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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Recent Obcession With Chevron Paper

Ever since I found amazing printable papers from Mel Stampz I have been using them everywhere!

Here are some of my projects!
(Made to be placed in 8x10 frame and used with dry erase marker.)

(Made to be placed in 8x10 frame and used with dry erase marker.)

(Made to be placed in 5x7 frame and used with dry erase marker.)


 (Made to be placed in 5x7 frame and used with dry erase marker.)

Please feel free to save and print these for personal use!
If you'd like them customized, please let me know and I would be happy to make something special just for you!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Adorning Ourselves in Modest Apparel

Today's Thought:  Considering the Thoughts/Feelings/Emotions our clothing evokes in those around us...particularly in the opposite sex.


"...the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." - 1 Timothy 2:9

Let's look at the original Greek meaning behind some of these words:
modesty - "well-arranged, seemly, modest"
propriety/shamefacedness - "decency, reverence, a sense of shame, modesty"
moderation/sobriety - "self-control, appropriateness, reasonableness, sobriety)
proper/becometh - "to be becomely, seemly, fit, appropriate, to be proper"

When considering how we will adorn ourselves we need to answer these questions:
- Does it show others the exact shape of my body?
- Will it distract others from focusing on God?
- Does it show a quietness of spirit?
- Does it expose my chest/thighs/back/rear when I bend/sit/move etc?
- What kind of example does it set for others?
- Why am I choosing to wear this? - if you're dressing to appear "sexy" you've got the wrong mindset and need to re-evaluate your heart.
- Will someone who's taller than me be able to see down my top?
- Is it something I would feel comfortable wearing in the presence of my Heavenly Father? - He's everywhere and knows what you're wearing all the time, and knows then intentions of you're heart when you're getting dressed.

I hope this has helped you prepare for the warmer weather we have coming our way!  May you always be a woman professing godliness in you inward and outward adornment.


Additional Resources on Modesty
Put Your Clothes On! 
- by Wes McAdams

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Glass Jar Love


Glass jars are by far one of my favorite types organization and storage containers.  Here's why:
  • They are clear, so I can always see exactly what is inside.
  • They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
  • I can usually find them for less than $3 at Goodwill.
  • AND they can turn ordinary items into beautiful displays!

What do organize/store in glass jars???

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Being A Living Example




"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
- 1 Timothy 4:12



Even though the above passage speaks directly to Timothy, a young gospel preacher, this is definitely a principle we can (and should!) strive to live by.  One thing is certain, no matter how old or young, strong or weak, vocal or quiet a person is there are always people observing and evaluating the pattern he or she is setting.  

As followers of Christ, this is especially important for us to consider as we go about our everyday walk of life.  The way we live our lives will do one of two things:  draw others to Christ, or push them away from them.  While we don't have direct control over the outcome of our example, we can still have some say in how we influence some of the people we come in contact with.  If we are living our lives in such a way that others see the faith we have in God, the sincerity in which we respond to God's commands, and the genuine love we have for our Creator as well as those around us we are more likely to draw others to Him.  However, if they see us say one thing then do another, they will acknowledge our hypocrisy and have no desire to learn more about Jesus.  If we don't take Him seriously, why should they?

Those who are mature in the faith have the potential to serve as godly patterns to those who are younger and less knowledgeable.  Paul wrote to the church at Philippi concerning himself and disciples working with him, encouraging them follow the pattern they set, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." (Philippians 3:17

How encouraging are the words Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica!  "And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything." (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8)  These brethren were living their lives in such a way that others were converted to Christ!  How wonderful!  Shouldn't we strive to do the same?

May we all consider our day-to-day conduct as we live out our lives here on earth.  Remember, Christ is our ultimate example.  Following Him we will not fall short.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Spring Mantle Update

After looking at our spring mantle for several weeks (and the purchase of a beautiful HUGE square clock) I decided it wasn't really working for me.  The colors were too bright and bold to go with our living room decor.  I decided to go with a muted green and yellow color scheme.

I grabbed some paint samples from a local shopping center and refreshed my spring word art.

Here's a reminder of what it looked like before:
 
And here is what it looks like now!
 
I also re-did my spring subway art.  This time I used a digital paper design from MelStampz and used PowerPoint to create the art.  I downloaded several of the fonts from dafont.com 
Here's what my original attempt at subway art with paint samples looked like:
 
Some of you may have already had a sneak-peak at my new subway art, as I posted it as a free printable in later April:

Here's an overall comparison between the two spring mantles.

BEFORE

AFTER

The new colors work so much better in our living room and help the room feel more welcoming.  The bright colors (though I do love them!) were just too much in-your-face.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Re-purposing Our Lives for Christ

"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"
(Luke 9:23)

When we think about re-purposing everyday items, what all is involved in that task?  Generally, we take an item that has served its purpose and would otherwise find itself on the way to the local landfill.  It's dirty and no longer holds value towards its original purpose.  We can think of ourselves the same way.  Before we commit our lives to Christ the only purpose we have is to fulfill our own desires.  This is a very empty and unsatisfying purpose, which leaves us dirty and on our way towards eternal destruction.

However, just like these everyday items we find new uses for, God has a new use for us.  A meaningful purpose in His kingdom that will lead us to a life in eternity with Him.  But just like re-purposing ice cream buckets, there is a process we must go through if we are going to successfully and effectively re-purpose our lives for Christ.

First, we must clean ourselves out by putting off the old man, and putting on the new.  This process begins when we are baptized into Christ's death and we come in contact with His blood which washes away our sins, preparing us to walk in a newness of life, free from sin.  "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)  Now that our sins have been taken away we must begin to change ourselves.  As Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,..." (Colossians 3:9, 10)  And also to those who were of the faith in Ephesus, "But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:20-24)  We must empty ourselves of our old ways of thinking, speaking and doing which were patterned after Satan, and put on new ways of thinking, speaking and doing which are patterned after Christ.

This "change" is not a one-time thing.  It's something we must re-commit ourselves to each and every day.  We must daily seek to follow Christ to the best of our ability.  "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"(Luke 9:23)  We cannot let ourselves fall prey to Satan's snares which would draw us back to our former way of living, away from Christ.  We cannot look back!  "Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:60-62)

So, now that we've cleansed ourselves of our sins, put on the new man, and dedicated ourselves to Christ, how do we continue on the straight and narrow?  Putting on the armor of God is a key place to start:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—"
(Ephesians 6:10-18)

We must also seek to bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) and flee the Lusts of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).

May we all endeavor to continually live our lives in such a way that we may bear fruit for our Lord, bringing others to Him, and conduct ourselves so that others can see Christ living in us.

This "Think On It" was suggested by my mother, and co-written with my baby sister.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Having a Humble Heart

"Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
- I Peter 5:6 -

From the beginning, God has desired for men to humble themselves before Him, putting His will above our own.  In Exodus 10:3 God asks Pharaoh "How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?"  Pharaoh refused to let go of his pride so that he might do the will of our wonderful Lord.  Is God asking us the same question He asked Pharaoh?  Are we holding onto our pride, despite the consequences of our prideful rebellion to serve God with our whole heart?

Pharaoh was not the only person in Exodus who lacked humility.  God's chosen people had a pride issue, too.  In Psalm 18:27 the psalmist wrote "For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks."  God made no exception for His chosen people, Israel.  Moses wrote:  
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.  So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
- Deuteronomy 8:2, 3 -

There are many verses throughout the Psalms, Proverbs and the book of Isaiah that teach us about humility and how God treats those who humble themselves before Him.  Here are a few of my favorites:
  • Psalm 10:12 - "Arise, O LORD!  O God, lift up Your hand!  Do not forget the humble."
  • Psalm 10:17 - "LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,"
  • Psalm 25:9 -  "The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way."
  • Psalm 34:2 - "My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad."
  • Psalm 147:6 - "The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground."
  • Psalm 149:4 - "For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."
  • Proverbs 3:34 - "Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble."
  • Proverbs 11:2 - "When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom."
  • Proverbs 16:19 - "Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud."
  • Proverbs 29:23 - "A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor."
  • Isaiah 29:19 - "The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holly One of Israel."
  • Isaiah 57:15 - "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

We must also remember the humility of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who "being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8)  No greater humility could ever be shown by mortal man than what was exhibited by Christ.  He left His throne of glory, allowed Himself to become sin for us and endured separation from the Father simply because that was the Father's will.  Before His death on the cross, Christ spoke saying, "whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)  He also reminded us a couple times that "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11)

Therefore "Humbles yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:10)

God cannot lift us up
if we have already lifted ourselves. 
We must be humble
so that God can do the exalting.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Free Chalkboard Decals from Finger Snapper!!!



 
Finger Snapper is having their first sale
and they want YOU to be a part of it!
Here's what they had to say:

"We are having our first SALE...and the best part is that it is FREE! The only thing you need to do to get your THREE FREE chalkboard decals is like Finger Snapper on Facebook, and then write on your wall about this awesome giveaway with a link back to this page so everyone else can like us too for their free chalkboard decals!
Once those two things are done, shoot us an email at info@fingersnapper.com with your mailing address and we will mail you your free chalkboard decals!
Easy!
If you want to help spread the love...you can post about this on your blog too, send out an email to all your friends, text all your friends...you get the idea. The more followers we have when we are ready to launch our site in June, the better the deals will be!

{This deal is for the 48 continental US and Canada residents only}"
 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Setting Our Hearts to Do Good

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith."
Galatians 6:9,  10

In 3 John 11, we read that "He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God."  If we are striving to live our lives for Christ, striving to walk in His footsteps, we MUST do good.

However, we will not get by with just doing good to those who do good for us, or those we like.  In our Lord's Sermon on the Mount He gives us these commands:
   "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who    curse  you, and pray for those who spitefully use you...Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil." 
(Luke 6: 27, 28, 30-35)

At times, these commandments may seem very difficult.  Especially those concerning how we treat those who hurt us.  But remember, "...this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."  (I John 5:3)  God did not give us commands to weigh us down, but to build us (and others!) up, and draw us closer to Him.  No matter how others respond or how much good there is to be done, we must "not grow weary in doing good" (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

Why is doing good so important?  Other than the facts that we have direct commands from our Lord (Luke 6: 27-35) and that we must do good to be pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:16), if we know to do good, and refuse to do it we are in sin (James 4:17).  Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2).  We want to stay as far away from sin as we can so that our lives may be pleasing to God and that others might be brought to Him through our example.

The more bountifully God blesses us, the more good He expects us to do.  In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 we see a direct command given specifically to those who are rich:
"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

We may not have much, but if we have more than the bare necessities then we should consider ourselves richly blessed and should be all the more willing to give and share with those who are less fortunate.  Doing good to others does not always require a financial sacrifice.  Often the greatest sacrifice that we can give is that of our time.  We should be tenderhearted and compassionate to all who we come in contact with.