Outside my window...
Humming birds at the feeder.
Noticing the sound of...
The air conditioner that stays on a lot these days.
Thinking...
About my older daughter who has been married ten years this week (is that 10 years already?!!) and who lives much too far away. I miss being a part of her life.
Thankful...
For My Beloved who always speaks kindly to me. I'm reminded of that every now and then when I hear a woman's husband speak disrespectfully to her.
A Picture to Share
From the sewing room...
I've been working on pillowcase dresses for little girls in a couple of orphanages in Africa. Our pastor and his wife visited there a few weeks ago, and we thought it would be nice to send them some dresses. This dress is simply a pillowcase with the side opposite the opening cut away and armholes cut out. Add bias tape around the armholes, casings across the front and back, insert bias tape or ribbon, and there you have it! I'll post pictures soon of the dresses I've made and tell you more about our project.
A thought from my Quiet Time...
Reading in Matthew 25:31ff where Jesus is separating the metamorphical goats and sheep for inheriting His kingdom on the basis of whether or not they ministered "to the least of these my brethren." Believers, His brethren, who are in need. The Apostle Paul reiterates this in Galatians 6, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." This has reminded me that I minister to Jesus as I minister to others. It's not a matter of good-works-salvation, but of good works as evidence of salvation. We listen and watch for needs with our heart.
This coming week I'm looking forward to...
Listening and watching more intently.
Learning...
Still learning that we don't really know how other people are viewing things, even if we think we might. It can be a bit unsettling at times.
From the garden...
The tomatoes are not doing well in the heat. I rescued a few and put them in the kitchen window. We have only one plant, so it's not a big loss. Just a disappointment. Nothing like homegrown tomatoes!
Around the house...
My Beloved finished taking down wallpaper in one of the bathrooms yesterday. Whenever we've taken down wallpaper over the years, it's been a mess. We've fixed and painted the walls each time and vowed never again to wallpaper! It's easier to change decor when it's just paint anyway.
From the kitchen...
Last Sunday was my turn to bake bread for our visitors at church, so I made Lemon Loaf. It's a recipe from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. You can click here if you'd like to get the recipe. I made a few extra for later and put them in the fridge. A nice little gift for a friend.
Currently reading...
The revised, updated version of Where is God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey. Sharing a bit as I read.
As I have said, the Bible consistently changes the questions we bring to the problem of pain. It rarely, or ambiguously, answers the backward-looking question "Why?" Instead, it raises the very different, forward-looking question, "To what end?" We are not put on earth merely to satisfy our desires, to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. We are here to be changed, to be made more like God in order to prepare us for a lifetime with him. And that process may be served by the mysterious pattern of all creation: pleasure sometimes emerges against a background of pain, evil may be transformed into good, and suffering may produce something of value.
