This week I’ll be exploring motherhood by sharing what I glean from, “Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today” by Kathi Macias and offering creative DIY ideas for Mother’s Day gifts.
As mothers, don't we learn along the way? Mistakes teach us about grace as we partake of its abundance during each stage our children face. Sometimes their very words strike a chord, compelling us to trust even in the Holy Spirit who resides in their hearts. Other times its the sound words of those who have gone before us.
I love the power of story. Jesus taught through story and the Bible is filled, from Genesis to Revelation, with stories of when God came down seeking fellowship with His people. So when I happen to come across the book, "Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today," I didn't have to read the back cover to know I wanted it. Stories of mothers, their lives written for all to see.
God's Word and His truths stand the test of time. I was not disappointed when I began to pour over this book, gleaning from women God chose to become mothers. Already I have learned about Hannah's persistence in prayer and Mary's sacrifice. I've related to Eve's mistakes and Sarah's impatience.
Each woman had a sacred calling. The same calling as mine, even as I fold laundry, cook meals and look for my lost keys! Along with character studies on each woman, you'll find journaling prompts to weave together their purpose with yours.
If you are a book lover, buy this book and download these bookmarks, reminding you of how blessed you are to be a mother! These bookmarks can be gifted to friends, family, neighbors and any other mothers in your life.
:: Click to Download Mothers Day Bookmark (PDF File)
Welcome
Name
Pages and Projects
Planted in Prayer :: Desktop Background Download
"Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22
What a promise! If we are to be firmly planted in our walks, we must be planted in prayer. Like drought, winds and erosion that threaten to uproot trees not properly planted, prayerlessness can cause us to be tossed to and fro. As a result we can forfeit blessings, become weak in temptation, have anxiety or close our ears to God.
I created this desktop background as a prayer guide for the duration of this study. When logging onto your computer, be reminded to pray for God to ground you in His love that you bear much fruit.
:: Click to Download "Planted in Prayer" Desktop Background (1280x800)
Special thanks to Creative Designer, Promise Tangeman for the inspiration to create this. Check out this "Pray for Kate" desktop background and join the thousands praying and fasting today for this precious 7 year old who has been battling brain cancer since, July 2009, with a new spots recently discovered on her MRI. While you are praying for Kate, will you also pray for Brielle Murray and Daisy Merrick who are battling childhood cancer.
GIFTED Day 1:: Oh Christmas Tree DIY Project
Gifted: 12 Days of Handmade features various ideas for making handmade gifts, homemade decor, gift wrapping ideas and also includes free downloadable projects to print.
Trimming the tree is one of the most exciting times in our home during Christmas. However, we usually wait until the second week of December to buy a tree. Here's a simple way to get a head start on trimming the tree, literally.
Oh Christmas Tree DIY Project
Supplies:
Small handsaw
Various sized twigs and one thicker branch for the base
Tacky Glue
Vintage earring clip or brooch
Frame
Holiday Paper
Instructions:
1. Gather various sized twigs and using a small hand saw, trim each twig slightly shorter than the previous one. No measurements here! Just start at the bottom and work your way up.
2. Saw a small "stump" from a thick branch for the base of the tree.
3. Use tacky glue or a glue gun to adhere the twigs to the holiday patterned paper.
4. Top off your tree by gluing a vintage earring or brooch.
5. Remove glass from the frame and insert your Christmas Tree!
As Isaiah foretold of the coming Messiah, we have been GIFTED with the Branch.
"In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent..." Isaiah 4:2
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Gratitude No. 4: The Difficult Thanks
Things are different. Foreign. Apprehensive. Melancholy.
But I rejoice, still. And I give thanks in all things. And I sing the difficult hallelujah.
And I remember him. And I lift praise for the certainty of hope.
Four years ago, I wrote a post on Thanksgiving for my father. Today, I am dusting it off the archives to repost it.
One of the most special things you can do for others is say how much they mean to you. All too often we race through life without pausing to tell the people we love how much they have impacted us, taught us, inspired us...
In April, I started a special project for my dad...as a birthday gift. And yes, I realize it's November and I am STILL working on it! I contacted all his closest friends and family members and asked them to share what they love about my dad, recall a special memory or tell how he has touched their lives. It was amazing for me to see my dad in the way others see him...and I'm not quite sure he really knows how he has touched so many lives. It will be a gift I know he will treasure forever.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share my page that tells the reasons why I am proud to call him dad.
Click on image to view larger.
This week I shared thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.
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Today's post inspired by Imperfect Prose, a collective of stories written on redemption and grace.
Gratitude No. 1: In the Crevices + DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards
God works big wonders in the small crevices of life.
This season has cultivated an acute awareness of God's provision over our lives. More than miracles of radical transformation, healing power or material abundance, we have found God in the faintest whisper. Under-the-breath thoughts have risen as prayers and Most High God has answered.
My husband and I remember the early days of our marriage. He drove a rundown truck that "required" passengers to lean forward to make it up a steep hill. Sometimes I frantically waved my hands out the window to give it an extra push. Or perhaps I was just having fun. With minimal responibilities, we lived in an apartment and our careers were just beginning to launch. No children. No mortgage payments. No car payments.
Life was simple and carefree. Just us, getting by.
More than eight years later - that is one house, two children, four cars, and five jobs later - we find ourselves in the same place financially as when we first married.
We've come full circle, having the same humble salary and one truck that putt putts up the hill. Yet, I have discovered the simple faith I was raised on. God always provides and wants His best for us.
We have no need.
Overflowing abundance has come from random offerings of help, anonymous checks in the mail, unlikely refunds, timely emails and dinner parties with friends. The body of Christ has surrounded us with more love than we know what to do with.
And we tell our stories.
We cast ebeneezer stones in the water and set up invisible altars of remembrance for our children.
Mommy put in a prayer request about trusting God for provision during an exceptionally hard month and the next morning a check arrived for the exact amount we were short. And the day after that, a friend brought enough chicken to fill our entire freezer!
Mommy was wondering how to do all these 12 Days of Handmade crafts without any extra supplies. As soon as I finished thinking that, Daddy tossed me a piece of mail. It was a Michael's gift card from a friend.
Remember how we drank Orange Juice for dinner last night because we were out of milk? Well, this morning, a friend emailed me, "Do you need milk!" She gave us two gallons!
And more and more stones are cast into a deep ocean, sending ripples of God's grace to all who remember.
"Is it because we are good Christians?" my youngest daughter asked one afternoon while pondering the ways God's mighty hand has reached down.
No, Honey. We aren't good Christians. God doesn't keep a holy honor roll. It's His grace. It's His tender care for us, His children.
We are grateful God is watching over us.
We have no need.
As a matter of fact, we have more than we've ever had before.
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Share heartfelt gratitude for those seated around your Thanksgiving table this year with these "Bounty of Blessings" place cards. Click to Download. (896 kb, PDF)
This week I'm sharing thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.
DIY: Mom's Advice Book
One of the favorite gifts I still peruse eight years later is a collection of handwritten notes representing decades of wisdom from the women in my life. Each note reveals a small part of these precious women who, for a moment, pondered what it meant to be a mother and offered golden nuggets of advice to pass along.
Admittedly, I didn't post the cards on my refridgerator, tape them next to the bottles or tuck them in my diaper bag. Rather, every now and then I recalled the faithful (and sometimes funny) words of a friend and reassured myself I was doing a good job at my first motherhood gig.
I created this mini book for a friend and if you have a soon-to-be mama in your life, I'm sure she'll enjoy this gift from the heart.
:: SUPPLIES
1 Small Kraft Paper Bag
Small Colored Treat/Gift Bags (can be purchased at local craft store)
2 Rings
Hole Punch and Circle Punch
Odds and Ends papers, ephemera to design cover
Rub on or Sticker Letters
Silk Flower
:: DIRECTIONS
1. Cut out sides of the kraft paper bag so only the "front" and "back" of the bag is left with handles intact. You will have two separate pieces.
2. Prep the small colored bags by punching a half circle at the opening of each bag. This ensures easy access of advice cards. If you have rub-on or sticker alphabets, you can add names of everyone offering a note.
3. Align a stack of small colored bags with the brown paper bag and punch 2 evenly spaced holes at the bottom.
4. Decorate the cover of the album. Pictured here are random papers, buttons, a small bunting flag made from vintage school book papers, bingo card and flower adhered with a glue gun.
5. Cut small pieces of various patterned paper to fit inside small envelopes. I added a button to the ends of each paper.
6. Put album together by inserting pages to the rings.
6. And advice cards, wrap a ribbon around the handles of the bag and pass along to mama-to-be!
Looking for DIY ideas for the holidays? Subscribe now to receive GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade via email or rss feed.
On the Battlefield: How Art Healed Our Marriage
Welcome visitors from Art Saves! My friend Cheryl featured my site yesterday and in honor of that, I’m sharing a story of how God used art in the process of restoring my marriage.
After years of faithfully serving Moses, Joshua was appointed by God to lead the children of Israel into the land of promise. However, the land was already occupied and the Israelites would need to conquer and take back what was rightfully theirs. I believe Joshua well understood the meaning of his name, "The Lord is my salvation." Salvation from their enemies would only come from the Lord God Himself.
"Be strong and courageous..." Joshua 1:6
When God appointed Joshua to rise up as a leader, He admonished Him over and over to be strong and courageous. He reminded Joshua of the oath He had given, but also knew Joshua would be on the battlefield. The promise would not come without a fight. Toil and tears lay ahead, but God would lead them through the valley.
"...Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
There is much to be learned from Joshua. While we are not in a battlefield facing giants occupying our land, we do face daily battles in our everyday lives, our homes, even in our own hearts.
2009 was a year that tested my marriage and ultimately exposed my own walk with the Lord. I thought I stood strong, walking on a sure foundation with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. In reality, I walked unsteadily on a balance beam of faith that resulted in my own fall, hurting my husband and children deeply along the way. Anger, rage, resentment, pain, and sorrow entered our home. The one I vowed to love, honor and cherish became my enemy. We would go head to head in battle every day. Battle after battle after battle.
In July of that year a group of my friends joined together in a Bible Study that used art as a vehicle for going deeper with God. However, as God would have it, my husband and I went deeper with each other.
Each art piece we created helped open doors where they were once walls and we realized one important thing.
We were fighting the wrong enemy and didn't even know it.
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness. against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
My husband and I realized we need to stand TOGETHER behind a shield of faith against the one who seeks to devour and destroy. (I Peter 5:8-9)
Being on a battlefield is exhausting and takes preparation, hard work and commitment. We must be ready to fight, even when we are tired and weary. We must put on our armor even when it feels so heavy that it weighs us down. We must stand up and raise our swords, even when our arms are weak, bruised and battered.
We created this artwork as our daily reminder and a symbol to stand united always.
"Take up the full armor of God, that you may resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:11-17
Truthfully, it seems far easier to give up and wave a white flag of surrender.
Then, I am given an encouraging reminder to stand firm. After all, the battle is already won by Jesus Christ. We have overcome and have great victory in Him. As tears welled up in her eyes in the midst of eating dinner together, in all her seven years of wisdom, Isabella said,
"I have something to say. Even though this was the saddest part of my life, I want to let you know that I am glad you guys chose to work things out and stay together. I am very proud of you for that. I didn't want you to get divorced because I want us to be a family."
"Be strong and courageous..." The same words that rang in Joshua's ears, rang over and over in my own heart. Just as God promised Joshua that he would overcome his enemies, He promises the same to us.
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." Revelation 2:7
When Joshua and the children of Israel defeated their enemies, they entered the promised land in Israel. And while I don't think bottles of champagne were poured or streamers and balloons filled the room, a victory speech was still in order. From the time of Abraham to the bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were reminded of how faithful God was. Yet, they were also confronted with the fact they turned away from the very God who rescued them. A choice now laid before them.
"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
This anthem of old, spoke thousands of years ago after a victorious battle won by the Lord, has now become a hymn of victory in our own home.
DIY + Printable Name Cards: Sufficient
The anecdote for worry is knowing God not only sees, He provides. He is sufficient to meet every need. May that compel us to trust in and cling to Him!
Enjoy these last set of name cards and rely on His provision!
Instructions: Print card on cardstock or photo paper, cut and place in a wallet insert.
Download: The link below is to a PDF (543 kb) document. If download is slow, right click and select "Save Target As" and save to your computer.
:: Click to Download God of Sufficiency Name Cards
Forgot to download the name cards in the series? God of Power name cards are here. God of Character name cards are here. God of Brilliance Name Cards are here.
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Thank you for embarking on the lifelong journey of pursuing the knowledge of God. I hope His renown was stirred in your hearts and that you continue to trust Him for all He is! If you'd like to view past studies, Renown will be archived in "Studies" section.
Next Monday, I'll be announcing more information on December's DIY Series, "Gifted" and February's Online study, "Planted!" I hope you'll stay tuned!
DIY + Printable Name Cards: Brilliance
Our approach to the Word and God this week has been to simply bask in the glow of His brilliance. We will never fully understand His majestic ways, but even so, isn't He beautiful?
Enjoy these name cards and meditate on His splendor!
Instructions: Print card on cardstock or photo paper, cut and place in a wallet insert.
Download: The link below is to a PDF (570 kb) document. If download is slow, right click and select "Save Target As" and save to your computer.
:: Click to Download God of Brilliance Name Cards
Forgot to download the name cards in the series? God of Power name cards are here. God of Character name cards are here.
RENOWN is a 4-week Bible study series. This week is God of Brilliance.
View an overview of weekly lessons, begin week 1, God of Power; begin week 2, God of Character or subscribe now to receive via email or rss feeder.
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