It's crazy to think that the world we're living in now is very different from the one we lived in just a couple weeks ago. 
The changes in our lives came rapidly, leaving us often with more unknowns than knowns.  Just a few days ago, we felt like we had a lot of our life under control, now many of us have very little control over the things that seem to matter most. . . 

We find ourselves asking questions like:
Will I have a job?  Will there be enough money? 
How will I care for my children, my home, my animals? 
Will I get sick?  Will they get sick?

We sit in our homes, many not used to being home all day, and we sit here with our questions, our concerns, our frustrations, our disappointments, our fears. . . 

And we ask, what now?

Of course, I don't know how this is affecting you personally. 
I expect some of you are able to continue life, somewhat normally, while others of you have had your lives turned completely
upside down. 
Some of you find yourself without school or work and you feel claustrophobic, bored and irritable. 
​Others of you are working harder than you ever have, with greater risk, and you're tired, overwhelmed, and defeated.

I don't know what your struggles are. 
I don't know how you feel or what you fear.
But while I don't know what your life looks like right now,
I do know this:

Our God, our Savior Jesus Christ, is the same
yesterday, today, and forever! 
Over and over again in his word He promises us that
He Never Changes!

And while you may be reading that and thinking, "I know, I know," 
as you sigh and struggle to let that truth bring you comfort,
hear me out. . . .

You see, I (like many of you) am not a fan of change!  I find the unpredictable and uncertain to be very stressful and unsettling. 
I like to know what's coming and plan accordingly.
But over the past few weeks, we have had the "rug pulled out from under us" and we are reeling, trying to find our footing.  Unfortunately, the information that affects our lives is changing so quickly that we barely have time to react, much less plan, before new information and changes are in front of us.

This is where God's Immutability (unchanging nature) has become so very important to me.  

Because, while everything around me changes,
I can go to God's word and I can seek Him in prayer
and He is EXACTLY the same as He was the last time that I did. 
His character, his promises, his sovereignty, his Salvation -
they are ALL THE SAME!  

So, while reading Facebook or watching the news leaves my head spinning and my heart racing, reading God's word leaves me standing straight and stable with peace in my heart.  

I read that God is good and merciful and faithful.
I read that God is mighty, and all-knowing,
our "strong tower" and "ever-present help in trouble."
I read that my sins are still forgiven, my Jesus is still alive,
and the Holy Spirit is still my comforter!

And I remember that regardless of what the coming days, weeks, and years look like,
in the end, our God STILL reigns!

"Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God's dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them.  They will be his peoples and God himself will be with them and will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away." Then the one seated on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new." ~ Revelation 21: 3-5a

​I am praying for you, my friends.  I am praying that you will seek God and find comfort in Who He is amidst the chaos of our lives - He never changes!

Do you remember playing the game “Follow the Leader” when you were little?  Maybe in Sunday School or Preschool?

It went something like this:

The teacher would announce that the game was beginning and all of the children would line up behind her (or him).  Then as the teacher walked around the room, perhaps weaving slowly in between chairs, holding her arms out “like an airplane”, or crouching low and hopping like a frog, we (the children) would mimic her, laughing as we tried to hop on one foot or make “choo choo” sounds like a train. 
Now do you remember? 
(I know some of you are hearing the song in your head right now, just like me! "We're following the leader, the leader, the leader.  We're following the leader, wherever he may go." )
 
Recently, I found myself reflecting on how difficult it feels sometimes to know what is the right thing to do in a particular situation.  At times I find myself overwhelmed with the question, "What is the right thing to do?"

As I thought about that struggle, I remembered the game, "Follow the Leader."
 
If you played this game as a child, you will remember with me, that it was tempting to just look at the kid in line in front of you and do whatever she was doing. After all, the leader was WAY UP THERE at the front of the line and this kid was much closer and easier to see and seemed to know what she was doing...
It didn't take long, though, before you and I learned that watching our friend and mimicking her, instead of the leader, almost always resulted in a misstep, wrong gesture, or a crash.

The fact was and IS that
                      your friend is not your leader 
                                    AND
            he or she is not always going to lead you well. 
 

And so, when trying to determine direction for our lives or make wise decisions, we must look to our Leader! If our eyes remain on The Leader, our Savior and Redeemer, and our actions follow His direction, we can be assured that we will be doing the right thing.
He is a Good Leader!  He will always lead us well! 

One more thing I remembered about playing "Follow the Leader" ~

Occasionally the leader of the game was brave and crouched low to crawl under a table or chair.  Sometimes, we might have looked at that table or chair and thought “I don’t think I can fit!” or even
“I don’t think the leacher can fit”! 

But rest assured, Friend, in the game of “Follow the Leader” and in our Christian lives, the leader never, EVER sends the followers where he is not willing to go first!

If the Leader “crouches to crawl under the table”, we can be certain that we will fit – but only if we follow closely behind our leader, watching closely to see where He is going.  We may bump our heads, or get rug burns on our knees, but when we arrive safely on the other side and we stand up tall and victorious, Jesus will look at us and say “Well done!”  and all of the bumps and bruises, confusion and doubt, will be forgotten. 

I don't mean to minimize the challenges of life or oversimplify the task of discovering God's will in any given situation. Life is hard and knowing and doing what is right can be extremely difficult!

But I do know this,
Following the world or cultural norms will always fall short and often lead us astray!  We cannot look around us to try to find what is right!  We must always look up!

I trust I'm not alone in the need to be reminded to look to Jesus - to seek Him in prayer and through His word, and to trust that the Holy Spirit desires to lead us in a life that glorifies God and points people to Jesus - our Light and our Salvation.

​So as you join me in seeking to be a good follower,
Let’s remember that the key to following well is to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Heb. 12:2)​

*Deep Sigh*

Here I am again, please don’t laugh, I’m already blushing sheepishly...

Before I say anything new, you might as well skip down two posts to THIS ONE and read it as if I’m writing it now. 
So much of what I say there is still the same today. 
​
Yesterday, while Josh and I went on an afternoon coffee date, we had an impromptu ministry meeting.  That often happens.  Even though we’re together at the house most of the time (Josh in his office practicing, recording, or doing computer work and the boys and I upstairs homeschooling), it’s usually not until we leave the house and have quiet time alone that we’re able to really talk about ministry – what God is doing and what He’s calling us to.

As Josh and I discussed this upcoming year, the Lord brought a few specific things to the forefront of our discussion. 

First, we continue to know that I cannot travel for ministry. 
My health just doesn’t permit it.  The few times that I have traveled over the past couple of years, left me ill for a week or two and in a fair amount of pain, so I need to stay home in order to be healthy for my family.

Second, Josh needs to be home more than he has over the past few years, partially for my sake, but also because we have two middle school aged sons who need their dad to be around. 

Third, Josh still needs to travel sometimes for ministry and will continue to write and record music for the purpose of pointing people to Jesus.  God has called and gifted him for this ministry and we know God intends for it to continue.

Fourth, the opportunity for online ministry is increasing on Youtube and we plan to continue to explore ways to encourage people through music online.

Last, we believe God still has a plan for this blog. 
​We brainstormed ways that I can find time to write and what kinds of things might be beneficial to include here.

Of course, as always, I cannot promise any specific writing schedule or plans.  But I can promise you that we continue to seek the Lord for direction for our family.  For those of you who have followed us on this crazy adventure over the past seven and a half years, please know that we do not doing anything in a haphazard way.  While our journey continues to be a little unpredictable and often far from polished or “Pinterest perfect”, we continue to be committed to seeking the Lord and striving to follow him well.  Thank you for being patient with our failures and at times, very poor communication…we’ll see what the Lord has for this upcoming year.

Hello again, Friends! 

While it would be impossible for me to catch you up on the past 12 months, I thought I'd at least try to give you a quick recap with the hope that I will be more consistent with updates moving forward.

Last fall was remarkably busy for all of us!  Josh traveled to California several times as well as to Montana and then followed that with a full holiday ministry schedule.  In the meantime, the boys and I were very active in a homeschool co-op at our home church and I led a small group in our Women's Bible Study, in addition to teaching a few times.

Late in 2018, Josh felt the Lord leading him to take a couple of months off from touring.  This would be a significant step of faith, but we knew that's what the Lord was asking of us.  We saw clearly as 2019 approached, the reason Josh needed to be home.  My health struggles, which had begun early in the year and progressed throughout, peaked at the beginning of 2019, leaving me with a great need for help both around the house and with homeschooling.  What a blessing to have a husband who was obedient to God's direction and so gracious in his willingness to step up and carry our family through that difficult season.  
During his time at home, He was also able to work on the hymn cd that had been so long in coming.  Hymns from an Old Country Church was released late this Spring.  (Check it out HERE)

As this year progressed and my health slowly improved, we began putting a lot of effort into our garden.  Working on our garden provided me with such refreshment and encouragement and provided our boys with an at home Science and P.E. classroom! :)  It also provided an affordable way for me to eat mostly organic (which has been an important piece of recovering from illness) and a way for us to all eat healthier on a budget!  Our garden was incredibly fruitful this year, providing us with a freezer and pantry full of produce to eat throughout the winter.  Praise the Lord for his bountiful blessing!

Of course, the year has included far more than a cd and the garden.  Josh continues to travel regularly for ministry.  He spent several weekends in Montana and then this past weekend was the first of three in a row in California.  You can find his full schedule at www.JoshSnodgrass.com/tour Meanwhile, the boys and I stay busy with schoolwork and church activities.
​Josh also faithfully disciples our boys with daily Bible Study and as a family we continue to look for ways to serve in our local church and reach out to our neighbors!

As always, we would ask for your prayers for direction for our family.  We are so grateful for the touring ministry as well as the opportunities to serve locally.  However, it is often difficult to balance the two with the needs and priority of our family.  We recognize our absolute need for God's direction and ask for your prayers that we would listen and follow well!