Family Gatherings

About a week ago we had some fun family gatherings at my brother Das's house and my sis Laurens. Dad just turned 75, step mom Judy 74, my mom turned 65 and neice Deannah just had her 21st birthday. PLUS we have a new neice in the family; Dax's little girl Shy Summer. We had plenty of reason to celebrate!

Here are Dad, Deannah, Maggie, Cyrus and my sweetheart Al.

Cyrus and Satchel playin' us all some Johnny Cash tunes.

Aisha and me, I love that girl..Ever tried deep fried twinkies and ice cream? We didn't either! The oil was not hot enough and they became Oily Twinkie Sponges.
A sibling photo for our parents. Dax, Lauren, Me and Satchel. Typical.
Deannah and her sleeping Mom.
Somebody snatching Lauren's yummy mini cheesecakes. Mmm.
Proud papa and Grandma.
Mom and Mary. Mom looks amazing for 65 eh?
A with an Attitude. That's Anna. Maggie making a point.
Ruth in her element. Baby Element. Mom lovin' it.
Anna copying Ruth. But she loves it.
Al and Judy deep in conversation.
Dad's always happy at 5:00!
And Shy Summer. Enough lovin today from the crowd.

Aslan's Own

Aslan's Own has been our family name for farming and ranching for a long time. Now we neither farm or ranch, but we still are His so I'm keeping it. This will be a journal of the family happenings of the Kogler / Goodhart family, mostly those that live with us, but you'll hear about the rest of the brood too. Shown here on Thanksgiving is Al, Me (Connie) Justin, Mary, Jessica, Ruth, Anna and Maggie. Six of our 11 kids who still live near us. Not a bad bunch, eh?

Not An Ordinary Mother..

So, we're on our way back from Al's Local Union meeting in Boulder last night. We pass, for the zillionth time, the old house and barn that are sitting in a field. The house is still on a moving truck, but the barn has a severe lean to it now, that is has been sitting on the ground with no foundation. I love that barn and it makes me sad to see it deteriorating..

So as we drive by and I say my typical "I love that barn", Maggie pipes up, "Mom, I love you!" "Why?" I say, "Well, see, you are not an ordinary mother." "What do you mean?" I say. "Well" she says, " You love funny things, like weeds.. and old barns and trees in the house and things like that."

"Yes, I do." I say.

Funny.

Summer

Been awhile. What's going on? Nothing particularly exciting, but Andrew Wommack Ministries Summer Family Bible Conference was last week and though I couldn't go they had it available free and live online so that was awesome. The depth of Gods love for all of us and the completeness of the work that Jesus did on the cross is incredible.

Lauren, Maggie and I did our two week New England trip which was fun, about 4 days too long and successful. Lots of new birds and a great time visiting family.

Since then I've been glad to be home, taking care of family and place and messin' with the dogs. I love having a cup of mocha with Al on the patio after he's home from work.

It has been a great spring and summer, not too hot, lovely weather. I even have a bit of a garden and my "mini meadow" I planted (also known as the Dachshund Forest, or Barbie's Jungle) is doing quite well.

We had a family of squirrels raised in our bird house, followed by a family of starlings. Grackles, House Sparrows, Starlings, Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers and Robins have all been bringing their young into the feeders which is great fun to watch.

We had a great June Birthday Celebration here last week with not all, but lots of family and lots of FOOD.

No big plans for the rest of the summer, which is fine with me. Hopefully some day trips into the mountains.

Such Love

Ephesians 2:4,5
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ.


I have been overwhelmed lately by a renewed revelation of just how much God loves me. Not only me, actually, but all of us. It is nearly incomprehensible it is so big.

God gets such a bad rap from religion. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are all attributed as "Acts Of God". This is not so! God is NOT schizophrenic! There was a time before Jesus and after the law came that God showed wrath toward people. But the sacrifice of Jesus was complete and satisfied God. HE IS NOT AN ANGRY GOD, waiting for us to mess up and then gleeful at the chance to ZAP us. Think of the life of Jesus. NOTHING that He ever did was vengeful or full of anger, He loved, healed and forgave. Then he died for the sin of the whole world. Past. Present. Future. Future? Yep, future. Amazing Love.

Amazed By Him

Can you figure it out?

It's windy outside and I feel the Wind inside me too.

Like God is stirring, stirring.

I have been saturating myself with DC*B's new album Remedy. Somethin' else for sure. I have recently finished reading several books by Donald Miller, including Blue Like Jazz.. wow. I love it when God shows me how very much He loves me and not only wants me to know Him, but He wants to KNOW me! I am so tired of religious rules and regulations and formulas as a way to get to god. It's a dead and lifeless road.

Loving God and loving others. What a big change for all of us that would be. So easy to say, sometimes (all the time??) so hard to do. It's not about checking everything off on the road-to-God list to make sure you are going along good. Life's about living the life of Love, like Love did when He was here on earth. Amazing, absolutely amazing.

Where do we even start?

Begin to pay attention to your surroundings, your family, your spouse, your friends. Be kind, do something sweet, put them first, do what you're asked with out grumbling. Notice someone in need? Buy them a sandwich, help them with the door, carry out their groceries, buy 'em coffee, listen to their story, tell them yours, look them in the eye. Hugs. A clean shirt, time, rake their leaves, bake a cake, give them your best cookies.

I am overwhelmed by His Love:
For GOD is sheer BEAUTY, all Generous in LOVE, LOYAL always and EVER Ps.100:5


If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all His mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, " Jump" and it jumps, but I don't have love, I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut.
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first",
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies....

But for right now, until that Completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:

Trust steadily in God,

Hope unswervingly,

Love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is Love.
(1 Corinthians 13)

For GOD is sheer BEAUTY, all Generous in LOVE, LOYAL always and EVER Ps.100:5