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posted by Michael on 09/18/10

We are rejoicing for the plentiful rain we received on Thursday! What little rain we have received in recent weeks has only been enough to moisten the surface while the subsoil remained dry as dust. This time it rained heavily at times and softly at times over a long period, allowing the water to soak in thoroughly. It was just what we needed! As I dug a hole today to bury some “compostables” I found it plenty moist to a depth of at least twelve inches. I think the rain arrived just in time, as Goldenrod bloom is just hitting strong, and white Aster bloom is just beginning. The honey bees seem active and are bringing in some pollen.

I remember reading Deuteronomy 11:11-14 when we moved here to West Virginia over seven years ago, the same passage from which we derived the title ‘Possessing the Land’ for our “farming” activities: “But the land, whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for… And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season…”

“Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rian, whereby Thou didst confirm Thine inheritance, when it was weary.” Ps. 68:9

“O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.” Ps. 65:2

Let us continue to pray fervently for the desperately needed spiritual water to come to those who need it, and like Apollos, allow the Lord to make us all that He wants us to be in His kingdom! (1 Cor. 3:6) Fellow Christians, there’s no need for any lack of water flowing from us (Jn. 7:38), so lets get up and do some watering.

5 Comments » | posted in Possessing the Land

posted by Esther on 09/17/10

It was a good feeling to move into our new offices and have a couple weeks to pull together the details of starting a new session. It’s pure joy to work with this incredible team!

Our days began with prayer and were filled with all kinds of projects. I learned so much! Revising paperwork taught me what to include in a child protection policy, medical form and background screening release; writing announcements gave me a chance to think through important points of teaching attentiveness; scheduling schools gave me a feel for how things were going as they started off into a new school year; writing up a brochure refined my ability to explain the program; and preparing to teach lesson planning gave me a greater perspective on what all is involved. Praise the Lord for the preparations that have been made. Please pray that all the little details would now fall into place as we go into the schools on Monday!

5 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Donald on 09/16/10

Congratulations Bates Family!

4 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Michael on 09/9/10

Things have been getting terribly dry around here, the grass getting browner and browner, crunching under foot. Goldenrod and asters are just about to come into full bloom with not enough moisture in the soil to supply the nectar that the honeybees need so badly. We’ve been watering some younger, less established trees in the orchard, but of course there is no way to water everything that needs it. Further east, some counties of West Virginia are in such a severe drought that an official state of emergency is eminent.

In Matthew 5:45 Jesus plainly says that it is our Heavenly Father who sends the rain. We truly are dependant on Him, and rain can be withheld as a judgment (James 5:17-18).

On Tuesday I began to realize how bad things were actually getting. I had checked the weather forecast and it had given no practical hope for rain in the next ten days. I was outside looking at wilted plants and realizing how all I could do was pray. Knowing that we entirely do not deserve any rain, I appealed to the Lord’s mercy and asked for rain. That night I woke up to the sound of a steady and heavy shower! It left puddles that remained on the concrete until the next day and I could tell it had streamed into the walkway. The fact that it came at night helped prevent it from evaporating back into the air. Although it did not solve our drought problem, we are grateful for the Lord’s mercy, as well as for the thick nightly dew, reminding us of his great faithfulness. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.

There are things we need even more than we need rain. There is a spiritual drought that comes as a consequence of trusting men rather than trusting God (Jeremiah 17:5-13). Have we not, as a nation, looked to men who promise to make things better for us – and forgotten the Lord? Pray that hearts will be turned to trust in the living God.

“O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake Thee shall be ashamed… because they have forsaken the Lord, the Fountain of living waters.”

7 Comments » | posted in Possessing the Land

posted by James on 09/9/10

Last weekend, Robert, Daniel and I had the incredible opportunity to learn a very unique skill under the tutorship of one of the worlds leading chalk artist, Matt Bowman. Up until about 10 years ago, chalk drawing was a dying art, but through the diligent efforts of Eternity Arts, this very effective means of communication is again reaching the world for Christ.

Though we only had one day of training, we made the most of it and I was quite surprised at how easy it was to learn the simple procedures and clear-cut techniques of drawing with chalk. Due to the straightforward instruction and hands-on experience, I would say that given an easel, some chalk and a message from the Lord, any of the three of us (or better yet, the three of us working together!) would now be able to do a chalk presentation, albeit a simple one, at a moments notice.

6 Comments » | posted in Art Work