Sharing: Resources for researching your family history

As soon as I officially began researching my family's history, I realized I was undertaking an enormous task. It was so overwhelming I had to stop for a time so I could gather some more facts and energy.

I tend to jump into a task without first counting the cost or effort it's going to take on my behalf. That sort of mindlessness stops when you suffer chronic pain, by the way. Researching takes long hours of sitting, hunching and concentration.  It's more difficult than we anticipate, but I believe God fulfills the desires of our heart and I've always wanted to understand my place in His story.

               Our story begins with our families.

That being said, one of the best overall resources I've found is family tree magazine. It's filled with oodles of articles, tips, charts and websites to help guide us on this journey. For instance, one recent article explained the story behind certain surnames from different areas of the world. From this, I was prompted to research my maiden name and discovered it was used to describe a "round bald man."

              That's so awesome!

Even if you have a secretive family like mine, we can circumnavigate some of the mysteries of our heritage and have a great time doing it.
                                                                                        Happy Hunting!

Family History Tip: Have at least 10 copies of worksheets for each branch of your family. Keeping track of every person on each side is easier if you put their names and information on worksheets as you find them.

Sunday Psalms & Stories

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

  his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story -

  those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.

                                         Psalm 107:1-2

My friend, Terri, and I were driving home from a women's retreat we'd just held at a lake three hours from home. Instead of getting on the highway, we decided to take a scenic route. I love the country and historic towns and felt that we needed the extra time to talk about the retreat. As we drove through a little village, we talked about the weekend and how receptive the women were. 

I said, "It reminded me of the thing Jesus said to his disciples at the well in Samaria." I couldn't remember where to find it in the Bible, but I remembered one word "harvest." So Terri looked it up and just as she began to read, we cleared the town limits and stumbled upon this!

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest?' Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! John 4:35 (NKJV)

                                       Obviously we stopped to capture the moment!

Do you have any of God's stories you need to share?

                                                                He is faithful and wonderful!