Wednesday morning (I had the day off, thanks bros) we were really blessed to be able to watch the live feed from Desiring God Pastor's Conference. We saw the message from Bob Blincoe a former missionary who is now the head of Frontiers. It was SO very encouraging and providential as we have been discussing a lot about missions lately, and friends of ours who are very involved with missions were coming over for lunch. Plus it was so refreshing to listen to someone who loves an extraordinary God in a very joyful faithful way. (By the power of the Holy Spirit of course:)!
Well, then later on we were outside in the beautiful warm (28 degree) weather and overheard some of the ladies talking....
If you want to take their advice you can check the audio or video or even read the transcripts here all free! Trust me this stuff is awesome for way more people than just pastors!
Showing posts with label Joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joy. Show all posts
04 February 2010
09 December 2007
One more reason to Glory in Christ's mercy
I thank God in his mercy that we live in the time we live in. And that he has taught men (even men that didn't love him) the skill of a Caesarean birth.
Angela has struggled off and on wondering if there is something that she could have done differently that would have resulted in her being able to deliver Abraham vaginally. The doctors have told her there is nothing that she could have done other than possibly having induced labor when she was not so far along.
*disclaimer on being a little graphic*
My brothers Paul and David and I buy and resell diary heifers. About a week ago we had bought a group of dairy heifers. A veterinarian had pregnancy checked all of the heifers before the sale to tell how far along they were or if they were open. They do this through palpation of the heifer. Occasionally they are a little off on their guess as to how far along the heifer is in her pregnancy. We vaccinate the heifers accordingly using different vaccines for pregnant heifers and open ones. Well, a couple of days after we brought them home we noticed that one of the heifers was aborting her calf. We looked on the list and she was supposed to be open. We figured maybe the vet had missed it a little and she was probably short bred, like maybe 30-45 days. Well later on the second day we noticed that she still had cleanings (placenta) hanging out of her so we loaded her in the cattle trailer to she if we could do anything for her. Paul palpated her and discovered much to our surprise that she was probably about 8 months pregnant (cows are pregnant for about 9 months) and that she was still with calf. Normally cows have their calves on their own, but sometimes you have to pull the calf out. They come front feet first and then head and body. They are usually only in labor for a few hours at the absolute most. At 2 days the calf was already dead, and usually a cow that is in labor for that long has a very small chance of survival let alone being a productive cow. Well we (mostly Paul) worked for hours trying to get the calf out of this heifer. *VERY GRAPHIC* Paul was having to (with a long plastic glove that covers the length of your arm) try to get the calf's head in place so that it would come out as David and I pulled on the calving chains hooked to the calf's legs. But nothing would work. And reaching in a cow while it is laboring is very exhausting work for even a short time let alone hours. We pulled until there was nothing left to pull on and the calf was still in the heifer (As I said the calf was already dead and I have never seen this happen before). The heifer was not really able to even walk by the time we were done, and the majority of the calf was still inside. I ended up having to put the heifer down.
As I drove home that night the magnitude of what had just taken place really hit home to me. It was after 11 o'clock at night I had just lost a heifer, and neither of those things really mattered all that much. All I could keep thinking of was how hard Angela had labored with Abraham and then driven to exhaustion she still could do nothing to bring him into this world; he like that calf would just not fit out of the birthing canal. That is when it really hit me how again how gracious God has been to us. It is only fairly recently in history that C-sections are a common practice in humans with a very high survival rate for both mother and child. I do not know why He has blessed us with living in this time or place, when so many through history have not had that, I can only be thankful for the undue mercy He has had on us.
Thankyou! God You have been good to us beyond hope!
Angela has struggled off and on wondering if there is something that she could have done differently that would have resulted in her being able to deliver Abraham vaginally. The doctors have told her there is nothing that she could have done other than possibly having induced labor when she was not so far along.
*disclaimer on being a little graphic*
My brothers Paul and David and I buy and resell diary heifers. About a week ago we had bought a group of dairy heifers. A veterinarian had pregnancy checked all of the heifers before the sale to tell how far along they were or if they were open. They do this through palpation of the heifer. Occasionally they are a little off on their guess as to how far along the heifer is in her pregnancy. We vaccinate the heifers accordingly using different vaccines for pregnant heifers and open ones. Well, a couple of days after we brought them home we noticed that one of the heifers was aborting her calf. We looked on the list and she was supposed to be open. We figured maybe the vet had missed it a little and she was probably short bred, like maybe 30-45 days. Well later on the second day we noticed that she still had cleanings (placenta) hanging out of her so we loaded her in the cattle trailer to she if we could do anything for her. Paul palpated her and discovered much to our surprise that she was probably about 8 months pregnant (cows are pregnant for about 9 months) and that she was still with calf. Normally cows have their calves on their own, but sometimes you have to pull the calf out. They come front feet first and then head and body. They are usually only in labor for a few hours at the absolute most. At 2 days the calf was already dead, and usually a cow that is in labor for that long has a very small chance of survival let alone being a productive cow. Well we (mostly Paul) worked for hours trying to get the calf out of this heifer. *VERY GRAPHIC* Paul was having to (with a long plastic glove that covers the length of your arm) try to get the calf's head in place so that it would come out as David and I pulled on the calving chains hooked to the calf's legs. But nothing would work. And reaching in a cow while it is laboring is very exhausting work for even a short time let alone hours. We pulled until there was nothing left to pull on and the calf was still in the heifer (As I said the calf was already dead and I have never seen this happen before). The heifer was not really able to even walk by the time we were done, and the majority of the calf was still inside. I ended up having to put the heifer down.
As I drove home that night the magnitude of what had just taken place really hit home to me. It was after 11 o'clock at night I had just lost a heifer, and neither of those things really mattered all that much. All I could keep thinking of was how hard Angela had labored with Abraham and then driven to exhaustion she still could do nothing to bring him into this world; he like that calf would just not fit out of the birthing canal. That is when it really hit me how again how gracious God has been to us. It is only fairly recently in history that C-sections are a common practice in humans with a very high survival rate for both mother and child. I do not know why He has blessed us with living in this time or place, when so many through history have not had that, I can only be thankful for the undue mercy He has had on us.
Thankyou! God You have been good to us beyond hope!
29 August 2007
Holiday 3
So basically I should have posted this about a month ago. Sorry for all of you whom are waiting oh so patiently.
As we were hiking along we found Bic's dream car. Then if I brought THE PRINCE back from the dead we could cruise with our ladies. However, I think Bic has some work to do before his dream car is going anywhere.
So eventually we got to our camp the last night after a pretty sweet hike. The trail went in and out along the shoreline and was pretty much sweet!!! Yeh pretty much. So we got to camp and the ladies got to work doing what ladies do. First they started getting stuff ready. Well then some other guys came and started looking for a place to camp so they (Being Proverbs 31 providers:)) scampered over to the next campsite and swiped a boatload of logs for us to burn!!
After a bit, Angela could be seen standing in all of her pregnant glory on top of the sand dune longingly gazing at the Great Freshwater Superior Sea. So we went and cleaned up our nasty sweaty stinky selves in the lake. It wasn't too bad. Had to be at least a good 50 degrees:).
Sorry no pics. This is a children's show:).
While down by the beach Bic and Melody got all cutsie and starting making help signals for airplanes flying over or something...
Maybe then were just trying to help people flying over to know where they were and when. I couldn't figure it out. So I just started grabbing stones and throwing them.
Well some how this turned into a massive competition to see who could bury the largest stone in the sand just by throwing it.
I think the evidence was inconclusive as to who one the contest. Yeh pretty sure about that:)...
So after a rather entertaining night of complete Scandinavian Nonsense, and a morning of near death due to out of control estrogen we had another great morning of hiking.
Here we are filling water bottles.
It was a great time!! Thanks for coming you two sick wackos!!!
As we were hiking along we found Bic's dream car. Then if I brought THE PRINCE back from the dead we could cruise with our ladies. However, I think Bic has some work to do before his dream car is going anywhere.
So eventually we got to our camp the last night after a pretty sweet hike. The trail went in and out along the shoreline and was pretty much sweet!!! Yeh pretty much. So we got to camp and the ladies got to work doing what ladies do. First they started getting stuff ready. Well then some other guys came and started looking for a place to camp so they (Being Proverbs 31 providers:)) scampered over to the next campsite and swiped a boatload of logs for us to burn!!
After a bit, Angela could be seen standing in all of her pregnant glory on top of the sand dune longingly gazing at the Great Freshwater Superior Sea. So we went and cleaned up our nasty sweaty stinky selves in the lake. It wasn't too bad. Had to be at least a good 50 degrees:).
Sorry no pics. This is a children's show:).
While down by the beach Bic and Melody got all cutsie and starting making help signals for airplanes flying over or something...
Maybe then were just trying to help people flying over to know where they were and when. I couldn't figure it out. So I just started grabbing stones and throwing them.
Well some how this turned into a massive competition to see who could bury the largest stone in the sand just by throwing it.
I think the evidence was inconclusive as to who one the contest. Yeh pretty sure about that:)...
So after a rather entertaining night of complete Scandinavian Nonsense, and a morning of near death due to out of control estrogen we had another great morning of hiking.
Here we are filling water bottles.
It was a great time!! Thanks for coming you two sick wackos!!!
05 August 2007
What is a holiday?
def.
1. a period of time exemplified by how long it has been since I (J) put a post on our blog. (A) does such a great job I slack off (or maybe I think I am busy) and look forward to reading her posts on our blog as much as other blogs.
2. a wonderful time of leisure away from the normal routine
3. something wacko Americans think only refers to special days on which they don't receive mail
Actually we decided to take C.S. Lewis's advice and took a holiday at the sea (ok maybe just Lake Superior, but it is basically the freshwater sea.)
1. a period of time exemplified by how long it has been since I (J) put a post on our blog. (A) does such a great job I slack off (or maybe I think I am busy) and look forward to reading her posts on our blog as much as other blogs.
2. a wonderful time of leisure away from the normal routine
3. something wacko Americans think only refers to special days on which they don't receive mail
Actually we decided to take C.S. Lewis's advice and took a holiday at the sea (ok maybe just Lake Superior, but it is basically the freshwater sea.)
02 February 2007
Disco Danc'in in Soultown
A pic of me and Bic Disco dancing our lives away in Soultown at the Soultown Records Party Pub! What a riot:) (our house) ;)
The results of a weekend slam full of the summit on "Foundational Theology and Strategic Planning for Quiescent Joint Ventures in the Unfolding of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in Frontier Localities", Parties at the Soultown Records Party Pub, and too many late night Star Wars stints. All culminating in 3:30am leave time for the airport on Tuesday Morning. What a weekend!!!
The results of a weekend slam full of the summit on "Foundational Theology and Strategic Planning for Quiescent Joint Ventures in the Unfolding of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in Frontier Localities", Parties at the Soultown Records Party Pub, and too many late night Star Wars stints. All culminating in 3:30am leave time for the airport on Tuesday Morning. What a weekend!!!
18 December 2006
26 degrees
So Angela and I have this fun little game that we play. We love to see who can get the mail first in a day. Normally this is a no brainer as she is usually either home when the mail comes, or gets home from work before I do. But then there are the wonderful days like today. Well, actually tonight. I was home checking out friend's blogs while pretending:) to listen to Angela on the phone as she was coming home from her parents. Then she made some passing comment asking what had come in the mail.
I hadn't gotten the mail and told her so. She started laughing "haha I get to get the mail..." So I thought oh well she can get the mail. But them my overly competitive male ego kicked in and I thought to myself, "It can't be that cold outside, I was just out there an hour ago." So I went outside in a t-shirt and fleece pants. If you are at all familiar with the original STAR WARS let me just say the planet HOTH minus the snow. Did I mention I had slippers on too. Well, they were not made to run in, so I scuffled my way out to the mailbox and back. What a beautiful clear starry night out... mmmm I love nights like this even if they are 26 degrees. Yeh, so I didn't stop to gaze at the stars for too long and my toes are still cold, but it was well worth being the one to get the mail:)!!!!! YES!!! I AM THE VICTOR!!! Yeh, so maybe we are weird, but we love it:)
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