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I have had hundreds of pets, horses, cows, monkeys, lizards, snakes, tarantulas, and so much more. They were my pets, my responsibility to look after them and care for them. In the first time in my life, I was the pet, to Toby. He did not belong to Myles and I but we belonged to him. He was the master of this ranch, the protector, the boss. We all (goats, dogs, pigs, Myles and I, even the chickens) respected his throne. There has never been a nail that has been nailed on this ranch, a new animal that hasn't been tutored, a coyote thas has yelped in the night that Toby didn't take charge. To Myles and I, he was the man of the house and we have taken comfort in this for the last five years. Toby was never broke like most horses as he had the spirit that was given to him at birth. He told all of us what to do and we all lovingly did it, he watched over us. But he watched over all of us with love and compassion. He would wiggle his nose on you to let you know how much he loved you. When he was full of piss and vinegar, look out. He would even sneek up on Aaron and Tuyet's tiny Shi-Tzu and just nuzzle her with his nose. Everyone here seems a little lost, like we don't have Toby to do the checks and balances that he has always done. I wish I could of bottled his smell, everyday I smelled him, it was always like sniffing lavendar and calming my soul. He protected Myles and I, living out here in the country alone and I thank him for that. I WAS PROUD TO BE HIS PET.
You will always be remembered "The boob"!
16 comments:
I'm so sorry about Toby. He was an amazing horse. I remember how he used to like smack the back of your head to get your attention. It made me laugh so hard! He looked just like my horse, Star. I know how hard it is to lose a family member, because that's what they are as soon as they touch you in their quirky little ways. He was amazing and he always be. I'd bet him and Star are up in the green grassy pastures of heaven looking down at us.
All my love,
Lizzi Wonacott
Blind Ambition
Monday, January 26, 2009
“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.”
Proverbs 18:12 NKJV
Blind ambition. Success at all cost. Becoming a legend in one’s own time. Climbing the ladder to the top. King of the mountain. Top of the heap. “I did it my way.”
We make heroes out of people who are ambitious. We hold them up as models for our kids and put their pictures on the covers of our magazines.
And rightly so. The world would be in sad shape without people who dream of touching the heavens. Ambition is that grit in the soul which creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare into dreams.
But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addiction to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships…
God won’t tolerate it…Blind ambition is a giant step away from God and one step closer to catastrophe.
Sorry about Toby . . . sounds like an incredible animal/friend/pet. Much love and continued prayers to all!! ~k8
Two Sisters
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
“Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God.”
Romans 5:1
Pride and shame. You’d never know they are sisters. They appear so different. Pride puffs out her chest. Shame hangs her head. Pride boasts. Shame hides. Pride seeks to be seen. Shame seeks to be avoided.
But don’t be fooled, the emotions have the same parentage. And the emotions have the same impact. They keep you from your Father.
Pride says, “You’re too good for him.”
Shame says, “You’re too bad for him.”
Pride drives you away.
Shame keeps you away.
If pride is what goes before a fall, then shame is what keeps you from getting up after one.
Cool devotion . ..hope all is well, and you are healing after the loss of your Horse. Keeping you all our thoughts and prayers.
~k8
An Everlasting Love
Thursday, January 29, 2009
“As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him.”
Psalm 103:11
The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you; not that you can know God but that God already knows you! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him; he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached his verdict; he loves you still. No discovery will disillusion him; no rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love.
It's good to be loved!! TWO more days until Haiti!!! I know you'll miss my devotions for a week!! I know it!!! Anyway, lots of prayers continue. Hope all is well! ~k8
The World Needs Servants
Friday, January 30, 2009
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 NKJV
The world needs servants. People like Jesus who “did not come to be served, but to serve.” He chose remote Nazareth over center-stage Jerusalem, his dad’s carpentry shop over a marble-columned palace, and three decades of anonymity over a life of popularity.
Jesus came to serve. He selected prayer over sleep, the wilderness over the Jordan, irascible apostles over obedient angels. I’d have gone with the angels. Given the choice, I would have built my apostle team out of cherubim and seraphim or Gabriel and Michael, eyewitnesses of Red Sea rescues and Mount Carmel falling fires. I’d choose the angels.
Not Jesus. He picked the people. Peter, Andrew, John, and Matthew. When they feared the storm, he stilled it. When they had no coin for taxes, he supplied it. And when they had no wine for the wedding or food for the multitude, he made both
So, this is the last post on your blog for a week . .. I know you'll miss them. I'm heading to Haiti, leaving at 3am . . ..IF i can get on line, I'll try. Remember, you are loved, thought of, and prayed for!! Much love!! ~k8
An Amazing Destiny
Monday, February 09, 2009
“I will extol you. O LORD, for You have lifted me up.”
Psalm 30:1 NKJV
In God’s book man is heading somewhere. He has an amazing destiny. We are being prepared to walk down the church aisle and become the bride of Jesus. We are going to live with him. Share the throne with him. Reign with him. We count. We are valuable. And what’s more, our worth is built in! Our value is inborn.
You see, if there was anything that Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this: A person is worth something simply because he is a person. That is why he treated like he did. Think about it. The girl caught making undercover thunder with someone she shouldn’t—he forgave her. The untouchable leper who asked for cleansing—he touched him. And the blind welfare case that cluttered the roadside—he honored him. And the worn-out old windbag addicted to self-pity near the pool of Siloam—he healed him!
HEY!! I'm back from Haiti, and amazing trip. I'll post stories and pictures on facebook soon. Hope all is well. I missed EVERYONE!! Much love! ~k8
The Place of Prayer
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
“They went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives…They all continued praying together.”
Acts 1:12, 14
Desire power for your life?...It will come as you pray. For ten days the disciples prayed. Ten days of prayer plus a few minutes of preaching led to three thousand saved souls. Perhaps we invert the numbers. We’re prone to pray for a few minutes and preach for ten days. Not the apostles. Like the boat waiting for Christ, they lingered in his presence. They never left the place of prayer…
The Upper Room was occupied by 120 disciples. Since there were about 4,000,000 people in Palestine at the time, this means that fewer than 1 in 30,000 was a Christian. Yet look at the fruit. Better said, look at the fruit of God’s Spirit in them. We can only wonder what would happen today if we, who still struggle, did what they did: wait on the Lord in the right place.
Hey all!! It's back to work today. Wish, that all of my patients appreciated all of us the way they did in Haiti. It's all good, I'll just continue to do what I do best!! CARE!! EVERYONE . .. .have a great day. Much love and continued prayers for all!! ~k8
No Price Is Too High
Thursday, February 12, 2009
“We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother…was lost, but now he is found.”
Luke 15:32
When our oldest daughter, Jenna, was two, I lost her in a department store. One minute she was at my side and the next she was gone. I panicked. All of a sudden only one thing mattered—I had to find my daughter. Shopping was forgotten. The list of things I came to get was unimportant. I yelled her name. What people thought didn’t matter. For a few minutes, every ounce of energy had one goal—to find my lost child. (I did, by the way. She was hiding behind some jackets!)
No price is too high for a parent to pay to redeem his child. No energy is too great. No effort too demanding. A parent will go to any length to find his of her own.
So will God.
Mark it down. God’s greatest creation is not the flung stars or the gorged canyons; it’s his eternal plan to reach his children.
I'm sure we all can relate to that story! It's been a hard adjustment coming home. Worked so hard, when I fall asleep, I still think I'm in Haiti. Hope all is well. YOU all remain in my thoughts and prayers! ~k8
He Chose the Cross
Friday, February 13, 2009
“You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.”
Ephesians 2:8
Jesus’ obedience began in a small town carpentry shop. His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call. “When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old” (Luke 3:23 MSG)…In order for Jesus to change the world, he had to say good-bye to his world.
He had to give Mary a kiss. Have a final meal in the kitchen, a final walk through the streets. Did he ascend one of the hills of Nazareth and think of the day he would ascend the hill near Jerusalem?
He knew what was going to happen. “God chose him for this purpose long before the world began” (I Pet. 1:20 NLT). Every ounce of suffering had been scripted—it just fell to him to play the part.
Not that he had to. Nazareth was a cozy town. Why not build a carpentry business? Keep his identity a secret?...To be forced to die is one thing, but to willingly take up your own cross is something else.
Myles, just looked at all the cool pics your mom posted. Okay . . .what happened to the cute little young man in the pictures . .. YOU look like a MAN!! And too cute to boot. We love you!! Aunt k8
A Daily Development
Monday, February 16, 2009
“God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:13
Wouldn’t a bride and groom have to be more married on their fiftieth anniversary than on their wedding day?
Yet, on the other hand, how could they be? The marriage certificate hasn’t matured. Ah, but the relationship has, and there is difference. Technically, they are no more united than they were when they left the altar. But relationally, they are completely different.
The same is true of our walk with God. Can you be more saved than you were the first sat of your salvation? No. But can a person grow in salvation? Absolutely. It, like marriage, is a done deal and a daily development.
Hey all! Hope everyone is doing well. It's still COLD in No. Virginia, and to be honest, I'm tired of it. Come on SPRING!! I can't wait. Keeping you all in out thoughts and prayers, much love to all! ~k8
Why Worry?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
“Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God.”
Colossians 4:2
Two words summarize Christ’s opinion of worry: irrelevant and irreverent.
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not” (Matt. 6:27 NLT). Worry is irrelevant. It altars nothing. When was the last time you solved a problem by worrying about it? Imagine someone saying, “I got behind in my bills, so I resolved to worry my way out of debt. And, you know, it worked! A few sleepless nights, a day of puking and hand wringing. I yelled at my kids and took some pills, and—glory to worry—money appeared on my desk.”
It doesn’t happen! Worry changes nothing. You don’t add one day to your life or one bit of life to your day by worrying. Your anxiety earns you heartburn, nothing more…
Ninety-two percent of our worries are needless! Not only is worry irrelevant doing nothing; worry is irreverent, distrusting God.
Why worry! Be happy! A great song! It's hard not to worry, that's for sure!! Much love and continued prayers to all! Aunt k8
Working Well
Monday, February 23, 2009
“My Father never stops working, and so I keep working, too.”
John 5:17
God views work worthy of its own engraved commandment: “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest” (Exod. 34:21 NASB). We like the second half of that verse. But emphasis on the day of rest might cause us to miss the command to work: “You shall work six days.” Whether you work at home or in the marketplace, your work matters to God.
And your work matters to society. We need you! Cities need plumbers. Nations need soldiers. Stoplights break. Bones break. We need people to repair the first and set the second. Someone has to raise kids, raise cane, and manage the kids who raise Cain.
Whether you log on or lace up for the day, you imitate God. Jehovah himself worked for the first six days of creation. Jesus said, “My Father never stops working, and so I keep working, too.”
Hope all is well! We're all very sick of the cold windy weather! Looking forward to spring. Much love and continued prayers to all! ~k8
Assurance of Victory
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
“This is the victory that conquers the world—our faith.”
I John 5:4
What is unique about the kingdom of God is that you are assured of victory. You have won! You are assured that you will someday stand before the face of God and see the King of kings. You are assured that someday you will enter a world where there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.
If you have no faith in the future, then you have no power in the present. If you have no faith in life beyond this life, then your present life is going to be powerless. But if you believe in the future and are assured of victory, then there should be a dance in your step and a smile on your face.
I guess this is why I have a little giddy-up in my step!! Much love to all, and continued prayers!! ~k8
Wisdom in Warnings
Thursday, February 26, 2009
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Galatians 6:7 NIV
We’re often surprised at life’s mishaps, but when pressed against the wall of honesty we have to admit that if we had just fired that silly receptionist and done something about those calls, we could have avoided so many problems. We usually knew that trouble was just around the bend. Christians who have fallen away felt the fire waning long before it went out. Unwanted pregnancies or explosions of anger may appear to be the fruit of a moment’s waywardness, but in reality, they’re usually the result of a history of ignoring warnings about an impending fire.
Are you close to the falls? Are your senses numb? Are your eyes trained to turn and roll when they should pause and observe?
Then maybe you need to repair your warning detector.
Hey all! Hope all is well, much love and continued prayers to all! Aunt k8
The Reward of Christianity
Monday, March 02, 2009
“All things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Philippians 3:8
The reward of Christianity is Christ.
Do you journey to the Grand Canyon for the souvenir T-shirt or the snow globe with the snowflakes that fall when you shake it? No. The reward of the Grand Canyon is the Grand Canyon. The wide-eyes realization that you are part of something ancient, splendid, powerful, and greater than you.
The cache of Christianity is Christ. Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a healthy body or a better self-image. Secondary and tertiary fruits perhaps. But the Fort Knox of faith is Christ. Fellowship with him. Walking with him. Pondering him. Exploring him. The heart-stopping realization that in him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable. And that he, who can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie, thinks you’re worth his death on a Roman timber. Christ is the reward of Christianity.
Great reward!! Much love, we have SNOW SNOW SNOW this morning! Much love and continued prayers!! ~Aunt k8
Work and Worship
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
“Work and get everything done during six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the LORD.”
Exodus 20:9-19
We need one day in which work comes to a screeching halt. We need one twenty four hour period in which the wheels stop grinding and the motor stops turning. We need to stop.
There is a verse that summarizes many lives: “Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it” (Ps. 39:6 NIV).
Does that sound like your life? Are you so seldom in one place that your friends regard you as a phantom? Are you so constantly on the move that your family is beginning to question your existence? Do you take pride in your frenzy at the expense of your faith?
Slow down. If God commanded it, you need it. If Jesus modeled it, you need it… Take a day to say no to work and yes to worship.
HEY!!! Hope all is well. It is so VERY VERY VERY cold. Single digit weather in No. Va. I do NOT want to go outside. It's the kind of cold that immediately hits your bone!! Anyway, much much love, and continued prayers!! ~Aunt k8
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