Gomer's Lineup

Hi friends of Gomer, life here is full. My three little blonde blessings take up much of my time and I don't always get to do all of the things I would like to do, like blog. Forgive me and let's go forward together.

We didn't get much done here in January, but we did what God set before us to do. I have been working in the bathroom a bit. You can see in the picture what the wall looked like before drywall, with drywall, will texture, and with bead board. I honestly do about five to ten minutes of work in here at a time. It's pretty hard for me to do the actual work without a two year old sneaking in the room and slathering her face and hair with drywall mud.

Let me tell you what though. God's grace abounds to us in February. Yes, it does every other month as well. This month, it abounds in volunteers! We have skilled people coming to work here about 15 days out of the month. I made a little wish list of things that would greatly benefit Gomer. Let's see what all gets done. Show off for us, Jesus.

This past weekend, I was invited to be the keynote speaker at a women's prayer rally in the Waco area. My husband actually led worship for the event. It was really special to get to do something together. The ladies took up a love offering and bought some of my art. We collected enough money to get Gomer a dish washer. What an amazing blessing. It was such an encouragement to be able to speak on prayer. The time spent preparing and with the ladies was truly a sweet gift to me. Then, God just had to go ahead and make sure we knew that He loved us with a beautiful gift. The gift of sterile dishes is one that keeps giving the whole year round. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. 

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Talk to me, Abba.

My grace covers you. Though you feel such a burden from your own sin, I still lift that yoke. I set you free. You are free from the chains of sin and death. You are free to live a life as one beautified and given worth by Christ. You do not need any other symbol of importance or authority. Your currency in this life is in how much I give to you. Spend it well.

Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.

Psalm 60:11

For more on this segment, see this post.

Talk to me, Abba.

Do not worry and do not be afraid. I am with you wherever you go. I have not abandoned you. I have not forsaken you. I am there. Trust in Me. Disregard your self-sufficiency. I will sustain you in time of trouble. I will sustain you in your joy. Keep Me in the forefront of your life. Ask Me what I think first. I bless the man that is faithful to me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

For more on this segment, see this post.

Real Life Real Miracles

I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I opened this book. I didn't know if this would be another book that focused on people getting gold teeth or clucking like chickens. I am just being honest. I think the devil tries to distract us from true miracles in the simple lives of people with outlandish things that do nothing to remind us of the grace and provision of God.

This book does not male a mockery of the goodness of God. It does quite the opposite. It shows the intimate miracles that God performs in the lives of those who love Him. Sometimes, it shows how God reaches in to the lives of people who are running from Him. It is story after story of healing and provision.

There are so many different testimonies of how people would be healed from sickness with no medical explanation. There are stories of physical protection in dark alleys. Countless times we see God's providing hand show up with exactly the amount needed. Each story is ended with the person's name and location. It adds great validity.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was reminded with each page of the great things God has done in my own life. There were some stories about people passing on and speaking to their loved ones in dreams. I think you have to be really careful with this kind of thing. I would be easy to be confused or tricked by something of this nature.

Great read.

Talk to me, Abba.

I want all of you. I will not leave you alone on this journey. Do not think that you have fallen into a a situation by chance or at the hands of an angry God. You have come into a thing safely in My sovereignty. I want to work out something more wonderful than you could ever imagine. I will show you. Ask Me what I am doing. Ask Me to show you where you can bring about My work in this place. Remember, I very often us pain to allow people who are blind to see.

[ David’s Prayer ] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 2 Samuel 2:18

For more on this segment, see this post.

Deadly Little Secrets by Kathryn Casey

A few years ago, I wrote about some people I know in the blog post Pastor On Trial. I recently read the book about the trial of Matt Baker because my mom was reading it and I thought it would be something we could talk about.

It gripped my insides and flipped them inside out. I know, to think that the enemy has not infiltrated and tried to take control of the church is ridiculous. Of course he is in there. To see how far he will go is truly maddening.

I knew much of the details of the trial being so close, but there were details about Matt's upbringing that I had not heard before. In the end of it all, I felt desperately sad for everyone. People were quoted in the book as saying that they couldn't believe a man of God could do this. I didn't feel that way. I thought long and hard about my own depravity and the unrighteous nature that grips us all. I prayed that this whole thing would be used of God to reconcile people to Himself. I'm praying for Matt and both families with great heaviness of heart.

I thought Kathryn did a great job of handling the subject of a pastor in a murder trial. I was wondering if she would take the opportunity to bash Christianity or religion, but she did not. She spoke with great tact and simply reminded people what can be done when we attempt to use religion for our own gain.

I had this type of poisoning/murder happen in my own family and it was hard to read the details of what happened and the completely emotionally detached personality that could carry this action out. How do people end up there? We must grieve for the things that strip people of the simple ability to love.

Vikings, Berlinerkranser, & the King of Norway

So, I'm a pretty big deal. Perhaps you didn't know. Case in point, my mom hands me this article she saved for me the other day about the church my great-grandpa helped build. He was a Norwegian settler by the name of Jens Jenson. In this article is a story about the King of Norway coming to visit the church and see the Norwegian settlement that is now known as the Norwegian Capitol of Texas. I said, "Hey, I was there that day." I turned to my husband with an air of self-importance and asked if I had ever told him about the time I met the King of Norway. I am sure King Olav V was quite taken with me. Sure, I was seven and I couldn't understand anything the man said, but I am positive he was overcome at our meeting. 

Really, it was neat to me to grow up in this little area among people of the same heritage. There were so many traditions that we adhered to as a family and Smörgåsbords we attended. My grandmother had seven brothers and 6 of them were preachers. They prayed and conversed in Norwegian at every gathering. My grandmother used to make these traditional German wreath cookies, called Berlinerkranser, every year at Christmas. Since she is no longer here, I picked up where she left off and I make them every year for my dad, Big Daddy. (I love tradition, but I draw the line at lutfisk. Don't even ask me to make it.)

You can find this recipe on the web, but there is a secret ingredient that they left out. My guess is that since we hail from Vikings that we have to slip a little bourbon in our cookies. 

Berlinerkranser (Berlin Wreaths)

5 eggs (3 hard-boiled, 2 raw)

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 4 tsp. Jack Daniels

Peel the three hard-boiled eggs, remove and dispose of the whites, and crumble the yolks in a bowl.

Separate the raw egg yolks and whites. Mix the raw yolks into the bowl of crumbed yolks. Cover the bowl of whites and refrigerate for later use.

Cream the butter, sugar, 2 tsp. whiskey, and vanilla together. Stir the yolks into the butter mixture, then stir the flour into the butter mixture. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

When thoroughly chilled, pull the bowl of dough out of the refrigerator. Break off small chunks of the dough and roll them out into little strips, approximately 4 inches long and a quarter of an inch around.

Gentle bend the strips into wreaths and place on a greased baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Just before putting them in the oven, brush the top of the wreaths with the egg whites and 2 tsp Jack Daniels. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Crack one open and see if it is done. Gently remove from the baking sheet to cool.

Gud være med deg!

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Your Mansion Needs Some Work.

Well, friends of Gomer, the fun never stops around here. Thursday night, I was just finishing up packing to go to Carolina Creek with Denbigh and the band for him to lead worship for mid-winter retreat. Then, I got a call that my stepmom had fallen. My dad thought she had a stroke and she also had a severe case of the flu. As soon as morning came and the sleet let up, I was on the road with my three girls. The hospital released her the next day and she is expected to make a full recovery. I am so thankful for that. I really didn't help much. I was simply available. I hope it speaks volumes.

I very often look around this house and see things that need worked on. I get frustrated when things are so out of sort because we are always in restoration mode. Then, I remind myself that life is a vapor. The only thing going forward from this life is locked inside of human beings. That is where the true work is and we must forsake all else to get to that work. Now, I'm not giving you permission to be a slob. I am just telling you to remember what God created you to love. It isn't 4 walls or even drywall for that matter. God made us to love people.

Denbigh went off to Carolina Creek and led worship with the band. I actually have no idea what happened beyond the fact that they led worship and there is almost a completely new staff there. I am just loading you up with titilating details, aren't I?

Today, I made a wish list of things that I would love to see happen here. If you are looking to donate or volunteer, let me know.

Volunteer Alert: Come paint this playscape or chainsaw that dead tree.

Support Gomer's House.

Talk to me, Abba.

The time for sitting idly by has come to an end. Lay out in prayer for those you love. Beg me to have genuine feelings of grief for others. Ask me to break you and mold you into a person of compassion. When I tell you to speak, to ask, to serve do it with great mindfulness of your of depravity without Me. Put another before yourself by considering their needs, the reconciliation to Me as greater than your comfort or indulgence.

Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God.

Jeremiah 26:13

For more on this segment, see this post.

Sarah Whitcher's Story by Elizabeth Yates

Y'all, my eldest daughter and I just read Sarah Whitcher's Story in homeschool. I cried at the end of it. Really. I know it's a read aloud for second graders, but I loved the story. This little girl was lost in the wilderness for 4 days and the search party couldn't find her. Her mom and dad prayed and prayed. God answered by giving a man from miles away that had never met her a dream about where to find her. He had never been to the area before, but was able to follow the landmarks of the dream. He found her where she had been sleeping with a bear that was guarding her as though it were her cub. By all accounts the story was true.

What I learned was that God is faithful and He goes out of His way to let His children know the HE hears them. He hears us.

Dirty Salt in the Dirty South

So, I don't know exactly what the "dirty south" is, but I like saying it because it makes me feel wild and crazy. If I am saying something bad, don't tell me. I want to keep living vicariously through my verbiage. Really, it has nothing to do with anything that I am writing except for the fact that I am in southern Texas and have drawl. Let's get on to the story then, shall we?

I love to cook and I love to make things from scratch. I always thought that I cooked quite healthy. After losing more than a handful of babies, I started having some problems with my metabolism, liver, and pancreas. When I was pregnant with our last girl, I went to a dietitian. This changed my life. I had been really tired for some time and under her care I learned that I didn't eat enough, but I was eating too much at one time (I only ate about twice a day). I set out to eat six times a day and change what I was eating. I discovered My Fitness Pal. It helped me track what I was eating and when I was exercising. I took an e-class on smoothies and spent the better part of six months reading about nutrition.

I read all about vegetarianism, vegan (Did you know there was a Vegan cult in the Old Testament times?), Mediterranean diet, and everything you can imagine. I was asking God what was best for me and all I could sense was that there needed to be balance and change needed to be gradual. I have been taking away and adding a new thing each week or so. I thought there would be a better probability for life long change and that my family might come along with the idea.

As for me, it worked. It's still working. I am still working on it and learning new things. I lost about 32 pounds. Before you get too impressed, part of that was a near nine pound human being and a placenta. 

Before I go, I will tell you about the dirty salt. I learned years ago that if salt is white, it is most likely bad for you. All of the minerals have been taken out of it. If it is pink or gray in color, it's loaded with what salt was meant to be loaded with. It still has the 60 trace minerals in it instead of being stripped out like table salt.If you look at the real salt after being used to regular table salt, it looks dirty. One time on the phone, I asked Denbigh to pick up some salt and in the spirit of James Bond, I said, "make it dirty."

If it was made in a lab, it is a pharmaceutical... even if they call it food.

Here's Looking At You, Gomer.

 Well, we have had some serious bouts of sickness here. We were sick before Christmas and then recovered. We went to visit family and were given sickness and fever again. Everybody went down. Even sweet baby Chayah was fighting a 101 degree fever. Right now, as I type this, all the Cherry girls are sacked out and rubbed down with Vick's. Here's to hoping we are on the mend and can get back to work soon. Nothing has been done here but constant tending to of people and wiping down of surfaces.

So, I experienced a miracle this week. I asked God for some provision and it showed up. It didn't just show up, it showed up in our bank account. I am thankful that Jesus hears our prayers and stirs the hearts of saints to be His holy pocketbook.

We also have a grand group of people coming to work on our house for three weeks starting in mid-February. They are retired people who help with Christian causes. How awesome.

My prayers for this next year are to grow what we are doing here and reach out to more people in our area. I'm asking God to clear away our financial constraints so that we can use our resources to love others. Will you pray with me? Specifically, I have been asking God to pay our house off. In other areas, I've been praying for the house to be painted, a counter top, central air on the first floor, and phase two of fence. It's a lot, I know. To God, it's not even the change in the bottom of His bag. Besides, He loves us, y'all. So, we keep asking in faith that He will move.

Do you remember how I took up painting, inspired by the Holy Spirit and my grandpa, and made over ten grand? God took that and turned it into an amazing kitchen worth upwards of eighty thousand dollars. Denbigh raised over three thousand dollars making pie. We were blessed beyond what we can even say with donations and volunteers. I know whom I believed and I know that He is able.

There was some minor construction that came about here on New Year's Eve. We put together the tea party table our girls got for Christmas from Grammy and Big Daddy. They had chocolate deserts at it to celebrate the holiday. Our 5 year old was so excited to kiss us all at Midnight. I had just explained that you are supposed to kiss the ones you love at midnight. I didn't get to kiss my man 'till 12:01, but I don't mind sharing him with all of our sweet babies.

I hope you are overcome with God's blessings this new year. May you rest in His goodness.

Love y'all..

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Unpacking Christmas

How was your Christmas? Full of merriment and fun? Full of deadlock traffic and a car filled with stuff. I'll be honest, sometimes Christmas overwhelms me. There is so much that must change hands for some people to feel happy. I sit in my house completely overwhelmed by all the remnants of the holiday. Where shall I put it all? Do we really need all of this? So, I begin sorting through all we have for what we can share because we genuinely have too much. 

I must say, it is not fun to pack up five people for a week and live out of a suitcase, but I truly enjoy being with family. I love that just for a moment we can get some of them to turn off the tv, talk to us, and have an elegant dinner. That is special to me. I get tired of complaining and backbiting that is so common today. My favorite thing is to share a lovely meal with a friend or loved one and share what we are thankful for, things we are enjoying, and who we love. 

Christmas can be hard as I want my brothers to be with me. They are eating at the Lord's table and I am glad for them.

I cannot even begin to tell you how God goes over and beyond to give us good gifts. Sometimes, God's provision is completely overwhelming. I am a crumpled up heap under the weight of His mercy. He has given me good things this Christmas. I was thinking about one thing I would give my entire family if I could. It would be the gift of joy. May we all release the bitter and complaining spirits we sit under and just be grateful for the peace of Christ. He is good. 

Talk to me, Abba.

Behold, I am doing a new thing, sweet child. Embrace the newness and freshness of this coming year as a reminder that your sins have been forgiven. You sit enveloped in the mercy of My Son. How great is the grace that embraces you. Let this be the year that you share it with those you deem the least deserving or cause the most irritation to your personal life. Remember, as you walk into this season of newness, that you need grace as much as everyone around you. It is only by My grace and mercy that you do not do the things that others do. Even what you have, I gave to you.

"...the love of God is shed abroad in our 

hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to 

us."

Romans 5:5

For more on this segment, see this post.

Have a blessed New Year!