Gove County Border Prayer

According to Blackmar’s History of Kansas, the county was named after Grenville L. Gove a Union soldier, son of Moses Gove. At the time of the Civil War, Grenville L. enlisted in Company F, Sixth Kansas Cavalry as a private but soon made corporal and later captain.

Trails of Gove County

Living creatures make many trails and leave a fascinating history. Gove county has trails made by the many buffalo that once roamed here. Trails were left by deer, coyotes, pheasants, rabbits and many other wildlife. Indians, pioneers, explorers, soldiers and other people left their marks on many trails in this county. The Pawnee, Kaw, Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapahoe Indians all lived in this county at one time or another. Travelers and pioneers traveled on the Smoky Hill Trail and the Butterfield Trail. Cattle drives used the Texas to Buffalo Park trail. The railroad too made their own trail.

A trail of prayer was our assignment one day this week. We’ve agreed to be prayer contacts for our county. During Covid our pastor encouraged his congregation to drive their community and pray over the city or the region once a week. This seemed like a great way to serve our community while everyone was housebound. This led in natural progression to praying over the borders of cities, counties, states and nations.

Gove county is 30 by 36 miles. There are some incredibly unique geographic formations in this county and diverse types of terrain. Our little house on the prairie is located on some flat farmland that is perfect for growing crops. The south part of the county along the Smoky Hill River is rough, hilly and less populated. The population was estimated at 2,683 in the county in 2014. The county covers 1,071.8 miles.

We traveled 190 miles and were on the road for five hours. We traveled to the four corners of our county and prayed, took communion and placed oil in every corner. These corners were not easy to access. All of the roads were rough gravel roads and due to recent rains, they were had deep ruts in some of them. We crossed cattle guards and drove through herds of cows passing through Pyramid Rocks. In some parts of the county there were no roads, only fields and pastures. Castle Rock is another unique formation found here. Many fossils, arrow heads and shark teeth have been found in these areas.

“When America’s early pioneers first turned their eyes toward the West, they did not demand that somebody take care of them if they got ill or got old. They did not demand maximum pay for minimum work, and even pay for no work at all.”
Paul Harvey

It was a good journey around Gove County. Much prayer was needed for the agriculture and farmers in the region. And as with all places there are many concerns among our neighbors. Grief, struggle, anxiety, fear, and disappointment are just a few of them. So, we prayed and asked that we could help our county and its citizens in the everyday walk of this journey called life. That the Lord would comfort and encourage them and show them the best pathway for their life. Thank you, Lord for hearing our prayers.

Praying the Kansas Border

My husband and I took our tiny camper and drove 1550 miles around the border of Kansas. We stopped and anointed each border county in Kansas and felt led to leave a stalk of wheat. We decreed and prayed to the Lord of the Harvest for a tremendous harvest of souls in Kansas and more workers for the harvest. (Matt. 9:37-39) We spent time praying in each corner and at the geographic center of the 48 states.

Our goals were to

Anchor Kansas in Hope
Appeal to Heaven
Apply the Oil
Activate the Harvest of Souls

We spent time at Mt. Sunflower also. It was a beautiful green at Mount Sunflower, and some friends met us there. Connie played the shofar, and that was so powerful. The warfare seemed intense there, and we were exhausted after we left. It was difficult part of the journey but rewarding. We thank our dear friends for organizing this.

As I prayed about what we could leave in each county and at the geographic center, I thought about seeds. But because we are retired farmers and love this season of harvest, I felt the Lord say this is the season of harvest, not planting. So I gathered stalks of wheat that we carried and left one in each county as we prayed and decreed. It is not time to plant seeds, but it is the time to call in the workers for the harvest because it is harvest time. Matt. 9:37-38. So using our Appeal to Heaven flag we asked the Lord of the Harvest for more workers to bring the great harvest of souls in.

As we drove around the border of Kansas, we thought about all the green we saw the entire way. There was never a more beautiful time to drive the Kansas border as we saw the lushness of green. The harvest of the ripe wheat was a beautiful sight to see also. We saw wheat that would not be cut, due to the early drought, and wheat that was hailed out, and wheat that was being harvested and wheat that was ready for harvest.

We met wonderful people on our journey and met a couple from Atlanta, Georgia at the geographic center of the United States. They said Kansas is beautiful. And we certainly had to agree.

We read Give Him 15 by Dutch Sheets every morning and we have read Gina Gholston’s book “Carry On”. We felt led to take our teardrop that has Psalms 139:25 and Proverbs 3:6 painted on the sides of it and drive the borders.

We were met with a bald eagle that sat in a tree outside of Baxter Springs and waited for us to get his picture. We had to turn around, change camera lenses and get some nice photos. His head was held high. What a beautiful sign from God!

We prayed at the Mine Battlefield museum, and were particularly touched by the battle that took place here in the Civil War. We are in a battle now, not physical but spiritual. The Union forces won this battle in one hour, even though they were out numbered 8000 to 1200 troops. We read the “Gettysburg Address” here and sang all the verses of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” This was a very moving experience. My husband said the Union troops had the advantage by being on the higher ground. May we battle this fight with the full armor of God from the higher ground.

In several counties, we used the words of Abigail Adams in the letter she wrote to her husband on June 20, 1776. These words seemed to be very fitting words. She wrote, “I feel no anxiety at the large armament designed against us. The remarkable interpositions of heaven in our favor, cannot be too gratefully acknowledged. He who fed the Israelites in the wilderness, who clothes the lilies of the field, and who feeds the young ravens, when they cry, will not forsake a people engaged in so right a cause, if we remember his loving kindness.”

In White Cloud, KS in the NE corner of the state a beautiful zebra striped swallowtail butterfly landed at my feet and flew in between my legs several times while three hawks (we weren’t sure what kind of birds they were) soared high above our heads.

At the geographic center of the United States, we soaked several stalks of wheat in oil of frankincense and left them there. As we were leaving, I felt the song “Spring Up Oh Well” in my spirit. We prayed and decreed in the tiny chapel. This is another key spot. We braided three stalks of wheat together and left it there. This represents the three strand cords’ strength. Our God is so faithful.

We came home, exhausted, but thrilled that the Lord had given us, safety, protection, and many prayer warriors to help us complete this journey.

Springtime on the Prairie

May has come and gone and June is here. Springtime has come to this prairie, the place where thousands of buffalo or bison used to roam. I can still find on our land the places that my grandfather pointed out to me as buffalo wallows. The indentation in the ground is still there. The bison here weighed from 1800 to 2200 pounds. When they rolled on their backs in a mud puddle, they packed that ground so that even 100 years later the indentation is still there. Just three miles from our spot on the prairie thousands of bison were killed in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Thankfully, they are being restored in many places.

Today on the prairie we don’t see the bison roaming free anymore. The buffalo grass is still covering many acres in this area. It is the perfect grass for this country. In this drought it continues to hold the soil to the ground when our winds blow as long as it is not over grazed. With just a tiny rain the buffalo grass comes to life and greens up and begins to grow. We are celebrating today as we had almost an inch of rain today. It has been at least a year since we’ve had an inch of rain. It was a beautiful sight to see and hear. Almost immediately the Buffalo grass comes to life and begins to green and grow. It will provide great nourishment to cow and sheep herds in the area.

“Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charges toward it and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong torment, I become the buffalo.”
Wilma Mankiller

Our God, our Creator knew what He was doing when He said this is the right prairie for this grass. It will do well here and it will sustain the livestock in this region. I celebrate His wisdom and His creation. I love to see how He made the tiny hummingbirds to fly and how the neck of a giraffe works. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1) Over and over again in Genesis it states “And God saw that it was good.” (verses 4, 12, 18, 21, 25). Psalms 104:31 says, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in His works.” In His creation, we see His glory. And that is worth celebrating. The firmament proclaims His handiwork. As it says in Psalm 19.

“I rejoice in what I have, and I know that fresh new experiences are always ahead. I greet the new with open arms. I trust life to be wonderful.
Louise Hay

Psalms 104:14 says, Thou dost cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth.

Celebrating means to praise, to extol, to commend; in my online dictionary from 1828. It means to honor or distinguish by ceremonies and marks of joy and respect. The Lord has been speaking to my heart that it is time to celebrate

This month of May has found us celebrating the high school graduation of two of our grandsons. We are so thankful that these days of celebration were not on the same day and the Farmer Grandpa and I could attend both parties. We are excited to see how these young men will take on life and the great adventure ahead for both of them. Life is just beginning for them. Grandpa writes a Faith Vision or Blessing over each grandchild as they graduate high school. We wrote one for each of them when they were born but Grandpa thinks that as they step into adulthood his desire is to send them off with a blessing from God. He has been able to speak this blessing over four of our grandchildren now. How they are growing up when the Farmer and I are still so young is hard to understand.

“Celebration has many different outfits, but she always wears the same beautiful dancing shoes.”
Mary Anne Radmacher

These times we live in are ripe for celebration! These are troubling times, but God is with us, He never fails us and He carries us through. My heart can get so grieved and sad as I see things in the world that my grandchildren will have to deal with long after I’m gone. But God has given us a mandate for a good life: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.” Phil 4:8

The God, who can do all things is more than able to help my grandchildren with all the things they will face in life, just as He has directed and assisted the Farmer and I during our lifetime. The God who made the hummingbird and the neck of the giraffe is more than able. The God who made the buffalo grass and the buffalo and taught them to wallow in the mud to protect them from parasites and for just the joy of wallowing, is more than able! This, my God and my Savior, is able to do the impossible.

“I think what we owe each other is a celebration of life and to replace fear and hopelessness with fearlessness and joy.”
Vandana Shiva

As the Lord has been showing me, it is time to celebrate Him and all He has done for us. Not because He needs our celebration but because we need it. Bring on the cake and ice cream and let us rejoice!

Loaves and Fishes

Heart of Texas has won my heart. When we arrived they told us many SOWERS wind up just staying. Now I understand why. The whole town is so friendly, the stores still understand customer service, the cowboy church we found was an inspiration, and the camp has made a difference in the Kingdom of God since 1946. The folks there wanted to take us out for lunch our first time there. Another big plus is there is a lot of green. They said they were dry but they are not as dry as home.

The camp was having a big Senior Day celebration with a special concert by the McNeil family. Senior groups came from many churches around that area.

I was delighted to work in the kitchen again minus the chicken deboning. This time we made fruit kabobs. We had grapes, strawberries and pineapple. It made great looking fruit kabobs. We needed at least 200 of them. We had to ask the Lord to increase and multiply our pineapple. Because we were running short. We knew the Lord had experience in that from the stories of five loaves and two fish being used to feed the multitudes. We had enough and the kabobs were a hit with the Seniors. We also put together a Make Your Own Granola Bar. All the ingredients were in mason jars and was quite an attractive bar.

The McNeils put on a wonderful concert of many special songs. They are a couple with ten children who are all very musical and gifted.

It was a great finish to our month at Heart of Texas camp.

The farmer and I broke camp on Wednesday morning to pull the camper to Joplin,MO. We had planned to go to Big Sandy, TX for the 40th SOWER Reunion but I had received a phone call from my cousin who is more like my sister, with tragic news. Her 19 year old grandson was found deceased at his home,in his bed, from the onset of a sudden illness. His funeral was to be Saturday. We praise God that Clay knew and loved Jesus. He was in church every time the doors were open. This is the third time one of my dear friends has lost a grandchild in the last few months.

Earth has no sorrows that heaven can’t heal.
Thomas Moore

Grief is so difficult to navigate especially when it is a child or grandchild or a young person in the prime of life. We have hope and assurance because as lovers of Jesus we know His words are true and we will see them again.

God Answers Prayers, or Fabricating Chicken

On this assignment at Heart of Texas Camp I have done an assortment of jobs. I started in the office working on Policy and Procedure manuals and job descriptions. Then I boxed up old records and organized the new years information in the files. I really enjoy this kind of office work but also missed the opportunity to work with the other two women. We seem to bond so well working together. I arranged 50 jars of flowers. They may have to rearrange them as this is not one of my talents.

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.
Linda Henley

We cleaned, painted rooms and helped in every way we could. I thought how neat it would be to be able to work in a kitchen in one of these camps. I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to help in a kitchen sometime and somewhere. I didn’t know He would answer my prayer today. After crawling on a floor for an hour painting up against the wall, we were summoned to the kitchen ASAP. I was the first one to arrive and see that our job was to fabricate 59 chickens. I guess fabricate also means debone. For the next three hours, four of us deboned 59 cooked chickens. My prayers were sure answered quickly. My legs hurt, my back hurt, and my fingers were numb. But it is going to make some wonderful soup to feed 300 people tomorrow at a fund raiser. Thank you, Lord for answering my prayers.

How quickly the time goes. Our work at Heart of Texas is done. Our good friends from Minnesota have left but we will see them again next week at the SOWER 40^th reunion in Big Sandy, TX. We will miss our leaders Don and Betty. They are a precious couple.

The farmer and I are helping with a Senior Day program here at the camp on Tuesday then on Wednesday we will leave for the reunion also.

“Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.” Jimmy Buffet

I think we could stay in Texas. We love the friendly people and the “Howdy Y’all” we’ve heard at the camp, at church and even in the stores. It’s such a delight to see those friendly faces. They still know how to do customer service here in the heart of Texas.

We took a weekend trip to Austin to see my brother and his wife and girls. It was such a delight to be with them and to get to attend church together. He is my only sibling so he’s pretty special.

Tomorrow I’m working in the kitchen again but not on chicken. Maybe this will still be my dream job.

The Ninety and Nine

We do devotions on SOWER assignments every morning at 7:30. We all take turns leading these devotions. This morning the farmer felt led to share his testimony in song.

But first he had an important story to tell. He heard it at church Sunday. There was a guy who went ice fishing in Minnesota. He got all set up, cut a nice hole in the ice and caught nothing! Not one thing. He noticed that the guy close to him was catching a lot of fish. After awhile he decided to ask this guy what his secret was. The man told him, “hmm, mmm, mmm!” He said, “I’m sorry but I didn’t understand a word you said.” The good fisherman answered him just the same. He just had to know the secret so he asked him one more time. The good fisherman spit out something from his mouth into his hand and said, “the secret is keeping the worms warm.”

In 1868 Elizabeth Clephane of Scotland wrote a poem. In 1874 Ira Sankey, who was Dwight Moody’s song leader saw this poem in a newspaper in Scotland as they were conducting revival services in the area. Ira thought the words of the poem were powerful and cut the poem from the newspaper. A few days later after Dwight Moody finished a strong message on the Good Shepherd, he said to Ira, “Mr. Sankey, I believe you have a song to close the service tonight.” Ira couldn’t think of anything but that poem, but it had no music. The Lord gave him the music right on the spot and he sang the words of the poem.

The farmer sang this song, which he sees as his testimony.

1 There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold,
but one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold,
away on the mountains wild and bare, away from the tender Shepherd’s care,
away from the tender Shepherd’s care.

2 “Lord, thou hast here thy ninety and nine: are they not enough for thee?”
But the Shepherd made answer, “This of mine has wandered away from me,
and although the road be rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep;
I go to the desert to find my sheep.”

3 But none of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed,
nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through, ere he found his sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert he heard its cry, sick and helpless and ready to die,
sick and helpless and ready to die.

4 And all through the mountains, thunder-riven, and up from the rocky steep,
there rose a glad cry to the gate of heaven, “Rejoice! I have found my sheep!”
And the angels echoed around the throne, “Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own;
rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own.

The farmer said, “It’s not about how good I am or how bad I’ve failed. It’s all about Jesus.

Then I shared about the scriptures we read this morning.
Mark 12:32 so the scribe said to him, well said teacher, you have spoken the truth. For there is one God, and there is no other, but he.
Verse 34 now Jesus saw that he answered wisely. He said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God.
What was he missing to be a part of the kingdom of God? He was missing Jesus. Jesus as the son of God and not just a teacher.

There are four stops on the Romans Road.
Stop # 1: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Stop # 2: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Stop # 3: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(Romans 5:8).

Here’s a multiple-choice question: How good do you have to be to go to heaven?
A) Pretty good
B) Really Good
C) Better than Uncle Joe
D) Perfect
The answer is D. If you want to go to heaven, you have to be perfect. And I don’t mean “sort of” perfect, “mostly” perfect, or 80% perfect. Being 80% perfect is like being 80% pregnant. Either you’re pregnant or you’re not. Either you’re perfect or you’re not.

Stop # 4 is part of our passage for today–Romans 10:9-10.
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (vv. 9-10).

God made it simple; I want to make it available. Maybe you are religious, you probably are, you have probably gone to church before, but the question is, “Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?” Here is a prayer that can help you express your faith: “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died on the cross for my sin and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Texas Time

The farmer and I attended a powerful, dynamic Cowboy Church, Sunday morning and Wednesday night. The pastor gave a powerful message at both services. That was what the farmer and I have been looking for. He didn’t mince words, but spoke powerful truths that are relevant to our situation in today’s world. The congregation was so friendly and welcoming. We could all learn much from them. The cowboy hats were prevalent and so were the cowboys and cowgirls. You could tell it is an active church with all of the children that were in attendance. We could sure attend here every Sunday.

That was a great way to start the week for sure. On Monday we were back to work at the camp. This camp was started in 1946. I love to think of the faith of the people back then who had insight and vision to donate land, provide funds and labor to provide a camp for their children and grandchildren to hear of Jesus. Since 1960, 452,904 have attended Heart of Texas camp and there have been 15,953 salvations since that time. That’s a lot of lives changed for the Kingdom of Jesus.

Remodel. Farmer is flat on the ground in the background.

The men are still remodeling the staff cabin for the male staff. The farmer is installing plumbing and doing some electrical work. This cabin has been empty for awhile so it is taking some time to make it usable. It is basically gutted and redoing all of the interior. I have helped the women some with cleaning air conditioner units in all of the cabins and motel rooms. Policy and Procedure manuals and other filing and organizing documents for storage from past years, have kept me busy in the front office. This work has been enjoyable to me as it reminds me of the days in the clinic office where I worked before retirement. I enjoy organizing things.

Tuesday night was game night. We played several hands of Sweep. This is a popular game among SOWERS. The rules seem to change with each SOWER. However, the official Sweep rules were recently posted online so all SOWERS can get on the same page before our 40th anniversary of SOWER’s ministry reunion in Big Sandy, TX at the end of March. Thursday night we taught a new couple how to play Marble Pursuit. I think they enjoyed the game. The farmer makes the boards for this game in his wood shop at home.

The director, Rhonda of the camp and all of the staff are the best. Rhonda has been here 23 or more years. The input she’s had in all of the camp staff and camper’s lives through the years is amazing. The Lord has used her mightily. She is so creative and has done chainsaw carving on the tree stumps around the camp with some unique works and also some precious scriptures. God said He made us in His image. He’s so creative and I know He put creativity in all of us. I just have trouble finding my creative talents. She also made this beautiful hymn and bird picture.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Week two has been busy and full. The farmer and I are going this weekend to see our son and family in Flower Mound, TX. See you next week.

Heart of Texas Camp

Brownwood, TX is now home to the farmer’s camper. We are being blessed by this beautiful camp and are on a new SOWER assignment for the month of March. This first week has not been normal. We left home on March 1 and overnighted in Blair, OK at a very nice city park with camper hookups. About midnight we received a call from our niece that her dad had made the transition home to heaven. This was not unexpected as we knew that he was struggling. Brother Jim was ten years older than the farmer. The farmer is the little brother of the family and now he is the only brother.

We quickly decided to get the camper moved to the campground where we could set up for the month of March and then take the pickup and head home for the funeral and family gatherings. We were grateful that we were only nine to ten hours from home. The celebration of his life was wonderful and we had a good time visiting with family. The farmer’s youngest sister really put fear in his heart though, when she told him that now he was the only brother to keep the three sisters in line. You could just see the concern on his face. However, his oldest sister informed him that he would NOT be bossing her around at all! She is the one that would dress him in little dresses when he was a baby.

Our first week at Heart of Texas was spent traveling. We arrived back Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday we went to work. The camp director asked me to help with Policy and Procedure Manuals in the office. I really enjoyed getting to do that kind of work again. The farmer worked on preparing a site for cement and made some forms.

There are two other couples working with us here. One couple stayed overnight at our place last May. We so enjoyed having a meal with them and getting acquainted and now we are delighted to get to work with them this month. They were brand new to SOWERS when they were at our house last May but now have several places of work under their belts.

The couple that are our leaders are a very nice couple and have worked here at Heart of Texas for several months. They are familiar with the camp and the wonderful staff here. It fills our hearts with joy to be able to work with such a special team in this place.

The men have several projects going on. They are remodeling one of the boys’ residence halls, putting cement at the zip-line, installing some plumbing and the list goes on. The ladies are cleaning and organizing.

Some youth groups were here this weekend raking, painting and moving bunk beds. They were a busy bunch. It almost got to 90 degrees here and they worked hard. In the afternoon I saw them with towels in hand head to the lake. They were on a dead run to plunge into that water. I don’t imagine the water was all that warm since the temperatures had been in the 50’s earlier this week. It was a delight to hear them work, laugh and play. They had a bonfire in the evening and the sounds of joy and laughter rang through the camp.

Insert pic of painting

Just up the road is a beautiful pecan grove. It is called Pecan Grove Farms and they have 1,150 acres of mature trees adjoining Lake Brownwood. They have other Pecan farms in other areas also. The trees here have not yet leafed but I’m hoping that by the end of March they might be getting close to blooming. Pecan groves fascinate me as my great uncle had a pecan grove on his farm in Oklahoma.

If planted in the correct location, you can expect nuts in eight to ten years. Be aware though that the crop yield is not the same every year. Pecan trees alternate with a heavy crop one year followed by a light year.

“What is paradise, but, a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure and nothing there but delights.”
-William Lawson

That’s a recap of the first week in Brownwood, IN A NUTSHELL! Sorry, I just couldn’t resist the pun.

There is a very artisitic Camp Director, Rhonda.

Packing Iron

The farmer bought an old cast iron Dutch oven from our mailman who was moving. It was a Wagner Drip Drop Baster as it said on the lid. It also said the patent had been applied for.

We really do like packing a lot of iron and have developed a special spot in our hearts for Dutch ovens. The farmer cleaned and oiled that pot and we put a beef roast on to cook. Oh the smells that filled our home were good. When we opened that old oven we were thrilled with how it had cooked that piece of meat. The self basting lid is amazing.

The farmer felt just a mite guilty that he’d only paid $5.00 for it so he looked the mailman up the next day and gave him a 20.00 bill. it’s been worth every penny. We’ve used it so many times in the last ten years.

A well-seasoned Dutch oven is a prize today, as it was on the cattle drives of old.
Clifford Teinert

We have baked chicken in it and made all kinds of casseroles and other great dishes. We use this one mainly in the house in our oven as it has that domed lid so charcoals cannot be placed on top to use it if using charcoal. But that’s not a concern of ours because we have plenty of other iron pots. That farmer has a pot of every size. Once we did see a huge old cast iron oven that took up the whole trunk of a car. We don’t have that one. I have no idea how you’d ever be able to pick it up.

Wagner cast iron is antique cookware that is regarded as one of the best in the market. Despite its age, it still works fine. It is bought by people who prefer vintage cast iron cookware or collectible enthusiasts.

The Wagner cast iron ware ranks among the top rated of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The ware is known for its durability and exceptional functionality.

The Wagner Hollow Ware Company was officially launched in 1891 by two brothers, Bernard and Milton Wagner. As the company got into full production, two other brothers joined the operation. William and Louis, joined in 1891. Their company was in Sydney, OH and some of the Wagner Ware pots were stamped with Sydney on them.

“Only a fool argues with a skunk, a mule, or a cook.”

Cowboy saying

The farmer and I, well it was mostly the I in this story made a delicious Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie. I like to make it without any crust because I like to make my Sourdough biscuits separately and put the pot pie on top of them.

Recipe:

Add one Tablespoon unsalted butter to Dutch Oven

Add one carrot, diced

Add one stalk celery, diced

Add one onion, diced

Add one clove garlic, minced garlic

Add one bay leaf

Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add cooked diced chicken to the pot, and chicken stock with 1 T. parsley,

1 T. chopped rosemary,

1 T. sage, salt and pepper to taste.

One bag of frozen vegetables and

three potatoes, diced

Place Dutch Oven in oven 350 degrees and bake 1-2 hours until vegetables are tender.

Remove from oven and add 1 cup milk and thicken with cornstarch.

Our little lightweight camper is packing iron. It’s full of cast iron pots because you just never know when you need to feed a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls.

“Always take a good look at what you’re about to eat. It’s not so important to know what it is, but it’s critical to know what it was.” Cowboy Quote

Unsheathe the Sword

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph. 6:17

Unsheathe the sword and wield the sword. The sword I’m talking about is the word of God. The Lord says in Is. 55:11 It is the same with my word that goes out from my mouth: It will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. If God’s word is shut up in the Bible and not spoken, how can it be released to do the work the Lord sent it to do? In a battle a soldier would not just leave his sword sheathed. He would fight for his life and wield the sword to defeat the enemy.

Jesus, our Savior and example used the word of God to defeat the enemy when he was in the wilderness. The tempter attempted to tempt Jesus in the wilderness by telling him to create bread from stones to relieve his hunger, to leap from a pinnacle and rely on angels to break his fall, and to kneel before Satan in return for all the kingdoms of the world. Luke 4:1-14 tells the complete story. In every case Jesus used the word of God to defeat the enemy. Luke 4:4 Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ Again Jesus unsheathed the sword of the Spirit and said Luke 4:8 “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” And finally Jesus said, “It is written:’ Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Wielding the sword means to handle with skill and ease, to exercise authority or influence, to govern, to rule, and to keep. God has given us his word so that we might use it skillfully and with ease. We are in a war in our world right now. This is not a physical war but a spiritual war. But we are not defenseless or ill equipped. Our Bibles are full of both offensive and defensive weapons. We must give them voice. We must speak them and watch the impact over situations and circumstances.

Let praises to God be heard in their throats, while they wield the two-edged swords in their hands.
Ps. 149:6

It’s winter here on the prairie. And we have been in a terrible drought. This drought stole the fall crops from the farmers. There was not even a reason to try running the combine through the field and see if there was any grain there. Only irrigated crops survived. Its been difficult to see the faces of the families as day after day we faced drought. My favorite color is green. Green grass, green wheat, green trees and anything green. and this summer was all brown. People have met to pray for rain and churches have met to pray for rain.

The other day as the farmer and I were praying, I remembered a dear sweet lady in our church from bygone years. She always had us sing “Showers of Blessings” hymn number 721 in the hymnal. Many times it would rain after we pleaded this song before the Lord. Not always did it rain but sometimes it did. So the farmer and I prayed and sang “Showers of Blessing.” We wielded the sword and spoke the scripture Eze. 34:26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Last Friday it began to rain and snow and we got almost eight inches of snow. See the tree all decked out with its winter decoration of snow flakes. We are a thankful people. Farmers with smiles on their faces once again. Hope is springing to life.

Just had a call from a friend going into surgery. I thought, “God’s word doesn’t return void.” Ps 43:5b God is the health of my countenance and he is my God. I am speaking this over his surgery tomorrow. I wish I could say that I always do this but that would not be true. I must get some fencing practice in. Not the fencing that holds the cattle in the pasture but the kind of fencing done with two swords. It’s a beautiful art to wield the sword at the appropriate time with the appropriate word of God. But he says he will give us the words and so he has.

May our prayer be:

Lord, teach us to wield the sword, your word. Help us to unsheathe the sword and speak your word into situations and into others lives. We know your word does not return void so there is no better way to speak life into any situation but to speak your word. We ask you, Lord that our words would be divinely inspired to bless others. We ask for our mouths to be filled with your wisdom. Your word is in our hearts and minds and in our mouths. Fill us Lord, and teach us the lovely art of fencing with swords and winning great victories by declaring your word. Amen