cards for Care Packages to Heroes

A friend lives in a condo community and they are sending care packages to soldiers. I volunteered to do 4 different cards for each box plus a "any hero card" for the recipient. She told me that there are 25 boxes! That's 125 cards.

I got in the groove (by doing 4 different designs x 25 each). Got all the cards done and only need to do the any hero cards which I'll print off the computer so they will be quick and easy.

It is truly a labor of love. Our soldiers deserve so much and this is my small way of contributing to their work.

MAKING IT STICK - James MacDonald

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." - James 1:5-6

How do you make it stick? How do you make your commitment to follow the Lord withstand the beating of the wind and waves of life? I want to keep submitting my life to God - but how do I do that? Great question.

If you're like me, sometime in the past you've given something to God in full surrender only to wake up the next day with it back in your hands. "I gave this to God - what's it doing back here?"

On day one, I surrender to God that difficult something that threatens to take me under or at the very least, get the best of me. "Here it is, God. Take it. Help me." On day two - without even realizing it - "I'm back in charge again. I'm nurturing my own set of rights and privileges. So back on my knees I go, submitting again to God. Here I am again, God. My life is yours. Not me, but You."

So the big question is, how do you stay there? I have found that the only way to maintain my submission to God is through believing prayer. Back on my knees, I give it back to God.

James 1:6-8 says the doubting Christian is "like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." The opposite of doubt is faith: standing on solid rock when the storm beats you from all sides. Believing prayer says, "Here I am again, God. I'm standing here on this rock. All the pressures of life and walking by faith are still as strong, but I'm still standing here.

"If you recognize you're in a time of battle, you need to be standing on that rock and praying like you've never prayed before. You know you need God's sustaining grace. Surrender once again to God. Get up from your work, step aside from whatever you're doing, bow your head at the traffic stoplight - wherever you are - give your burden to the Lord this moment, and day by day, and week by week. You can maintain your submission to God only through believing prayer.

Recommit your life to the Lord in unwavering submission to God by coming back to the throne of grace again and again.

Here is a baby bunting I made for a friend's granddaugther. I've got to find cute buttons for it.

Lapghans for Veterans

I enjoy crocheting...but there's only so many blankets we can use! Here a few I have ready to send to the VA hospital. I'm glad I could mix something I enjoy with meeting another's need. I pray for the veteran while I crochet.

My sisters - in my heart always

I received this b-day card several years ago and loved it. I have three sisters and when I see this, I'm reminded that my sisters make me dance - they are full of love and joy and fun times...even in the hard times. I'm so thankful for their strength during our little sister's illness and death and in our Mom's passing.

I want to be their strength in their hard times. I'm here...always - even if only to lift you before the Father. I love you.

Soul Sludge - Turning Point devotion

My transgression is sealed up in a bag.Job 14:17

Last Christmas, a pristine corner of the unspoiled Eastern Tennessee mountains was marred by America's largest industrial toxic spill, caused by the failure of a containment dike at a TVA fossil plant. Residents of the town of Kingston found themselves facing 1.1 billion gallons of contaminated sludge, and the clean-up costs are expected to reach a billion dollars.

If Job were still around, he might use that as an illustration of the toxic guilt that often contaminates our hearts. In Job 14, he compared his sins to foul substances that God has sealed in the airtight containers of His mercy for permanent disposal.

If we have feelings of guilt over unresolved sin, we need to acknowledge our failures before God and pray as Jesus taught us: "Forgive us our trespasses." But when feelings of guilt are satanic tricks to shame us over sins already forgiven, we need to remember Job's words: "My transgression is sealed up in a bag."

It cost God a great deal—the shed blood of His son—to clean up the toxic spill of sin. It's never helpful to reopen the containers.

When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean…. Then God places a sign out there that says "No fishing Allowed! Corrie ten Boom

How often we open up the bags and the let the stink back into our lives.

Who cares for you?

Turning Point devotion: And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things."Luke 10:41

If you could wear a tape recorder around your neck for one week—one that recorded every word you spoke for seven days—how many times would it record the word "worry?" "I'm worried about you—what's wrong?" "I've been worrying about her for weeks and haven't known what to do." "I worry that we won't be able to pay for John's medical bills since we don't have insurance."

A 1996 book by Richard Carlson was titled Don't Sweat the Small Stuff—and It's All Small Stuff. A point biblically taken. That doesn't mean there aren't important issues in life and serious decisions to be made. It's just that worrying about them (sweating them) does not make any impact on the outcome. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:27, "When did worrying ever add anything to your life?" (paraphrase) Answer: never. Worrying is a form of stress, and stress is bad for you. Instead of worrying, do something that is good for you: Commit all your concerns to the Lord in prayer and let His peace guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

When we are in difficult moments in life, it's easy to forget: God cares more than we care (1 Peter 5:7).

Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us. Oswald Chambers

Check Your Height

Turning Point devotion: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?Matthew 6:27

Popular culture has commented on "worry" more than once in recent years. Mad magazine used its iconic "Alfred E. Neuman" mascot on the cover with the phrase "What, me worry?" beginning in 1956. And in 1988, Bobby McFerrin's song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" reached number one on the pop charts. But there was something wrong with both those sentiments: no reason was given for not worrying.

Nearly two thousand years earlier, Jesus of Nazareth told His followers not to worry and gave them a godly reason why: because God would provide for them just as He does the rest of His creation. Jesus' words on worry form a key element of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. Jesus points out that the birds of the air and the lilies of the field are provided for beautifully and faithfully—and we are much more important to God than these. Besides, "your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things" (verse 32). Instead of worrying, Jesus said to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness, and everything we need will be provided for us.

If you have been worrying lately, check your height—has worrying added "one cubit to [your] stature"? (verse 27) Try seeking God instead.

Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but will get you nowhere. Unknown

More cards!

Yeah Bucks - started working on cards after the OSU vs Navy game.

The tri-fold card was my first attempt at this - saw it on a website and thot it looked fun. My b-day stickers were from Odd Lots (of all places) and Christmas stickers from Michaels - each pack was $1 - felt that I got a real bargain.

Blessed to be a Blessing - Turning Point devotion

This devotion goes right along with learning to be content. I hope it moves you as it did me.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2

The Hebrew word for "blessed" can also be translated "happy," as in, "Happy is the man who . . . ." "Happy" in biblical days meant "content" or "satisfied" more than our modern understanding of happiness. Today, Christians sometimes act like God's blessings are primarily to make us happy. The truth is that we have been blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others.

When God called Abraham from Mesopotamia to begin a new life in Canaan, He set the standard for the meaning of blessing. He told Abraham that he would be blessed—no doubt about that. But He also said, "And you shall be a blessing." Abraham and His descendants were going to be blessed by God so they could become a channel of blessing to the world—and indeed they were as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was born as a descendant of Abraham. Sometimes when we grow discouraged (unhappy) with the life God has given us, we need to remember that there is blessing in being a blessing to others. Happiness and joy come in this life when we share God's blessings with others.

Look for someone this week who needs God's blessing—and then become that blessing for them.

It is dangerously easy to fix our hearts on the blessing rather than the Blesser. Ronald Dunn

Can you believe this??

I "borrowed" this content from another blog {http://karelj.blogspot.com/}- but it expresses my sentiments exactly:

I am officially teed-off. I just saw a COMMERCIAL for the George Lopez Late Night Talk Show in which OUR PRESIDENT is plugging the show. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Are there no Health Care issues to debate? Are there not 2 (YES, TWO) wars we are ...engaged in? WHY IS THE LEADER OF OUR NATION PLUGGING A TELEVISION SHOW?????!!!!! Hey, Barrack! You run the country (right into the ground, apparently!), I'll watch TV!!

Please, Obama lovers---this has NOTHING to to with him, although I have never really been a fan. It has to do with the image of our nation and how we are percieved by the world. We have a President who apologizes for being an American, does not hold strong Christian values (which our nation was based upon, no matter what the pundits say) and is now, apparently trying to be a TV star. WHY? It doesn't make him accessible to the people---it makes him look shallow and caught up in our nation's *stupid* fascination and worship of media personalities. Can you imagine Abraham Lincoln touting a television late show? How about FDR holding a fireside chat with Geraldo Rivera? Oh, I know! Instead of making the difficult decision to take responsibility for the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy should have done a stand-up routine on Leno. I think it was silly for people to have gotten bent out of shape when Mrs. Obama wore shorts on vacation. I think Mr. Obama has every right to wear jeans and have a beer at a baseball game. But when he appears on a commercial, supporting a particular network and participating in a comedy routine, he crosses a line. He is no longer a candidate. He is the Leader of the Greatest Nation in the World. He needs to act like it.

Opposite of Faith? - Turning Point devotion

But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"Mark 4:40

In grammar school language studies we learned about opposites. Some were simple to understand like directions (up versus down), but others had shades of meaning that required more careful thinking (nice versus not-nice). When we come to opposites in the spiritual life, we move even further away from simple meanings. For instance, what is the opposite of faith? The easy answer is "unbelief." If we have faith, we believe; if we don't have faith, we don't believe.

But when Jesus called His disciples to account for their lack of faith, He suggested the opposite was fear instead of unbelief: "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Why is fear the opposite of faith? In the setting where Jesus chastised His disciples, the issue at hand was the future. They were in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee and the disciples didn't think they would make it to shore. So when we approach the future we can approach it one of two ways: with faith or with fear.

If you are in the midst of a storm and concerned about the future, let your perspective be the opposite that of the disciples. Choose to have faith in Christ to see you through.
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller