The wind has been blowing the leaves all around, but I discovered something startling about myself the other day as I watched some leaves trying desperately to hold on to the safety of the tree limb: I am also holding on tightly to what I know and what seems secure.
I realize when I look up and open my eyes, there’s nothing to fear. God’s grace is all around.
Have you been holding on to what you know lately — what is comfortable and seemingly secure? Are you ready to let go and enter a new season? What do you do when you need a bit more faith on the journey?
Come, join me here at Old Stone Well Farm. (And if you haven’t already, subscribe to the YouTube channel so that you never miss a visit.)
Welcome to a special midweek gathering at Old Stone Well Farm, where I have finally caught up with all my chores and rested from leading a women’s retreat followed by a Sunday in the pulpit.
Now it’s time to once again breathe in all the God moments, and today I share with you how I am observing Michaelmas this October.
Yes, the feast day of St. Michael is Sept. 29, but I like the idea of being mindful all throughout this month of how God’s angels are there for us. Frights and fears might abound, but God’s goodness shines.
Come! Join me. Click on the video below. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to this growing channel — and share with others. And let me know how you might weave in some Michaelmas celebrations this month! And who perhaps have been the angels in your life who have walked alongside you in trying times?
A busy weekend here in Vermont. After leading a wonderful women’s retreat on Saturday, I now get ready to preach at another church. And so, this week’s time together at the farm will be delayed. But before I head out to church, I invite you to breathe in God’s beauty all around here at Old Stone Well Farm. I can’t wait to be with you in a few days!!! So much to fill you in on.
It’s so great to be back home at Old Stone Well Farm, just in time to enjoy autumn’s arrival. And what better way to cozy up to a new season than with a delicious recipe I discovered — one that I make using unusual ingredient.
Come. Pull up a chair. Get cozy. Join me as I see God’s provision right in my little shabby garden. Click on the video below.
And never miss a visit at Old Stone Well Farm, subscribe to this growing YouTube channel, and share with your friends. There’s always room in my old kitchen for more!
P.S.
And here’s the recipe I mention in the video. Let me know if you make it and what you think of it!
Long Winter Green Pumpkin Pie
(As featured in the Little House Cookbook)
Filling
Four pound unripe green pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 pinch each of ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or you can substitute hard cider or apple cider)
1 teaspoon butter
Pie Crust (You can make your own or cheat like I do…using premade pie crust. I have yet to master the art of a flaky crust.)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel the green pumpkin, cut it in half and the quarters.
Cut pumpkin quarters into pieces that resemble apple slices to measure 5 cups and place in a large bowl. Add to that, the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apple cider vinegar and butter. Stir.
Pour pumpkin mixture into a prepared pie crust, add the top crust, crimp edges and brush with egg wash. I have also seen recipes where cook the pumpkin mixture on the stove for about ten minutes. That might ensure the pumpkin slices will be tender.
Bake at 45-50 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown.
You can order the Little House cookbook here on Amazon,
I just came back from an opportunity to realize a dream.
I was in Florida speaking about and sharing with others Old Stone Well Farm Media & Ministry.
And so, this time together will be a short one as I need a day to hug my chickens, mow the lawn … and find time to be still with God and ponder what this recent trip means.
But during my travels I thought about what it means to “keep climbing.” (That was the tagline of the airline I flew…talk about a God moment!)
What does it mean to soar high? Am I really ready to realize a dream? Are you?
Come and join me today in seeking to climb and dream. Click the video below…and take time to comment. I love hearing from you. And share with others who might need to be inspired to realize a dream this day.
Are you ready to begin living…really living? I hope so, because I don’t want to do this alone. Join me in believing with God that all things are possible!
The death of the Queen, the anniversary of 9-11… along with so many other losses and stresses in my life … made me realize something important: I don’t want to anything to rob me of my joy — or peace.
Yet there seems to be so much, for lack of a better word, pure ugliness in the world. I have been especially heartbroken lately hearing colleagues (especially in ministry) saying that if someone doesn’t agree with them, they can leave. The games I see being played are so petty. The talk about love is just that: talk.
As I take my picnic blanket and enjoy time in the pasture, I think about how big I want my blanket to be, how I want to live my life welcoming others…listening to others…including others. So, come. Click the video on below and sit with me for a while.
And I would love to hear from you.
Better yet, send me a picture of your picnic that I encourage you to have.
Deer running through the pastures. Goldenrod casting a heavenly glow in the fields.
The seasons are changing here at Old Stone Well Farm…in many ways!
As I take some time to step back and breathe — and share with you a wonderful opportunity Old Stone Well Farm has been blessed with — I invite you to do the same: step back and breathe.
While not our regular time together, I pray for even a few short minutes you will find rest, peace and enter this new season with me here in Vermont with eyes open to the God moments all around. (Click the video below, and I will be back with more Old Stone Well Farm adventures!)
Lately, I am right in line with the psalmist, who once asked why, o, soul, are you downcast? I thought a week away from Old Stone Well Farm would improve my spirit.
So, I went into the wooded area on the farm, up the hill named after a beloved Bernese Mountain dog who used to greet my day. I went to Sofie’s Hill to revisit a long-desired dream of creating a prayer area…perhaps, even a mountaintop chapel.
As I explored, I came to realize the reason for my heavy heart. So if you are feeling out of sorts today, or even if you aren’t, come and join me as I find healing in dreaming, pondering, praying and spending time amid the trees. Click on the video below. And know, that where ever your heart might be this day, you have an accidental country pastor, praying for and with you.
Addicted to hurry is something I never thought I was until I began noticing how quickly I ran through my days, cramming in them more and more things to do.
So when I had a few days away from Old Stone Well Farm, I decided to use the time to reset my spirit — and my priorities. I didn’t pack books to read and I didn’t even jump on social media. Instead, I decided to savor the spiritual space I was in and listen to what author Kathleen Norris calls the “monk moments.”
Come and feel the sand between your toes with me, and find the courage to truly be still. (And discover a few old churches with me!) I would love to hear how you are resetting your life? Drop me a note or comment.
So, let’s begin. Click the video below and enjoy!!
Grossvater’s Wisdom: Swiss National Day at the Farm
I cannot believe how fast the summer is flying by. As we head into August, the month starts with the celebration of Swiss National Day here in Vermont.
My father’s family is from the picturesque village of Appenzell, and so my Swiss roots are deep and dear in my heart.
This year, though, I think of the lessons I have learned from my grandparents, most of all my grandfather, who is called “grossvater.”
So join me today as I share lessons and wisdom — and information on a Swiss chicken I would love to get!! Click the video below to start our time together.
accidental country pastor 