Abba, Father; Daddy.

Romans 8:15 "You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba! Father!”

I was blessed with an amazing Father figure growing up. Many people were not, my husband among the latter. 
Yesterday during our study, a question was asked. I am going to share my husband's response.   It both broke my heart and warmed it at the same time.
The question was "When was the first time you recognised God as your Abba, Father,  your Daddy?"
My husbabd said it was a few days after my dad, (his father-in-law) died. He told me he felt God taking his hand literaly and pulling him into His arms and hugging him, telling him that He would now be his Dad. I shared a similar experience, as did a couple of our children. My dad had been such a tremendous father, father figure in all our lives. One of the sweet things I remember about my dad was that he did not call my sister-in-law Angie by her name, he called her "Daughter". He called my husband "Son". My husband did not have a father-son relationship until we married. That bond my dad made with him, was so special. It filled a void. Once dad was gone, God stepped in and refilled that void for him.  Whether you still have an earthy father, and have a great relationship, or if you have not been privileged to have an earthly daddy, or if your dad is no longer there for you, you have the privilage of having an even better relationship with our Heavenly Father.  If you have accepted Yeshua;  Jesus as your Savior, and turned your life over to Him, then you have been automatically adopted into His family as His son or daughter. He loves you, and He wants you to call Him Abba Father, Daddy. I invite you to get to know God in a very special and intimate way. Get to know our AbbaFather.

Studying Yahweh Ro'i ; The Lord is My Shepherd.

80% through Blessed be the Name: A Study in the Names of God.
Today we talked about the way Yahweh Ro'i takes care of us. The analogy between us and God and the sheep and shepherd.

Yahweh Ro'i: The Lord is my Shepherd.

Yahweh Ro'i The Lord is my Shepherd.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd
John 10 :1-18
1“I can guarantee this truth: The person who doesn’t enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs in somewhere else is a thief or a robber. 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen. 4 After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don’t recognize his voice.” 6 Yeshua used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn’t understand what he meant.
7 Yeshua emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before I did were thieves or robbers. However, the sheep didn’t respond to them. 9 I am the gate. Those who enter the sheep pen through me will be saved. They will go in and out of the sheep pen and find food. 10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand isn’t a shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep. When he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and quickly runs away. So the wolf drags the sheep away and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand is concerned about what he’s going to get paid and not about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me.[a] My sheep know me as I know the Father. 15 So I give my life for my sheep. 16 I also have other sheep that are not from this pen. I must lead them. They, too, will respond to my voice. So they will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 The Father loves me because I give my life in order to take it back again. 18 No one takes my life from me. I give my life of my own free will. I have the authority to give my life, and I have the authority to take my life back again. This is what my Father ordered me to do.”
John 10: 24-30
24 The Jews surrounded him. They asked him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 Yeshua answered them, “I’ve told you, but you don’t believe me. The things that I do in my Father’s name testify on my behalf. 26 However, you don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. 27 My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me, 28 and I give them eternal life. They will never be lost, and no one will tear them away from me. 29 My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than everyone else, and no one can tear them away from my Father. 30 The Father and I are one.”
Who is your Shepherd?

Psalm 23
A psalm by David.

1 Yahweh is my Ro'i.
    I am never in need.
2         He makes me lie down in green pastures.
        He leads me beside peaceful waters.
3         He renews my soul.
        He guides me along the paths of righteousness
            for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,
    because you are with me, I fear no harm.
        Your rod and your staff give me courage.
5 You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch.
    You anoint my head with oil.
    My cup overflows.
6 Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life,
    and I will remain in Yahweh’s house for days without end.

Day 7 of My 7 Days of Thankfulness.

Day 7 of my 7 days of thankfulness challenge.  I am inviting C.j. McCabe, Ryan Whitehead, and Brian Bridgeman, to accept the challenge to spend the next 7 days sharing 3 things they are thankful for and also inviting 3 new people to join the challenge each day.
1. I am so very thankful for all the plants, flowers, bushes and trees God created for our pleasure.  I love flowers and think it is so cool that God not only created them for our senses, but also made them useful to both man and animal.  I enjoy the intricacy of God's creation, and am amazed at His perfect design in all of nature.
2. I am thankful for the internet because of the people I have been introduced to through this medium,  but even more thankful for the opportunities I have had to meet lots of them in real life, been able to do buisness with some, and just become good friends with others.
3. Joshua Lee Anderson had a pretty rough time trying to make his enterence into this world.  After 16 hours of labor,  we called his Uncle Chris to the rescue.  The cord was wrapped around his neck, and it is a true miracle he was still alive by the time Chris was called in.
He immediately did a C-section. But due to the arthritis in my spine, they had to give up trying to give me a shot, and instead put me under for the surgery. 
Joshua weighed in at 9.6 pounds, and was a little over 23 inches long. He has grown into an awesome man of God.  He has always been a pleasure.  Never had anything but goodness come from him. He has been my pride and joy. Joshua excells at everything he does. Growing up, he was on the top in all his 4-H projects, judging contests. In performances,  Kristi and Joshua won national and international first places in their dance competitions.   I love it when he comes to my house and sits down to the piano. He plays so beautifully.  His voice is amazing, and I love to just sit and listen to him play and sing. Joshua is beyond ambitious.  He works hard as a paramedic. He makes a mother proud. He is pretty stinking handsome to boot!  Here is the link to a song he recorded with his brothers when he was 12 years old. He sings the bread (red) :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGzg1TInIyo

Day 6 Thankfulness Challenge.

Day 6 of thankfulness challenge.  I would like to challenge Gloria Wullffe , Charity Anderson DeVries , and Carol Dorlac Sanguinette-How to spend the next 7 days listing 3 things each day they are thankful for and also inviting 3 friends to accept the challenge each day.
1. Today I am thankful for the opportunity to spend a portion of each day doing bible study with my awesome husband. We have been delving into learning the names of God this past year, and we have grown richer for it. Such a blessing to fellowship with both  my husband and my Creator each and every day.
2. I am thankful for books to read. I love reading, and spend an unmentionable amount of my life reading.
3. I am thankful for the best daughter in the world. No two people could be so much alike, and yet so very different than we are. I actually asked God for her. After 5 boys, I sorta wanted to see what it would be like to have a girl. I was blessed with the best one ever.  Kristi Eileen  was born June 4, 1985. She was from the beginning spoiled by her brothers. But I don't think it harmed her too much. She accepted Christ early in her childhood and was baptized. At age 4 she decided she was going to be a missionary, and she spent several summers ministering in Liberia.   She is an amazing organizer, with compassion for the under privileged.  She has been instrumental in changing people's lives for the better, bringing people to Christ. Kristi is pretty much a genuinely sweet person. She is an over achiever,  always striving to be the best. This motivation is why she was a champion at everything she ever tried, from sewing, to modeling, to showing cattle and sheep, doing livestock judging and dancing, and etc., if she competed, she did it to win, and that she did. Kristi danced for a season in Branson on tne Jim Stafford show. She always shared her earnings, taking us out and buying gifts, etc. Kristi found her Mr. RIGHT, and got married here on the farm in May. I just think it is awesome that God chose to give me the best girl ever for a daughter. So yep, I am thankful for Mrs. Chris Lehnhoff.

Day 5 Of 7 Days of Thankfulness.

Day 5 of my 7 Days of Thankfulness:
Today I am challenging Nicole Anderson, Angie Buerger Holland and Angie Huber Ferguson to join in the 7 days of thankfulness. If you join in, you will list three things you are thankful for and invite three people to take the challenge for  seven days. 
1. I am thankful for the parents God gave me. I usually write a book on each thing I am thankful for, but instead, since I already wrote the one about my parents and my growing up on an Angus ranch in the foothills of Wyoming,  I will just insert the link.
http://ltlivestock.com/MARYLOUONMOMandDAD.HTML
2. I am thankful for getting to live on a little mini hobby farm, and having my sweet little sheep and cattle and ponies and donkeys. Love the chickens and cats and my wonderful Australian Shepherds. I am thankful my husband likes animals, and enjoys doing chores. You can go to my LTLivestock photo album on my page if you haven't already done so.
3. Fitting to share how thankful for my son Micah David Anderson today, he is my son who also  loves sheep and all livestock.
Micah was born on March 14, 1983 in Florence, Colorado, after only 12 hours of hard labor. That was a record short for me. Micah has always been a sweet natured guy. He just melts my heart when I think about him. He is kind and loving just like his dad. He is extremely strong, both physically and spiritually,  an ordained minister, now driving truck over the road. He has had an impact on many people's lives, and has numerous talents. He is an artist, his specialties are scrimshawing and arrow making, but he can do just about anything with his powerful, hands that are capable of turning delicately intricate art. He can make a quilt.  Used to do quilting with the ladies at his church.
Micah is amazing with animals. Pretty much can teach any animal to do anything. He taught his pony to open and drink a coke!  He does a great job training horses, using many techniques his grandfather taught him, and adding to that common sense methods from others.
Micah is an amazing musician. He has the most beautiful bass voice in the world, and I am not biased, it is a fact. I will share a song so you can hear him yourself.
Like I said thinking about Micah melts my heart, because he has never ever done anything but try to make me happy. He is love personified.  He is a great husband and loving father. He is a wonderful son. He is a great teacher.
Here is the link for you to hear him sing:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyZWFpHELG4
Yes I am very thankful for Micah D!

Day 4 of my Thankfulness Challenge.

This is day 4 of my thankfulness challenge.  Today I am challenging Molly Anderson, Terri Hornbeck Oxner, and Charla Morford to spend the next 7 days sharing 3 things each day that they are thankful for, and on each day, challenging 3 more of their facebook friends.
For me today:
1. In 1997 I got on line and through my in real life friend, Laurie Poch,  found a wonderful group of women.  They called themselves HAH. (Homeschooling a Houseful) mostly homeschool moms with a housefull of children. At the time, my youngest was 10. I was about a decade older than the majority of ladies in the group. This group has lasted through various types of social media, changing media types with the times. Our group, now becoming more of a "gramma's group" as our rolls have been changing with the times.
I can honestly say this group of women have been truly a group of sisters in Christ like no other. We ask HAH to pray, and HAH prays.
In every medical crisis my family has been through, every financial crisis, every emotional, or disiplinary crisis, these ladies have been there. They are there at the loss of a child, the loss of a spouse, the loss of property,  or if a family member strays, no judgement, just love prayers and advice.
We also have times when we get to share our joys and our success.  We know we can share, and our trials and private joys will stay safe with HAH.
I wish everyone had a group to go to like my awesome HAH ladies! I truly love them so very much. While we were doing our trucking, I got to meet quite a few of my HAH ladies at truck stops along the way.  Some of my precious ladies have driven upwards of 6 hours to visit in real life (IRL). Such a blessing those flesh and blood meetings were. My little sister, Terri has become an IRL friend, sister and total joy in my life,  and but for  HAH, we would never have met.
Oh, forgot to mention, we actually even shared the joys and trials of homeschooling a housefull once in a while!

2. Some of you can now relate. Some of you will have to wait. I have been totally blessed with the absolute best grandbabies in the world. I have 18 here with us, and God chose to take 3 of them straight to heaven with no downtime for doting grandparents. What a day that will be when we get to hug! 
My goodness,  we are so stinking blessed, they are all beautiful, or handsome, and smart and funny and talented and totally absolutely perfect in their own unique way!
Nothing melts this gramma's heart more than having one of these sweet little short people zoom in to see  me in a crowd and come running to hug all the while yelling "Lou Lou,  Lou Lou!!!" Nothing more precious than looking out the window and seeing that no longer short person grandbabie spending time with his Pappa (grandfather) doing whatever they happen to be doing at the moment. Nothing compares with the times they come and spend time camping the night at LouLouburg.  I love teaching them, and just spending cuddle time, or hanging out with them and the sheep.
God says it best:
Proverbs17:6
" Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers".

3. On June 25, 1981, while trying to help all the VBS kids finish their craft projects, I was having contractions so severe I was dropping to my knees, trying to not let the kids know I really, really needed them to hurry. Finally about 1 that afternoon, I got to get in my car and drive home. So exhausted I dropped into my wonderful chair, as my water broke..... Somehow I got hold of Terry at the mine, and he got home to take me to hospital. I had been sick a lot with pneumonia that sent me to the hospital in December,  and I had never really fully recovered from that bout with my enemy pneumonia.  It was the worst delivery ever, I hemmoraged, literally nearly died.... (long story will share privately if you really want to hear it) but 24 or more hours after my water broke, I finally got to see my baby. He looked like a miniature  of my dad on my first look. And the doctor commented "this is the strongest baby I have ever delivered." His name was John Walter Anderson. He was named after my dad, my maternal grandpa, and Terry's step dad. Eventually he looked more like the Salsbury side of the family.   Oh what a wonderful baby!  I remember commenting to a friend about how blessed I was because I really did have a perfect baby. John never fussed. He slept from the very first night home from hospital for a full 8 hours every night. I know God blessed me in this way because I needed my rest. John has always been a very tender hearted, loving fellow.  Very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and very aware of the stuggles others are going through. He is a genuinely good man, so very talented musically,  an amazing talent with a welding rod in hand, and already proving to be awesome behind the wheel of a big rig.  I think of all my children, John is probably the most "kindred spirit" with me.  We were privileged to have John and his family live with us for 3 years. Yes, that time was indeed a blessing for Terry and me. John helped us in so many ways. No idea what would have happened if he had not been here last November.  I shudder to even think about it. John has always been there for me. So often, no matter the need. While he lived with us, he was ministering to a group of young men from the neighborhood.  I know he has been a blessing to them and their parents.
Yep, I am blessed with this young man who is serving God, a wonderful husband, father, teacher and son.

Day 3 of my 7 Day Thankfulness challenge.

Been pretty busy today,  but it is now time to share 3 more things I am thankful for on my 7 day challenge. I am challenging Mandy Stafford Anderson, Gloria Wullffe, and Karen Froelich Watson in the 7 day thanfulness challenge. ( Just list 3 things your are thankful for during the next 7 days)
1. Nobody is more blessed than I am when it comes to a spouse!  I got the cream of the crop!  Today,  as we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary,  I reflected on the amazing journey we have traveled together.  Lots of happenings in a 40 year period!  God has always been faithful to us, He has always provided a way. I am beyond thankful for the man God chose for me to marry!
2. I am thankful for my parents and all they did raising me, and then loving my husband as a son. Here is my story about growing up on a ranch in the foothills of Wyoming with parents who did their best to live godly lives:
http://ltlivestock.com/MARYLOUONMOMandDAD.HTML
3. Summer of 1979 was very hot in Grand Junction. I remember driving downtown past a bank where the sign said it was 107 degrees at 7 PM! We lived in a sweet little neighborhood that had previously been a pear Orchard.  We had 7 of those trees in our back yard. I had spent the summer landscaping the front and side yard. And it was August 20th, and my baby was a bit past due. I did a lot of walking trying to get things into motion, and after a long hot day, and being sent home once that day from hospital,  my mom and hubby insisted we return to deliver our third born at hospital.
Doctor did not get there in time, and after 28 hours of pretty serious labor, Luke Arron Anderson greeted us as his daddy caught him! Luke has been an amazing son. He has always been an awesome singer and a charmer.  And after singing in Branson and across the country,  he settled down, married our Mandy, and is raising 4 of the most awesome kids! He just baptized his two oldest a couple Sundays ago! Luke is one of those servants,  dedicating his life to saving others as a paramedic in the St Louis area. An honorable man, a sevant of God, raising disciples to serve in this troubled world. He is also a very talented carpenter. I am so very thankful to God for Luke, and proud of the man, husband, father and community servant he has become. He is really a great blessing to me!

Day 2 of my 7 Days of Thankfulness.

Day 2.
I am to share 3 things  I am thankful each day for seven days.
1. I am thankful for all the special aunts in my life. Aunt Polly and Aunt Lois are the only ones left in this world. My earliest memory of my Aunt Polly is her taking me for a ride in her green 50's something chevy. It didn't have a back seat, and I remember standing where the seat should have been, her driving south on one of the tree lined streets in the avenues.  I remember her moving in their permanent home, and hauling a grey carpet from their old house to the new one. I remember her pretty yellow counter/ table tops. I remember the work she put into her church mother/daughter banquets. I remember her laughing and having fun with my mom while they made Christmas cookies. I remember her always being there for me. She is a very special lady!
My Aunt Lois was also a very special lady in my early life. I remember her washing my face with a really hot wash cloth. I remember her having a wonderful time with my mom preparing our family Thanksgiving dinner over in Laramie at the UW dairy farm. She had an infectous  giggle. She was a lot of fun too.
My Aunt Lucille,  I never really ever knew, my memories of her are of them coming to the ranch on vacation.  But I never really did anything with her. She had 4 pretty awesome sons, whom I am now getting to know through facebook.
My Aunt Martha was a sweet lady. I spent time at her house, and she was very easy going, and I loved staying with her in her tiny avenues home.
My Aunt Inez always had the most beautiful hair. She was the most serious of the three sisters. I remember her as a really nice lady.  I never really spent any alone time with her.
Aunt Bergetta was the woman who crocheted all my awesome doll dresses. I remember her making beautiful crocheted items. She was a very kind woman.
My Aunt Delores was my Uncle Dick's second wife, and I remember her as a serious woman, very meticulous,  and a woman who adored my Uncle Dick. She and Uncle Dick came out to visit at the ranch often from California.  Always a sweet time. My Aunt Mina was another aunt I never really knew. I have not got many memories of her, but remember her as the first person who brought dump cake to family gatherings.... I do not remember my Aunt Evelyn at all. My great Aunt Eva was one of my favorite aunts. She was always happy. 
I think Aunts are very important for women, and they teach us many things. I was/am richly blessed by things I learned from them. And from my memories,  in my experience,  the most important thing they can impart to their nieces  is to love one another.
2. I am thankful for my uncles. My Uncle Lee was a very quiet man, my most fond memory of him was when he took my brother and our cousins to the movies one time. It was a really fun time. I think it was around the world in 80 days or something. I also remember watching TV with him at their house. It was pleasant being in his company. My Uncle George was a fun little Scotsman with a fun Scottish accent. I mostly remember him riding the brown mare Nancy when we rounded up cattle. He was fun. Loved having him around. He always wore jean colored Wrangler shirts and Wranglers. He had the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. My Uncle Martin was always talking politics, and he drank a little coffee with his cream. He loved mowing the hayfields. And I remember him sharpening sickels (no idea how to spell that) My Uncle Stan was a lovely, sweet man. I loved being with him when he worked on the UW dairy farm. He was always kind to me. I loved his wavy red hair and freckles. I remember my Uncle John Henry making rolls he was an amazing baker. He was also a serious guy that I never really knew. He was extremely handsome with blond hair and pale blue eyes. My Uncle Bill was another I never really knew. When he came to the ranch, he went fishing. He was more of a man's man, and really didn't talk to me. Uncle Dick was honestly my favorite.  He was full of riddles and controversy,  he also loved fishing, but he always took out time to draw things and play with me. Always trying to teach me something. All of my uncles were good men, and I was blessed with their involvement in making me who I am.
3. Finally after 10 months in the womb, we got to meet our second born son on January 5, 1978.He has been blessing us ever since. Always the entrepreneur, Matthew Anderson was shooting  gophers, (or was he trapping them?) skinning and tanning the hides, and selling them from a very early age. He was fishing for fish early on, but was telling people about Jesus and evangelizing even before he had made a personal decision to follow Him. Now he is still fishing and hunting, and has made his home in Utah where he and his family are disciples making disciples who will make more disciples.  He is great husband, father and son. And he is a true blessing.

7 Days of Thankfulness

On Facebook I have been challenged by my cousin, Pat Hamil to spend 7 days sharing 3 things each day that I am thankful for. Thought it would make a good Blog
1. The first and foremost,  is my relationship with my oh so awesome Creator.  He has been with me from the womb, and I have been talking to Him daily, since I was three years old and my mom told me about Yeshua while setting up our nativity set. She told me how the baby Jesus grew up and died for the bad things we did, so we could go to heaven. Pretty simple, but so very complex! I cried.  I felt so bad because the naughty things I did caused Him to have to die. But then my mom told me that was what Easter was about because we celebrate that He came alive three days later and He lives in heaven.  And when we ask forgiveness and ask Him to, He will come live in our hearts and His Holy Spirit will help us be good. I did ask Him right then. And though I was only 3 &1/2 years old, I will never forget it! So combined with being thankful for God, I am thankful to my Mom, Dorothy Ferguson for sharing the Gospel with me at such a very young age!

2. The next thing I am thankful for is a wreck I was in when I was driving home from Thermopolis where I was going to Vet Tech school. I am thankful for it because it changed my communication time with Yahweh Shalom.
I was near Medicine Bow, and a wind came up, turned my old blue 65 Ford wagon backwards, and I was heading to death. I said, "Lord, guess this is it. Please forgive me for not doing anything for You, and please let me live with you." The car hit a bank, heading backwards, and I must have passed out. When I came to, I was amazed I was alive, and totaly okay.  A truck driver came by, told me that spot was horrible for wind gusts and I wasn't the first nor would I be the last to end up blown off the road there. He dropped me off at the Virginian, and I called home,  then my new friend who lived in Medicine Bow, Terry Anderson, who drove me home in his old blue chevy pickup.   Well, probably hourly since that time I spend time in prayer with God. In May of that school year, Terry and I missed getting to a cousin's wedding. We were alone at the ranch, and had a pretty big snow storm. I went to bed that night, asking God what to do about Terry. The bible had told me to not be unequally yoked. But I was crazy about this unbelievably sweet, caring guy. And I knew without a doubt he loved me, and I loved Him. So I asked God what I should do. You know what? In the still of that night as I cried and struggled with this problem, God spoke to me and said "marry him" I felt an imeadiate peace flow into my body and my soul. Yes, He is Yaweh Shalom. He is Peace!
The next day, after the chores were done, and we were sitting in front the heater, we talked about "what next". Finally, I asked, "so do you wanna get married?" And he said yes! So now you all know I proposed to my husband instead of him proposing to me.

3. The next thing I want to share that I am thankful for today, is our first born son.  Mark Allen Anderson has been a blessing to us since he was conceived,  but we got to first see him on December 4, 1975.  What a blessing he has been. So talented, he is an amazing artist, and musician. I love hearing him play the fiddle and sing. He is a great husband, and a wonderful father to his kids. And he is serving God, as a preacher in Scotland!  And he is a wonderful son. Read the sweet note in my "Our Journey with God" Album (on Facebook) Mark gave Terry while he was in hospital last December.  I also added other photos to accompany this blog today.
Yes, I am truly thankful.