Our Traditional Christmas Card for 2018: After many, many years, we ve decided to shorten the Christmas Poem a bit and include some new lines. As we are a bit behind, it s a New Years wish for you all as well. Please enjoy. We have a list of folks we know all written in a book, And every year when Christmas comes we go and take a look. That s when we realize these names are all a little part, Not of the book they re written in, but of our very hearts. For each name stands for someone who has crossed our path sometime, And in that meeting they ve become the rhythm in each rhyme. While it may sound fantastic for us to make this claim, We really feel that we re composed of each remembered name. And while you may not be aware of any special link, Just meeting you has changed our lives much more than you may think. Christmas is about the birth of the Blessed Babe, But don t forget to tell the part where He rose up from the grave. Salvation and His kingdom is the message we need to heed and hear, Commanding us to spread it wide, afar and to the near. So when you read our Christmas card remember though it s hard, That Jesus died to mend our hearts and all our sins discard. We pray this day that you ll believe and have your cares relieved, Just open up your heart to Him through Grace; Great Blessings you ll receive. For we must all remember how our country got its start, Twas just a simple prayer from George Washington s heart. Just one who was a believer and oh yes it is true, He prayed to God for His Blessing to see his vision through. Lord provide us the words and wisdom to rally men, anew, That we may heal our nation and foster something new. And while you re counting all your blessings and thinking all this through, Pray steadfastly for our Country to be revived and all renewed. Remember all the little things that we should really do. Remember all our veterans and their loved ones too, Who gave so much to secure our freedom that our respect for them is due. For peace is earned by giving of more than you might think, And this is why we celebrate Thanksgiving to keep us from the brink. We all should be reflecting on things within our past, That to ignore or forget them is to have to repeat the task. So with all that is occurring in our ever shrinking space, To ignore His word is to deviate from God s everlasting Grace. A group of which we care enough to send the good news to, That God himself came down to earth and gave His life for YOU. That you may have assurance by virtue of His Love, To pursue all your dreamed abilities as He proclaimed them from above. So sit not at your table with few thoughts and anger on your mind, But go out and proclaim them and do His work in kind. All this unrest is just the enemies way, Of taking control of your heart and leading you astray. So when you think your complaints and anger are justified by might, Remember that Jesus collected us by calm and peaceful light. So when you next envelope blind insight, First checkout all the history to be sure you re close to right. Don t follow all the voices who blindly lead you on, But turn to the one true God and converse with him in song. For he will always listen even though you might not think it so, And it s truly amazing how much you will come to know, If you will just let our God above run the show.
Judge not the deeds of others, Lest you be judged as well, Just let the Holy Spirit in and all would begin to see, That all our current misery is the enemies work anew. So sit peacefully no matter the language heard, And answer with calm and dignity to actually be observed. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, A Savior which is Christ the Lord! Luke 2:11 Barbatos Black Belly Sheep Gizmo Here we are Christmas 2018 and New Years 2019. It s almost providence that time has joined the two events together now. It s as though there has been a paradigm shift with so much changing, new things good and bad, confusing, appalling and exciting all at the same time. Here on the farm, it is no surprise that there is always something new. Lots of puppies have found their way into loving homes and wiggled into the hearts of their new families. This is as much a blessing to us as it is to others as we constantly get photos and hear great things about their new lives apart from Bear Creek. There were more lambs born here and we have enjoyed raising more Barbatos Black Belly lambs and Tunis lambs this year and look forward to a fresh crop for 2019. Dobermans here
are still our favorites. We also had Rottweilers and Border Collie Puppies; all ready to go home on Christmas Eve. There were 23 in all. We just love the pictures our customers send us with their new family members, like this one of Ann and Sadie at the right. We sure did have a lot of fun at the lake again this year especially since Bethel is now fully functional! We have an even bigger group of great clients and friends, it hardly seems like work..and of course our family gettogethers at the lake are even more of a hoot, now more than 60 in all. Last July s excitement with flooding on the July 4th weekend was quite the event.. Everyone on the lake pulled together to correct all the damage, with no help from the government of FEMA we might add. But we upstate New Yorkers are used to bureaucratic incompetence. However God has blessed us with Bethel incredibly talented young men and women, friends and neighbors and of course family. We have continued to ex- pand and extend our Bible Study group and have our meetings at Bethel, managing late into the fall. Peter has added large screen projection and sound so we can do even more. We re just lovin it! We re looking forward to 2019! Peter and Nathan worked very hard to repair the damage done to the sea walls and especially the creek wall that will hopefully protect us from future major event storms. Our son Nathan is quite the heavy equipment operator, machinist, architect and more. We are so proud of him and have received many compliments from everyone who s seen his work. Get this, for relaxation, he farms. He also builds and designs many of his farming implements and for fun in that venue, goes to Tractor Pulls with his I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth and prospering as a result.
antique tractor collection. Tammy gets to rest during this annual event in our town as we take the John Deere Seat Wagon up for the whole family to watch and observe from. Nathan on his John Deere 60 Michelle s practice is doing well and she and Derek celebrated Charlotte s 2nd Christmas. We did a video call Tammy at the Tractor Pull on Christmas day with a present exchange which went very well. We are looking forward to our visit with Derek, Michelle & Charlotte them in January. Derek continues to work for Norfolk Southern Railroad and is a master welder, fabricator about town and drone pilot, photographer and race car driver too boot. The Motleys still have a lot on their plates, but we are confident that they will continue to thank God for His promises and blessings. We are so very proud of them! Thank you again Father God! Michelle & Charlotte Ch
And then regarding us...we continue to thank God for all of these many blessings as well as his mercy and healing power provisioned through Jesus Christ our Lord. In this view we have our best hope for the future. Life goes on. And if you can take each door with the blessings and gifts you receive as well as a firm belief that there is truly good out there, then all will be well. So here we are, Tamara, Derek, Michelle, Charlotte, Peter and Nathan. So from the bottom of our hearts we wish you all a wonderous Christmas and peace, prosperity and God s Blessings in the New Year ahead. Our beautiful bird who appeared on the scene one day last September, Spirit has become a true sign of wonder and rides around with Tammy when she feeds the critters in the barn. She is very much her own bird and comes and goes all over the farm.
From our Hearts at Christmas The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 I sit here at this computer on Christmas Eve; with such love and concern for you all but have struggled with being able to put into words all that is in my heart. In asking the Holy Spirit what should be shared in our message from our hearts this Christmas, the same refrain plays over and over, which has been the focus of my learning and understanding this past year. We must not fail to recognize the body of Christ and we MUST prepare our children to step into their members as the body of Christ: as we are hurling into the future. ever closer to the coming of the King! We must be established in His kingdom! That being said, there is little more important in life than our relationship with the triune God and our relationships with each other as children of the Most-High God. We are commanded to and instructed on how to conduct ourselves in those relationships, but I have become very aware of the power of praying for, and declaring the words of God over each other and over ourselves, and especially over our children. With that in mind, what I have to say on the subject could never be as effective as what God has to say on this subject and so I quote here from His Word praying all spiritual blessings on you and declaring for you the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority vested in you by Jesus Christ himself: Hear the Word of the Lord as Pete and I pray and speak it over you. Lessons from History: 78 Asaph s poetic song of instruction 1 Beloved ones, listen to this instruction. Open your heart to the revelation of this mystery that I share with you. 2 A parable and a proverb are hidden in what I say an intriguing riddle from the past. 3 4 We ve heard true stories from our fathers about our rich heritage. We will continue to tell our children and not hide from the rising generation
the great marvels of our God his miracles and power that have brought us all this far. 5 The story of Israel is a lesson in God s ways. He established decrees for Jacob and established the law in Israel, and he commanded our forefathers to teach them to their children. 6 For perpetuity God s ways will be passed down from one generation to the next, even to those not yet born. 7 In this way, every generation will have a living faith in the laws of life and will never forget the faithful ways of God. 8 By following his ways they will break the past bondage of their fickle fathers, who were a stubborn, rebellious generation and whose spirits strayed from the eternal God. They refused to love him with all their hearts. Psalm 78 The Passion Translation (TPT) Walk in Unity: 4 I, therefore, the prisoner [a] of the Lord, [b] beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in [c] you all. Spiritual Gifts: 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ s gift. 8 Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men. 9 (Now this, He ascended what does it mean but that He also [d] first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e] edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. The New Man: 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [f] the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Do Not Grieve the Spirit: 25 Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and do not sin : do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [g] place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [h] edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i] clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4 New King James Version (NKJV)
Meeting Specific Needs: 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 [j] Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, [k] fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:13-18 NKJV Walk in Wisdom: 15 See then that you walk [e] circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of [f] God. Ephesians 5: 15-20 NKJV Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom: 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [a] understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality [b] and [c] power and [d] might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23 New King James Version (NKJV) Preeminence of Christ: 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Colossians 1:9-12 New King James Version (NKJV) Appreciation of the Mystery: 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [a] of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21 New King James Version (NKJV) So with exceeding and abundant love poured out from our hearts for you all, we have presented our Christmas message and New Years hope for your continued welfare under Almighty God. May the Lord bless you and keep you always. Amen. Pete & Tammy