Flood of His Love

Matthew 25:35-36, 40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, 40 ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

• Flood provides services designed to meet the physical, relational and spiritual needs of the homeless, sober living home residents, motel dwellers and those entrenched in generational poverty within inner-city Bakersfield.
• The ministry is dedicated to spreading the Good News and Love of Jesus Christ through worship, Bible instruction, fellowship and volunteerism. Flood meets individual physical needs, strives to build personal relationships with all who attend, and provides a vehicle for Bakersfield churches to serve, with the purpose of improving life circumstances in order to promote self worth and greater self sufficiency.

Heaven won't have empty bellies, jobless families, or hurting hearts. When we love & care for others, we have an opportunity to be His hands & feet until we get there. The smiling faces of those who receive a new pair of shoes, the tears of those who receive a warm embrace, the child who is played with while the worries of life disappear for the moment, these are precious to Jesus because He loves them. We want to be about our Father's work here on earth and people are priceless to Him.

Spread His love and flood our streets & towns with His love!

True Beauty ~ Horseback

This weekend I was able to visit Long Meadow one last time before winter. It was a beautiful weekend. We were gathering the last of the cattle. We had to find those critters in those mountains. What a beautiful time of year. All the trees were changing color and the air was crisp. Saturday was filled with a day of riding through some beautiful country looking for cows. We didn't find any that day but saw a lot of beauty. I never have my camera, which I often regret. I need to get a small camera that can fit in my vest. Sunday I got to go down the chute by myself. It was a great experience for both me & my mare. She is horse-sour, meaning she doesn't like to be alone. I had never ridden like that alone and was excited to be able to do so. We both did alright. We both have work to do but I couldn't have asked for a better partner. Pearl is fabulous. I look forward to many years and trails ahead of us!
I had a wonderful time with the Lord, my mare, & my friends. Even with all the beauty, my heart is never far from home. Aaron's favorite song for us is "My Front Porch Lookin' In". I understand that so much. My favorite view is from my front porch looking into our home. There is nothing to compare with when those you adore come running to you when you get home and grab your legs. They are so excited, and so am I, to see them, grab them into my arms, and hear their stories. It makes my heart swell at the recollection. I can't imagine what it will be like to run into my Abba's arms or grab His legs and tell Him how happy I am to be with Him. I can't wait! :)



Fall Colors in Sequoia National Park

Honor Roll

Fourth grade is when you are eligible for honor roll, at the girl's school. So we were very happy for Abigail to have made her first honor roll. As a proud parent, I attended the assembly and wanted to capture the moment on film.

Boy, am I happy I did that!

She was thrilled to smile for her Mama! It has begun!

Nevertheless, we are so proud of her & her hard work.

A Boy & His Tractors

Halloween 2009

Spirit Week

This week is "Spirit Week" at the girl's school. They are having so much fun dressing up each day. Today is Wacky Wednesday ~ too fun!

The posing photo..........

My "wacky" kiddos!

Happy Times!

Pearl's Debut

I am thrilled to report that Pearl had a fabulous debut. We have had the opportunity to work cattle the past couple of weeks. We had to gather cattle at a friend of my father-in-laws and I was able to see how Pearl was going to work out. She did great. She gives me what I ask for, when I ask for it, and doesn't get bothered by much. Okay, I still have not got the sorting thing down, especially when four people are telling me what to do! But experience will be the best teacher on that issue.

I also got to go help push cattle down from Tyler Creek. It was suppose to be an easy/short day. It was everything but that. It took a crazy amount of time. We had soooooo many calves we had to stop and load some up and just trailer them. The one funny story from this day was when I was chasing some cows that had turned back, my reins ended up on the same side and I was pulling the wrong one to stop. Hence Pearl was not stopping, or even slowing down at this point. I am running by Benny yelling, "We're gonna have a WRECK!!!" I was actually laughing and trying to get my reins in order. I was able to get her turned without having a wreck ~ thank you Jesus! That was a crazy day. The calves were so young and so many, they just made for the slowest day ever. We only did half the job that day, as we quit at dusk. I was assured that that was the worst they had ever had it go. Good, I can't wait for next year!

One thing is very true ~ cattle predict how long things take!

With all this, Pearl did a wonderful job. Wow, what a difference. Once you have had a "sassy" mare and then get one with a great temperament, it is crazy how good it feels. I am so thankful to have had Baby Girl first. I learned so much on her and through her. I would have been spoiled if I had had Pearl as a "first" horse. I have so much to learn & work on with Pearl.

I am excited for this journey in front of us.

A Day in his Shoes

We have established that the Abshires are already in the poison control database, due to our excitement with Hopie. Well, in this post it is a wonder how I make it through a day with Luke Josiah! I wanted to share a day in the life with Luke. Mamas of young boys will shake their head in understanding the following account.

Luke is totally two right now! He doesn't talk, but trust me when I say he makes his needs & desires known. I spend the day juggling the many tasks & chores that mamas do during the day, then add the wave of mess of a toddler to boot. I am walking through the house, talking to Aaron on the phone, when I pass by the girl's bedroom. I notice that a toy is flying in the air a little higher than it should be for Luke's size. I decide to check out what he is doing. I walk in on him standing in the middle of the top bunk of the girl's bed, throwing animals across the room and into the ceiling fan that is on! He climbed up the side of the bed, because I took the ladder to the bed down weeks ago to prevent him from climbing up to the top bunk.

Okay, Luke is down on the ground safely and the bed is blocked. I head upstairs to make my bed and hear something fall down outside the back door. I come down to find Luke holding his finger saying, "oooouuuuwwwwweeeeeee". He is giving me his finger to kiss. So I kiss his finger and ask him what he did. He takes me to the steps out back where my little man has stuck a set of keys into an outlet! Praise God, he blew the circuit. Ouwee! Ya' think partner! Ya just stuck a a set of keys in a 110 outlet. I am glad you can say ouwee! My feeler was stuck for a little while after that one. Needless to say, keys were put up HIGHER after that incident. He had used a chair to retrieve this set. He is a resourceful little critter!

So I bring him inside where things are safer. Within 5 minutes of being inside my little man has striped down to his birthday suit and dumped every toy basket in his room. He is so proud of himself. I just shake my head and decide to go get the camera. What can you do? I snap a picture of my son in all his glory.

Finally after my feeler has come down from the "electrician" escapade, I hear Luke callin' "Mama!" It is the mama that says "come see what I am doing". You know the tone! I head to his room quickly to find him in my saddle that is next to his "big boy" bed. He has figured how to get from the bed into the saddle. He was so proud he decided to show me how he did it. He stood on the edge of his bed and threw his chest on the seat of the saddle. Then he swung his leg over the saddle and pulled himself - upright!

I confess, I was impressed!

Go Luke Frost!

Keep in mind, this was ALL in one day! It is a wonder how mamas make it through some days. I wonder will Luke make it to his third birthday! He is killin' me! Boys are busy! I do love my little guy. He brings me the biggest smiles and cracks me up daily. He keeps me on my toes and is the reason I take a daily multi-vitamin!

Pumpkin Patch with Hopie

Magic Mountain

I can remember when Abbie was just a baby thinking that a trip to Magic Mountain was so far away. I wasn't eager for it, I just thought that she would never really be older enough or big enough to go to such a big place. Silly Mama! My little girl spent the day at Magic Mountain with her Papa & classmates as a reward for selling barbecue tickets for her school. This was her first year to sell tickets and she came in third place of her school in ticket sales. Go Abbie! She was quiet the saleswoman as I heard her on the phone selling tickets. She worked hard and we are so proud of her. But is she really big enough to go to Magic Mountain??? Papa informed me that they spent the day in "kiddie land"! That made this Mama happy. I know the day is coming that she will be off and running, but I am not there yet. I will add a picture once Papa sends them from his phone.