Monday, July 16, 2012

C is for CREATION

Recently, my teen Youth Group has been studying Genesis. My absolute favorite part of Genesis is the first chapter which tells us of CREATION. An awesome God experience happened when we were studying this chapter. We were sitting outside discussing the amazing things that God created. I had mentioned birds, & at that exact moment, we were serenaded by a single bird in the huge tree that we were sitting under. I was so thankful to be able to share that moment of God's perfect timing with my group.


"God saw all that He had made, & it was very good."
Genesis 1:31a (NIV)


What an understatement!!!! I am very awed by God's creations, From the intricacies of the human body to the brilliant colors of the flowers.

I'm awed  when i look up in the sky & see the millions for twinkling stars.

And when i think, or see some of God's wonderful creations, they bring back some great memories....

I remember the first time i saw a bunny....up close & personal. I have no idea how old i was, but i was little. My dad was working in the field & Mom & i had brought dinner to him. He had caught a baby bunny. I remember how excited & fascinated at how his little nose twitched & how soft his fur was.


Also as a child i have been fascinated with turtles. When Mom & i would go to town, we would usually stop at Kresge's. (Anyone who remembers that name, does not have to admit how old they are.lol) They had a small pet department that had a little make shift tank full of tiny turtles. I just loved to watch them!

And God's creations can teach us so much! Though, for the most part, they are very pest, as humans, we can learn so much from the work ethics of ants.

 But God's greatest creation isn't a thing. It's love.

I hope you have enjoyed me sharing my fascinations & memories today. Please take some time today & be thankful for ALL of god's creations. Look at each one through the eyes of amazement, for they are all miracles.

One more thing...All of today's pictures are from a group that i am lucky to be a part of. We share a lot of things....sadness, joys, accomplishments... but the greatest thing we share is love. So i am sharing their handmade creations today with you. If you would like to see more of these wonderful handmade creations, please click below. Each shop is celebrating Christmas in July & they are giving YOU the gift of savings. Use coupon code HMCJULY & save 10-30% off through July! 


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Monday, July 9, 2012

What do you think?

For many years, when someone would ask me what i thought about something, usually, i would say, "I don't. It gets me in trouble." The devotion that i read today, made me realize that what i cutely said, was more true than i realized.


Our thoughts can get us into so much trouble when we don't give God permission to control them.This is especially true when we let our mind wander to the worse case scenarios. That's what i call "borrowing trouble" & really, why would we want to do that? I don't know, but as human beings, it's pretty easy to do.


But be aware! Satan is a great manipulator & he uses fear to fill us with deep unrest.


"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praise worthy - think about such things."
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)



Ask God to fill your thoughts with things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, & praise worthy. What you feel in your mind will determine what you think. When feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, or despair come into your thoughts, chase them away with the truth of your situation - which you will find through prayer & God's Word. After all, He made us with love & that's excellent & definitely praise worthy!
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Monday, July 2, 2012

Hope Overflows

How's your hope? Flourishing or sinking? The scholars say that we can't live without it. Gee....ya think? Hopelessness doesn't feel good & is no fun at all. Actually, i think it's a relative to helplessness & worthlessness. 




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


Paul prayed for the believers in Rome to have hope. Probably because without hope, life stinks. But maybe you're feeling hopeless about a certain situation; a relationship, your work, your future, etc. You're wondering how you can hope. Paul gives us this insight. Hope comes from God.  Read the above verse again. Not only does God give hope, but He has so much to pass around to us that it's overflowing. And, He gives it away free, you only need to go to Him. 


God freely gives hope, because it's His to give. Sometimes a little trickle of hope, opens our eyes to the overflow of hope & we go to God to seek & accept it. AND it comes with it's relatives, peace & joy. What an awesome package deal!


So when you find yourself feeling hopeless, helpless, or worthless, don't be discouraged. Ask God of all hope to begin a new flow from His reservoir to your heart.
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Monday, June 25, 2012

When Life Gets In The Way...

First off, i apologize for being absent the last two weeks. I have no excuses, except that life got in the way. My plate is extremely full right now, plus i have a few side dishes that are overflowing also. But it's time - passed time - to "practice what i preach".

"Watch & pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body (flesh) is weak."
Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

I'm sure many of us can relate to this verse in one way or another. And today is a perfect example. As i write this, it has been literally 2 1/2 hours since i wrote the first paragraph. First off, our birthday boy woke up. Our youngest is 16 today!!! So i HAD to stop & sing "Happy Birthday" to him & make a fuss. Secondly, a wonderful lady from church called with some awesome news about the church having a float in the 4th of July Parade. (Yes, that's one of the things on my plate.) Yeah! Good news!!! Thirdly, as i'm talking to the lady from church, i hear my oven beep to let me know that it's preheated for the birthday treats. Now, our oven is temperamental. It takes "forever" to heat up & has a tendency to get too hot sometimes. So i knew i had to get the goodies made & in there ASAP.

In the midst of this 2 1/2 hours of life, the dog needed to go outside & of course, wanted to come back inside before i wanted her to. Plus, i had laundry to fold, to put in the dryer & of course, start a new load in the washer.

Now to be totally honest, i could very easily said, "forget it!". But no!!! I will not let my flesh be weak today. I have asked & am trusting God to not let life distract me from doing His work. To keep me & my mind organized & for Him to prioritize for me. AND to give me His energy for what He wants me to accomplish, according to His will.

How about you? Does life get in the way sometimes? Most of us have the "want to", but lack the energy, motivation, &/or time to get things done.

"Those who know Your name will trust You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You"
Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Trust God & seek Him. Those are the best words of advice that anyone can heed. So not mater what you're facing &/or being distracted by in life, remember this:

TRUST IN GOD & SEEK HIM & HE WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU.



 
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Monday, June 4, 2012

No Condemnation

"There is therefore now no condemnation down in my heart..." Do you remember singing that as a kid? I do. Did you know what it meant? I didn't. But over the years, i've learned that if i started to feel any condemnation, those thoughts were NOT from the Lord. He always gives me grace to press on. I now know that there IS victory in Jesus & that a condemning spirit is only just an obstacle that needs to be overcome by the power of Jesus that is in me.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1


Jesus paid our debt on the cross & if we confess our sins & ask for forgiveness, God throws away the record of our sin. But even so, we sometimes allow the enemy to cause us to despair over God-forgiven sins of the past. God as forgiven us, so we have no reason to hang on to the feelings of condemnation.
The truth is...GOD LOVES US. No matter where we go or how we respond to God, He loves us deeply. He longs for our fellowship, praise & worship. He constantly pursues us, seeking to draw us into a loving relationship.
The truth is...GOD IS FAITHFUL. He shows us this by giving us a new chance everyday. Therefore, when the enemy comes to blame, claim, or shame, we need to lift it up to Jesus. We are new creations because of Jesus & what He suffered through on the cross. Hang on to that love. Accept that forgiveness. Then you can really sing "There is therefore now no condemnation, down in my heart"!!!
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Monday, May 21, 2012

Battles to Victory Celebrations

We all experience battles in our lives. Some are continuous throughout our lives. Some are over soon. And some, though temporary, last a lot longer than we'd like. God never intended for us to enter a battle under our own strength.


" 'Not by might nor power, but by Spirit' says the Lord Almighty."
Zechariah 4:6

We need to have faith in God & be obedient to His teaching. He knows the areas of our lives that we have no strength or power to straighten things out. But victory does not depend on what strength, power, or willpower that you have, or don't have. Victories belong to God & the path we must follow is obedience. The best way to fight your battles is to ask & allow God's Holy Spirit to teach & guide us. Strength is limited & willpower is often subject to our emotional state. But God's Spirit is able to endure & lead you to victory.

Even when we are not faithful to ourselves, God is always faithful to us. He's always with us to give us strength when we are weak, to hold us when we're lonely, to heal us when we're hurting, to hug us when we're happy & to even high-five us when we obey Him. And because one of God's greatest promises is that He will never leave us, i can assure you that He'll always show up for any battle or pity-party that you may have. Plus, if you ask Him, He'll turn it into a victory celebration.


We can always count on God. He has the power through the Holy Spirit to lead us to victory in all areas of our lives. Our role is to learn to follow His will, not our own. We can also continue the victory celebration by sharing how God has worked in our lives. Share your experiences with other. It just may help them to believe & to call on God in their time of need.





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Monday, May 14, 2012

It's All About the Kids!

Many of you know that i send tithes plus offerings to Casa de Fe, which is a Christian orphanage in Shel, Ecuador. So how did i get involved with this particular cause? Well, first off, a class mate of mine found me on Facebook. This wonderful lady, Patti Sue, manages Casa de Fe. I thought it was awesome. It wasn't long after we renewed our friendship on line, that i saw this picture...
All i could see was this precious little boy with God's smile. This was Jhony when he first came to Casa de Fe, three years ago.

"Jhony is a miracle child. He was born with a portion of his skull missing from his forehead & between his eyes. When he came to us, he had fluid leaking from a fisher between his eyes. His brain being opened to the world, opened him up to the possibility of infection going straight to his brain. But God had a different plan. Within 4 days of coming to Casa de Fe, we whisked him off to Quito to have surgery. He had a portion of his brain removed & then sealed, the skull rebuilt, & screen put in where the ridge of his nose was missing. All in all, it was an 8 hour surgery & he was in intensive care for 8 days. Now Jhony is a normally developing [boy] which can only be for the Grace of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ."

(from Casa de Fe's website)

This is just one of many stories that come out of CdF that will warm your heart. But one thing that i really admire about CdF is that they live up to their mission statement.
www.ifrogcrafts.etsy.com

"Believing that all children are created in God's image, Casa de Fe exists as an integral part of the body of Christ, focused on rescuing abandoned, abused & special needs children, providing for their physical, spiritual, & educational needs, in a loving supportive home environment, with the ultimate goal of assisting each of God's children to achieve their highest potential in His Kingdom." 
www.SprinkledJoy.etsy.com

For more information about Casa de Fe, please visit their website.
lacasadefe.org/

So why am i taking this different route for today's blog entry? Well, this part is hard for me, because i really don't like to toot my own horn. But ifrogcrafts has entered the world of fundraising...mostly for church youth groups....but, anyone really.
www.SILVESTROMEDIA.etsy.com

In the November, 2011 CdF newsletter, these financial needs were listed:
          Fresh fruits & vegetables - $500 (weekly)
          100 lbs. rice - $35 (2 months)
          100 lbs. sugar - $42 (1 1/2 months)
          360 eggs - $37.20 (monthly)
          100 liters milk - $50 (weekly)
          Cheese & Yogurt - $30 (weekly)
          Chicken - $35 (weekly)
          Meats - $65 (weekly)
          Pediasure - $20 (daily), $140 (weekly), $600 (monthly)
And this is just general food needs. There is so much more included in the home operations.
www.Vanessasblankets.etsy.com

Today, i am humbly asking for you to help me send more to Casa de Fe. If you know of any group that does periodic fundraisers, i just ask that you tell them about ifrogcrafts. I would love to get emails asking for more information or questions at ifrogcrafts@live.com.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I so appreciate it. AND i appreciate & am thankful for each & every one of you.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up & judge fairly,
defend the rights of the poor & needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9






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