parents trusted him enough that they left us with him. All of my classmates related to Ramblin’ Rod as our one-hour of total freedom from worries. He had a silent impact on all of us.
 
I grew up on a farm, so our only free time was listening to Ramblin’ Rod during the week (he was very missed on Saturday and Sunday!). The rest of the time, my grandmother had us doing chores. This was a family farm with an outhouse and no electricity and housed two aunts, two uncles, my parents, my sister and me, my grandmother, and three cousins. So, you can see that we really appreciated freedom from chores during Ramblin’ Rod’s TV program. Although it was only one hour, it was one hour to look forward to.

I think people today take for granted all that they have. We had this one-hour show, a roof over our heads, and food on the table—that was considered my allowance. My family instilled that value into my brain; so my wife, Amber, and I raise our children with those values. We still hang our clothes out back on the clothesline; we make homemade ice cream together; we don’t have cable TV or internet; but we do have lots of outdoor activities to enjoy together. And, we talk to each other: we do the old-school speaking with each other and not texting. My five kids always try to convince me to update, but they’ve learned to adapt. My two older kids don’t have internet or TV in their own homes, either, and live a humble life like they were raised.

What Ramblin’ Rod taught us as kids was that life was as simple as a laugh with an old cartoon to make the family sit together and enjoy at least one hour a day together. In addition to that birthday button back in 1979, Ramblin’ Rod gave me a Bible. It was the first time I’d ever read the Bible. At 7 years old, I started with Revelation. It sure scared the heck out of me! But, it was Rod who started me reading the Bible.
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My family calls me Bible Thumper, as I was the only one in my family who read—and keeps reading—the Bible. They still ask me questions about the Bible. I think they’re also making progress, as they at least now refer to him as God instead of the “Wizard in the Sky.” So, it must have done something for them over the years. My cousin recently told me he was sitting on the Oregon coast the other day crying, and suddenly thought about God. He said ever since I got that Bible from Ramblin’ Rod, I never shut up about God. It’s a start with a new relationship with God and His child. Here it is nineteen years after Ramblin’ Rod passed away, and he still has such a lasting impact on my life. 
 
You never know what seeds you plant in others. In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Blessings from,
Brandie

Our stories are woven together, reminding us of the power of sharing our lives with each other.

We don’t accomplish anything in this life alone. Whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of our lives and all the weaving of each individual thread from one to another that creates a wonderful masterpiece. Every thread embraces the essence of life. Every moment is a thread, some are dazzling, while others are murky. When woven together, the light magically blends with the dark.

The tapestry of life continues to be woven through us. Occasionally a chance arises to repair an old, tattered piece of the weave. Something happens to jolt our awareness back in time to an event that resulted in tears and rips. With a new vision, we see the circumstances in a new light and have compassion for the unclear events of the past. While the new experience is being woven into the design, the old rip is being repaired.
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When we embrace the many facets of our life, we discover a masterpiece woven by the very hands of our Creator. Every moment is like a thread, some are brilliant and beautiful, others are tattered and torn. When we look only at the frayed threads, in our moments of isolation, they seem inferior and less than desirable. But when woven together by our faithful God, our darker threads blend beautifully with our lighter and more mellow ones. Our beauty coalesces with our pain as God weaves a wonderful tapestry, that ultimately is the beauty of our lives.
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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139: 13, 14

​The world around us and our lives will change. Some of those changes will feel like a tiny ripple, and others will feel like a ten-foot wave. But no matter what changes we face, we need not fear. We need not hide. We need not despair. Our rock and anchor is our unchanging God, whose character and promises remain fixed forever.

So let the changes come. We will not walk in fear, but in faith! We will trust God with all the changes, and know that He is more than able to help us and that He even has plans to bless us.

In His Name,
​Janet