StillwatersIowa

As a kid I thought how neat it was that folks had a personal, favorite Bible verse. In eighth grade I found a verse I decided to call my own.                Today on my birthday I'd like to share that verse with you and what it means to me. This morning's pictures are just snapshots of our week. 1Thes.4:11-12 Make it your ambition (God wants us to have ambition and He wants us to have goals in our lives.) to lead a quiet life, (We are not to blow our own horns or try to impress people.) to work with your hands, (God wants us to work and help others. That sometimes involves getting dirty and doing jobs that aren't always fun.) and to mind your own business. (We are to care about other's and their goodwill. However we are not to worry about other's nit picky details, keep score, or try and keep up with the crowd.) So that your daily life (That means every day, no...

Being a father is one of the most rewarding experiences in a man's life. It also has the most responsibilities. Raising children doesn't come with a set of instructions or a road map. Which direction he chooses to take when it comes to being a father not only affects his life, but his children as well.   As the head of a household, being a father means taking a house and turning it into a home that's safe and friendly for his family. It also needs to be a place where everyone enjoys each other's company. I grew up in a home like that. Thanks Dad for providing that for me. Thanks for giving me responsibility and teaching me to work. Happy Father's Day. Being a father is hard work. It means having a job, providing for his family, and making sure all their needs are met. The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother and cherish her. Being a father means building their children's confidence by spending t...

Do you remember get togethers as a kid? I remember my dad's brothers and sisters surprising my parents with a visit one evening to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. The reason I recalled that get together as such a little kid was because my mom already had us kids ready for bed and I was embarrassed that all those people saw me in my pajamas. Today the cabin gets used by many folks for all kinds of get togethers. Since schools out Jan has twice as many grand kids come on Mondays. They enjoy getting together as cousins and especially playing together when Grandma takes them swimming. They know Grandma requires life jackets even to play in the sand. Last Sunday afternoon several families got together to ride Rangers and 4-wheelers on timber trails on a farm near Lovilla that Gary owns and Kurt and Brad rent. This is Natalie in her car seat as she rides between her parents, BJ and Cassia. Of course big brother John likes to ride in the back. It ended up being a b...

Have you ever come to a place or time and wished you had a bridge to cross? You can see the other side and it seems like you should be over there. You're just not sure how to get there. Sometimes as we are going along we wonder what's around the corner. We are on a path that seems to be going in the right direction. We just aren't sure what's ahead. Once in a while we come to a crossing and have to wait. No matter how big a hurry we are in it's definitely best to wait. Sometimes while we are waiting we meet friends we never expected to meet. Sometimes bridges and crossings need repaired. It seems like every time there's a storm your bridge blows out again and you can't get to that place or that person until you fix it. You'll work your pants off building and repairing bridges and quite often it's an uphill battle. However it's a job we are called to do and our internal attitude often decides our external actions. There ar...