Prayer for A Friend - by Annie Johnson Flint

 

Cyclamen

Prayer For A Friend

Friend of the Changeless Love,

Be with my friend today;

I may not serve her need,

For I am far away;

But Thou canst be with her,

Forever at her side,

To give her strength and peace;

To comfort, guard and guide.

Her friend and mine, to Thee I pray,

Oh, be Thou with my friend today!

God of the Changeless Years,

Be with my friend for aye,

Through years that give with lavish hand

And years that take away;

For Thou art still the same

Though all around be strange,

Thy love and care remain

Though all beside may change;

All else may fail or pass away,

Oh, be Thou with my friend for aye!

Annie Johnson Flint

1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you...

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Evening Song - Jesus What A Friend for Sinners

Matthew 11:18-19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 

John 15:13-16 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 

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Evening Song - Jesus, What A Friend for Sinners

Matthew 11:16-19 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

Hebrews 13:5-6 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. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 

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Far From Home - A Prayer for A Friend

 

Far From Home

A Prayer for A Friend

O Lord, my friend is far from home tonight,

Somewhere in the dark, away from the light.

I do not know where she's going or why,

I don't understand. I can only cry

And pray. Always pray for her to come -

Back to the people who love her and home.

I know it is hard to repent and change,

And saying, "I'm wrong," can feel so strange.

But, the road she is going is hard and rough,

It leads nowhere good. Will it be enough

To make her turn back and come again

To peaceful, green pastures where she had been?

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners!

Luke 7:33-34 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 

Hebrews 13:5-6 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. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 

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Evening Song - Take It to the Lord In Prayer

Since I missed the Evening Song post on Saturday, I thought I'd post this one this evening because it fits with the post yesterday. :-)

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

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Evening Song - The Lily of the Valley

John 15:12-16 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 

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Dear Struggling Mother, We See You...

Dear Struggling Mother,

We see you. We see you and we are not judging you the way you may be feeling judged. No, I'm not speaking for everyone. Obviously I can't. But there are more of us than you may think.

We see you struggling with that baby that is giving you sleepless nights or is constantly sick. We see your tired eyes and that you don't believe that it will ever end. Sometimes we wish we could do more to help. We also know that this time is limited and won't last forever. We can't make it go away. We watch and feel your pain as you stand quietly and try to politely listen to that lady who has lost touch with reality offer more "helpful" advice than you need. We know she is thinking that somehow that will make it better. You know it won't and we know it won't, and we appreciate your frustration and your patience with people hard to bear. We see you. We're on your team. Even, when we forget ourselves and are that "helpful" lady.

Continue Reading.

Letter Writing Challenge for February

 

A fellow named Eric has started a February challenge based on NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month in November). His idea is to write one letter or note to someone every day in February. It is called InCoWriMo - International Correspondence Writing Month. 

Laura at Harvest Lane Cottage extended the challenge to her readers here: Snail Mail Excitement - Let's Spread Some Joy.

Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge is to write snail mail - a good old fashioned letter on paper...or a notecard or postcard or a greeting card. You get the idea. You can mail them or deliver them by hand. I'm guessing a note sent by carrier pigeon would be acceptable too, even though I don't expect any of us would actually do that. Just covering all the bases here. ;-) 

The point is not to use electronic devices. He stipulates no typewriters, but if someone wanted to write to me on an old fashioned manual typewriter I would find that delightful. :-) I sometimes wish I still had mine...except when I think about how heavy it was. But, I digress.

My love for writing actually was birthed in letter writing, thanks to the example of my mom, so this seemed like an appropriate challenge to share with my readers. If you are interested, give it a go. If 28 letters or notes in one month seems overly ambition to you, make adjustments. You can write short notes. You can do 14 instead. You can write several a day and not write on every single day. I have a lot of letters and notes that I have been meaning to write for awhile, so maybe this will inspire me to actually get some of those done. :-)

I am sure there are a lot of people out there who would be extra delighted to receive a snail mail right now.

If you would like a copy of the graphic above to make your own notecards or postcards, you can find it here. 

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven - by Annie Johnson Flint

 

Those who read here or at The Home Maker's Corner regularly will know that my mother went to be with the Lord in 2020. She is not the only one. Among our family, friends, and church we have had or heard of a lot of deaths this year. Many have been Christians, so we have the hope and comfort of looking forward to seeing them again. But the "firsts" after the death of a close loved one are always hard. Today, January 1st, was my mother's first birthday in heaven. It has been a day of sun mixed with rain emotionally for me. I know others are experiencing this as well. I remembered this poem and thought it might be a blessing and help to someone else who has seen a loved one go on to heaven ahead of them. We don't know much about what is going on in heaven for these people, so Miss Annie has taken some poetic license here, but in a blessed way.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

A Friend's First Birthday in Heaven

We gave thee gifts when thou wert here--
Bright flowers that faded with the day,
And dainty fineries to wear,
And books to read, and games to play;
But now--what shall we bring to thee now?
What can we give thee where thou art?
Gone from us to that larger life,
What dost thou lack, dear heart, sweet heart?

The joy of God is in thy soul,
His peace upon they forehead lies,
And 'round thy feet forever bloom
The fadeless flowers of paradise.
What can we bring but love that grieves
And memories that sadly cling
'Round the dear spot where thou didst dwell,
And sorrowing hope with broken wing?

Nay, couldst thou speak, wouldst thou not say:
"Are these the gifts that honor me?
Bring love that triumphs over death...

Continue Reading.

Letters to My Friend - Your Conscience, Not Someone Else's

 

Dear Friend,

Things have been tense lately as election day approaches in the U.S. Emotions are running high. People have been pressured and even attacked by their family, church family, and friends in ways that feel invasive and lacking in Christian grace. I find it all rather appalling and overwhelming at times.

I was lying in bed thinking about something I had seen myself and just feeling kind of sad and lost in the maze of unkind assertions, when a portion of a verse came to mind.

"the answer of a good conscience toward God"

And something that I already knew in theory struck me more fully, namely this: that my conscience is meant to answer to God, not another Christian. To God. No one else.

Continue Reading.

Thoughts from the Past – A Bold Foe

Photo from my grandpa's collection, I assume taken in a zoo.

Jan. 3, 2006 [edited 2020]

A Bold Foe

Over the weekend we had a guest - a fellow believer from California. Last night we showed him one of our lion documentaries (The Lions of Etosha, filmed by Des and Jen Bartlett). In discussing the hunting habits of lions they showed two different sequences in which the lions, in the process of their hunt, did not even bother to hide themselves. They boldly approached the prey in plain sight. Half of the strategy was to panic the prey by their very presence. The prey knew they were being hunted and could see all or at least part of the lions. The fear factor in this panicked the prey into going exactly where the lions wanted them to go so that they could catch one to devour.

I was again reminded that this is one of the tactics of our adversary the devil who is also described as a devouring lion. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Sometimes the devil, or his minions, will actually hunt for the saints, as it were, in our plain sight. There is no hiding of the fact that they are there to devour. The idea is much as the lion's - they desire to panic us into bolting directly into their trap.

It is amazingly easy to be panicked by this tactic, but the Lord has not left us helpless. He has told us what to do. The passage continues, Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 1 Peter 5:9 Steadfast resistance in the faith is the key. Unlike the helpless prey of the real lions, if we in faith steadfastly resist being panicked we can overcome the devil and his servants.

We read in Proverbs 28:1, ...the righteous are bold as a lion. We are righteous through Jesus Christ, Who is the lion of the tribe of Juda (Rev. 5:5). Another section of the video showed a confrontation between two male "stray lions" (lions not belonging to a pride), and the two big males of the pride. At first, the lone lion from the pride ran from the intruders, but when his friend - his brother - came to support him he turned around and confronted the intruders.

There is strength in the support of our fellow saints, but ultimately our support is Christ, the lion of Juda Himself. With Him no spiritual predator can overcome us. Our confidence and faith must be in Him, not ourselves. We must resist the urge to panic when the roaring devil shows himself.

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

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First published here in July 2011.
This post was written for my old blog in 2006. The guest we had that January is now my husband. :-)

Letters to My Friend - Thoughts on Unexpected Grief and Being Childless

Mother's Day was really hard this year. I knew it would be because of my mother going to heaven in March. It is so raw and fresh still in some ways. What I didn't expect was the grief I had that I don't have a mother here any more and that I am also not a mother.

After years of dealing with pain of not being a mother, I didn't expect that one to crop back up again. It isn't that I don't know how to deal with it, or that I don't know where to go for help with it. It's more like the feeling of, "Hey, wait. I thought I got off of this train at an earlier station. How did I get back on it?" Somehow losing my mom from this earth brought that old hurt back again.

Life surprises us sometimes...

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - What A Friend We Have in Jesus

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

Acapelridge.com

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Letters to My Friend - Of Grief and Earthly Treasures

I have started a new section at The Home Maker's Corner called "Letters to My Friend". I hope that writing in a letter format will prove to be useful. The first one went up today. It deals with the grief and struggle of dealing with dementia in my mother - in this case, the matter of getting rid of some of her things.

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Dear Friend,

My mother has dementia. It is a difficult thing to deal with as it progresses. Due to my dad being in the hospital two nights in January it was necessary for me to help her with dressing and taking care of her personal needs twice a day. I realized that her clothing situation was in disarray. Things were rather jumbled and she was not seeing things that she would wear and she was being confused by many things that she either couldn't wear or that were difficult for her to put on herself.

Continue Reading.

Random Questions - Relationships with Others

Here is a short list of questions from my collection.

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Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words?

I think that something in between is the most useful. In Ephesians 4:14-15 we read,  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Some people will speak the truth without love. This is destructive and can cause serious damage. Some people try to speak in love, but they don't pay enough attention to truth. This is unhelpful and can be destructive in a different way. A combination of both is necessary for true usefulness and this is what I like to find in others. It is what I want to do myself.

What are three qualities that draw you to someone new?

This is hard to answer. At the Lord's prompting, I have been trying over the last few years to broaden my friendships and include people who might not have been too high on my list of "perfect friends" in the past. So, I actually try not to allow myself to be overly influenced by my personal preferences. Obviously, I want to be drawn to people who are born again and have a sincere love for the Lord. I also want to appreciate the things God has placed in His children for the help of other Christians, including me.

I do find myself not enjoying interactions with people who are overbearing or always pushing for answers or trying to make you a more spiritual person. Asking hard questions is a useful thing when it is done appropriately, but it is exhausting when someone does it almost constantly. It makes it hard to relax in that person's presence. The first thing that attracted me to my husband was that I realized I was comfortable talking with him and didn't feel tense around him. I don't do well with high tension. :-)

When do you immediately click with someone you just met?

I occasionally find a connection with someone because they "speak my language." This means to me that I don't have to stop and explain every other idea (or comment) that I bring out and I can see that they are grasping my thoughts with understanding even as I speak them. This doesn't apparently have to do with background or geographic location as one might think. I have experienced this with ladies from very different places and also upbringings. It doesn't happen very often, though.

Are you close with anyone now that you really disliked at first?

I would say yes, but "really disliked" is too strongly put. I do have a few what I would call close friends whom I didn't appreciate much at all when I first got to know them. However, for one reason or another we've grown in our friendships, either from necessity or for other reasons, and we've been able to be of mutual service to each other in the Lord.

There are also people whom I thought I liked when I first got to know them, some even contributed some truly useful things to my life, but then later I found them to be problematic or even really unbiblical in their attitudes or behavior. I suppose this is more common than the other in some ways.

How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

It depends on the offense, doesn't it? Some things are much harder to let go of than others. But, I have learned that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation, and in that there is a certain amount of freedom. This was a realization that transformed my thinking.

We can forgive someone, but if the offense is so great or such an affront to righteousness that an apology is necessary for any relationship to exist, then we cannot reconcile with them until they see their offense for what it really is. This is true of those whom Jesus asked the Father to forgive when He was on the cross. Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. God might forgive them that particular sin, but He could not have a relationship with them until they wanted reconciliation and were repentant (saying the saying the same thing about their sin that God says).

Who is the person who has been the most supportive in your life?

My husband.

There have been many others over the years too, both family and friends. I am very thankful for the supportive people God has placed in my life.

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Painting by Edmund Charles Tarbell

New Facebook Page

Well, I have an announcement to make. I have finally started a Facebook page for The Home Maker's Corner and Cotton Apron. If you are interested in liking and/or following me there, please go here and click the appropriate buttons. :-) I will be so happy to have you join us.

I will be posting links there to the posts here on the blog and to new articles at The Home Maker's Corner. I'll also post things on the Facebook page that I don't post here or that only get limited posting here - music, verses, links to articles of interest on other sites, useful videos, art and crafts stuff, etc. I have plenty of some types of material for sharing with my readers, but there's only limited time and space to post everything on the blog or web page. Using Facebook will hopefully help me get some of the information, helps, and encouragement out there where it can be used.

Please come and join us if your are interested. :-)

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

Evening Song - Jesus Is All the World to Me

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

Mug Exchange Reveal Spring 2018

In April I participated in the Tea Cup and Mug Exchange at The Enchanting Rose, an event Stephanie hosts twice a year to encourage making new friends.This year my gifts came from Cheryl who lives in Michigan. This was a happy "coincidence" because Michigan happens to be my home state. :-) She does not have a blog or web page for me to link to - which is fine!

These are the things she sent me (from left to right).
Back row: Tea Lover's Devotional book, The Twelve Teas of Inspiration book (both books contain recipes too), and a lovely card. (Pink is my favorite color and I always like sparkles on a card.)
Second row: magnet, zip pouch, mug, mint tea, and a fancy little note pad.
Front: tea bag holder and a ceramic tea spoon that matches the mug.

I have used the mug so far for vegetable broth and for cold cereal. (Yes, I eat cold cereal out of a mug sometimes. :-)  )

Strange to say, the little tan pouch actually became the star of the collection quite unexpectedly. It dawned on me at some point that it might possibly fit my travel sized paints. I went and collected the pouch from where it was and half hopefully tried it. It is a perfect fit - as if it were made for it! I could even tuck a paper towel into the inside pocket. With a water brush (which contains water in its special chamber), and a watercolor journal or pad of some sort, I can now easily carry along this paint either for plein air painting (a fancy French term for painting outside), or for traveling. I am really delighted with this! :-)  [In case you can't read it, the pouch says "Faith" on the metal tag and the ribbon on the zipper handle.]

Thank you so much, Cheryl, for you thoughtfulness, and for the gifts that you sent.

Previously, due to my shopping constraints, I have sent packages for the exchange through Amazon.com  This time I actually put the package together myself but, sorry to say, I completely forgot about taking a photo of the things I sent. The lady whose name I received was Roseann at "This Autoimmune Life."  She has posted pictures of the things I sent HERE. It was fun that she also lives in Texas, and another happy "coincidence" is that she has another friend named Mary Stephens! :-)

Thanks again to Stephanie for hosting this fun exchange. Visit her post to see what the various ladies received and sent.

Due to the fact that the Teacup and Mug Exchange has grown so much, and that there have been difficulties out of her control that have bothered some people, Stephanie is dropping the exchange at this time. I am sorry to hear it, but I understand. I have marveled at her dedication to make this all work. I hadn't really thought about the problematic aspects, aside from ladies not sending packages they promised to send, but I realize that there are probably a lot of things that can go wrong and so spoil things for some people and make Stephanie sad or unhappy as well. So, I just want to thank Stephanie again and tell her that her efforts are really appreciated by many of us, and I, for one, completely support her decision. It's been a great run. :-)

Face to Face - A Poem by Martha Snell Nicholson

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

FACE TO FACE

I had a friend whose face I had not seen,
Although I knew her heart, for we had been
Exchanging letters for so many years.
She told me all her joys and hopes and fears,

And I told mine, and so we felt that we
Were just as close an any friends could be.
And then one day my friend came through the door!
And I have learned that there was something more

I had not known about her - how her face
lights up, a certain dignity and grace,
Her quick responsiveness, her tender smile,
Though tears were shining in her eyes the while,

Her sensitiveness - this I understand
Since I have felt her touch upon my hand.
I find that I had never dreamed nor guessed
How much of soul and spirit is expressed.

By this strange envelope of flesh we wear,
So will it be when I am standing there
Before the throne of Him I love so much,
It may be I shall never feel His touch,

Lest I should swoon before His very feet;
But through my blinding tears my eyes shall meet
My SAVIOUR's eyes - deep wells of tenderness
Which court my heart and all my soul possess.

And I shall hear His voice, as of a bell;
And listening, its every tone will tell
The glory of His love; and I shall see
Those scars which He will bear eternally.

And written there upon His lovely face,
In plainest print, the story of His grace
Which was so dear within His written Word,
But now, the living Word Himself, the Lord!

O ye who wait with longing hearts, shall not the Bride,
When she beholds her Bridegroom's face, be satisfied?

by Martha Snell Nicholson

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Painting: "Summer Evening" by Childe Hassam