At Home in Wyoming

Ouch!

In Sunday's post I said that I was reading a book titled, "Ruth Bell Graham:  Celebrating an Extraordinary Life" compiled by Stephen Griffith.  In Chapter 6 there was a portion of an interview with Ruth, where she discussed praying for her children.  She was reading John 17, and using it as a guide for prayer for them.  She stated:

"The verse that really hit me between the eyes was the nineteenth, where Jesus says, "For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be truly consecrated."  

She continued, " If our Lord needed to pray that prayer, how much more do we parents for our children's sake?  We can't expect them to be truly committed if we aren't.  This is where so many of us fall flat on our faces.  We're great at preaching, but we're terribly weak on the practicing part.  I think how often I have failed my kids on this.  I expected more of them spiritually than I was willing to give myself.The important thing is to be what God wants us to be.  If I were the type person God wanted me to be, 90 percent of the problems in the family would be solved."  (Ruth Graham, in an interview with Wesley Pippert, from "Ruth Bell Graham:  Celebrating and Extraordinary Life" compiled by Stephen Griffith).

OUCH! The Holy Spirit used that passage to convict me!  I too am great at preaching to my family, telling them to clean up the sin in their lives.  But am I the person God wants me to be?  How can I expect MORE of them than I do of myself? And how ineffectual, even if what I am saying to others really needs to be said.  Because if I am not the person that God wants me to be, why on earth would anyone listen to what I have to say?  That would be like getting financial advice from someone that went bankrupt.   Paul said:

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." (1 Corinthians 9:27)

In other words, if I am not walking the walk, why would anyone listen to me talk the talk?  My testimony becomes worthless to them, because it does not ring true. So they simply cast it away.

2009 is a new year, a time for new beginnings.  And one of my resolutions for the new year is to focus on becoming the person that God intends for me to be.  Asking Him to examine my heart and my life, and to point out all areas of sin, known and unknown.  And once pointed out, I am asking Him to conform me into being the person He wants me to be, while I endeavor to submit to His Will for me. 

No more expecting more spiritually from others than I do of myself!  DLB

 

 

Reading Away the Afternoon...

I have been spending the afternoon reading a biography of Ruth Bell Graham (Billy Graham's wife) titled, "Ruth Bell Graham:  Celebrating an Extraordinary Life".  She was a remarkable woman of God, and if you get a chance, pick up this book.  Once started...it is hard to put down!  DLB

 

Getting Out Of Town

We decided to take a drive out of town today, so drove up the North Fork to Pahaska.  It was really windy, and if you look at the top of the mountain you can see the blowing snow...

One of my favorite sights in the winter is buffalo in the wild, with snow on their backs.  All I saw today was one measly buffalo, hunkered down out of the wind.  

This is a picture of Buffalo Bill's hunting lodge at Pahaska...sorry for the tilty picture, but there was a snow drift right in front of it, and I didn't want to sink above my boots!  

  

 

 

Chore Time...

 

We had a good old fashioned type blizzard today in Cody, lots of snow and wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour.  We were worried that we could not get to Powell to feed our son's horse, and the other horses in that pasture.  Thankfully it was not as bad once we left Cody, and over in Powell there was much less snow, and the wind died down...so we were able to do the chores.  The horses pictured above are not of our horse, who was happily munching out of camera range.  DLB

And On Earth Peace, Good Will Toward Men

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:13-14)

 

And To All A Goodnight!

I got my Christmas gift early today...I saw over 100 head of elk and three eagles...and of course I didn't have my camera with me!  Just goes to show that best gifts don't always come tied up in ribbon!  Merry Christmas!  DLB 

 

It's Been a 'Last Minute' Sort of Day

It's been a 'last minute' sort of day.  I don't mean last minute shopping, I will leave that until tomorrow!  This is just going to be a Christmas where plans keep changing at the LAST MINUTE!  Someone coming unexpectantly that I will be driving to pick up tomorrow...plans that were made for the out-of-doors that will be changed since my husband came down with what he calls the WORST COLD IN THE WORLD!  Cookie recipes that didn't turn out at all the way that they were supposed to, so I had to run to Peter's and buy cut out cookies that kind of sort of taste like the kind that my mother used to make.  And of course Christmas cards that I ran up to the post office a few minutes ago to mail before the post office closed.  Like I said, it has been a 'last minute' kind of day...and I especially noticed it when I sat down to do this blog at the last minute, and my brain went numb.  So I decided, to simplify things, that I will try to post a picture every day until next Tuesday, but probably not write too much.  I won't have the time to write, and you probably won't have the time to read.  

I thank all of you for tuning in.  I especially appreciate the comments and emails, and the fact that you take the time to read what I have written.  I wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!  DLB 

 

An Old Bathroom At Christmas

When we moved into this creaky old house some 21 years ago, the bathroom upstairs had old wood on the walls...and the ceiling was papered with old Cody Enterprises, the local newspaper, that had articles over 50 years old.  I kind of liked sitting on the toilet and reading what the price of pork was 50 years ago...so I left the bathroom as it was. So, in the interest of showing my sister, via the blog, my Christmas decorations because she can't make it to Cody this year for Christmas...the rest of you are getting a peep at our bathroom, which is probably over a hundred years old.  DLB

 

Snow, Christmas Trees and Big Horn Sheep

We were going to buy our Christmas tree from the little hut that sells them along with bait and tackle over in Powell, but when I got a look at the price of trees these days, we opted for getting a tree permit and cutting ours down.

We tried several days this week to go, and we even started out one day, but it was minus 11 and we decided to turn back, thinking that we are too old to be that stupid!  But today our son said he wanted to go up with us, so even though the 'high' was around zero, we went!  Along the way, we enjoyed the beauty of the mountains, and saw quite a few big horn sheep.  I snapped some pictures...hope you enjoy them!  DLB

 

 

 

 

 

A Candle in the Window

We are right in the middle of a blinding snowstorm this afternoon...the temperature has dropped and the wind is picking up.  I was looking out the upstairs window at the snow, and snapped this picture...DLB