Why I Write

               Some people write to express their political views, while some write to express their emotions. Some write just because they have to, others because they enjoy it. Some people have a revolutionary idea to express; others have a lot of words without saying anything in particular. Some write to anger people, some to humor, some to sober. Amongst an innumerable amount of vastly different books, papers, articles, and magazines, why do I write?

                I write because I enjoy it, but my purpose is far larger. God has given each of us gifts, and I believe one of mine is writing. God desires that we use our gifts for him, and to the fullest extent possible. Why waste what God has given us? I write for my King, and I write for others’ edification. Although I was reminded this Sunday by my pastor’s sermon not to rely on others’ words of encouragement but rather on Christ, many times the encouragement of others has helped me greatly. During a period of time when I was extremely discouraged about music some friends of ours wrote a note to us explaining how much my piano playing had encouraged them. I was reminded once more that my skills don’t have to be perfect to help others.
                I remember the first time I began to write on my own. When I was about eleven or twelve I decided to write a book about pioneers. A young lady from the church encouraged me to write and even sat down with me and listened to the story. When I read it now I realize there were a lot of mistakes she could have corrected me on, but instead she realized that her job was to encourage me- the grammar would come later. When I was finished, my Aunt helped me edit it (believe me, it needed a lot!) and typeset it and we took it to the office store and had them spiral bind it. The best part of the book were the illustrations done by my brother. The story was about an eighteen-year-old girl named Becka Forsythe (what did I know about eighteen-year-olds?) and her family who traveled west in a covered wagon (of course!). On the way out to Kansas they meet a buffalo stampede and just barely escape by jumping onto a mesa type rock. Because their wagon was ruined, they settled there, near Lecompton, Kansas. Most of the family is captured by the Ute Indians in the Walker War and are freed by Becka and her brother Peter. Just when they arrive home, their older son who was away studying law shows up and they live happily ever after. Anyway, I remember being disappointed that it was only sixty-one pages long and you could read it in less than an hour!
                I’m not sure in what ways God will enable me to use writing to advance his kingdom. Right now it may only be writing for Joyfully Jewel and The Prairie Times, a local magazine I have recently been involved in. Whatever it is, being in God’s will is the best place for me to be.
                So many girls I talk to enjoy writing, but are afraid to show their work to anyone. That’s sad. Sometimes failing a few times in front of others teaches you a lot more than hiding your skills. Remember, our goal is not to make a good reputation for ourselves, but to showcase God’s glory. Writing is a great way to share the gospel and encourage others, most of all pointing them to Christ. So I write on, for Christ and His kingdom!

Let it Snow!

                How many times have you watched the snow fly outside while sitting by the hearth or taken a single snowflake in your hand and examined its intricate design? Snow is one of the many wonders of God’s creation; a wonder that far exceeds the power of the pen. In the wild recesses of your mind, could you ever come up with something so wonderful, so beautiful, yet so useful a substance as snow? Not only does it store water in an almost dry element, allowing for more precipitation without flooding and washing away earth, it protects the earth by allowing only a steady melt of water to soak the plants below it and seep into the earth’s groundwater. So where does this snow come from?

               Snow begins in a process called the Bergeron Process. The Bergeron process takes place in cold clouds, or clouds with below-freezing temperatures thus clouds subsisting of ice. When water condenses out of the atmosphere and gathers in the cold cloud, at a certain point, the ice crystals in these clouds weigh too much to stay suspended in the air. As the ice crystals begin to fall through the air, they pick up more water which freezes and continues falling. When they become too large they break, creating even more crystals falling through the air. When they reach the lower troposphere they either melt causing rain, or stay frozen, depending on the temperature.  

               The intricate design of snowflakes is caused by the ice crystals breaking, collecting more ice, and then breaking again numerous times. Although it’s not impossible for two snowflakes to be identical, it’s highly unlikely due to the vast number of possibilities.

                Next times you see snow, remember God’s amazing creativity in designing the snowflake. Whether you’re caught outside in it, or watching it swirl from your window, don’t forget to thank God for creating such a beautiful and useful substance as snow. God could have made the earth all brown and dull, but that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?

Living on the Land

            A few years ago, my father caught a vision for taking dominion of the creation by learning how to live a more rural lifestyle.  The problem was we lived in suburbia. So, we decided to work with what we had.  Instead of impractical green grass, woodchips, and shrubs, we began to recreate the landscape on our ¼ acre to include a large vegetable and herb garden. Our first animals to get were two rabbits. They provided great fun and good composting manure until one day we didn’t close the cage properly and they escaped. That was the end of our rabbits.

            Next we went to the feed store and bought six fluffy chicks-one for each in the family. Not long after we had brought them home we became the neighborhood petting zoo. It started with letting one child hold the birds, and he told his friends, and they told their friends...and you get the point.

            But our real goal was to have some land where we could raise as many animals as we liked. After two stressful moves within five months of each other and a providential set of events, we finely found a homestead that fit us perfectly. We had waited for this for years! Jumping right in, and before we had even unpacked the house, we started working on the garden and orchard.
            First, we constructed a seven foot tall fence out of landscaping timbers to keep out the deer. We then wrapped a hodgepodge of fencing around to help with the rabbits. In his excitement to get started, my dad bought twenty-four fruit trees at a sale to plant in between the garden rows. Talking about a lot of fruit! In our old house, we tilled the garden by hand, but we weren’t so keen on breaking 300 square feet of thick sod by hand. So, we started researching rototillers. We came a across a pretty-good sized rototiller at a used sale. Thinking that bigger could only be better, we bought it. The giant size still works well for breaking up clay-like dirt, but it’s not so easy to push!
            Now, two years later, looking back I am glad we followed the principle found in Proverbs 24:27: “Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field, and then build your house.” Our garage may not be completely unpacked, but we are two years farther into getting fruit from our trees.
            Yet, we have found homesteading a lot harder than it looks in the books! After all that hard work of putting in the garden that first summer, our farm was hit with an intense hail storm. We came back from vacation to find the garden in a miserable condition. Nevertheless, we now know to put hail guards over some of the more sensitive plants before leaving town!
            Over the last two years, our farm has grown to include milk goats, chickens, and egg-laying ducks. There is nothing more satisfying than coming in from feeding the animals and enjoying fresh eggs, milk and produce. We also have the fulfillment of knowing where our food comes from and what nutrients are on our plate.
            Some of my father’s goals in originally moving us to some acreage were to be able to teach us children to work hard, to serve others, and to take dominion for Christ’s kingdom. Having animals that must be fed no matter what the weather has definitely taught us to get out of bed in the morning! Even more rewarding are the countless people from all stages and walks of life that have found our homestead to be a welcome rest from the toils of this world. Many children who might not otherwise get to experience farm life have been able to help feed goat kids, gather eggs, or harvest the garden. Through the creativity the farm life has brought, my siblings and I have been able to prune our skills and use them to further Christ’s kingdom. Whether it’s building a swing for a local ministry, writing, music, or hospitality, I hope we will be able to tell others about the gospel through our example. I know not what new animals we will be able to work with or what new adventures we will add to our little farm in the coming years. Whatever they are, I hope we can use them to bless others and most importantly, to glorify God.