MamaArcher’s Blog

Pondering a Legacy

January 5, 2009 - Posted in Uncategorized

 One of my hobbies is genealogy.  I enjoy tracing my heritage.  One thing that I love to look at is what is known about the individuals in my family tree.  It is interesting the things that you can learn.  One thing I especially like to look at is the faith and testimony of my ancestors.  There are a few that tend to stand out among the rest and are special to me because of this.  I want to share one of my favorites with you today because of his amazing legacy.

Here is an excerpt of a biographical sketch of one of my ancestors.

The priest at St. Joachim gave deposition that he was well acquainted with Charles Boyer and family, and noted Charles had ninety seven children and grandchildren living at Old Mines. He died in the late 1830s.
His wife lived on until 1858, and in her burial entry the priest noted “she left living, mostly in this parish (meaning St. Joachim at Old Mines) a posterity numbering four hundred souls.”

Washington County, MO Pioneer Families

This family was a strong Catholic family.  I come from a long line of Catholics on this side of the family.  It has been seven generations and some branches of the family remain in the Catholic church, others have become Protestant, and there are a few that show no signs of faith.  For the most part though faith in God continues.  That is what I find so fascinating!  This man must have been dedicated to raising his family in the church and to train them according to faith.  I am not debating here which faith is correct or saying that all they taught was Biblical or what I would teach my children.  I am not saying that simply raising your children within the church will guarantee their salvation.  I am in fact not even saying that this individual was saved by the grace of God.  What I am getting at is the importance and effect raising a child according to faith is and the impact it can have for generations to come. 

One thing that sticks out to me is the number of descendants left behind at their death.  When his wife passed on she had 400 descendants, 400!!  What an amazing blessing!  Look at how many lives they were able to touch, to mold, to share their faith and the love of the Lord with, how many other people were touched by their children to share!  What an impact! 

Often we hear about people wanting to leave a legacy but how often is that legacy about them? The legacy that this family left behind in my mind is one of faith and family!  Faith and family are blessings of the Lord.  I know from the records kept and the impact it has had on the generations of my extended family today that the faith of this one family was displayed because it has carried on for so many generations.  One thing that is dear to my heart is raising my children to be a heritage unto the Lord.   The legacy that I would want to leave behind in this world is not one that points to me but to the faithfulness of God. It is encouraging to know that this is something that was grasped long ago by another in my family line and I am benefited even today by that fact.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations

What kind of legacy will you leave behind? 

Share your thoughts and add to the discussion!

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The Joys of Home Ownership

January 4, 2009 - Posted in Alaska, Christianity, Encouragement, Home, house

We just recently purchased our first home.  It is a bit of a fixer upper unless you like living in 70’s style.  We have made a lot of improvements and still have a lot to go.  It can be fun, tiring, frustrating, and rewarding.  We are trying to make our improvements debt free and so far have been able to do so.  This past week while going over receipts to see how much we have put into the house we noticed something.  Lowe’s had not given us our military discount on anything except one receipt.  After a phone call to the manager we took in all of the receipts.  After much discussion and employees trying to get out of actually doing to the hefty job we recieved our discount.  It was really only a partial one but we got such a good deal on the carpeting that we let it go.  So with the credited money my hubby moved on to another project.  He has been putting in more wood flooring.  Our hallway looks a thousand times better than when it had the nasty old, dirty, and worn green carpet.  He had to level part of the floor and had a funny corner to try and cut out.  This job had challenges of its own.  More challenges were not need yesterday!  More challenges were what we dealt with and are still trying to fix.  The back door handle and lock are broken.  The door we always use is now out of working order.  This is not that big of a job to fix; it is just an annoyance mostly.  Then at 10:30 at night, after one of our daughters took her shower, the water would not quit running in the tub.  While fiddling with the faucet in the tub, it busted and shot water all over the bathroom and washed pieces down the unclogged, open drain.  This would have actually been pretty funny if we had not been so tired!  So this morning we are without water.  Replacing the faucets should not be a very big job either.  My husband went to bed last night exhausted, with a killer headache, and a bit annoyed.  This would have been nothing if he had not been working on the flooring and trying to get it done.  In fact, the whole situation does seem funny this morning now that we are rested!

This is just like anything in life.  When we know the challenges and have a plan of attack and life is going mostly according to plan or at least nothing we didn’t already anticipate; we tend to do well.  It is when the unexpected arrives and one unexpected thing on top of another that we tend to struggle.  Even the little unexpected things can throw us off.  These are the times that I am so thankful for a Savior who is sovereign!  I may not have expected these things to pop up in my life but knowing that they were ordained by my Father in heaven brings me some comfort.  Whether it is shooting water all over my bathroom or the loss of a loved one; knowing I have a God who cares and works all things together for my good gives me strength and comfort.  I may not enjoy the trials, I may not feel strong or even comforted, I may even feel abandoned. The thing is, if I truly know my Savior I can rest in Him, his wisdom, his love, his promises, his faithfulness, and in all of the character that is my God.  Remember things often look different when you come out on the other side of the trial.

Do you have that assurance?  You should if you know the living Lord!  Praise be to the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!

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WHAT HAPPENED???

January 3, 2009 - Posted in blogging

Well, I am working on making a switch to a new host and to Wordpress.  I will admit that it has not been an uneventful switch and I am struggling right now!  I know links may not be functing correctly and readers may be wacky, please update them to http://mamaarcher.com.  I appreciate all of my friends and loyal readers who will stick by me during this transition time!

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An Amazing Story

January 3, 2009 - Posted in Quiverfull Blogroll

One of the ladies on our quiverfull blogroll has had an unbelievable year. One of trial, grief, trusting, and blessing. Amy of Raising Arrows brought us all to grieve along with her as they lost little Emily and to be filled with joy as she announced the coming a new baby. The Lord has seen fit to bring that child safely into the world and as the New Year’s baby at that! Here is the story~First New Born. CONGRATS to this precious family!

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Blogging Dilemma

January 3, 2009 - Posted in blogging

I am having a mid-blogging crisis. I have put this off for quite some time but it has come to the forefront of my mind once again. What am I to do with my blog? I love the ease of blogger and it was great for getting started but I am just longing for more. I am considering switching to WP. I would still keep the same domain name and so the addy would not change. Those who visit here would not have any problems finding me. It is mainly a “behind the scenes” change. You would just benefit from other features I could add. My blogging may be more sporatic in the coming weeks as I try to decide what to do and begin making some changes. Please let me know what you think. Have you changed from blogger or another blog platform to WP? Do you like it and was it worth the change?

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Comments

December 31, 2008 - Posted in blogging

As some of you may have noticed, I have changed my commenting application. I am fiddling with trying to make my blog more of what I would like but am not sure what I will stick with in the end. I am not completely happy with either application. The blogger comments do not offer all of what I would like but I also do not like the fact that the haloscan comments do not show up under the post on its page. There are some benefits to having blogger comments that it seems haloscan does not provide and vise versa. I am still playing with things and will hopefully be able to make it work the way I would like. The more I mess around with things the more I debate: do I just go back to the way it was, do I do a total overhaul - design included, or do I just mess around with a few things. So if things seems quirky around here for a while, you know why!

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A Glow Stick Christmas

December 29, 2008 - Posted in Christianity, Christmas, Pondering

Typically on Christmas Eve our family will attend the Candlelight - Lord’s Supper service. It is one of the traditions we have and it helps us to focus our minds and hearts upon the Lord. It allows us to make sure He is at the focal point where He should be. This is one service that our family looks forward to each and every year. Not only is it an enjoyable service but it is one that is filled with reverence for our Lord. It is one in which there can be solemness and joy expressed with a still, quiet spirit and be filled with music and praise. This year however the tone was much different. There were many who disagreed with my hubby, my children, and I on this matter. The reverence and seriousness of the celebration was lost.

Am I the only one who realizes that you can be serious and joyful at the same time? You can be serious and have fun at the same time? You can take things seriously and still enjoy them? There are times and places to act, to behave in certain ways. We do not have to remove the serious nature of things to enjoy them and be blessed. When we try to make things practical and fun all the time the meaning is often lost.

This year while the Lord’s Supper was being served many people were chuckling, giggling, and talking (rather loudly too). Where is the reverence and the gratitude due to our Lord? Did it even mean anything to them?

When it came time for the candlelight service instead of candles we were given multicolored glow sticks. The reasons given for this choice were: no fire hazard, easier for children, and solidarity with our troops. Let me ask, what is wrong with parents supervising their children? The hazard is not that high if children are supervised. It is not that difficult to help a child. I can understand the solidarity with the troops who are deployed but personally I think this was not appropriate. For those in the deployed setting I do not have issue with them using them. In this service though we are to be honoring Christ not other people.

It was not necessarily the fact that we used the glow sticks, it was the attitude and atmosphere that accompanied their usage and was associate with them. The sense of reverence was gone. It wasn’t even about solidarity with the troops, it was about fun. There were people laughing, children waving them around, teenagers using them as drumsticks, and we even noticed someone holding up a cell phone! At least with candles, children have to be still, you are more focused and aware. There is more of a sense of reverence rather than the carnival atmosphere we experienced. There were several people who thought it was wonderful and so much fun. There was one person who said it was great and that he will always remember the service. We will too but it will not be a good memory it will be one in which we saw the Lord take a backseat to entertainment.

So, is our family alone in this? Do you think we are over reacting? What would you do or feel if this was a service you attended? What are your thought and ideas? Share with me your Ponderings!

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It’s Been Seven Years!

December 26, 2008 - Posted in Family, Praise, Quiverfull Blogroll, children

There was a time when we thought we would have no more children. You can read about that HERE. Since that time we have been blessed with 4 more so far. This little one pictured here is the first of our reversal babies. She is ans has always been such a blessing and a reminder of God’s grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, provision, and sovereignty. She is a delight and fills our hearts with joy! It is hard to believe that she is now 7 years old! She is growing into a lovely young lady! We had an ice skating party for her and she went for a sleep-over. All in all it was a good day! We love you sweetheart and happy birthday!

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Merry Christmas

December 24, 2008 - Posted in Christmas

What is the foundation for the joy of Christmas? Here is a great article by one of my favorites, Dr. R.C. Sproul, entitled Born of the Virgin Mary.

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Sentinel–City of Destiny

December 20, 2008 - Posted in Christianity, Homeschooling, Train Up a Child, What to Read

I agreed many, many months ago to do a review of this book. With our move and the new baby, I sadly fell behind on my commitment. This is my attempt at keeping my word. I have never written a book review before but am excited to be able to attempt one now and just in time for Christmas. This book would make a wonderful gift for a family read aloud or for a young boy.

Sentinel: City of Destiny by Landel Bilbrey is an allegory of the Christian life and is geared toward young boys. This book encourages some strong character traits that we would all desire in our growing young men. The book takes you on a quest where you discover keys along the way. These are called the keys to mettle true manhood. These keys are courage, service, vision, and integrity.

Not only does this book cover many character traits and take children on an adventurous journey but it provides many opportunities to stop and discuss with your children the Biblical truths being displayed.

The book includes a glossary of terms, maps for your quest, illustrations, and a study guide for each of the chapters. You can read a few chapters online to see what you think. I am sure you and your sons will enjoy Sentinel-City of Destiny!

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