Be Ye Separate

What a blessing a husband and father is!

   Blessings!

   Meet, Brother Craig. He is my husband, confidante, protector, provider, love of my life, my best friend here on earth.

   Not long ago I attended a "Christian" gathering of women. We were to talk about things like homemaking, educating children at home, being good wives and mothers etc. Our fellowship of women were invited to team with two other churches in the area for this and my husband thought I would enjoy getting to be around other Christian women who were home minded.

   What I observed there was a group of "Christian" women who really seem to despise marriage, family life, home life, and even their own womanhood! It was so difficult for the three of us (two other women from my fellowship were there too), to just sit through it. I felt that our meal together was ungodly and I hardly nibbled a thing before I finally excused myself politely and left early.

   I prayed all the way home over it, we women even discussed it the next womens sewing bee we had. I talked with my husband over it. I was so sad and heartbroken for these women who truly did not seem to have any joy in their lives.

   I wanted to share today about my husband. He isn't perfect. He has his faults. He has good days and bad. But...he loves with all he has. He works hard to provide, to teach, to mentor, and I find great joy that God gave him to me.

  He is a family man. I am on the right and my sister on the left of him. He always takes time to just be with family no matter how busy his day is.

   You can see him in the background of both these pictures. He's always around when something is happening in the childrens lives. The first picture is when our Sarah received her first place Iron Chef award for 4H. She was on a team of 3 and they all took home a plaque. He wanted to be there for her.

   The second picture is our little local town fair. They were getting their float ready for the parade. He was there to help with the decorations. And the day before this he had helped to assemble the show ring and holding pens for the local 4Her's to use. You can see some of the panels behind him under that huge pavillion.

   Our Sarah is on the left. She's wearing papa's letterman jacket from highschool. He had kept it even after we went plain for his own reasons. He was so proud to be able to provide this for her to wear in the parade. (I know it was a 50's parade and the jacket says 73 on it:P) She was thrilled:)

   He brought this home, one day, to take us across the country with it. It has two sets of bunkbeds in the back of it and our bedroom in the front. It also has a fold out sleeper sofa and the table breaks down. Although we didn't need to sleep 10, we ended up using the extra beds for company on our trip:)

   He took us on a quick trip to our coast to try it out. He wanted to just spend time with the family doing family things.

   He always makes sure he's there for all the special moments.

   This picture never came out very well but he's the corn on the upper left.

   All these next pictures were taken on our trip across country. He drove us through so many places and made so many stops. We went from Oregon, all the way to D.C. and back never crossing the same paths twice.

   Taken at the famous Walls Drug Store. He was hamming it up as usual:)

   He stopped at Mt. Rushmore where we stood in the rain to overlook all the amazing sights. He wanted to walk the mile long trail but the lightening started and the staff asked everyone to get inside.

   He works hard to make a house a home. He taught me how to put down hardwood flooring:)

   He works side by side with the boys, teaching them new things and always encouraging them. (The were building one of our goat pens that day)

   He took the time to mentor this young man (a dear friends son) in building a field shelter for our goats as a 4H project. The both enjoyed themselves very much.

   Teaching our youngest to make his favorite italian pizza bread.

   We had just moved here this past December and he made sure that the first thing we did was put up our Christmas tree:)

   Mentoring our friends boy again. Teaching him to load and shoot a Civil War Musket:) They had such fun.

  He is always willing to go to things like goat shows with me even when I know he doesn't like to.

   Always there to assist with the more emotional tasks like taking out shunts on our poor little goat, with the help of his devoted daughters:)

   I cannot imagine sitting in a room filled with women and telling them how stupid, insensitive, selfish, or unmanly he is. It can be so easy to fall into that moment of "identifying" with something someone has said about their own husband. If they are that dissatisfied and unhappy then why are they married?

   As I said before, my sweet husband isn't perfect. He has his faults. He has good days and bad. But...he loves with all he has. He works hard to provide, to teach to mentor, and I find great joy that God gave him to me.

   A husband will be what you make him. We have a responsibility in our marriages to be his helpmeet, not his equal. We should build him up and let him know how important he is to our family. He should be respected by his wife and children. And believe me, if a wife doesn't not respect her husband then her children won't either. He should be allowed to be the head of the family, making the final decisions. It doesn't mean that we can't give our opinion about a decision to be made but we must trust him to make the final decision that he feels is truly best for our family.

   That isn't to say that all men were made to be husbands. There are dangerous relationships out there. But I am not speaking of those. I am speaking of the God directed family. The one that calls themselves "Christian". Perhaps if those "Christian" wives spent more time bragging on the positive qualities of their husbands instead of beating them down, they would become the husbands God intended them to be.

   Lord, help me to be the wife, mother, daughter, helpmeet, woman that you created me to be. Help me to know my place and to find joy in even the roughest of moments. Help me to always appreciate and stand by the husband you created just for me.

May God bless you all real good!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

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{ 12:18, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 } { Posted by stitchnchick }

I can see your pictures! (I usually can't for some reason.) Thank you for sharing more of your wonderful family and life. You are indeed blessed. It looks like you have such sweet moments together. :o)

Amy

~I'm glad you could see them:) Someone here on HSB told me how to do it right so I'm glad to see it worked:)
yes we do have wonderful times together. never a dull moment for sure:)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 15:31

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{ 13:02, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 } { Posted by Kitty }

I love all your entries, this one was wonderful. Not only did we learn about your husband but we also go to view many great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Kitty

~~Blessings!
I am blessed to know that someone enjoys the posts and pictures.
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 22:02

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{ 14:33, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 } { Posted by meme21713 }

great photos enjoyed each one of them;I love viewing different cultures...That is so neat...How wives can be so critical of their husbands, unless that is also what they hear from their husbands not that, that makes it right... I thank God every nite for my husband...He is the joy of my life..I do have to say he did not take the time with our boys as it seems yours is doing, although his job took him away from home most of the time...But you know, now my boys are grown men with a baby of their own and they are so family commited..My youngest one says, I will do things with mine that I missed with daddy...Thank God for that...Looking forward to more pictures....Debbie

~~~Blessings!
I do understand how it can seem that a father hasn't spent "enough" time or "much" time with their children, but a father and husband that puts his responsibility to his family first sets a wonderful example for his sons to be good providers. I have also noticed that it seems to encourage them to try to be around more than their own father could be. They truly understand the value of family.
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 22:01

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{ 15:10, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 } { Posted by southernbelle }

Thank you for sharing all the happy family pictures and the wonderful testimony.

~~Blessings!
And thank YOU for letting me know...I am blessed!
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 21:56

Thank you for your example to us all!

{ 17:20, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 } { Posted by PONDERthePATH }

I wanted to thank you for speaking the truth with love. So many times young married women are filled with stuff and fluff. What a wonderful example you are setting for us all to honor and obey our husbands. Isn't it amazing how when we do things God's way, our cup overflows with joy, peace, and love.

Blessings to you,

~~Blessings!
I agree that the younger marrieds tend to be rather blinded by the romance of what they believe marriage is. When they realize that their "Knight in shining armor" is a mere mortal they become disillusioned and discouraged. How much better that my daughters and sons know, first hand, that marriage is not a fairytale but in fact a bridge through life that brings us to a new horizon with each event that occurs. I pray, daily, that I can fulfill my calling as a Titus 2 woman to teach and encourage the young women to become good wives and daughters.
God be with thee!
Sister Lori
Jasmine

Edited by SisterLori on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 21:55

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{ 06:38, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 } { Posted by HandsNHearts }

I finally found out why I couldn't see your photos -- it was my webprotection software! Now that I have your flickr set up as "ok" in my settings, the photos all come through!
Thank you for sharing them -- I love seeing all the faces I read about.
You have been tremendously blessed in family and heart, Sister Lori!
Deanna

Tolerable, I suppose.

{ 06:51, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 } { Posted by CaraDD }

As Miss Bingley would say..."Brother Craig is tolerable, I suppose." And he does put up with quite a lot from Sister Lori! HEhehe.
HOnestly, we've been blessed by them, and God's timing as far as when He brought them into our lives. Great pictures...over half I remember!

~~He certainly does! (put up with alot from me:P) And you are so right about being blessed and God's timing. Part of me wishes He had done it sooner so I wouldn't have had the past I have but the other, wiser, part of me says if He hadn't waited I might not have been as thankful and blessed:)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at 11:35

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{ 09:20, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 } { Posted by TChannel4 }

Thank you for sharing with us. If those women would just work to be a good helpmeet and not a dictator and breaking their husbands spirits they would be so much happier.

God Bless,
Tammy