Are you Harvesting or Planting?

  Good morning everyone,

  How are things in your part of the world?

  It is definitely Fall here now.  I've been digging my potatoes so I can no longer deny that Summer is over.  Being I use the fertilizer from SONIC BLOOM, I am able to produce quite a bit of food in my little garden patch.  See.  These are from 4 plants and I have 5 rows of them so we're set for potatoes this Winter.  

This last Sabbath our church celebrated it's annual harvest celebration.  I love the name it was given decades ago.  "Harvest of Thanks" has been a special date for our family for at least 2 decades.  

  It saddened me to have to miss all of the wonderful fellowship, music, and food because Robert was still fighting a nasty bug.  However, I am so very grateful that the services are livestreamed so we don't miss out on everything entirely.

  My son, Andrew, and his family were able to attend.  In the afternoon everyone who wants to can share a song, reading, or Bible verse.  Andrew and Marie home school their children and definitely include God in the training of their children.

  I'm including the video from the afternoon service so you can enjoy the blessings too.  If you want to watch my grandsons reciting 1 Bible verse for every letter of the alphabet, you can jump ahead to 1 hour and 1 minute.  However, there was lots of good music (vocal and instrumental) from all ages so I would encourage you to watch the whole video if you need a little encouragement.

  Our church has a tradition of singing "Oh I woke up this morning feeling fine" right at the very end of the afternoon program.  I'm sure you will love hearing that, too, if you have the time to watch it.  I loved seeing my 2 oldest grandsons standing on the pew and clapping along with everyone.  It was such a special moment.

  Well, I have lots of outside work to do so I'd best get to it while we're enjoying the warm days of Indian Summer.  I wanted to connect with you all, though, so I hope that this blog brings you joy and contentment.  If you're finishing up your gardening season, or if you're just beginning yours, I bless you with hopes of a productive and abundant harvest.

  Soon, maybe even tomorrow, our guys will begin harvesting our crops.  We have 1,600 acres to harvest so I covet your prayers for a safe harvest for our family farm.  I'll share pictures of that when we get the combine, grain cart, and semis running. 

  Our crops look great this year but the prices are less than the cost to produce them.  If we didn't have our grain cleaning business, we wouldn't be able to continue farming.  We keep praying for help for all farmers everywhere to be able to make a healthy profit which has been stolen from us by greedy corporations.  Give us justice, oh Lord!

  Hugs to all,

  Dawn

Happy Sabbath everyone!

 

Who is He making us today?

 

Encounter God’s Heart…

Our Family Tree

Jesus is the vine, and we are his branches. We could say Jesus stands at the head of our family tree. Our beauty, wisdom, and divine nature have been passed down to us from him. All of heaven looks at us and sees the offspring of glory. Is this what we see when we look in the mirror? Is this the truth we pull from when we reach out our hands to bless others? His very life, the expression of his power and majesty upon the earth, lives inside of us, waiting to be released. We are radiant. Take a moment and think about that. Our beauty isn’t based on how we look or feel each day. It isn’t temporary, and it isn’t as fickle as what’s on the outside. We are true vessels of perfect glory. When we imagine Jesus’ beauty, we mustn’t forget that same beauty is alive within us.   Jesus, you are the delight of heaven. You are fathomless beauty swirling inside of me. All of your mystery is contained within my flesh. All of your glory has been entrusted to someone as fragile as me. I honor all that you are and stand in awe—not only for who you are but for who you are in me.   From The Vision written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez

Isaiah 4:2 The Passion Translation   In that day, the branch of YAHWEH will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and glory of the remnant of Israel.

Are you preserving food for Winter?

  Yesterday I dug out my food dehydrator and was mortified.  I put it in a plastic garbage bag X number of years ago DIRTY!!  We are talking STUCK ON fruit juice sitting there for years!!  GROSS!  I guess that's what people do when they're too weak to take care of things properly--they put them away dirty.  ): 

   I praise God for nicotine, x39s, and my IronForge red light unit that are giving me my life back, I'm able to do more this year to preserve my garden's abundance than I have in 4 or 5 years.  YAYYYYY  

  So now I'm rummaging through my memories to recall the steps to drying fruit or veggies in a dehydrator.  I am sooo thankful for YouTube where people share their knowledge of practically everything useful to know.   I decided to share this video with those of you who also may be wanting to dehydrate produce for this Winter's delight.

  I grew muskmelons this year so that's where I'm going to start now that my dehydrator is clean again.  However, last year my son-in-law dehydrated various kinds of squash with various kinds of seasonings and they were amazing!!!  That's probably my next project as I have a bunch of Georgia Candy Roasters to preserve somehow.  Why not dehydrate them?  Oh yes, I hear they make the BEST pies but that's another day's mission!  

  I hope this helps someone out there.  Here's to all of you gardeners busily working to preserve Summer's bounty.  BTW.  A book by that name has been my food preservation "Bible" for many years. I highly recommend it for both beginner and experienced gardeners!  

  Have a great day soaking up that late Summer sun!

  Dawn

Are you lost in despair?

 We all fall into despair at times.  Often I think of Pilgrim in "Pilgrim's Progress" when he fell into the slough of despond.  When my children were at home, after we read that book, if someone seemed low one of us would say to that person, "Did you fall into the slough of despond?"  

  Sometimes we just need to see that we're low.  We can be so good at faking it that we just think we're a little "OFF!"  However, when we're really in despair, it helps so  much to have a friend who cares say "Hey, I can see that you're feeling sad today."  It sort of makes a person feel like their feelings are real and that they're really gloomy right now.

  I tend to be melancholy.  That's my disposition as I'm a Type 4 energy.  Those who have read Carol Tuttle's book "It's Just my Nature," have a lot more peace about how God has made us.  I highly recommend reading that book and, if you were in my neighborhood, I'd invite you over for tea and send you home with my copy on loan.  

  Carol explains that there are 4 main energy types.  Type 1s have LOTS of ideas.  Ideas flow out of type 1s like sap out of a maple tree in Spring.  Of course, to the Type 1 personality, ALL of their ideas are GREAT.  

  It takes a Type 2 personality to take a look at the ideas and say "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!"  If you love a Type 1 energy person, you will make their day if you can see one of their ideas that truly is great and comment on it.  Type 2's gift is looking at all of the ideas and picking the best one and make a plan of how to make that idea "Real."

  Type 3 energy people then take the plans of the Type 2s and MAKE IT HAPPEN.  They bring the idea and the plan into the physical realm.  Because it looks like they really DID IT, people often mistakenly think that the Type 3 people did it all!  Not so.

  Now, type 4 people (which is what I am) take a look at what the type 3 people have made or done and say "WOW.  That is TERRIFIC but it could be better if we just tweaked it here."  As you might imagine, Type 4 people can become very unpopular if they don't use EXTREME CAUTION in handing out their advice.  

  This resistance to the Type 4 personality can lead to despair over time.  In fact, I had a hard time admitting to myself that I have a type 4 energy.  I'm thankful to God for showing me, when I was raising children, that they didn't have to do everything perfectly--that they were just learning.  Aren't we all?

  So God knows what He's doing when He creates a family, or a group, of all 4 of the energy types.  He knows that EVERYONE has something to contribute for the well being of the group!  It works so well when we all acknowledge the gifts of the others we live with or we work with.

  It truly is beautiful to observe everyone working together to accomplish a task.  No one person can do it all.  We truly do need each other.  I often think of how the Amish work together to raise a huge barn in a day or two.  Have you ever seen a video of it?  I'll see if I can find one.

  So, as you read this devotional, it seems helpful to me to ponder which energy type God has made you.  There's no fighting it.  We can't change our basic energy to either create ideas, plans, projects or improvements.  All are needed.  All are important parts of the whole.  That's the truth.  

  I hope this lifts you up, if you are in the slough of despond today. You can come to the Lord with your brokenness and ask Him to lift you up.

  Hugs and prayers,

  Dawn

Encounter God in Prayer…

A Cry for the Lost

God, gather the outcasts and bring them home. So many have lost their way, led astray by the schemes of the enemy; restore them to us. Run to them with your mercy. Leap over the walls they have placed in front of you and conquer them with your love. Make yourself undeniably real, once again. I stand before you on their behalf.   The spiritually homeless have nowhere else to turn. Their faith has been crushed to dust. They grasp for answers that can only be found in you, yet they are blinded by confusion and pain. Breathe life into their dry bones, heal the wounds of their shattered hearts. Release them from their self-made prisons. Transform them with your love. You are the victory that brings the dead back to life—the beauty that will soon be seen upon them. Illuminate their darkness with the glory of your love. They will become nothing more than blood-washed fragments of who they have been. I praise you, for the battle has already been won! Your love is stronger than death!   From Prayers on Fire written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez

Psalm 147:2–3 The Passion Translation   YAHWEH builds up Jerusalem; he gathers up the outcasts and brings them home. He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.

Happy Fall

 Robert and I were talking this morning about it being Fall now.  I asked him if he ever knew anyone who calls it "Autumn."  He has not and neither have I.  If you call it "Autumn", I mean no offense but even our teachers in school 60 years ago called it "Fall!"

  HAPPY FALL!!!

Charlie Kirk will NOT be Forgotten

  Once again I find myself apologizing for not keeping up with my communications with you all.  My life has been pretty devastated during the past two weeks.

  Yesterday is was two weeks since our young family friend was almost killed.  John was driving his dad's antique tractor to our local threshing bee.  John's dad, Paul Foertsch, was one of our dearest friends and we were devastated when he died of a heart attack about 2 years ago.  John was wanting to honor his dad by driving his dad's tractor through the parade of tractors at the threshing bee.

  He wasn't far from the event when a pickup and camper plowed into him not even slowing down for the stop sign.  The tractor is in pieces and so is John.  He's still in the hospital with a broken leg and hand.  He's going to make it but we weren't sure at first as John had a brain bleed.  John's still not talking but we are encouraged that he most likely won't be a vegetable.  He raised his fingers to indicate that he remembered his dog.  YAY!!

  So we've all been burdened for John when we got the UNBELIVABLE news that Charlie Kirk had been murdered.  I haven't cried so hard in my entire life to think that Charlie was gone leaving a widow and 2 small children!!!

  I'm thinking of what Joseph said to his brothers when he revealed himself to them.  "What you meant for evil, GOD MEANT FOR GOOD!"

  Today thousands of people are meeting to honor Charlie's life.  Here's the link so you can listen with me.  Right now praise music is honoring our wonderful Savior--the Lord Jesus Christ--whom Charlie loved and served with vigor!

  President Trump and many other Patriots will be speaking this afternoon.  Erica Kirk, Charlie's widow, will also be speaking.  

  In case you're wondering if Charlie's work was in vain at Turning Point USA.  NOT HARDLY.  Since Charlie's murder, the number of  requests to start a Turning Point chapter at a high school or college near you has multiplied into THOUSANDS.  Charlie is the seed that was planted and now people are stepping up to carry on his work.  Just look at the thousands of people at his funeral.

  I encourage everyone to listen to the praise music going on now.  GOD IS BEING GLORIFIED LIFE NEVER BEFORE.  Charlie's videos are being watched like never before.  People are starting to think about God like never before.

  WE LOVE YOU, CHARLIE!!!!!!!!!!!

  Hugs to all of you who are grieving Charlie's murder.  May our loving Savior comfort you.

  Dawn

Rich Sabbath blessings to all!

  Our family has been keeping the Sabbath holy for nearly 30 years.  That means from Friday night at dark to Saturday night at dark we do no work; don't buy or sell anything; and we REST!!

  I could write books about the blessings that have come to us since we keep the Sabbath holy.  Perhaps I'll do that some day but now I just want to say that God has blessed us in EVERY way since we began to honor His holy day established at creation.  

  If you are feeling Him calling you to ponder Sabbath keeping, or falling more in love with it, I hope this article with help you.  The Sabbath is one of God's richest blessings to us.  Robert and I weren't raised keeping the Sabbath, but when we felt Him calling us to make the change, we followed Him there and we are so glad we did.

  Happy Sabbath everyone,

  Dawn

 

The Blessings of the Sabbath

---

Since the law is spiritual, there is no escaping the fact that the holy Sabbath is a spiritual institution. It was a day of "holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:3). The joyful quality of the day is expressed by David in Psalm 42:4; "When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, which a multitude that kept holyday."

The fact that the Sabbath was to be devoted entirely to the Lord, the fact that it was to be spent as a day of joy and praise, proves that the provisions of the fourth commandment contributed more toward making man spiritual than any other commandment of the ten. To deprive man of the spiritual advantages of the Sabbath, the enemy has always sought to lead man to profane the Sabbath day?" "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?" (Nehemiah 13:17). To profane the Sabbath day was, in the eyes of the Lord, an evil thing.

The thought that the Sabbath is a spiritual institution is beautifully brought out in Isaiah 58:13, 14: "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." The Sabbath was always to be a refreshing time when men were in a special sense to delight themselves in the Lord.

A verse found in Acts will explain the spiritual advantages the Lord intended the Sabbath to bring to those who in spirit observe it: "On the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither" (Acts 16:13).

We see from this statement that, just as in Old Testament times, so also in the days of the Apostle Paul, the Sabbath was a day of gathering for prayer and worship. Supporting this thought, we read that "the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Paul agreed to this, "and the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (Acts 13:42-44). Thus we find that, in apostolic times, the Sabbath was looked upon as the day for coming together "to hear the word of God."

The Sabbath is the Lord's appointed day for laying aside all thoughts and activities of a secular nature and for coming together to hear the Word of God. So when Paul said, "The law is spiritual," he included the institution of the Sabbath, which was to be devoted exclusively to things that are spiritual. We inquire: Was that gathering when almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God of "intrinsic value" to those who were present? We find here - and there is no escaping the fact - that the same use was made of the Sabbath in New Testament times as in the days of the ancient prophets. The New Testament references are as clear and plain as those which we have cited from the Old. The institution and its purpose continued. It was not Sabbath rest, but man-made regulations as to how it should be kept, that was the yoke of bondage.

To the uninformed, certain attacks on the Sabbath day tend to breed a feeling of contempt and disregard for it, and that is just what Satan wishes. But it is the Lord's will that we call the Sabbath a delight. The word "delight" as here used suggests something that brings spiritual joy and happiness. This being the case, how it must displease the Lord of the Sabbath day to hear it belittled, denounced, and set at naught!

- The Law and the Sabbath, Allen Walker, p. 57, 58

I'm home again!

  I'm sorry I haven't been writing but I was able to spend almost a week with my daughter and her family.  That's the good news.

  The bad news is that we were exposed to "Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease" while I was there.

  The good news is that I did not get it.

  The bad news is that all 4 of her children got it and are pretty miserable.  The baby got it last night.  ):  I would so appreciate if you would keep their family in your prayers.  

  No this is not what cows get which is called "Hoof and mouth disease."

  God's word continues to be a source of encouragement and strength to me.  While I was there, my oldest grandchild came in the room.  I was just picking up my New Testament so I said "I'm going to read a little bit now."  She said "You mean you just pick it up and read?"  YES

  Here's the devotional from the Passion Translation.  As always, I am reminded that I can go deeper and deeper with God if I let Him burn off my impurities.  I pray this blesses you today.  

  Love in Christ,

  Dawn 

Don’t Settle for Water When You Were Made for Fire

Published by  Bill Vanderbush at  August 18, 2025

There’s a fire that changes everything.
Not the kind that destroys, but the kind that purifies—
That burns away the illusion of control,
That wakes up the soul.

And I believe it’s time we stop resisting it.

The center point of all history—of all our stories—is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When he rose from the grave, he gave us a commission that wasn’t small, vague, or optional:

“Go. Preach the gospel. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (paraphrasing Matthew 28:18–20).

It was simple.
And it was massive.

But let’s be honest—when we hear the word baptism, most of us still think of water.

And water is beautiful. Water is symbolic. Water is scriptural.
But water was only meant to point to something greater.

---

The Water Was Just the Beginning

The first baptisms we see in Scripture come through John—Jesus’ wild-eyed cousin, preaching in the wilderness. The people were drawn to him. Even the religious leaders came, desperate for something more real than their own traditions.

John baptized with water, yes. But he knew that wasn’t the end.

He said plainly:

“I baptize with water for repentance…. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Matthew 3:11 TPT

Fire.

That’s the difference.

---

This Fire Was Never Meant to Be Optional

The gospel isn’t just about getting clean—it’s about becoming new.

Jesus didn’t just say to dunk people in a river.
He said to baptize them in a name.
In Hebrew thought, name means identity.
So what Jesus was saying was:

Immerse them in the identity of the Father. Saturate them in the Son. Drench them in the Spirit.

The goal was never dry religion. The goal was always saturated life.
We are to be soaked in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

And yet… somehow, we traded the fire for water.
We made the symbol the source.
We made the sign the saving.
We baptized into tradition instead of transformation.

---

What John Saw—and What We Forgot

John wasn’t just preparing people to behave better.
He was preparing them to meet the Lamb.

And when he saw Jesus walking toward the river, he didn’t say, “There’s the Judge of the sinners.”

He said:

“Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He takes away the sin of the entire world!”

John 1:29 TPT

Not the sinners.
The sin.

That’s the fire.
It doesn’t destroy people—it destroys what’s destroying them.
It doesn’t condemn—it cleanses.
It doesn’t shame—it sanctifies.

---

Why We Need the Baptism of Fire

Water can wash the outside.
But only fire can purify the soul.

We’re not talking about a scary emotional experience.
We’re talking about the power of God to transform the entire landscape of your life.

We see it in Paul. He wasn’t changed by a warm bath.
He was struck blind by divine light and filled with fire that never went out.
He said it himself:

“For the Anointed One has sent me on a mission, not to see how many I could baptize, but to proclaim the good news.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 TPT

Paul understood: the gospel was never meant to be transactional.
It was meant to be relational.
Not a formula, but a family.
Not behavior modification, but complete identity transformation.

And that kind of transformation takes fire.

---

Why We Resist the Flame

Let’s be honest—fire feels threatening.
Water is manageable. Predictable. Ceremonial.

But fire?
Fire transforms.
Fire exposes.
Fire doesn’t ask permission.

Maybe that’s why we resist it. Maybe we don’t want to be that undone.
Maybe we’re afraid to look foolish.
Maybe we’ve mistaken the fire for judgment instead of love.

But friend, if God is a consuming fire,
then everything he touches, he touches as a Father.

He’s not out to burn you down—
He’s out to burn everything in you that keeps you from him.

---

Let the Fire Fall

In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said:

“Receive the Holy Spirit”

John 20:22 TPT

But he didn’t stop there.
In Acts 2, that breath became fire.

Tongues of flame. Wind. Wonder. Power.

He told them to wait.
To want.
To welcome the fire.

So I say this with everything in me:
Don’t stop at the water.
Don’t settle for the sign when you were meant to receive the substance.
Don’t build a life around trying to stay clean when Jesus came to make you burn bright.

---

What the Fire Brings

I can’t tell you what the baptism of fire will look like for you.
But I can tell you this:
Everything he brings is good.

• The fire will burn away fear.
• It will awaken your purpose.
• It will restore your wonder.
• It will speak in groanings too deep for words.
• It will birth joy that your circumstances can’t touch.
• It will break chains you didn’t even know you carried.

You may speak in tongues.
You may feel the heat of heaven.
You may weep.
You may laugh.
You may fall to your knees.
But you will be filled.

The fire will wreck you beautifully.
And it will leave you more like Jesus.

---

The Invitation Still Stands

If you’re tired of religion.
If you’re weary of cycles.
If you’ve been baptized in water but feel dry inside…

There’s more.

Jesus didn’t just dip us in water.
He drenched us in himself.

You don’t have to perform your way into it.
You only have to surrender.

Let Him breathe on you again.
Let the fire fall.

Let Me Burn in You (A poem by Cheryl Ricker)

My fire refines, defines—crowns.
It is courage rekindled,
Spirit-breath through dry bones,
crackling, rising in your ribs
like Holy rushing wind
hushing fear,
thundering you alive.
My fire burns lies;|
So, no settling for less
than this loving leading breathing
fire you carry like sky carries sun.
Surrender to “yes”
and let me blaze in you
for the healing of nations—
for the fullness of my glory and joy
set before us as One.

_{Cheryl Ricker is an author, collaborator, Holy ghostwriter, speaker, poet, artist, and literary agent, who is passionate about unveiling Jesus to the world. Cheryl wrote A Friend in the Storm, Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus (with Ema McKinley), Josiah’s Fire: Autism Stole his Words, God gave him a Voice (with Tahni Cullen), and The Masterpiece Edition of the Passion Translation, which includes 60 paintings by Ron DiCianni alongside Cheryl’s family devotionals.  http://c}