The snow man Sarah made.
Sarah and Noah playing out back of the house where we are staying.
The second baby was a girl. They named her Bertha Viola. She was a beautiful child, a bundle of sunshine and the picture of sparkling health.
One night when Bertha was about three years old, she suddenly became desperately sick. She had laughed and jabbered and romped all day as usual. She and Jacob Leander had skipped and tumbled and played all over the yard, through the house, and on the porch steps. Through the open door Villie could hear them singing the dear little songs that they had learned in Sunday school. How beautifully their voices blended in heavenly childish chorus!
And now what could be wrong with little Bertha? One crumpled hand lay under her hot cheek, and her tangled blond curls hung over the pillow edge.
“Dannie,” whispered Villie, “I believe she’s very sick. See how she rolls her eyes up into her head. ….
The doctor came at midnight.
“I know you folks want to know the truth about this case,” he said after he had sat by the child’s bedside for fifteen minutes, “but as yet I’m puzzled. I’ll leave this medicine and come back tomorrow. It acts a little like brain fever, but I wouldn’t say yet.”
“Oh!” Villie’s hand went to her throat, and she tried to control her emotion and stifle the spasm of sudden fear that gathered around her heart.
“You and Dannie go on to bed and get your rest,” Mother said. “Jake and I will stay here and take care of Bertha.” ….
Not joy, not ease, not sunshine but trials and difficulties, heartaches and troubles make great experiences, and great experiences make great lives. To struggle and battle and rise above troubles and discouragements develops strength of character and courage for greater trials farther on. Out of kindness and tenderest love, God ordained it that we could not look ahead, not even for an hour. It’s a moment by moment life to live.
For three weeks little Bertha Viola lay unconscious, hanging between life and death. The doctor charged seventy-five cents for his daily calls. Dannie stayed as close to the house as possible, and Villie hugged Jacob Leander close in her arms and cried over his head.
The day came when Bertha Viola was well once more; so the family went to town on a shopping tour.
-- Dannie of Cedar Cliffs by Christmas Carol Kauffman, 1950 (an excellent and beautiful true story of Dannie Roth, 1865?-1950, and his dear wife Villie, a dear Christian couple and faithful laymen in the early Mennonite church.) We have been reading from this book many nights before praying and putting our children to bed. -post by Phillip
post by Kimberly
A chairman, in representing one of his preachers, said, “He has not much salvation to offer, so he goes it heavy on discipline.” Is not that the real seat of the difficulty with preachers who have so much more zeal and success in getting people out of the church than they do to get them to unite with the church? They have not much salvation to offer. They can see the disease, but do not furnish a remedy. A person who has the toothache will not make up any more faces if you cut off his head. But is that the best way to treat him? To destroy a church is not the best way to promote its purity. Piety, prudence, and patience will go further towards getting people fitted for the
- Minister Benjamin Titus Roberts (bishop of The Free Methodist Church) published in "THE FREE METHODIST" quoted in Pungent Truths
Unbelief concludes evil to be invincible and seeks to manage what it cannot destroy.
Sarah
Noah
Kimberly (or me)
Mommy
The two prophets
And Wijah (he is our precious boy who is always getting into EVERYTHING so we call him Wijah like, "Why'd ya do that?")
:D *Posted by Kimberly*
From chapter “A Manifestation Of God In Answer To Prayer” in Prayer Availeth Much.
“…When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” – Acts 4:31 [the whole chapter is alluded to]
“We cannot ignore the fact that we desperately need a startling manifestation of God to shake us out of our spiritual lethargy and selfish complacency. We cannot substitute a program for power and have the least semblance of hope that the unsaved will be attracted by it.”
“[They had not] the slightest intention of compromising the truth in order to have favor with men. They did not call a meeting of the official board to discuss ways and means of evading the fundamental issues involved. They did not take refuge in a stupifying pessimism saying that nothing could be done to remedy the situation confronting them. Neither did they deceive themselves by saying that things would work out satisfactorily to all parties concerned. There were willing to accept the conflict that challenged their faith and hope in God. They did the most natural thing in the sight of the Lord when they assembled together with one accord in prayer.”
“Unless the believers … today have their spiritual strength replenished repeatedly by the Spirit they will not be able to overcome the increasing power of spiritual wickedness threatening them today. The church cannot cope with the menacing threat of worldliness except the company of believers pray for power to meet the insidious threat.”
“It will require much prayer to prevail against the creeping paralysis resulting from meaningless programs and pointless plays promoted by the worldly-minded leaders in the church … in this day of formality and unbelief.”
“God did not answer their impassioned prayer in the hour of crisis by miraculously changing the attitude of the determined opposition. He did not remove the threat which endangered them, neither did He destroy the ring-leaders responsible for the persecution of the church. It is interesting to note that the company of believers did not ask the Lord to change the attitude of their enemies.”
“They accepted the fact that such persecution had been foreseen... ‘The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.’ – Acts 4:25 & Psalm 2 [Bold mine to show why Christians and politics don’t usually mix very easily. -pdd] The Lord would have us understand that suffering persecution for His sake is the price to be paid in the blood and tears for the unspeakable pleasure of serving Him in the holy way of life.”
“Our young people should be impressed with the fact that they cannot expect the Lord to change the attitude of their unsaved friends. When once the young converts discover this truth they will not find it difficult to overcome the hardships of life. Pastors find it difficult to get the young people established in the faith because they apparently believe that God should change their environment in answer to prayer. It is apparently difficult for them to understand that a change in their surroundings is not the solution of their spiritual problems. It is likewise true that a change in the moral conditions which environ the church today is not the solution of its spiritual problem.”
“The…believers found the solution of their problems when they lifted up their voice with one accord in prayer to God.”
“The embattled believers were praying with an unwavering faith when they said, “Lord, thou art God… It is remarkable how impotent and insignificant the feeble efforts of wicked men appear when we realize that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Ps. 46:1)
“When we fortify our faith … with the words, ‘Lord, thou art God,’ we can prevail in prayer and overcome the combined forces of evil which threaten us in these trying times. Almighty God will not abandon His eternal purpose because a few wicked men have lifted up their voices against Him.”
“It does not require moral courage to promote a program to entertain a group of nominal Christians. Neither does it require courage to give a book review, or speak on current events; but it does require boldness to press the claims of Christ on men, and command that they repent of their sins and yield themselves to Him.”
“It does not require spiritual fortitude to organize a campaign to raise money for the general interests of the church; but it does take much prayer and faithful preaching to precipitate a genuine revival of full salvation.”
“It is not unusual to hear some ministers say they are so burdened with the work of the church that they have very little time to spend in earnest prayer. The results of his neglect of prayer will be revealed by the poverty of his preaching. God’s servants should consider that nothing pertaining to the
“I am persuaded to believe that the professing Christians would see more miracles of healings performed by the hand of Jesus if they would spend more time in earnest prayer for the messengers of the Gospel.” -posted by Phillip
~And here's a picture of Elijah and his teeth. =)~
I hope you liked our pictures.
-post by Phillip
Joshua (our teacher's baby) and Elijah had fun playing in Elijah's little pool. They are cute aren't they?
Sarah and our teacher or "Maestra".
My piano lesson with our teacher. We are a little rusty (because if you know anything about traveling on deputation than you'd know that we had NO TIME AT ALL to practice) but God is helping us.
Have a super day in Jesus!
