Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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Archives for March 2018

#Enough

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I can’t sleep tonight. I am worried about my son. My nonconformist son who decided to stand across the street from his high school during the “walkout” today holding a sign that said “Don’t blame guns. Blame culture,” while his friend waved a Support Trump flag. A group of protestors, the same students who so eagerly walked out of school to join the cause of peace, chased down and threatened my son and his friend, while pushing and shoving them, until a school social worker and another student intervened. They were okay, thank God, but the school administration made the decision to send them home for the day for their safety, as the other students were “very upset.” What? Upset about what? Upset about the fact that my son had an opinion different from their own and decided to share it? In fact, these non-violent, peace-loving students must have been beyond just upset because the administration decided that it wouldn’t be safe for my son to return to school for the rest of the week.

I keep seeing videos and news articles showing the peaceful young protestors who are fed up with gun violence and want change. I get it. My heart breaks for the young people of today who can’t feel safe at school. I get it! But it’s not the gun’s fault. Tomorrow my son can’t feel safe at school because the same students who protested gun violence, have threatened him. Violence happens with or without guns. The guns just get more attention.

I pray for my son. I pray for the schools. I pray for families that have lost loved ones. I pray for the politicians and our President. I pray for the bullied and the bullies. We are all hurting. Only God can help us.

Farm truckin

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After loosing two vehicles in one week and scrambling to figure it all out, seems Gods blessings are abundant! Got an old pickup donated so we at least had a second car, I broke down and spent $1900.00 for an even older truck. I figured it was time to get an old beater to run things and when it snows. Welcome to the farm! The two additions to our Hazzardous adventure are a 1999 Ford 1/2 ton & a 1988 Ford 3/4 ton 4×4 7.3 IDI (diesel) a workhorse! They don’t come without issues! But I’m working on that! Now we are back up to three cars, but of coarse, the Camry is now demanding attention (02 sensor).

So weekend trips, hauling out the load, working on literally EVERYTHING! Gods strength is seen so abundantly in my bride as she hauls out the chimney in chunks to make room for sheet rocking the upper level! She is such a great blessing.

Stay tuned for future updates on “the shop” and maybe some “ordnance stump removal” after the winters tight grip lets up…. and maybe a picture or two? (If I can figure out how)

Get out of the boat.

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“Come!” Jesus said.

And climbing out of he boat, Peter started walking on water and came toward Jesus.  Matthew 14: 29 (HCSB)

I am a person who has spent most of my life being afraid.  Afraid to try something new; afraid to take chances; afraid to fail; afraid to succeed; afraid to talk to people; afraid they won’t like me; afraid they will like me and I might have to talk to them…you get the picture.

In high school, I was so afraid that I might not get an A on a quiz that I hid under the stairs for an entire class period hoping the hall monitor wouldn’t find me.  I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 18 because I was too afraid to drive.  I won’t pet horses because I am afraid of being bit.  Lets just say, I am not a risk taker.

“Come!” Jesus said.

When Jesus instructed Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water, Peter came!  I don’t know about you, but I can’t swim and the idea of stepping out of that boat and onto the water is terrifying, even if Jesus is standing there with hands reached out.

Faith.  It takes an incredible amount of faith to step out of that boat.  Faith to believe that Jesus is not going to let you drown and all you have to do is obey His command.  Where does faith like that come from?  Certainly not from within us!  No, that kind of faith is generated by God Himself.  He plants the seed of faith, and with each act of obedience we water it and it grows a little more.

My family and I are on what we like to call a Hazzardous Adventure.  Well, some of us.  Chris and Alex, are busy with the Air Force and Sam is graduating high school in Minneapolis, but Charlie, Al, Jacob and I have been called somewhere new.   See, Jesus told us to pack up our stuff and come.  He called us to a faraway land.  (Well, four hours away from the Twin Cities, where we have lived for our entire lives.)  We bought a new home on 40 acres in “God’s country” northern Minnesota.  He spoke into our lives about a ministry up in the north woods.  A ministry for families.  A ministry for couples.  A ministry for people living with special needs and those caring for them.  And here we are.

Well, here I am, with Al, my 20-year-old son with autism, while my husband, Sam and Jacob are back in the Twin Cities.  Here I am blogging at 11:30pm instead of sleeping, even though tomorrow we SPRING AHEAD and I really should be sleeping.

Why?  Because I am not afraid.  I will say it again, I AM NOT AFRAID.  You see, when Jesus saved me, I was set free from the bondage of sin and death, and that was so that I could walk in freedom.  Freedom from the fear and anxiety that had crippled me my entire life.  Free from the guilt and shame.  Free from the lies that I tell myself and Satan whispers in my ear.  I can choose to be afraid today, but that is my choice.  Afraid is not who God created me to be.

So, I obey.  I obey that still small voice that tells me to follow Him.  To step out of the boat and live hazzardously.  Let the adventure begin.