GRANDMA FROGGER: NAMES

Phil.4:19
"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."





We all have names. 
Did you know that God has many names?  Every one of them gives us a clue about who God is and what He can do.
When God tells us His names, He is telling us something about himself that we may not know but need to know in order to have a close relationship with Him.
 

GRANDMA FROGGER: THE Master Embroider

I love Spring and it is a beautiful time of year but for me it brings a little sadness.  But that sadness doesn’t last forever.
Some of my life’s most difficult times have happened in the Spring.  Sometimes life is scary and can be so disappointing.

I learned early in LIFE that earthly days are shorter for SOME and longer for OTHERS.

I learned that others, friends, loved ones are only MINE for a time.   What was, what is, and what will be are only ours for a time.  They touch our lives for a time and then things can change in an instant.

Grandpa’s and Grandma’s get very, very old and their bodies don’t work anymore.  It can be very hard to accept the fact that someone is NOT with us anymore and we will never, ever see them here on earth again.
We're still  sad that Uncle Matt isn't here with us and we still miss him very much, but it's comforting to know that he’s with God now,"We can talk about the special memories  and talk about the times we had with him , and yes we  cry.  And that's alright.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, let me encourage you to search your heart and make that choice. I do not know how anyone can go through such heartache and keep any sanity without the peace and love of God carrying them through it.

I believe your Uncle Matt's life had purpose, and that whatever that purpose was, he fulfilled it in 32 yrs. 

I am so thankful to God weaving/embroidering me into that little girl that I was, the young woman I have been, the woman that I am today, and the one I shall be in the remainder of my days here on earth.  As I complete this woman, I am grateful for the woven masterpiece that God is still making me into.

Yes, my journey, and how very,very much I have to be thankful for. 
 I have had a rich, colorful, and meaningful life. I am so grateful for every experience.
Not that it’s always been easy. Hardly.  There’s been a lot of pain. Bad decisions. Expensive mistakes. Words and actions that I regret. But, by the grace of God, I have made it this far. I have no complaints. And by the grace of God I will continue on.
It made me also think again how much life is like a tapestry an embroidery.

The most IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOD
IS THAT HE IS GOD, AND HE IS MY GOD.  HE CANNOT BE FRIENDS WITH SIN
And He is SOVEREIGN!  SOVEREIGN?  Where in the world did that word pop up?    

 

When we say that God
 is SOVEREIGN, we mean that He has control over the whole universe.  He has absolute authority.
When I realized that God was in control it freed me to trust Him and that fact,  that He has the right to plan my life.  It frees me from worries
I often want to be in control of everything so I know what to expect.  However, life is not like that.
But, when things happen that I was not expecting, God knew about them. Because He knows  everything.
He is in control and He will be with me through the unexpected things in my life.
To say that God is Sovereign means He rules over.  He is the BOSS of everything.
He has the right to rule over me because God made me.  God does as he pleases with His Creation.  And I am one of His creation.
 Yes, there have been many times through the years, I have been tempted to look up at God and say "Father, what are You doing?"  and He answered, "I am embroidering your life."  But I say "It looks like a mess to me, The threads seem so dark.  Why can't they all be bright.
The passage of time reveals more of what he has embroidered into my life and helps in trusting him.
God's wisdom far exceeds mine.

GRANDMA FROGGER: A SPECIAL DAY

It was 1956, and I was seven years old.
It was a very, very special day for me.

It was THE DAY I asked God to be my Savior.
My parents faith became MY faith on THAT day.

I vividly remember kneeling with my mother on the cold concrete floor
beside the cold steel bunk bed with a tender heart warmed by that decision I had just made.  I had just invited Jesus to come into my life.

A PEARLY GIRLY:  Oh my Word!!! Remember those POP BEADS?

 
I had learned at an early age that to become a child of God, I must confess my sins and believe deep down in my heart, that Jesus died for me, and has forgiven me my sins.
  Right then and there Jesus promised me ETERNAL LIFE, a life that just keeps on going FOREVER, but not necessarily on this earth.

I learned shortly after this that LIFE on this earth is shorter for some and longer for others.
God took one of my school mates to live with Him in Heaven when he was just seven yrs. old and that incident totally changed some of my heart attitudes and actions.

OUR HOME during this time in my life and in one of those rooms, I began my Spiritual baby steps.

Little did I know at that time that Jesus was watching over me, loving me, and caring for me all these  years.
 
It would be later that I would learn that  coming to Jesus with an obedient heart, and letting Him be boss of my life was to be part of  my life.

Standing on the bridge in front of our house with my first brother and sister, 1956

Learning to respect and honor my parents and pay attention to the Bible truths became very important to me through out time.

I was always looking for true and clear explanations of God’s Word.  I was learning to honor and respect God's Word because it was God's Word to me.

But the hardest part is obeying what I did learn.  And even as old as I am now, I am still learning to obey.
 
As Robert Frost in his poem would say:
 
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads went two different ways into a wood, and I~
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost

Some people choose THAT other different way.  Will your different way be the right way?

HAPPY BORN AGAIN BIRTHDAY 

GRANDMA FROGGER's CHAT about S-I-N

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GRANDMA FROGGER: WE HAVE A PROBLEM

GOOD MORNING MY FROGLETS & FROGSTERS!

My little chats with you are about things that are important to me because when you have lived as long as me,
many things are not as important anymore.

The most IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOD
IS THAT HE IS GOD, AND HE IS MY GOD.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THE BIBLE IS THAT IT IS GOD’S WORD TO ME.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOD’S WORD IS THAT IT IS TRUE AND NEVER CHANGES,
AND WE SHOULD TAKE TIME TO LEARN WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF US.

I want you to never, never, NEVER forget that God made you, and He knows how life works best for us, for you and me.

The guide lines, instructions, or rules God gives us, in this Book are for our good,
And when we disobey those instructions, God calls it SIN
 “S-I-N”

LITTLE WORD~A SERIOUS THING

Sin is a small word but with a big meaning.
SIN is a very serious thing because God is HOLY.  God HATES SIN.
SIN is serious because if we sin to much, we soon forget what is right.

SIN grows secretly, and then it can become a part of your life.

So what is SIN?
SIN IS DISOBEYING GOD.
SIN IS DOING WHAT GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO DO.
OR SOMETIMES NOT WANTING WHAT GOD DOES WANT US TO DO.

SIN IS A VERY SERIOUS THING!
 And many unpleasant things can happen when we sin.

I have messed up in life too and most of it was because I disobeyed.     We all make bad decisions, have bad thoughts, and don’t always do what we should.  We might get spanked, have “special talks” or even time outs.

TELL STORY OF CUTTING FINGER WITH MACHETE.

WAY BACK IN TIME, TO 1959, when I was a young Frogger….

AFTER READ THE STORY:
But the most amazing thing is that no matter how huge the SIN or bad things we have done, God is a big FORGIVER AND A FORGETTER, and THAT IS CALLED GRACE.
But sometimes we have to live with the consequences.

Yes, God loves you and He loves me but God is HOLY and cannot be friends with SIN.

God so HATES SIN and cannot tolerate sin that he created a place for people who SIN AND CONTINUE in their SIN.  That is the place where people who reject God will live forever without God.
The Bible is very clear that GOD HATES SIN.
God does not kind of dislike SIN.
God is not just irritated by sin.  GOD HATES SIN!

Yes, I have messed up many times in life.

My GREAT-GREAT- GRANDFATHER SOLOMON MESSED Up just like JONAH.

THE YEAR WAS  1893
Great, Great Grandpa Solomon S. Ediger huffed out of a church business meeting and announced to his family that they were moving to Oklahoma.  It was a very sudden decision after the elders had approached him to be their pastor. He felt called and knew that God wanted him in the minstry to pastor the church in Inman, Kansas,  however, like Jonah, he figured that the best way to get out of it was to leave Kansas and travel the other way.

 Little did he dream of the consequences which would transpire and a chain of unfortunate events to follow.
As soon as the canvas-covered wagon was ready they set off for a ten-day journey.  The family travelled  300 miles from McPherson county in Kansas in Washita County, Oklahoma with two boys (6 and 8) and a baby.
They soon found themselves on the Oklahoma frontier on a claim.
The nearest town was 60 miles away.
Self reliance was a requirement for these pioneers.



The claim he filed turned out to be the worst, full of rocks and gullies.  Having nothing to build with he built a sod dugout on the bank of a river only to have it cave in one night during a first rain.  They moved back into the covered wagon until another dugout was made.Dirt floors and dirt walls. Centipedes, scorpions, and snakes would come in, especially at night.

The young mother gave birth to another baby within those dirt walls.  When that baby was two months old he screamed so loud one night waking up the whole family to find a scorpion in his cradle.

Poverty and hardship struck every part of their lives.  During dry season, they had to haul water from a creek two miles away.  Two attempts to dig a well failed with bad water.  Other People with good water would not share.  They kept their wells locked up as water was so scarce.

As time went on the family was wondering why they had even moved to Oklahoma.  The truth came out as he sadly told the family he had run from God.

Troubles in Oklahoma seemed to grow.  They had to sneak out at night to get fire wood because of fear of the Indians.  They had a good crop of sorghum and some wheat one year.

The nearest town, El Reno, was 60 miles away.  A round trip would take them a week and they had to cross the Canadian River.  There was danger of quicksand, they lost a haybaler but saved the horses.  Another time they were crossing that same river in the winter while it was iced over.  They did not realize how thin the ice was as it was covered with sand that the wind had blown.  The whole wagon and everyone tumbled into the river in the dark of night.

That ordeal nearly cost him his life and many years of suffering.  Finally he said, "We are going back to Kansas."  They packed up their belongings and headed back to Kansas, taking the toll bridge over the Canadian River.

When they arrived back every one welcomed them back and another farm was started. The Lord began to bless them spiritually and financially.  Crops were good.  There was much crying and praying when again he was elected to be the pastor of that same church.   “Great,Great Grandpa Solomon dedicated his life anew to God and admonished his family to live a life pleasing to God and to let their lives shine, as they were now preacher's children."
The Lord blessed him with a big family, 10 children, 8 boys and 2 girls.  AND ONE OF THEM WAS MY GRAND FATHER AARON or POP as we all called him.

In the fall of 1910, they all moved to Dallas, Oregon.  In 1912, He organized and became the first pastor of the E.M.B Church in Dallas.  He was ordained as a minister by the conference of the Hebron Church(Mennonite).

This is what was said about great grandpa and great grandma by one of their children:  "Being with them one always sensed their love and devotion to their Heavenly Father.  Grandpa was always to share a new truth he discovered in the Word always he would apply it in some way to his own live or to ours.

Late 1800's to early 1900's What the church looked like when G.Grandpa Solomon, G.Great,Great Grandpa S. was the Pastor.

  He never failed to warn where necessary, but always with an added lot of encouragement.  Grandpa took the words in Psalms 126:6 literally and never failed to remind his family of its truth when harvest time came. Psalm 126:6 (KJV)
 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him..
 Some of his boys remember how Grandpa wept and prayed while seeding his fields in the spring."
(The following accounts were gleaned from what had been described in the October 12,1961 issue of the Mennonite Weekly Review.)

IN CONCLUSION
We can not keep God’s guide lines or rules on our own and that is where we need Jesus.

2004, The Crumbling Church Building

The original sod building

Great, Grandpa,Dad Loren Standing next to the original sod church building, the church where his Grandpa Solomon first began his ministry of preaching God's Word and where the family first worshiped when they came from Russia.

The catechisms are an excellent tool for teaching about sin. 
 “What is sin?

It is the glory of God not honored.

The holiness of God not reverenced.

The greatness of God not admired.

The power of God not praised.

The truth of God not sought.
The wisdom of God not esteemed.

The beauty of God not treasured.

The goodness of God not savored.

The faithfulness of God not trusted.

The commandments of God not obeyed.

The justice of God not respected
.
The wrath of God not feared.

The grace of God not cherished.

The presence of God not prized
.
The person of God not loved.
That is sin.”  YES, THAT IS SIN!!!!!!!

Great, Grandpa, Solomon S.

ANOTHER CHAT WITH GRANDMA FROGGER

Well, GOOD MORNING all my little Grand Froglets and Frogsters!

I was just reading from my mother's old Bible.
It says here in John 
that God is a Spirit.  Really?

Does that mean He is invisible?
Yes, and he is everywhere because God's Word tells me.
So if I can't see God how do I know he is there somewhere?
We can't see air either but we know it is there because we need it to stay alive.
We can't see the wind but we can feel it and see what it can do.   Sometimes it get very angry and knocks over trees.

WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND ?

By Christina Rosseti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you:

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I:

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

We know that God love's beauty because we see all the beautiful things God has made.
Many of us Froggers have never seen our great-great-great-grandparents.

Grandpa Loren's Grandparents

But we know they lived because we would not be here without them.  
They may have passed on to us the color of our hair and our blue or brown eyes, or a special dimple or the way they smiled.
There are many people we will never see, hear, or touch, but we know they lived before us because we know or see some things about them.  We have seen some things they have done.  We have seen photos of them.

Great Great Grandpa Solomon

That's how it is with God.
I get excited when I look at really old pictures. 
You know that old shoe box in the attic stuffed full of photos?
Or the little box of slides and negatives?
Or the photo album with the cellophane covers?  

I have pictures of great-great-great-grandparent froggers and I have read stories about them.

Great Grandpa Dad, Loren sitting in the wagon with Richard & Jamie

  So I know they lived, how they lived and I will be seeing many of them in Heaven.

Great Great Grandpa Solomon near the Walnut Dryer

Who has ever seen God?
Neither You nor I
But we know he's everywhere.
Who has ever seen God?
Neither I nor you.
But we know God for the things He has done.
And because of this, THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT GOD IS THAT HE IS GOD!

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