What a great weekend, the Lord really blessed us with grand weather and fun. I am feeling better these days, as you may know I nearly died nearly 16 months ago. My boys were full of well what boys are full of this weekend. They wrestled in the yard for nearly an hour in just their shorts and then off to catch fireflies with their sister. My wife and I continue to enhance our marriage and are bound by our commitment to Christ to become the husband and wife the Lord would have us to be. A great deal of time time and effort have been devoted to figuring out who we are and where we are going.
Sunday brought a proud moment for me my wife did a great job putting on an event for the women at our church and I was thankful that other women came along her side and helped her bring Glory to the Lord. My sons and I went to the sporting clay range and I discovered they are quite gifted at shooting, I may be in trouble if I don't practice.
Monday brought heart ache to our oldest son he lost a litter of young rabbits. The doe did a poor job of tending young, it was her first litter and I believe she was not sure what to do. My son took it very hard but it was a great opportunity to teach him the truths of life. God's word tells us there will be trouble. He had a hard time understanding how rabbits dyeing could be God's Plan. I explained that through this lesson he would become more devoted to God for bringing him through a time of trouble. He also would be more attentive to his rabbits and learn a better way to care for them. I would hope he remembers Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is a stronghold in the time of trouble and He knows those that love him."
Finally a little about the title of this blog "life on the Big Walnut". The BW is a stream, creek or river (depends where your from) that has a fork north of my house, west of my house and south of my house and one of the tributaries follows behind our place. This river is unique to our area. It is a hard bottomed flowage that has wonderful and rare plants growing along it's banks. Things like native yew and hemlock and the occasional PawPaw. I love to be on the river because it is seeing God's creation for what it is "Beautiful". I love to fish and the following two quote sums up why:
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
"I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution." John Gierach
Closing out the day I remember these verses and I pray I can be this persistent and have the obedience to go with it, in life for my wife and family so they too can experience the blessing the Lord has in store for them:
3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.4But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." 6And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
Sunday brought a proud moment for me my wife did a great job putting on an event for the women at our church and I was thankful that other women came along her side and helped her bring Glory to the Lord. My sons and I went to the sporting clay range and I discovered they are quite gifted at shooting, I may be in trouble if I don't practice.
Monday brought heart ache to our oldest son he lost a litter of young rabbits. The doe did a poor job of tending young, it was her first litter and I believe she was not sure what to do. My son took it very hard but it was a great opportunity to teach him the truths of life. God's word tells us there will be trouble. He had a hard time understanding how rabbits dyeing could be God's Plan. I explained that through this lesson he would become more devoted to God for bringing him through a time of trouble. He also would be more attentive to his rabbits and learn a better way to care for them. I would hope he remembers Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is a stronghold in the time of trouble and He knows those that love him."
Finally a little about the title of this blog "life on the Big Walnut". The BW is a stream, creek or river (depends where your from) that has a fork north of my house, west of my house and south of my house and one of the tributaries follows behind our place. This river is unique to our area. It is a hard bottomed flowage that has wonderful and rare plants growing along it's banks. Things like native yew and hemlock and the occasional PawPaw. I love to be on the river because it is seeing God's creation for what it is "Beautiful". I love to fish and the following two quote sums up why:
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
"I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution." John Gierach
Closing out the day I remember these verses and I pray I can be this persistent and have the obedience to go with it, in life for my wife and family so they too can experience the blessing the Lord has in store for them:
3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.4But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." 6And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
