More on Monkeys--see below on show and tell Friday

This is a picture of the original monkey my brother and I had as a child--my brother just sent me the picture--he still has it!!!!

Here is the little girl monkey I just finished (using a wool boot sock (ladies) from Walmart.)
Here is a picture of the guy and girl I made together. I am debating on whether to stitch a mouth on the guy.

Show and Tell Friday

It is show and tell Friday at Kelli's at http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/

This is what I made tonight (Thursday)--I used to have a sock monkey when I was a child, and my brother had a sock elephant.--so these sock toys bring back many memories. These two sites give good directions on how to make sock monkeys :

http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1104 and http://breezeb.tripod.com/crafts/sockmonkey.html I am not done with this--I have to do the eyes --which I plan on stitching since Rhianwen, out grandchild, is so young. For older kids you can use buttons for the eyes. I also think I will crochet a little red vest. After I was finishing up this guy, my husband and I felt that we needed to have our own monkeys----we could take them with us on trips and take pictures of them in various places---I don't know why--but I just have to have one for myself!! Childhood memories I guess!! You can get socks from this site : http://www.sockcompany.com/or.html

Alive

I like what Irenaeus says, "The glory of God is a person fully alive."

Yancey responds, "Christians are not perfect, by any means, but they can be people made fully alive."

I love those thoughts--and am thankful for prayer and the beauty of Christian fellowship--especially of Christians from all walks of life--the beauty in diversity yet unity because of the central core--Christ himself.

I love this prayer: "Turn every evil design of the devil into sanctifying schemes of love. Deliver us from his deceptions. Keep the beauty of Christ clear in the eyes of our heart."

life

Life is so full of ups and downs. Struggles , darkness, and beauty. The fallen nature of this world, this creation, but the beauty that still shines through. This week has provided both.

This makes me think of Romans 8 : 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies"

Sin has affected all of creation....but thankfully His grace and beauty still shine in our midst. I can see much is learned both in affliction and in blessings. Muggeridge said about suffering

"everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. In other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo....the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal or trivial to be endurable."

On the other hand Piper says:

The sunbeams of blessing in our lives are bright in and of themselves. They also give light to the ground where we walk. But there is a higher purpose for these blessings. God means for us to do more than stand outside them and admire them for what they are. Even more, he means for us to walk into them and see the sun from which they come. If the beams are beautiful, the sun is even more beautiful. God's aim is not that we merely admire his gifts, but, even more, his glory."

I thank him for both the beauty and glory and the suffering and hardship---both teach me much--but what inward pain and a sense of that groaning of creation to be delivered as Romans says.

(picture by flickr)

happiness is pansies!!

Well I planted my pansies today--this pic is from flickr--but these are the colors I planted and how can you not be happy with these beautiful colors staring you in the face!! Pansies are such joyful little things.

I also put up our tree the earliest ever!! A few days before Christmas--but I wanted it up for my youngest sons return. The webcam doesn't really capture the colors very well--and it doesn't pick up the stuff in the depth of the tree either--so not very good pictures--the bulbs are pale green , pale blue, and inner ones which you can't see are in shades of blue and sliver glittery type. Looks funny without the lights--but the webcam wouldn't pick it up. The deer are actually a pale green.
This is where I placed the tree this year--it is a little one--but it takes up less room!

I finally have an angel at the top--bought it at our Saint Nick festival---handmade.

I love these blue stars from Martha Stewart---actually all the balls or bulbs--whatever you call them are from Martha Stewart!

So all this makes me content--to have my pansies in and tree up. Now I have to paint a bedroom and have Thanksgiving!! YES!

Sunday

Love this quote from a Mitford book : "When a man's wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package."

that is so true and is something to ponder ;-) .



Thankful again for worship today---for the traditions of the Anglican faith--how they lift your heart to the Almighty in praise, how the liturgy causes you to examine your heart, confess your sins and seek His forgiveness. .....for the beauty of the congregation praying in unison, for the weekly Lord's Supper, for the beauty and strength of the pipe organ or for the early morning service of quiet worship---I am thankful how all of this links me to past generations of Christians who worshiped with many of these same prayers, .........thankful for the weak and the strong, and for the gifts of fellow believers---for their love. But mainly just so thankful for a place of worship!! A place to be in awe over an awesome God.

Show and Tell Friday

Kelly has her show and tell today --go here to participate : http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/

These are little wooden toys: they are circus toys! I bought these at antique shops in Vt. when I was a young teen. As you can see the elastic inside of them has been worn out and the faces are worn. The head of the clown is off actually and the elephant is missing 2 legs. I can not remember the history of these (maybe if I googled it!)--The clothes on the ring leader are not original --they were made when I purchased him since he was naked! I think these were made in New England somewhere and that there was an entire circus made of wood---They are so cool---I just love them!!

Praise

Psalm 92
How Great Are Your Works


92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,to sing praises to your name, O Most High;2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,and your faithfulness by night,3 to the music of the lute and the harp,to the melody of the lyre.4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O Lord!Your thoughts are very deep!

I love the fact of the deepness of His thoughts--I love the fact that as we live longer and longer on this earth we get to see more and more of this. No matter how often I read the Bible or study it there is more and more richness in it and in knowing Him. What a gift to have the Bible and to know the God that has created this unbelievable universe---I can not imagine all that He must be!!

Tagged

Hmmm -I have been tagged by http://midwestnest.blogspot.com/ and told to

Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog:

1. I like the thoughtfulness of someone tagging me, but not the work it takes ;-) !
2. I like bloggers because of the variety of people you meet and this is truly a spice of life!
3. I love the way many bloggers feel free to express themselves even in weird ways.
4. I can not spell
5. I love scrabble even though I can not spell (I must be crazy).
6. I enjoy alone times.
7. I have been married for 30 years.

So unfortunately I have to tag 7 unlucky others---the problem is ....I do not know which of them may have done this already (hmm, I think I have done this before!!)

I tag: http://unfoldinggrace.blogspot.com/
http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/
http://roseofsharonmay.blogspot.com/
http://thecottagenest.blogspot.com/
http://thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/
http://coastalnest.blogspot.com/
http://unlessthelord.blogspot.com/

We learned several really interesting things about Jesus' death and the Lord's Supper.

When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday it was "the tenth day of the month when Jewish families picked Passover lambs of sacrifice."He wept when Jerusalem came into sight -Luke 19:41 "And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it saying, 'If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes"--He proceeded to tell them about the destruction of Jerusalem that would occur in 70 ad...."The Messiah who came on 'Lamb selection day to establish His kingdom by being a servant and giving up His life as the Lamb of God, wept for the people of Jerusalem when they didn't receive Him as God's Messiah and rejected the deliverance He offered."

The blowing of a shofar-- "During old Testament times, perhaps even going back to the time of Moses, the Jewish priests traditionally slaughtered the Passover sacrifice at 3:00 in the afternoon after blowing a shofar--a special horn. They then offered the sacrifice at 3:30, following the daily sacrifice. Both the daily sacrifice and the Passover sacrifice were offered to symbolically cleanse the nation of Israel of its sin." "At exactly 3:00 (the 'ninth hour" as the Bible puts it in Luke 23:45), just as the Passover lamb was being killed, Jesus looked up into heaven and said, 'Father , into your hands I commit my spirit." And having said this, He breathed His last.'"

The symbolism of the cup. The marriage cup. "During biblical times, a young man who wanted to marry would accompany his father to the chosen woman's house, where she and her father would be present. They'd negotiate a steep 'bride price'--the money or physical items that the woman's father would ask for in exchange for giving up his valuable daughter. Then the young man's father would hand his son a cup of wine. The son, in turn, would offer it to the woman and say, 'This cup I offer to you.' In effect he was saying, 'I love you, and I offer you my life. Will you marry me?' If she drank it (sealing their engagement), she accepted his life and gave him hers. If not , she simply declined."

"The Passover Cup. During the Passover liturgy of Jesus' day, participants would drink from four cups of wine at different times. The third cup was called the cup of salvation. While celebrating the Passover with His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus offered them the cup of salvation and said, 'This cup is a new covenant in My blood.' He was saying, in effect, 'I love you. I give you My life. Will you marry Me? Will you be My spiritual bride? Will you give your life to Me? So every time we drink from the Communion cup when the minister says, "This cup is a new covenant in my blood," God is saying to us, 'I love you. I invite you to be My spiritual bride.' And every time we drink it, we are in effect saying to Him, 'I accept your gift, and I give You my life in return."

"The Cup from Which Jesus Drank in Order to Become Our Spiritual Husband. Jesus asked His Father the night before He died, 'If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me' (Matthew 26:39). He knew the high price He would have to pay to purchase His bride and become our spiritual husband."

(quotes from Ray Vander Laan's Faith Lessons) These really make the understanding of Jesus' death and the communion service even more meaningful.

(picture from flickr

Sensitivity/pride/humility

I was reflecting in a letter to my daughter about pride and sensitivity--so I copied it here and would love if any of you bloggers have an opinion on this to share it with me.

So why do any of us tend to be overly sensitive do you think.
We all have this problem to one degree or another--I know some is pride--

In a Bible study last few weeks we were talking about humbleness. Well actual in different studies we touched on the subject. In Romans we were talking about how we are all sinners and when we judge someone for their sin we are equally guilty---we were looking at how the Jews judged the Gentiles and how the Jews were also guilty--Rom 2 :1--"Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgement, for in that you judge another you condemn yourself: for you who judge practice the same things." --this is so true and if we really understand this we will realize what we criticize others for ,we are guilty of too---maybe in just a different way.

Secondly we were looking at Christ's humility---I think part of his great ability to live so humbly (humanly speaking) was the fact that He knew who He was, He knew He was loved by the Father and when you have this intimate knowledge of God's love you can serve others with humility, it does not matter what they think of you because you know what God thinks--that He has this great love for you. However with Mother Teresa she did not feel God's love for her yet because she chose to love Him she wanted to do all for Christ.--she also realized all Christ did for her so I guess she could not do enough to serve the outcasts of society.

I wonder why we are so defensive--is it because we don't fully realize who we are in Christ? Why are we so proud--Christ who is God was humble! I know it is sin that causes pride--but as Christians why don't we do a better job at coming at things with a lowly mind? Would we do better if we came to realize the greatness of His love for us. What do you think on all of this?

Living in Pain and love

I was just thinking about how many people are living in some kind of pain. One time we had a women's meeting and one after another were standing up to give testimony. Each of them had different kinds of pain, but pain none the less. There are all kinds of pain that relate to our being and some are interrelated ...ie physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, psychological. Some had lost children to horrendous accidents, some lost loved ones to drugs, some had experienced divorce, some had crippling pain, some suffered from depression, some from loneliness etc. But I came away amazed that almost every testimony dealt with some pain and then the grace of God in it.

I think of the wider world ---if we don't always know what our sisters and brothers in the church are going through, neither do we know what are neighbors, fellow workers, strangers are going through---we just have no idea. How much I need to be careful in what I do , what I say. Jesus is so full of compassion---I again think of Mother Teressa and how she reached out in compassion to so many even though she struggled with feeling Christ's love for herself! Christ fully knew the Father's love and Christ's compassion is wider, deeper, higher, etc as I think Eph. 3 states it---I need to figure out on a daily basis how this love in me is to be expressed--it is sometimes hard to know the right avenue of expression, ....again the need to depend on the Spirit, the Word, etc.

Eph 3 : 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Walking

Well , I need to get back to some daily walking instead of inside exercise as I have been doing in the heat/ this weather is so nice and crisp. I like this quote by Annie Dillard:

It's all a matter of keeping my eyes open...Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will sense them. The least we can do is try to be there....so that creation need not play to an empty house."

Also this quote of Buechner's got me thinking that Yancey mentions that God gives us only "momentary glimpses into a mystery of such depth, power and beauty that if we were to see it head on, in any way other than in glimpses, I suspect we would be annihilated."

Awesome God--someone has said that there are about (as far as we know) 9 galaxies for each person alive on earth---no wonder we can't handle the great mysteries of God. No wonder why God answers Job's questions about pain the way He does---there is no way we can understand the mind of God.

I thank Him for what He does reveal---for the Beauty and Light there is in Christ. And then again it is amazing to think of the way Christ ministered to the divorced woman (divorced over 5 times and living with a man), the way He touched the lepers, the way he ministered to prostitutes, the poor, the children, etc----He had such a heart for people in a way that I fail to have in my own life---it is so hard to know the how , and what, where and when of my daily life --guess I need to listen more to Him---be sensitive and look for what He wants.

Ps 77: 13 But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,will give thanks to you forever;from generation to generation we will recount your praise

Nehemiah di what Ps 77 says above--recounted your praise---wow--God is so merciful even when we mess up big time:
Neh9:17b:
But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden [8] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell..

A Blogger meal

Well tonight we had a nice quiet dinner with recipes from two different bloggers. We ate dinner on some old plates I grew up with as a child--they have winter scenes on them [but they are covered by the food!] This above is Country Coq Au Vin with vegetables on the side. It is a Chicken, bacon, onion, wine dish on mashed potatoes. I got the recipe from Penny's Nov. 3 post at http://lavenderhillstudio.blogspot.com/. It was wonderful--she gives step by step pictures. I will have to add this to my recipe blog later.

The picture below is the crockpot applesauce that I found at Sharon's http://roseofsharonmay.blogspot.com/ I altered it because I had very sweet apples--see my recipe blog.

So we had a nice quiet, comfy night of blogger meals and scrabble and a coffee at Port City Java for dessert. Wonderful night!!

True Church verses Virtual Reality

Reflecting on religion verses relationship. Listened to a guy talking about this---it was about the fact that many people go to church and have a religion and are basically in a virtual reality. --playing at but not having the reality! It is a form of relationship without God---a relationship that denies the power thereof----a form of godliness without the power of God in it.

I need to examine my life to make sure that I am listening to God and that I am doing what He wants---living in that dynamic relationship and allowing Him to form His image in me (see post below). Need to make sure I am not just playing in a virtual reality, but that I am responding to what he tells me to do. I can't conform my life to this culture, or even the church's culture but to Christ.

picture from flickr --jeff cr.

Book Discussion

We are each such individuals--as seen by this picture (hey--every opportunity I take for looking at this kiddo) I like how Bonhoeffer discusses this fact and its relation to the ministry of bearing: "It is, first of all, the freedom of the other person, of which we spoke earlier, that is a burden to the Christian. The other's freedom collides with his own autonomy, yet he must recognize it. He could get rid of this burden by refusing the other person his freedom, by constraining him and thus doing violence to his personality, by stamping his own image upon him. But if he lets God create His image in him, he by this token gives him his freedom and himself bears the burden of this freedom of another creature of God. The freedom of the other person includes all that we mean by a person's nature, individuality, endowment. It also includes his weaknesses and oddities, which are such a trial to our patience, everything that produces frictions, conflicts, and collisions among us. To bear the burden of the other person means involvement with the created reality of the other, to accept and affirm it, and in bearing with it, to break through to the point where we take joy in it."

God has given such a variety of people and we need to let God create His image in the person--yes we are all made in His image--but there is much more here as we continue to be sanctified by God---being made like Christ. We really do need to bless God for all the infinite variety He has created--not only in all of nature, but in individuals. How wonderful this is--and how UN-boring it is ;-)----how amazing that we all reflect His glory in unique ways!!

Linked together

For the Christmas season I am going to hang this stained glass looking chain near my bay window area. Actually I think I will leave it up now because it is so colorful. No--I changed my mind--I will wait and put the leaves back up ;-)

It is made by using these tags (sold at Walmart craft section)

And by using colored paper clips (but you can use regular ones too)--I used the large clips. I found these at Office Depot, but Walmart may have them.

I think it will be fun to link the smaller colored paper clips together to make a colored chain for the Christmas tree and it would make fun necklaces and bracelets!! Any color or colors you want!!

Now for the spiritual side of all of this: In Bonhoeffer's book, "Life Together" he writes: "In a Christian community everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable..........It will be well therefore if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable.

Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of fellowship."

He also speaks about the fact that all of us are here to serve each other and each other's needs.

I found Mother Teressa was a real example of this--she lived to serve and to serve humbly. She, like even Gandhi (who was not a Christian , but was moved by the power of God's truth in the beatitudes ) "understood that the direction of charity is not condescending, but rather ascending: in serving the weak and the poor, we are privileged to serve God himself." But it is hard to put others ahead of ourselves!!! I do love the concept of a community being individuals linked together and that each of us are indispensable to the rest. --kind of like Paul's description of each of us being a part of the body--like a hand, a toe, etc--we each need each other.