Birthday Bash! and Sarah's Covenant.

Yesterday, we invited the family to come to Heather's house for a celebration of Rick's 54th and Sarah's 19th birthdays. We convinced my eldest daughter, Adeena, that we were planning to celebrate her 30th birthday on Labour Day weekend. Little did she know that we were hatching a devious plot...

When Adeena's husband Jeff turned 30, Adeena planned an "Elvis" party for him. Jeff *hates* Elvis - doesn't like his songs, never watched his movies - just wasn't interested. So, we surprised him with a party which included Elvis posters, Elvis clock, Elvis bulletin board, Elvis calendar, etc. Elvis was singing in the background the entire evening.

Jeff thought it was great fun, but he was wanting to return the favour for Adeena's 30th party. Adeena has always hated spiders, so we planned a spider party.

I went to the dollar store and was able to get all kinds of spiders! We hung 36 mini-webs with black spiders all around Heather's shop. We hung a great web over the door, so guests would have to go through the webbing to get in. We had a HUGE spider sitting in that web, at least 7 inches in diameter. There was a web with a tarantula on the tree and one on the door, and the "piece de resistance" was the 8 foot spider hanging from the ceiling!!

Aunt Sandra made two salads, and she fashioned a red spider from a red pepper and a black spider from a black plum to sit atop the salads!

Adeena walked in, and she realized what was going on immediately. It was fun to tease her about being thirty, and she really didn't mind all of the spiders, because she knew they weren't alive. Now, if I had had real spiders all over the place, I doubt she would have stayed!

Heather and Steve have a great yard, perfect for children to run and play safely. They have a sandbox and a swing and slides, and a cement pad for riding toys. The adults were able to relax and visit while the kids played with minimum supervision in the fenced in yard.

'Twas a lovely day.

The most emotional part of the day, for me, was watching my husband give Sarah her Purity Promise Ring. I bought her a heart shaped ring made of white gold, with a small diamond in the corner of the heart. Rick told her that if she accepted the ring, she was entering into a covenant with her father, to remain pure until her wedding day.

We made a certificate:

This is to confirm that on this date, August 21, 2005,
Sarah Kathleen Billson
entered into covenant in the presence of family and friends,
to follow the commandments of God
to remain pure in body, mind, and spirit.

A ring was presented as a token of this promise, to be worn until marriage.

The ring, chosen by her parents, has special symbolism.
The heart represents Sarah's heart,
which she is giving to her father for safekeeping.
The diamond represents Sarah's first kiss,
which she is covenanting to keep until her wedding day.

It was signed by Sarah and her father, witnessed by her mother.

Sarah loves her ring! She gladly gave her assent to the covenant, because her heart's desire is to remain pure, so she can be presented a spotless bride to her husband, if the Lord chooses to give her one.

What a blessed day it was!

This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it!

The Wedding - July 16, 2005

This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

What a day it was! We woke up fairly early and went to the lobby for coffee/juice. It wasn't long before we had to start getting ready. Rachel, my hairdresser daughter, did my hair (and her sisters') and make-up. All of the grandkids were bouncing on the beds, watching tv, waiting to be ready. The hotel made us vacate two of the rooms, so we ended up with 17 people in one little room! It was a zoo. Normal, for us.

Adeena left to take Becky to get her hair done by the hairdresser Joanna had hired to do the wedding party. We got all of those little boys into their suits, and we adults got all dressed and spiffy, then we headed to the church.

I sneaked into the room where Joanna was waiting with her maids. She looked beautiful and poised, not nervous at all. She was ready.

Just a few minutes passed, then it was time for the mothers to enter. Darlene and I walked sedately (no small feat - I was wearing HIGH heels for the first time in my life) down the aisle, then lit our candles. We sat, then the wedding party began to enter. Each couple looked elegant; they all did their job beautifully.

When it came time for Christopher and Rebekah to walk down, Critter took Becky's hand, but Becky was very shy. Her shoulders were up around her ears, and she had a bit of a frown on her face. Yet, she walked nicely until she saw her daddy, then she stopped dead. Daddy and Mommy both told her, "Keep going, Becky", and she did. Christopher remembered to stop at the end of the aisle before turning to go to his spot.

The music changed, and Ray started down the aisle with his beautiful daughter. I watched Matt's face - he was grinning from ear to ear as he watched his bride approach.

The ceremony was lovely. Pastor Bob gave glory to God in his message, proclaiming that marriage was God's design, a picture of Christ and the church. He addressed the young couple, exhorting them to keep Christ at the centre of their marriage. It was a messaged designed for Matt and Joanna, but a blessing to the rest of us as well.

Vows were exchanged. Then we parents stepped forward, and the dads gave their blessing to Matt and Joanna as they kneeled before us. Pastor Bob pronounced them man and wife, then Ray stepped forward again, and said to Matthew, "You may now kiss your bride!"

We have a picture of Matt and Joanna's first kiss - the look of joy on our pastor's face is priceless. Their example of purity during courtship was a blessing to our entire church and community. It is possible to remain pure , even in our age of promiscuity, if one is committed to honouring God and one's parents.

Every detail of the day was ordained by our loving heavenly Father; He even held the rain off until all the pictures were taken!

The reception was so much fun. Joel, Joanna's 19 year old brother, was Master of Ceremonies, and when he found out that dinner would be delayed because the potatoes were not yet ready, he opened the mike up to anyone who had something to say. He threatened to spray the speakers with a spray gun if they went on too long.

My friends, Tillie and Isobel, got up. Isobel was carrying an umbrella, and Tillie informed everyone that the umbrella was for protection, because she intended to talk as long as she wanted to! She talked about her friendship with our family, then Joel made threatening gestures with his spray gun, and Isobel was quick to put the umbrella in the way. Lots of fun.

One of Matt's co-workers got up and SANG a song that he had made up when he was labouring for Matt, who is a bricklayer by trade. Matt doesn't like anyone to crowd him while he is working, and he good-naturedly threatens them if they do, so Scott made up a song that was hilarious!

If you know the song, you'll get the changes:

Sometimes when we touch, the honesty's too much,
and I have to close my eyes and hide;
I want to hold you, Mortar Guy,
Till we both break down and cry,
I want to hold you, till the fear in me subsides!

What really warmed my heart was hearing the many speeches that praised Matt and Joanna for being godly, serious, young people with a desire to glorify their God. So many people spoke of the character of these two, and of the example they set for their peers.

My daughter Linda got up and told Joanna how very much she loves her, and how glad she is to have her for a sister-in-law. Anyone who knows Linda knows how shy she is, and how difficult it is for her to speak in public, yet she was poised and articulate. I was so very proud of her.

Heather got up and talked about Matt and his antics. Sarah also spoke about both Matt and Joanna. Daniel chickened out, but wanted to say that he has always considered Matt to be his mentor, and that he loves him very much.

Jared, my gentle giant, was hilarious. He said that he could stand there and look dumb - "I'm good at THAT!" but that he really should make a speech. He didn't speak long, but he had the whole audience in stitches. I wish I could remember everything he said.

All in all, it was a marvellous day. Matt and Joanna got up and thanked everyone. Again, I was amazed at the poise my son had in delivering a speech to close to 200 people.

Children truly ARE an heritage of the Lord; the fruit of the womb truly IS His reward.

In Christ,
Janet

Matthew and Joanna Billson

Steve & Heather Ryan & children

Steve and Heather and their children

A Shower for Joanna

Yesterday we held a Bridal Shower for my future daughter-in-law, Joanna. It was a beautiful day, although a bit on the hot, hazy, and humid side!

As the guests arrived, the married women were given a small sheet of paper on which to write their secret to a happy marriage. It was interesting to note that at least three of the women stressed that open and honest communication is of paramount importance in a marriage. Other ladies said to keep a sense of humour, to be your husband's best friend, and to consider him a gift from God to you. One of the women advised Joanna to follow her own heart...she can develop some interests apart from her husband, and does not need to feel that because they are married, they must do absolutely everything together. Some wives don't want to crawl under a car to fix the brake line; some husbands don't want to learn to knit. That's okay!!

We then gave each of the guests a quiz, to see how well they really knew Matt and Joanna. Who would have known that Joanna once really kissed a frog, or that when Matt was a baby he really wore frilly tights? (He had three older sisters, and we lived in a cold, draughty farm house!) We laughed as we shared stories about these two dear young adults who will soon be married.

Joanna then opened her gifts. She was so pleased with the variety of gifts she received. She then gave a little speech to thank the ladies for coming to the shower.

I then gave a little devotional, reminding Joanna of the importance of communication. While it seems easy to talk to Matt now, communication can become more difficult when the stresses and storms of life press in. I told her that she must sow seeds in her marriage that will reap great harvests as the years go by.

Seeds of kindness

Imagine a really hard day. The washer breaks down; no money for a new one. You have an appointment in 20 minutes and you can't find the right pair of shoes. Your spouse begins honking the horn, and you begin to fume.

How will you react when numerous little irritations provoke you?

The Bible tells us what to do: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto your hearers. Eph. 4:29

Don't let a nasty word out! Not one! If you can't build your spouse up, don't say anything.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31, 32

We must choose to be kind, even when we are frustrated. When our spouse doesn't notice that we have done something special, we can choose to react with kindness rather than behaving unseemly. If he is downhearted, or frustrated, or hurt, or even angry, we must ask ourselves what we can do to edify him, to build him up, to strengthen him in his walk with the Lord.

Seeds of Grace

Grace is a beautiful concept. Imagine receiving something wonderful that you never deserved or earned in any way. Gracious speech is speaking to someone with undeserved kindness, honour, and favour. Whether your spouse has done something amazing or not, speak graciously to him. Sow seeds of grace.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.

Speak the truth in love to your husband. Be honest with him. Make sure you have the whole story before you say anything. That necessitates being a good listener. Make sure that what you say is necessary. Be slow to speak, and make sure what you are about to say will encourage him. Gracious speech comes from a heart that is turned toward God. It comes from a life that is filled with praise, because the grace that has transformed that life is viewed with awe and wonder.

I told Joanna that she can begin right now to sow seeds of kindness and sow seeds of grace. She can set the tone for their home, asking the Lord for His help. Psalm 141:3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
The luncheon was then served. All of my older daughters had worked so hard to prepare special food. We had muffins, cheese buns, a pickle tray, a veggie tray, cucumbers with dip, a cheese tray, various cookies and cakes, and all of it gluten-free!

What a lovely day it was! Joanna reminded me that it is only 5 weeks and a few days until the wedding. I can't wait!

Janet

Gardening

This is going to be the year we have a great garden. Every other year, we start out great guns, then we get busy with projects inside the house and lose track of what is happening in the yard. The next thing we know, the weeds are waist high, we can't see the vegetables, and the ducks and chickens are eating more of the produce than we are.

This year is going to be different. Why, you ask? Because we are determined! Also, because my son-in-law, Steve, has a weedless garden, and explained his secret: do a little bit every day!

So, on May 20 we began planting. We planned the layout of the garden, then all of the children got busy. Daniel put up chicken wire and other fences for the beans and the beefsteak tomatoes to climb. Sarah planted garlic, onions and beets. Linda planted Romaine lettuce, Swiss Chard, dill, and peas. Jared planted the potatoes; Elena put in sunflowers across the north end of the garden. Tiana happily planted watermelons.

Day after day, we were out there, digging and tilling and pulling up the roots of weeds that went on for miles. Daniel fixed the fence and planted morning glories so they would climb the split rails. Patrick patiently hauled load after load of well-rotted manure to augment our clay soil.

I am happy to report that the zucchini and sunflowers are up, as are the radishes. Only two brave potato plants have made their presence known, and half a dozen bean plants. A couple of our tomatoes have been attacked, but the majority are looking fine. NO sign of carrots or corn or lettuce or watermelons or peas.

Gardening is an endeavour that takes a lot of patience and a good measure of faith, along with hard work and consistency. We marvel that these tiny, lifeless (from our perspective) seeds, when put into the ground, suddenly sprout and shoot out green stems which search for sunlight! Day after day we see changes in the size of the plants. The weeds are astounding - where do they all come from??? We attack them every day with hoes and rakes, and we are winning the battle. We know that all good gifts are from above, and come down from the Father of lights. We know that no matter how hard we work, there isn't a blessed thing we can do to make that plant grow and produce fruit. We do our part, but we must trust God to do His part, which is really the biggest part. Even what we consider to be "our" part is only because of His grace - He has bestowed on us the strength to hoe and water and carry and plant and dig. He has given us the intelligence to read and learn the best way to plant each seed and care for each vegetable as it grows. All good gifts are from Him.

I have begun a gardening journal, and each of the children is working on one, too. I hope to be able to report by the end of the summer that we have eaten much, canned and frozen some, and have reaped the rewards of our consistent, hard work mingled with prayer and faith in the God Who Provides.

I hope to be able to tell you that this, indeed, was the year we had a great garden!
So far, so good.

Janet

Double-think regarding Terri Schiavo

"Michael Lee Swails of Immokalee, Fla., was charged recently with starving 120 cows. The 47-year-old rancher “was arrested Thursday in connection with the discovery of dead, dying or severely malnourished cows on his ranch last year.”

Meanwhile, Terri Schiavo continues to starve to death thanks to the court-ordered removal of her feeding tube. While the exact value of a human life hasn’t been determined, we now know that it’s less than the value of 120 cows."

~ http://backwaterreport.com/

Just today on Canada AM there was a news report about a man who is petitioning to have the government ban the use of bow-hunting to kill deer. He cited the cruel and unusual torture of a slow death that the deer must suffer if it is not killed quickly by a bullet. He wasn't objecting to the killing of deer for meat, but to the slowness of the death.

All I could think about was Terri Schindler-Schiavo. Her death has been excruciatingly slow in coming, since the courts ordered her feeding tube removed on March 18. I am sure that her husband thought she would quickly succumb; yet she obviously has a strong will to live.

The other day I was cleaning my bedroom and had my ancient, black-and-white TV on for a few minutes. I happened to catch a debate about Terri on "The View" - a show I do not normally watch. Joy Behar was vehemently defending the right of Michael Schiavo to have Terri's feeding tube removed, and her argument flabbergasted me: "The Sanctity of Marriage!" She kept proclaiming that because of the sanctity of marriage, this man had every right to decide what to do with his wife.

This man, who has fathered a couple of children in an ongoing adulterous relationship, has violated the sanctity of his marriage publically, by forsaking his wife and living openly with another woman. He could have walked away and left Terri in the hands of her parents, who were willing to sacrifice everything to care for her, to give her all the therapy that could be found in order to help her in her recovery, and to give all of their time and energy to this poor woman. But no! Michael wasn't going to give up being her husband: after all, there is a lot of money at stake, which he will inherit upon her demise.

This is another case of double-think. Sanctity of Marriage in today's society means that a man can decide to starve and dehydrate his wife to death. It no longer means that he ought to keep the vows he made at the altar on the day of their wedding.

Cruel death means that cows ought not to be starved to death, and that deer must not suffer longer than a couple of seconds. It no longer means that a human being should never have to endure thirst for weeks at a time with only one drop of wine for comfort.

The only thing we can rest upon is the Sovereignty of God. When judges violate God's law and set their own thinking above that of the Almighty, God is not dismayed.

Psalm 2 reminds us of that:

1 ¶ Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion."
7 ¶ "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’"
10 ¶ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

All Power and Authority has been given to the King, Jesus. He will set things right. Blessed are we who put our trust in HIM. Thank You, Lord!


Janet