Life on the Farm (well, 24 hours on the farm)

So here is the thing, I never blog. I have had this for a year (or two), and have blogged 3 times. I'm going to try to be better about this. Here it goes.

Let me tell you about my Spring Break on the Farm.

Me, Molly Mercker, the girl who wears high heals every single day, thought it would be fun to visit a couple with 5 children who have recently moved to a farm.

I walked up in my heals, dark jeans, silky shirt, cardigan sweater, and sunglasses fashionably on my head and immediately started to mentally going through my suitcase. "Did I bring farm clothes? Do I even own farm clothes? I should have gone shopping for farm clothes before I came. What was I thinking?! Oh gosh my heals just sunk in this dirt."

Right when I breathed a sigh of relief in remembering that I had packed an all black, non-dressy shirt and tennis shoes I hear, "Miss Molly! Come see the goats!" So off I went to see the goats. After about 10 minutes of the kids convincing me that the goats would not bite me if I petted them, I sheepishly put my hand through the gate at patted "Sparkles" on the head. Next I hear, "Miss Molly! Come see my chicks!" I was then taken the basement of the house where the chicks lived. Whenever I have thought of chicks, I have always imagined the cute, little, yellow, fluffy ones that are on Easter decorations. These "chicks" were much bigger and not fluffy. As the 7 year old dove into the chicken pen to pick one up, I started backing away. But did that stop her, NOPE! After me fighting it for quite sometime, the cute little faces (of the kids, not the chicks) got to me. The last time they said "Miss Molly, PLEASE hold our chick! They won't hurt you, we promise!" I gave in. I held the chicken. For about 2.5 seconds.

It was now past time for me to put on my "farm clothes." So I went upstairs to put on the attire and headed outside for four wheeler rides around the farm. Believe it or not, I spent the first 10 years of my childhood on a Christmas Tree Farm. Thankfully the outdoorsy skills of driving a four wheeler had not left me. 2 kids climbed on the four wheeler with me while 3 climbed on with their momma. And off we went! We drove around for quite some time over great hills, stopping at beautiful creeks for the kidos to play in while their mom and I caught up on life. And I only got stuck going up a hill once!

When riding was over for the day, we all sat/ played outside until dinner time. The kids got me INTO the goat pen at this point. In case you didn't know, goats spit. And it is gross. The kids watched the goats jump off hay bails while I carefully kept an eye on the momma goat, terrified she would go into labor and I would be there to watch it all happen. About this time, the fearless child picked up a baby goat and put it right in my lap. I took a picture for proof (no one would believe that I held a goat otherwise). We then went down to see "Bud" the cow. Bud had a rough day yesterday. He went from a "bull" to being a "steer" (I think that's right anyway. You get my drift). Poor bud.

I told the parents to go out for the evening and leave me with the kids. It had been so long since I had the chance to babysit them. I was highly anticipating it. As we ate dinner and watched "Daniel Boone", followed by a little "Sound of Music," so many memories came back to me of babysitting them over the past few years, first when there were only 3 kids, then 4, and now 5. Seeing how God has provided for them is such an encouragement to me. That family is so faithful to raise their children in a way that is obedient to God. There has never been a time when I have not left their house being spiritually encouraged.

Nighttime came. I shared a bedroom with 4 of the kids. I was so happy to be there it didn't even bother me that my air mattress deflated in the middle of the night . . . . . . . . .

The next morning the older ones were off at school with their daddy while I was at home with their mommy and 3 little brothers. We had a real farm breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast, and pineapple. The chicks they have are not large enough to lay eggs yet, so we ate store bought eggs -- which was just fine by me (not that I don't love a good fresh egg - - who wouldn't?!).

It was time to check on the goats. Had the mommy goat had her baby goats? Nope. Whew! I, still worried I was going to see the miracle of birth, saw a goat have a contraction. I felt so sorry for the poor thing. She looked miserable.

Not wanting to see anymore goat-labor, we went on a little hike to the "cemetery." I put "cemetery" in quote because I didn't believe the boys that there were actually grave stones on the property. But there WERE! Not 1, not 2. The more we started looking, the more we found. These were gravestones that dated back to the late 19th/early 20th century. Interesting? Yes. Cool? Kinda. Creepy? DEFINITELY!

It was such a beautiful day and I wanted to (surprisingly!) spend as much time outside as I possibly could. So I volunteered to take the 2 oldest boys on a four-wheeler ride. They told me that if you drive up to the cows, the cows will move. Well maybe for anyone else they will move. But for Miss Molly, the cows decided they would play a little game. There was only one way that I could see to get off one hill and onto the next. It was this little dirt road, where the cows were. All of them were on this path. And none of them had any intention of moving for me. After starting to drive down there 3 times to see if they would move and chickening out, I finally went for it. Let me back up, the 5 year old warned me not to get the "red four wheeler" because cows don't like red. He was right. But did I listen? Nope. Of course a 20 year old would know more than an 5 year old. WRONG. As we started down the hill, attempting to get the cows to move, they gave me a not so nice look (and yes, cows can give mean looks. You would believe me if you where there). Me, trying to keep my cool, gently went to put the four wheeler in reverse. Then the loud "moo-ing" came. I hurried to back the four wheeler up. When I am at a spot where the four wheeler no longer needs to go backwards, but forwards, I can't get it out of reverse. Cows are coming towards me. I can't get the four wheeler out of reverse. I frantically keep trying (but still keeping my cool for the little boys sake) for what seemed like an eternity before I finally got the four wheeler back in gear and drove off the hill.

We get back to the house and all is well. It was then time for Miss Molly to pack up and head out. The good news IS: I am spending a whole week by myself with the KIDS and the ANIMALS this summer while the parents are on a vacation! I am SO excited. I promise www.mollys-wisdom.blogspot.com updated. I have no doubt that this will be quite an adventure.

So does anyone know where one can purchase "farm clothes?" :)

Give Me Jesus

The one and only God, the Great I Am, Yahweh, the Prince of Peace, My Jesus, has given me the blessing, the honor, and the privilege to come before Him whenever I want. Let's think about this. The God who created everything out of nothing (Hebrews 11: 3) is allowing ME, a dirty, sinful, prideful human being to pour my heart out to Him. Why have I taken advantage of this opportunity for all of these years? Why in the past has my heart not been racing to get out of bed in the morning to spend alone, quiet time with My Jesus before my day begins.

I am reminded of the Moses Hogan song, "Give My Jesus." It states: "In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus." I feel as if Hogan is desperately crying out for Jesus. This is what I want my heart to yearn for! I had the blessing to listen a couple of weeks ago to Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. He spoke on the importance of spending time with Jesus every morning. He said something that really struck me. He said, when talking about the importance of getting up early to spend time with God, "It doesn't matter to God how busy you were the day before or how busy you will be that day." He was not saying that God does not care about your life. He was getting the point across that if I as a college student was up until 3AM studying for a test I still need to spend time with Jesus before I start my day. God used this and spoke to my heart. Since that day, I have made it a priority to get up extra early so that I may spend time with My Jesus. There is nothing in the world like getting up when it is still dark and being still before the Lord. This is when I can hear God's voice the clearest. There are no distractions. Just He and I. I am spending time the same Lord who created every detail of me! I am so blessed! God is so good!

I want to feel desperate for the voice of God every single moment of every single day. I want God to explode my faith. I want to live a life that is actively, presently believing God.

"His incomparably great power for us who believe...is like the working of his mighty strength." Ephesians 1:19

what is leadership anyway?

People who call themselves "leaders" need to realize they are held to a high standard than the average Jane of Joe on the street. What creates a leader in today's society? I was under the impression that a "leader" was someone of high moral integrity. A leader should be a person who does not go with the crowd, but has the courage (and I know this phrase is over-used) to stand up for what is right. At least that was the kind of person I viewed as a leader.

The problem in society is that there is no longer a compass for "right" behavior. What is right to me, may not be what is right for you. And if I say a word about what I believe is right and it does not line up with what you believe is right, I am accused of being "politically incorrect" and therefore my opinion is disregarded or considered unitelligent. Christians have a completely different view of what is right than the rest of the world. It is a truth that should not be any surprise. Still, I guess I am naive enough to believe that those who call themselves leaders all have a moral ground in which they stand. That must be too much to expect from the world in which I live.

It is evident that now more than ever the world truly, truly NEEDS Christian leaders. The world possesses leaders who are making a difference. The problem is, this difference is not drawing the world to Jesus Christ. People are sinful. Again, a truth that should not come as any surprise. I have seen over and over again the previous days that sin is everywhere. Mediocore Christians are not getting the job done.

The reason why many Christians do not rise up to lead, is that they are afraid of being persecuted, not necessarily physical persecution, but persecution in emotional and mental kinds. This is fear is not in vain. 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Therefore, if I am being persecuted, does that not mean I am doing something right? In the Beattitudes, Christ tells us that those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, then they shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Human persecution here on earth is such a small price to pay for dwelling with the God of the universe for all eternity.

James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The fear needs to leave the hearts of Christians when it comes to stepping out of the status-quo. If God is for us, who can be against us?

do not grow weary. do not loose heart.

Inspiriation. Dictionary.com says "Inspiration" is : a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul. Inspiration comes daily in different forms. Sometimes, it is through direct coversation. Sometimes it is through a reading. Sometimes it is merely by the way a person behaves.

Encouragement. Dictionary.com gives synonyms for encouragement: praise, support, boost, lift, endorsement. Is it not just wonderful when you come across a person who is filled with the spiritual gift of encouragement? It can change your entire perspective on life.

I Am is fully aware of every circumstance in daily life. He knows when you need inspiration. My Jesus sends encouragement when discouragement comes.

Sometimes life brings complicated circumstances. Sometimes, God allows us to be placed in situations where we are challenged, tried, tested. What student looses knowledge when studying a trying subject? What student increases his or GPA by never allowing himself/herself to learn new things? The same goes true for the Christian walk. No Christian grows if he or she never is broken. Being broken is when new character qualities are formed. When a Christian is tested, his or her trust and faith in the Lord strenthens.

God has sent me both inspiration and encouragement this week as I am facing, what is, the hardest, most eye-opening, heart-breaking experience this Southern Baptist girl has ever experienced. Never underestimate the blessing of Christian friends.

Yesterday, I was blessed with a few hours of quiet time. As I called a dear, dear friend to catch up, God entered our conversation. I believe He guided each of us with words to say to give inspiration and encouragement to one another. At the end of our conversation, God layed on her heart to pray for me over the phone. She then led a prayer that obviously was filled with words straight from the Father. My friend prayed for specific situations I had shared with her. Never underestimate the power of prayer. God is teaching me not to pray as if already defeated, but to pray in hope.

God knew that today, my heart would be broken for those whom I am around. God sent my friend's phone call because He knew I would need an extra dose of spiritual support before the activities today held. And right before another hit came, He sent another dear friend my way who reminded me of Hebrews 12:3, "Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

God has placed me where I am for a purpose. I pray He will give me strength to carry out His will. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is my Rock. No matter the viewpoints of those around me, I will not grow weary; I will not loose heart.




**my new blog site is "inspired" by sarah and caleb's blogs**