom box, however, I found a cluster of bees maybe the size of a softball still trying to live in all that mess.

It broke my heart.

my bees do that a lot.

with tears in my eyes I started to move slower, quieter. I pulled the two frames they were gathered on and speaking softly to them I looked for a queen. No queen.  So I shook them gently into a neigboring hive to rest and recover and then get back to work.  Some of the bees flew into the air rather than dropping into the hive but I knew that with their hive gone and their sisters in the other hive they would soon join it.  I finished my disassembling.

Much to my surprise when I went back to the fourwheeler with my last armfull of stuff, hanging on the bottom of one of the boxes was a small cluster of the bees that had flown.  "Girls, this won't do.  you can't live here." and I scooped them up and dropped them on the porch of the other hive.  They threw up the white flag and went in.

Driving off,  I got to thinkin'.

So. much. like. me.

So. much. like. you.

us.

So. much. like. Him.

Do we understand that when our Saviour sees us living in our filth.  Struggling through this life caught in the webs of our sin.  Trying to do it on our own.  Giving our million and one excuses as to why we are where we are.

It breaks His heart.

I do that a lot.

But (I love the but) His compassion moves Him towards us.  Our repentance, our surrender,  He cannot refuse.   He lifts us.  He gives us new life.

We don't have to continue living in our filth.

We don't have to return to it.

He wants only good for us.  To give us life and to give it more abundantly.

"And He that sat upon the throne, said, behold I make all things new.
And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful."
Revelation 21:5

How blessed we are that He is willing to wade through the filth to find us.

How blessed are we that He is true and faithful.

All we have to do is throw up the flag.

Tibbers

Over the last year, the word "hedgehog" has been one of the most used words in our home... second, I believe, only to the word "chicken".  And "chicken" wins only because at diverse times people other than Grace use it... such as. "hey memaw, what's for dinner?"  and I will reply "chicken."  It's close people, very very close.

Grace has never been big on academics, she's a natural kid.. arts and animals.  But her hedgehog obsession has done wonders for her desire to learn.  She had a jar to keep her money in and ran a strict budget, shopping on line and buying things as they came on sale.  She kept a ledger of all her funds.  She read articles and visited websites to study hedgehogs and then gave oral reports on her hedgehog findings to anybody willing to listen.

Did you know there are 17 species of hedgehog?  She only studied 9 because the rest were ugly.

Did you know a group of hedgehogs is called a prickle?

Did you know baby hedgehogs are born with a layer of skin holding down their quills and the mother then cleans it off allowing the spikes to be exposed?  Don't you think that momma hedgehog is thankful that the Lord thought of such things?

She made lists and graphs and charts of foods (good and bad), of colors and characteristics, of what she would accept and what she would not accept as far as looks and temperament.

An entire year of saving and planning.

So on Tuesday when she got home from the berry farm and added her wages to her jar you can imagine the excitement that ensued when she found out she finally had enough to buy her critter.

Wednesday morning, after chores, we cleaned up and headed for town.  Half way there my phone died (I always forget to charge that thing)  and we had no gps.  I was ready to turn back but she was determined we would make it.  

"We must look at this as an adventure." she tells me.

suicide... I'm thinking it's suicide.  I can't find my way out of my driveway on a good day.

But, crazy enough we found the pet store.

They had one hedgehog.

one.

who just happened to be the perfect color, the perfect age, and almost the perfect temperament...

She is standing in the middle of the store holding this little hissing, spitting, ball of spikes and turns to me with eyes so big  "do you want to hold him, memaw?"  I'm thinkin' ... I'd rather run my bare arms through a thicket of blackberry bramble thankyouverymuch...no, I'm good.

The last requirement was that he had to have a black nose because they were the cutest... she rolled that little ball around until she could see inside his cocoon and when I heard her muffled squeal, I knew he passed and we headed home.

The entire ride home was chatter..

"He's spikier than I thought he would be..."

"sis, he's a mini porcupine!"

"Not really, they are not related,  I told you this already. and I know, I just thought he would smooth down better. Maybe after he trusts me...."

"I think he is a four-toed hedgehog, I will have to post his picture and ask someone.. I hope he is."

"why don't you just count his toes?"

(blond moment pause)

"Oh. yeah.. (counting) HE IS! a four-toed hedgehog!"

*sigh*

So after a year of plotting and planning the Holverson family has a new addition. His name is Tibbers and surprisingly he has warmed up to Grace pretty quick...although, I'm not sure that he has a choice.

  

now, how am I going to keep her interested in math and reading???

  

Chasing...

It's Spring.  The farm is bursting with babies.  Calves, chicks, bunnies, ducklings and piglets.  I love this time of year.

so. much. life.

Our hives are also bursting at the seams... Sarah and I have been making splits as fast as we and our equipment will go.  But it hasn't been fast enough. We breed Russians.  Russians are known for their fast build up and swarming tendencies.  It's why I love them, they are prolific, it's also why I hate them, we are always pulling them out of trees.


The past few days the swarms have landed in the tops of our oaks...  fifty feet in the air.  I resigned myself to letting them go after we cut one tree down and it failed to result in a capture. With sixty hives on the ground, it wasn't life and death that I retrieve them but still, they were mine and I felt bad that they were hanging in a tree exposed to the birds and wind and rain.

Then my wonderful hubby, feeling bad for me, rented a 55ft boom lift.  His reasoning was it was cheaper than if we were to buy two packages and the bees above us were better than packages because they were my genetics, Missouri genetics,  that I had been working on for the past five years.

This old lady did NOT get in the boom lift.  I am too well grounded for that but Sarah and Andrew went in my place and the photo credits all belong to them.

The bee yard they absconded from.

It is a pretty view up there.

See, I did help. I got them set up. lol

let's catch some renegades.. but first, let's take a selfie.

If you look real close you can see Preston and Daddy 

in front of the gas tank watching.

The first batch of girls was pretty easy, just a bump with the bucket.

Speaking of buckets, Grace and I made sure these two 

didn't get away while the kids were up the tree.

The second batch had been hanging there for about three days when

they decided to move into this little guys house.  

Needless to say, he was less than impressed and 

I think a little thankful to see the bees captured.

there was a hole in the tree that Andy enlarged with a chainsaw.

They then used a modified shop vac to suck the girls out.

It is guaranteed when you live on a farm.  At some point in your life, you will be chasing animals... Maybe it's the bull running through a fence or chickens that get out of their pen. or pigs... don't even get me started on chasing pigs.  And even a little more frustrating bees hanging just out of reach... Sometimes it is bothersome and other times it is downright exhausting.

One thing that is constant, however, is the chase always reminds me of our Saviour's love...  To know the pull on your heartstrings from a wayward critter.  To give up your time, your resources, your energy to bring them back safely into the fold.  To care for them enough to pursue them.  A small picture of a Redeemer's mighty grace.

Have you thought lately, of what Christ gave up for you?  To leave glory and all the comfort it provided to chase and pursue you.  The love He must have felt to go to the cross just so He could bring you safely home... Amazing love. How unworthy we are of it... maybe even more unworthy than a wad of balled up bees...

So I praise Him for redemption.  

I praise Him that when I run He doesn't rest until I am safely back in the fold.  

I praise Him for making a safe passage for me.

Maybe today, you could take a moment to praise Him for not giving up on you until you were saved. And if you are not saved maybe today you could give up the chase and become fully His.

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

He gave all he had for you.

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."  John 10:9

May you surrender to Him and finally find rest in His pastures.

Come Bless the Lord.....

Recently, I was attending a bible study and the conversation turned to having a close and open relationship with our children....I was making a statement that a we had to put our embarrassment aside and have deep conversations with our children to guard them from outside influences.  A friend turned to me and said "yes, but you grew up in a broken home therefore being a close family is important to you where some of us who didn't just take it for granted."

I hate yes buts.. either what is being said is truthful and to be agreed upon or it's not... no but.

I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional home.  My friend doesn't have a clue.... The depths of depravity that my Saviour pulled me out of  would take several blog posts to write and most gaurdian filters would block the posts after they were written.  And the worst part is I was on a crash course to repeat some of those vile mistakes with my own children.

Until.

One day my Saviour asked me to follow Him.  and I did.

He asked me to read and live His word. So I did.

Not perfectly, I assure you, but there were

No "yes, buts".

No "I crave unity" so I will create it.

No  "I learned what not to do" and did something different.

No "by my own might"

Nothing.


If there is anything good in my family ALL   and.  I.  mean.  ALL.  the credit and glory goes to God.

to imply anything else is invective.

Our Saviour walked us through the book of Deuteronomy.  He led us into Joshua and said "This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."  Through Proverbs, Psalms, and in all sixty-six books of the bible He taught us to worship Him and let everything else lay where it falls.
Matthew 6:33


Line by line, verse by verse we fell in love with our Lord, together.

and that made made us fall in love with each other.

Do we have our days where everything is far from lollipops and rainbows?

you bet.

And THOSE... Those are the days we can take credit for.  That is human in action. Those our the days we are walking by "our might".


But our blessed days, our one accord days.  Those are God's... and there is no rock that is going to take my place.

~Luke 19:40

The Blessing of Work...

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

That is, work was part of the unfallen life in Paradise.

It was never meant that men should have nothing to do. Idleness was not part of the Edenic happiness...

Some people have the impression that work is part of the curse which brought sin into the world but this is a mistaken impression, which a careful reading of the story of Eden and the fall will quickly remove.

Therefore, work its self is not a curse but a blessing.  All of life testifies to this.  Everywhere we find work to be one of the conditions of good and happiness. God himself is active 'My father works hitherto and I work'  God is never idle. The Decalogue enjoins work as a divine ordinance. Six days shalt thou labor....

~J.R. Miller 

Praise God for the ability to work. For limbs that take dominion.

Idleness is the enemy of the soul.

May we fill our children with skills that establish order, that they may use their God-given governance over the creative world and take their God commanded dominance over the earth.  May we create bonds through the experiences of working and providing together. May we find ways to establish our family empires and build upon our family economy.

May we build.....  ~Proverbs 14:1

As long as ye do well...

I have been reading a little book by Genevieve White titled "Daughters of Sarah".  I love this quote from the "Our Heritage" chapter...

"If we are wishy-washy in our obedience towards God and disrespectful toward our husband's place of authority in the home we create confusion in the minds of our children.

Children need to know that God designated fathers as the head of the home.  I believe they do know it instinctively. They will respect his position if they see that their mother respects his position.  If they see their mother obey their father and submit to his authority, they will be obedient children. If a child sees a constant tug of war over issues in the family and sees Mother winning out, disrespect for Dad's authority will result.  If Mother is setting the rules for the family, disrespect between father and child will be created.

If Mother allows a child to do things Dad doesn't permit behind his back (such as, watching certain T.V. shows, purchasing certain clothing *even if only worn in the home or saved for when dad is not around*, eating certain foods, going to certain places etc...) she is contributing to that child's lack of respect for his/her father.

If a wife is living in submission to her husband "as unto the Lord" child rearing will be a joy."



....

Wives submit yourself unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  Eph 5:22

Do you believe the bible is the holy word of God?

Do you desire to live it?

Then submission will be part of your life..

You must live what you say... If you want your children to take their fathers council.  If you want your children to respect and obey their father, you must do so yourself.  Children are not fooled. They live with you day in and day out.  They hear what you say... and what you don't.  Believe me when I say this... more is caught than taught.

Rebellion in the heart of a child will first be found in the heart of a Mother.. we must get this right, ladies.


God's word goes on to tell us in 1 Peter 3:4  that a meek and quiet spirit is an ornament and one of great price in the sight of God...


so does meek mean door mat?  No.

let me give you a perfect definition of meek.


Meekness is the silent submission of the soul to the 'providence' of God concerning us. ~ Matthew Henry

Meekness is calm confidence, settled assurance, and rest of the soul.  It is the tranquil stillness of a heart that is at rest in Christ.  It is the place of peace.  Meekness springs from the heart of humility, radiating the fragrance of Christ.  ~Nancy DeMoss Wolgermuth

When you obey God by submitting to your husband with a meek and quiet spirit, God makes it His business to be your defender. He protects the obedient.  Your submission to your husband is your submission to God. (Ephesians 6:7,8)

God honors that.

God honors that in your marriage and your testimony to the lost.

God honors that in your children. Their relationship with you, their father and most importantly Himself.

When you stand in defiance of your husband (even quietly)  you become clamorous (Proverbs 9:13).. odious (Proverbs 30:23).

God cannot honor sin.

You marriage will no longer give life but rather suck life out of those around it.

And your children will follow their leader in rebellion... you.

Does that mean "if he beats me I should stay?" No. God has placed authority over your husband, if your husband is truly abusing you or your children,  you have the right to contact law enforcement  and allow them to move as God sees fit.  But if you perceive a harsh word or lack of attention as abuse, then you need to examine your heart.  Selfish desires have no place at the marriage table.

God save us

from being clamorous.

from being odious.

from being silly women laden with sins.


God help us

to be crowns

to be virtuous

to be submissive.



The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he will have no need of spoil.  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.


Let us do well, without fear.