When Fear Tries to Grip You, Remember: Grace

 We all go through seasons in our lives, sometimes it's all summer and sunshine, but other times it is the dormancy of winter and the pain of doing chores in the bitter cold... but I don't mean physically; I mean spiritually, emotionally. Because sometimes in our lives there really is a major storm raging outside and there is real fear that we will lose our homes, our loved ones or our own lives to that storm. 

We've all been there, hunkered down in the fetal position, just praying for God to calm the thunder, lightning, rain, tornado or blizzard in our lives. We want Him to say to our storm, "Peace, Be Still." just as he did in Mark 4 when the disciples feared their boat would come apart in the storm. We want him to make it stop, that's not too unreasonable, after all, that's what the disciples did! Only, look at that Jesus said after the wind and rain obeyed... "Why are you so fearful, how is it that you have no faith?" 

So many times in our lives we just can't handle the fear any longer, it over takes our very being, we can't control it and in all honesty, we think that the fear alone might kill us, not the thing we are fearing... and guess what? We just might be right about that... Follow me on this... God is a loving Father, He WANTS to bless us, to protect us, provide for us, defend us etc... but we MUST trust in Him. When we are in fear, we are in sin because we have lost our faith in God. Now don't go beating yourself up about actually being in fear because we have a gracious Father who understands our frailness and weaknesses. 

What Jesus wanted the disciples to do was trust that even with the storm all around them, that they would be safe, they would be protected. Trusting would have been the greater miracle, not that the wind and sea obeyed him. Trusting in their safety regardless of the storm around them is where their faith should have been. But it wasn't, and you know what? Jesus still calmed that storm. 

You see, in reality, the easy road is "just trusting", it's not in panicking, rushing to God, freaking out and begging for hours, days, weeks or years for God to take our storm away. It's not the easy road even if He does calm the storm. The easy road is knowing He protects you in the midst of the storm, and quietly seeking Him, asking Him for victory through the storm, and praising Him for that victory ahead of time.

Take a look at the verse below...

" For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:

'In repentance and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.'

But ye would not." Isaiah 30:15

Now in that particular instance, Isaiah is making a point to the people, but I want you to look at the two lines in the middle... look at these key words, "Rest", "Quietness", "Confidence"... in THOSE things is where our strength lies. REST. 

When you are in fear: Rest. When you worry: Rest. When you doubt: Rest. Be quiet, and be CONFIDENT that our loving Father will take care of us once we do so. Also, look at that next line, "But ye would not." In Isaiah here, God allows the enemy to come after His people in verses 16 and 17... but then He waits...

Now, I know the following scriptures are lot but I REALLY want you to read what happens next because it speaks for itself, when we don't rest, when we worry and mess up, yes the enemy can get to us at times but God doesn't wholly leave us, look what He does, continuing a few verses down in Isaiah 30...

God Will Be Gracious

18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
You will say to them, “Get away!”

23 Then He will give the rain for your seed
With which you sow the ground,
And bread of the increase of the earth;
It will be fat and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will feed
In large pastures.
24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground
Will eat cured fodder,
Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
25 There will be on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the great slaughter,
When the towers fall.
26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
And the light of the sun will be sevenfold,
As the light of seven days,
In the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.

Am I the only one that receives an immense amount of peace from all of that!? How GRACIOUS our Father is. When we worry, doubt and fear, we have to keep in mind that this world is not our home, this world has no hold on us... not our job, our spouse, our children, friends, family or even our pets ;), nothing should be placed above Him in our lives. 

As Christians we are prepared to lose all for the sake of Christ, and when we are prepared to lose it, when it no longer has that painful hold on us at the fear of it's loss... then that is the place in which we have confidence that we, in fact, won't lose it. Placing anything above God in our lives is the place the devil wants us to be, because if he can get us in fear of losing it, then we give him the foothold he needs in order to take it. Rest, confidently in the Lord that when He has given something to you, it is a gift from the Father and the devil can't take it unless we give it away by not RESTING in QUIET CONFIDENCE in the Father. 

I want to end with an excerpt from a letter my Amish-Mennonite pen pal wrote to me, her name is Tashina, she is in her early 20's and I hope to incorporate some of her writings into future blogs...

      "I had to go over some of my jalapenos picked. Poor Santiago (her brother), he was lots more patient than I would be if I'd been trying to get something done, I need to compliment him on how he's growing in grace. Speaking of grace...

We had a bishop ordination in our community just the other week and one of the visiting bishops had a sermon that so touched my heart. he spoke on grace, and while that's a concept I've grown up with, the bishop just brought it out in such a fresh angle. I sat spellbound in church. You know, Grace is really, really amazing!!! I wish it so badly for everyone to accept the grace of God, believe in it- and let the grace of God work in our hearts. I can't express myself without sounding totally zany, but I'm just overflowing with awe at the grace of God.

     The bishop was just like, 'How can I explain grace? It's so totally amazing, it's free; it's marvelous- and it's sufficient!' Titus 2:11-14 have a fresh meaning. 

'For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.'  Okay, I'll quit. It's not like I'm preaching you know, :) it's just that life is so totally beautiful when one receives grace." 

She ended her letter with 2 Thessalonians 2:14-16 and it really sums up exactly what my thought was this morning, that we have an eternity with the Father in a glorious, heavenly home, let that put our short lives in perspective here, and allow it to take all fear from us so that we may REST in QUIET CONFIDENCE in Him, because that is where we have our STRENGTH to defeat the evil one while we are here on earth!

" Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." 2 Thess 2:14-16 

"And let the BEAUTY of the Lord our God be upon us, and direct the work of our hands upon us, even direct the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17  

As always, remember that Jesus is that true light that expels all darkness!

Only By His Grace,
~ Michelle, Jeanne (jc) , Leah & Kansas Matt 

No longer a slave...

As I was reading last night in my Geneva Bible, Deuteronomy 17:14&15 stuck out to me  “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother...." 

 But what really struck me was the study note that said, "Who is not of thy nation, lest he change true religion into idolatry and bring thee into slavery." Immediately I felt God had more to say about it, about how we have failed in this area, and are now in slavery... so I picked up my notebook and the following is what came...  

Thou hast put a king over thy-selves that is not of thy people (Deuteronomy 17:15); he has caused you to change true religion into idolatry and brought thee into slavery, when you are not slaves. 

I have bought you, I have paid for your freedom, all you must do is GET UP! Unchain yourselves, the locks are broken- you are FREE! (Isaiah 9:4-7)

But, you must turn your back on the meals provided, the shelter given and the clothing (that you have had to make yourselves) with poor materials handed to you. The meals are bland and barely enough to keep you alive- the shelter is only enough to keep out the pouring rain- it cannot stay the leaks or the biting cold. In the heat of summer you cannot stay inside for lack of air. 

Come! Eat and drink from ME (John 6:34-40) and you shall never thirst again. Never again shall your bellies grumble. I will shelter you in the shadow of my wings (Psalm 91)- not only

have I set you free but I have brought you into my home. I have clothed thee in fine linen- in scarlet. I have placed a royal crown upon your head. I have placed jewels on you (Ezekiel 16:13, Revelation 19:8)  and called you sons and daughters (1 John 3:1) - kings and priests. (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6 & 5:10)

 I have placed My Word upon your lips (Jeremiah 1:9, Isaiah 6:7 & 51:16) and when spoken it doesn't return to Me void- but it accomplishes that which it is sent out to do. (Isaiah 55:11) 

Cry no more, weep no longer, (Revelation 21:4, Isaiah 30:19 & 65:19) fear is cast far from your midst. (1 John 4:18) 

Your King has already come, the Prince of Peace is here- his kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting. (Psalm 145:13) The wait is over- prophets of old believed before the reign of My Kingdom, that it would come- you LIVE
NOW, what they believed! The time is now- it is the eternal age of the reign of Christ, the King of kings. Come to Me, have an audience with me all day- I will hear your supplications. (1 John 5:14, Revelation 3:20) I have an endless host of ministers from which I can send out to accomplish that which I send them to do. (Hebrews 1:7&14) They are waiting, asking Me: "Send me, can I go and help them? Now may I go fight?" Their desire is to work My works to show Me mighty. (Psalm 91:11) 

Ask of Me and I will give you nations as an inheritance.(Psalm 2:8)  I already have- I did it in the days of Joshua and Moses, in the days of Bradford, Washington and Adams- cast off the chains, rise up as free men and women. (Psalm 2:3) Should a king be a slave? Should a prince bow to any man? Certainly not! Neither do you bow to anyone but me. (Matthew 4:10)

 Lift up your head, for the time is now. When you speak- you speak in My name and the very gates of hell cannot stand against you. (Mark 9:39, Matthew 16:18)

Do not forget My mighty works, the strength of My hand and out stretched arm. (Psalm 20:6) You ARE the temple- everywhere you walk is holy ground- and My temple is arrayed in splendor. (1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15, Acts 7:33) 

So now, bring all the tithes into the store house (temple- you!), that there may be meat in it. (Malachi 3:10) And above all, remember My greatest commandment: Love Me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength... and then you shall love thy brother as you do yourself. (Matthew 22:36-40)   

As always, remember that Jesus is that true light that expels all darkness,

Love, 

Michelle, Leah, Jeanne, Matt and Justin

2014 Christmas Letter!

Isaiah 9:6&7

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Friends and Family!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to sit down and write to you of the amazing year that God has blessed us with! 2014 has flown by like a roller coaster, but I'm hoping to be able to sum it up and hit the highlights for those of you who are only able to keep in touch with us with each Christmas letter! 

Oddly enough, this Christmas brings a beautiful story full circle. If you will recall, last year I told you of the miracle of the salvation of a new young friend of ours, Justin. Little did any of us know at that time, that it was to be just the beginning of a long, grueling, yet ultimately so very rewarding journey. I'm about to use a word that has such a strong negative stigma to it, that when anyone hears it, it is synonymous "hopeless" and that word is "heroin". This time last year, I didn't really know much about it, or any other drug for that matter. I certainly never thought that God would bring anyone INTO our life who was bound in it's grasp. Even as I write this I realized that today marks the day I got a text from Justin that said "I feel so alone and I'm so worried"... At that I told him to call me, where I found out he had been suspended at work because he was caught using heroin. Looking back on it, others may have thought of shutting the door on Justin, but we had already seen the miracle of God in his life and saw this as just the next step. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we really even understood the magnitude of what Justin was struggling with, but looking back, I think that was all part of God's plan. 

Visiting Justin with his mom Regena at Teen Challenge

Justin and Regena

For close to three weeks Justin stayed with us while trying to get clean from 5:00 AM until it was time to go home and go to sleep. We loved him, supported him and gave him God's word, but Justin hadn't hit the end yet, he had to fall once more before he finally let God pick him up and carry him. On December 30th after passing a drug test and having an incredible day with us, he used, although I am happy to say, for the last time. I could put the heart wrenching details of that story here, but they are unimportant compared to what followed. The next day Justin finally surrendered everything to Jesus, (if you are reading this on-line, follow this link to read the heart wrenching story, in some of Justin's own words Jesus the Carpenter- Making a Heroin Addict a Hero ). By the miracle of a friend suggesting Teen Challenge Cincinnati, Justin agreed to enter the program. He had been dead set against going into any "program" but

Justin, Michelle, Jonathan, Leah

when he found out that they didn't focus on addiction, but rather on turning you into a man of God, he was dedicated. This change meant losing his high dollar machinist job, and everything he ever knew, everything that is, accept his mother Regena, she was about to be the perfect gift he needed, at just the right time. If there is anything that has caused me to see the hand of God in this situation, it is the fact that Justin was drawn into the safety and comfort of his mother's arms, arms that had been aching to care for him since his parents' divorce 12 years prior. Regena is one of the kindest, most gentle, beautiful mothers I have ever known and we are so blessed to count her as part of our family! 

Michelle and Jonathan

When we dropped Justin off at Teen Challenge January 7th, not only did we all feel a huge weight lift off of our shoulders, knowing that God would bare it, Justin recalls having felt the exact same weight drop from his

Dinner with the young men of Teen Challenge

shoulders, into God's hands. The following seven months were some of the most rewarding of my entire life. Leah, Matt and I volunteered to cook dinner with the students at Teen Challenge on the weekends. In doing so we got to meet and befriend some of the most sincere, uplifting young men God created.  Including one of Justin's best friends and strongest encouragements while there, Jonathan. We were able to watch their struggles and growth, to pray for and fight along side them. The miracle that God did in Justin while he was at Teen Challenge, the change that took place in him, can't begin to be described with words, but each month I tried to grasp it and put it in the Carpenter's Daughters blog, please take the time to go to the archive page and read about it, it will reaffirm in you that we serve a very big God. Thanks to the generous donations of Justin's sponsors, his entire stay was entirely paid for, Justin and our family will never be able to thank them enough!

If you have the time, I highly encourage you to watch the video below of Justin's powerful testimony!

In August, Justin moved in with us, God had spoken to him that it was time to move forward and after seeking God, our whole family, including Regena, agreed that God was indeed speaking to Justin and that we were to support him in that. He moved into our basement and I gave up my future sewing corner to make a room for him, I guess sewing can be done anywhere... ;) The following month was spent with Justin and Matt working tirelessly to refinish the rest of the basement before our trip to Plymouth, MA in September. After our life changing pilgrimage there last year, I didn't expect to be returning again so soon, if ever, but Leah felt it was important that Justin get to see, taste and touch this cornerstone piece of American and world history! We were fortunate enough to be able to take two more tours with Leo Martin and get to catch up with he and his wife Nancy while also getting a sneak preview of their new Family: The Cornerstone of Society exhibit. If there is nothing else you and your family do this coming year, take a trip to Plymouth, our country's hometown, give our friend Nancy a call at the Jenny Museum and schedule a tour with Leo, I promise you, your life will never be the same. You will learn the truth about the founding of our great nation, with God as it's center!

Visit the Jenny Museum's website and meet our dear friends Leo and Nancy, click here! 

Nancy, Matt, Leah, Leo, Michelle, Jimmy and Justin

In addition to getting to take Justin, we were also able to take a former fellow student and friend of Justin's (and ours!) from Teen Challenge, Jimmy. One of the most amazing young men of God I have ever met; our journey to Plymouth this year wouldn't have been the same without him. He has also become like an adopted member of our family, although he lives near Columbus, he is doing what God has called him to do, supporting his family and God has opened up several doors of ministry for him, we are so very excited to see God work in his life. 

Our trip also wouldn't have been complete without our dear friend Ashley! Someone who started out as a fan from our You Tube Channel, turned into an e-mail pen-pal and friend

over the past 2-3 years. She drove up twice from Manhattan to stay with us while we were in America's Hometown, Plymouth! For the first time we got to put a face, voice and personality to this tiny girl with a big heart! She too has become like a little sister to us and even came to visit us here in Ohio a month later for our Reformation Day/Basement Remodel Party! We had a

blast that week teaching her culinary skills, visiting the Creation Museum, and staying up till all hours of the night! We even had time the last night she was here to film a Leah and Michelle's Virgin Diaries with her in it!  To watch it click play on the video below!




As for a recap of our trip to Plymouth watch the video below!

Uncle Jac at Niagara Falls!

Many of you will be curious to know how Uncle Jac is doing and you will be happy to know that he recovered from his pelvic fracture and several months of physical therapy and is doing quiet well! In fact, after 20 years of not driving, just before our trip to Plymouth he got

his driver's license and even drove the big blue conversion van for a stretch on the way home... until the fuel pump went out... that left us stranded in Medina, Ohio for an extra day... 


As many of you know one of the greatest additions to our humble homestead this year has been chickens! Matt (with occasional help from Justin and even Jimmy) built the coop

entirely from recycled pallet wood! They now live like princesses and eat like queens! Even in the winter we are still getting 4-5 eggs a day from our 9 girls! As a side note, Leah would

Matt and Justin working on the coop

like to submit a public announcement NOT to allow a chicken to jump on your shoulder when you are wearing $2000 diamond earrings... After a week of quarantine, we are left to assume that one of our girls is worth $1000, harboring said booty in her crop... But we still love them!

To our "produce" productivity we have added hydroponics to the basement, thanks to Matt we are on our second sewing of the year and have learned a lot! In our pantry we have added hundreds of jars... you name it,from apples to green beans, pears, jams, jellies, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, peppers etc! 

Leah and I continue to enjoy life as pet sitters but have cut back from our grueling schedule to allow for more time with our family and our many projects, which means tightening our belts a little, but we are happy for the change of pace and have discovered that you don't need as much money when you do and make things for yourself, God has certainly blessed the fruit of our hands!!!

Matt Milking at Amish Farm!

Leah has been a huge blessing as she has spent countless hours trying (and succeeding) to produce self sufficient, all natural products! She is now making almost 100% of our bread, milling the flour from scratch, from wheat, oats, local grown flint corn etc...! She has tried several recipes, some flops that get fed to the chickens and some that are out of this world! It is a labor of love and we thank her for it. We also have homemade tooth paste, chap-sticks, laundry detergent and softener, cooking spray, mascara, hair conditioner, lotion, butter and cheese from our fresh milk... the list goes on, she is daily researching for her family's health and well being! Thanks to her we now are the proud owners of two herd shares, one with a local friend's cow, Pumpkin Head who just became

a momma! And another with a very dear Amish family in Hillsboro, if you are at all inclined to research the benefits of raw milk, let us know, it really has changed our lives! 


Lastly, this year we decided to make most of our Christmas presents! While Matt has been busy making Lincoln Logs (yes, you read correctly) from pallet wood, Justin has been welding gifts in the garage, Leah, mom and I have been knitting and crocheting and putting together baskets of Leah's homemade natural products! It's been a blast! 


If you have managed to stay with me this long, I thank you and commend you. There is no way I could have summed up this year any shorter and in fact I have left a ton out. Moving into 2015 we look forward to Justin building his bee hives and getting his first batch of bees, Matt and Justin completing their saw mill and starting to mill wood as the Lord leads, and more ideas of natural living! I hope to have the time to add more to this blog, please take the time to follow us on this blog as well as our You Tube channel to keep up with our endless enterprises! God continues to teach us everyday, and we are very eager students! The most important thing to remember is:

I would like to close our year end letter with a prayer Justin wrote recently...

Matt, Leah, Jimmy, Michelle and Justin, Plymouth

Father God, let this be a declaration of a pure motive for purpose, to change my ways of understanding, redirect my patters of life thinking, implanted into my mind by means of indoctrination. I must give all the more earnest heed to the things I have heard by your Holy Spirit, take dominion over my enemies, step up, acknowledge and remember the God of my Salvation, (EL-YESHUATI) the Lord my Provider (YAHWEH-JIREH), My healer (YAHWEH-RAPHA), My Protector (YAHWEH-NISSI), the Lord my Righteousness (YAHWEH-TSIDKENU), my banner for all to see. The God of Peace (YAHWEH-

SHALOM), to Him be the unending praise for the Perfect Sacrifice so that we can be saved, eternally, despite corruption. Thus be the grateful day of deliverance from all unrighteousness, set free from strongholds by the blood of Jesus Christ. Call to mind the Holy living. God, you've paved the path from the foundation of the earth and the destruction of the same, they will perish, but You remain. By Your mercy and grace, I must say, I look forward to the day I meet a Man, that Faithful and True, be His name. Amen 

May you and your family be blessed by His grace this Christmas season and in the new year to come. 

With Love,

Jeanne, Leah, Michelle, Uncle Jac, Matt, Justin, Sydney and Jasper

Matt, Leah, Justin, Michelle, Jimmy and Ashley, Plymouth

Easiest way to chop wood

Birthdays: Celebrating the call of God on your Life

Our pilgrim mentors, teachers and friends - Leo and Nancy Martin of the Jenny Museum in Plymouth, MA

When we were in Plymouth this past September, we learned that our pilgrim forefathers didn't celebrate birthdays, but rather- they celebrated the call of God on their lives, and they had a special birthday scripture they would memorize as well. I LOVE this and I am embracing it this year on my 31st birthday. Now, I may not have all of this memorized, but when I was 18, God showed me Isaiah 58 (to shorten it for here, I will focus on verses 6-10). I knew then, and shared it with my mom and sister, that THIS was and IS the call of God on my life...

Isaiah 58:6-10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

6[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?

7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

8 Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking,

10 And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.

As I awoke today, looking back on many years of laughter, love, pain, sorrow, joy, hope, trials, losses, victories and miracles... I cannot deny the firm, gentle hand of God, there- protecting, leading, loving, teaching, comforting, providing and training. I realized, that through it all, I have been in the process of being trained. 

My beautiful momma!

People say that experience is the best teacher, but I say that the Holy Spirit is the great teacher! He doesn't require experience to teach us, we're actually supposed to learn from God's Word and His leading so we don't HAVE to be taught via experience. BUT, He does (like any loving parent) use our experiences to teach us a great number of things! My training has consisted of the best of both!  As an added bonus, He has given me people in my life and used to allow me to learn from THEIR experiences. Two of the most special to me are my mom and my sister!

Lovely Leah Faith

It is my hope that part of the call on my life is to be able to allow others that same benefit- I have gleaned from, only- as pertaining to my own battles and lessons learned. Ultimately, the greatest climax of this will be using all I have learned, all I have been trained by God for, to instruct my own children to follow the Father. For them to be able to reach the lost without having to suffer the pain of lessons learned through experiences- but rather to use the lessons learned from others. 

When talking about the call of God on my life my mom told me yesterday that I have a gift of hospitality. I guess I would just call it, having a deep consideration for other's feelings and a desire to treat them the way I would want to be treated- to be thought of. I like to let others know that I am thinking of them, that GOD is thinking of them! 

Today, I thank God for the call He has on my life, 
To be a daughter, sister, friend, and one day a mother and wife...

In that capacity to be the shining light of Christ, 
Like a beacon to the Father above...

That we all may be planted, nourished, tended to and loved...
In the Garden of His truth and life and His peace- like a Dove

My Isaiah 58 peeps!

2 Peter 1:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

 Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.

As always, remember that Jesus is that true light that expels ALL darkness!

Much Love,

Michelle, Leah, Jeanne, Matt, Justin, Jimmy and Ashley

And just for fun...

Our new little sis in Christ Ashley!