Family Economics Conference in North Carolina

Lance & I on the plane headed to North Carolina Family Economics Conference where Chad Roach/Kevin Swanson had invited us to speak in a Family Business panel. ~Dinah

Outside of Portland, Oregon. 

 Flying over Portland

Christy Hensley prepared for an overseas adoption, got a call that a mother just delivered a newborn in Florida and wanted to give her up. Since she went while the mother was still in the hospital an attorney did the paperwork without an adoption agency. Christy named her Hadassa because she was born around the time of Purim. I'd love to have a little one like this. ~Dinah

 Scott & Deborah 
hosted about 45 in their home 
after they put on the Sunday church meal.

Courter sisters in red are part of a family manufacturing business in the solar industry from Tennessee are in photo with Lacie & Laura Verret from Texas.

Lance and Dinah had great conversations about just war, national Israel, George Bush...with Aaron & Josiah Courter.

Binkley Chapel

Sunday morning Hope Baptist Church met at the Binkley Chapel to host the crowd. Kevin Swanson delivered a powerful message on the law of God. He quoted from Rom. 14:17 "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. It is righteousness, joy and peace in the holy spirit." Where there is war, that is not the kingdom. War is not a blessed time.

 Joshua & Jim with Lance

 Verret Family hosted us for the weekend

transporting us to the conference

lunch, church and out to the 

Scott and Deborah Brown home for Sun. evening.

 Scott & Deborah, with a heart for hospitality included comfy chairs in their kitchen.  We were delighted when the beans and cornbread were ready.

 You can talk with a friend or nurse your baby in the kitchen.

 Here is the sitting room before their big living room.

 This house is designed for many conversations.

 Here's the living room with the swing fastened to the right that can swing right over the dining table. About 45 of us gathered there hosted by Scott & Deborah. Scott concluded the evening by gathering us for a time of singing.

They built a barn, then decided it would make a great house.  The master bedroom is in the hay loft.

Here is the grandparents (Scott's parents) suite, 

off the sitting room in a remodeled garage. 

Grandparent's own living Room

 There are lots of beds in the loft for good times together with friends. We've heard of this house, now we got to see it. Hospitality changes the world.

Kevin & I enjoyed talking
about family business,
taking care of Grandpa
who built bee boxes at age 89.
He told me about his father.

Connie Verret with the youngest Miller.

 The Verret family is a great blessing, an answer to our prayers. The minute we got out of our taxi from the airport, we met the Verret family and enjoyed many meals together. They took us to the conference each day, out for lunch, to church and out to the Scott & Deborah Brown home.

The Miller family have the Golden Rule Air Conditioning and Heating business in Houston, Texas.  Their son Joshua chose to work with his family rather than as an air force pilot. I discussed war with him (Ps. 68). I heard he had gotten out of the air force, and was delighted we could go to lunch together.

I had the honor and blessing of traveling with my sister, Dinah. We had a wonderful time meeting so many people

on the airline and at the conference. I wish we could have gotten pictures of all the friends with whom we enjoyed conversations over this memorable weekend.

Jackie was our gracious hostess who got up at 2:30,
 took us to the airport at 3 A.M. 
We also enjoyed talks with 
her husband, Dan 
who takes care of his parents 
about 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Honor to Parents - Humility will curb our impatience.

(Excerpts from Chapter 17 pages 209-223)

No one can despise his father or mother without being guilty of an offense against God. “An inevitable curse threatens all stubborn and disobedient children.” Obedience is the evidence of that honor which children owe to their parents, and is therefore more earnestly enforced. It is likewise more difficult; for the human mind recoils from the idea of subjection, and with difficulty allows itself to be placed under the control of another. Experience shows how rare this virtue is, for do we find one among a thousand that is obedient to his parents?

…parents are to be obeyed, so far only as is consistent with piety to God, which comes first in order.

“I am the Lord thy God, who show mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:5, 6 …no other commandment but that which enjoins the obedience due by children to their parents is distinguished by a promise.”

Family Reformation

A people who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted because of their countercultural lifestyles stick out like a sore thumb. When family patterns are reformed, it is so public that everyone notices. Family, friend, co-worker and church member are easily offended by family reforms...You may get more compassion from your churchgoers if your teen daughter gets pregnant than if she dresses modestly.

~Scott Brown

We found that true when an enormous crowd gathered for the biggest shindig I'd seen at church to give a baby shower to a young 16-year-old girl.

Every lady in church informed me within the first two weeks of attending (when Lance, our third was a year old) that she would not or could not have more children. They seemed to be saying that it was not acceptable there. I was shocked since I had grown up in that denomination and had majored in Christian Education from their church college.

They could not comprehend why a married woman with children would continue having more. One lady at church (back when I was pregnant with Dinah, our fifth) even asked, "Don't you know what causes this?

~Esther

This is what I want.

Three generations of in-laws
standing together
with vision and joy.