The Gathering. Atlanta 2011.

Of course, The Gathering was awesome! Ted Dekker and Kevin Kaiser (Ted's producer) were both so nice and down to earth. April 22, 2011 is a day that I will never forget for so many reasons! For the sake of keeping this short I'm only going to talk about two of those reasons, but if you want to hear more, I would love to tell you all about it!

Writing has always been one of my passions, but recently it's become more like a chore. It's just seemed like I've had to force myself to write. Thankfully, all of that changed 8 days ago. That's when I went to Ted Dekker's Gathering in Atlanta. I told Ted about how his books always spoke to my current situation and how they always left me feeling challenged and changed and I asked him how to write books that will change the world. Well, his advice sort of threw me at first, but now it's been such an inspiration and encouragement. He said that I should "write without an agenda. Don't worry about changing the world. Write to discover. Write about love and light and truth." He said, "That's what draws people and ultimately changes them." Since then I've thrown all of my old "writing theology" out the window and I've been writing a story that I've fallen in love with. "Broken" is IT. Besides all of the epicness that comes with meeting my favorite author for the first time and rediscovering a passion that I thought was long lost, God also sent me the friend I've really been needing! In Emily I've found a fellow Dekkie that shares my passion for reading and writing. She has also been awesome at encouraging me and I hope I've been an encouragement to her too! A big "Thank you!" to Ted Dekker and Emily for all of their encouragement and advice!

Dive Deep,
Beth

How do We Embody Patience, Love and Forgiveness in an Impatient, Hateful and Begrudging World?

Patience. Love. Forgiveness. Unfortunately, most of the time I have difficulty living out those words. Especially when I feel like a great injustice has been done. My first response to such situations is usually anger-okay, maybe it's always anger. I have little enough patience in day-to-day life that I have no patience left for those that do wrong and know better. In my self-righteous anger I make a list of all the wrongs they've done and think about how I would love to tell them off. The last thing on my mind is to love and forgive them. Well, God doesn't work the way. And it's a good thing too! Over and over our loving God reiterates the importance of being patient, loving our enemies and forgiving those who trespass against us. He never says, "Have patience with those that know no better." or "Love the people that love you." or "Forgive and forget the small stuff." Instead He gives us verses like: Proverbs 19:11 "A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.", Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.", Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." and Luke 6:34-36 "And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Also, our God is loving and has commanded us to love and He even paints a picture of what love is for us. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." We have also been called to forgive. Colossians 3:13 "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.", Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.", and Matthew 18:21-22 "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.'" I know that these words go against the grain of this world, but we're meant to swim upstream. God has called us to bring Him glory and what glory is there in being impatient, hateful and begrudging? The hardest things I am having to learn is to forgive and forget, love the sinner (but not the sin) and have patience with the undeserving (including, but not limited to: the post office, chickens, dumb people, and my computer. Just kidding.) Trust me, those are not things I can do on my own. I have to seek God and let go of the hurt and anger inside me, which is no easy task because hurt and anger can be great comforters. Then I have to let God heal my heart. When we do these things, we become become a light in the darkness drawing others to Christ.

Love,
Beth

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

This time I'm not posting a review. This time I'm posting a request. Ted Dekker is poised to release his newest masterpiece on April 19th! I, like so many others, wait with bated breath.  The Forest Guard has been issued new orders. We're on the march. To spread the word and share the message is our main goal, but for this particular mission we are charged with changing our profile pictures and sharing the links to this interview with Ted and this review of The Priest's Graveyard. Help yourself and me by taking a look at these links and sharing them with others! :) Thank you! :)

P.S. Rest assured that I'll post my review as soon as I read the book! :)

Books for Sale

I don’t want to have saved all of this stuff that’s just going to burn. Looking at my books I could almost see the flames licking at their covers now. I’m going to use up my life for Christ and store up real treasures in Eternity. I want to reach the end of my life a day late and a dollar short. I want to be spent. Those are the thoughts that crossed my mind earlier today and sparked this post.
There are only a few things---material things---that I really value. Of those things, few, if any, have a monetary worth. I prize handmade gifts. Usually, they aren’t shiny or expensive, but they are meaningful and heartfelt. Because they typically represent an interest or experience that the giver and I share, these handmade treasures are worth more to me than any expensive trinket. I also love letters. From the stationary to the envelope to the words on the paper, these are probably my favorite thing. It is amazing how one little envelope with my name on it can spark such a warm feeling in my heart. I enjoy seeing the personality of the writer come out in the stationary and handwriting. I also love hearing about other people’s lives; what they like and don’t like, what they do, where they live, and how they are both different and like me at the same time. The other thing that I am attached to is my book collection. It is worth some money. I have over 100 books that reside on my bookshelves and in my heart. The list is made up of childhood favorites and relatively new works. I can remember the story of every book and I would never sell any of them---that is, until now. God has been working on all of the hearts in my family and now he’s gotten to me. My sister and her husband, as most of you know, currently have 5 girls from Eastern Europe and have two children of their own. Their home is a little cramped at the moment with 9 people and only 3 bedrooms. They also feel that God may not be finished with their adoption story. They are going to finish the upstairs so that they can accommodate their growing family. Of course, finishing the upstairs costs money! So, they have decided to sell everything they have that they don’t use. This means some sacrifice. Stephanie’s harp, engagement ring and diamond necklace are on the chopping block. My parents have also decided that this is the right thing. Mom is going to sell their class rings and a few other things. Finally, I feel a peace and a calling to sell my book collection and give the money to my sister and her family. I’m not going to sell all of them. Some I’m keeping for sentimental value and some I am giving away, but the bulk of my books are now up for sale. I was a little sad at first, but now I am at peace. You can find the list of books that I have for sale and their prices at the end of this post. Take a look and see if there’s anything that you might like! If you would like more information or shipping information please contact me. Thank you.

Children’s Books:
The Good Dog by Avi = $2
Chestnut Hill Books 1-5 by Lauren Brooke = $10 for all of them or $2.50 each
Heartland Volume 1 (contains books 1-3) by Lauren Brooke = $10
Heartland book 6 by Lauren Brooke = $2
Saddle Club Books 1-13 by Bonnie Bryant = $15 for all or $2 each
Horseshoe Trilogies #2: Last Hope by Lucy Daniels = $2
The Phantom Stallion Series books 2-10, 13, 22, 23 and The Phantom Stallion Wild Horse Island books 1 and 3 by Terri Farley = $17 or $2.50 each
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George = $2.50
Old Yeller by Gipson = $2.50
King of the Wind by Henry = $2.50
The Snow Pony by Lester = $2.50
Winnie the Horse Gentler book 5: Unhappy Appy by Dandi Daley Mackall = $2.50
The Hole in the Sky by Barbara A. Mabler = $5
Me and Katie (the pest) by Ann M. Martin = $2
My Friend Flicka by O’Hara = $2.50
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White = $2.50
A Series of Unfortunate Events book 5 = $2.50
Greatest Horse Stories (3 books in 1) = $10

Young Adult Books:
Eldest and Brisinger by Christopher Paolini = $20 for both or $12 each
The Yearling by Rawlings = $5
Chosen and Infidel by Ted Dekker = $15 for both or $10 each
Adult/Nonfiction:
Hope: Lessons Learned from a Hummingbird by William Cuccia = $5
Boneman’s Daughters by Ted Dekker = $15
Saint by Ted Dekker = $10
Heaven’s Wager by Ted Dekker = $10
Faces in the Fire by T.L. Hines = $10
The Falling Away by T.L. Hines = $10
The Unseen by T.L. Hines = $10
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee = $15
This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank E. Peretti = $15 for both or $10 each
A Horse of Your Own = $10

Another Goal

I love to write and I love horses. Now, I am going to incorporate these loves into one goal for 2011. Last night I attended the Walton County Young Riders meeting. The speaker talked about the not-so-typical jobs you can have that involve horses. One of those was writing or editing content for magazines like Horse Illustrated, Horse & Rider, and Young Rider. Because she mentioned it, I have been doing research about freelance writing for these publications and I like what I've read. I can do it! Now one of my goals is to have one of my manuscripts published by the end of the year. To do this I am going to have to work hard and write a lot. My plan is to write something every day and mail it in. Hopefully, something will make it into publication!

More Letterboxing Fun

Thanks to the beautiful weather I was able to go letterboxing two days in a row! Day before yesterday Mom and I went to Turner Lake Park to hide a couple of my letterboxes.In my opinion, Turner Lake Park is the hidden jewel of Covington! We found two perfect spots for my letterboxes! Turner Lake Park is now the home of Robin Hood and his companion, Little John. Yesterday Mom and I went letterboxing at Stone Mountain Park. Happily, Stephanie (my sister) and her children Zhenya (16), Katya (13), Anya (12), Kristina (11), Faith (8), and Caleb (4) were able to join us! We had a blast! We started the day off by searching for a 'box near the grist mill, which was unfortunately missing. After spending some time exploring and taking pictures at the grist mill and the surrounding area we headed over to the plantation area. Everyone, even Caleb, enjoyed looking at all of the old buildings. The best part of the plantation was probably the barnyard petting zoo. After we finished our tour of the plantation we headed over to the nature garden for lunch. Once finished with lunch we hit the nature trail and began our quest for letterboxes. Thankfully, we found two boxes on the trail! Both of which were adorable carves in beautiful locations! The nature garden and trail is such a wonderful place even in the winter. Once we had hung out at the nature garden for a while we decided to head over to the song bird habitat and trail. We didn't do any letterboxing here, but we did really enjoy walking around and looking at nature. I really had an awesome time with Zhenya! I think she really enjoys letterboxing and I hope she'll carve a stamp soon! As soon as we were finished basking in the solitude of nature we went to our final letterboxing destination. We looked for and found the 'box that we wanted to find at the sports pavilion. It was awesome! What a wonderful finish to our letterboxing excursion!

My New Business

True to my family's typical entrepreneurial spirit I have started my own business! Most people who know me know that I love horses. Now I am going to put my knowledge and skill regarding these beautiful animals to good use! Joker, my beloved chestnut Morgan horse, and I are offering riding lessons. For over 5 years, we have been riding and working together and I think that we really have something to offer! I know that I am so grateful to all of the people who took the time to teach me so many horse related things. Whether I paid these people or not the things that they taught me have been invaluable. They have enriched my life and made riding exciting and fun! I am really looking forward to sharing my knowledge and skills with others! You can read all about the lessons and everything else by going here. The first private riding lesson is only $10.

Letters from Beth

I love sending and recieving letters! I was thinking about this today as I wrote a few letters to my friends. I really do enjoy writing personalized cards and mailing them. I guess it's because I know how much it makes me happy to get something in the mail and it's so cool to think that I can make someone else that happy by doing something I love! So, if you would like to get a letter from Beth (lol) then email me your address at homeschooled_horse_lover@yahoo.com! I would be more than delighted to send you one!

Centest Results and Newspaper Article

You can find out how my team did in the horse quiz bowl competition as you read the newspaper article below that I wrote and sent in to the Walton Tribune.

Walton County 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl Senior Team Places 5th

Saturday, January 15th, The Walton County 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl Senior Team came in 5th in the state horse quiz bowl competition at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, GA. The team was made up of Beth Eavenson, Leah Grimes, Tori Jones, and Michelle Whiten. They were accompanied by their coach, Mrs. Sarah Grimes, and Walton County Extension Agent, Mrs. Judy Ashley. Horse quiz bowl is a competition where teams of four (sometimes five if you have an alternate) buzz in and answer questions about horses. The competition uses a double elimination bracket system. In preparation for state competition the team wrote, practiced and memorized questions about horses and the horse industry. They learned about everything from Arabians to Shires (horse breeds), strongyles to strangles (parasites and diseases), Secretariat to Peter McCue (famous horses) and everything in between. Now that the horse quiz bowl season is over for these 4-Hers, they will begin preparing for Horse Judging and Hippology (the scientific study of horses). Practices will start in March. If you would like more information about these upcoming practices and competitions contact the Walton County Extension Agency at (770)267-1324.

By Beth Eavenson.

Horse Quiz Bowl Competition 2011!

Tomorrow is the big day! Early in the morning Tori, Leah, Michelle, Mrs. Judy, Mrs. Sarah, and I will be on our way to Rock Eagle 4-H Center for the state horse quiz bowl competition. Once there we will put our knowledge to the test and hopefully show off our skills. All season we have written, read, practiced, and memorized hundreds of questions all about horses. We've studied everthing from Falabellas to Shires, equine periodic opthalmia to laryngeal hemophlagia, stongyles to strangles, and everything in between! Here's the best part! If we win we get to go to Denver, Colorado for the national horse quiz bowl competion. How awesome would that be???? The answer is: VERY, VERY AWESOME! I pray that we remember all we've learned, stay calm, and do our best. So, wish us luck and try to answer this quiz bowl question: Why must you cansider the age and size of the rider when purchasing a horse?