A Thought for the End of the Year – I Wonder Have I Done My Best for Jesus?

Colossians 3:23-24  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Is God Able to Keep His Promises?

Here is a short devotional thought from a lady named Mercy.  I posted this at the Home Maker's Corner some years ago, but I wanted to share it with you as well.  It seemed like it might be helpful to anyone who is going through a hard time right now.  It also seemed appropriate as we end one year and look to the new challenges of the new.

Is God Able to Keep His Promises?

Ephesians 3:20-21  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Evening Song - Still, Still with Thee

Australian Memories - Fern Trees

I believe that these trees are a type of fern trees.  We saw them in the tropical rain forest section of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha when we visited Australia in 2013.

Just for Fun - Some Family Humor

Here are some links to Family Circus comics that I liked. :-)  I hope you enjoy them.

There's just something about snow...

I feel that way myself sometimes. :-)

Kind of like some people on Facebook...

I know that feeling too.

The budding artist.

Food for thought.

...and this one is just riiight.

The Blessings that Remain - by Annie Johnson Flint

Today I had intended to post another article in the Refugee series, but this morning my heart was
heavy for our friends who have lost loved ones this year.  The majority of the loved ones were born again, which is good, but I know that the holiday season is particularly hard when one is dealing with a recent loss like that.  Consequently, I decided to share this poem instead. I'm sending you to the page on the Home Maker's Corner this time rather than copying it here.

Annie Johnson Flint was well acquainted with grief and loss.  She lost her birth parents, her adoptive parents and her own mobility apparently before she was 30 years of age.  I hope her heartfelt poem will bless someone.

There are loved ones who are missing
From the fireside and the feast;
There are faces that have vanished,
There are voices that have ceased...

Please read the whole poem here:  The Blessings that Remain


2 Corinthians 1:2-4  Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Evening Song – Gentle Voice

Matthew 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Three Things Quilters and Sewists Need to Stop Doing

This is a really great mini-lecture on some things that quilters do that we should stop doing.  It isn't about technique, it's about how we view our quilting and think about it.  But this also applies to general sewing.  I know from experience that it's easy to think poorly of our own sewing skills.  Most of the time very few people will notice when we didn't get something just right - both in quilting and in sewing.  I really recommend taking the time to watch this.  If you follow her advice, I can guarantee you will enjoy your quilting and sewing more. :-)

Australian Memories - Black Bamboo

One of my favorite displays in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha which we visited when we were Australia in 2013, was the black bamboo.  I'd see this for sale in a catalog here in the States for rather high price for a rather small plant, so I found it really interesting to see this fantastic specimen.  It makes me think of ebony.

New Ideas for Writing

Recently I was talking to my husband about creative writing.  I have done some over the years, but most of my writing is instructional, or what you might call teaching.  Anyway, he encouraged me that it might be a good idea to expand more in that direction.  I'm not sure how it will work because it will be more challenging territory for me, but it has come to mind as I've been thinking about which direction to go with writing in the next year.  I know that the Lord wants us to increase our talents, not let them stagnate, so perhaps this is one way to do that.  [Illustration right - unknown. Edited.]

Another thought was that awhile back I found a blog where a lady posts a word/subject once a week and people who participate then write for five minutes on the subject.  I thought it was a good idea, but I was not willing to participate due to some of her requirements that she was asking so I decided against joining in.  However, it got me to thinking.

The outcome of all this is that I am thinking of starting a jar into which I can put ideas for writing - subjects, words, maybe even some quotes.  I also am thinking of using an online word and sentence generator to give me ideas.

Sometimes I get ideas for writing at times when it isn't very convenient to write, or even make extensive notes.  In case you didn't know it, ideas are as slippery as wet fish; they can be hard to hold onto.  If I could write something brief on a bit of paper and put it in a jar, maybe I could come back to it at a later time and develop it into something. [Illustration left - from a painting by Thomas Faed.]

I have also been collecting memes which I wanted to write about, so I may think of a way to incorporate those, though admittedly they would not be so much about creative writing and more about teaching again.

Overall, though, I'm not so much concerned about creative writing as expanding my writing in a productive way, and one that will honor the Lord.  It's sometimes hard to settle on one topic or idea for writing when one's mind can produce 12-15 in a relatively short period of time and they all seem worthwhile - at the time.  It is also hard to think of something to write about sometimes when I should be writing but I'm not in the mood to write what I "should" be writing - or what I think I should be writing.

So...I think that I am going to try the jar idea and see what happens.  It may not work out well, in which case I would simply dispense with it.  But, it might just prove to be something useful and challenging.  I haven't determined how often I would use it.  I think that would depend on how well it works out.

Added to this, I thought it might be interesting to ask my readers - that's you - to give some of your ideas for me - words, Bible verses, quotes, topics, etc.  I could include in my jar the ones that I felt were useful, interesting or a good challenge.  Of course, I reserve the right to make that decision since this is, after all, my blog. :-)

What do you think?  Do you have any ideas to contribute?  Please leave a comment.

If you like this idea please feel free to use it. :-)

I Am with You – A Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

 

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

I Am with You

It is not always comfort to remember
That "God is in His Heaven",
When heavy clouds have hidden all the sunshine
And we are tempest-driven;
When all the world is desolate and lonely,
Or filled with hate and strife;
When hearts grow weary with their cares and troubles,
And grief and sin are rife.

It does not help that God is in His Heaven,
For that seems far away;
No voice comes down to us from that high silence,
No answer when we pray;
Up there, we think, the ceaseless hallelujahs
That rise around the throne
Must dull the echoes of earth’s lamentations,
And drown the sad heart’s moan.

But here is comfort - "I am with you alway
The Faithful and the True
And I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,
The long, hard journey through",
For Jesus Christ is present help and refuge,
Not far, but very near;
Our Light, our Guide, our Shepherd, our Consoler,
A Savior Who is here.

by Annie Johnson Flint
[altered]

Matthew 28:19-20  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Evening Song – He Abides

Matthew 28:20  …lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Hebrews 13:5  …he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Upcycle An Old Dress Into A Maxi Skirt

Here is a neat tutorial from Rebekah at Verdant Bents, showing how she transformed an old wedding dress from a thrift shop into a maxi skirt.  This is a great idea and could be used for anything from everyday skirts to formal or church clothing.  You could even make a skirt for a wedding ensemble. (Yes, some ladies wear skirts for their weddings.  I am one of them.) :-)  You also could use this on a dress you own that you no longer wear but you still would like it as a skirt.

Tutorial: Turn an old dress to a maxi skirt

Photo property of Rebekah Markewich, Verdant Bents.

Australian Memories – Random Flowers

From our 2013 Australian Adventure.  Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha.

I think this aloe vera.

The two following pictures were taken in the tropical
plant glass house (greenhouse).

Word of the Month - Attributes of God: Present

 

Attribute n. - a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.

[See the rest of this series.]

Jeremiah 23:23-24  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

The big fancy word for this is omnipresent, which just means that God is present everywhere at once.  So, simply put we may say that “God is present” and that will be as true for you as it is for me regardless of our separate locations.  It will also be true of all the other places on earth, the planets, space and heaven. 

That stretches our human minds much farther than usual, doesn’t it?  We tend to focus more on the “present with me and mine” aspect and tend to forget the bigger picture.  Probably this is because it is so much bigger than what we can grasp, but also I suspect that we are just a lot more interested in our own little lives than in all that “out there”.  Sometimes I feel like my thinking is rather cramped.

But, the reality of God’s presence is that He is not limited by our finite thinking.  He is present everywhere at all times whether or not we think about it or understand it.  He is not hindered by our small minds, and that is a very good thing!

Isaiah 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

 

Even when We Don’t “Feel” Him

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Our unbelief does not hinder Him being present either.  He is present with us regardless of how we feel about it.  We may not always sense His presence or nearness, but He is still with us. 

Imagine if your mother or friend or spouse were with you and you kept telling them they weren’t there because you didn’t feel like they were there.  That would be rather awkward wouldn’t it?  Sometimes we do feel like someone is with us in body but their mind is somewhere else – they’re really not with us.  God isn’t like that.  He is with us and He is present in Spirit and fully aware of everything in the situation, but He is not present in body.  So, it is even more awkward for us to insist that He is not present; but there are times we still feel that way.

I think part of the reason for that is that we are not drawing near to Him.  There is a sense in which God is present with us and yet we don’t feel close because we have failed to obey the command to draw near to Him.

James 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The problem here seems to be the sin when we look at the whole verse.  It’s like a father keeping his mud-encrusted son at arm’s length.  The father is still present, but there can’t be close fellowship because of all the dirt.  Once the son is cleaned up (confessing sin, 1 John 1:9), then that closeness can be restored.  But the father was there all along.

And, so is God. 

He is even present with those who are not His children by faith in Jesus Christ because He is literally, not figuratively, everywhere at once.  So, for those who are not born again, He is as near to them but they don’t know it because there is no relationship there.  Even so, they are as close to that nearness as simply calling on Him for salvation.

Acts 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And the name that must be called upon is Jesus Christ -

Acts 4:10 & 12  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole…Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

He is no farther away than the name of His Son to anyone who will believe – anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord.  That is an amazingly wonderful thought!

 

“I Am with You”

Matthew 28:19-20  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

If you remember, “you” means “you plural” – “you all”; and “thou” means “you singular” – “you right there, yeah, I’m talking to YOU.”

So, from these two passages we can see that the Lord Jesus has promised to be with us as the church, as His whole body; and He has promised to be with us individually.  We might say separately and together.

It is interesting that in Matt. 28 He said “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”  That is in the present tense – I AM – which reminds us of His name, “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3:14), and of the fact that Jesus said that “before Abraham was, I am.” (Jn. 8:58)  The Lord is present in all time now.  That is something that we cannot comprehend with our human minds.  He is not only present in all space, He is present in all of time simultaneously.  It kind of makes my head hurt to even think about it.

It is also interesting that in the context of the above verses He is with us as a group as we go and preach the gospel and teach the things He commanded us, but He is with us individually where we meet the needs of this life on a day-to-day basis.  This reminds me of a line from a poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning:

“I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.”

Only, the Lord Jesus loves us far more deeply than a woman could ever love a man, and He truly knows the level of each day’s need for each and every one of us.  This is because He is truly present with us in a way that no human can ever be with another human, and He loves us in a way that no two humans ever loved each other.

One way that He is with us is in the person of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.  Though Jesus left physically, He gives us His Spirit to be with us and in us when we are saved.

John 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

In fact, this was the very reason that Jesus Christ came – to make it possible for us to have God with us at a level and in a way that had not been before.

Matthew 1:23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

It is through the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can truly have God with us.  Though He was present always, and though He was with some in the Old Testament in a close way, there is a new nearness for the believer after the cross than there was before.  We can now have boldness to come before the throne of God at any time in any place because He is as close as….well, the presence of His Son!

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Near, so very near to God,
Nearer I cannot be;
For in the person of His Son
I am as near as He.

So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son -
Such is His love to me.

- Catesby Paget

 

Conclusion

God is so very present in this world that not even a common little bird can die without Him knowing about it.

Matthew 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

How can we doubt His presence with us when He is present with the sparrows?  Surely we can believe Him and His infinite interest and presence with all His creation.  And, yet it is strange how quickly we forget…

It is strange we go on living our everyday lives
So carelessly, stumbling, dully we plod
Our commonplace paths, and forget that we walk
Every day, every hour, in the presence of God.

- Martha Snell Nicholson

Evening Song – Not What My Hands Have Done

 

Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

How Polyester Is Made

Last Friday we learned how Polyester Fleece is made.  This week we’re learning how polyester fabric itself is made from plastic bottles.  Polyester becomes many things besides fleece.  Some of them are used often in sewing and crafts.  It is mixed with cotton in some fabrics to reduce wrinkling.  It is made into a number of other types of fabrics as well.  It is made into threads and yarns of various types.

Did you know that some people are intolerant of wearing polyester on their skin?  I am one of them.  I can wear it only in limited amounts.  My dad used to tune pianos and he had a customer who told the horrible story of how his wife developed a terrible intolerance or allergy to polyester after wearing in constantly for some years.  Her whole body broke out in a bad rash and it really affected her health.  At the time my dad met them she was having to wear only clothing made from all natural fibers.  Recycling plastic is a worthy cause, but the fibers God created are the best after all is said and done. :-)

Milkweed and Michigan Memories

 

Debby Ray at My Favorite Things posted another set of photos that I just had to share.  These are milkweed seed pods which are very nostalgic for me since I lived for some years in Michigan where milkweed grows.  The silken parachuted seeds are so pretty in late autumn as they burst from their husky prisons, and Debby caught them beautifully in all their short-lived glory!

Magnificent Milkweed

Monthly Challenge – December

 

This month’s challenge is again going to be about reaching out to others.  Those who have been reading this blog for awhile know that starting four years ago I have been challenging Christians who celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birth to do so in a manner that HE would like.  I’ve also encouraged those who don’t celebrate to still take the extra opportunity to reach out the hurting, poor and lonely at this time of year.  Consequently, our challenge this month is going to be about reaching out to others. 

So here we are!

----------------------

Take someone out or invite her over for lunch or tea – a friend, relative or anyone you think needs it.

And/Or

Call a lady on the phone who has recently lost a loved one, moved, or has some other large challenge going on in her life right now.

---------------------- 

Firstly, the idea is to minister to individual people that might be needing some compassion this month.  It’s about taking time to really stop to listen and talk with someone who is hurting, lonely, sad, tired, or otherwise overwhelmed by life.  This is not about squeezing a quick lunch in while you’re out Christmas shopping and then rushing off to the next “really important” thing.  This IS the really important thing from a biblical viewpoint.  Matthew 25:35-36 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Secondly, think outside your usual holiday box.  Who do you usually NOT spend time on during the “holiday season”?  That’s probably the life you need to touch with compassion this year.  Is there a shut-in that can’t go out to eat?  Take a little tea party to her where she is. 

Please don’t limit yourself by what’s easy.  If necessary, eliminate some holiday excess to do this.  That is showing the love of Christ and following His example.  He made time, even in the midst of bustle, to stop and talk to individuals who needed Him.  We are His hands and feet today.

I know it will be a challenge for some to work this into their busy schedule this month, but if there wasn’t a stretching element or a sacrifice involved it wouldn’t be a challenge, would it? :-)  It may take focus and effort, but resisting the greed and distractions of this season require that anyway.  Those Christians who do try to live above the excesses know that it takes conscious effort – “striving against sin”, Hebrews 12:14.  If you go into the “holiday season” in a passive “go-with-the-flow” attitude, you will be sucked into the lust of the flesh and won’t do things that reflect the mind of Christ.  So, yes, this is meant to challenge you to step up and do something on purpose that might be inconvenient, but hopefully it will bring the satisfaction that walking in Jesus’ steps brings.

1 Peter 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

I’ve asked this before, and will continue to do so – How do you think Jesus Christ would want you to celebrate His birth?  Please give that prayerful consideration.