How does God know?

 The Lord knows the desires of our hearts, doesn't He?  

  Two years ago, when my dog Bailey ran away, (when I was gone for several weeks helping Cora and her family welcome their newest baby) I decided that I couldn't handle having a dog anymore. It's not that I don't love dogs, it's that I couldn't handle LOOSING the dogs I love.  );

  So dogs haven't interested me much these past 2 years.  I'd smile when people talk about their dog, because I know how wonderful it is to be loved by a dog, but I had no desire for one of my own.  Having that close bond, thinking of sitting on the deck with Robert and our dog, was too painful to have loved and lost!!!

  So I was done with dogs.  

  Then my son, Jacob, fell in love and proposed and they're getting married in October.  I didn't think I could be happier BUT as I just said "The Lord knows the desires of our hearts!"

  Sharon needs to be gone for a few days to get her wedding gown fitted.  I offered to watch HER dog, Lyla, so her dog doesn't have to be moved around so much.

  Robert and I have been slowly earning Lyla's trust so I wasn't too nervous to make the offer.  Still, when Lyla showed up on my deck this morning, and the reality of having a dog here for a couple of days sunk in, I've noticed that my feathers kind of are ruffled.  

  I'm telling myself, "She is NOT my dog!"  Still, something tells me that she most likely will become a community dog. LOL

  So there's a dog back in my life.  YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  A friend calls her son's dog her GRAND-DOG.  I suppose that Lyla is my grand-dog now.  

  Everyone meet Lyla!  She's mellow.  She doesn't show the slightest interest in chasing vehicles and YES, I love her already.  I imagine that you'll be hearing more about Lyla in the days ahead.  ;)

  Here's to dogs and God's ways of giving us the desires of our hearts.

  Dawn

  PS.  Do you have a dog?

I Have an Idea!

 Hi everyone,

  How are you all doing today?

  I have an idea.

  I've been praising God nearly constantly for sending us that inch and a half of rain last week.  I am thoroughly convinced that He did that because so many of us around the world asked him to do so!  YAY GOD!!!  

  Then I got to thinking about what would happen if we joined forces to help each other.  I was pondering that when I got this idea and I do believe it's from God.

  He asked me to declare a prayer project every week.  For instance, when we all pray for people and families who are dealing with cancer, our joint prayers would help EVERY cancer patient around the world even though we don't know who all is dealing with that nightmare.  What do you think of that idea?

 Being I can't think of anything more pressing for so many people, let's start with that.  OK?  

 A friend from church named Michelle is dealing with cancer.  Being she still believes that the medical system can help her, she's going through chemo...  Yesterday she came to church WITHOUT ANY HAIR!

Being I've killed cancer growing in or on my body MANY times through natural means, I want to scream "There's a better way!"  Still, who listens to an old lady who limps due to 20+ years of MS? 

  Anyway, please join me in praying for Michelle to conquer the cancer that is trying to remove her from her life and our church.

  I'll be praying for all of your loved ones who have cancer right now.  

  Let's use our united prayers to help all cancer patients and those w ho love them this week!

  I'll see if I can find a poem about this.  Be right back.

  Ahhh.  I love this one.  Let's all get quiet this week and lift up those with cancer to our Father.  Jesus healed EVERY person who came to Him asking for help.  HE STILL DOES!!

  Love you bunches,

  Dawn

 

Quiet Times With God ~

By Deborah Ann Belka

A quiet time with God,
a time of drawing
a time to meet Him
at morning’s dawning.

A time to get close,
a time to come near
a time to let go of . . .
all our doubt and fear.

A quiet time with God,
a time to be praising
a time to let Him hear
our thanksgiving’s raising.

A time of serenity,
a time full of peace
a time for our gratitude
onto Him to release.

A quiet time with God,
a time to carve out and share
a time to go to Him . . .
with our praise and prayer!

~~~~~~~~

Mark 1:35

And in the morning,
rising up a great while
before day, he went out,
and departed into a
solitary place,
and there prayed.

The Difference Prayers Make!

 Hello everyone,

  I cannot tell you how excited I am to have you readers in my life!!  I'm pretty sure we won't meet until we get to Heaven but we're together down here.  I know that now more than ever!! 

  After nearly 6 weeks without rain here in the Great Plaines of the US, I asked you to pray that our farm would get desperately needed rain.  Within hours the rain started falling and my heart is full of gratitude to each one of you who prayed for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  That night we got 3/4 of an inch of rain!!!  Not only that, but last night we got another 3/4 of an inch! That's an INCH AND A HALF of rain in the 2 days following my asking for your help!  It's a MIRACLE!!!!!!

  This rain will green up the pastures for the cattle so ranchers won't have to thin their herds before Winter.  This means a lot to me as I've had cattle in my life as a daughter; a wife; and as a mother.  

  When I asked Robert (my husband) if it's enough rain to save our crops, he wasn't sure.  It certainly would have done so a month ago but it may be too late to help with the corn crop as many of those plants were drying up already.  However, the soybeans may now produce a small crop for us.

  Robert and I went out last Sabbath to check the crops together.  He hadn't done that in 3 weeks as it was too depressing to see all of our hard work shrivel up without rain.  Last week I went with him as I was feeling better.

  I asked to see a soybean plant and Robert pulled one out for me.  There were about 10 pods on it but the beans were so small they didn't even bulge the pods like peas do when they're growing.  It was truly heartbreaking for my farmer husband so I was glad he wasn't alone.

  So now, with these 2 rains, we have hopes that those pods might start filling.  We get an early frost here, around September 15th, so they need to fill fast.  

  I appreciate every prayer that you sent but, as the Lord leads you, please keep praying for about an inch of rain a week.  Then those pods will fill and we'll have a reason to take out the combine this Fall.  

  I value you all taking the time to read my thoughts here!  One of my goals, in starting this blog over a decade ago, was to share things that give me hope.  Now you are giving me hope and it couldn't come at a better time.

  This year in our family we're having 2 babies and my son is getting married in October.  It's all wonderful but it isn't without stress.  My daughter's baby was another preemie so I spent 2 1/2 weeks at their house helping with the 5 children.  My daughter-in-law will give birth soon and that will be their 5th child.  This time it's a girl after 4 boys so their family is super excited.  I'm sure the boys will spend more and more time with us as the birth approaches.

  Then the wedding is going to be the highlight of the year as our youngest child has waited many many years to find his true love.  He's now 30 but she was worth the wait!  It happened to work out that they're getting married on our 46th wedding anniversary!!  

  I'll be singing at the wedding as I have at our other 2 children's weddings.  I was trained by a professional singer, when I was young, and I have sung at countless weddings but singing at my children's has a bit more stress to do a perfect job that I never felt while singing at any other weddings.  ;)

  So, to have the farm having hope of a crop, because of your prayers, is a joy that I can't put into words and that is not usually hard for me.  :)  It will help to pay for the wedding, too, and all of those baby gifts.  LOL   Did I say that I hosted a baby shower here a few weeks ago?  

  It's always been a joy to be a part of the family of God, these past 57 years, but experiencing your prayers for our farm brings tears of joy as I ponder it.  THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!

  Dawn

  PS.  I'll see if I can find some pictures of soybean fields with and without rain so you can see the difference.  

 

YOUR PRAYERS WORKED!!!

 PRAISE THE LORD!!!

  We went to bed listening to the RAIN ON THE ROOF!

  We weren't too excited because it could just be a sprinkle BUT, as we listened, the rain INCREASED!!!

  There was a LOT of thunder, too, so I thanked God for making HIS magnificent voice heard in the skies over our farm!

  I had a feeling that, if we got enough people praying, God would hear our cries and send the rain and HE DID!!!

 I'm not sure how much rain we actually got.  I just got back from checking the rain gauge but it was empty.  Robert must have emptied it, after he checked it, on his way to work.  I texted him to ask how much rain fell here last night but I haven't heard back.  We may have to wait until supper as I pack his lunch every day.

  Everything was wet outside!!!!!!  I am sooo happy.  Now the pastures will green up again and perhaps our crops will be saved.  

 I can't thank you enough for praying for us and our farm. May God bless you all who took time to hear my cry for more prayer support yesterday!!

  OH SO HAPPY!

  I don't have much time to write as I'm hosting Bible study today at my house.  Once a month we neighborhood ladies get together to study God's word.  Then we take prayer requests and take them to the Lord together.  It's such a special time for all of us as we leave knowing that we are being prayed for!  

  I'm praying for you too!

  Dawn

When will God send RAIN?

 As our crops dry up, so does our hope.  Unless you're a farmer who plants seeds for weeks in the Spring and watches them take off beautifully, it may be hard to imagine the grief we're experiencing as our work shrivels beneath the hot dry winds.  

  It's been about a month and a half since we've had any rain more than a few drops.  Praying and fasting have not brought rain so this drought must be straight out of hell.  Platitudes like "God is in control" or "It's for the best" do nothing to comfort a farmer's aching heart!!!  

  I always try not to write negative things here without giving the bright side.  Right now I can't see any bright side.  That makes me think I shouldn't even be taking your time since I can't see any ray of hope without rain coming this week.  However, should enough people pray for us to get rain, it may overwhelm the great enemy holding it back.

  I think often, from the book of Daniel, where he was praying and fasting.  Nothing changed.  Suddenly Gabriel appeared.  He said he was trying to get to Daniel for 21 days but the evil forces over the area kept him from coming to Daniel's aid.  After enough prayers had reached Heaven, God send Michael the Archangel to answer Daniel's prayers.

  Folks, our farm SEEDS OF HONOR needs more prayer to break this drought.  Will you please join us in praying for God to send rain to South Central North Dakota USA?   

  Most of the corn around here has shriveled up.  What  could have been a saleable crop, most likely will now be sold to neighbors who have cattle.  They'll bring in machinery to chop up the whole stalks into silage.  We'll get paid pennies instead of dollars.  Only once before, in our lifetime of farming, have things gotten this bad.

  Again, please pray with us for rain to come to South Central North Dakota.  May God bless you for your prayers.

  Pretty sad,

  Dawn  

THIRST MARK

Another week, the sky a blank sheet.

Everything just dries up, slow.

No one cares until the crack

is too deep, until the last thing dies.

My sad tomato plant, the only thing

I bother with. Water, poured slow,

disappears instantly into the soil,

like it never hit. The brittle grass

crunches under my worn-out boot.

Dust coats the porch rail, thick

as bad intent. A low, distant rumble,

just the sound of a dry riverbed

shaking itself apart. And nothing

left to say but wait.

WHAT A PARTY!!!

 Hi everyone,

  We woke up to rain on the roof which thrilled Robert and I that maybe--just maybe- our crops can be saved!  Please pray that the rains continue as the crops have been shriveling up for weeks now. );  It is so heavy to live through this kind of heat with the understanding that all of our work may end up in no crop to sell.  

  On the bright side, we had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday!!  Friends came and our neighborhood ladies all brought some food to share!  It reminded me of how much can be done when people work in unity.  

  It was marvelous how the ladies converted my home into a dreamy place.  I'll see if I can figure out how to get photos from my phone to my computer!  You know what a techie I am NOT!

  My daughter and her 6 children traveled here from MN.  Her husband wasn't able to get away from the farm so her mother-in-law drove her here.  It's a long journey for little people but they have a new/used 8 passenger mini-van complete with DVD players.  ;)

  I loved this devotional this morning.  In my weakness, the Lord still used my home to be a haven for family and a special party gathering place for the shower.  Everyone helped and everyone rejoiced in making happy family/community memories together!

  Bummer.  I'm not getting pictures to transfer but I'll keep trying.

  Much love to all of you praying friends out there!

  Dawn

I Hear His Whisper...

Search for me.

To love me with all of your heart means to bow before my glory. Many sing the songs of my glory, but when I bring the fullness of my presence to you, it requires you to bow before me in sacred reverence. I dwell in light unapproachable. I am transcendent—different from anything you have known on this earth. Search for me, and you will learn what it means to fear the Lord. Live in the awareness of my omnipotence and majesty. Know me as Savior and Friend, but humbly yield to me as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. As you live out of the place of awe and reverence, I beckon you closer. I purify you and make you more like me. Remember that I have called you to be a vessel of my holy presence. My great Spirit dwells within you. To fear me doesn’t mean you stand far off, eyes averted, heart pounding, with the awareness of your sin screaming for its punishment. Instead, humble fear of me reminds you of the power of my love, extended in mercy—not pushing you away, but pulling you close.

I Hear His Whisper written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez

Acts 9:31 TPT

After this, the church all over Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a season of peace. The congregations grew larger and larger, with the believers being empowered and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. They worshiped God in wonder and awe, and walked in the fear of the Lord.