Stuck in the Mud

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock and

gave me a firm place to stand."

Psalm 40:1-2

Last weekend, our family visited a farm. Now if you know anything about the Browns, you will know that farmers we are not. I had "warned" the boys before we left that farms are messy. They wore old clothes, and I packed spares. When we got there, our friends generously supplied them all with muck boots. One of my sons, who shall remain unnamed, was especially disgruntled. Getting dirty is not his thing, but off they went traipsing through the barn, the goat pens, the chicken coops and the cow pastures. Mom (who isn't too fond of getting dirty herself) stayed behind. However, I was told that my youngest son, Braxton, had a hard time staying on path. He kept wandering off into "boot sucking" areas and actually got stuck a few times. Sjon-Paul told me how Braxton would start yelling for help as his boots would literally sink into the mud and mire. He was stuck fast. Thankfully Sjon-Paul's friend, Caleb, came to Braxton's rescue. Sjon-Paul, who thought the whole scene was rather comical, would have left him there. The last time it happened though, something went amiss. Perhaps Caleb took a little longer to get there, and Braxton decided to save himself. Whatever the reason, Braxton wound up leaving his boots behind and walked the rest of the way in his white socks. You can imagine what a sight awaited me when I opened the door upon their return. Despite blaming the whole ordeal on poor Caleb, Braxton survived. After a change of clothes he felt much better; although he still isn't as prone to laugh about it as we are.

This morning as I was reading through a devotional, I came upon the above verses and was reminded of this incident. You see, the past month or two I have felt a little like Braxton. I seem to be in unknown territory, stuck and sinking fast. The circumstances around me aren't totally unfamiliar. I mean, Braxton has seen cows before. He knows what a barn is, what chickens look like, but things seem to take on a different perspective when you are looking at them from the miry pit instead of a grassy field. It's scary. Like Braxton, I have a tendency to yell for help, but after I am rescued, I seem to wander off again and find myself in deeper each time. And just like Braxton, the worst part is when I feel so "down" that I fail to wait for my Savior and leave my boots behind. It's those times that I actually wind up wallowing in the mud. Yuck, what a mess!

But praise God He doesn't leave me there. He is faithful to not only get me out of the mud but to clean me up too. This past weekend, the Lord sent me several blessings (including some much-needed alone time) that helped set my feet back on the Rock. The scenery hasn't changed. There are still questions to be answered, problems to be solved, circumstances that have to be sorted out, but I am back on the path, with a new set of boots so to speak. The objective is to stay on the path. But when the inevitable happens and I wander away, when I get stuck and feel myself sinking, I don't need to try to pull myself out. I need to wait on the Lord to hear my cry. Praise God, He is faithful to lift me out of the slimy pit and give me a firm place to stand.

Animal Science Day

"God made all kinds of wild animals.

He made all kinds of livestock.

He made all kinds of creatures that move along the ground.

And God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:24-25

Today was Animal Science Day at the Brown's Academy for Boys. We invited a friend and his mother over for a few hours and proceeded to discuss animal habitats, animal births, animal products, and many more exciting animal things. We wandered around the yard for a few minutes examining several birds' nests, filled all the feeders at our cardinal tree, and then took two abandoned nests inside to examine more closely. We looked at various pieces of animal fur and feathers and such with our Bionic Eye, played animal trivia and matching games, cleaned Nemo's bowl together, and performed a couple of experiments to help us understand how God made animals with special features that help them survive. As I sit and reflect on our day, I am reminded once again of how awesome a God we serve. The more I learn about animals, the more amazed I am at the wisdom, imagination and humor of their Creator. When I look out my kitchen window at our cardinal tree (where, by the way, we saw at least 8 cardinals at one time yesterday), I am often in awe of our Lord. I mean, think about it, what purpose does a cardinal really have? It isn't a necessary element in our food chain. While I am sure cardinals eat their fair share of inscects, they aren't so efficient as to be considered a mandatory bird for the farm. They aren't especially useful in any way. But oh how I thank God for making cardinals. I still get excited to see the bright red crest against the backdrop of a snow-covered tree. I still get a slight thrill when one takes flight and the red wings vibrate against a pale blue sky, disappearing into some unseen nest . And I can't help but laugh when I see a male cardinal hopping from one branch to another, chasing after its female counterpart who always seems to be just one second ahead. When it seems as if he has finally caught her, she takes flight, and the chase begins again. Whether it be cardinals that we are watching in our own backyards or lions that most of us have only seen in pictures or at a local zoo, animals capture our imagination and enrich our lives. Most of all they serve to remind us of a Lord and Savior who loved us enough to give us all that is good.

The Adventure Begins

"My heart is overflowing with a good theme.

I recite my composition concerning the King.

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Psalm 45:1

I seemed to have been born with a God-given desire to write. I remember knowing that I would become a writer when I was only 8 or 9 years old. I have always desired to put things down on paper as a way to entertain, a way to motivate, a way to remember, and most of all as a way to honor and glorify my Lord. Like so many others, I write as much for myself as anyone else. If any of you benefit from or enjoy what I have to say here, that is an added blessing. So, here goes, an adventure awaits, a new way to recite my composition concerning the King and the lessons He teaches me everyday.