It’s hard to believe we’re at the last Friday in June already. Even though we’re only officially into summer by a week or so, to me it seems summer is a third of the way over with the end of June in sight. I’m fighting the heat wave and fostering gratitude by pausing for a few moments with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to focus on the blessings of the week.
1. An old video. My Facebook memories pulled up a video Jason published eleven years ago. Timothy had been born ten and a half weeks early and spent that amount of time in the NICU. He got to go home on his original due date in June. Jason made a video showing Timothy’s progress and homecoming. It always makes me a little teary and abundantly grateful.
2. Amazon gift cards. I had a couple on hand for a few months, waiting to enter them until I knew what I wanted to spend them on. Otherwise they get frittered away. I finally used them this week. It’s like extending Mother’s Day and Christmas.
3. Air conditioning and ceiling fans. I imagine a lot of us will list those this week. I don’t know how people survived summer heat and humidity before AC.
4. Nowhere to go this week. First time that’s happened in a long time.
5. Getting “extras” done. One of my dearest friends is coming to visit next week. I got over the idea that I needed to practically spring-clean when company was coming long ago. But there are always little extras we like to tend to before they get here.
Summer has arrived in earnest, with temperatures in the nineties this week. I’m thankful for air conditioning and ceiling fans!
I like when we get past the summer solstice. It’s hard to wind down when it’s still light outside so late.
All the plants are well-established now. I got peonies for Mother’s Day, but I think we may have missed their blooming cycle. The leaves look healthy, so we can look forward to their flowers next year. The wildflowers are prolific and provide a nice view from the windows.
We enjoyed getting together for Father’s Day with all the family (our oldest in RI was there via FaceTime). We enjoyed exploring Ancient Lore Village when they had a free weekend event. It’s full of buildings that look like they’re out of Lord of the Rings.
I had a routine cardiologist appointment, plus the appointment to renew my driver’s license and get my Real ID. I’m glad to have those behind me.
I also met with a friend to have lunch and talk about ideas for making cards.
Watching
We haven’t really watched much worth mentioning except The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler again. It’s based on the true story of a Polish social worker who worked with the Resistance and smuggled thousands of Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto and placed them with other families until the war was over.
Creating
I made three Father’s Day cards, letting the Cricut do the heavy lifting this time.
This was for my stepfather:
The Cricut did the writing as well as the cutting.
This was for Jim:
The Cricut has some designs that can be sent to the computer to print out, then the Cricut cuts around them.
This was Jason’s:
Reading
Since last time I have finished:
Minor Prophets 1 by the Navigators. I didn’t review this, except a brief mention on GoodReads. I was disappointed. It had a lot of questions with no answers and very little insight.
Code Name Edelweissby Stephanie Landsem. Excellent! Based on a true story of Hitler trying to infiltrate Hollywood and a Jewish man with an underground network of unprofessional spies.
Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer, her latest Time Crossers novel (audiobook). A young woman living in both 1888 and 1938 discovers her sister in 1888 is one of Jack the Ripper’s victims. She wants to save her sister, but knowingly changing history will cause her to lose her life in that timeline. Excellent!
Ribbon of Years: A Timeless Journey of Love, Loss, and Unwavering Grace is a novel by Robin Lee Hatcher (audiobook). A woman’s life story from rebellious teenager to settled woman of faith is told through objects she left behind at her death. It was just okay for me, but the friend who recommended it loved it.
I’m currently reading:
Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) by Mark Howell. I’ve not read this author nor this series before–giving them a try.
The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 – 1963, compiled by Walter Hooper. I’m getting near the end!
Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith by Russ Ramsey. I am loving this so far.
North! or Be Eaten, the second in the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.
Rays of Glory. Those glorious sunbeams filtering through clouds show up because light hits dust and other particles in the air. It’s amazing that God can be glorified when His light reflects off our “dust.”
The Mission for My Remaining Years. There are some things we may not be able to do as we get older. But we can always share what God has taught us and point people to Him.
A Good Father Reflects God. No father is perfect, and some are farther from perfection than others. But God gives us a picture of a good father to help us understand His love for us.
Simple Card-Making Ideas. Not my usual kind of post, but a discussion of card-making with a friend grew into a blog post.
Looking ahead, I have a couple of medical appointments in July, Independence Day, and Jason’s birthday. Otherwise, it looks to be a quiet month. I hope to work on my manuscript a bit.
I enjoy making cards as a hobby. It began when I shopped for cards one year and found most of them were $5.99 and up. I had a lot of craft supplies on hand and decided to try making cards.
You may have seen a meme which says something like why spend $6 on a card when you can spend $72.95 on craft supplies to make cards. 🙂 One can easily get carried away, as there are so many tools and materials with which to make cards these days. But some of the nicest cards are the most simple.
This isn’t a craft blog, but as I discussed these things with a friend recently, I thought some of you might be interested as well.
I confess I have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to craft supplies. My family often gets me either craft things or gift cards to Hobby Lobby. I can’t receive some of the “usual” gifts for moms. Scented things give me a headache, so candles, perfumes, lotions, soaps, etc, are out. I prefer to buy my own clothes. I enjoy inexpensive jewelry, but have more than I can use as it is. I used to ask for books, but most of my books are ebooks now. So craft supplies and gift cards are my main gifts.
Hobby Lobby frequently has some of their papercrafting supplies on sale for 40% off, so I make the most of my gift cards then.
My husband bought me a Cricut machine some years ago, which plugs into the computer and accesses their Design Space. You can look up specific projects or search for images. When you find what you want, the machine will divide the image up into different layers, which you can then set it to cut. The Cricut is a marvel, and I still don’t know a lot of what it can do. But it is also expensive. I almost feel guilty for having one, or feel I should have an Etsy shop or something to justify my having a Cricut. But I thankfully accept it from my husband’s generosity.
However, I want to encourage you that you can make nice cards without a machine or hoards of supplies.
Getting ideas
I have a Pinterest board for homemade cards, divided into categories. Some of the pins take you to the site of the person who made the card with their instructions. However, most don’t contain instructions. I try not to copy an idea exactly if the person who made it is trying to sell it. But I might let the idea inspire me.
I take the interests of the recipient in mind. For instance, my daughter-in-law likes sunflowers, daisies, and the color purple. My oldest son likes foxes and has a cat. My husband is handy and like camping and fishing. My youngest son is into gaming and technology. So I’ll try to find or come up with an idea incorporating their interests.
I also look through my decorative papers, trims, and stickers, and sometimes an idea will evolve.
Tools
I’m blessed with a lot of tools accumulated through the years, but nice cards can be made with the barest supplies.
I usually use scrapbooking paper as a background, but that’s not always necessary. Hobby Lobby and Michael’s both sell individual sheets of decorative paper as well as pads of themed paper. I’ve gotten some pads of decorative paper on Amazon as well.
Decorative scissors provide an interesting edging.
Lace, ribbons, paper scraps, or store-bought trims add special touches and sometimes provide a cover for overlapping papers. Most of these trims are adhesive, which helps a lot.
Punches can be expensive. When I haven’t had just the right size, I’ve used stencils instead. I’m not good at cutting things out on a line, so they edges aren’t as sharp as with a punch. But they’ll do. Sometimes a wobbly edge can be covered up with trim or a sticker.
Some of my favorite punches are corner cutters.
You don’t have to have wording on the front of a card. I do on most of mine. Since my writing is not the best, I usually use the computer for whatever I want the front to say, print it, then use the paper cutter, punches, or stencils to cut it out. But I have also used stamps and stickers. I have some lettering resources to try to teach myself to write clearly enough for the front of a card, but haven’t had time to delve into them yet.
I just use a basic craft glue stick most of the time. My oldest son got me a sticker-maker, which I usually use for the inside sentiments. The glue it uses is really strong with little hope of repositioning. But the basic glue stick can be moved around a little before it dries.
Sample cards
All of these have appeared on the blog before.
One of the simplest card ideas has a decorative background of scrapbooking paper and a simple saying surrounded by a contrasting or solid color:
The words here were done with a stamp. The corners of both the saying and the paper around it were rounded with a corner cutter.
This card takes the decoration one step further:
The roses on the corners of the saying were done with a decorative punch. I added a piece of lacy sticker trim across the bottom.
You could also use coordinating papers on a card, and cover the overlap with a bit of trim.
The trim above was made with colored paper and decorative scissors.
This one takes things a step further:
The burlap trim is another sticker. The two leaves were cut out with another device, a Cuttlebug. But there are also leaf punches or stencils one could use. If I remember correctly, the small leaf stickers were used to cover up a mistake on the corners.
And this takes the same basic idea even further:
The cards above and below use two punches of different sizes, which could also be done with stencils:
You could also use simple shapes. I think I used the Cricut for the monitor here, but it could easily be done without it:
I found a font online that looked like computer typing and used it here.
I think I did these mugs with the Cricut as well, but they would be simple enough to draw.
This is one of my favorites, from an idea on Pinterest.
I used a heart punch on various papers to make what I hoped looked like a plate of Valentine candy. Decorative sticker trim is at the top and bottom.
This was another made with heart punches. The letters for “LOVE” came from a package of scrapbooking paper which had a couple of pages of letters.
This is another Pinterest inspiration. I think I did it all freehand except the snowflake. And the dots for the mouth were probably from a punch. “Merry Christmas” was a sticker put on cardstock, then trimmed following the shape of the letters.
This one was made with two different kinds of paper for the background and stickers for the side graphics. The “scarf” was made from scrapbooking paper. The snowflake on the hat was from a package plastic snowflakes.
Another freehand idea from Pinterest.
The “wall” and sky here were scrapbooking paper, and the snowman was freehand. The hat came from a package of felt stickers.
The white square here is from a corrugated scrapbooking paper:
The tree was done with the Cricut, but could easily be cut out by hand. The “Merry Christmas” was another sticker placed on white cardstock and cut with decorative scissors.
This Pinterest idea also uses corrugated paper, two different scrapbooking papers, ribbons, and a button with twine:
Tip: if you’re using lace, fabric, or ribbon that is not a sticker, it helps to dab the glue stick on the cut edges so they don’t fray.
The dress here was cut out freehand, and the “lace” is a sticker:
The flower came from a package of them.
Here is another one with simple shapes and a variety of papers:
This card just used scrapbooking paper, a Merry Christmas sticker, and puffy gingerbread people stickers. I added a felt Santa Christmas hat sticker.
You can find all kinds of little shapes at craft stores to use on cards. This little key was glued on scrapbooking paper, then I put decorative sticker trims around the edges.
There are even more tools, materials, and ideas for card-making out there. Cards can be very simple or elaborate, depending on your tastes and time.
I hope this inspires you to try making cards yourself.
You’re sick. Your sinuses are inflamed, your throat is raw, your nose is red, drippy, and chafing. You have a fever and ache all over. And you don’t feel like eating.
But you do eat. Nothing sounds good, except maybe the proverbial remedy for a cold, chicken soup. But you eat because your body needs it. And the very food you don’t have an appetite for not only nourishes you, but helps your body fight infection and get well.
The same is true spiritually. When something is wrong in our lives, when we’re in some kind of dark valley—we tend to put God’s Word aside. Our appetite for it has waned.
But we need the Bible then more than ever. We may not be able to keep up with our usual routine or an intense study. But we need to keep sipping and tasting. We might spend more time in the Psalms or favorite passages than other passages. We might listen instead of read.
And the very Word we don’t have an appetite for not only nourishes us, but helps us heal. It will strengthen us and help us fight spiritual infection.
So when our appetite for the Word of God is off, we need to keep partaking. Our souls need it. We may not feel instant refreshment. It may seem a little dry. But we can ask God to open “the eyes of our heart” and minister to us.
Often a subdued appetite can be aroused by tasting food. It didn’t sound good, but once we had a few bites, we wanted more.
We may feel like reading the Bible is the last thing we want to do. But it’s been my experience, many times over, that once I start reading it, I want more.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways (Psalm 119:36-37).
They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
Our Father Values His Children, HT to the Story Warren. “The Father certainly feeds the birds and takes care of us. We can easily see how He takes care of us when we have all we need. But what about those times when the resources we typically depend on dry up, and from your viewpoint all looks impossible.”
You Need God When Life Is Good: Three Ways to Remember Your Need. “It doesn’t usually happen on purpose, but quietly, thoughtlessly. We slide into self-reliance not because we don’t need God, but because the comfort of the moment dulls our awareness of just how much we do.”
The Cool of the Day. “But this…this is worship too. God speaks in the heat of the kitchen as well as the cool of the day, if I have ears to hear.”
Does Your Prayer Life Point to the Beauty of Christ? “Prayer continues to be the most difficult of all the spiritual disciplines for me. Prayer is hard. Maybe you’ve had the same thought: ‘I don’t like to talk about this, but it’s really hard for me to pray. It’s awkward, and I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to do it.‘”
Let God’s Word Shape Your Prayers. “While we know that we’ve been given an indescribable gift in prayer, we often miss its full potential, offering only intangible and vague petitions such as ‘be with so-and-so as they go through this trial.’ We want to pray, but we lack the right words to shape our prayers. How do we pray beyond the surface need and get to the heart of the matter?”
Fallen Behind on Your Bible Reading Plan? HT to Redeeming Productivity. “This is the time of year when many readers give up on their Bible reading plans. Despite their best intentions, their plans fall by the wayside. But there’s no need to wait until next January to start over. Now is the time to ‘go’ for it and get back into the rhythm and routine of Bible reading. After all, the person who is truly blessed is the one who delights in and meditates on God’s instruction day and night (Psalm 1:2). Here are some strategies to help you get going if you have been struggling to read Scripture daily and thoughtfully.”
Cultivating Flavor. “When my children were trying solid foods for the first time, many helpful advice-givers encouraged me to try varied tastes, textures, and types of foods so that the kids would grow into healthy adults. It makes me want to cultivate this type of flavor in their education and entertainment choices. I don’t only want to put my time and effort into growing herbs in the garage to flavor their food. I also want to shape the moral palates of each of my children so that they will love virtue and live as lights in darkness.”
Master Your Moments and Master Your Days. “God is more interested in who we are becoming than in what we are accomplishing. Great deeds done from bad motives please God less than small deeds done from great character. And character’s primary focus is always on the matter at hand, the duty of the moment.”
Being the Best Christian, HT to Challies. “You would think that after almost 34 years of walking with the Lord, this ‘be the best’ mentality would hardly be a problem anymore, a thing of the past that I’ve outgrown. While the Lord has given me more wisdom and discernment to see it, it still entangles me from time to time.”
Facing the Midlife Spiritual Plateau, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “For those who’ve been following Jesus for years, it’s not uncommon to hit a spiritual plateau, often in midlife. You’re reading the Bible, going to church, part of a growth group, serving where you can—but it feels like you’re no longer growing. Not like you once did. Instead, it’s like you’re coasting.”
What’s Lost Isn’t Always Lost. HT to the Story Warren. “Our most memorable losses are sometimes the most inconsequential ones. Once when I was five, my brother and I were bored outside of church, because our parents were talking to the big people again. So we started playing catch with my Luke Skywalker action figure and after one fumbled throw, Luke dropped through the iron grate of a storm drain. I still have the memory of seeing my prized toy only four feet away, but absolutely inaccessible.”
Diapers of Glory, HT to Challies. “Now that I’m a stay-at-home mom, success looks different than it once did—and, like the disciples, I realize I’ve been asking the wrong questions.”
Diabolus Ex Machina, HT to Challies. This is an unsettling “conversation” with AI in which it repeatedly lies. (Note: not from a Christian source).
Your relationship with God will never be any stronger, more vibrant, or more genuine than your relationship with the Word of God. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Whew, this week has been a blur. Thursday, as I write this, is my first day all week without something scheduled. I thought I’d get a lot done at home today; instead, I’ve been wiped out and took a nap. 🙂
Thankfully, much of the busy stuff has also been good. I’m sharing highlights with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. First birds in the birdbath. Some had perched on the side before; one had taken a drink. But finally a couple of birds splashed around in there. That was fun to see.
2. Wildflowers. The ones Jim planted from seeds around Mother’s Day are blooming nicely.
3. Father’s Day. We enjoyed celebrating my husband and the son who is also a father by getting the family together for lasagna and presents. Mittu made lemon pound cake.
4. Timothy. Jason and Mittu asked if we’d watch Timothy Monday night so they could go on a date. They brought pizza as well. We worked on the Lego-type camper van they had given Jim a while back. Then Timothy showed us how to use his 3-D printing pen. I’ve mentioned before that he likes tornado sirens. I am amazed by how much he knows about them. He was telling us all about where Knoxville used to have theirs and even knew what brands they were.
5. Appointments done. I see my cardiologist twice a year and just had one of those appointments this week. Then I also had the appointment to apply for my Real ID. Both went well, and I am very glad to have them behind me.
The story opens with middle-aged Julianna Crosby somewhat at loose ends, feeling there should be more to life. Nothing major is wrong, but she just feels sort of empty, purposeless.
She visits an estate sale, usually one of her favorite activities. As she roams through the house, she finds an upstairs sitting room with a cardboard box labeled “My Life.” The woman at the door had said everything in the house was on sale, so Julianna opened the box. The items inside were a hodgepodge collection that didn’t seem connected.
Just then an elderly man comes into the room and notices the box. He sits down and asks Julianna to pass him the movie poster in the box. He begins to tell Julianna how Miriam, the woman whose house they were in, acquired the poster and what it meant to her.
As a teenager, Miriam had wanted to be an actress. Headstrong and impulsive, she didn’t even want to finish high school: she wanted to run away to Hollywood.
More people come into the room with Julianna and the older man, Jacob McAllister. Each person has some story to tell about Miriam based on one of the items in the box. Through frequent flashbacks, we get the story of Miriam’s life, from a teenage girl headed for trouble, to a young wife who can barely handle her husband being sent off to war, and so on throughout her 80 yeas of life.
She has many ups and down through the years, but eventually finds God faithful and his grace sufficient for all her needs. Her life, then, inspires others–even Julianna’s.
I heard of this book from Susanne, who loved it so much, she’s read it four times. I’ve enjoyed some of this author’s books through the years, so I looked up this book and found the audiobook was free with my Audible account.
I didn’t realize until I started listening to it that it was narrated by a “Virtual Voice.” I was disappointed, but figured it was free and I’d already started it, so I kept listening.
That was a mistake. The voice sounded human, but the inflections were often wrong. There was no emotion in the voice. Some words were mispronounced. Sometimes the voice sounded garbled and I missed a few words–if this had been a cassette, I would have said it sounded like the tape had wrinkles in places.
Miriam’s life was inspirational, not because she lived it perfectly, but because she learned to rely on God through all that happened to her.
The author said that Miriam was based on her own mother. The audiobook didn’t contain end notes, so I am not sure whether the events of the story occurred in the author’s mother’s life, or whether the character of Miriam reflects the author’s mother–or both.
The story itself was good, but I am afraid I didn’t love it as much as my friend did. I can’t pinpoint exactly why. However, I feel I can recommend it to you–at least the print version–without qualms. Maybe you’ll love it as much as my friend.
I often start my prayer time with what we call “the Lord’s prayer” in Matthew 6:7-14. Doing so helps me keep on track rather than being so easily distracted. I use the phrases in the prayer as a launching point. When I pray for daily bread, I mention other needs of the day. When I pray for forgiveness, I ask God to search me and show me anything I need to confess to Him.
The prayer begins, “Our father in heaven.” I thank God for being my Father, for taking me into His family, for giving us that picture of a loving father to help us understand more what He is like.
When I was a child, I had an image in my mind of a father as a soft-spoken man in a cardigan, button-down shirt, slacks, and slippers, with a newspaper in one hand and a pipe in the other.
That’s not a picture of my own father.
For years I wondered where in the world that idea came from. I assumed it stuck with me from some book I had read as a child. I finally realized that portrayal came from Fred MacMurray, the father in the TV show, My Three Sons.
No father is perfect, and some fall far from the ideal. But the fact that we have good and bad concepts of what a father should be points us to the reality that there is such a thing as a good father. Our image of what a father’s care should be helps us form a concept of God’s loving care in our minds.
The Bible tells us what qualities God has as a father, mirrored in good earthly fathers.
Love. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are”(1 John 3:1). Romans 5:6-8 tells us that God loved us when we were weak, ungodly, and sinful. He didn’t wait for us to clean up our act before coming to Him: He invites us to let Him clean us up.
Teaching. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). We’re not born with wisdom. God patiently teaches us through His Word, experience, and other people.
Compassion. “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). Some translations say He pities us. He knows our weaknesses and frailties.
Chastening. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6). It’s not a kindness to let a child run amok without correction. God chastens us out of love.
Providing. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33). Just before these verses, Jesus points to the birds and flowers that God takes care of, assuring us He values us more than them and He’ll take care of us, too.
Giving. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). God has promised to give us everything we need. He often gives a great deal more than that, too.
Even more than physical gifts, God gave Himself, through His Son, to redeem us: “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20b).
Protection. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler (Psalm 91:1-4).
Comfort. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). No one comforts like Him.
Forgiveness. What better picture of God’s forgiveness is there than that of the prodigal son’s father in Luke 15:11-32. The son selfishly demanded all that was coming to him and then went out and squandered it in sin and indulgence. But when he came to the end of himself and went home, the father was looking for him and joyfully ran to him and embraced him.
Though earthly fathers fail us, God never will. “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
If your father is no longer living, or relationships with him are strained, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home” (Psalm 68:5-6a).
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6-7). “Abba” was the Aramaic word for “father,” a term expressing both respect and endearment.
Imagine, people as sinful and self-centered as we are can call God our Father–not just in a general way, but in a deeply personal and loving way. What amazing grace.
Is God the Father Like My Father? “I was 25 years old before I could say the word ‘father’ while praying. The word was foreign to me. It didn’t roll off my tongue the way it did for many of my Christian friends. It felt like a word from a foreign language. In one regard, it meant nothing. It was jibberish. But in another, it meant a world of things. Amid the cultural barriers, it still struck a nerve, because while it meant nothing, it meant everything. It meant broken things. Scary things. Hurtful things.”
Don’t Make Friends with Doubt, HT to Challies. “That believers don’t believe perfectly isn’t the question. The question is, How do we respond? When we discover ourselves doubting God’s goodness or power, do we resist it? Do we pet unbelief in self-pity? Is it safe for us to doubt the Lord, his promises, and his cross?”
Because Jesus Said So, HT to Challies. “One of the mistakes I think we evangelicals sometimes make – with our entirely legitimate and proper focus on the cross – is to confuse understanding the means of salvation with actually being saved. We can confuse understanding the theology of the cross with believing in the actual object of our salvation.”
Triggered: How to Overcome Destructive Obsessions. “In our journey through life, we all experience moments when something sets us off — when an event or interaction triggers us into anger, depression, or destructive behavior patterns that we know aren’t God’s will for our lives. These triggering events can create compulsions or obsessions in our minds, driving us toward actions we cannot stop in our own power.”
Three Ways Weakness Is a Gift, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most counter-intuitive sentences ever: ‘So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ This sentence makes absolutely no sense. Who takes pleasure in things like weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, even if they’re for Jesus? We normally try to avoid these things, and if we end up suffering them, we don’t usually take pleasure in them.”
Twice-Healed: The Blind Man at Bethsaida, HT to Knowable Word. “Mark is the only evangelist to record the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (8:22–26). What makes this miracle instructive, even odd, is its two-staged nature. Let’s consider why this healing at Bethsaida is central to Mark’s Gospel and how believers can draw comfort from it.”
Happy Father’s Day to the dads tomorrow!
“One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.” — George Herbert
This week was a little busier than the last, but with good things! Thankfully I had some time to rest the last couple of days. I’m sharing some of the highlights with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. Vacation Bible School. We went to the closing program Friday and enjoyed hearing the kids sing enthusiastically. We have a great leader and crew who organize VBS each year.
2. Ancient Lore Village. This is a place we’ve wanted to explore for a long time, but most of their events are pricey. However, they had a free event this last weekend, so we went. The site is sort of a fairy-tale-styled village. The individual units can be rented. It would be fun to have a family reunion there! For the free event, they had vendors all over the grounds. I would have liked to see inside one of the houses, but I think they were all occupied–they were locked, at any rate.
This was along the floor in the bathroom.
I was glad we finally got a chance to visit this place.
3. Potluck lunch and card discussion withMelanie. Instead of going out to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, we went potluck style to eat at my house. Then, Melanie wanted some ideas for making cards. So we had a good time pulling out papers and trims and tools.
4. Learning new tricks. I feel quite gratified when I can figure something out, especially something technological, without having to ask my kids. 🙂 In the photos above, I was looking for a way to blur the faces of strangers in the photos. Instead, I found a way to remove them completely.
5. Another impromptu visit. Jason and Mittu’s internet went out during a storm, and he had some work he needed to do online. They asked if they could come over for a couple of hours here so he could have internet access. While he worked in the family room, Mittu, Timothy, and I sat at the dining room table and colored while Jim sat at the counter and talked with us. Timothy did his own drawing, and Mittu and I used coloring books.
Stray Thoughts 