Family Pictures

Brian and I will soon get to fly from Des Moines, IA to Denver, CO and meet a special group of friends who are in ministry leadership around North America, thanks to a Peer Learning Grant from Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) a grant that pays for the expenses that an event like this takes. We met 2 1/2 years ago in Big Bear, CA and it really impacted and encouraged Brian and I.

You can read a reflection on how this group of friends formed on this article in the Calvin Seminary FORUM.

One of the preparations, along with the preparations for leaving three small children home, is gathering pictures to help tell the story of what God has been doing for the past 2 1/2 years. I enjoyed reflecting while doing this, and am excited to hear everyone's stories once we settle in our mountain cabins!

Summer 2008 in Big Bear, CA

The group in 2008

The family pictures so just how much we've grown in 2 1/2 years!

Healing Begins

A Prayer based on Psalm 90:

Teach us, Lord, to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

There was a beautiful mid-winter sunrise earlier this winter over the Iowa landscape. One of the benefits of living in wide open spaces of the country is getting to enjoy the big sky in some of it's greatest moments of glory. Winter sunrises offer some of the most spectacular shows. Sometimes it is in unlikely places that we find beauty, like the middle of Iowa winters, in a cemetery.

Since I was up way to early, I drove to capture some photos of the sunrise before my "sons" woke up.

Several older cemeteries are scattered along roadsides, surrounded by farm land. If you grew up in the country, chances are there is one with in a few miles of your house with large conifer trees shading it.

There was a cemetery across from the church I grew up in that we sometimes would play in before or after soup supers and cadet car races when our parents were visiting and us elementary school girls wanted something to do, like throw rocks at the ducks in the pond and pretend we were making wishes in the wishing well. We had a Sunday School teacher that took us to the cemetery for a walk. We didn't think anything of it. It was just sort of part of the church landscape, an extension of the community. Some of us in the class had grandparents buried there.

Hearing stories from older generations reminds us that the cemetery and the community of people lived a little closer to each other. The church and the cemetery shared the same field, in-home funerals were common, and, more people died.

Today marks the beginning of the forty day journey of Lent: a time of renewal for those who follow Christ, beginning with the imposition of ashes and the scripture, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return (from Genesis 3).

So why start a season of renewal with reminding ourselves of death? It isn't an easy way to invite a friend to church, "Hey, we are reflecting on death this week, why don't you visit?" Hmm...not likely to get a yes.

Sometimes it is some of the most unlikely place we find beauty, like the middle of Iowa winters, in a cemetery.

I was reminded of this when I heard, "Healing Begins" by Tenth Avenue North was inspired after praying in a cemetery.

This is where the healing begins, this is where the healing starts.
When you come to where you're broken within, the light meets the dark.

There is nothing like reflecting on death to help you get your priorities straight.

Search out the brokenness of Good Friday, so that he may heal you with the spirit of Easter.

May God the Father, who does not despise the broken spirit, give you a contrite heart.
May Christ, who bore our sins in his body on the tree, heal you by his wounds.
May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, speak to you words of pardon and peace. Amen.

The sunrise reflection in the windows of church.

John Deere 60

This John Deere 60 pedal tractor came from great grandpa Leo Ochsner, who farmed in Sutton, Nebraska. It came from the tractor dealer in the early 1950s when grandpa bought his first John Deere 60.

Ezra's grandpa Lauren rode it, and then Brian rode it...then tore off one of the wheels in the 1980's (he claims he was trying to fix it). We recently brought it to a repair man in Pella who was able to restore the back end well enough to ride it.

He also gave us the advice that we shouldn't leave it outside, as they are pretty special to have.

Updating Portraits

One sunny morning this week I snapped some pictures in an effort to get some updated portraits of each child. I think it is normal to do them at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months. I have never been able to keep up with that schedule, and try not to feel guilty when I miss getting pictures taken. Rather than feeling guilty, I take the approach that my at home style photos have that improv feel.

Ezra is 3 years and 2 months. Elliot is 19 1/2 months. Zachary is 6 months, so at least his age is right!

This is Elliot's stink-eye. I was thankful I was able to capture this expression that he does every now and then.

December Fun

Here are a few photos that I haven't gotten around to posting that are from last month.

Two little boys showing off to two big boys at one of our friends' homes.

Elliot evaluating the swimming pool situation, while clinging to one of his Christmas presents.

Elijah, Anton, Ezra, Elliot and Zachary at the pool.


Ezra really loved swimming. He went down the slide over and over again. This picture shows that this wasn't just a slow-poke slide, either!

After a Day of Fun

After running, packing, shopping, swimming, resting, going down the slide, swimming again, snacking, swimming again...little Elliot just couldn't finish his pizza.

A little video of what many of us might feel like after the holidays...

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He eventually fell asleep in Brian's arms, and then slept on Aunt Suzanne's lap until it was time to take a bath and get PJs on for bedtime.

Snow on Snow

In the Bleak Midwinter, Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894

1. In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,
 earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
 snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
 in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2. Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
 heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
 In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
 the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

3. Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
 cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
 but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
 worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

4. What can I give him, poor as I am?
 If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
 if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
 yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Christmas Eve

Building a Pond

The kids and I went to watch their uncles and grandpa build a pond on great grandpa Ferguson's pasture. This time of year we like to look for reasons to get out of the house as much as we can, even if it means lots of dirty clothes and muddy vehicles (inside and out). Getting ready to leave for anywhere can take up to 30 minutes of putting on boots,outdoor gear, and getting into car seats. Next winter Ezra will hopefully be able to dress himself, but for this winter, it is quite the process to get anywhere. The process of getting ready is an event itself.

Grandpa is building up an old drive way with dirt taken from inside the pond.
This fence row at one time had a wild plum tree that Grandma Ferguson and I picked plums from to make jam one summer. I remember her standing on a five gallon bucket to pick them, and handing them to me.

The valley where the upper pond will be. I grew up on a farm on the other side of the hill on the horizon. Grandpa and Grandma Ferguson lived just a mile away.

Uncles Mark, Mike and BJ getting their "core" of the pond approved. I don't know a lot about dirt work, but I've learned that this has to be made with clay (as opposed to top soil) and deep enough so that the pond doesn't leak.

The boys in their car seats. It is a tight fit!

Riding with grandpa.

Once the core of the pond was approved, uncle Mike started pushing clay on top of it to build up the dike of the pond.

The boys are in the tractor with grandpa, and Uncle Mark is filling their scraper with dirt.

Uncle Mike and BJ building up the dike on the upper pond. You can see the lower pond below is already built.

Zachary with uncle Mark in the back hoe.

Uncle Mike driving dozer.

The boys like watching home videos just as much as cartoons and movies. Here is a video of Grandpa, Ezra and Elliot stuck n the tractor, while Uncle BJ pushes them out with the dozer.

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