Day 7 -- Thirty Days of Prayer

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

1) It is the Lord who builds the house. Reminding ourselves of this enables us to cast our burdens on the Lord in prayer and to live and to sleep peacefully. We will work hard when it's time to work hard, rest and enjoy when it's time to rest and enjoy, and sleep when it's time to sleep -- all with a peaceful outlook.
2) Pray about the Lord's house -- His church. Make this a priority. Jesus died for the church, His bride, and He cares about it passionately. If we care about Jesus, we will care for His household, as well. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5;25-27 Study the letters of Paul and notice his prayers for the various churches. Follow the example of Epaphras ( Col. 4:12), who wrestled in prayer for churches.
3) Pray about your household's spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. Pray for wisdom to keep and manage your household. Pray for your husband to be a man of prayer (if you are married.) If you wish your husband to be a stronger spiritual leader in the home, the way to accomplish this is not to nag, but to set an example of a chaste and reverent life and to pray. (I Peter 3).
4) There are times when we will sacrifice sleep for a good cause. Paul speaks of sleepless nights spent in the service of the gospel. As keepers at home, we, too, may find ourselves sacrificing some sleep at times in the service of the gospel and in the service of our family. For example, we might get up to nurse a newborn, sit by the beside of the aged or dying, or spend extra time in prayer one night. Also, as we age, we may find it harder to sleep than when we were younger. It is one thing, however, to lose sleep for a good cause when appropriate and quite another to create sleepless nights for ourselves because we are involved in anxious toil or anxious watching. Some ideas for peaceful sleep are
a) Pray about your need for sleep. If you must miss sleep, pray also that the Lord will provide you strength for the next day and a time to recover you sleep needs later on.
b) Pray about the activities you take on. Are you truly doing the works the Lord has prepared for you in advance, or are you adding unnecessary business to your schedule that ends up making you fretful and restless? Are you working from grace or from human effort? Are you seeking to please the Lord and serve people, or are you looking too much to the approval of people for your security? (Ephesians 2:1-10) Pray, seek the advice of your husband (if you are married) and of godly women who can help you think through your schedule.
c) Allow yourself a short transition period (15 minutes) from the business of your day and evening to quietness. During this time do something soothing, such as pray, snuggle with hubby, drink a cup of milk, listen to soothing music, take a bubble bath, do some quiet activity, read, etc. This little quiet period calms the body down and readies it for sleep.
d) Keep a notebook by your bed. If you are about to fall asleep, and you think of a wonderful project that you just can't wait to get started on, you might find yourself returning to a physical state of readiness for activity. If that happens, try jotting your project ideas in a notebook, pray about it, and let it go for the time being. In this way, you will signal to yourself that you are not forgetting the project, but that you will tend to it at a more appropriate time. Likewise, if any worries come to you, pray about them, jot them down in your notebook and write that you have prayed about them, and let them go. Also, you might think of a task you didn't get to or think of before. That's ok. There is no need to stay up in anxious toil. Jot down the task in your notebook and attend to it when you can. The ultra perfectionists may have to prayerfully learn how to live with the fact that some things might not get done in a day or might not have turned out the way the perfectionist planned. Those of us who tend toward the oppostie side and don't put our whole heart into our work might find ourselves restless at night because we did not engage in enough wholesome, whole-hearted work during the day. In either case, pray about it, leave it to the Lord, get a good night's sleep, and get up to a brand new day.
e) Avoid news shows, news articles, blogs, etc., that focus on what is bad in the world, especially right before you go to bed. It's one thing to inform ourselves about what is going on in the world; it's another thing all together to let the media remind us of frightening or unhappy things over and over again. It is better to get our daily news in one short dose and, otherwise, to meditate more on God's providential care than about disasters and political happenings. Remember Psalm 37 reminds us not to fret because of what godless men and women might be planning or doing. Nothing man can think up can thwart God's purposes for your life, the lives of your family members, and the world.
f) Did you know that the TV and the computer emit a certain kind of light that can interfere with your brain's natural sleep patterns? If you are someone who does not easily fall asleep, you may find that it is best to avoid TV and the computer for at least thirty minutes before bedtime. Even if you are looking at something wholesome and restful, you might find that it bothers your body's rhythms. Taking a nightly break from these things might encourage more peaceful sleep.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day Six -- Thirty Days of Prayer

1) Romans 8:26-27 The Spirit also helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we should but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit of God helps and intercedes for Christians. Does that thought encourage you?

2) David prayed, "Create in me a pure heart." Psalm 51:10-13. This request occurs in his prayer of repentance for his sin with Bathsheba. However, it's a good thought for all of us to remember in our conversations with the Lord. In order to have pure hearts, we must appeal to God, for it is He who creates pure hearts within us. We may be able to make some superficial changes in our lives by human discipline, but we will never achieve a truly cleansed and changed heart by our own power. In fact, it is prideful and useless to substitute our own self-righteousness for the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ and that is by grace. If we beg God to change us, however, He will. This is not to say that we must not practice godly discipline; God does call us to exercise the gift of self-control. He does command us to put off sin and to put on the traits of a Christ-like character. However, the strength and grace to do this ultimately come from God, and we do well in our prayers to express our complete and total dependence on Him.

More suggestions for praying wives and mothers.

Day 5 Thirty Days of Prayer...

1) When you are folding clothes, pray for the person who's clothing you are folding. Or, if you are cleaning someone's room, pray for the person or people who sleep there.
2) Make a mental or written list of things you admire or are grateful for in your husband. Thank God for these things. Do the same for your parents, your children, and for other people in your life. Cultivating prayerful gratitude for the relationships in your life will not only do wonders for your attitude, it will help you to love others more deeply. At some point, you will most likely feel tension or experience conflict in one or another of your relationships. If so, it's good to remind yourself that a relationship which may be painful in the moment also has its blessings. Follow Paul's example. Even when he needed to address serious failings in various churches, he began and/or ended his letters with expressions of love and thanksgiving for the good things that God was doing in the lives of the Christians. 3) Pray for sin to be revealed in your own heart. Pray for God to grant you repentance and forgiveness. Pray for the faith to see your sin in the light of God's grace and with the heart to repent, so that you will not be overwhelmed by it. Pray to be humble, no matter how your sin is revealed to you. Pray to be able to put off sin and to put on righteousness. Seeing our sin is painful, but it's better to see it and turn to the Lord in repentance than to let it fester in the heart. Remember Proverbs 28:13 -- People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Remember also I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Recognizing and repenting of sins is freeing and refreshing. The opportunity to repent is a blessing from the Lord.
4) Likewise, pray for sin in your children's heart to be revealed. Pray that God will bring to light anything that you need to know. Pray that your children will recognize their sin and turn from it. Pray that God will reveal any dangers in their lives that need attending to. Sometimes, your children may innocently find themselves in situations which could be harmful to them, so pray that will be brought to light as well.
5) Pray when you are cooking. Whether you love to cook or whether you don't, pray to prepare this meal with love. Ask the Lord to help you enjoy preparing the meal. Pray that your mealtime will be a time when your family connects with each other. Pray for your and your family's daily bread, including spiritual and physical nourishment. Meditate and pray about Jesus being the true bread from heaven.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Day IV. Moms and Prayer

I once met a woman who had questioned her faith during her college years. She had actually tried to walk away from the Lord. Yet, her parents had raised her to pray before every meal, and she could not quit doing that. God's answers to her prayers at mealtimes during her period of struggle saved her faith. Even though she was going through the motions, it connected her heart to God's.

It's vital that we teach our children to pray. It's also vital that we, as moms, stay connected to God in prayer, as well. Here are some ideas for praying Moms.

1) From birth, bathe your baby in an atmosphere of prayer. Sometimes, you may find it a struggle to find a quiet moment. Yet, you can always pray when nursing or feeding baby a bottle, changing baby's diaper, taking baby for a stroll, etc. If you develop a practice of praying for your baby as you go about your day, you'll find it more natural to teach your child to pray along with you at times.
2) Begin to pray early for your child's future spouse (or for the Lord to make it clear if your child is to serve him as a single person). Pray for the family of your child's future spouse. When the child becomes old enough, you can teach your child what to look for and pray for in a mate. You can also teach your children how to surrender the time of waiting or even lifelong single-hood to the Lord.
3) As soon as your child is old enough to say even the simplest of prayers, pray with the child at meals and at bedtime. Pray together as a family before leaving on a trip. Pray together for relatives, people at church, people in your neighborhood, people in need. Pray and thank God when happy things happen. Pray prayers of rejoicing for your family and also for the good things that happen to others. Use different occasions as times to pray.
4) Set up a world map somewhere in your house and pray for the people in different countries. Select a country for each day, or pray about a country for a week or so in order to have time to study and learn about the country you are praying for.
5) As is age-appropriate, help your child memorize portions of the psalms, especially portions of praise and thanksgiving. Look for great prayers of praise and thanksgiving throughout the scriptures and memorize those portions.

Enjoy!
elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer -- Day III

Forgive! Forgive! Forgive!!

Jesus told us, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." (Mark 11:25) He also told us, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44.

Jesus demonstrated this for us when He was on the cross. "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."" Luke 23:24. He also demonstrates His merciful forgiveness to us every day, whenever we ask Him to forgive the sins we commit.

Jesus is the standard by which we live. Stephen followed Jesus when he prayed for those who were stoning him to death. "Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:60.

If we wish to be forgiven, we must forgive. We can forgive in an instant. All it takes is a decision to forgive. Since our minds are associate, something may trigger the pain of mistreatment even after we have forgiven it. We must not panic and assume that our decision to forgive did not stick. We can remind ourselves that we have, indeed, forgiven the matter and, thus, the incident is settled. We can choose not to re-hash the incident in our minds. We can let go of whatever thought has brought the matter to mind, and we can trust the Lord to heal any lingering pain.

Again, forgiveness is a decision and that decision can happen quickly. Our journey to healing from deep hurts must begin with a desire to forgive from the heart. We may need the prayers of others to help us. We may need the wise counsel of someone who can help us work through feelings of anger and pain and move on to the joy of forgiveness. We may need someone to step in and help us re-build a relationship with someone who has hurt us. The process of healing may take time, and it may involve pain. Yet, through it all, our desire should be to forgive, rather than merely to vent our pain or to use our pain as an excuse for our own sin.

We forgive for the Lord's sake and for the sake of the soul of the person who has offended us. Such forgiveness works far more powerfully for good in this world than human retaliation ever can. Though we forgive for the Lord's sake, a side benefit is that forgiveness also frees us from the chains of bitterness and enables us to freely enjoy our intimacy with the Lord. Forgiveness brings great peace.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer -- Day II

5 suggestions for prayer...

1) Study how and when Jesus prayed. We can learn much from what the gospels ell us about His prayers. Read also Hebrews 5:7.
2) Study the conversations that Jesus had with people while He was on this earth. Pay special attention to the requests they made to Him and how He responded. Consider that when we pray, we are appealing to God, just as these people directly appealed to Christ. We can learn much about God's heart from gospel accounts of the way that Jesus interacted with people.
3) Study the "Lord's prayer". Study what Jesus taught about prayer.
4) Cultivate righteous motivation in prayer. James 4:1-4. Also, honor and thank God in prayer. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18
5) Luke 11:1-13 The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They had probably prayed all of their lives, since they had grown up in the Jewish culture. Yet, they saw something in Jesus' prayers that they wanted to learn. Jesus answers their question, and that answer is recorded for us so that we can be instructed, too. We can also humbly admit to God that we, too, need to learn to pray, just as the first disciples did. If we remain humble and ever learning to pray, that will help us mature in our relationship to the Lord. We can ask Him to teach us to pray and to help us to pray. We can also seek help from others who can pray with us and pray for us, as well as share insights from their own study and prayer with us. Of course, just as reading marriage books and seeking wise counsel regarding your marriage is no substitute for actually having a relationship with your husband, likewise, reading books or article about prayer and listening to the counsel of others is no substitute for actually having a relationship with God. Such counsel is vital to our spiritual growth, though.

Remember, in studying prayer, we are seeking not just to acquire intellectual understanding, but to deepen our relationship with the Lord and to put what we learn about prayer into practice. It's one thing to know facts; it's another to allow God's wisdom to change our hearts and our lives.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thirty Days of Prayer in the home:

Day I

Luke 18:1-8 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Thought #1 -- Pray for the faith to pray persistently and to never give up!
Thought #2 -- Pray persistently!
Thought #3 -- Help your children to pray persistently!

Have you ever been attacked with the temptation to quit praying, either with regard to a specific request or just in general? I know that there are times when I am eager to pray and times when I have to repent of a lack of devotion in prayer. I'm so thankful that the Lord taught His original disciples this parable about the persistent widow and that the Holy Spirit recorded it for us, who are the Lord's disciples today. In this parable, Jesus teaches us to be faithful in prayer.

There are many reasons why we might flag in our prayer life. In this parable, Jesus deals with two major temptations to prayerlessness: faithlessness and discouragement.

When we are beset by temptations to slack off in prayer, our thoughts might run along these lines:

1) I prayed and prayed for my family member to love the Lord, but he's still not interested in spiritual things. I just don't think he'll ever change.
2) I've prayed for help with my temper, but I just blew it again. I don't think I can ever change.
3) I've prayed and prayed about situation X, but it's still here. I don't think it will ever change.
4) I have so much to do today. If I take the time to pray deeply, I won't get it all done.
5) Does the Lord really want to hear from me? I am so weak and have so many shortcomings.

Or, we might faithless in prayer, because deep down, we are afraid that the Lord will actually answer our prayers with a "Yes"! We might fear that a positive answer to our requests will require us to take new steps of faith or to deny ourselves in some area.

Most of us know that these are not the thoughts that we should be thinking. As a result, we might not fully acknowledge a faithless mindset even to ourselves. Instead of letting fearful or discouraged thoughts rise to the surface so that we can pray about them specifically, we stuff them down and end up feeling generally blah without quite knowing why. The effort to pretend that we are not facing faithlessness or discouragement only harms us. Any type of fear or doubt -- whether it be at the back of our mind or in the forefront of our consciousness -- can interfere with our faith in the Lord's concern for us. We can begin to doubt God's perfect wisdom and power in answering prayer. The antidote is to recognize our temptations and sins in this area and to pray specifically about them.

It takes faith to be persistent in prayer. It takes faith to keep praying no matter what our circumstances are, especially if we do not see by sight that God is working in our circumstances. It takes faith to believe that whatever time we devote to the Lord in prayer is never wasted. It also takes faith to seek God, His kingdom, and His righteousness first in our lives. (Matthew 6:33)

So, what do we do if we find that our practice of prayer is faltering? Jesus tells us to pray and not lose heart. We need not fear persistently asking Him to help us. In fact, the faith that it takes to pray persistently, without giving up, pleases Him. We can ask God for the faith to help us keep praying persistently. We can pray, as the father who was troubled for his son prayed, "I believe, help me in my unbelief". Mark 9:24

We can also identify and pray through any twinge of anxiety, fear, faithlessness, or discouragement. We can beg God to change our hearts so that we will not be anxious or doubtful. If we are not sure why we are being down or faithless, we can ask Him to reveal to us anything that we need to see. We are to pray about everything, even our difficulties in praying. (Phil. 4:4-8) Once we've laid out doubts, anxieties, and discouragement before the Lord, we can turn our thoughts to matters that build faith.

It's also helpful to remind ourselves of the ways that the Lord has answered our prayers in the past. Also, it's vital to study the scriptures with the desire to know the Lord to whom we pray, as well as to remind ourselves of His infinite wisdom, justice, love, and power. We can gain strength from meditating on His mighty works.

We must remember that our faith rests not in prayer itself, but in the Lord who answers prayer. We must also keep in mind that the Lord works through even a mustard seed of faith. Matthew 17:20

To keep on being persistent in prayer, it must be one of our core convictions that God is good and that He deserves our prayers and praise whether we "feel like it" or not. It must also be a deep belief within our heart that our relationship with the Lord is to be desired and cherished above all other relationships and pursuits in our life. We must also believe, as Jesus teaches us in this parable, that God will bring about justice for his chosen ones. Most of all, we must have deep convictions about what God accomplished through the cross of Christ.

In praying persistently, we must be open to whatever answers the Lord gives. The Lord knows what is best. Sometimes, He will answer our requests with a resounding "Yes". At other times, His answer might be "No" or "Not now". If this is the case, we must rest in the Lord's sovereign wisdom and perfect timing. We must that He is working all things, even suffering, for the good of those who love Him. We must trust that, ultimately, God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11.

Paul prayed earnestly for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. Yet, for Paul's own good, the Lord chose not to remove the thorn -- at least not during that portion of Paul's life that is recorded in the scriptures. Paul accepted the Lord's will. He realized that God's grace was sufficient for him in all circumstances, including dealing with this particular problem.

We can follow Paul's example of resting in the Lord's grace. We must guard our hearts, though, to make sure that we truly are submitting ourselves to the Lord's will and are not just throwing up our hands in faithlessness and discouragement. We aim in our prayers to surrender out of trust and loving obedience, not out of joyless and disgruntled resignation.

Children, especially older ones, can be attacked with temptations of faithlessness and discouragement, just as we adults can be. Because of their tender youth and inexperience, children may be even less equipped to handle doubts or fears than we are. They may be inwardly frightened by temptation and also may not be able to differentiate between temptation and sin. We help them by listening patiently to them and by asking questions that draw out their deepest thoughts. We help them by loving them, even when they express things that surprise us. We also help them by praying with them and for them, and by lovingly encouraging them to remain faithful in prayer. We must maintain faith that the Lord is working for good in their lives, even if they are struggling with their own faith about this.

Jesus asks a question at the end of the parable about the persistent widow. "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" The question for each of us is, "Will he find faith in me?" Persistence in prayer has everything to do with the answer.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Let no man upon a weak conceit of sobriety or an ill-applied

moderation think or maintain, that a man can search too

far, or be too well studied in the Book of God’s Word, or

in the Book of God’s Works—Divinity or Philosophy. But

rather, let men endeavour an endless progress or proficience

in both; only let men beware that they apply both to charity,

and not to swelling [pride]; to use and not to ostentation;

and again that they do not unwisely mingle or confound

those learnings together.

Francis Bacon

Journal Day....

Outside my window: The birds are singing like crazy. Our cat has been in a spring tizzy, wanting outside as much as possible. And, I am loving the warmer weather, myself. I think rain is moving in, which will be good for the garden but will mean that I will need to take all my activities indoors.

Homemaking tasks: I tried to get the jump on spring cleaning, but was lagging a bit. The weather is inspiring me to get going! There are cabinets to clean out and closets to organize and...

What's cooking: An organically grown, fee-range roast chicken.

For my quiet times: I'm still focusing on Jesus. I've chosen Jesus as the theme and focus of my year.

I am happy: I'm happy because jury duty is over. I sat on a felony murder trial last week; the situation was very sad.

In the garden: I'm turning a salad garden into a rose bed. I'm taking it very slowly. I also planted some gladiola bulbs and some peonies.

What's your day like?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

More S.E.A.M. Loves D.B.M., otherwise entitled,
Names, Part II

TopazTook's comment on my last post inspired me to re-look up what

my husband's first name means. I thought I remembered that my dear hubby's name had a meaning similar to my first name, which means "promise of God". But, Internet sources cite his first name as meaning "Beloved". (That's what most things I read say, but there were a few dissenting ideas about the name that I came across.) Certainly, he is named after a man who was beloved of God.

I like the idea of his name meaning Beloved, because I love the quotes in Song of Songs that reference the bride's view of her "beloved". For example, I love the verse (S of S 6:3) that says, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." I think the word for beloved there is from the Hebrew word that we would pronounce dodi, which is interesting as I think I remember that Doady is used as a nickname for the main character of David Copperfield.

Anyhow, whether that's what his name means or not, he is still my beloved after nearly thirty years of marriage. I've never been a big fan of the word "hubby" for husband, for some reason. As I posted some time ago, I've had a hard time coming up with a blog name that conveys my affection for my soul-mate. So, I think, henceforth, in this blog, dear hubby shall be known as "my beloved." I hate to copy CALM Reflection's beautiful references to her beloved husband, but it's the one blog title that seems to work for my dear D. :)

Three guesses what my husband's first name is. If you haven't figured it out from the clues already in this post, here's another one: There is a movie entitled ____ & _____. If you fill in the blanks, you will have my first name and his.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

The story of a name

Re: the candy heart -- Valentine's Day is past, but I'm still celebrating.

Back in December I wrote a couple of posts about a study I was doing on the concept of blessing in the Bible. I posed this question in the first post: What president's name means blessing? I'm sure most of you have guessed it already. However, since this is black history month, it's a good time for me to post about the answer:

The given name Barack comes from an Arabic word that, according to some, means blessed or blessed one. It is similar to the Hebrew name Baruch and the Latin name Benedict. In Hebrew, the word ברוך (phonetically spelled in English as barakh) means to kneel, bless, or praise.

(As I said before, this is not a political statement about Barack Obama one way or the other; it's just a study of a name.)

Some English speakers pay little attention to the fact that most names in most languages have their roots in words that have some meaning attached to them. We might consider this when reading lists of potential baby names or check out the meaning of our own name once in our lifetime. My name, Elizabeth, for example came into the English language from Hebrew, and it means, "God's promise, or God is my oath."

If we put some thought into it, we can use the names of our children in giving them a vision for who they might become. Of course, when we name a child, we can't foresee all of the choices that child will make. There is no magic in choosing a particular name for our child. However, if we choose a name with an inspiring meaning, we can remind our child of its meaning and pray with our child about its meaning throughout the child's growing up years. Hearing the meaning of his or her name repeated often can help a child to feel secure and special. It can also steer a child toward higher goals.

Take the name, Allegra, for example. It means lively or cheerful in Italian. Wouldn't it cheer you up just to know that your name is associated with vitality and joy, as well as with joyful music?

Some of us are well past naming our children, but we can still probably track down the meaning of the name and find something beautiful in it.

Here's an interesting fact about naming children: Some cultures, like my own Southern U. S. culture, place a high value in passing on the name of a family member to a child. This way of thinking gives a sense of continuity and belonging to a child. If the child happens to know the person for whom he or she is named, the child can understand what good qualities the parents had in mind when they chose that particular name to pass on. In my case, some of the names that are common in my family entered the family so many generations ago that we know very little about some of the original bearers of the names.

There are other cultures in which parents strive to give a child an unusual name that no one else has. Or, they might choose a name after the baby is born and they have a sense of its personality. (I think the second option was more common in the past.) This category of naming gives a child a sense of specialness and individuality.

Of course, there are some people who pick names for their children simply because they like the sound or because they admire someone who has the name or for other various reasons.

No method of choosing a name, imho, is right or wrong. It's a matter of preference. However, it is interesting to think about what your family's practice is and why you might have been named a certain name and why you are (were) drawn to a particular name to give your child.

What about you? What is the meaning of your name?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Daily...

Luke 9:23-25 tells us, "Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Two sins that can really mar my days, if I let them, are pride and selfishness. Along with fear (which probably has its roots in pride and selfishness), these are at the heart of my sinful nature -- of what I am without God's holy and loving influence in my life. These things can affect every aspect of my life, but, like most deep character sins, they can show up most vividly in who I am at home.

So, I rejoice that God, through Christ, has freed us from our sins. Each day presents a new opportunity for me to turn from pride and selfishness and to grow in love. Each day presents every one of us with opportunities to put away our selfish nature and to live the full and abundant life that Christ gives us.

As we embrace what our Lord accomplished for us through his atoning death on the cross and through his resurrection, He invites us to take up our own cross and to walk with Him. Popular language speaks of a "cross to bear" in terms of a trial or a burden, but, truly, the cross was an instrument of death.

For many Christians throughout history and even now, taking up the cross literally, and even quickly, led or leads to death by persecution. We should always be prepared to die for Christ's sake; we equally must be prepared to walk many, many days with the Lord before He calls us home. We may die a peaceful, natural death or might possibly even still be alive when the Lord returns.

So, if the Lord chooses that we do live many days, what does it mean, then, to take up our cross daily? I think it means to daily die to our old self and to daily choose the new life that Christ made possible through His crucifixion and resurrection. In dying to self, we exchange our dreams for the Lord's dreams, our plans for His plans, our will for His will, our sins for His righteousness, and our desire to be in control for His reign.

I think taking up our cross also means being willing to sacrifice so that others might be saved. Though only Christ can be the atoning sacrifice for someone's sin, we can point others to Christ. Paul was an example of someone who joyfully sacrificed much that others might know the Lord. He said to the Philippians, "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all."

The cross we take up is painful, as death always is. It goes against our instinct to think that losing our life for Christ is how we find our true life. In our natural selves, we do fight to hold on to our lives. But, we must remember that the cross was followed by the resurrection.

In the Lord's hand, our cross is an instrument of mercy. As we daily pick up our cross and walk with Christ, God molds us more and more into the perfect image of his Son, who was tempted as we are and yet never gave way to sins like pride and selfishness. God matures in us the new life that He gives us when we believe in Christ, repent of sin and turn to Christ as our Savior and Lord, and are baptized. (Matthew 18:18-20; Acts 2:38) He enables us to die to sin and to live for righteousness, something that we are unable to do on our own.

As Titus 2 tells us, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

J. R. Miller has some thoughts on dying to self and yielding to Christ as Lord of our lives:

"There is no blue sky in the picture, of which SELF is the center. There are no stars shining overhead. It begins and ends in a little patch of dusty floor, with gray walls surrounding it and shutting it in. But when SELF decreases—and Christ increases, then the picture is enlarged and takes in all of heaven's over-arching beauty. Then the stars shine down into its night and sunshine bathes its day.

Then the life of friction and worry is changed into quietness and peace. When the glory of Christ streams over this little, cramped, fretted, broken life of ours—peace comes, and the love of Christ brightens every spot and sweetens all bitterness. Trials are easy to bear when self is small—and Christ is large.

We are apt to grow weary of the bitter, sorrowful struggle that goes on in our hearts, evermore, between the old nature and the new nature, between the old self and the new Christ. It seems sometimes as if it never would be ended. It seems, too, at times, as if we were making no progress in the struggle, as if there were no decreasing of self—and no increasing of Christ. We find the old evil things unconquered still, after years of battling—the old envies and jealousies, the old tempers, the old greed, the old irritabilities, the old doubt and fear and unbelief. Will there never be release from this conflict?

Yes, if only we live patiently and bravely, in faith and love and loyalty, SELF will decrease—and Christ will increase until he fills our whole life. If we reach up ever toward the light—our past of failure and unworthiness will be left behind and we shall grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ! The new will conquer and expel the old—until it becomes "None of self—and all of Christ!""

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Belated Valentine's Thoughts...

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day. I'm thinking warm thoughts of my dear husband, who has been my Valentine since 1979.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. -- Corinthians: 13:4-8

Lovely prayer for a marriage:

God, the best maker of all marriages, Combine your hearts into one.
-- William Shakespeare

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

We took this shot in a butterfly house in Texas a while back.

Guess when the following quote was written:

"There are others of us who are discontented...with the world. The time is out of joint, and we are sick at heart because no one seems to be wise or strong enough to set it right Government is corrupt; the church seems dead or dying; the home is a failure or scandal; society is superficial and tainted; the social order is ready for the burning; the economic system is a burden and curse; the whole framework of the world needs to be reconstructed, and, alas, who is sufficient for such a Herculean task? The men with the antidotes are loud-mouthed and confident; the prophets of reform are vociferous and ubiquitous, but unfortunately they do not agree among themselves, and the remedies, when applied, are impotent to cure. The medicines do not seem to be powerful enough, and the doctors stand by the beds of feverish and delirious humanity, outwitted, discredited; dumbfounded. Modern civilization has become a tower of Babel, and the air is so filled with theories of social revision and programs of industrial reorganization that the clearest headed are bewildered by the din and tumult, not knowing in which direction deliverance must be sought."

I've been reading blogs, listening to conversations, and hearing news reports all of which voice similar sentiments. No matter what are one's political convictions or one's philosophy of life and government, it seems that many of us find our world to be confusing, disappointing, disordered, in trouble, and in need of a savior. Well, it is.

Yet, the quote above was not written today, this week, or even this year or the last. It was written by Charles Edward Jefferson in....imagine a drum roll here...1908. As Solomon says, there is nothing new under the sun.

Fortunately, Mr. Jefferson does not stop with his dismal observations of the pain felt by people of his day (and ours). He goes on to tell us that God has sent a true Savior, and he speaks of him this way:

"If His ideas have in them the force of dynamite, and if His personality has power to change the policy of empires, and even the temper of the human heart, it may be that This Man is the very man the "modern" world (quotes mine) is looking for in its wild quest for a way of deliverance from its miseries and woes. Surely all of those who are sick of the world as it is and who long for the coming of a world which shall be better, must, if they are wise, come to Jesus of Nazareth for his secret of pulling down the strongholds of iniquity and establishing righteousness and peace on the earth.

"...We discover that his supreme concern is for the rightness of heart of the individual man. This molder of empires gives himself to the task of molding individual men. This arch revolutionist starts His fire in the individual soul. He draws one man to him, infuses into him a new spirit, sends him after one brother man, who in time goes after a third man, and this third man after a fourth...

"When we speak of the environment, we think of the physical surroundings: the paving in the street, the sewerage, the architecture of the houses and the lighting of the rooms. We are convinced that with better sewerage and better ventilation and better lighting the plague of humanity would be speedily abated. But, this reformer of Nazareth acts and speaks as though environment is not a matter of brick and plaster, but rather of human minds and hearts. Men are made what they are, not by pavements and houses, but by the men among whom they live.

"If you would change the environment, then begin by a transformation of men, and if you would transform men, then begin by a transformation of some particular man. It is by the changing of the character of a man that we change the character of other men; and by changing the character of many men, we change the character of institutions and ultimately of empires and civilizations. When Jesus says, "Behold I make all things new" he lays his hand on the heart of a man. It is out of the heart the demons proceed which tear humanity to pieces, and it is out of the heart that the angels come which restore he beauty and peace of Paradise."

Mr. Jefferson sites numerous examples where human kingdoms and nations have been altered for the better by the values of the gospel. For that, we are all thankful!

Of course, we have to note that, ultimately, the kingdom of the world has been, is now, and will be until the final day opposed to the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of heaven turns the values of the world upside down. When I say kingdom of the world, I'm thinking of the way the fallen world operates and the value system held by those who resist God's beautiful and perfect will. It is only in the kingdom of heaven that we find true love, peace, and everything ordered as it should be.

Wherever Christ truly reigns in the hearts of men and women now, we see the kingdom of heaven breaking into the stronghold of the kingdom of the world. Our citizenship, as Paul says, is already in heaven. One day, we will see the fullness of the heavenly kingdom in all of its glory. Mr. Jefferson's point is well taken that the present advancement of the kingdom of heaven happens heart by heart by heart, and this total transformation of people's hearts is made possible through our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. Jefferson makes another point that is also well taken: Dealing with the externals of our lives does not solve our deepest need for redemption of the heart and soul. Of course, we do want to improve people's environment and circumstances. It pleases the Lord when we serve the poor, help the sick, and treat others with love and justice. In fact, James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." Yet, in doing that, we also want to share the glory, majesty, and love of Christ with others.

Jesus gave his apostles the radical, world-changing, life-transforming mission, which has been passed down to us. "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' " Matthew 28:18-20.

This mission was urgently needed in Jesus' day, in Charles Edward Jefferson's era, and in 2010 today.

A woman whose heart is truly surrendered to the Lord and whose heart has been infused with His Spirit has many opportunities to touch the hearts of others. What an exciting thing it is when the Lord uses our lives to help others know Him and to fall in love with Him! What could be a more exciting endeavor than to be Christ's disciples, maturing each day in doing our Father's will on earth as it is done in heaven? What could be more satisfying than to help others become disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey the wonderful commands of Jesus?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Dreaming of spring...

With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures
and some books, I live without envy.
- Lope de Vega

I was able to get in some pruning before it started raining yesterday afternoon. Being out and puttering in my yard has me dreaming of spring and summer, though I am still enjoying the beauties that winter has to offer, as well.

This year, we are converting a small veggie plot to a flower bed. I'm picturing so many fresh flowers to pick for the house, as well as to share with others. Of course, I'm not the world's greatest gardener, so my dream may exceed the future reality. But, this is a nice time of year to ponder and plan for the garden.

How about you? What are your garden dreams for this year? Of course, if you live in the Southern hemisphere, you may be still living your garden dream for the year. Share some links with us to your garden. Some of us who are in winter would love to visit a warm, flowering place right now -- even if it's only vicariously!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

What a weekend...

The view outside my window is white, white, white. We've had a rare snowstorm here, and many people have just been staying indoors. However, my intrepid husband and I (not so intrepidly, but with great motivation) decided to keep our plans to drive to see our son and his wife this weekend. So, we were on the road during the first part of the 24-hour snowfall, and what should have taken us only three hours to drive took six and a half. We were heading southward, out of the storm, and it was only raining by the time we finally got there.

The photo I've attached it not my window, but the window in the condominium that my son and his wife bought. They live in the city where I grew up. Their new home is in a historic factory that has been converted to residential living. I'm amazed at this change to fashionable lofts, since this more than hundred year old factory was still in operation when I was a girl. The little neighborhood around it is composed of the homes where the factory workers lived. The factory provided some of the very first industrial jobs in the entire South, as it was built when we were mostly an agricultural region.

The condo is right across the street from an even more historic cemetery. Among the notables buried there is a famous golfer. Though he died in the 70's, people continue to leave golf balls at his grave site. Next to his headstone is a golf cup with a ball in it.

My daughter and her husband now live in the north, in an area that receives a lot of snow. Her many friends from here sent her photos of our amazing snowfall -- four to six inches with a coating of ice on top. Since she could see sprigs of grass sticking up through the snow in several of the pictures, she was amused that we are all so excited about this. But, just a few years ago, she'd have thought this was a huge deal, too. It's all relative.

We are back home now. The Interstates are clear, but the other roads are still dicey. The sun is shining, so I assume some of it will melt today. But, it is quite beautiful.

Since this storm covered much of the country, I'm sure many of us have snow stories to tell. How about you? What was the weather like in your area this weekend?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

National letter writing month?

I saw something in a magazine that said that January is national letter writing month. I've been meaning to blog about that fact ever since I first read it and was bemoaning the fact that I had just gotten around to it during the last few days of this month.

However, when I tried to find out more details, I learned that National Card and Letter Writing Month -- at least as it has been established by the U.S. Postal Service is actually April. Perhaps, there are two organizations who have designated two different months in the year to be devoted to the lovely art of writing personal letters. Or, maybe, the post office has changed their month to January this year.

Whatever the case is, I love the idea of devoting a month to writing personal letters! Of course, Email and even quicker forms of electronic communication are wonderful. Now, we can communicate so rapidly with our loved ones. Those of us who have relatives living far away are truly blessed; consider the many mothers of pioneers and missionaries, for example, who had to wait months or even a year for a letter from their offspring. Even at that, communiques might be lost. Now, we can even chat real-time via things like Skype.

Even so, an actual hand-written note carries a charm that electronic forms of communication just can't provide. Receiving a card or letter in the mailbox brightens the day. It is a spot of cheer amidst the bills and junk mail. If you regularly receive such written missives, it makes going to the mailbox a whole lot more fun. Plus, a hand-written letter can be savored again at a later date and can be shared with others as is appropriate.

Writing cards and letters is actually a great exercise in writing. We tend to be more careful with our choice of words when writing a letter versus sending some sort of electronic message. Plus, we tend to include lovely little details in a letter that we might not care to record on a venue like Facebook or Email.

So, why not designate every month as National Letter Writing Month? Or, if a year seems to daunting to you, pick one month of the calendar to be your personal letter writing month and send out as many cards and letters as you can. If your budget allows, indulge in some lovely stationary to inspire your efforts. Otherwise, use whatever paper and envelopes you have on hand.

Happy letter writing!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Things that are lovely....

Food for the imagination...

Of course, the Lord, family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and friends head the list of lovely things to think about, but here are some others...

Blue skies with dots of white clouds...
Pretty candles...
Sparkling clean windows, slightly open with snowy white curtains billowing about them...
Roses...
All flowers...(Never met a flower I didn't like)
Butterflies...
Butterfly houses with lots and lots of different butterflies...
Songbirds...
Primroses...It's a New Year!!
Snowdrops, daffodils -- It's a New Year!! And, spring is on the way...
Hugs...
My Bible and being in the chair where I curl up with it...
Smiles...
Babies...
Baby animals...
Beautifully soothing and sweet-smelling lotions...
Wonderful perfumes...
Stew simmering on a cold afternoon...
A table set with love and care...
Lovely music...
Reading with a beloved dog or cat curled up next to you...
Letting the fire in a fireplace warm your back...
Getting a real letter in the mailbox (emails are nice too, but there's something extra special about getting a hand-written, posted letter in these days of electronic communication)
Sweet tea...Isn't that the only kind of iced tea?
Flower-scented breezes...
Ocean-scented breezes...
Crisp breezes...
Warm breezes...
The sound of leaves rustling in the breeze...
The sound of ocean waves...
The songs of birds...
Pianos...
Sitting in the shade of a lovely tree...
Picnics...
Lemons and flowers in clear glass vases to make pretty and inexpensive arrangements...
The smell of a clean home...
Being in the home of someone who really has a talent for home keeping and their presence and the way their house is arranged makes you feel warm and welcome...
The sound of a fountain...
A white picket fence with roses climbing over it...
The colors pink, yellow, blue, lavender or violet, and peachy pink...(Hardly ever met a color I didn't like, but those are my favorite)...
Antique lace...
Faces with smile lines around the eyes...
Faces of people who have lived and cried and loved and worked and believed are now aged, but have such a sweet, faithful, and full spirit...
The hands of people who have lived and cried and loved and worked and held babies and sewed and knitted and have believed and are now aged, but who have a sweet, faithful, and full spirit...
Chocolate...(Need to enjoy this one a little less! It is possible to have too much of a good thing!)
Splurging once in a while on a salon pedicure...Ahhh!
Running water, a roof over my head, a coat to wear, access to doctors and medicine, adequate food...That's more than many people in the world have...God blesses us so that we can share with those in need.
Sunrises and sunsets...
The beauties of each season...
Healthy and productive work to do...
Beautiful clocks...
Gleaming wood, polished furniture...
Picnic checked table cloths...
Clean sheets...
Wonderful quilts to snuggle under...
Hearing children play...

The world is so full of beautiful things, I'm sure that we should all be as happy as kings...
Robert Louis Stephenson.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

It's diet time again, otherwise known as "heart food -- brain food"

Day I

Well, we know it's January because everywhere we look there are commercials for diet and exercise. People are making resolutions to get in shape this year. Many of us are also craving some lighter fare after eating heavy holiday foods.

I do need to be serious about the food I feed my body and the exercise I give it. But, for this week, I'm going to try a different type of diet. My goal is to give my heart and my brain a healthy diet by watching the things I think about and meditate about. That would also include things that I watch, read, or listen to. For one week, I want to eliminate any tendency to worry or to indulge in critical attitudes and to feed my heart and mind only things that are pure, lovely, noble, of good report, and truthful. That includes making sure that the mental "soup" that simmers in the back of my mind while I attend to tasks that don't require total concentration is healthful and not hurtful.

Do you think I can do it? I'm going to give it a good try. Follow along with me as I chart my progress. Or, better yet, join with me and be my "diet partner".

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Blessing Part II...God blesses us (A)

The Bible opens with God's blessings upon creation.
Genesis 1:22 tells us that God blessed the creatures of the water and the birds of the air. He also tells them to be fruitful and to increase in number.

Likewise, God blessed the man and woman whom He created in His image. "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." In creation, God's blessing is linked to fruitfulness, multiplication, the giving of a purpose for life and work, and God's provision for man and animals.

The state of being blessed has been defined by some scholars as the state of being in a right relationship with the Lord. In the beginning, man and woman enjoy the sweetness of walking with the Lord and talking with Him face to face. Man and woman bear God's image and serve as God's agents on Earth. Everything in creation is good. Everything works in harmony with God's good will.

Satan tempts Eve with the lie that God has withheld certain blessings from Adam and Eve. Sadly, Adam and Eve try to obtain these supposed blessings for themselves. They cross the one boundary the Lord has set for them. They vainly look for blessing outside of God's loving care and outside of fellowship with Him. This breach of faith on their part introduces sin and its destructiveness into the world. Sin brings with it barriers to a relationship with a Holy God, as well as spiritual and physical death.

God, in His righteousness and holiness, pronounces penalties for man's sin. Mankind will now experience the opposite of being in a blessed relationship with the Lord; he will experience the curse of living in a fallen world. Man's work will be harder, for the earth is no longer so harmoniously ordered and no longer yields its fruits easily. Woman's pain in giving birth will be increased. Physical death becomes inevitable. Only by God's grace can man be saved from spiritual death.

Mercifully, however, God mitigates the curse with His gracious blessings. He promises that He will send a Savior, who will bring redemption and restoration. He continues to love fallen men and women, and He continues his covenants with them, despite their unfaithfulness. In His grace, He still bestows blessings even to the undeserving.

All of this leads to the pivotal point when God calls Abraham. "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great. And, so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12:2

From that point, God works with Abraham and his descendants. Through Abraham's lineage, He brings Christ into the world. By this incredible gift, all of the families of the world are indeed blessed, just as God promised. Though we have all sinned just as Adam and Eve did, we all have an opportunity to respond to Christ's offer of grace, redemption, restoration, and entrance into the kingdom of God. This is made possible by Christ's sufferings on the cross, in which He paid the penalty for our sins. Christ accomplished what we cannot, He saved us from sin and spiritual death. Those who answer the call to "the obedience that comes through faith" (Romans 1:5-6) in Christ dwell in God's grace and are supremely blessed, both now and in the age to come. "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." I John 5:11-12

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Bless; blessing; and the Keeper at Home...Part I

I've been inspired recently by a lesson I heard someone do to study out the concept of blessing in the Bible. What a huge and important subject this is! God blesses us, and He wants us to bless God and others -- even our enemies. (Matthew 5:44) The keeper at home has many opportunities to enjoy God's blessings, to bless God and thank Him for the blessings that He showers on us through his grace; to live the kind of life that God considers blessed and the kind of life that blesses others; and to shower her family and neighbors and others with blessings.

Here are just a few verses to start us thinking about the concept of blessing:

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." I Peter 3:8-10

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28

...but He blesses the home of the righteous. Proverbs3:33

The memory of the righteous will be a blessing. Proverbs 10:7

Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. Proverbs 11:11

He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD Proverbs 16:20

The righteous man lives a blameless life and blessed are his children after him. Proverbs 20:7

Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:14.

Here's a bonus question for you: Which of the American Presidents names' means bless, blessing, or one blessed by God and is similar or equivalent to the Hebrew word for bless? (This is not a political question -- just an interesting study of a name.)

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a lovely start to the New Year!

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/


FOR TODAY...

Outside my window... soft looking November sky

I am thinking... how grateful I am that my father had a wonderful turnout of friends for his 90th birthday celebration.

I am thankful for... a hubby who took care of me during a two week respiratory virus -- He did his own work and some of mine, too, as I could not do much at all.

I went... to take my dad to the dermatologist today. My poor dad has been battling the effect of sun damage on his skin for forty years now. If you are fair-skinned, wear your sunscreen! Even if you aren't, wear your sunscreen!!

I am reading... My Bucket of Sand by Sheila Jones

I am hoping... to catch up on some cleaning after being sick; am grateful did get bottom of pantry swept out and neatened, as well as a load of clothing

On my mind... What I read the other day in Romans about the downward spiral of sin and pain that begins with not honoring God as God or expressing gratitude; thinking what a great month this is to enjoy the upward cycle of praising and thanking God -- good time to develop deeper habits of praise and thanksgiving.

One of my favorite things...curling up in a warm bed on a misty night and reading a book. Even better if my cat is nearby. Way even better if my dearest hubby is also nearby.

Happiness is yellow daisy mums in a blue bowl in my blue kitchen. I'd take a photo, but my dearest has the camera with him at work.

Roses and daisies vie for being my favorite flowers, though I must admit that I have seldom met any flower that I didn't like. Most of the year, roses are my all-time favorite. But, in late summer through the fall, daisies jump right on up there. I also love tulips, magnolia blossoms, azalea blossoms, crepe myrtle blossoms, gladiolas, geraniums, begonias, periwinkles.....

What's your favorite flower?

Enjoy!'
Elizabeth

Strange happening at Wal-Mart...

I bought a pretty journal at Wal-Mart and brought it home. In its pages, I discovered a rusty looking straight-edged blade, a blade such as might fit in some type of cutting tool. I suppose it was left in the pages by accident. But, I've never encountered anything quite like that before. This is not a complaint about Wal-Mart. I'm just pondering what this is and why it's in the pages of the journal. Luckily, I did not cut my fingers on it.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

My Quote of the Day: We don't stop dancing because we get old; we get old because we stop dancing...Author Unknown

Until this was pointed out to me in a class, I did not realize that many of my favorite Bible verses actually form a theme. They relate to the idea that, in Christ, we don't merely get by, but we overflow or abound with the treasures God pours into our hearts.

Here are some examples:

Colossians 2:6-7 -- Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Romans 15:13 -- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Thessalonians 3:2 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

II Corinthians 8:1-And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

II Corinthians 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Isn't it a lovely promise that we can overflow and abound in our walk with Christ? It's challenging, too, though, for I don't always see myself as overflowing with love, joy, hope, and the comfort of Christ. When something overflows, you can't miss it. An overflowing cup, an overflowing pipe, or an overflowing river command our attention. In the same way, we are drawn to an overflowing spring leading to a pretty creek or the cascading overflow of a tiered fountain. So, I ask myself: would my family, my friends, or strangers I should chance to meet notice an overflow of these qualities of the Spirit in me? Do I truly allow myself to be filled to overflowing by the Lord? Or, do I choke the stream with other things flowing out of my heart, such as complaining or frustration or anxiety? Am I satisfied to level out spiritually where I am, or do I seek to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord so that I can overflow or abound more and more with the fruits of the Spirit living within me?

Since November is coming up, it's a good time to pray about and focus on overflowing with gratitude.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Arranging furniture...

Are you someone who re-arranges your furniture a lot? Or, do you leave your furniture as it is for a long time? Most home keepers fall into one of these two camps.

I tend to move smaller things around, but leave furniture as it is. One reason is that I get used to things being a certain way and overlook possibilities for improvement. I also have some rooms that have limited possibilities for re-arranging furniture due to the placement of doors and other items.

I appreciate friends who have a good eye for how things in a room can be arranged for new effect. Some people I know are wonderfully talented in this area. Some can see a wonderful re-design using the things they already have right away. Others keep moving things until they come upon an arrangement of furniture and other items that is most pleasing.

Of course, the keeper at home can always consult a professional re-design expert. Since that can be a budget-breaker, it's worth the practice it takes to learn this skill for yourself. By trial and error, studying beautiful rooms, and even asking for the help of a friend, you can learn how to use your furnishings for best effect. Even if this is not your natural talent -- as it is not mine -- you can do a lot to develop your own eye.

Some items to keep in mind when re-arranging furniture are

1) What is the focal point of my room? How does everything else in my room relate to this focal point, just as everything in a painting relates to a focal point? Have I inadvertently created competing focal points in a room? Is this jarring to the eye? (Note: One common problem with creating a focal point is when you have a fireplace and a TV or entertainment center in the same room. Some homes are designed so that the TV is directly above the fireplace, which makes it easy to use that wall as the focal point. In other cases, you may have to tweak things a bit so that the fireplace and TV don't compete with each other.)
2) What built-in architectural details do I need to accommodate?
3) What are the natural traffic patterns in the room? Where do people enter and leave the room? Do people have a clear path to pass in and out of the room and can they easily walk to seating? Can they access shelves, desks, etc.? Do you wish to encourage the traffic flow in a certain direction.
4) Where will you place lamps?
5) What feels comfortable to you and your family? Often, what looks nice in a decorating magazine or what seems like a great idea in your mind's eye might not really be comfortable in a real room. Don't be afraid to arrange things once again until you find an arrangement that is most comfortable.
6) Is there a piece of furniture or a rug or an accesory that you are using in one room that might actually be put to better use in another room?
7) Do you have too much furniture in a room? Too little?

If you consider these things, you'll likely come up with an arrangement that suits your family's needs and is also pleasing to the eye.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth