Dang - 370

Frost on Strawberry Leaves

i took some pictures this past weekend and it was amazing to see the structure in the ice crystals that formed on the strawberry plants.  Time really does seem to be flying by these days and the transition from summer to autumn to winter has been like a hop-skip-jump from warm to cold to warm to frost.  In between work and home, i have a good deal of things to keep up on and grow, transplant, build, write....  Some are simple concepts, some are just emails and prayers to friends, and some are looking to the future and what God may hold in store for our ministry group, my family and friends.

i was listening to an older audio by AW Tozer (they all are) and he was discussing the seasons of our lives and how we transition through those parts of our lives as Christians - Followers and Servants of Yeshua.  Time will continue to move forward and changes will be constant, but the one defining permanence is within our hearts - that Love that God places there.  Love does grow inside and looks for a way to find others to share with.  You can't keep it inside.  By the time you enter into the winter of your life, this relationship with Jesus must be first and foremost - well, it should be in all the other seasons too, but i am referring to a maturity in the walk, a humble confidence in your spiritual stride.  The love that comes out has this ability to melt all the cold that is within closed hearts, like spring blooming forth just below the white winter cover.

The blessing of gray hair and sore joints, they just seem to be a reminder that this time, this season that is upon us, is one that we must strive to work His works while it is still light.  i have sometimes felt like hibernating through the winter, but there is too much to experience and too little time to do so within.  So with whatever you may have at your feet, i encourage you (and of course my self) to let that warm love of Jesus inside your heart come through and pop out of the surface of the cold like impatient daffodils stretcfhing for the Son.

God Bless,

~ ab

ThanksLiving - 363

Something like 80+ people showed up for church tonight and our Thanksgiving dinner and service.  it was more just like family getting together before dinner and then having a really long prayer before we ate.  Pretty cool for a church service.  i'll have to upload a couple pictures to share some of the night with you, some of the family and friends that i have come to know over the last several years.

It really something amazing, what has occured within this county jail.  What God has created here is beautiful.  It is a place of family and friends where many do not or have not had family or friends in their past.  Nothing like real family, someone that truly loves you and you can feel that, you know that these people are real.  So, we had a GoOD night, some singing, a great sermon on Hebrews (be content with your blessings), some fellowship and a lot of food.

Come join us if you happen to be in West Point, MS on any Tuesday night at 7:00 at the Clay County Jail.  God Bless and a joyous evening to you.  We don't eat this well every Tuesday, just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cosmos Bee MegaFlare - .357 Magnum

Opening weekend for deer hunting is coming in a few days.  i grew up in a family of avid hunters, outdoorsmen/mom, and general nature lovers.  There was always a time when we were somewhere in nature or taking a family trip to see the sites.  That is one thing i really miss, the way my family was close before my father died.  We had our dysfunction at times but we were a close family almost 40 years ago.  i share with friends how we used to enjoy doing things as a family, hunting was one of those family outings once a year.  Deer hunting season is a passion in Wisconsin - akin to shutting down the state to support the hunters.  The season doesn't run as long, but it sure runs deep.  :)

As a family, we would come home after the weekend fun with a blessed bounty from the woods.  We would usually process the deer at home.  We would setup in the garage for the skinning and butchering and setup in the kitchen for making sausage or further cutting/cleaning and processing the meat for the freezer.  Roasts, stew meat, tenderloins, steaks... we had our fill of venison each year and that certainly helped feed a family of four boys and two girls.  The time working together with eachother, that bonding time is really what i miss.  i think i maybe miss them more, don't know?  You see, i was the one that moved to the south for work and school years ago, while my family remained in the Nortwoods (typo intended).  At times, like now, i can feel it/them calling me back home.  Deep roots growing up in the north woods... Ojibwe feet.
http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-51.html

Must be the season, my favorite, Autumn... seasons.  This is time of the year to stock preparations for the winter months...  actually we're already in the throws of some decent winter storms already, west and north of MS.  My past recollection of Autumn was always a time to bring in the harvest and stack the firewood, process the deer and fill the freezer with food, shelves stocked with canned goods and plenty of water, or fresh well water like we used to pump by hand.   These were  not considered "preparations" back in the day, but they were common sense and needed in order to make it through the winter months.  This concept of preparations is not in the mind of many these days, it is not even considered by some unfortuantely as we have turned into a drivethrough society in essence.  Time to stop a second and pause in the season, breath in the cool air and see what your heart tells you.  It is time to prepare - start with your heart.

The seasons are changing and my Ojibwe feet tell me that a winter storm approaches.  Bundle up and pray most importantly.  Stay close to God and He will keep you warm and fed and at peace in your heart.  i love the forest in the winter, such peace and solitude.  Blessings and Love, Remember the Strength of Family,

~ antbrother

Plumbago Imagination - 356

Sounds like the combination of a fruit and a recreational utility vehicle, when in actuality it is a flowering shrub with the most beautiful soft blue petals.  In the right growing conditions and a bit warmer climate than MS, a plumbago can reach six to eight feet in height.  They continue to bloom all summer as well.  This is why i have moved these two indoors in an unheated space - my office.  Hopefully they will handle the cold and last till spring.  i have a few ideas that will help, like a large quilt for their roots... :)

Just looking at the area where i have placed these, gives me some ideas on a passive solar enclosure.  By adding a makeshift back wall and some thermal mass in the way of bricks or water jugs, this space can stay warm enough (above freezing) for these plants to weather the cold.  Some simple guidelines for shelter - whether it applies to these plants or some camping shelter - imagine and be creative.

Just One, or 300 Trumpets - 348

 i have been reading through some of Judges Chapter 7 since this past Tuesday.  Pastor Avant gave the message of how God used Gideon and a small group of 300 men to defeat the Midianites, who numbered as the sands of the desert.  The initial group that were to go out to war was around 32,000 and God told Gideon that this was too many because Israel may think that the defeat was theirs and not given into their hand by God.

 So God first separated all those that were afraid and wittled the number down to 10,000.  This still being too many, God selected a few 300 men based on how they drank water.  These men lapped out of their hand rather than drinking from the water on their knees.  This was the few that stood and would stand in the face of adversity and challenge, the few with faith enough.  God then took this small group and sent them out to the enemy camp each armed with a trumpet and a pitcher with a torch inside.  At the sounding of the 300 trumpets, they shouted "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!", and they broke their pitchers.  They held torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right hand.  The enemy was awoken and disoriented and those that didn't flee turned on one another with their swords.  God accomplished the victory alone, while using a small remnant to witness His method. 

Would you believe that 300 men with horns could defeat such a vast army?  Most would view that as foolishness - that is, foolishness to the world.  But God uses the foolish to defeat the proud.

This story has importance in learning how God uses people for His Will.  He selects the weak to show His strength, He uses the few to defeat the many, He uses those who believe and are not afraid to accomplish His Will to stand in the gap.  He needs Spiritual Leaders that will simply Stand for Him.  It just takes one, or 300 trumpets, or whatever simple means that God decides to use.  Believe.

~ antbrother

The Pause "Selah" - 346

 There was a definite pause that began last week and will be lasting through the next few days.  Can you feel it... What do i mean by a pause?  In the Psalms there was often a pause or "selah", which was a note to stop and listen.  (Those with eyes and ears) For us it was a pause in work and an effort to organize and set a new course of direction.  Where i thought the tempo would pick back up was a bit off the mark from where God stood.  i have appreciated the Way He leads.

 Since placing an ad in the local paper, an interest has been cultivating in creating a community garden program.  There are many local small farmers and backyard horticulturalists in the area that we are hoping will be involved and are we are seeking some support from the local extension service through Mississippi State University - Plant and Soil Sciences.

 We've set some basic goals for the program:
  ~ Establish local organic vegetable and flower gardens
  ~ Educate the community on the health benefits of organic food
  ~ Establish a local farmers market outlet w/ Co-Op
  ~ Teach a cooking class using the produce grown

 Part of the process of developing a program is looking to other local and national efforts to learn what works.  The next week will be an effort to organize some simple handouts and focus on locating a property or properties as candidate sites.  We've gone through several site selections this year with no success yet.  One of the best options is anyone open to using their backyard.  That's where most of the victory gardens of the past were planted. 

i really shouldn't drink coffee this late... lol..  Gute Nacht

God Bless and GoOD Shoveling,
~ antbrother
ameiseBruder