It’s a Wrap – Cousin Camp 2025

Well, it’s a wrap. Cousin camp 2025 is in the books. I have 12 grandchildren and I had three that were able to come this year. Some of them are growing up and have jobs and are having to be adults now. That’s so sad for grandma . Some are involved in all kinds of activities and have jobs too for the summer.

I am so thankful for the three that were able to come. We were able to meet up with one other grandson for an evening meal as he was home from college for a couple of weeks. Grandpa and Grandma are very blessed to be able to spend this time with these precious kids as we see our grandchildren are growing up.

” Some family trees bear an enormous crop of nuts!” -Wayne Huizenga

We had a great time and Grandpa helped them in the woodshop to make some beautiful bookends and Grandma kept them busy with all kinds of crafts. We painted with our toes (this was a special request from a couple of years ago) and got some masterpieces! They did a turtle, penguin and a star fish. They did better with their toes than this Grammy can do with her fingers! We did some beading pictures with beads and double stick tape. This was an idea from my niece and was a real hit! This group is a talented bunch. I was amazed at their creativity as they came up with some really neat projects.

Time with a few additional cousins.

We played some games, went swimming at the pool and enjoyed the waterslides at the pool here in Quinter. We also went to a trampoline park in Salina and we played putt putt golf in Hays so all in all, it was a successful time. I think the kids and grandpa and grandma were tired at the end of the time together, but it was a blessing to be able to have these cousins here.

We shared some great devotions in the morning and some prayer times. Nothing no nothing could make us richer than be able to spend this time with these kids and our Lord. We’re going to keep declaring Isaiah 59:21. “The Lord says that my spirit is upon you and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants or from the mouth of your descendants, descendants Says the Lord forevermore.”

“Family. A snug kind of word.” Fannie Hurst

What a precious friend we have in Jesus. And what a precious time with this group. Just this last weekend we were blessed to spend time with six of our grandkids. We ate lunch for Grandparents Day at Addie’s school. She is the only grandchild we have still in elementary school. We got to watch her brother’s run in Cross Country. Luke took first in the fifth grade boys’ race. Judah and Jake ran very well in their races also. Then we drove to Kansas State University to have lunch with two grandsons majoring in Computer Science. It was a delightful lunch just hearing them talk about their classes and their time there on campus.

My Hiding Place

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun”. – Mary Lou Cook

An old threshing machine was a delightful plaything for my cousins and I. We made it to be everything we could possibility imagine. It was also a great place to hide in games of tag or hide and seek. It used to be very useful in agriculture but they had outlived their day and were just sitting in pastures and along roadways everywhere. Combines pulled by a tractor had made them obsolete. My Pap-paw and Granny were the most fortunate people that I knew with one in their pasture just past the old chicken house. When my cousins and I could gather at the old ranch and traverse through the old cotton field we found that old threshing machine. My, it turned into a spaceship, a battleship, a pirate ship, and anything else our imaginations could think of. We spent hours there just enjoying our own creativity and using our imaginations. We invented so many ways to use this equipment. We took tremendous risks and we broke some rules and we made mistakes and we had some fun.

The more we could stay away from the house the better. Back at the house our parents and grandparents probably had green beans for us to snap, or Pap-Paw had use take a sample of wheat and vetch and had the cousins and I count the quantity of each in that sample. (I think it was his way of keeping us busy!) Or maybe there was an ice cream freezer that needed cranking. We loved that ice cream but not the cranking part, although the end result was worth it.

Today my hiding place is any place I can get alone with the Word of God and allow Him some time to speak to me. He speaks to me much but I don’t always take the time to listen. How can I not take the time to listen?!? How can I not listen to the Almighty God! When I do listen, I am amazed at His goodness and His kindness to me. He is no respecter of persons and He will and does speak to you also. I am not special as He loves all His sons and daughters and His desire is for us to hear Him and follow His heart.

Psalms 119:114 TPT You’re my place of quiet retreat, and your wraparound presence becomes my shield as I wrap myself in your Word!

Psalms 119:114 ESV You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

“Come Up Higher”

Come Up Higher!

“Beloved! Come up higher! I have more for you.”

Tommy Tenney says that God is calling you to a higher level of commitment. Forget the plans you made for yourself. Die to self. (Jer. 50:14)

Claim your upgrade. Perhaps you have been asked to move from the normal section of the airplane and have been upgraded to First Class. Would you refuse the upgrade? Come and accept a move to the upper level.

Is 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Eagles fly higher than any other creature. As they catch the wind, it carries them even higher. The eagles’ eyes are sharper and keener than any other. Eagles are discerning. Eagles know just how to make the wind currents work for them and they have the highest view of all that is happening below them.

IS 43:18-19 Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

As we embrace the beginnings of a new year, 2025, a powerful message from God resonates: God is urging us to embrace the new beginnings that lie ahead. There are new dreams, new visions, new beginnings and new adventures with the Lord ahead of us. But as Paul says in Phil.3:13-14 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things with are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

There it is “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God!” God is calling us to come up higher. This will require us unloading some of the baggage we have held onto for years. Do we have hurtful words stored in our memory banks, unforgiveness, shame, unrepentant hearts, wounds and other heavy memories? Our Lord says to cast our care on Him. That will certainly lighten our load and set us free to accept the call to come up higher with Him. We can’t take the next step higher if we are loaded down with the burdens of the past.

Accept the upward call of God. Accept the upgrade.

There is an interesting story in the Bible in Judges 1:14 and Joshua 15:15-19. Caleb’s daughter Achsah was offered as a pawn by her father. She was offered in marriage to the man who could attack and capture Kiriath Sepher. Caleb’s nephew Othniel captured Kiriath Sepher and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah in marriage to him. One day she asked her father for a blessing. She asked for the upper and lower springs of water on the field that he gave to them. She knew she had her father’s favor and she did not see herself as a victim but as an heir of her father, a favored heir. She had every reason to have the attitude of a victim. But she had the attitude of an heir. What if she asked only for the lower springs then the upper area would have been dry and unusable. We can’t receive an upper springs inheritance with a lower springs mindset.

Understand who you are in Christ.

“Come up higher!” This is a word that has the power to pull you into the more God has for you. We must know that we are heirs in Christ. Rom. 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory

Mornin’ Glory

Morning Glories have graced the gate of this yard for many years. They climb up the trellis and cling to the frame to cover the gate and welcome visitors or turn them away. Our new UPS delivery man was hesitant to come in the gate as the Morning Glories had completely covered the gate. The Glories love the morning and bloom at that time of day, closing up in the afternoons. Morning glory vines bring old fashioned charm and a quaint cottage feeling to this yard.

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.”

Lady Bird Johnson

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

Francis Hodgson Burnett

“Every flower must grow through dirt.”

Laurie Jean Sennott

When I hear the word glory, I always think of my Savior. Glory and honor is what I desire to bring to His name. His glory is what we need in our world. It’s so like Him to create all the beautiful colors we enjoy with the Morning Glory and all the other flowers around us. As we head in Autumn I think of how He is so creative. He could have made our world just in hues of gray. But He couldn’t as He loves beauty, too. His love for us caused Him to create such colorful things for us to enjoy.

Psalms 50:14-15 Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

Glory in Hebrew is kabowd or kavod. There is more than one meaning. God may have designed this beautiful language of Hebrew to give dimension to our understanding of Him and His love for us. It is from the root word for weight. It can mean glory, honor, respect, distinction and importance. It is abounding in honor and reverence. Exodus 24:17 is a prime example of this.

“Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.”

Our God is so worthy of reverence and praise. His glory should activate in us a response of praise and worship so full of the recognition of His mighty strength and the honor that is due Him. When we encounter the majesty of God, we must respond with reverential worship, awe and devotion.

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34-35

We must embrace His glory and let this fill our lives and our world. Only then can we understand fully the difference the glory of God brings to us individually and corporately

Glory to God in the Highest!

Some of the words used to tell of our 2023 are: graduations, cousins, prayer journeys, reunions, loss, kids, grandkids and praises.

Texas and Iowa were the places we served in church camps with our SOWER ministry. New friends, old friends and ministries that are making a difference in the Kingdom of God were found in both of these places. We take our camper and go to work in these camps for a month in March and in September. Painting, remodeling, office work, kitchen duties and other responsibilities are some of the projects we are involved in. It is such a treat to be able to be a blessing to these facilities.

Conrad lost his last brother, Jim, this March. Three brothers have now advanced to their heavenly home. The youngest brother is now left alone to try to keep three sisters in line. That thought has now terrified the little brother. His oldest sister, Dorothy has informed him that he will not succeed in trying to keep her in line.

Two grandsons graduated from high school in May and one grandson graduated from KSU last weekend and has accepted a new job. He has now joined the adult lifestyle of work and more work. We are very proud of all of Jordan’s accomplishments. Anna is a Junior at KU and Joshua and Roman are Freshmen at UNW and KSU. We are very proud of all of our grands.

Hosting a reunion of cousins here at the home place for the Jamison’s made for a fun June. All but four of my cousins were able to come. Then in August we were able to have Cousin Camp also here at the farm. This is a special time for this grandma and I cherish every moment. Grandpa and I also traveled to some of our children’s homes and spent time with grandchildren for various reasons.

Our little teardrop camper headed out on a journey in early July to travel the border of Kansas. We decided to answer the call to pray the border of our state and to stop and pray in every border county. We traveled 1550 miles, we met beautiful Kansans, camped in special places and prayed and anointed the borders with oil. We spent a little time at the geographic enter of the continental US. We couldn’t have picked a more beautiful time to travel our state. The Lord blessed this trip tremendously.

Pam completed the book of her childhood memories for her grandchildren. The Lord put it on my heart to write my story for my future generations. This is not really a story of my life but more of the story of what my Savior has done in my life. I also completed a king size quilt for Haley. This was my fourth king size quilt to be finished.

Conrad has been busy making 75 wood boxes for Operation Christmas Child boxes, being creative with the wood lathe, and driving semi in harvest season for some neighbors.
May you all be blessed with the greatest gifts of God and may this Christmas season find you all well.
Merry Christmas from the farmer and I.

Living Before His Face, Is My Saving Grace

And now God, I’m left with one conclusion: my only hope is to hope in You alone.
Ps. 39:7 TPT

And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time-an unshakeable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold.
Heb. 6:18-19 TPT

Hope is from the word qavah (cord, bind together with twisting). The root is chebel (wind tightly, to bind as a rope. In Joshua 2 , Rahab the harlot, demonstrated her hope that the spies from Israel would rescue her family upon their return by placing in her window a sign of hope. This cord of hope showed her faith in the protection of the spies. It was a scarlet cord that the spies used to escape. That cord was also to be used as a sign of protection for her family when the spies returned. This rope /hope was symbolic of the redemptive work of Jesus that saves us all if we receive Jesus’ free gift.

In 2 Kings 4:30 the Shunammite woman threw herself at Elisha’s feet and would not leave until Elisha agreed to go to her house and heal her young son that had died. Elisha is the one that gave her the promise from God that she would have a son. She did have a son and later he died but Elisha went to pray for the boy and life was restored to him. The mother’s hope was in the promise maker. She clung to this hope with all her strength.

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the book “Hope Resurrected” by Dutch Sheets, he tells the story of his brother observing a heart surgery. The patient’s heart had been stopped from beating. However, when it came time to restart it, despite repeated attempts, the medical staff was unable to get the heart to beat again. Finally, although the patient was obviously unconscious, the surgeon leaned over and said into the patient’s ear, “We need your help. We cannot get your heart going. Tell your heart to start beating.” Immediately, as incredible as it sounds, the patient’s heart began to beat again.

Hold fast to the feet of the Promise Keeper. Keep the scarlet cord of hope in the window of your heart as a sign. Remember your anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat. Tell your heart to beat again. Tell the Lord that your hope is in Him alone. Dream some more. Hope more.

Then I will say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged; don’t be disturbed, for I fully expect my Savior-God to break through for me. Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again.” Yes, living before his face is my saving grace!
Ps 43:5 TPT

July on the Prairie

Thankful for the sacrifices made for our freedoms.

The farmer put up a couple of flag holders so that we could fly our United States flags on the fourth of July and praise our God for the freedom we have in this country to pursue our relationship with our Lord. We thought of many who have given it all to allow us to keep these freedoms. My dad was in the Navy in WWII and many we know served in VietNam. The farmer served six years in the National Guard. Thank you to all of you veterans out there for keeping this country free.

Every day we grow more thankful to live on the wide open prairie far from the happenings in the world. We don’t watch the news and do not watch TV at all. It has been a tremendous blessing to be free of that. We love to read and pray and keep our ears to the news with a Christian radio service.

We know our world is in turmoil and we know much of our world is in great fear. Every day there are new concerns and much, much is unknown. Tomorrow is a different story from the day before. Everything is changed and we don’t know when or if we will ever be back to “normal”. One constant is that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalms 90:2

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalms 19:1

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16

With all that is happening in the world today the only place of safety and security is in His arms. Even here on the prairie the only place of refuge is in His loving arms. The only peace, the only calm, the only place to be free of fear is to put our trust in Him. Peter in Matthew 14:22-33 could walk on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked at the circumstances (the waves crashing around him) he sank down in the water and thought he would drown if Jesus didn’t reach out His hand and lift him up.

We too can drown in fear if we take our eyes off of Jesus and listen to the chaos around us. But for Jesus and his hand to rescue and save us, we may be overcome by fear in these days. Have you given your life to Jesus today? He is ready to give you the free gift of salvation. All you must do is ask him and believe. Here is a prayer you can use to ask him for his peace and faith instead of fear.

Lord, I believe you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins and then He arose from the dead. I repent of all of my sins and ask you to forgive me. I believe that you have forgiven me and I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me, Jesus.

Times of Trouble

I wonder why this tree grew in this particular way. I wonder what happened in the early days of the life of this tree that caused it to grow sideways. Was there another tree in the way? Was there another obstacle of some kind? It is a beautiful tree except for the trunk that did not grow straight up as most trees do but headed across the ground until it could find a way to reach the sunlight of encouragement. Until it found a way to bloom and bear leaves and be useful.

Life sometimes can also throw us a curve ball. We can be side tracked, derailed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. A diagnosis, a death, a relationship issue, or a pandemic can all derail our lives even in just a few weeks. Most of us could not see something like this happening to our country even just two months ago. All of a sudden shopping became a hazardous venture, supplies are in short supply, wearing masks and gloves into stores and banks is now encouraged, and hugging is taboo. This happened overnight. This fear and anxiety and a whole new normal caught us all off guard. Did our trunks grow sideways too? Aren’t we too searching for the sunlight and the encouragement to grow upright and bear fruit and bloom?

There is good news even in this day. Deut. 20:4 For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory! We have someone on our side in these times. Psalms 18:2 He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Wonderful news that He is our place of safety. Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; yes I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning, for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. In times of trouble our Lord is with us, protecting us and He is our refuge. He leads us to the sunlight. He calms our fears and gives us His peace. He is available to all who fear. He loves His people and cares about all that concerns them. He has a good plan for our lives, to prosper us and to help us to bloom and be useful even in times of trouble.

The tree was encouraged and determined to find a way to live in the sunlight and do the work it was called to do. The tree stretched its branches and fought for life no matter what the obstacle was. The tree found a defense and refuge in the times of trouble. Possibly we can grasp much from the life of this tree in the face of trouble.