ELMER GIVES US SOME THOUGHTS FOR 2015

As I said, Amish do not consider New Year's Day a special day. But, I think like many people, I think of what I want to do next year.  I guess Englishers call them resolutions.  This  year Anna and I would like to lose a little weight.  With all ate pies, cakes, dinners, fudge, candy and more that we have eaten has put a little weight on us.  There are also farm things I want to do such as plowing around the outside edge of the house so Anna can plant flowers, want to put another coat of paint on the barn, and more.  Of course, I want to plow and plant the land for our crops.  Anna and I were talking of maybe setting up a stand in front of our house to sell some of our vegetables and the flowers, herbs that Anna will grow.  I just thought that I will have plow a place for Anna's vegetable garden this year - once she decides where she wants it.  These are our plans.

But, we must stop before we do anything and ask the Lord what He wants us to do.  We must trust in the Lord and His way not our way.  As it says in the Lord's Prayer Matthew 6:10 "They kingdom come. They will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  Sometimes we make a list and ask the Lord that we accomplish all these things.  In Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh finedth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Now what we ask for might not be the answer we receive.  Like Anna and I were planning on turning our old house into a bed and breakfast, but that was not God's will.  All of a sudden, things changed.  Sometimes Anna and I wake up in the morning and still can't believe we are in the one story house with a smaller farm.  It happened so fast.  It was the Lord's will that our old house went to our daughter, son-in-law and family.  Now we didn't hear loud voices.  No one knocked on our door and told us what the Lord wanted us to do.  But deep inside was like a feeling.  Like we were being talked to.  Some of what happened just because things feel together right.  Like when we found out some of the land we thought we owned - we didn't.  Everything fell into place that we now own it.

Also there are times when you have to do things.  The doctor tells you you have to lose weight or your health will be effected.  You have to quit smoking.  You must stop drinking liquor.  You must get off drugs.  Then we must ask the Lord for His health and strength.  Psalm 3 3-4 "But thou, O Lord art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah."  We must turn to the Lord at times like that.  We must trust that He is our shield.  He does lift up our heads.  Even if you cry to the Lord He will hear you.  If whatever you have to give up seems impossible, we must turn to the Lord.

We also must trust in the Lord that He will see that we make it through whatever we must go through. Psalm 37 - 3 "Trust in the Lord, and do good so shall thou dwell in the land and verify thou shall be fed." Here too we must trust in the Lord and he will see we make it through whatever we must go through or discontinue.  We also must trust that the Lord will give us the strength to get through whatever we must do.  There are a lot more passages in the Bible on trusting the Lord.

When out daughter, Alma, was in the terrible buggy accident several years ago.  Anna and I sat down and went through the Bible marking every passage on trusting the Lord.  Whenever one of our old Bibles wears out and we get a new one, we go through and mark the new one.  That way if something comes when we must trust and would like to read a passage - all we have to do is look for one of our marked passages.  Of course we mark other things in the Bible, too.  So sometimes we have to search a little for a passage.  But after reading and using the Bible so much we can find one pretty fast.

When you have completed your resolution like losing all the weight the doctor wanted. don't smoke any more or drink liquor anymore or use drugs anymore, don't forget to Praise the Lord.  and thank Him for all He has done.

So as Anna and I go into 2015, it will be in prayer - praying that the Lord's will is done in our lives.  We know we will make mistakes.  We know that we won't always do the Lord's way as we are human.  But when we realize we made our mistakes, get back on the Lord's way not our way.

We wish all a wonderful 2015.  We wish you strength for your resolutions.  We wish you that the Lord's will be done in your lives.  We wish you all prayers.

We wish you a Blessed and Happy New Year,
Elmer and Anna

P.S.
I have changed my mind and have a special poster on tomorrow. It should come on at 12 midnight.  Recipe will go be on Friday.  Next week, we will have someone new on Tuesday.  I think you will enjoy her. Marilyn

IF YOU DRIVE, DON'T DRINK.
IF YOU DRINK, DON'T DRIVE.

We want you all back here safe and sound.