I'm Back...and Sharing some Spring Beauty

 

Well hello  all!!

I've been MIA since before Christmas.

I wasn't planning to,

Life got busy...

All is well though,

and I have missed posting and sharing.

I figure since my last post was sharing my Christmas vignette on this table,

I would share a Spring one.

 

 

We haven't planted any bulbs in our front gardens,

but you know,

they keep coming back every year.

 

The Hyacinth.

They have such a beautiful aroma!

I'm really enjoying the beauty of Spring.

Everything coming alive

The singing of the birds

The warmth of the sun...

It's all reflects God's glory.

 

 

I put them in a pewter cream and sugar container,

and set them on a crocheted doily

in a vintage wooden tray,

and set it on my opened Vintage Bible.

All were thrifty finds.

 

 

I love the old tarnished look of them,

and the claw feet that they have.

Such character!

 

 

I searched for a scripture that would be appropriate.

I found one in,

you guessed it...

Song of Solomon.

 

 

Song of Solomon 2:12

 

 

The glory of the flower is the beauty and fragrance of it.

It is what God created it to be.

God put in you, that thing, that will radiate the glory of God to others.

Don't compare yourself to the one beside you.

They have their glory to radiate and you have yours...unique to you.

 

 

May your Spring season be a time of singing and rejoicing for you.

 

Feel free to use this printable.

 

It's good to be back.

Have a wonderful day!!

 

Blessings to you,

 

Talk on Tuesday

Courage for Everyday

 



Tonight I will be sharing with the ladies about courage.

Good courage.

(Thanks to Little Birdie Blessings for the use of this card)

 

I'm not talking about the big things that people do, and I am not in any way

demeaning what they do. I highly respect them all.

These men risk their lives in unbearable circumstances.



The police provide protection for us everyday.

I am forever grateful for the soldiers fighting for our freedoms.

They are truly courageous.

 

I'm talking about everyday courage.

Things that are hard to do, but you do them anyway.

Facing a challenge that is difficult and not running away from it.

Doing a random act of kindness and not telling anyone you did it.

Blessing your husband, when you don't think he deserves it.

Helping a friend when they betrayed you.

Choosing to worship when you just want to complain.

Keeping your mouth closed when you just have to have the last word.

Being the first to say "I'm sorry".

Acknowledging your need for God every moment of everyday.

Choosing the right thing when it would be easier to do nothing.

 

I want to declare over you, that you (say your name) are courageous.

 

In Joshua chapter one, God gives Joshua command of the children of Israel after the death

 of Moses to lead them to the promised land.

God exhorts Joshua to be "strong and of good courage" three times in the first nine verses.

At the end of the chapter the children of Israel encourage Joshua with the same message, " Only be strong and of good courage". (Joshua 1:18)

 

Why do you think God said "good" courage?

The Hebrew meaning of the word means, "delight", "acceptable",

the root word means, "to be pleased with"

 

God had already told Joshua that every place their feet walked would be theirs,

and that no one could stand in their way.

That didn't mean that there would not be opposition.

But because of the word God gave Joshua, he could meet his

opposition with "good courage".

 

This is the backside of the postcard I am giving the ladies.

It gives the root meaning of the word courage.

I find it interesting that it has to do with the heart.

 

Another little interesting side note, is that the word encourage means that you

are coming alongside someone and giving them courage.

It comes from the same root word as the Holy Spirit.

Pretty cool, huh?!!

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and He comes alongside us to enable us to walk out

our Christian walk.

 

So, I encourage you to walk everyday with "good courage".

 

There is a song by Amanda Cook at Bethel called,

"You Make Me Brave"

 

To hear Amanda share how she came to write this song click here.

 

Blessings to you,

 

 

Sharing this at:

Grace at Home
The Beauty in His Grip
Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth

Gift of Grace

This week I'm going to share a devotional with the ladies about the life of Martin Luther so I thought I would share a bit with you as well.

 

I know it's not about thrifting or creating,

but today it is about history and its influence for us today.

Today it is about God's wonderful gift of grace to us.

 

Luther is considered the leader of the Protestant Reformation.

 

He was born into Roman Catholicism in a small town near Berlin, Germany.

By age 21, Luther received a Master of Arts degree and then began

 to pursue the study of law as his father had hoped.

 

But, while travelling through a terrible thunderstorm,

 Martin narrowly escaped a lightening strike.

Martin cried out to God and vowed to serve Him if he survived.

Martin Luther honoured his vow.

He entered the Augustinian Order at Erfurt, much to his father's disappointment.

He was driven by the fears of hell, God's wrath, and a need to gain assurance of his own salvation.

In 1511 Luther moved to Wittenburg to earn his Doctorate of Theology.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

 

As Luther pursued the study of the Scriptures,

 especially the letter of the apostle Paul,

he received revelation and understanding that he was

"saved by grace through faith" alone.

 

He began to teach as a professor of biblical theology and couldn't help but teach this wonderful realization of salvation and forgiveness.

 

In 1514 Luther began to serve as a priest for Wittenburg's Castle Church. The people embraced this new theology and many came to listen to this preacher.

During this time, Luther became aware of the Catholic Church's

 unbiblical practice of selling indulgences

 (promise of reduced punishment for sins for themselves or loved ones).

Luther publicly disputed this dishonest practice and abuse of church power.

 

On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his famous 95-Thesis to the Castle Church door.

This was a defining moment in Christian history.

Martin Luther refused to recant his beliefs and was therefore officially excommunicated by the Pope.

Luther escaped (through a planned kidnapping) to Wartburg Castle where he was protected by friends for almost one year.

During this time, Luther translated the New Testament into the German language, giving ordinary people the opportunity to read God's Word for themselves.

 

In 1529, Martin Luther penned the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God".

It was translated from German to English in 1853 by Frederic H. Hedge.

 

This is the actual handwriting of Martin Luther and his signature. It is public domain.

 

Martin Luther struggled with oppression while translating the Bible.

The last thing Satan wants is people having access to the truth thus exposing his lies.

Luther persevered and the words to his hymn reflect his struggle.

 

While Luther wasn't perfect, (who is!) I am grateful for his stance despite the powerful organization he was up against.

It is truly a wonderful truth to know

 that we could never earn or pay enough for our sins.

 

 It is a gift.

 

A Gift of Grace.

 

In the video below, Chris Rice sings this wonderful hymn,

"A Mighty Fortress is our God"

Enjoy.

 

 

Blessings,



Faithful Saying

Have you ever had one of those weeks???

This week was one for me.

(This is my second time doing this because somehow I deleted my whole post.

My son used my laptop at school and left the mouse there. Grrr. I need to use the mouse.)

Anyway,

earlier in the week I offended someone by what I said. (I'm pretty sure I did anyway.)

It wasn't intentional, but afterwards I realized that I probably did.

Then at work I made an assumption that caused confusion and misunderstanding.

I felt like a schmuk.

God specializes in helping schmuks! I am so grateful for His embracing arms when we need Him. I need Him every moment of everyday. I need His forgiveness and grace.

A little while back I purchased this little New Testament at Goodwill.

I just love how dark the pages are.

When I got home I thumbed through it and found this.

Someone had picked this. It would be interesting to know the story behind the person who owned this Bible.

Can you read the scripture the red finger is pointing to?

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

The apostle Paul wrote this. He had many Christians killed. Now I haven't killed anyone, but we can crush people with our words.

I felt like Paul did this week.

 

BUT Christ Jesus came into the world for you and for me!

I'm so grateful He came.

This New Testament is a Marked New Testament and has many verses highlighted in red like the scripture above.

This is the name of the person who owned this Bible at Christmas in 1907.

Maybe I'll meet her in heaven. That would be so cool!

 

Maybe you've had a bad week too. Even though we feel like hiding, it's the time to run to Jesus. He will wipe away your tears and comfort you and help you on your way again. You can go to Him with anything. He is a good Friend.

 

I was thinking of the words to the great hymn, "What a Friend we Have in Jesus" and was able to find the history of the person who wrote it.

If you have a few minutes you hear about it here.

If Jesus is not your Friend, He can be. Just ask Him.

You'll have no better friend.

 

Blessings, Diane

Sharing at:
What Joy is Mine 
Adorned From Above
Yesterfood
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Imparting Grace