Category Archives: mustard seed faith

Awesome and Amazing

04 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Babies are precious, beauty, Christianity, faith, flower gardens, Friendship International, love, mustard seed faith, riches

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“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”      Isaiah 45:3

mustard seed faithThis evening I went down to the creek where my children and grandchildren have loved playing for years.  Last year the meadow along the woods was nothing but mud because bulldozers had dug a deep trench so that the Marathon oil pipeline could be laid down the field and across the creek.  I hated the way our privacy had been invaded and the lovely quiet of the wooded creek seemed to be a thing of the past.  But the people from Marathon had been very nice and I was thankful that they had saved as many of our trees as possible.

This coming Fall, I am planning to teach a class of International ladies in Friendship to paint wildflowers and I wondered where I would find enough flowers, or flower magazines and pictures to use as examples.   I was hoping to order some flower catalogs that would be helpful.  I even sent off for one but it never came.

But God is so awesome!  I discovered that down at the creek and along the meadow next to the woods there was an abundance of beautiful wildflowers blooming this summer.  Many of these wildflowers I had never seen growing down there before.  There were hundreds of pretty yellow daisy like flowers growing along the edge of the woods next to the creek.wildflowers sunflowersI also discovered great bunches of black-eyed Susans  and lovely pink, lavender and white wild flowers which may have been some kind of phlox.  I am convinced that God not only provides for our needs but He delights in giving us the desires of our hearts when we love Him. wildflower beauty“Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”      Psalm 37:4

And the abundance with which he does this overwhelms me!wildflowers beauty2It occurred to me that the real treasures of darkness and the riches stored in secret places spoken of in Isaiah 45:3 are NOT gold and silver or precious jewels.  The real riches are those that God has hidden in seeds that suddenly spring forth producing the beauty of a tree or flower.  Or think about what happens when the seed of a man and woman is fertilized in love, and by the power of God brings forth the beauty and sweetness of a newborn baby. scan000shepherd-babyThis is the awesome, amazing power of God to give a seed life and energy and purpose.  And it fills me with praise for the one and only Creator.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is a work within us.”   Ephesians 3:20

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Mustard Seed Faith part II

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by in crafts, faith, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, mustard seed faith, wisdom and understanding, worry

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“Because  you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”    Matthew 17:20  

The Power of Prayer

Over a year ago we were informed that if we didn’t sign papers allowing Marathon Oil to cross our land taking a 100 foot right away for a pipeline, they would seize the land any way.  I began receiving certified letters from Marathon’s attorneys  saying that if we didn’t sign the papers, they were going to take us to court. So I began to pray.  What bothered me most was that the spot they had chosen to take was our favorite spot for picnics and cookouts at the creek.  The contract basically said that they could bulldoze down the beautiful trees there and we would no longer be allowed to use that area without their permission!  I posted in Mustard Seed Faith illuminations last week some pictures of the fun times we have had there.  I had been praying for days and the deadline for signing the papers was in less than a week.  My husband sent an email to these attorneys explaining that the direction Marathon intended to go was unacceptable to us and so was the contract.  He requested a meeting down at the sight with Marathon’s right away acquisitions manager.  The meeting was set and three men showed up including their engineer.  I decided not to attend the meeting so that I could pray while they met.  I prayed that the Holy Spirit would speak to and soften the hearts of these men and give my husband wise words to say.  “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”  Luke 21:15  

A second meeting was set and this one was for the actual signing of the papers.  At the first meeting the engineer had told my husband that it would be possible for them to drill under the road and then take a turn to the left avoiding most of our trees and going down our field almost to the end before they crossed the creek.  We were also told that they would change the parts of the contract we were unhappy with and bring a map to this meeting showing the revised direction they would be taking.  For the next few days I praised God for His unfailing love and waited in joyful expectation to see how my awesome God would answer my prayers.We sat around my kitchen table and I was relieved to see that their map appeared  to follow the path we had hoped they would take.  I had printed out a large picture of our grandchildren playing down at the creek and showed it to them thanking them for not taking the part of the land we most enjoyed.The papers were signed and I praised God again for being so good. 

But this April, a year later when the bulldozers were getting ready to cross over to our land, the surveyor stakes had not been changed and it appeared that they were still going to bulldoze our trees down and cross the creek at our favorite spot.  Worry reared his ugly head again, but this time I quickly began to pray and covered him with a mountain of prayer and promises each time he appeared.  My husband made a phone call regarding this matter and we were met once again by the acquisitions manager and together we walked down by the creek.  I pointed out the favorite places our grandchildren play and all the trees I did not want the bulldozers to destroy.  His heart had already been touched by the Lord and he couldn’t have been nicer, promising to come back and tape off those trees.  In the above two pictures you can see the beautiful red tape he used to protect our trees and creek.  The next picture was taken May 24,2012, and they still have a lot more work to do.  But they have been very careful and not damaged our trees.

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”   Psalm 115:1

The amazing thing is that I thought I would be really bothered by the noise.  But it has been going on now for about three weeks with drilling through rocks, dynamite blasts that vibrate our house and the constant beeping, clanging, banging noises of huge machinery and I have been completely at peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you”   Isaiah 26:3  

Shepherd our grandson loves all the noise and construction and never gets tired of watching from his director’s chair.  Perhaps I have learned to look at it from the eyes of a little child.  But mostly I believe that I am just so thankful knowing that God changed the hearts of these men and their plans.  The acquisition manager had seen us watching the construction with Shepherd and called us from his cell phone one day saying he envied us as grandparents.  He let us know that there would be a big dynamite blast in less than an hour if we would like to bring our grandson down to watch.  I am looking forward to the time when they are completely finished and I know the sweet sound of birds singing and crickets chirping and the quiet of peace will be so welcomed.  But best of all will be the sound of laughing, splashing children as they play down by the creek.  Thank you Father, thank you, thank you, thank you.

“Ah Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.”   Jeremiah 32:17

 

Mustard Seed Gift

In my kitchen window I have a little bottle filled with mustard seeds and tied with the verse from Matthew 17:20 that my daughter made for me years ago.  If you feel you could use a little faith boost or perhaps you have a friend who is having a difficult time, this would make a lovely gift to give yourself or your friend.

Craft for Kids:  Mustard Seed Jewelry or Key Chain  

  • silver beading wire (24 gauge) or thinner
  • crystal or silver beads
  • hot glue gun

Cut about a yard length of wire and bend in half.  Place  the center of the wire at the bend on a cutting board and drop a bit of hot glue on it.  Place a tiny mustard seed on the cutting board next to it and drop some glue over the mustard seed making a pearl like pendant that contains the mustard seed and includes the wire.  Let cool and then carefully peel it off the cutting board (do not pull it off by the wire).  You may need to lift the edges of the pendant with a knife.  Finish necklace  by adding crystal beads to the wire and twisting the ends together.  Measure the necklace to be sure that it is large enough to place over the head of your child before you twist the ends together.  Place the necklace on your cutting board and seal the twisted part of the wire especially the ends with a bead of hot glue so it will not come undone or prick clothing or skin.  Boys might enjoy making a key chain.

Mustard Seed Faith illuminations

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in cookout by the creek, faith, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, health, Hearts Filled With Joy, mustard seed faith, shingles, spring flowers, wisdom and understanding, worry

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“Because you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”    Matthew 17:20  Faith Failure:

Have you ever had a faith failure?  About a year ago I found out that Marathon Oil was going to put in a pipeline across our land and I became so upset, it made me sick.  A week later I came down with a terrible case of shingles that lasted for weeks.  I called it the worry disease because every time I would start to worry, it became worse and hurt more.

We were informed that we had no choice but to sign the papers agreeing for them to take a 100 foot right away because if we didn’t sign them, the land would be seized anyway.  They said they were willing to pay us for the value of the land.  But how could they know what the value of the land was worth to me?  To them it  was farm land and not worth very much. But what is the value of a tree that is more than 5 feet in diameter and probably more than 100 years old?  And how do you count the cost of wildflowers and daffodils that bloom in the woods every spring?

They were planning to go straight across our woods and creek  and their bulldozers would plow down all the beautiful shade trees as they went.

This was the place where our children had loved playing each summer.  They had floated in boats and inner-tubes, played imagination games on the rocks at pirate’s cove, made trails through the woods and swung on vines hanging from the trees.  Under the big tree we had held Sunday School cookouts by the creek and in the meadow we played games and kickball with the children. 

In the field the kids were also treated to hayrides.  After we finished eating as the sun was setting, we made a big camp fire and roasted marshmallows making s’mores for dessert. 

Then someone played the guitar and we sat around the fire singing songs until after dark.  We always ended with a prayer followed by singing one of my favorite songs, “Cum Ba Ya, My Lord,” and I know He was there because I could feel His Very Presence.

But even though we were informed we had no choice about allowing them to cross our land, what they didn’t figure on was the power of prayer!  When my mind finally quieted and I stopped asking “why Lord,” I began to pray.  I asked God to not let them cut down our trees and cross our land at our favorite spot for picnics and fun.  And each time I prayed I could almost audibly here my Lord say, “Just trust me, just trust me.”  “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”    Psalm 33:18

to be continued…….