Our Ebenezer

Ever heard the phrase "The Lord is my Ebenezer?"  I had, perhaps being from the South especially, and had always wondered what that meant.  Ever read through a portion of the Scripture countless times and then suddenly come across something you'd missed all those years?  I did, and finally had my answer to Ebenezer.  

In I Samuel 7:12 we read, "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the Lord has helped us."  Ebenezer literally means "a stone of help".  Jesus, our Rock, that stone, is indeed our Ebenezer.  I take joy in understanding yet a little more of the nature and character of our Lord.

So, Samuel set up a stone for the people to remember the great victory God had given the Israelites over their longtime, relentless enemy, the Philistines.  He knew, God knows, how quickly men forget the goodness of the Lord, and so Samuel set a stone of remembrance.  While we usually do not set up stones except in cemeteries, we do have other remembrances of the goodness of the Lord: a garden to remember the dear one He loaned to us for awhile, a photograph of the long-awaited child for which we prayed, an 8-inch scar that reminds me that the tumor was benign and I can still walk, and so many other things that we must not grow dull to.  Ebenezer - our Stone of help.

I Am No Man

It has bemused me over the last few years as to how God will occasionally call women to engage in the world of the battles of men.   As was said by Eowyn in Return of the King, "I am no man."  

Indeed, my shoulders are not so broad as to carry such weight as does a man; nor my heart so fortified.  Yet there I've been and here I am still, and only God knows the why of it.  My heart's desire is to follow where He leads, and it leads to some mighty tough places.  

One of the blessings of this walk has been found in that world of men itself, for I have found faithful, stalwart brothers, whom I trust with my very life.  They are friends in every aspect of meaning.  A gift from the Lord.  I am no man, but the Lord gives courage and strength to all His children, men and women alike, for the tasks He calls them to.  

"Hopeful contentment in the face of never ending responsibilities is a virtue that continually breeds in us anticipation for new beginnings, not old resolutions.  It is a virtue that provokes us to a fresh confidence in the present as well as in the days yet to come.  The question is how do we reclaim that glorious heritage?  By walking in grace, by walking together."   ~ Charles Spurgeon

Grandpa Turns 80!

Grandpa, also known as Dad, Orv, or Great-Grandpa, recently became an Octogenarian!  To celebrate this worthy event, the family gathered in San Diego and Coronado for a days-long celebration with lots of fun and lots of food.  And lots and lots of food!

Dad with his three children; Connie, John, and Jim, looking through photographs of by-gone days.  They look pretty serious.  It must be a photo of when everyone was 20 pounds lighter.  Except Connie, of course.

Here's Great-Grandpa on the day of his party with his two littlest boys.

Four Generations!!!  From youngest to eldest:  Patrick, Gilbert, Kristin, John, and Orv.

               Dad with his three kids on Coronado.

Grandpa with all his grandchildren except Amanda, who was missed very much!

                    Lovely Molly with her birthday boy.

The other beautiful Scherrer sisters:  Laura, Sarah, and Lisa.

                               He doth protest too much.

Gilbert enjoys his vantage point atop Uncle Eric's shoulders.

A beautiful San Diego sunset makes for a great photo of Grandpa and the kids.

Let's Go!

                                                 As they say....

           "You are now free to move about the country."   

Hey, Hey, Hay!

No, Fat Albert didn't drop in, but we got a nice, fat harvest of hay!  Off of approximately 7 1/2 acres, 6 of it being grazed upon, we got 280 bales.  The front 1 1/2 acres yielded most at 180 bales, but it didn't have our little trio eating on it, and that ground has always grown better grass than the field out back.  

We were thinking about trying for a second cutting until yesterday when Justin, as he was weed-eating the fenceline, came upon a 6-foot Diamond Back!!!  Fortunately, his encounter was without incident.  I think we'll be keeping those fields SHORT this summer!

       One of the 2 1/2 flatbed loads of hay.

Love & Acceptance

You really must click on this photo to enlarge it for the full effect, because then you'll find the sweetest picture of a mother's love and joy, and a daughter's love and contentment as illustrated through a tree toad.  

Thanks to my family for this precious photo.

Republic of Texas

There are some of us who've known all along that there really IS a Republic of Texas, even if it exists only in hearts and minds.  But, now we die-hard Texans can rest assured that there really is a Republic of Texas.  Really.  Land, and everything.  It's small (if anything in Texas can be small), but it's there!

According to the marker below, as early as the beginning of the 18th Century, Spain and France were fighting over Texas.  (Who wouldn't?)  When the young United States bought the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the Texas border was still in dispute, so leaders agreed to a neutral area between the Hondo Arroyo and the Sabine River.  In 1836, when Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a Republic, it appointed a joint commission with the U.S. to define the border.  Granite markers were set up, and this is the only known marker remaining.  It is also the only international border marker within the U.S.   In fact, when my uncle drove next to this marker in his work vehicle while inspecting pipeline, the truck's GPS sent a signal to the home office that he had left the country!
Does this mean that Patrick is the current President of the Republic of Texas?
And finally, while we are confirming facts of the past and present, we must also consider the Jackaloupe.  Here's one "in the flesh".  How could you possibly doubt its existence?
Many thanks to family - who was having way too much fun on the Texas-Louisiana border - for these fun photos.