On Returning

As I am sure some of you have noticed, I have been on a bit of a hiatus!

With the sun shining and the warmer temps, we have been spending lots of time outside, which does not leave a lot of time for, well, blogging.

And, if I can be honest, the words just are not coming. I cannot honestly think of anything to write about that you would even care about reading.

But, I wanted to let those of you who may have been wondering, that I will return...soon!

I have enjoyed my blogging experience far too much to just stop altogether.

So, I hope you will stay around, dear reader friends.

Sorry it has been so quiet lately.

Praying it doesn't stay that way much longer!

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24

No Greater Love

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

He paid the ultimate price.

He was innocent, but presented Himself as the sacrifice.

That is how much our Father in heaven loves us.

He sent His one and only Son into the world to die, for us!

May you find the love of Jesus in your heart this Easter!

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ~ John 3:16-17

Would you, could you, die for someone else?

Could you give up your life for someone?
Could you lay it all down and physically die for someone else?
What about your children? Could you offer them up as a sacrifice?

I know I couldn't.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Abraham and Isaac. {Genesis 22} Abraham loved the Lord so much and His faith was unbelievably strong. {although this story was a test of just how strong his faith was and just how much he trusted in the Lord} He was obedient and disciplined and knew that if God asked, or rather told him to do something, anything, that He should follow. He knew that it would be the perfect will, the perfect plan, for his life.

Everytime I read this story, though, I often wonder what Abraham was thinking. The Bible leaves us guessing with this as it does not reveal Abrahams thoughts, just that he obeyed.  I like to take the people of the Bible and make them one of us, because they were one of us; not fictional in any way. I know if God came to me asking me to sacrifice my son, well, I would have to wonder, is He serious?

With wood and a knife and other materials needed for a sacrifice, Abraham walks with his son, Isaac, the son whom they prayed for and who was indeed a miracle {Genesis 21:1-2}, up the mountain to be sacrificed. Just the two of them. No lamb or cow or any other token of sacrficial worth. Mind you, Isaac had no idea what was going on. He was not aware of the fact that he was to be the sacrifice. Now...what do you think was going through his head? As they prepare the altar to lay the sacrifice upon, Isaac begins to question his father, saying,

“Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” {Genesis 22:7}

Oh boy. Could you imagine what was going on in Abrahams head now! But, the next verse, my favorite verse from this story, says this,

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. {Genesis 22:8}

And He does. Not only for Abraham and Isaac {Genesis 22:13}, but for all of us! He, too, was willing to give up the life of His one and only Son. A sacrifice for our sins. And He does it with love for us! He loves us that much! It is hard at times for me to truly grasp just how much God loves us. Enough to send His son into the world to later be crucified on the cross for my sins. And all He asks in return-for us to love Him back and surrender our life to His perfect will and plan! Hallelujah!

Easter is upon us and I want to make sure everyone knows the perfect will and plan of God sending His son for us. To truly realize the depth of unselfish love that is shown through this sacrifice.

He Died for Us to Give Us Life.

To Give Us Hope He Rose!

Will you surrender all, to Him?

 

Counting down my Gratefulness one Blessing at a time {#146-#149}:

146. The Lion

147. The Lamb

148. My Salvation

149. Listening to Emma recite scripture

and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ~ John 1:36

April Showers...

I'm sitting here and it's late and I am trying to think of something worth writing to write about, but nothing comes.

Not much has been going on here lately that I can find the words to describe in an exciting way that would make you want to read it.

Sure, my kids are still super cute, the hubs is still wonderfully sweet, the bunny is still full of joy and the dogs, well, they are my comfort and smile when I am just having one of those days.

The rain seems to like it here and springtime warmth feels like it is refusing to come. {which makes for long days, inside, for this mama...sigh}

Alot of things are in the works, though. I am reading a wonderful book that I cannot wait to finish and share a review with all of you. Fabric has been washed and cut for my first ever attempt at machine quilting. {hoping all goes well since this will be a quilt for my sons bed} Beautiful colors of fiber are just waiting to be wound around my fingers and knitted through on smooth, pieces of wood. Springtime brings out the creative side in me.

The church home is still in the works. Praying and seeking to go where, not only can I and my family grow, but where I can help grow others. I truly never realized just how serious and hard a decision this is.

Some goals are being met thanks to an awesome surprise gift from an awesome hunk of a man! I have always enjoyed reading, like you couldn't tell, but this just takes it to a whole new level of enjoyment for me.

So, like I said, nothing too exciting. Just the days in this life of little ol' me gliding through on this journey that He has ever so graciously blessed me with!

Now that I have shared what I have been, or will be, up to...what's new with you?

{photo credit}

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For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 3:23-24

Sewing Love {and hope} Into a Doll

If you were to spend the day with my daughter, you would see that she has an amazing amount of energy. Filled to the brim with love and life and all things in between. Her excitement over dinosaurs, sea animals, trains and cars, as well as paints and brush strokes of brilliant color over paper is contagious, really it is!

But, what you will not see is her using her imagination in any way with a baby doll. No tea parties or playing "mommy" for her. So, why, you may ask, would I take the time, money, and effort into sewing her her very own Waldorf Doll? In all hopes that she might, one day, want to play with her, just like I did when I was a little girl. {sigh}

I was inspired, by this post and this post, to go ahead and try making my very first doll. Through the long hours of stitching and stuffiing I kept thinking and hoping that her seeing me working so hard and putting so much love into this doll, might just make her want to play with her and love on her.

This doll was a joy to make. I even have another kit waiting for me to start on. {just deciding if the next one should be made into a boy or girl?} Throught the entire process, she really grew on me. Memories of my childhood best friend came flowing back inside my heart and mind.

Yes, as you can see, she is not perfect. Her eyes need to be bigger and her hair not so thick. But, all in all, I am pretty proud of my first attempt at doll making.

I have fabric bought, washed, and cut out to make her a dress complete with pantaloons and apron, but, when I saw this pretty pink and white dress that came with a matching dress for my daughter, I just couldn't resist. So, on Easter morning, this cutie will be sitting in my daughters Easter basket, looking just like her. I am hoping once she sees that they have on matching Easter dresses, she will love her all the more!

The most important reason I have for making this doll is that I want to keep the "little" in my little girl. Having toys that encourage positive, imaginative, play surrounding her is what I am striving for. I want her to remain pure and honest; to be respectful and respected. I want her to be as far apart from this world as she possibly can. And, if I can obtain that in my attempt at sewing love into a doll, well then I will just keep on sewing. No matter the amount of time, money, and effort it takes.


Today I am linking up with:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ~ Ephesians 4:29

On Memorizing Scripture

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. ~ Psalm 119:11

When I was in High School, my sister and I were a part of our schools Bible Quizzing team. I remember the excitement over memorizing scripture in preparation for the next match. My sister was much better at memorizing and remembering scripture than I, but I didn't do too bad!

Book upon book; chapter upon chapter; verse upon verse. Sounds intimidating...but it wasn't.

We looked forward to it.

We enjoyed it.

Both for the competition aspect as well as the fact that His word was being hidden deep within our souls; our hearts.

As I got older, I shamefully got away from memorizing scripture. It was something I no longer got excited over like I once did. It became a chore instead of a want; a need.

Since I stopped learning and repeating and memorizing, I have forgotten a lot of what I learned. Sure, there are some verses that have remained hidden, but most, sadly, have been forgotten.

Now, as a mother and a more mature adult, I have realized, again, just how important scripture memorization is as well as how important it is for my children to start memorizing scripture. To start hiding His word deep within their hearts.

I have done some research on how to go about doing this. I am one who likes a written out plan. A guide to follow. I know I could have just picked up my Bible and, starting with Genesis, started memorizing, but I wanted to do this right and not get, well, bored right away. {is that ok for me to say?}

I came across a wonderful blog during my search called Do Not Depart. Here is where I found the book, My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts.

My daughter has already memorized the first verse, verse A, which was Proverbs 15:1. We started on verse B this week which is from Matthew 5:9. Each verse has it's own devotional describing, in ways children understand, what the verse means. I plan on taking a verse a week and reviewing the previous weeks verses along the way.

For myself, I came across this site, Revive Our Hearts. Here is where I found monthly memorization plans, which I love. This month they are working through memorizing in Colossians. For the next week, I will be concentrating on memorizing Colossians 1:16 - For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

For both my scripture verse as well as my daughters, I have written them out on index cards for ease in carrying the verses with me. Breaking the verse up, into sections, for the ease of memorizing it. I am praying for my commitment and dedication in doing this. And I am looking forward to all God will reveal to me as I hide His Word in my heart.

I am excited, once again, over the task of Bible verse memorization. And, the best part is, my daughter is as well!

How do you memorize scripture?

What method/plan do you use with your children?

 

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Disclaimer: I am a Amazon.com affiliate. A small portion of the sales of any products on this page would be given to me at no cost to you.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ~ Hebrews 4:12

Jane Austen Challenge {check-in #4}

How is everyone doing?

I have heard from some of you about your progress and it sounds like a lot of Jane reading is getting done.

I am sad to report that I have not completed anything yet! {pretty bad for the host to not have read a single book yet, huh? *sigh*} On that note, however, I do have plans to read the two Beth Patillo books within the next month. {yay!} For some reason, and much to my surprise, I cannot get into Jane's personal works. I don't know if I am just not into that particular writing style like I thought I was or what, but I was honestly bored while trying to read Pride and Prejudice. {oh the horror!}

But, enough about me. How are you doing?

I have decided to include a linky with this check-in. You do not have to link-up, but if you feel inclined to write a post about your progress, you may link it up here. I thought it would be fun to comment on one anothers progress and get to know each other a little better!




By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ~ 1 John 3:16

Finding Joy in the Smallest of Things

I wanted to share with you all a little someone that has been providing us all with so much joy these past few weeks.



Who would have thought the simplest of creatures could provide hours of entertainment and laughter?



Evenings have been spent with the TV turned off and the sound of children's laughter filling the air instead. Laughter over the silliness of one, cute and cuddly, baby bunny!



From the twitching of her little nose when she is eating, to the silly ways she hops all around the living room, there is no doubt about it, this little furball has captured all of our hearts.



There has even been talk from the Big Guy about getting another one in few months!?!



We will see...! :)


Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and(A) send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. ~ Nehemiah 8:10

A Mother Never Stops Praying

I tuck him in, say his prayers, and start singing Jesus Loves Me as his little eyes fight the sleep that wants to come.
He reaches out with his chubby hand and grabs a hold of mine; something he has done since infancy.
Sweetness and child-like innocence laying there, holding onto me for comfort. I can't stop the tears that come. Tears of joy and happiness, but also of fear.

Jesus, please protect my son, my daughter.

It's the sweet moments like these that grab a hold of my heart and make me ever so grateful for the ones He has blessed me with. And during these treasured moments, it is when I seem to get plagued with fear the most.

Why does my faith seem to lessen when it comes to my children?
Why do I constantly feel like something is bound to happen to them, to me, since it has happend to so many others?
What makes me any more special that it would 'never happen to me'?

I need to pray for God to strengthen my faith in Him. To cast my cares, my conerns, my worry, on Him. {Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7}
My children belonged to Him before they ever belonged to me. And, they still are His.
While they are in my care here on earth, I will continue to pray over them and for them. For God to protect them and for me to teach them to follow His way and His plan for their lives. I will pray for their future and the choices they will make that they will always be pleasing to the Lord. I will pray for future friends; that they choose the right crowd to hang out with. I will pray for the protection and salvation of their future spouse. I will Never stop praying. ~ 1 Thes 5:17

I am wanting to no longer live in fear over my children. God does not call for us to have a spirit of fear. {2 Timothy 1:7} I need to turn off the news and stop letting it bring fear into my heart.  Their lives, as well as mine, are in His hands. He is in complete control and all I need to do is trust.

Trust in Him...and Pray!

Counting down my Gratefulness one Blessing at a time: {#141-#145}

#141 Long eyelashes on the eyes of sleeping babes

#142 Finding comfort in the Scriptures

#143 Conversation

#144 Fresh ingredients in a salad

#145 Winning fabric and notions and patterns filled with inspiration

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ~ 3 John 1:4

Ultimate Blog Party 2011 {i'm joining in!}

The buzz on Twitter lately has been all about @UBP2011, or for you non-twitter folk, Ultimate Blog Party 2011 hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.com.

I saw mention of this a few weeks ago, but honestly, did not think it was for me. I honestly thought it was for the bigger more well known blogs than myself.

But, after actually re-reading what the Ultimate Blog Party was all about, I came to realize that is is exactly for bloggers like myself.

It is opened to all bloggers!

And it is going to be a lot of fun!

So I am joining in for my first ever blog party! {i am soo excited!}

I started A Faithful Journey almost a year ago. I intentionally started it to record books I had read and knitting/sewing projects I had completed. Well, it quickly became a whole lot more.

I mainly blog about my Love of Jesus Christ, my beautiful family, with books and crafting projects thrown in!

It has become a place of friendship and I truly cherish the friends I have made since starting this journey last summer!

I hope you will decide to stick around and see where God continues to lead my family and I on this incredible journey He has blessed us with!

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And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17

On Finding a New Church Home

 We love our little church. We love the people that attend there every Sunday. We love our Pastor and his wife. He is an honest man of God. His sermons always leave an impression on my heart and stick with me throughout the week. Because of all this, we are torn.

For the past few months, my husband and I have had it on our hearts and on our minds to look for another church to call home. We have a few reasons why, but the main is for our children to be able to become more involved.

I am a firm believer that spiritual teaching should come from the parents first and foremost. As parents, we are to teach our children to live a godly life. {Prov. 22:6} Teach them about salvation and the sacrifice of God's only son. {John 3:16} But, I also feel that children need their souls fed in church just as much as we, the parents, do. Sadly, our little church does not offer such involvement for the ages of my children.

My husband and I have been praying about it and last Sunday visited another church not too far from our home that does offer a variety of options for our children to grow and learn in their faith as well as Bible Studies for my husband and I to attend as well. {my sister and her husband attend this particular church} We enjoyed the church, but heard a guest Pastor preach instead of the Senior Pastor of the church, so we decided to head back this Sunday to hear him preach.

We are uncertain of what to do and both of us have yet to feel strongly one way or the other. Our Pastor married us and dedicated both of our children. We have such a wonderful relationship with him, but is it selfish of us to stay when it feels like our family is unable to grow?

May I ask for your prayers as we seek God's will in making the right decision for our family?

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ~ Proverbs 3:6

{photo credit}

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. ~ Hebrews 10:25