What do you do when you get up the the armpits on a raglan sweater and realize you don't have enough blue yarn to finish?
You get out your scraps and make random fair isle patterns!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Strong Meat Casserole
My husband calls me a queen of leftovers. He used to tease that I bought my groceries in the left-over isle at the grocery store. But he also admits that the casseroles I concoct out of leftovers are sometimes as good as the original meal.
This past weekend I attended a conference called "Strong Meat." I took home a few of the morsels preached by Al Bulow and threw them in my crock pot. After they had cooked a little and I had stirred them a few times, I pulled this out:
This past weekend I attended a conference called "Strong Meat." I took home a few of the morsels preached by Al Bulow and threw them in my crock pot. After they had cooked a little and I had stirred them a few times, I pulled this out:
Food in Egypt
Ah, yes, there's food in Egypt,
But what will be the cost?
What troubles will you find there?
What virtue may be lost?
For no one goes to Egypt
But that he has to pay.
It costs a man to eat there,
However short the stay.
When Joseph during famine,
Earth's food supply controlled,
It wasn't free for taking ~
No,every grain was sold.
And thus the starved Egyptians
Were brought to servitude.
They gave their lands and cattle,
Then sold themselves for food.
And even Joseph's brothers,
Who came to him for bread,
Left children under bondage
Long after they were fed.
The land is dry in Egypt
Where rain does not abound,
And those who till and water
Look down to work the ground.
Not so the Land of Promise
Where God has set His eye.
He rains His blessings on it
In bounty from the sky.
So, ye who thirst and hunger,
Look up, and taste, and see:
The bread that comes from heaven,
The living bread is free.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
The Pride of Life
The pride of life is as much "the world" as the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. the things man desires in order to be fulfilled in this life are what the Bible warns against when it says "Love not the world neither the things that are in the world." (1 John 2:15.)
The pride of life ~ in other words the pride of attainment ~ may include an Olympic gold medal or the state championship, a degree from a prestigious school, a list of letters after your name, association with famous people, a high post in business or government. These are things which are highly esteemed among men. What does the Bible say about them? They are an abomination with God. At best He cares nothing for them. They aren't any more sin than the strength of a horse or the legs of a man (Psalm 147:10.) ~ but if you love them, you love the world, and the love of the Father is not in you.
The pride of life ~ in other words the pride of attainment ~ may include an Olympic gold medal or the state championship, a degree from a prestigious school, a list of letters after your name, association with famous people, a high post in business or government. These are things which are highly esteemed among men. What does the Bible say about them? They are an abomination with God. At best He cares nothing for them. They aren't any more sin than the strength of a horse or the legs of a man (Psalm 147:10.) ~ but if you love them, you love the world, and the love of the Father is not in you.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Yellow Baby Afghan
This baby blanket is adapted from the afghan pattern Daffodil Dream. Because it is knit on large needles, it has an extra soft texture and also knits up quickly.
30 x 36 inches
MATERIALS
1 ball Lion Brand "Pound of Love"
Size 10 1/2 circular needle
MODIFICATIONS
CO 112 stitches
Knit 8 rows garter stitch. (Four ridges) Then work pattern to desired length. Omit fringe.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Freedom Is Good
Freedom is good. But so are rules -- and the two are not mutually exclusive. There is nothing wrong with an institution having rules, be it a nation, a school, a church, or a family. Every Christian parent knows this. Rules actually increase freedom in a family. Yes, they put boundaries on that freedom, and often they infringe on freedoms that children wish they had --- but the existence of rules does not indicate the absence of freedom. And it is certainly not equivalent to legalism.
It has been brought to my attention that one of the large evangelical schools in our country has withdrawn its ban on alcohol. This is being heralded, even among some who call themselves conservative, as an advancement in freedom. In a sense, I suppose it is. Many of the things said on this head are quite true. Alcohol is not intrinsically evil. The Lord Jesus drank it, and some Christians may drink it. But is this advance in freedom actually an advance in the spirit of Christianity?
Freedom goes both ways. One man may say he is free to drink. Another may say he is free NOT to drink --- and free to make rules for those under his authority. When schools who bear the name of Christ lose the freedom to take stands that are unpopular with the world, I find it hard to see it as a good thing -- even if they have some doctrinal truth on their side. The freedom that the Bible tells us about frees us from legalism -- which is trying to be saved by following rules --, but it is much more than that.
It has been brought to my attention that one of the large evangelical schools in our country has withdrawn its ban on alcohol. This is being heralded, even among some who call themselves conservative, as an advancement in freedom. In a sense, I suppose it is. Many of the things said on this head are quite true. Alcohol is not intrinsically evil. The Lord Jesus drank it, and some Christians may drink it. But is this advance in freedom actually an advance in the spirit of Christianity?
Freedom goes both ways. One man may say he is free to drink. Another may say he is free NOT to drink --- and free to make rules for those under his authority. When schools who bear the name of Christ lose the freedom to take stands that are unpopular with the world, I find it hard to see it as a good thing -- even if they have some doctrinal truth on their side. The freedom that the Bible tells us about frees us from legalism -- which is trying to be saved by following rules --, but it is much more than that.
Free!
In Christ I have sweet liberty.
From condemnation I am free,
From fear of death, and from its sting,
From minding every fleshly thing,
From fear of man, and pride of life,
From worldly sorrow, lust, and strife.
I’m free from worry, free from care,
Free from the yoke that none could bear,
From ordinances that would bind,
And bondage of a worldly kind;
Free from the fruit that sinning buys,
The ways of death, and Satan’s lies.
By faith in Jesus Christ I’m free
To serve the law of liberty.
I’m free to fear my God above,
And serve my fellow saints by love,
Deny myself without restraint,
Deferring to a weaker saint.
I’m free to practice holiness,
And yield myself to righteousness.
I’m free to walk in peace and joy,
And all the Spirit’s gifts employ,
To walk in works that God ordained,
And life that Christ by death obtained.
I’m free the Bible to obey,
To follow what the Scriptures say,
The promises of God believe,
And all his blessings to receive,
To trust my Saviour knows what’s best,
And in his presence to find rest.
~Nita Brainard 2007
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Sick and Tired
In a conversation the other night, a friend confessed that she got sick and tired of something and didn't respond properly. She didn't justify her feelings. In fact, she condemned them. Yet, I suspect, judging by my own experience, that she felt a little bit of justification for her feelings. She knew the actions that sprang from them were wrong and also that they themselves were wrong --- but something in the situation almost required them.
Though we can't help feeling some justification at wrong feelings when they are provoked by unrighteousness, yet the more we inwardly justify those feelings, the more we tend to feel guilty about them and to feel yucky about ourselves, especially if we don't distinguish between the feelings and the sin which we indulged in because of those feelings. If we separate our feelings and our actions, we can more easily apply The Shield of Faith and find victory in the situation.
We ought never to indulge that irritable, sick-and-tired feeling, even in the worst of circumstances. We wish we never experienced it. We want to be like the Lord Jesus who in face of temptation "resisted unto blood." We want to have our Lord's patience and humility and never be bothered by the way others treat us. But, alas, we often are!
Perhaps you have developed a high degree of patience, and you practice good habits. You have had your mind renewed by the washing of the word of God, and by the grace of God you have learned to endure in many trying situations. Perhaps you rarely feel tempted to indulge frustration. Nonetheless, if you are still in the body, there is still sin that dwells in you. If sometime you let down your guard a little or you meet with a situation more difficult than ever before, that sin may rise up and cause you to feel . . . .
When that happens, you might justify yourself, blame the circumstances and give in to sin. BAD IDEA.
Though we can't help feeling some justification at wrong feelings when they are provoked by unrighteousness, yet the more we inwardly justify those feelings, the more we tend to feel guilty about them and to feel yucky about ourselves, especially if we don't distinguish between the feelings and the sin which we indulged in because of those feelings. If we separate our feelings and our actions, we can more easily apply The Shield of Faith and find victory in the situation.
We ought never to indulge that irritable, sick-and-tired feeling, even in the worst of circumstances. We wish we never experienced it. We want to be like the Lord Jesus who in face of temptation "resisted unto blood." We want to have our Lord's patience and humility and never be bothered by the way others treat us. But, alas, we often are!
Perhaps you have developed a high degree of patience, and you practice good habits. You have had your mind renewed by the washing of the word of God, and by the grace of God you have learned to endure in many trying situations. Perhaps you rarely feel tempted to indulge frustration. Nonetheless, if you are still in the body, there is still sin that dwells in you. If sometime you let down your guard a little or you meet with a situation more difficult than ever before, that sin may rise up and cause you to feel . . . .
sick. and. tired.
When that happens, you might justify yourself, blame the circumstances and give in to sin. BAD IDEA.
You might rather condemn yourself for your feelings, and give in to discouragement. Another BAD IDEA. It may seem a bit more spiritual than the first option, but it is likely to cause you to give in to sin as well as discouragement.
The right thing to do when you feel irritated or annoyed is to look to God to forgive you for the feelings that you couldn't keep from welling up inside. Tell Him about the discouraging things that cause the feelings, and ask Him for grace to do right despite them.
It is possible to FEEL sick and tired, and yet DO what is right. It may be a better, higher thing never to feel irritated or annoyed by anything (though I am not certain of that,) but the sin for which we are held accountable before God is in our ACTIONS not our FEELINGS. Yield not your members to unrighteousness. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." (Rom. 6:12). You may feel "the lusts thereof" (i.e. the sinful feelings) without yielding to it. Sin shall not have dominion over us. (Rom. 6:14). By grace we have the power to do right . . . even when we feel sick and tired.
WholeheartedHome
It is possible to FEEL sick and tired, and yet DO what is right. It may be a better, higher thing never to feel irritated or annoyed by anything (though I am not certain of that,) but the sin for which we are held accountable before God is in our ACTIONS not our FEELINGS. Yield not your members to unrighteousness. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." (Rom. 6:12). You may feel "the lusts thereof" (i.e. the sinful feelings) without yielding to it. Sin shall not have dominion over us. (Rom. 6:14). By grace we have the power to do right . . . even when we feel sick and tired.
WholeheartedHome
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