Fashion Blunder Surprise

Friendship with Jesus, fellowship divine. Oh, what blessed sweet communion! Jesus is a friend of mine. ~Joseph C. Ludgate

I had lunch with a friend today. One of those friends I can connect with in an instant. Between her schedule and my schedule it's been a long time coming. We laughed, we talked, we connected. It was just what I needed.

Eleanor is a fashion guru and she looked stunning as always. I thought I was pulled together okay.  I matched, navy in my top matching navy in my skirt.  Shoes went with the outfit. That's about as much as guru-ish as it gets with me. 

And then, after lunch I got out of the car at Michael's and looked down to discover my "pulled-together-okay" was suddenly not-so-okay. My skirt was as black as midnight. Which is what happens when you have the same skirt in two colors and you get dressed in a darkish bedroom. 

The best part of it? Eleanor didn't even notice! She just enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed hers. She wasn't intent on picking apart all the negative things about me. We could just "be."

I think God must desire that from His friends, too. To just "be." To spend time without the questions, requests, and yes, even whining. He wants us to laugh, talk, and connect. To be unconcerned about petty things, but just enjoy being with Him.

Tweet: God desires time with us. To just "be." Time without questions, requests, & yes, whining--to laugh, talk, connect... http://bit.ly/1eShzxC

Eleanor and I grieved with each other when our mothers died, have shared disappointments, and carried each other's heartaches. God has cared for me like a father and encouraged me through life's hard times. But sometimes, like today with Eleanor, we need to just enjoy the friendship.

Saturday Soire

Christian Mommy Blogger

Sheltering on Roller Skates

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia

I remember Melanie helping Emily learn to roller skate. Melanie was a pro by the time Emily was three and and asking for roller skates. She could fly around the blacktopped campus, yet slowing down long enough to help her sister, holding hands to steady her and pulling her up when she fell. Now it's Melanie's Ethan slowing down long enough to help his brother Camron skate, holding hands to steady him and pulling him up when he falls.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes tells us that if someone falls when he's alone, he's in real trouble. Two people are better than one...If one person falls, the other can reach out and help (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). 

I think the easiest way for Christian women to fall is in the area of discouragement. Our lives are filled to the brim of expectations -- from ourselves and others. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and to look at ladies who appear to be able to "do it all." Add to that the pressure of perfection, and we often fall under the load.

How beautiful to have a Christian friend who understands. I have a couple friends whom I can text for prayer when I'm down -- When the house needs cleaned, laundry is piled up, hours of writing calling and a migraine is starting. Other times I need to focus and a few words of encouragement or a listening ear refuels my I-can-do-it determination.


Here are a few ways to pull up a discouraged friend:

1. Pray. Stop what you are doing and pray immediately. 
2. Listen. Sometimes we just need someone to hear our heart.
3. Deliver a Starbucks. Just go to the door, hand it over and leave.
4. Text a prayer. RB has a friend who responds with a written prayer, and he treasures them. 
5. Give verbal praise.  In our discouragement we tend to focus on what we perceive to be failures. We need to be reminded of the ways we are succeeding. 
6. Give chocolate -- Dark. Smooth. Chocolate! 

Pulling your friend from discouragement doesn't require a grandiose gift or action. It doesn't even have to talk a lot of time. It's just the knowledge that someone cares. That makes the biggest difference. John Holmes said, "There's no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting others up." And we all need the exercise.

 Linking to:

Soli Deo Gloria

Wise Woman

Thriving Thursday

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Celebrations of the Heart

Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God. ~Mary Manin Morrissey

The air was frigid, yet the ice hanging on the trees was beautiful – like a postcard. But the beauty seemed marred as quickly as heavy branches fell on the electric lines. After three days without electricity it was easy to be a bit of a grouch. Perhaps your water lines froze or the cold has kept you indoors. When will spring be here, you ask yourself? It’s time to plan a celebration – a celebration of the heart!
 Heart celebrations are shared celebrations. If you are a mother, they involve your children. If you are a young wife, the celebration can be shared with your husband. Heart celebrations my involve friends, neighbors or anyone you know who needs a burst of sunshine in the middle of winter's dreariness. They can be held in your home or transported to a friend's home, the fire department or the nursing care center.  How about you and your young children planning a heart celebration for an elderly neighbor? Or a mini celebration for the teenager who lives next door?


I know what you’re asking – What is a heart celebration? Actually, it is not an extremely contemporary idea. Heart celebrations were mentioned in Proverbs 15:15. “A cheerful heart fills the day with song.” or as I like to say, “A celebrated heart is filled with singing.”

We tend to give priority attention to celebrating big holidays. But there are reasons to celebrate every day – reasons that take such a little bit of planning and few ingredients or materials.

January: National Tea Month

Unroll a 12oz tube of biscuits and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Melt three tablespoons of butter. Dip the top of each biscuit in butter, then sugar. Press an indentation in the center of each biscuit and fill with peach jam. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cut a crown for the little princess in your life. Give her some gems and glitter to decorate the crown.

National Soup Month

Fill mason jars with vegetable soup. Tie a bit of raffia around the lid and deliver a celebration to an elderly friend. I use beef roast for the base. How do you make your veggie soup?

Disney Clips

January 18: Winnie the Pooh Day

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.” ~A.S. Milne 

This is a good day to let a friend know just how much they mean to you – that they can be sure of your love. A day to celebrate your friendship. Of course, any celebration of Pooh calls for honey. Mix up a batch of your favorite muffins. While they are baking, mix 2 tablespoons of honey with a softened stick of butter. Invite your neighbor over for a cuppa and a treat. Or deliver warm to your pastor’s family or your child’s teacher.

January 29: National Popcorn Day

Who doesn’t like popcorn? It’s a staple here for cozy nights at home.

Toss It Popcorn Snack 

Microwave popcorn bag
Pretzel sticks broken in two
Yogurt raisins
Craisins
Salted pecans

Sugared Popcorn

My great-papa always had a white dishpan filled with sugared popcorn when we visited. You can find his recipe on Color Someone's World.

The two recipes above can be bagged and shared. Share with the greeters at Walmart, the clerk at the Dollar Store, the teller at the bank, the garbage man, or your husband's coworkers. Who else can you think of to share a bit of popcorn celebration?

Cheesy Popcorn

4 bags microwave popcorn popped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place popcorn in two 13-in. x 9-in. pans. Drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle onion salt over popcorn. Top with cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 7 minutes. 

Feathered Friends Celebration

It’s also fun to give our feathered friends a celebration. Using a needle and thread, push popcorn on thread to form a garland. Decorate a tree outside – the birds will love it.

January 23: National Pie Day

You won’t find the Kuhn household celebrating National Squirrel Appreciation Day (21st). Not after we had to pay for new car wires they chewed. But National Pie Day? That’s one I’d like to celebrate. Here’s a super-easy, super-delicious recipe.

Put the ingredients except chips and pecans in a large bowl and stir until completely mixed. Stir in chips and pecans. Pour in a 9” pie crust. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

If you want to plan celebrations for other National Days, check out Brownielocks. She even has a link to show you how to register your own National Day. Whatever National Day you choose to celebrate, let it fill your heart with singing. It’s catching – those around you will enjoy singing hearts, too.

Jordan's Smile and Share the Shelter Link Up

Parents of kids with special needs don’t see a disability when they look at their kids. Instead, they see the most precious and wonderful blessing of their lives. They see their child. ~Eliana Tardi  

Immediately after Jordan was just born, the doctors said he wouldn't live to be a toddler. Then they changed the prognosis to "not past toddler years...school years...teenager." But at 19, Jordan is defying the odds. His parents, partnering with God, have given him not just life, but abundant life.  

Dwight and Becky, although not his birth parents, have cared for him since birth. Second mile caring -- clean and soft hair and skin, Downy fresh clothes, and love in abundance. From his sisters to their children, the whole family delights in Jordan.

Jordan was my children's church when he was school age.  He loved music. Blindness kept him from seeing the instruments, but oh how he loved shaking the tambourines. I'd involve him any way I could. If the boys were wearing hats, Jordan wore a hat. If the boys could choose a prize, Kent, a boy with a tender heart, chose a prize for Jordan, too. He has the most beautiful smile and I loved seeing him happy.  

Today I was able to see Jordan where he's been for over a month. He was admitted because of issues with his g-tube. He then encountered problems with his breathing and ended up on a vent.  Today, although the vent is still in, they have it turned off and he is breathing around it. It was such a joy to see that smile again, however fleeting it was.  

Jordan's life has touched so many. Of course, some too busy and preoccupied to allow him to teach them compassion, joy and determination. For those of us who have chosen to listen, Jordan has taught us joy in simple things, to accept others and to love with abandon.  


I'm praying Jordan will fight this new battle so he can do his favorite activity--go camping. I want him to feel the breeze on his hand, sleep in the tiny camper with his parents and feel those slimy, scaly fish he loves. Will you pray with me? (Just before posting this Becky sent me a text: "He got the vent off.  Praise the Lord!"  I'm praising Him, too!

I took Becky a magazine and a bag of snacks. I'd love to hear your ideas of a practical way to shelter a mother staying at the hospital night after night.

Share the Shelter

Share the Shelter is open to everyone. I love variety so link your craft and recipes ideas we can use for sheltering. Link your posts that encourage us in our walk with God. We're a family here at the Sheltering Tree so make sure you visit the link before yours. Feel free to leave a prayer request in the comments if you or someone you love needs prayer.

I'm linking to Hope in Every Season.

Share the Shelter and Giveaway

The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory. R. A. Torey

Those of you who know Abby from Little Birdie Blessings know what a sweetheart she is.  Abby is a pastor's wife from Maine and loves vintage graphics with scriptures and hymns.  Her blog is a papercrafter's dream filled with free vintage printables.  

I was delighted to win a vintage postcard bundle from her last giveaway.  Abby had everything packaged so special and even tucked in some verses in a tiny glassine envelope. I decided I like to win!

Although I love Abby's gift, there's another prize I'm working on winning. Instead of leaving comment love on a blog, I must run a race. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, "I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself."

Paul's words could have come from my mouth: "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back (Philippians 3:12-14).

Off and running and not turning back.  I'm running for the prize. My eye has caught the bright reflection from the crown of righteousness. God the Father welcomes me to the race, Jesus paid the entrance fee and the Holy Spirit keeps my eyes on the goal.  

I'm not the first one to receive the prize.  I won't be the last.  But "I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."

Share the Shelter and Giveaway

Share the Shelter is open to everyone. I love variety so link your craft and recipes ideas we can use for sheltering.  Link your posts that encourage us in our walk with God.  We're a family here at the Sheltering Tree so make sure you visit the link before yours.  

Since I won, I want you to win, too. There's a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate for those of you who leave a comment.  Those who link up get an extra entry.

Linked to:

Homemaking Linkup

Friendship's Heart

Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with. ~Robert Braul

Many of you know how Katie prayed for a friend and how her prayer was answered when Emily moved to Muncie. Emily was not only friends with Katie, but with her younger sister, Kayla, as well. These three have more memories together than you can imagine. (I've written about them here, here and here.)

It’s heartwarming to see Emily and Katie work to keep their closeness following Katie's marriage and move to North Carolina.  They’ve sent cards and gifts through the mail.  Texting and phone calls have helped. Katie flew home for Emily's graduation. And Kayla and Emily have flown to North Carolina a couple times. Then Emily got the idea to send Katie a webcam so they could Skype.  Nothing makes this mother smile like hearing them laughing together over Skype.

Kayla is still nearby, but with her being in high school and on the volleyball team, and Emily in college, getting together is difficult.  This semester Emily has practicum at a local school for part of the day on Wednesday and doesn’t go to Marion for classes. Last week while I was away, Emily called to discuss her Wednesday plans.  She picked up Kayla at school, they went to Family Book Store to pick out a Bible Study program, and began their first Bible Study that afternoon.

When I hung up my heart was ringing with the words, “I find no greater joy than my children walk in truth.” To know that these girls wanted to study the Bible was a joy to me. I know the icing on the cake for them would be to have Katie there with them, but she’s always there in their hearts.

Emily with Katie's son, Camden

One of the most important things we can 

do is to guide our children as their friendships are formed. Friends whose parents share your values and Biblical world view is important. One of the blessings God gave us along with Katie and Kayla is their parents. Mark and Eleanor have been such dear friends -- we have vacationed together, spent hours over dinner tables solving world problems, shopped while our guys set up an office in coffee shops and motels.  We've laughed, shared our hearts, and cried together. 

Today while watching these daughters of the King chat while we were driving to Berry Winkle (chosen Bible Study site for tonight), I entered the Throne Room and thanked my King for this blessing of friendship. I can see these girls when they are old and wearing purple, laughter sprinkled with “remember whens"conversation. I hope they take time to thank their King for this gift called friendship.

Share the Shelter

Link up your sheltering ideas -- a recipe, craft or sewing project, a blog post sure to encourage or teach, or another sheltering idea you'd like to share? Link up and enjoy the ideas. Use them to go shelter!

Sheltering the Hurting

We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.  ~St. Francis De Sales

Someone once said, "Tears are words that need to be written." Yesterday a friend of mine posted these words, "Right now the whole world feels full of anger, fear, hurt, betrayal, lies, fury, criticism, helplessness, rejection, bitterness, deception, on and on...my very soul hurts."  

My week away allowed me to step back from life a bit. The sun cleared my head and my sister-in-law listened to all my words until my heart was cleared, too.  Sometimes we need a clearing of our mind and heart. But I wasn't even home until I began to pick up the sad.  

My friend wrote the words of her tears. And while most of my tears were shed in my heart, unbeknownst to my friend,  her words were my tear-words, too.

I have friends who are hurting.  They have been casualties of anger, fear, hurt, betrayal, lies, fury, criticism, helplessness, rejection, bitterness and deception.  Some of them by those who profess to be their friend. Some by the one who promised "until death." Others by the very ones who accepted them into the body of Christ.  

I carry their pain in my hands, their tears mingle with those in my heart. Again, I use the words of my friend, "I feel the heaviness of life so deeply that I can hardly breathe." 

Today as I bowed my head in personal worship, Jesus gently reminded me that I don't need to carry my own sadness or the pain of my friends by myself. "From every stormy wind that blows, from every swelling tide of woes, there is a calm, a sure retreat. 'Tis found beneath the mercy seat."

I huddled under the mercy seat, pouring the pain I held in my hands into the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. He took the tears and bottled them. He stilled the storm within, and calmed the swelling tides.  

Situations haven't changed. Mean-spirited people are still mean. Those who spread untrue gossip are still out there spewing their lies. Life's blows are still painful. Decisions of others haven't changed. Yet when I look at my empty hands and bottled tears, I'm reminded that God's grace, the peace from Jesus that "passes all understanding," and the Holy Spirit's comfort are enough. Enough for me, enough for my friends, and enough for the pain each of you hold in your hands.  

Head for the mercy seat, for the sure retreat. The place where Jesus will pour His oil on your pain. "Your tears are important to God. He has a bottle with your name on it" (Rick Lance).  Let the pain sift through your fingers into His big hands. Wait in His calmness, and in God's timing, glory will crown the mercy seat.

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;
’Tis found beneath the mercy seat. 

There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood bought mercy seat.

There is a scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.

There, there, on eagles’ wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat.  Hugh Stowell

* * * * *

Sheltering the Hurting

Esther from Shoregirl's Creations  shelters with the beautiful cards she creates:

I love to use books to shelter:

Abby from Little Birdie Blessings creates beautiful images and offers them free to others for use in shelter:

My friend, Eleanor, shelters through hospitality: 

Connie from Family, Home and Life shelters with special homemade gifts and goodies:

Melanie and a few friends made these Rice Bags for the women in our church.  

How do you shelter?  A listening ear? Written encouragement? A thinking-of-you gift? A promise of prayer?

The Shelter of Rest

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength. ~Charles Stanley

Last night was our grandsons' school program. Not only did they sing in their group, but both of them played piano duets with their mother. Ethan is 8 and Landon is 6. Like any grandparents, we were excited to be there.

Auntie was, too, and she was the designated picture-taker. She does her job well, but this time when she turned the camera on, I saw the words, batteries exhausted, come across the screen. For a moment I thought it was talking about me. My batteries have sure been exhausted lately.

Vince Lombardi said, "Fatigue makes cowards of all of us." And that is true. Everything looks bigger than it actually is. Every problem is magnified.

Here are a few things that help me when I'm exhausted:

1. Spend time with God. When we're busy, our time with God becomes more rote-like. I find if I can spend time with my Heavenly Father, my soul feels refreshed, and that refreshing splashes over to every area of my life.

2.  Take time to rest.  My mornings have been a shame to my Cessna roots.  Gone are the days of rising at 4:00.  I'm sleeping longer, taking a nap here and there and popping the energy vitamins.   When my Dr. told me I needed 10 hours of sleep, I laughed.  I thought we only needed 8 -- and I don't get even that.  But I'm trying to get a few more winks.

3.  Accomplish something. That may see like a strange way to become rested, but if there's something I can cross off my list, it helps me cope. Today it was writing. I've put the last project to bed until after the new year. But sometimes it's as simple as straightening a room or baking the cookies.  

Of course this can also be completed by simply crossing something off your list that isn't important to the grand scheme of things. Will Jonathan's parents really care if the lamp globes were just cleaned? or Will the kids care if I don't make three kinds of fudge? I've found that I often bring pressure on myself doing things unimportant to those I'm doing them for.

4.  Spend time with friends. We are spending the weekend with ministry friends. I may feel too tired to pack a suitcase, but once we get there, I know I'll be able to relax in Sue's beautiful home. She'll have the decorations up, candles lit and our beds ready for rest. Ben will have us laughing and the music RB and Ben play will pull our minds from to-do lists and focus them on the beauty of the greatest gift ever given -- Jesus.

I entered the Christmas season with dreams of a relaxed holiday season. I had most of my shopping finished early, some packages wrapped and the house decorated. But if I'm not careful, all my to-do lists will rob me of the joy of Advent, the beauty of little faces eager to unwrap packages, and the miracle of Christ's birth.  

Let's all take time this week to pull away from to-dos and spend extra time with God. To rest, accomplish tasks and spend time with friends who share our love of the Christ Child. Let's have a real CHRISTmas and honor God's gift.

Linked to

Soli Deo Gloria

Spiritual Sundays

Playdates with God
Whole Hearted Wednesday
Simply Helping Him

Readers of the Soul

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.                                                                                                 ~James Bryce

Do any of you feel like you cannot put a finished book on the shelves before you share parts of it? It's like an inner fire that refuses to go out until someone else responds with the same awe I have. 

I've shared my gleanings with friends who looked at me with glazed eyes and said, That's good, sounds interesting or I'll have to read that, and you know they have no idea how profound and soul-lifting or heart-wrenching the book was. It takes a lover of truth to understand.

Soul readers get excited.  Eyes sparkle -- there's that hesitation when you know they are ingesting the words deep into their soul, and, like yourself, will be changed by the thought. And then with a satisfying sigh we'll settle in, words handed back and forth and sometimes jumbled together, new truth discovered and held with awe for the other's inspection.  

Soul readers ingest more than one book at a time.  I have a Kindle and love it.  But there are still books I am reading all around me.  I'm always pulling a few old friends off the shelves, buying one that's not yet on Kindle, borrowing one from a friend. On any given day I may be hungry for different truth and will pick up one and then another to glean my manna for the day.  

It's hearing, Mom, this is a book you'll love and Momma, listen to this. It's reading, Auntie, I thought of you when I read this.  It's a mother listening to my excitement and a sister calling to share a book she's reading.  It's heart sisters who reach for the words I've read across the miles and treasure them.  It's blog friends sharing comfy old friends they have read over and over, and new ones with spines unbroken and free of margin scribbles.  

Even more than man's books, it's leather covers opened on holy ground. Prophets and apostles of old writing down words inspired by our Heavenly Father.  Words written hundreds of years ago, yet words that still burn in our hearts today. I ams and thou shalts mingled together with miracles and warnings and beautiful songs.   

If, as James Bryce says, the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it, then we know the worth of this book is the one to treasure above all others. Reading books about the Bible will never take the place of these inspired words.  Words that we hide in our heart, that cause us to rejoice in the laws as much as riches and which help us to walk in holiness.  

Embossed Hebrew names of God cascade down the cover of my Bible, and as I glance up from my computer to view the Book,  I'm reminded how much I love sitting across from Him, discussing new truth, rejoicing in truth learned in times past and feeling my heart swell with the beauty of the words.  I think God loves hearing, Listen to what I read, because He settles in to share my joy.

Soli Deo Gloria

Work in Progress

Cozy Book Hop 

Faith Filled Friday

Word Filled Wednesday

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

Sheltering Through Generations

I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

There's three

These Fathers of my heart

Gifts from above

Blessings I count

The first, my own

Walking the integrity path

Blanketing love

Daddy I call him

Daddy still

The second, I chose

Daddy for my girls

Walking the integrity path

Blanketing love

Daddy they call him

Daddy still

The third, I prayed for

Daddy for grands

Walking the integrity path

Blanketing love

Daddy they call him

And always will

Like three children of old

Refusing to bow

Furnace of integrity their path

Yet obeying the Lord

And then they see Him--not three but four

These fathers of mine

Have the fourth on their path

Giving them wisdom, guarding their steps

The fourth is their "Abba"

Heavenly Daddy, Heavenly love

 Blogger Spirit

Soli Deo Gloria

Monday Musings

God's Delight in Me

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness (Zephaniah 3:17). 

It came in the mail
This letter, long awaited
Acceptance, so proud.
Questioning Daddy
Can I?
Assurance, you can.
She could...
And she did!
Amazing, my girl
Smiling  and singing 
Praising her God.
Answering, the call

Emily has completed her first year of college. Her smile was brilliant when she walked through the door on Wednesday. I've found such joy in the bubbles of her freedom.


Smiling when I know she's curled up under her music score comforter.  Smiling when I see her without a textbook in her hands. Smiling seeing her at Panera chatting with her friend.  I find such delight in seeing the normalness of her days.  Summer will pass too quickly for my Emily.  A trip to Haiti, spending the weeks in Indy and working in the daycare, helping in Children's Church and carefree Sunday dates.  All too soon she'll be back at the university and I'll delight in her perseverance and determination.  


I think God takes pleasure in my days, too.  Smiling when I get enough sleep. Smiling when I close the closet on the freshly ironed shirts. Smiling when He sees me chatting at Panera with my friend. Yes, I think He finds delight in the normalness of my life.  It's just a small break until I'm back to duties. Writing projects are never-ending.  I believe God delights in my perseverance and determination to push toward the goals He birthed in my heart.  

Ah...delight works both ways.  David reminds me to delight in the Lord and He will give me what my heart desires. Interesting, this delight. It circles around us in those bubbles of joy. Like the rainbow in each bubble and the small splash upon bursting, delight is doubled.  My delight--in Emily and my God, and God's delight--in Emily and her momma.  Rejoicing with gladness is God's way of showing us His delight.  I, too, rejoice with gladness.

 Linked to:

Spiritual Sundays

Soli Deo Gloria

Playdates with God