Evening Song - I'll Be There (Alternate Version of When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder)

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

Sew Happy Friday - A Tutorial for Pretty Valances

Image property of sew4home.com

Here is a tutorial over at sew4home for some pretty valances with a lace inset. They also put a few rows of decorative stitching on them, but if your machine doesn't have decorative stitches, this is optional. The valances would still be very nice without them. If you do have decorative stitches on your machine and you haven't tried them out, this might the project to use one of them. :-) You could also sew on ribbon instead.

Home made valances and curtains can add a lot of color or personality to a room since you can use fabrics that would never be used in pre-manufactured types. I've made quite a few over the years. Some for myself, but also some for my siblings. In a room where there are Venetian blinds, and cheerful valance can really make in look more cheerful and homey (homely - of you're British).

Link:  Lace & Decorative Window Valances

Memories - My Grandmother's Mystery Quilt

This beautiful vintage quilt belonged to my Grandma Van Nattan. I'm sorry to say that we do not know who made it or what its story is - as with many handmade things that were passed down to us from her. It may have been made by my great-grandmother (or some other relative from that era) because these fabrics would have all been from before she died. It is highly unlikely that my grandma herself made it as I never knew her to sew projects of this type. It also could have been given to my grandparents as a gift from one of their supporting churches when they first went to be missionaries in Africa. The timing would have been right for that as well since a lot of scraps of this vintage would have been available at the time. It might have been a wedding gift, but I'm going to say I think some of the fabrics *may* be too recent for that.

I also don't know what the pattern is. I would describe it as a cross between the "Dresden plate" and a "card tricks" block. Maybe a reader can tell us.

Just a word of advice: Be sure your family knows the stories behind heirlooms or other items of particular interest that you will leave behind when your time comes to go. We have a lot of heirlooms, especially from my dad's side of the family, of which we know little other than that they were owned by my grandparents for some reason. If it's important enough to hold on to and pass on, it's important enough to leave the story with it. If you have too much stuff to tell all the stories or write them down for the family, then you may have too many things to leave. Just sayin'... :-)

God Ever Cares - An Important Reminder

God Ever Cares

HE careth for YOU – 1 Peter 5:7

GOD EVER CARES! Not only in life’s summer
When skies are bright and days are long and glad,
He cares as much when life is draped in winter,
And heart doth feel bereft, and lone, and sad.

GOD EVER CARES! His heart is ever tender!
His love doth never fail nor show decay.
The loves of earth, though strong and deep, may perish;
But His shall never, never pass away.

GOD EVER CARES! And thus when life is lonely,
When blessings one time prized are growing dim,
The heart may find a sweet and sunny shelter--
A refuge and a resting place in Him.

GOD EVER CARES! And Time can never change Him.
His nature is to care, and love, and bless.
And drearest, darkest, emptiest days afford Him
But means to make more sweet His own caress.

J. Danson Smith

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Evening Song - How Great Thou Art

Psalm 86:9-10 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Creatures Great and Small - Signs of Spring on the Wing

American Robin.

Texas.

Thoughts from Hymns: Where Did We Come from? Where Are We Going?

This is an article that I wrote years ago before I was married. My husband and I edited and updated it last night.

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These days it seems that no matter what country or part of the world one comes from or lives in violence, trouble, and turmoil are either present or near at hand. It can become quite easy to have a very limited view, seeing just our own troubles and the fearfulness of the time in which we are living. Christians today are often sadly lacking in a historical view of our spiritual ancestors despite talk about "our historic faith," "historical positions," "Baptist History," and so forth .

The third verse of the old hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" is a potent reminder, however:

"Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain;
Gates of hell can never
'Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail."

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

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