A Story about the Prodigal Son and a Weepy Mother

Every morning, after coffee and breakfast have been fixed for the hubby and he's out the door and off to work, after diapers have been changed, after the babe has nursed and little bear has had his fill of cheerios, milk, and whatever was fixed for breakfast, we head to the playroom for an hour or so of early morning play time still in our jammies.  

Bread Alone

If you are not familiar with She Reads Truth, then stop reading this post and anything else you may be doing and go to their website by clicking the link above or go download their app to your phone.  I have been using She Reads Truth for my daily devotions for a little over a month now and I so wish I would have known about it sooner.  Not only is it a bible app, but is also a lovely community for women to study God's Word together through daily devotions.  We are currently 6 days in to the Lent study, Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross, and, let me tell ya, it is phenomenal.  I cannot wait to get started each morning, to dive in head first to the Word and readings that are included.  Today, we were in Matthew and Mark.

A Time to Repent...and Be Restored

Today begins the 40 day season of Lent... and I couldn't be any more excited.  Growing up Southern Baptist, Easter was one of the largest, if not the largest, holidays celebrated in my church.  However, the 40 days prior were not spoken of much to my knowledge.  As an adult, desiring more of God and His presence, the hubby and I took part in Passover with a dear couple.  It rocked our world and our walk with Jesus.  We had never experienced such intimacy with the Holy of Holies.  For the next few years we anticipated Passover but still never spent a lot of time studying up on the period of time leading up to Passover and then Easter, Lent.  Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is meant to be a time of repentance, a time of throwing off the things that hold us in bondage, the "idols" that have slithered in and slowly but surely taken our focus off of the King of kings.  

Amish in the air... and a Seasons change

This post really has nothing to do with the Amish other than this one picture of Amish friendship bread ...well and the painted quilt square, a big 3 foot by 3 foot piece of plywood with "True Burgundy" and "Antique White" acrylic paint.   

This is what happens when you don't spray or grease a non-seasoned pan well enough.  It's ok, more for me and the hubby...with a cake (or bread) that looks like this, you don't have to share!!

My intentions for this post were to show you how well I can make a cake...HA... that sometimes, things don't turn out quite like you'd expect, and that when this happens, well, it's the inside that counts. In this case, the deliciousness of the Amish bread outweighed the presentation of the loaf itself.

And this Amish bread would lead into telling you about this lovely quilt square project, that took me way too long to complete, and to tell you about its sweet and gracious recipient.  

However, something else is weighing heavy on my heart and what kind of person would I be to deny being honest with all of you.

The title of this post is Amish in the air...

Rest and Mercy

Lately, I've been a little weary...with the mundane, with the everyday, with the late nights and early mornings, with the 9 to 5's.  I just need a little rest.  Yeah, physical rest would be fantastic,  maybe 48 hours of straight sleep...but I don't believe that would do the trick. No, sometimes, I grow spiritually weary, and the only thing that will satisfy is a dose of the Holy Spirit and a re-fill in the Word. 

I was craving a little of that rest that is mentioned over in chapter 4 in the book of Hebrews, hoping to meditate on it a while, praying it would resonate in my spirit and my marrow.  I have this neat app on my IPhone that allows my phone to read to me, so while getting ready yesterday morning, I went to Hebrews and hit play.  Somehow {enter God}, I ended up in 1 Peter, and I believe I needed to be there.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  You once were not a people, but now you are God's people.  You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy."

The "Praying Through the Psalms" Challenge

A dear and precious sister in Christ is going through an extremely difficult time now, her husband has had a discouraging diagnosis, yet her, and her family's, faith have been strengthened and she has become a testimony to so many.  In reading through her online journal as they go through this trying time, she has spoken many words of wisdom, encouraged others to stand firm and keep the faith, and constantly reminds those reading that God is GOOD and God is faithful... our circumstances may change but our God, He does not.  


The reason I am telling you all of this is because of one thing she has mentioned several times, something that she has been doing for a few months now, even before her and her family's life took a challenging turn.  She has been challenged to read through the book of Psalms, one chapter, one day at a time, and rewrite it in her own words...like her own personal prayer of Psalms to God.  I like that!  I LOVE THAT!  I would like to say that I spend an adequate amount of time each day reading His Word and drawing closer to Him, but so many times I allow life to get in my way.  I'm running behind, or the laundry and dishes are piling up, or some other lame excuse seems to find itself in front of me.  


I wanna do this and y'all help to keep me accountable.  I thought what better way to stick with this than to include all my friends out there in the blogosphere.  So, for the next 150 days, I'd like to challenge you to come along side of me and participate in the Praying through the Psalms challenge. 


Each day for the next 150 days, I plan to re-write a chapter of the Psalms in my own words.  I encourage you to write and pray as well.  Include some of your prayers in the comments.   Life does and will get in the way, so when that happens, don't let that stop you from continuing this with me!  Pick up where you left off and carry on!!  Sally forth!!


My prayer is that God will use the next 5 months to show us great and mighty things, that He will reveal Himself in ways we never thought possible, that He will shine a light into the dark corners of our lives, illuminating areas that need to be dealt with and renewed.  I pray He will refresh and refine us, drawing us to a closer, deeper, and stronger relationship with Him.

Sunday Mornings

Sunday Mornings... love them!  I get excited about waking up early, usually to the groan or nudge of our lab, letting me know it is time to rise and shine...and go outside of course.  Rolling out of my warm bed, waking up the 2 little chihuahuas, and putting all three of the boys on their leashes, while I try to throw on a coat, slide on my shoes, all the while not waking the hubby.  I love it when the cold January wind smacks me in the face, the sky radiates the dawning colors of the first half of ROY-G-BIV, and God's glory and grace just seems to envelop me.  To you, this may sound crazy...I mean who wants to get up, EARLY, out of a warm and toasty bed, because of the dog, and go outside in the cold?  I do!  

You see, to me it's the little things.  It's opening my eyes to all of the beauty and miracles that seem to dance around me every single day.  Being intentionally aware of the gift of life, of breath, of another day...and not just any other day, but a Sun day.  The sabbath.  The day of rest and rejuvenation.  A day to come together with other believers and worship an Almighty God, the lover of our soul.  That is so exciting to me.  

Oh, and breakfast...I love Sunday morning breakfast.  After bringing the boys back in, they climb back under the covers, and I get to go into the kitchen...Yes!  I turn on some Laura Story or Kare Jobe and let the magic begin!  Breakfast, such a wonderful creation.  There's just nothing like it.  

This morning, I decided to make pancakes...Who doesn't love some mouth-watering, muy delicioso pancakes?  And, being the lover of food and all things southern, especially hospitality, that I am,  I would love to have you all in my kitchen.  But since that's not feasible, I thought I would share the recipe with you.  

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

 

Ingredients: 

 2 cups of Biscuik 

1 egg

1 1/3 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

a dash or two of cinnamon

2 heaping tablespoons of apple butter

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together and cook in lots of butter :)

For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.   

Psalm 81:10

Resting in Him

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Phillipians 4:6

This verse really eased my tired soul this morning. There are plenty of things in this world to be anxious about and, to be completely honest, I could find more things to be anxious about than not. But, when it comes to trials, struggles, and everyday hurdles, when it comes to life, and all the things Satan may try to place in front of me, causing that anxiety to creep up and blur my spiritual vision...all I need to know is this...

God IS enough!

He is enough. He was yesterday, He is right now, and He will be tomorrow.

I know this, but sometimes I just need the reminder. And today, I think I'll rest in this.

Today, I will not be anxious about anything, nothing at all, but I will pray and present my request to my Heavenly Father, I'll tell him what I need and how I feel, and then, I'll thank Him. I'll thank Him for hearing me, for listening, for sending me Jesus, the Mediator, my High Priest. I'll thank Him because I can boldy approach His throne and He will find me worthy, not for anything I have done or can ever do, but because Jesus was enough...because He is enough!

Weekend Forecast: Chilly with a Chance of Smores

We are kicking October off the right way in the Sash to Treasure Homestead...with a COLD FRONT! And it is fantastic! I had the pleasure of spending this wonderful weekend with my hubby and lovely mother. Lots of hanging out, eating, talking, eating, oh, and more eating! We kicked the weekend off Friday evening with sushi, YUM... began Saturday morning with some yard sales, flea markets, and off course, a trip to Habitat. We spent the rest of the morning crafting and creating, then decided to ring in the new month and new season with some marvelous homemade Caramel Apples and other caramelly goodies (Happy October). And an end to the perfect cool, fall, October weekend... Roasted Wienies and Smores over an open fire. I must admit, this weekend was a bit of heaven.

October itself is pretty perfect, but you throw in all the goodies and good food, warm fire, and great friendship and you have what I like to call a whole lot of Forever Moments. The kind of moments and memories you create and remember forever.

Mama has now gone home, all the dogs are napping, football is on the television, the dishes need washing, and the house needs cleaning, but I'm OK with that. I have been blessed this weekend and the order of my home is just a remnant of that. So I'll scrub chocolate and caramel out of crock pots with a smile on my lips, I'll get to work on laundry that tells of a wood fire and smoke with a tune in my heart, and later, I'll nibble on a caramel apple and recall all the good times shared over the weekend. And I'll whisper a prayer of Thanksgiving to my wonderful Father, for the perfect moments He allows me to experience and take part in, and I'll thank Him for the month of October!

Pull Over, Honey... I Need a Picture!

Ok, so I know that I am not the only person who has driven past wild flowers or cotton fields and wanted to stop to take pictures. Usually I'm by myself, so that's not a possibility. But today... TODAY my darling husband was driving! I kept talking about how great a picture would look of someone and those wildflowers...I guess I talked about it enough, because before I knew it, he was pulling over onto the side of the road...YES!! As cars drove past us, me and the love of my life were in our own little world, laughing at ourselves, wondering what people driving past us might be saying. God is so good like that. To put this man into my life, and to allow us these little moments.

Life seems so busy some times, most of the times actually. Here lately, the time has been flying by....day after day, week after week. I've been trying to figure out how to make it slow down...just how exactly do you live life to the fullest? How do you make each moment count? Maybe if I lived with more intention, what if I intentionally called my daddy on my lunch break, or if I intentionally stopped to visit that widow from church, or if, with intention, I baked a pie for that sweet old man who lives down the street? What if I intentionally turned off the TV, signed off of Facebook, turned my cell phone to silent and just spent an evening with my husband, or intentionally got up an hour early to have coffee with a darling friend before work?

God's Word is full of reminders of how fleeting time is. We hear it from Job, "Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath..."(7:7), James,"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes..." (4:14), the Psalmist "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow..." (144:4). But those beautiful wild flowers growing on the side of the road today, they reminded me of a scripture, too. Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." Now this is a scripture that breathes life into my soul. My tired, overworked, super busy, not enough hours in the day, Lord, let me sleep a little longer this morning soul. Sure, life is fleeting, but thanks to God, and His Son Jesus, it doesn't end here.

No matter how quickly our life passes, God stands forever. His Word, His love, His faithfulness, His goodness, His mercy, His grace, and His offer of salvation. Forever, that means eternally. Those pretty little yellow flowers, they whispered a promise to me. In this fast-paced life, God hasn't forgotten me. You see, those flower, God put them there, He adorned them in all of their beauty, and He did it only for a moment. That grass will soon wither, and those flowers, well, they will fade...and one day, so will I...and at that moment, when my last breath is drawn, and I close my eyes, I will reopen them and find myself in the arms of Jesus. He'll sit me down, and He will take my hand, and He'll welcome His child into eternity. There, there will be no deadlines, no hurries, no worrying about being late, or if I spent enough time with my family. There, there will be forever, in front of me, and I think I will smile as I remember today. Not because of the flowers, or because of the cool fall breeze, or because of some fun pictures...but because today, I had a forever moment. A moment where, with my husband by my side, we decided to just press the pause button on life, to pull over on the side of the road, and let the world drive by. To allow the simplicity of life to breathe into our tired, busy souls, and to rejuvenate our worn-out bodies, to laugh, to be silly, to enjoy this tiny moment.

Today, I learned that, yes, I need to live my life with more intention, to open my eyes to those forever moments, and that sometimes, He's telling me to just pull over. And today, I was intentional, you see, I've driven past those flowers for years, never taking the time to stop...and today, I pulled onto the side of the road. My intentions were to take pictures, but God, His intentions were to meet me there. On His calendar that spans eternal, He had September 18, 2011 written in Bold sharpie with my name beside it, because my God, well He is an intentional God, who intentionally loves His creation, and intentionally allowed His Son to die, who intentionally conquered death, so that He could and can intentionally meet with His children.

Sheet Music and a Happy Heart

When I start thinking about Fall and Christmas, my palms get sweaty and my knees start to shake...L.O.V.E!!

God is so good to give us seasons and with each transition comes a newness, a freshness in the air. I couldn't wait for summer to get here, and as it quickly races past me, I can't help but breathe in the smells of apple pie and bonfires, envisioning pumpkins and falling leaves, scarves and sweaters, and B-O-O-T-S, my favorite!

September is in the air...and in craft world that means kicking Christmas into high gear!! Most "seasoned" (tee hee...no pun intended) crafters work all year on Christmas goodies and treasures, but if you're a procrastinator like me, you wait until you look at your calendar and see only 1 month between you and your first show of the season. Geez...I know, it's crazy, but I work better under pressure, what can I say?!

So, to usher in the first day of September, what better way to kick it off than with a creation for the holiday season...


I know, I skipped right over Fall and dove head first into Christmas but I have been eyeing this idea for too long!! I couldn't take it anymore. I have spent the entire summer searching for a beat up, musty smelling, stained hymnal, and yesterday...I FOUND ONE! Oh how happy this made me!! So you can imagine that waiting until today to get started on this was pure torture...

An old foam wreath that I paid $1.50 for, an old tattered hymnal that cost me $2, some hot glue, and a few golden, beat up Christmas balls transformed my evening into a vintage, shabby chic house of FaLaLaLaLaLaLa!!

Starting with the hymnal, I tore several pages out...Ok, maybe a little more than several, let's try, maybe 100?! ( I had to say a prayer of forgiveness, I felt kinda bad...Oh, and Tim Ervin Cooper, whose name was inscribed on the front cover, if you are reading this, I apologize to you, too!!).

So, here is what I started with...



...and then as I rolled pages...



a little dab of hot glue here...lots of dabs of hot glue there... some Christmas balls and few more dabs of hot glue and VOILA...~!!



Well, it took a little longer than that, but you get my drift. Lots of fun and a beautiful wreath that I cannot wait to showcase over the fireplace...You'll definitely be seeing a lot more of these!!

Before I go, I have to share with you the sweet moment that this crafting session led to...while I was rolling up those old Methodist pages of sheet music, and as I taped each one, the Southern Baptist in me couldn't help but humming a few of the lines. My heart became so full, i thought it might just burst! Any of you reading this that know me, know how much I love to sing, and how much more I love a good ole southern hymn. And even more than both of those things, I just love how in the stillness of some moments, it's as if God reaches down and wraps His big ole God arms around you, pulling you in real tight, whispering in your ear. And in this moment, that's exactly what He did, softly telling me, "My child, just breathe, rest in this moment." I adore those simple little reminders of His goodness and His grace. And as my head was already spinning at the thought of how quickly craft shows and Holidays would be approaching, He knew exactly what I needed to hear...and maybe you need to hear it, too...


"My child, just breathe...rest in this moment..."