A Grateful Grace-full Life

Update from a little brown dog – Jackson’s 1st Title and Birthday

Since my last post, Jackson achieved his first UKC title of SHR, Started Hunting Retriever, at 10 months old. It is a joy to watch him work with Jon and to enjoy retrieving ducks and other birds both in and out of water.

Jackson is now about 35 pounds of unstoppable enthusiasm. He chews bones and chases balls with a passion and enjoys carrying a bumper around, too, when given the chance. When he slows down, his favorite spot is still next to Oliver or close to one of us.

Jackson (or Jackie) doesn’t exhibit the anxiety many Boykin owners speak about. Perhaps that is the result of Oliver being nearby and of his time at Southern Oak Kennels. He is a well loved, socialized, smart, and happy pup. I’m sure he will continue to learn and develop as both a great family and a great hunting dog.

He’s still a pup, so his kennel continues to be a safe place during the night and when we aren’t home. But, I look forward to when it will be less necessary.

The summer is flying by, and we are swiftly coming up on Jackson’s first birthday (July 28). Thinking of it reminded me of how grateful I am for Dana Wood, owner of Brambleberry Boykins, that he chose to place Jackson with us. Dana cares so much for his Boykins and has been a great resource to us since we met him. He has become a friend, and I am so glad to be a part of the Brambleberry family.

To learn more about Boykin Spaniels, go here to view the Boykin Spaniel Society.

Speaking of being grateful, I read this quote today, and it is true!

“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out, and the tide of love rushes in.” — Kristin Armstrong

UPDATE: A Little Brown Dog at 10 Months

Typical Boykin look, beautiful eyes so focused, and pink tongue poking out.

Happy to share that Jackson earned his Started Hunting Retriever title in May, at just under 10 months. The trainers from Southern Oak Kennel – Great Lakes brought him down to the Kankakee River HRC, and with some great handling by my son Jon, Jackson earned his pass for started. The weekend before that, we had Jackson home for the weekend, and he earned passes and ribbons 2 & 3 at the Great Lakes HRC event in Fenwick, Michigan. I’m so proud of how my “boys” did.

Jackson has been back at Southern Oak for the month of June — he did so well in the 1st 3 months that the trainer recommended 1 more month.

Jon will continue Jackson’s training the rest of the summer, preparing him for the fall bird/duck season. We may try some upland hunting too…. I purchased a 28 guage compact shotgun, and Jon is teaching me to shoot trap at the South Kent Gun Club.

During his time at SOK, Jackson has both grown and become a very curly boy – so cute! 🙂 I am looking forward to having him home in a couple of weeks and restarting our walks.

Today I am grateful for… good trainers for Jackson, for my son Jon who is so willing to teach me and do things with me, for a husband who has always encouraged me to do whatever is in my heart, for summer Friday’s off, and for a God who loves me completely and unconditionally.

What are you grateful for?

Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all. – William Faulkner

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.

Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.
‭Philippians 4:6-7 TPT‬

Trust Him, He Hears, He Saves

Under pressure? Busy? Wondering about all the things going on in our world today?

Stop for a few minutes, be quiet, rest, read His Word. Pray. Oh, how He loves you. Trust Him.

The Lord alone is our radiant hope and we trust in him with all our hearts. His wraparound presence will strengthen us.

As we trust, we rejoice with an uncontained joy flowing from Yahweh!

Let your love and steadfast kindness overshadow us continually, for we trust, and we wait upon you.

Even when bad things happen to the good and godly ones, the Lord will save them and not let them be defeated by what they face.

Psalms 33:20-22 TPT‬

Yet when holy lovers of God cry out to him with all their hearts, the Lord will hear them and come to rescue them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and he is always ready to restore the repentant one.

Psalm 34:17-19 TPT

Jerusalem Day Memories

I enjoyed watching the dancing and singing taking place today in Israel (on Facebook) in celebration of Yom Yerushalayim – Jersulsalem Day. I was reminded of my trip there 5 years ago. I was blessed to be in the old city on Jerusalem Day then, and I took this short video of some young men in their way to Ha Kotel – better known to us,as The Wailing Wall.

As I reflect on this tonight, my prayers as always with and for God’s people and His land. And I am grateful fhat:

‭Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
Psalm 121:4 NLT

I am learning some Hebrew through a free class on Facebook, so let me practice a bit on you.

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach, which means Happy Jerusalem Day. And laila tov, which means good night.

I pray you will receive and take hold of these words from Psalm 3:

[But in the depths of my heart, I truly know that you, Yahweh, have become my Shield; You take me and surround me with yourself. Your glory covers me continually. You lift high my head. [4] I have cried out to you, Yahweh, from your holy presence. You send me a Father’s help. Pause in his presence [5] So now I’ll lie down and sleep like a baby— then I’ll awake in safety, for you surround me with your glory.

Update from the Little Brown Dog – Jackson’s 1st Ribbon.

At 9 1/2 months Jackson completed day 1 of the HRC (Hunting Retrievers Club) Started Hunt Test on May 11. Day 2 didn’t go as well when he couldn’t locate duck #2, No worries though, he will be in his next event this weekend, after another week of training. He is a happy pup who enjoys swimming and has a drive to hunt.

I am looking forward to the event, and to having him home in a few weeks. However, I am grateful for the training he has received. It has given him a good foundation and will help him be more obedient and in tune with the desires of his master.

Good training, it certainly applies to me/us too. I am so grateful for the training of the written Word of God and the teachers God has brought into my life. I need to reinforce it and keep learning every day.

‭2 Timothy 3 14-17 AMPC‬
But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word, we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Miracles for Two Women

Luke chapter 1 includes the powerful, miraculous stories of two women and Moms-to-be. What they have in common is their belief in God, that He will fulfill his promises.

We can have that in common too!

What things has the Lord spoken to you? Put yourself as the “she” in this verse. Be encouraged, believe that He is who He says He is and will do what He said He will do.

‭Luke 1:45 TPT‬
Great favor rests upon you, for you have believed every word spoken to you from the Lord.”

‭Luke 1:45 AMPC‬
And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord.

Because His Heart Was Focused

The Little Brown Dog at 6 Months

Jackson reached 6 months old on January 28, and wow, has he grown! He is long and sturdy, and at a bit over 30 lbs is getting to be quite a lap full! His fur has gone from wavy to downright curly, and his adult teeth have grown in.

Play is still a big part of his day, catching balls and playing with Oliver. But there is also more time spent now just hanging out and chewing on antlers.

He hasn’t attempted the basement steps yet — which is more than OK with me, but he is well able to jump up on furniture. As you can imagine, this is an opportunity for learning and discipline.

Jackson’s adult teeth have had a big impact on his toy selection. About a dozen toys that made it through Oliver have been thrown out, and even “extreme chewer” toys are no match for those teeth.

Jackson is soft-hearted and wants to please, but also a bit willful and stubborn. Next month, he will go to a trainer for obedience and bird hunting training. I feel a bit like I am sending him to military school, but I know it is for his good. An undisciplined dog can be a danger to itself and others. An obedient dog trusts his master, responds to his commands, is safer, and has a more enjoyable life.

This made me think of Hebrews 12. It says that God’s discipline isn’t always enjoyable, but it is evidence of His faithful love.

‭‭Hebrews 12:6-7 TPT‬‬
For the Lord’s training of your life is the evidence of his faithful love. And when he draws you to himself, it proves you are his delightful child.” Fully embrace God’s correction as part of your training, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children. For who has ever heard of a child who never had to be corrected?

Let this Saturate Your Heart

I am reading, Some Days You Dance, by Vikki Burke. It is really ministering to me. I wanted to share it with you, so I contacted Vikki and she graciously agreed to ket me share a bit.

Let this sink in, my friend. Think about it until it saturates your heart. God doesn’t love us in spite of ourselves. He loves us because He knows who we were truly created to be. He loves us because He can look beyond the temporary effects of sin and see us through His plan of redemption, restored to our original condition, crowned with glory and honor, exact duplicates of Himself with whom He can walk and talk and fellowship on His own level.

Even before we were born again, God saw in us the children He always dreamed of. He saw in us the most magnificent, God-like beings ever created; men and women so divine that on the day God made them, all of heaven caught its breath in awe.

Wow! I don’t think I have ever heard it said better. I’ve read and thought about it several times, and I am working to “saturate my heart” with it, as Vikki recommends. And, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Interested? You can purchase it and her other books from DennisBurke.org, on Amazon, or from a number of websites that sell books.

As it says in Ephesians 1:4 (TPT),

‭‭And in love, he chose us before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.

Oh how He loves you and me!

Hiding in His Faithfulness

In good times, in hard times, at all times, we must hold fast to His promises. Trust in His love, and cast all of our cares upon the One who cares for us. He knows us best, and His love for us never fails.

I pray you will receive and hide His Word in your heart and hide yourselves in His faithful heart.

Oh how He loves you and me!

Update from a Little Brown Dog – 12.10.2023

An update from Jackson.

My name is Brambleberry’s Andrew Jackson, but I go by Jackson, and by Jackie or Jack when my person Jon is training me.

I was born on July 28 and will be 5 months old at the end of this month. I came to live with my family on October 18. I am growing fast, at 20 lbs now.

Favorite person: I am loyal to all 3 of my people for different reasons.

Favorite place: any room in the house with my people in it. If Cindy and Jon or gone, I like to lay on the rug by the back slider, ready to greet them when they come back.

Favorite toy: anything I can chew on or chase, but particularly deer antlers, they are the BEST!

Favorite activites: playing with or laying by my big (130 lb Labrahound) brother Oliver, training with Jon and taking walks.

So far I have learned to respond to sit, shake, to wait by my food until they either say or motion to go ahead, and that potty is always outside.

I am working to learn bird hunting commands, like hold, hunt ’em up and bring it. I hear them say I am a bit stubborn, so they are teaching me to come when I am called.

It seems like something special must be happening soon. Yesterday, Cindy spent hours baking cookies and listening to music, I could tell one was her favorite because she was singing along. I wonder what’s next!

From Cindy: This is such a special time of year, when we take the time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. My favorite song is Oh Holy Night. It reminds me that it’s when everything changed, it’s when…

God (who is love) so loved the world (every person) that He gave His only (dearly loved son) so that we might be saved. Through accepting Jesus, we are redeemed and reconciled to God, adopted into His family as His dearly loved children. Joy to the world, indeed!

Oh how He loves you and me!

Raising a Little Brown Dog (LBD)

You may wonder where I’ve been lately, why I haven’t been writing… It’s because of a certain Boykin Spaniel who has been taking up a lot of my free time.

His official name is Brambleberry’s Andrew Jackson, but we call him Jackson. He was born on July 28 and joined our family in early October, just 2 days after we met and were approved by his breeder. He has a dark brown soft and wavy coat and beautiful eyes. He will be trained as a bird dog as well as being our family dog.

We have enjoyed Jackson’s sweet and saucy personality from the start. He’s smart and a tad stubborn, but also wants to please, and is very food driven.

However the realities of his needs sure have changed our every day life! It’s like having a toddler in the house! Potty training, regular exercise, keeping him interested in toys and play — and out of trouble. If not sleeping or in his kennel, someone must always have eyes on Jackson. For example, one time he got the TV remote and almost ordered a new channel!

I was grateful when he started being able to make it through the night. Those 3 am potty breaks were no fun.

He is growing fast and already learning basic commands. As of Tuesday, he will be 4 months old and is 19 pounds, about 1/2 way to his adult weight. That’s all I have time for now, but I will share more of our LBD adventures again soon.

If you can’t get the toy out of the Bo’s, get in with it.

Early morning, “big dog” is sleeping, but I must play!

Of course, I can’t close without reminding you of the Father and His love. He sees you and cares for you, oh so very much. Read the book of John. Oh, how He loves you and me!

From Psalm (Tehillim) 20

I am praying these words taken from Psalm 20 over Israel. Over all those I know or don’t know. Over all those who have personally experienced or have been impacted by acts of terror. Over the Israel defense force who stand ready to defend their nation and over their leaders.

‭‭Complete Jewish Bible
May Adonai answer you in times of distress, may the name of the God of Ya‘akov protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Tziyon… May he grant you your heart’s desire and bring all your plans to success… Now I know that Adonai gives victory to his anointed one — he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we praise the name of Adonai our God. They will crumple and fall, but we will arise and stand erect. Give victory, Adonai! Let the King answer us the day we call.

‭‭The Passion Translation
In your day of danger, may Yahweh answer and deliver you. May the name of the God of Jacob set you safely on high! May supernatural help be sent from his sanctuary. May he support you from Zion’s fortress! May he remember every gift you have given him and celebrate every sacrifice of love you have shown him. Pause in his presence May Yahweh give you every desire of your heart and carry out your every plan as you go to battle!… Yes, God will answer your prayers, and we will praise him! I know Yahweh gives me all that I ask for and brings victory to his anointed king. My deliverance cry will be heard in his holy heaven. By his mighty hand miracles will manifest through his saving strength. Some find their strength in their weapons and wisdom, but my miracle-deliverance can never be won by men. Our boast is in Yahweh our God, who makes us strong and gives us victory! Our enemies will not prevail; they will only collapse and perish in defeat while we will rise up, full of courage. Give victory to our king, O Yahweh! The day we call on you, give us your answer!

‭‭ Amplified Classic
MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you]; Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion… May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans… May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God. They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. O Lord, give victory; let the King answer us when we call.

Choosing Peace

Sharing some thoughts about His peace with you has been on my heart for a few weeks, particularly with all that’s going on in the world thesse days.

If you are feeling anxious, fearful or stressed, I hope you will be encouraged by this good, good news!

You get to choose: No Jesus — No peace, OR, Know Jesus, Know Peace!

How do I/we choose peace?

The 1st step is to ask Jesus to come into your heart, to be your savior and Lord.

The next step is to get to know Him through His Word — and to choose to trust and believe that He is who He says He is, and that His Word is truth.

Then when a fearful or anxious thought comes, you fight that thought with truth the truth. You remind yourself of who He is and that you are His.

Next, read and personalize scriptures, speaking and applying them to yourself. Here are some examples:

Isaiah 9:6, says that Jesus is The Prince of Peace.

John 14:27 TPT says, I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!

Philippians 4:6 TPT says, Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life,

1 Peter 5:7 TPT says, Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.

One of my favorite scriptures is found in Isaiah 48. It reminds me of who He is, and that is teaching me and leading me.

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Isaiah 48:17 NLT

My prayer for you is found in Romans 15:13 TPT, It says, Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!

Be encouraged dear one. Oh how He loves you and me!

Pray Ephesians 3 – but don’t miss verse 20!

Ephesians 3:14-19 is one of the Apostle Paul’s power-packed prayers. You can read and receive it as prayer for yourself, or personalize it, and pray it to the Lord for yourself or others.

It struck me tonight that I have read this prayer often, but I stopped at verse 19 and missed the powerful words of verse 20. So, to emphasize verse 20, I started with it below and followed with verses 14-19. I hope as you read this, you are reminded of Who He is, the great things He desires to do in your life, and of the amazing love that our perfect Father has for you.

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Ephesians 3:20 TPT

So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!
Ephesians 3:14‭-‬19 TPT