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A Sad Confession
I confess I have acquiesced to something I never thought I would. Yes, Donq stands alone in the barnyard today accompanied only by two red hens. For several months, since we had placed the chicken house inside the barnyard to protect my two red hens, I have had to protect myself from the ire of one of the other occupants, Goatie Oatie. When I shut the chickens in the hen house one evening, Goatie seemed to think that I was giving them special attention and he wanted his share. With a little jump and a toss of his head, he warned me that he wasn’t happy. As the days went…
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One Hundred Years!!
I think it was the stately old barn that convinced us to buy the farm. Its age held a nostalgic appeal to Judd and me Though its old red paint had faded to gray, the barn stood steady and strong under the weight of hundreds of sweet-smelling hay piled on its top floor. As the local farmers came to reclaim the hay they had bought, the walls began to reveal not just cobwebs and dust, but memories: old harnesses, tools, and memorabilia. Painted on the south-east wall was a number: (1918). The significance of the number was a mystery, until Judd visited one day with old Chappy. Chapman’s Gas …
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TRANSFORMATIONS by Kay Bascom
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A Wedding in the Walnut Grove
A wedding! The third grandchild ( third child of Dan and Nancy) is now creating a new limb to our family tree. Lillian and Shiloh’s story goes back ten or eleven years ago when the Brock and Swihart family first met. Even then, it seems, there were sparks. But little did they express that interest until just a few months ago. What joy it was to celebrate their wedding with them. Lillian carried flowers that she had grown in her garden; we shared cherry pie that she and her friends had baked; and the couple drove off in a vehicle that Shiloh and his friends had “constructed.” Creativity abounds in this…
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Re-Collecting in the Pasture
Today I needed to walk the old familiar trail in the pasture again.The thoughts and feelings swirling in my mind and heart were and are disconcerting. Thirty-eight years ago, this pasture was new to me. My body was younger. I was filled with anticipation of what could be, Things in the world were . . . just different. Yes, we were on a down-swing in our culture, but there was hope of changing it. Yesterday we were young, God was with us, we could carry out the vision under God’s direction. We were a community with one heart. Today, we are not so young. Our community living here is of…
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New Updates From the Farm
Woo hoo!!! Three new babies in the Swihart family as of today. In the last nine weeks we have received these little answers to prayer: one grand child and two great-grands! I had to search to find a picture that would illustrate these three, since they have not been together, yet. The black-haired baby is the one we are waiting for at this moment. This is just a guess, but I am SURE he/she will have a head of black hair like her/his momma and daddy did. The other two babies, Sophie (Derrick and Carrie), and Lydia (Jena and EJ) have light brown hair. Thus, the pic. And if that…
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Who Am I? #2
“You need to write a song!” These words coming in Messenger from a nephew startled me. “Who? I don’t write songs!” I wrote back. “Yes,” he replied. “You.” He proceeded to give me some of his reasons and suggestions. Both he and his young son have been involved in bands and gigs. They were looking for words that my grand-nephew could put to music for his next gig at The Hard Rock Cafe in their city. Gazing at Steve’s Facebook picture I tried to see the little boy I once knew. Yes, behind the long gray hair and the white beard I still could see a semblance of that little…
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Who Am I?
Let’s begin with someone who we all think WE know, but who wrestled with the same questions we may have at times: Who Am I? by Deitrich Bonhoeffer Who am I? They often tell me I stepped from my cell’s confinement Calmly, cheerfully, firmly, Like a Squire from his country house. Who am I? They often tell me I used to speak to my warders Freely and friendly and clearly, As thought it were mine to command. Who am I? They also tell me I bore the days of misfortune Equably, smilingly, proudly, like one accustomed to win. Am I then really that which other men tell of? Or…
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It’s the Thought That Counts by Jan Coles
All kinds of thoughts can occur to me when I open a gift How thoughtful! That is so nice of her to think of me. I think I already have one of these. I think I told him I don’t like these. What made him think I’d like this? What was she thinking? Among the gifts my husband and I received as wedding presents was a large, blue glass bowl from his Aunt Ellen. His artistic, eclectic Aunt Ellen. The bowl was, well, um, shall we say, unusual. The depression of the bowl had a diameter of about eight inches and was about four inches deep. The flanges around the…
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BETHLEHEM REVISITED
December 1st, 2nd & 3rd, 2017 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” ~ Luke 2:10-11 Each year 2,000 people walk the hills and trails of the local farm, stepping back in time to “Bethlehem Revisited.” A living nativity experience that seeks to bring to life the “good news of a great joy.” It is an outreach event that invites surrounding communities to join a guided walking tour in which the group interacts with…
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God’s Love Present in Our World — Cladach Publishing
As a publisher, I love to publish books and stories that demonstrate the love of Jesus … stories ever fresh, personal and creative … stories of a love that has power to change lives and change history. Many Cladach books tell of lives changed by this love. In Creation of Calm, we read how God’s love transformed pain and loss into beautiful art that brings calm to others caught in life’s storms. In Hostage In Taipei, we read a true, extreme account of God’s love working through believers literally caught in the crossfire, eventually overcoming violence and hate. In Face to Face, we read of Love personified who, unlike everyone…
