Fabric Frenzy

A co-worker of mine brought me a HUGE bag of fabric recently.  She sews (she is actually a great seamstress), and was willing to part with many of her leftover fabric scraps!  I am LOVING IT!  She has wonderful taste, so all the fabric is absolutely adorable.  I am trying to save the bigger pieces of fabric for some bigger projects that Mom and I have up our sleeves (down the road, so do not hold your breath), but in the meantime, here is a little taste of our fabric creations: 

And speaking of fabric, sewing, and whatnot...

"You hem me in behind and before,

And You lay your hand upon me."

-Psalm 139:5

And if you see something you like, please head over to our Etsy store to order!

Verse of the Week

Psalm 16:8

"I keep my eye ALWAYS on the Lord.

With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Best Foot Forward

Andrew and I met went out to dinner with some new friends Saturday night.   Since Andrew and I are relatively new to our church, we do not know many people there yet.  A group of people about our age, and in similar walks of life as us, were kind enough to reach out to us by inviting us to dinner with them so that we could get to know them a bit. 

On the way to the restaurant where we were meeting them, I told Andrew how nervous I was.  I was nervous about my being awkward, or not having much to say, not fitting in... I warned Andrew to be on his best behavior, as he can be a little nutty sometimes (which I love, but I did not want it to catch others who do not know him off guard). 

I think this is what we do when we come before God in prayer sometimes.  We withhold our dirtiness, our realness... the inner most parts of our hearts.  Our fears, our mistakes, even our wounds.  We bring only our best before God.  And God wants our best.  But He also wants our worst.  He wants what He died for, and He died for every part of us... Our talents, our gifts, our passions and desires, our accomplishments.  But He also wants our ugliness, the dark, black places in our heart, the things we are most ashamed of. 

In his book "With Open Hands,"  Henri Nouwen writes of coming before God with unclenched fists... giving absolutely everything to Him.  The first few lines of Nouwen's introduction go like this:

"Praying is no easy matter.  It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched."

This is hard.  This is hard for me.  I am a Type-A personality, tending toward introversion, perfectionism, and a controlling spirit.  Why would I ever intentionally expose the ugly places in my life and heart... intentionally?!

Nouwen closes his introduction with this prayer.  

Dear God,

I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!

Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold onto?

Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me to gradually open my hands

and to discover that I am not what I own,

but what you want to give me.

And what you want to give me is love-

unconditional, everlasting love.

Amen.

 

Speechless

Today is one of those days when I have absolutely nothing to say.  

Sometimes circumstances of life, both good and bad, leave us stunned... So much so that we are completely speechless. Life just leaves us speechless.  And that is how I feel today.   You know the saying, "Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it?"  Well, it seems like I am all talked out, and all prayed out.  My heart wants to pray, but my head and mouth are out of words. 

Fortunately, we have a Marvelous Intercessor through the Holy Spirit,  who speaks on our behalf.

Romans 8:18,26

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us....

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." 

Psalm 91

 "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”

 ³ Surely He will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with His feathers,
   and under His wings you will find refuge;
   His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

 ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For He will command His angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him My salvation.” 

Verse 15 of this passage says that God will "deliver him and honor him."  Not only does He command His angels concerning us, in order that we might be delivered from harm, but He goes even beyond that.  He HONORS us.  He brings honor to us for HIS sake... So that we may proclaim HIM to those who do not know Him, and so that our lives may reflect His.  A God who honors His people who, without Him, would be lost, purposeless, and hopeless... that is love.  Not only does He deliver us, but he honors us.  We are worthy of no honor of this earth or not of this earth.  But neither were we worthy of being died for, and He did that too.  

As January comes to a close, we begin to prepare for February... a month of the celebration of love (Valentines Day.)  And I believe that true love does not exist apart from Jesus Christ, so it is only appropriate to celebrate love in the context of Christ, who is love, and who showed us with His life, and who still shows us through His Holy Spirit and through the fulfillment of His promises, what love looks like. 

Be Still

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."  

- Exodus 14:14

Whatever

"...I have learned to be content WHATEVER the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

-Philippians 4:11-13

Feeling Encouraged Yet?

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.

With your help I can advance against a troop;

With MY GOD I can scale a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;

The Word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength

And makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

He enables me to stand on the heights.

He trains my hand for battle;

My arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You give me your shield of victory;

You stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me,

So that my ankles do not turn."

- 2 Samuel 22:29-36

And this is totally off topic, but if I do not post it now, I may never get around to it.  A gal at work has a daughter who had a zebra-themed birthday party last Saturday.  She asked me to make the cake, which I, of course, did!  

Here was the final product.  Well, the almost final product:

Upon completion of the cake, I realized that I spelled the name wrong.  She only uses one "r" to spell her name.  But after making that vital correction, but cake was apparently a big hit!  I certainly hope it was anyway! 

One Down...

We can check Miracle #1 off the list... Because it JUST HAPPENED!!! 

Here is a refresher of the miracles we are praying for in 2012:

• Andrew to get successfully enrolled in each and every class that he needs to take at MTSU... 
• Us to be able to pay for those classes and the books up front.
• For him to PASS THOSE CLASSES,
• And then for him to get into the graduate program that he is hoping for. 

 And here is what the list looks like now:

• Andrew to get successfully enrolled in each and every class that he needs to take at MTSU... 
• Us to be able to pay for those classes and the books up front.
• For him to PASS THOSE CLASSES,
• And then for him to get into the graduate program that he is hoping for.  

He starts class on January 12th, which is tomorrow.  The other miracles are still to come... 

Image from here

Pressing On

Originally, I intended for the verse of the week (1 John 3:19,20) to carry me through the entire week.  Meditating on just one or two verses each week helps to keep me from feeling overwhelmed.  But this week is an exception.  I need to protect my heart and mind with scripture extra this week!!!  (:

At the end of the sermon at church on Sunday, our pastor gave us a "take away" phrase for the week.  The phrase?

Press on. 

Here, from the Book of Isaiah, are some of my favorite "Pressing On" verses.  So, if you need an extra dose of encouragement this week...

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary." -Isaiah 40:29-31

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  -Isaiah 41:10

And this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES: 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." -Isaiah 43:2

The pastor discussed that we cannot press on if we continually glance in, or stare at, our rear-view mirrors.  

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a NEW THING!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland!."  -Isaiah 43:18,19

I love that!!! God is doing a new thing, but we cannot perceive it if we are looking constantly into our rear-view mirror... The rear-view mirror that God NEVER uses!

"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." -Isaiah 43:25

Here are some of the verses that our pastor used during his sermon on Sunday:

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I CONSIDER THEM RUBBISH, that I may gain Christ and be found in him...

FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND AND STRAINING TOWARD WHAT IS AHEAD, I PRESS ON toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:8,13,14    

In a nutshell, the message behind his sermon was that no human condition, no struggle, no victory, no riches, no heartache, no trial, no accomplishment... no earthly thing, amounts to anything compared to the glory found in Christ Jesus.  The greatest or riches and the hardest or trials are all rubbish compared to the prize that lies heavenward. 

All theses things that come wrapped in the package of being human... the heartache, the successes, the riches, the rags.... they can serve as distractions or stumbling blocks in our lives, hearts, and minds, or they can serve as constant reminders of the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.  They can serve as constant reminders of God's grace and glory.  If we let our humanity serve as a reminder to us, it will propel us forward... Pressing on. 

Verse for the Week

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  FOR GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS, AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.

-1 John 3:19,20 

The past few nights I have not slept well at all.  Most of my life I have struggled with worry and with having such a need to be in control.  During the time that I have been married God has really dealt with those issues in me.  He has shown us such awesome miracles, and brought so many unexpected things into our lives that I have been constantly reminded that I am not, nor am I meant to be, in control.  I am, of course, in control of my own thoughts, words, and actions, but even at that, each morning when I wake up I surrender those parts of my heart and life to Him as well. 

That being said, I have fallen into the worry trap over the past few days.  Anxious anticipation, worry, wonder, curiosity... all have worked against my sleeping well this week. 

So, here I am, yet again, surrendering every circumstance of our lives to the Creator of our lives, Jesus Christ. 

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  FOR GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS, AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.

                   -1 John 3:19,20

2011

2011 was a year full of miracles...

 

Miracle:  a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of divine agency

We had lots of works of divine agency this year:

• Andrew's job... Last year he was teaching as an interim, but was hired OFFICIALLY effective January 2011.
• My NEW job... I had been working as a social worker at a non-profit for a year and a half, but thanks to GOD, and to my parents, I now work at their office.  AND I LOVE IT!!!
• Our house... It feels so good to come home to a HOME each day.  It is a great home in a wonderful location.  In a way, I feel like God gave us this house.
• Andrew's medical discharge from the Army.  We are sooooooo thankful for that!
• Our new church.  Wow.
• And... Andrew FINALLY shot a deer on the very last day of hunting season.  He went all season without seeing a thing!  Normally, my heart would break for the deer, but my heart broke much more for my hubby who sat in the cold, in the wee hours of the morning, in a tree, alone, weekend after weekend. 

And now we are looking forward to 2012 in anticipation of NEW miracles.

As 2012 approaches, these are the miracles we are praying for.  These are the miracles we are expecting:

• Andrew to get successfully enrolled in each and every class that he needs to take at MTSU... 
• Us to be able to pay for those classes and the books up front.
• For him to PASS THOSE CLASSES,
• And then for him to get into the graduate program that he is hoping for. 

It is gonna be a good year, folks.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares to LORD. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."  

-Jeremiah 29:11 

The Dawn Has Broken

"By the tender mercy of our God,

the dawn from on high will break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace."

-Luke 1:78-79

Winter Snow Song - Audrey Assad with Chris Tomlin from Eric Rutgrink on Vimeo.

Happy Monday!

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."- 2 Corinthians 8:9 

Photo from here

And that is Christmas.  Now we know the grace of our Christ, who left His glorious riches in heaven and became a humble commoner.  He lived and breathed among us, suffered with us (Matthew 9:36 describes His "suffering with," His compassion, for His creation).

When we give up our lives, and our rags that we THINK are our riches, we become rich in Him... in our revolutionary Lord. 

7 Days and Counting

It seems like each year I pick one Christmas song that I absolutely wear out.  Last year it was this one, which will remain one of my FAVORITES. 

Here is my new favorite for this year: 

Joyful

 "His life is our light-- our purpose and meaning and reason for living." -Anne Graham Lotz

During the season of Advent, we light five different candles.  Yesterday, the third Sunday of Advent, we lit the candle of joy.

Photo from here

 I am a pretty serious person, very introverted and reflective in nature, and also mellow.  But I am also happy most of the time.  And, I am a Christian whose life God has blessed IMMEASURABLY MORE than I ever could have imagined.  Thus, I have joy in my heart.  And I want this joy to overflow onto others.  I want it to radiate so that others see it immediately.  I want them to see the joy of Christ when they look at my.  Because, in my own nature, I am quiet and not typically bouncy or giddy, expressing my joy as my witness is something I have had to commit to prayer and to God.

As Christians, we are called to joy.  And we have SO MANY REASONS to be joyful!!!

The light of Christ in our hearts manifests expressions of joy in our lives.

Photo from here... And it is worth taking a few minutes to check out the rest of her house too!!!

 "Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;

burst into song, O mountains! 

For the Lord comforts His people

and will have compassion on his afflicted ones." 

-Isaiah 48:13

This photo also from here

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." 

-Luke 2:8-14

One Day Closer

Today was the first truly COLD, WINTRY day we have had this year.  It was the kind of day when the sun never seemed to actually come out.  It was dark and overcast all day, and this weird not-quite-rain was in the air all day long.

It would have been a perfect day for cuddling in front of the fire with a good book... or just for sleeping in!  Except that it is a Tuesday... when people go to work.  And I am SO THANKFUL to have work to go to!!!  But I did miss that fireplace and book periodically throughout the day.

Aside from the weather, it was an absolutely crazy day at work.  There is no way that I could fully describe some of the things that happened or the people we saw today.  I do not even want to try because I could not do it justice.  All day I just wondered where the candid camera was.  It is like something you would watch on a sitcom... But it isn't quite so funny in the heat of the moment and in real life.

So, in the midst of the craziness, I longed for a little corner of the world that was my peaceful and quiet place.  And that is Jesus.  The peaceful and calm in the midst of a crazy world.

"In peace I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

-Psalm 4:8

Image from here

“The LORD bless you
   and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
 the LORD turn his face toward you
   and give you PEACE.”
-Numbers 6:24-26 

Image from here

^"Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
-Thelssalonians 5:19,23

Countdown to Christmas

Okay.... let the countdown begin!  (: 

24 days. 

I love this time of year:  The anticipation, the preparation, the excitement, the hubbub, the lights, the wrapping paper, and what ALL of it represents.... the glorious arrival of the Savior of our World!  

 

 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

-John 1:14

Table of Delight

" When the present is difficult, we too easily forget past experience of God's bounty, the tables spread with blessing when we were most conscious of our poverty and need.  If we choose to remember the grace of God toward us in the past, the present is transformed by hope, and dry placed become rich with the soul food for which we long.  The gift of memory keeps us on the path.  The wilderness of silence and solitude beckons us to discover once again that God loves and yearns for us.  We are lured again and again by the Lover of our souls, whose unconditional love always waits to take us back, to forgive all our unfaithfulness."  - Elizabeth Canham,  Feasting with God in the Wilderness p. 17-18

Keep Going

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

~ "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll

Something I hear so often from friends in this stage of life (young adulthood) is that they are looking for their purpose... that they do not know what they are meant to do or where they are meant to go in life.  

I understand feeling like we are made for something great, and feeling like we have unreached potential inside of us... But, more than that, I agree that we just have to move SOMEWHERE.  The same principle applies spiritually... If we do not move forward, we fall backward and become stale.  Our spiritual life, and our physical life, is a process... a journey... not an isolated incident or happening. 

Sometimes life, and faith, requires that we "walk long enough," even without having a clue where we are going!