This week, I'll be focusing on 1 Peter 3:10-12; frankly, my tongue can be put to much better use than sarcasm and condescending remarks.
The verse goes something like this:
For "whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
Today happens to be my 30th birthday; I don't feel much older and I certainly don't feel any wiser. Thankfully, God has both of those covered (He knows how many days I'm to live and He's infinitely wiser than I can even begin to be.). :)
Maybe I should have chosen 1 Corinthians 13:11 instead to mark the occasion of getting older: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man (In my case, woman.), I gave up childish ways."
For some people, it doesn't take 30 years to give up childish ways; some folks, however, can't seem to let them go. I'll admit that I have held onto some childish ways, but it's time to let them go.
Disciple's "Dear X" suits this succinctly; I recommend that, if you have not heard the song, you listen to it (I linked to a lyrics site, as well as Disciple's site.).
4/14/11
This week in Scripture!
This week began the Scripture memorization challenge set by Kelli of The Beauty of His Love (Hi, Kelli!) and I started a week early (Mainly because I'm weird and silly like that; apparently, people like that about me.) with Psalm 139:13.
This week, it's Philippians 4:5-7: "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus."
I'm naturally an anxious person and a worrywart (My husband can attest to this, as well as several friends through the years!), so focusing on these verses should help the anxiety (It's all on the Lord's strength; I'm a weakling!). So far, this has been a tremendous blessing for me; I've been much calmer as of late.
After these verses, I'm thinking 1 Peter 3:10-12, which goes like this:
For
'Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'
Not many know this (Until now, since I decided to let the cat out of the bag.), but my tongue gets me into a lot of trouble; I usually reply sarcastically or in a way that's inappropriate in one form or another. This challenge has definitely changed my perspective on things and how I approach people; I'm learning to be a bit more tactful and a lot less sarcastic. I think of my daughter and I don't want her to pick up Mama's bad habits; I want her to grow into a gentle and loving person that loves the Lord with all of her heart instead. There's no time like the present to start those habits that are much better.
A good song that plays on my friend Katelynn's playlist is Michael W. Smith's "Never Been Unloved"; it's a perfect reminder that, although I've been a lot of things (Especially toward God, which upsets me.), I've never been unloved. My gratitude can never be expressed because it's too great to do so.
This week, it's Philippians 4:5-7: "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus."
I'm naturally an anxious person and a worrywart (My husband can attest to this, as well as several friends through the years!), so focusing on these verses should help the anxiety (It's all on the Lord's strength; I'm a weakling!). So far, this has been a tremendous blessing for me; I've been much calmer as of late.
After these verses, I'm thinking 1 Peter 3:10-12, which goes like this:
For
'Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'
Not many know this (Until now, since I decided to let the cat out of the bag.), but my tongue gets me into a lot of trouble; I usually reply sarcastically or in a way that's inappropriate in one form or another. This challenge has definitely changed my perspective on things and how I approach people; I'm learning to be a bit more tactful and a lot less sarcastic. I think of my daughter and I don't want her to pick up Mama's bad habits; I want her to grow into a gentle and loving person that loves the Lord with all of her heart instead. There's no time like the present to start those habits that are much better.
A good song that plays on my friend Katelynn's playlist is Michael W. Smith's "Never Been Unloved"; it's a perfect reminder that, although I've been a lot of things (Especially toward God, which upsets me.), I've never been unloved. My gratitude can never be expressed because it's too great to do so.
4/7/11
Sustenance among chaos.
One thing that has been on people's minds as of late is a possible government shutdown (Another happens to be that another earthquake rocked Japan; pray for them and help out if you can!).
What people may not know is that the military is affected in a big way.
Members of the armed forces are considered as federal employees; federal employees will be affected by the shutdown by not getting paid or getting a reduced paycheck. Many of those are young couples that are living on just that one paycheck.
That said, I urge folks to not become anxious.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)
God has this covered already; if He provided the Hebrews with manna, quail and water when they went on their mass exodus out of Egypt, then He can surely provide the necessities for today.
Jesus' message in Matthew 6 also covers this very thing:
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34)
Even among what seems to be chaos, our Father sustains us. We're to seek Him; everything else falls into place (It doesn't mean that life will be honky-dory, but it will be more tolerable since the Creator of the universe is looking out for our best interest.).
What people may not know is that the military is affected in a big way.
Members of the armed forces are considered as federal employees; federal employees will be affected by the shutdown by not getting paid or getting a reduced paycheck. Many of those are young couples that are living on just that one paycheck.
That said, I urge folks to not become anxious.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)
God has this covered already; if He provided the Hebrews with manna, quail and water when they went on their mass exodus out of Egypt, then He can surely provide the necessities for today.
Jesus' message in Matthew 6 also covers this very thing:
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34)
Even among what seems to be chaos, our Father sustains us. We're to seek Him; everything else falls into place (It doesn't mean that life will be honky-dory, but it will be more tolerable since the Creator of the universe is looking out for our best interest.).
4/3/11
Sorta related to knitting. :)
I was challenged by a good friend of mine (Kelli from The Beauty of His Love) to memorize Scripture (One to two verses a week.), starting next Monday (the 11th).
I decided to start a week early; since I love to knit, my first couple of verses will focus on that (Knitting takes a lot of labor and a lot of love; a person who loves to knit or loves the recipient of a knitted gift knows the difficulty and the labor it takes to construct a viable and practical (Or something not-so-practical.) gift.). :D
Here's my verse for the week (All verses will be from the English Standard Version.): For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).
This not only strikes me as a knitter, but as a mother; my Bee (Now at 18 months old!) was knitted together by the very One who, in a sense, knitted the universe together and knows how many hairs (Including my gray hairs; eep!) are on my head. To me, I'm awestruck by that; a God who takes the time to count my gray hairs (There aren't many, as far as I know!) and knits a baby in her mother's womb is surely a God that is meant to be personal and personable. Add to that a God that is creative (A duck-billed platypus? Check. A three-toed sloth? Check. A klutzy knitter who prefers heels while trying to avoid a cat trying to trip her? That's a check, too!).
That said, throughout the rest of the year, I'll be learning and memorizing Scripture; thank you, Kelli, for the opportunity and for the challenge!
Knitting-wise, I'm still on my second Swallowtail; I'm a really slow knitter. :)
I decided to start a week early; since I love to knit, my first couple of verses will focus on that (Knitting takes a lot of labor and a lot of love; a person who loves to knit or loves the recipient of a knitted gift knows the difficulty and the labor it takes to construct a viable and practical (Or something not-so-practical.) gift.). :D
Here's my verse for the week (All verses will be from the English Standard Version.): For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).
This not only strikes me as a knitter, but as a mother; my Bee (Now at 18 months old!) was knitted together by the very One who, in a sense, knitted the universe together and knows how many hairs (Including my gray hairs; eep!) are on my head. To me, I'm awestruck by that; a God who takes the time to count my gray hairs (There aren't many, as far as I know!) and knits a baby in her mother's womb is surely a God that is meant to be personal and personable. Add to that a God that is creative (A duck-billed platypus? Check. A three-toed sloth? Check. A klutzy knitter who prefers heels while trying to avoid a cat trying to trip her? That's a check, too!).
That said, throughout the rest of the year, I'll be learning and memorizing Scripture; thank you, Kelli, for the opportunity and for the challenge!
Knitting-wise, I'm still on my second Swallowtail; I'm a really slow knitter. :)
1/22/11
KALs and joy!
I recently joined a KAL on Ravelry (The Light and Dark Lace Club) and I received my yarn today (You buy a skein of yarn and the pattern comes later.); I must say that the yarn is exquisite and I'm looking forward to the pattern (I'm thinking it'll be a shawlette.).
I'm still working on a cardigan for myself and a second Swallowtail shawl; both are at a snail's pace, I'm afraid. I don't knit very quickly.
Anywho, my little Bee-nut is currently at .5 ounces away from being 16 lbs (Yay!); we've had a hard time getting weight on the poor thing, so it's a tremendous blessing when she does. Praise God!
Basically, I've been busy! :D
I'm still working on a cardigan for myself and a second Swallowtail shawl; both are at a snail's pace, I'm afraid. I don't knit very quickly.
Anywho, my little Bee-nut is currently at .5 ounces away from being 16 lbs (Yay!); we've had a hard time getting weight on the poor thing, so it's a tremendous blessing when she does. Praise God!
Basically, I've been busy! :D
12/24/10
Time Sure Flies!
It's been a while since I updated this thing; my apologies!
I managed to start another Swallowtail shawl (This time, it's in Fiesta La Luz in a really pretty colorway called Stargazer.), finished some small projects and even started a hat (or three).
That out of the way, I'd wanted to post some lyrics that, while may not be normally considered a Christmas tune, mean a lot to me personally.
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow’r.
(Refrain)I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
(The rest of the lyrics can be found at the following site: Timeless Truths)
While this particular hymn isn't found in some hymnals, I still remember singing it at my old church back in North Carolina.
This song is incredibly comforting, especially to those that are hurting at this time of the year; holidays can be painful reminders to folks that have lost loved ones during the year, as well as those that are waiting for loved ones to come home from dangerous deployments. Please pray for those whose hearts are a tad bit more lonesome.
To my friends, I wish you a blessed Christmas; I pray that you're able to spend time with friends and family. If not, I'm sure that they're holding a place for you when you do return.
I managed to start another Swallowtail shawl (This time, it's in Fiesta La Luz in a really pretty colorway called Stargazer.), finished some small projects and even started a hat (or three).
That out of the way, I'd wanted to post some lyrics that, while may not be normally considered a Christmas tune, mean a lot to me personally.
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow’r.
(Refrain)I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
(The rest of the lyrics can be found at the following site: Timeless Truths)
While this particular hymn isn't found in some hymnals, I still remember singing it at my old church back in North Carolina.
This song is incredibly comforting, especially to those that are hurting at this time of the year; holidays can be painful reminders to folks that have lost loved ones during the year, as well as those that are waiting for loved ones to come home from dangerous deployments. Please pray for those whose hearts are a tad bit more lonesome.
To my friends, I wish you a blessed Christmas; I pray that you're able to spend time with friends and family. If not, I'm sure that they're holding a place for you when you do return.
8/29/10
Somehow, this ain't right...
I'm still trying to catch up on my knitting; I'd like to think that I am.
I re-blocked the Swallowtail (I did a more aggressive block.) - which came out beautifully - and I blocked the Lotus Blossom (Finally!).
I'm doing another Swallowtail (This time, in Fiesta Yarns' La Luz Multi; this silk yarn is perfect for a Swallowtail!)...I think I'm nuts!
I'm also making a cardigan for myself (I really must be nuts!); from Creative Knitting, the Alluring Lace cardigan.
On top of that, Bee commands my attention; at 11 months old (As of tomorrow!!!), she's active and healthy, even if she's a bit small for her age. She's still adorable!
I re-blocked the Swallowtail (I did a more aggressive block.) - which came out beautifully - and I blocked the Lotus Blossom (Finally!).
I'm doing another Swallowtail (This time, in Fiesta Yarns' La Luz Multi; this silk yarn is perfect for a Swallowtail!)...I think I'm nuts!
I'm also making a cardigan for myself (I really must be nuts!); from Creative Knitting, the Alluring Lace cardigan.
On top of that, Bee commands my attention; at 11 months old (As of tomorrow!!!), she's active and healthy, even if she's a bit small for her age. She's still adorable!
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