Make hay while the sun shines

 

Last weekend we went home to help my family bale hay. We have missed out on a lot this summer with my husband’s work schedule, so we were raring to go ;) Here are a few snapshots of our Saturday.

The fellas getting something sorted out.

I drove a truck for a little while and had a little hay-hauling buddy, but she didn’t last long. Not even a full round around the field and she fell asleep. She woke up just in time for Mama, Nannie, and the other girls to come by with a snack.

Someone thought she had to pour her Cheetos into her mouth just like her Jakey did ;)  She thought he was doing a trick--not realizing his hands were dirty—and of course had to try it.

A flock of ibises stopped by for a snack in the hayfield too.

Time to get the hay in the barn.

.Deciding the best course of action.

My Papa.

Me and my biggest little sister before heading home for the evening. Do we favor much?

 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (KJV)

Holiness: Principles or Rules?

  I’ve been pondering a lot on holiness a lot lately. Partly because our church is in the middle of a very in-depth holiness study right now, but also just because it is a subject that has always been near and dear to my heart. The study we are in right now has affirmed what I believe about holiness, but has also opened my eyes to things and aspects of holiness I’d never thought of until now. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and the things I’ve learned over the last few weeks. I’ll probably have one or two more posts on the subject—who knows? ;)

 

What do you think of when you hear the word holy?  I think of the Old Testament and the Tabernacle. The things and objects in the Tabernacle were made especially for use in God’s house, set apart and cleansed specifically for His purposes. The priests were set apart and lived careful lives, conforming to God’s instructions. I also think of purity, like a bride, having done everything she knows her husband likes and prefers to make herself ready for him.

   According to the Bible, holiness is beautiful! Holiness is something to be excited about.  Below are just a few of the verses where it is extolled, praised, and presented as something to desire and reach for. Holiness should be the goal of every believer.

1 Chronicles 16:29 KJV

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 229:2 KJV

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 93:5 KJV

Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.

 
Who  doesn’t want to be beautiful? Who doesn’t want to have a beautiful life?  I want to have a beautiful life. I want to live in a way that pleasing and beautiful to Him.

Holiness is worship and gives God glory—the glory that is due to His name.

Many people get their hackles up whenever you begin talking about holiness. Immediately they start spouting words like “rules” “legalism” “PHARISEEEEEE” and such. They begin a spiel about grace and not being under the Law any more, etc. (That is a subject for another post, which I will get to very soon.) So if you are one of those people who when they hear words like “holiness” or “standards” and it gets under your skin, please hang around for a little while and allow me to share what I believe and why, based on Scripture.

{Principles vs. Rules}

Rules—a prescribed guide for conduct or action.

Principles—the reason for which the rule exists.

   I  do really well with rules. If I know what the guidelines are and what is accepted and allowed, I can hit the mark. Rules give definition and I really like that. I feel safe inside boundaries. However, if you have been a Christian for any length of time, you will notice, as I did, that there is not a rule or Scripture for every situation or issue. HOLD IT! I thought you believed in the Supremacy and sufficiency of Scripture, and now you’re saying that it doesn’t hold the answer to every one of our problems?! Heavens no, that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that there are rules, and then there are priciples. Principles are the basis and reason for rules.

  For example: There is no verse in the Bible that says “Thou shalt not have a television in thy dwelling, for all that proceeds from it is evil.” It’s not there. (And I’m not going to spend much time on TV right now, I’m just using this for an illustration.) However, there is Psalm 101:3. It says:

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. This is a principle of holiness. I think I can safely say that there are some pretty wicked things on TV. (There are also some good things too, but they are few and far between.) There is not a rule that says do not have a TV, but there is a principle that says we should not set any wicked  or perverse or sinful thing before our eyes and especially our children’s eyes. (I feel another post coming on about this soon……)

Holiness is not just the way that we dress or what we partake of or do not partake of. It isn’t just what we allow of don’t allow in our homes. Holiness is an attitude of the heart. Holiness is wanting to remove any unclean or impure thing or influence from our lives. Holiness makes us want to go to Scripture and see what it defines as acceptable and right in our lives. The hunger for holiness and desire to be like Him will make us give up things and do things that some people may consider to be silly or unnecessary. The way we live does not save us. We live the way we do because we are saved.

Holiness is not intended to be, nor should it ever be, a bunch or rules and regulations. It is a way of life, based on the principles found and explained in the Word of God. It is very easy to become consumed with the rules and not live out the principles. Rules are based on principles. Rules help us hit the mark that principles are pointing us to.

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Rules may change, but principles never do.

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  We in the  church have gotten into a bad habit of looking at the world, then looking at ourselves and saying “Well, we aren’t doing THAT or we don’t look like THEM, we’re doing good.” We have a tendency to hold ourselves up to the world and see how we measure up. Hmmm, let’s see, I haven’t murdered, committed adultery or gotten  drunk in 30 years, I’m good. No, you haven’t done anything like that, but have you gossiped, lied, been prideful or returned evil for evil? Have you not done good when you knew to do it? (James 4:17)

  The world grows worse everyday. We cannot use the world’s evil to define or set our “good” or holiness. If we do that, then we too will grow steadily worse and ungodly. We cannot attach ourselves to something that is not solid and constant.

  Our standard is the WORD, not the world. As long as we compare ourselves with the world, we’ll look good. Only when we compare ourselves with the WORD will we see ourselves for what we truly are—sinners, saved by His grace and washed in His Blood.

Oh so roomy!

In about a month, Lord willing, I’ll be cooking supper for my honey in my new, awesome antique kitchen!  Just wanted to share a little sneak peek of the big things the Lord is doing in our lives.

New Facebook coverphotos!

Here are two more Facebook coverphotos for you to enjoy and use. As always, these are free, but if you share, please share where you got them ;)

Click here to Download

 

Click here to Download

Whirlwind

The two and a half weeks have been trying, exciting, fun…with a lot of crazy mixed in.

A week ago one of my childhood friends went to be with the Lord in a fatal car accident. Her younger sister was seriously injured  but is at home now and recovering. Please pray for the family. Ashlyn was 23—only a month younger than I.

This is a photo of me (in blue) and Ashlyn (in pink) and her brother and another flowergirl at Ashlyn’s aunt’s wedding. We were 3 or 4 years old I believe.

Life is a vapor.

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We had a nice relaxing Labor Day weekend spent with the in-laws which ended at the church playing volleyball and visiting with friends.

I was spoiled rotten this weekend having Jacob with me so much. Now that he is back at work today I don’t know what to do with myself—I feel like a lost puppy without him. Thankfully he gets off work soon ;)

  We began signing papers on our house this week!!!!! I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I can’t wait to share the whole story of how the Lord put everything into place for us and lead us to this house. Please continue to pray that everything will go quickly and smoothly.

Here is a sneak peek for you:

More to come later!

Pattern for Smartness: Simplicity 1948

Here is a delightful vintage sewing video for you to enjoy. ;)

The Unruly Member

   How many times have I wished I had not said something, or thought before I spoke it? Too many times to count, sadly. How many times has my mouth stirred up trouble and caused problems? Again, more times than I like to admit. This is an age-old problem that has plagued us and has not gone away with time. It was an issue with the early church and it is still an issue with us today.

I think it can be especially hard on those of us who were raised with very strong opinions on what is right and holy before the Lord. Many of us were taught to be articulate and be able to very plainly speak and express our feeling and opinions. If we are not careful with how we present ourselves and opinions however, we can do more damage than good and tear down rather than build up.

The following is perhaps the premier passage in Scripture on the tongue. I offer it for your contemplation today. No matter how many times I’ve read these verses, I am always convicted afresh as read.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

² For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

³ Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

⁴ Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

⁷ For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

⁸ But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

¹¹ Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

¹² Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

James 3:1-12 (KJV)

 

(To be continued….)

My Hero and my Healing

It’s been a busy several days since I’ve been here. My days seem to be getting too short—I need to start getting up earlier ;) The Lord is blessing my sewing business so much, I am in awe of all of the business coming my way.

   Things have been busy at church lately. We are in the middle of a 5 week study on holiness—more on that in another post. We had a youth conference at our church and spent two weeks preparing the music and getting ready for it. We had over 430 people attend, which was around four times what was expected and projected for it.  It was wonderful and the Lord was there.   Now our choir is in the middle of preparing to go to another conference to sing—lots of practices and excitement.

   Last Sunday afternoon I had a moment where I was proud to bursting and terrified at the same time. While at my parents’ last weekend I somehow pulled a muscle in my back and it hurt to move. Everyone prayed for me before we left but I was still in a lot of pain. So much pain that I didn’t go to church Sunday morning. It felt better closer to noon on Sunday so Jacob took me out for a bite of lunch and to get some medicine. (I had taken some and spent a lot of time with my best friend the heating pad, but it wasn’t doing much.) I wanted to go to church that night so I needed something with some power in it. Our pastor’s wife is an RN and she suggested Aleve so we stopped in a store to get some.

  When we came out of the store, there was a lady standing at the back of a vehicle, talking on the phone and crying. There was a man standing in front of her—comforting her, I thought, but as we watched we realized that was not the case at all. We put our things in the car and got ready to leave when the man hauled off and slapped the lady hard across the face. I was shocked—he did that in broad daylight! ( I guess I am a sheltered little homeschool girl.)

Almost as soon as the man slapped her, Jacob was out of the car. The man looked like he was going to hit her again and Jacob told him not to touch her again. The man grew very irate with Jacob and went to the vehicle and start digging around in the backseat. There was another man in the car and he got out. Needless to say, I was having a prayer meeting in the car asking the Lord to intervene(Lord, protect my protector!) . I just knew a gun or something was about to come out and I  was prepared to use my car and run over whoever made a move at my husband.

There were a few other people in the parking lot and when they realized what was going on they came over and another man said the same thing as Jacob.

Long story short, they all left and the police were called and came by for a report and they are on the lookout for the man who slapped the lady.  I don’t know if they will find him, but at least she (and the other women in the parking lot) know that chivalry isn’t dead, and the man who hit her knows that he can’t get away with that forever.

  I have to admit, I was pretty scared, not knowing what was going to happen, but I was and am so proud of my defender.

  And my back? I took the medicine and it helped and I was able to go to church. During church the Lord touched me and it hasn’t hurt me the slightest bit since. I know it was the Lord and not just the medicine because there was a certain way that moved that it hurt even with the medicine and I realized during church that it didn’t hurt at all. Our God heals His people!

Busy busy busy

I’ve busy making and putting new things in my shop lately. Here’s a peak into what I’ve been up to. Stop by shop to see what else is there ;)

Crazy colored scarf ;)

Very ruffly, frilly jacket.

Houndstooth jacket with huge flower ;)

I’m still here….

…even though I haven’t been around much. Life has been incredibly busy lately.

The Lord has blessed my little sewing business, once again I have things scheduled months in advance. I finished a 20 piece (yes 20 pieces!) alterations job for a lady and am about  so begin another set of alterations.

Things are looking good on our house—we are just waiting now for the title seasoning to be over. If all goes as planned we should be moving at the end of October. Prayers are still appreciated ;)

The Texas Homeschool Conference was wonderful. I got to see old friends that I haven’t seen in years and visit with new friends. And spending time with Mom and the girls and Daddy was great too. Here are a few pics from that weekend.

Faith thought she needed all the napkins for lunch. Maybe she was concerned about the red drink Mom gave her.

Lydia bought a toy gun with her very own money while we were there. You can tell she has heard her big brothers talk about guns quite a bit. She told Mom that she was going to try it first, and if it hurt her shoulder, she wasn’t going to buy it. Imagine that, a four year old concerned about gun recoil! She is too much sometimes.

As you can see from this photo, Hannah has lost her first tooth. Where has time gone? She should still be Faith’s age.

   On another note, my sister Wendi has begun making things to sell in my Etsy shop. She makes 18 inch doll accessories. Her first item is the shop right now, if you have a minute stop and by and see it and favorite it. I know that would thrill her to pieces ;) You can click on the photo and it will take you to my shop.