Discovering Ordinary

Good morning. These little, ordinary people (grandkids) are discovering how a varmint live trap works. The trap sort of smelled. The last thing Kurt had caught in it was a skunk.

Last Sunday evening our church had it's annual candlelight service put on by our young people including five of our grandchildren. BJ and Cassia are youth leaders.

Mike had to bring his dozer to our shop this week and replace a large hydraulic hose that had blown. Thanks to Ziegler Cat for parts and help.

BJ continues to tile. Below he is putting in a dedicated drain line for Kurt and Emily's basement. Thanks for the picture Emily.

I'm not sure whether cleaning out soybean bins keeps you young or makes one old. We cleaned up our last ten loads out of  four bins. Thanks to all our crew who willingly jumped in and helped.

After getting a semi tire fixed I took the second to last load to ADM in Des Moines. ADM in Burlington on the Mississippi River is about ready to call it winter. Burlington loads barges on the river for exports. Des Moines processes the soybeans for soybean meal and soybean oil.

I stopped at Blue Beacon on the way home. They wash semis at a truckstop along I80. We usually wash our own trucks however BB has the ability and ingredients to brighten things up. While waiting I enjoyed visiting with Bryan who's nickname is Pitchfork. He was getting his truck washed as well.

Jan wanted family over for breakfast for her birthday gift. So Saturday morning our family got together in the shop. The boys helped her prepare the meal. Jan cooked two different kinds of bacon, both link and patty sausage, and ham. She warmed up hashbrowns. She made monkey bread and cinnamon rolls. And two different kinds of fruit. BJ and John made scrambled eggs. Kurt made fried eggs. And Mike and Mark made pancakes with butter, blackberries, and maple syrup. Becky brought almond letters for desert.

Jan picked a good gift. Ordinary everyday relationships with family and friends are priceless. 2020 has been hard on relationships. When you look forward to how to proceed in a new year, don't forget that when you destroy relationships, you destroy life itself. And that is exactly what the enemy hopes for.

These are shepherd hills near Bethlehem. I took this picture last November while visiting there. Times weren't easy back then either under Roman rule. God used simple ordinary shepherds to announce the gift of His son who came as the baby Jesus. The "Silent night" story tells about how fearful they first were. Then after discovering our "gift", they returned to these hills "praising and glorifying God for all the things they had seen and heard".

That first Christmas an engaged couple with the young woman (Mary) being nine months pregnant had to go from their home town of Nazareth 90 miles south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over hills to Bethlehem to register (let the Roman government know who and where they were) in Joseph's ancestor's home town. With a donkey, not a Ranger. Once again God used ordinary folks and unordinary times to accomplish His purpose.

During tough times Christmas wasn't canceled, postponed, or rescheduled. And what the ordinary shepherds discovered wasn't virtual or zoom. Christmas was real. It's still real today. What discoveries are intended for you in our extraordinary circumstances this year? Is there still room in your heart for God to write His-story? God doesn't intend for us to cancel Christmas in 2020. Find a way to discover ordinary this week in an unordinary year. Blessings to you all.