Sheltering Ties

Open your hearts to the love God instills...God loves you tenderly. What He gives you is not to be kept under lock and key but to be shared.  
                                                                                     ~Mother Teresa

I have found the hearts of God's true disciples are bound in love.  I think I see this most clearly through the eyes of blogging.  I'm amazed at the love that has been born in my heart for those I have never met.  There's a passion in my blogging sisters. A passion for sharing the lessons God is teaching. Women writing authentically in the midst of life's messiness. 


How can you meet a sister through the words of grace and not feel a tug of love?  In these grace-filled words they offer peace, pour oil of comfort, share joy, and celebrate the mundane.  Mentors surface, blurring the edges of age--the young mentor the older, and the older reach back to grab memories to mentor the young.


This sharing of Christian love isn't a newness that came with the blogging in the 21st century.  In 1740, John Fawcett was born in England.  When Fawcett was 30 and pastoring a small congregation, he wrote a song celebrating the tie that binds God's people together.  

"Blest Be the Tie That Binds"

"Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love!

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne

We pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,

Our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows

The sympathizing tear.

This Christian love has spanned the years, joining hearts together with ties that bind.  Ties that are formed of kindred spirits--spirits whose goal is to follow God with heart, soul and mind.  Kindred spirits I have found in the words of my blogging world.  We admit our fears, share our hopes and dreams, shed tears in shared grief, and just as quickly rejoice in our blessings.


But our ties do not end when the computer is turned off.  It is then we meet at the Father's throne, asking God through Jesus Christ to comfort, encourage, and meet financial, emotional and physical needs. Our posture and our words lack the formality of the 17th century, but God hears our prayers just as clearly.


I'm blessed.  Blessed to have these ties.  Blessed to be gifted love from women of God who live around the world.   Blessed by those who breathe encouragement when it is called, "Today."

 Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.

Hebrews 3:13

* * * * *

Celebrate the Ties

Father's Day is over, but these projects can be easily adapted to other occasions.  Jonathon and Emily are leading Children's Church for June.  This is the project they helped the children make last week.  She found the idea on Vippins.

These fun treat ties were made by Krista, a friend of mine.  She combined a couple Pinterest ideas. The ties are filled with Lemon Snack Mix recipe.  The tag says:

Here's a special tie for you, 

to tell you thanks for all you do. You are 

T-errific 

I-ncredible 

E-xtraordinary 

Happy Father's Day!




One last idea that I found and really liked.  RB's ties are not safe!  He better put them under lock and key.

Linked to:

Five Filled Friday

Friendship Friday

Spiritual Sundays

Monday's Musings