Sometimes, getting a Moody book picture ready for the artist takes a little more time and effort than one might think. Ever since the first Moody book, part of the “sketching” process for each book involves us taking a picture of what we want sketched. This one was a little unusual!

It took three photographers... (Joseph, Anna, and I)

Mom, comfortably watching the process.

Preparing for the smoke effect.

It involved smoke balls...(only available near the 4th of July)

Joseph

John and Dad

We won’t give away anything more .

Sarah

“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory” (Psalms 108:1).

Pumpkin Crisp
From the Church at Star City

1- 29 oz. can of pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice

Mix above ingredients together and pour into a sprayed 9×13 dish.

Topping:
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Melt 1 cup of butter and pour over the dry mix.  Sprinkle 1 cup of chopped pecans over melted butter. If you like, you can do a little extra.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees until golden. Serve with ice cream or a dallop of whip topping. It is extra pretty when cool whip is lightly sprinkled with cinnamon or nutmeg.

———————–

When the crisp is warm, there’s a slight pumpkin flavor, and ice cream goes wonderfully well with it. If you’d rather a pumpkin pie flavor, serve cold!

Enjoy!

Last Friday afternoon, we ran into an interesting bus situation. Someone accidentally (smile) ran two self-tapping bolts into the bottom of the bus fuel tank. It had been done a few days earlier but the growing puddle of diesel fuel under bus was an indication there was a problem. The only solution would be to drain the almost FULL tank of diesel (about 200 gallons) into many large trash cans, so it could be reused, pull the fuel tank out, and have the holes welded. John called many welders who said they didn’t want to have anything to do with welding a fuel tank. Finally, the Lord gave him someone who would do it. And yes, the man still is alive and well. We understand there is a trick to doing it and not having it explode.

You could hardly see John!

What a mess: diesel, oil, kitty litter!

John and Jesse worked hard to drain the fuel Friday night, and Saturday morning, the project to be tackled was getting the tank out. It all took on a different twist, when John was loosening a bolt, and the wrench slipped. Two of his knuckles were cut open. I had come to take pictures when he calmly appeared from under the bus, announcing he needed to wash his hands off, he had split open his knuckles. I hurried into the utility sink and turned the water on. When I saw a gush of blood, I knew this was no small cut! His hands were also black with grease and dirt. Mom took him into the doctor, and instead of stitches, they glued his skin closed. The nurse spent a long time trying to clean the wound, and when she came in with a toothbrush, that wasn’t a good sign. (Much to John’s relief, she didn’t use the brush on his wounds!)

John--after the accident happened.

We are grateful for God’s protection over John–it could have been much worse. As soon as he got home, he wanted to start on the bus again. He can even play the banjo two-fingered!

While John was gone, Dad, Joseph, and Jesse worked on pulling the bus tank out. They succeeded!

As of today, the two holes in the tank have been welded and the tank is back in the bus and all the fuel pumped back in. There is just one stubborn fuel line left to connect and hopefully that will be taken care of tomorrow.

After the tank was out, they pushed it to the driveway.

There are two small holes in the fuel tank, so a man welded those.

For those who are observant: notice John's finger (you'll have to click into the picture to see it up close).

Gallons of diesel going back in!

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psalms 91:11)

It has been a challenging last week (really several weeks!), but as Dad encourages us, God IS good all of the time! We have had many opportunities to rest in Jesus, and we praise Him for all that He has been doing and continues to do.

The “main” event this past week was the bus emergency (a forthcoming post on that one!). I was talking to a friend in Canada on the phone today, and she asked how we were. As I told her what had been going on, she said the Lord had prompted her to pray for us this last week. She didn’t know why, but she obeyed, and prayed often for our family! Wow! We were very touched that the Lord had moved in her heart, leading her to pray for us, when we definitely needed it.

In the midst of everything, we shared through music and testimony at our wonderful nursing home church. We were glad for Nathan to join us (and we missed Christopher who was sick!).

A view from the listeners...

The family

The five younger doing a special

The elderly loved it!

Rejoicing in our Savior!

Sarah

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (2 Corinthians 4:1).

As we reflect on this day to honor fathers, my heart is grateful for my dad. He has many responsibilities in leading our family and the Titus2 ministry: sometimes, it’s hard for me to imagine how he makes all the decisions he needs to and gives direction to all of us. His desire is to serve the Lord Jesus in everything.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for a man of God who loves us all so much. Oh, and did I mention he also is a great Moody “editor” ?

We like to decorate the door :-).

Dad and Mom

Sarah

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17).

Moodys #5 is coming along . Thank you to several families who responded to my blog request for a family with a baby who is around 3 1/2-4 months!

Blessings,
Sarah

I don’t think Steve has mowed a lawn, except a time or two, for about twenty years since Nathan turned twelve and was given lawn mowing responsibility. All of our son’s have been lawn mowers for our family. Now our youngest son is thirteen, and this is the third year he has been in charge of our lawn plus he mows Grandad and Grandma’s and a few others in the neighborhood.

Not only has Jesse whole heartedly accepted the responsibility for the mowing – which he does with no reminding – but he also has taken on the maintenance of the yard. He observes weeds and pests in the yard, discusses them with his dad, and does research on how to deal with the problem, completing the designated course of action.  Jesse is learning the fertilizing needs of the yard, the fertilizing schedule, plus how to apply it to the lawn. Jesse has learned how to give a lawn mower a tune up, and he is beginning a little mower tune up business in addition to the neighborhood yards he mows. Recently he took a riding mower that was given to him but wasn’t working, did some troubleshooting of it, bought parts for it, fixed it, and sold it for a nice profit.

While Jesse mows and fertilizes, Steve’s time is freed up for his writing. In addition, Jesse is serving the family, being responsible, and developing income-producing skill.

Jesse mowing the lawn.

These are the fruitful years. The Lord has been faithful in teaching us, through His Word, the importance of implanting His Word in our children’s hearts in a practical day-to-day manner. Those years of planting can become discouraging when you give the same encouragement over and over but don’t see the results immediately.

Just as the farmer does what he needs to do and waits for his harvest, so we as parents do what the Lord Jesus calls us to do, looking forward to the fruitful years with expectation not discouragement. “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).

We, as parents, are the ones who first get to enjoy that fruit that the Lord Jesus produces in our children’s lives. “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits” (2 Timothy 2:6).

Jesse

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

Several times a year, we make burrito bean filling (my favorite meal). Here’s the link to our recipe. The filling makes our Sunday lunches very simple, and it’s quite economical too!

The first step is to sort/rinse the beans and pre-soak Thursday night in preparation for cooking the beans Friday.

To prepare the onions: a few family members take them outside, with cutting boards, knives, and bags for the onions, and process all the onions. Being outside helps your eyes not to water.

Friday night, after the beans have cooked, the onions and jalapenos as blended up to a fine puree, and then that mixture is cooked all night.

One of Dad's job is to mash the beans in an old mixer we use for that purpose.

The mashed beans are put into a container and go in the fridge over night. We didn't have room for all the beans to go in the fridge, so some had to go in pots in the oven.

I forgot to get a picture of all the seasonings before they were stirred in, but here's a second batch of seasoning (salt).

We let the filling cook all Saturday morning and part of the afternoon. Then, we portion the filling into freezer containers to be frozen for future meals!

Sarah

“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory” (Psalms 108:1).

My heart was burdened today as I read the brief obituary of a lady who had been at the nursing home for a little while. It was probably about a year ago she was there, recovering, and I enjoyed interacting with her. There were opportunities I took to share the Lord Jesus with her. She softened as the weeks went by (even being interested in/accepting a Bible!), but I don’t think she came to church (if she did, it would have only been a time or so), and she stayed firm in her false religion. Christopher and I visited her in ICU when she had a septic infection. Oh, it was sad. A woman who desperately needed Jesus, but who wouldn’t give her life to Him, and she was sad and despondent. I think she allowed us to pray with her, although I’m not positive on that. After her hospital stay, she must have gone to another care place or home.

The Lord gave her a second chance to accept Him. Now, she has slipped into Eternity. From all I knew of her, it is a hopeless Eternity without the Lord Jesus. Yet, could it be that maybe, just maybe, in her last days, she repented and turned to Jesus. I’ll never know until Heaven.

Ministering at the nursing home gives us opportunities to share Jesus. It may be the last time they hear about Jesus, but the Lord is giving them another chance.

Sarah

“… and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

Last Tuesday as Grandad and Grandma were coming back from a funeral, they were in a serious car accident. They were both taken to the hospital. Grandma has a broken pelvis and Grandad a broken collar bone. We are praising the Lord for His goodness in protecting their lives, as the accident could have been much worse.

Waiting for the ambulance.

Both Grandma and Grandad were wearing seat belts, which probably saved their lives. I remember when we would go to the park with Grandad and Grandma. Grandad would always ask: “Does everyone have their seatbelts on?” before he would start driving. It is a very simple thing to wear a seat belt, and yet so many people fail to take the few seconds that might save their lives!

Getting Grandma from the car.

Preparing to leave for the hospital.

Grandma spent a few nights in the hospital, but she just came home yesterday! We are happy to have her home. Please pray for Grandad and Grandma as they start down the road to recovery!

Grandad recovering!

Grandma just after arriving home from the hospital!

Anna for the family

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psalms 34:7)

Here is a glimpse of a few of the projects that we have been working on this week. Friday the boys filled in some asphalt between the driveway and the street. It was a project that needed to be done, yet other things kept getting in the way. We are happy to have that completed now. Summer is setting in here in Kansas!

Jesse preparing the area for asphalt.

John is laying the asphalt.

Joseph placing the insulation.

We are making good progress on the bus. Here Joseph is cutting some insulation to put back where the bathroom used to be.

Planting flowers (Sarah took this one through the window.)

Mary helped plant flowers in the containers!

Beautiful flowers!

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” (Psalms 92:1).

As I sat reading Sarah’s latest, almost completed, Moody book out loud after family Bible time to help her with her editing, Steve said, “Sarah, I don’t know how you come up with conversation in your books like you do. I could never do that.”

While Steve and I have a heart for our children to have books to read that are a godly encouragement for them, we don’t have the time nor the abilities to write those kinds of books. However, the Lord has put those same desires on Sarah’s heart and given her the talent plus the time to write children’s books.

Sarah

Those books have led children to salvation, personal Bible reading, obedience to parents, serving others, being industrious, and much more. We have reports that the books are role models for young Christian families who have not grown up in Christian homes. Plus we hear over and over that the Moody books are favorite books with the children and sometimes dads and moms too.

In addition, when our first book was printed in 1999, Sarah was finishing high school. She became our office manager. I was still a busy homeschool mom, and Steve was working full time. Neither of us had time available to fill book orders, take phone calls, and research tax issues for out-of-state conferences.

All those years homeschooling – teaching English, writing, math, diligence, perseverance, ingenuity – are now manifesting their fruit. Steve and my ministry is helped, enlarged, and broadened way beyond what we could ever imagine because of what the Lord has done in Sarah’s life and how she is choosing to serve Him.

The fruitful years will come if you will continue faithful in what the Lord has called you to do with your children.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Thursday we sang and played at a retirement home here in Leavenworth! Nathan, Melanie, and Abigail joined us, and of course, Abigail was a big hit among the elderly!  Here are some of the pictures from the afternoon.

Singing

Talking beforehand

John

Mom

Nathan and Abigail

Sarah, Mary, and I talking with a sweet lady.

More visiting.

Loading up instruments! Joseph and John had a concrete project that they were working on so they already had their flat bed trailer hooked up to the truck, so we just put everything in the trailer. (We're in the process of working on the bus, so it wasn't drivable at the moment!)

We girls in our new matching jumpers (Joseph took the picture in our front yard).

Rejoicing in Jesus,
Anna

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” (Psalms 95:1)

We are beginning to learn some new songs for the family concerts we frequently give. However, both Steve and I are quite busy. We haven’t had the energy, nor the musical expertise, to choose new music.

Anna, sixteen, has undertaken the project. She collected a list from all the family members of songs they would like to learn. Joseph, twenty, helps her evaluate each song, figure out the key we would sing it in, write down the words, and work out the chords.

Working together

As we work with and disciple our children through the years they are growing up, they become young adults who can bear responsibility, have servants hearts, and carry on the ministry the Lord Jesus has given to a family. It is a fruitful season, one to be looked forward to for those with younger children.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

As many of you know, our church is in a nursing home. That means our family has the complete responsibility of setting up for and having the church service every week. Without the help of our children, it would be a difficult task for just Steve and me.

When we arrive on Sunday morning, the children go to the rooms asking residents if they want to come to church, and then push the wheelchairs into the dining room where we have our service. One of the boys goes to the storage closet to get out our personal sound equipment that we use because so many of our congregation are hard of hearing. Then he sets up the sound equipment. The other boys move tables and rearrange chairs.

Jesse and Joseph setting up for church.

We have a tub containing our large-print, spiral bound, lightweight hymn books. One of the girls takes and distributes the hymn books to those who can still read. Christopher and Sarah take turns playing the piano. Every one fellowships with our elderly congregation before and after church.

Mary talking before church.

A new lady who came this Sunday.

Nathan and Melanie have undertaken the difficult task of maintaining the church services when we are on the road. My parents help them, and so do two of Melanie’s sisters. Nathan is the song leader and preacher when we are away. Of course, Abigail is always a favorite with our congregation, whether we are there or on the road.

We are completing our seventh year of a nursing home church. Steve has always had the responsibility of pastoring the church including Sunday preaching, conducting funerals when requested, and counseling. For several years, Christopher has preached once a month. Plus he has taken the responsibility for many of the hospitalization visits and ministry – which there is quite a bit of in our church. Christopher also goes weekly to pray with one of the men. Both Christopher and Steve are regularly asked by the staff to make other pastoral visits to a resident who isn’t a regular church attendee.

Christopher leads prayer time.

More recently Joseph (20) and John (18) are beginning to preach one Sunday every other month. They are learning to seek the Lord for where He would have them preach, study for the message, prepare it, and then present it.

John preaching last Sunday.

It is a fruitful season for Steve and me as we see the reality of our ministry multiplied, expanded, and enriched by our children’s involvement. We want to encourage those of you with young children to be faithful to bringing your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord – truly looking to Scripture rather than following what most others are doing. It may seem wearisome and lonely at times, but the fruitful season will come.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:4

Steve leads singing and encourages the hearts of all those who attend.

Holding hands...

John helping find the right page.

Joseph setting up the sound system.

The children sing a special music each Sunday.

Singing!

Sarah playing the piano.

In response to the questions we were asked after we posted The Fruitful Season: Part 1, here are some answers.

We get most of our tops from LLBean. The one I had on in this photo was from Christopher & Banks, but we haven’t seen that style the last couple of years.

Anna and I

The pattern for these jumpers is Simplicity 5917. Anna says it is very simple to make and fairly quick. She has made her jumper, Sarah’s, and is almost done with mine that are to be conference jumpers from matching fabric. Mary (12) has now finished hers too. We added length to the jumper pattern because we wear our jumpers about ankle length.

Anna hemming up a jumper today.

Mary cutting out a jumper this afternoon.

When I was nursing babies, I didn’t make nursing dresses. I had a couple of skirts and tops, but I mostly wore jumpers. I had a jumper pattern that had a bodice that buttoned so that worked for nursing. I also had a jumper pattern with a drop waist and arm hole openings down to the waist. I could nurse in that jumper as well.

Here is a Mom’s Corner where I share how I have worked with my girls in teaching them to sew.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

For many years, I sewed for a half hour a day. With that amount of sewing time in my schedule, I could keep up with making matching dresses or jumpers for myself and my girls every few months. When Sarah was about twelve years old, I began to teach her to sew. Eventually she became a proficient enough seamstress to take over the family sewing. For many years she has made our matching outfits.

Now we have entered another phase of our family’s life. When Anna was about twelve, I put into both of our schedules time for me to teach her to sew. Now at sixteen, she is undertaking her first set of matching jumpers, ones we will use for singing outfits. She has already made a jumper for herself from the pattern she will use, but it was a bit too small for me. I tried on another jumper we had made that was the next bigger size of that pattern, and it was too big.

We decided we needed to make a test jumper to get the size correct before she tackled my jumper from the matching fabric. Anna discerned how to alter the pattern not only to make it fit, but also to make it look better. The test jumper came out great, and she is ready to begin sewing the four matching jumpers.

As you invest in teaching your children in various areas, it can sometimes be discouraging and wearying. However, with perseverance, the fruitful season arrives. I haven’t had sewing time on my schedule for ten years now, but we continue to have many hand-made outfits to wear. The fruitful season has arrived and is being handed down from daughter to daughter.

Anna and I

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple” (Proverbs 31:22).

Mom

Dad and Mom

Children ARE a precious gift from our Lord. How grateful I am that the Lord blessed our family with eight.

Nathan, Melanie, and Abigail

Christopher

Sarah

Joseph

John

Anna

Jesse

Mary

Sarah for the family

“… but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).

This morning, several of us worked on compiling Chore books, which involves putting the kit together, shrink-wrapping it all together, and packaging the books into boxes.

Compiling the Chore books...

Hmmm... Out of the three of us in this picture, two are posing .

Jesse packed the boxes, but he also helped compile Chore books so we could stay ahead of Anna, the shrink-wrapper.

Mary measures out the paper with a "paper grabber."

There is always such a feeling of accomplishment after a “compiling” time! Now, we’re stocked up for awhile.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms!

Sarah

“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works” (Psalms 9:).

Saturdays are filled with various and sundry projects. A sampling of those projects would be taking bus parts to the dump (from the tear out of the bathroom), washing/cleaning out a car, sewing, and restacking a wood pile (the ground is sloped, and it has fallen over twice, so this time, we used stakes!).

Yesterday, Dad painted the first batch of windows.

The result: beautiful, white windows .

The rest of the family did miscellaneous projects yesterday, and Mary cut out a new jumper.

Anna also worked on a jumper.

Christopher shared a very good message today (at church) from Colossians 3 verse 2. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). He challenged us in what we are thinking about during the week. At the end, he used an tangible illustration. I noticed how our dear friends were very interested and loved this example. Christopher showed us what it was like to have someone (Jesse ) trying to walk toward a “goal” (a piece of paper on the floor), but Jesse was looking at a different object. It was hard to stay focused and get to the goal when Jesse was looking away from the goal. Then, he had Jesse look right toward his goal, and he reached it easily. May each of us set our affections on Jesus this week!

Sarah for the family

We’re starting in on bus work again! One step is to cut out the bathroom that came originally in the bus. We’ve heard it’s not an easy process.

John + Quickie Saw = A Job Well Done

We are a little discouraged, because Dad and John found the bus windows still leak . We are very disappointed with the place we had originally had the work done last summer, and then we took it back to them last fall after we discovered the leaking windows. We thought they had fixed it, but no, they’re still leaking. Please pray for Dad as he figures out how to fix the problem!

Sarah for the rest

“O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust…” (Psalms 7:1).

The first door writing at the new house.

We celebrated Joseph's 20th birthday, and this was a special one, since it was the first one in our new house.

Joseph is a real blessing to our family. He was Dad and Mom's first baby after the Lord changed their hearts on the blessing of children. How grateful we are for him!

Speaking of babies, Abigail is always enjoyed . Here she is with Grandma.

"There are so many interesting things to look at!"

Joseph and Nathan spent many hours yesterday working on a ChorePacks.com server upgrade. It went smoothly, and everything is running efficiently and very fast! Here's Joseph at our server hosting place (thanks, Nathan, for the picture via the cell phone).

May each one of us count the blessings Lord has given us. How the years go by quickly .

Sarah for the family

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalms 1:1-2).

Tuesday, we went to an assisted care facility here in town and sang! It was such a thrill to see the joy on the elderly people’s faces as they listened eagerly to what was being shared and sang. We also enjoyed seeing two of the residents that had been at the nursing home where we have church who are now living at the assisted care facility.

It was a cozy room .

Singing....

A sweet couple in the back, listening to the music.

Talking afterward

I got the privilege of talking to a 101 year old lady. She had such a sweet personality as she told me about her experiences when she grew up in Alaska by the Yukon. Her father was in the military, so they lived in the fort, and she also told me how the military men tamed a bear. She said that the bear especially liked candy! I cannot imagine how different society was 100 years ago than it is now. It is always a privilege getting a glimpse of what life was like back then, and ministering to the older saints.

Delighting in Jesus,
Anna

“The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow…” (Psalms 146:9)

So far none of our children have gotten their driver’s license until they were eighteen or older. That is pretty unusual when most teens drive as soon as they are legally old enough to do so. Our children would have liked to have driven at younger ages, but they had learned to value the income the Lord was giving them. They were making decisions based on the leading of the Lord and being good stewards of the finances He had given to them. Insurance is high for teens so until they needed to be able to drive – usually work related – they didn’t get their licenses.

Sometime before that point, Steve and I would decide it would be good for that teen to get his learner’s permit so that he would have plenty of driving experience with us before being on his own. With our insurance, a driver with a permit does not increase the insurance rates. That means the children can learn to drive without a financial impact to them.

We have appreciated the driving maturity in our children that comes with waiting two or three years beyond the legal driving age to get a driver’s license. Plus the children have saved a great deal of money on insurance by being patient and waiting for the need to arise before getting a driver’s license.

Joseph and John

Recently Joseph (19) and John (18)  purchased a used truck and trailer in order to begin doing some construction-type work together. The day after the house passed its final inspection in March, the boys went to get their drivers’ licenses.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding” (Proverbs 5:1).

Breakfast Casserole
From the B. Family, Maryland

6 slices bread, cubed
1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
(optional: our addition, 3 or 4 slices Velveeta cheese, torn into small pieces)
12 eggs lightly beaten
4 cups milk
1 tsp salt

Layer bread, sausage, and cheese in a buttered 9×13” baking dish (if you prefer not to use Velveeta, it can be easily omitted). Combine all other ingredients. Pour over the bread, sausage, and cheese layer. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until cooked.

——————

This is a delicious casserole that we enjoy! There are a few variations you can try. Instead of bread recently, we used biscuit flops , and the result was great. You can also use hamburger meat instead of sausage.

Enjoy!

Sarah