Tarts and Inspiration

Today my Mom and I baked my brothers favorite butter tarts as a way to honor him, for a special milestone that he has reached in his life. Just to let him know that we are proud of him and that we see the hard work he puts into this daily. It was nice to do something for him.
He's not a big fan of nuts, so we made coconut and raisin tarts for him and a few with nuts for the rest of us who do like them.

 

Today I read something by Charles H. Spurgeon that really struck home for me. The words actually shocked me a little bit, but in a good way. I'd like to share it with you:

If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies.
And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay.
If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions,
and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.  

Wow, if that doesn't open our eyes! As I look around me, I see so many people who are hopeless and empty, trying to find fulfillment in earthly things. People who think that Jesus and Heaven are too 'out-there', that God is too busy to be concerned and involved in everyday, messy problems. But if He is not involved in those then in what is He? Jesus is just waiting for an invitation into our circumstances, for us to call out in our brokenness and hopelessness and accept the help and hope He wants so desperately to give us. He will meet us anywhere, anytime.

And He is also waiting and pleading for those of us who believe in Him, to bring this message to the people. To share with them the reason we have hope, and peace and joy in these trying times. He wants us to be the light to a world of broken people and to stand in front of the road to hell and make it really difficult for them to keep walking on it without seeing and knowing about Jesus.

This is such a challenge for me, to truly see and love people.  I would honestly much rather be selfish and caught up in my own little world and in my own life. But that is not what a Jesus girl should be doing. I need to get out of my comfort zone and open up to the people around me. Get involved in their messy lives, be a blessing and  a comfort to them. Really love and accept them for who they are. Honor and love them even when they don't deserve it, because you know what? I didn't deserve forgiveness and love either, but Jesus gave and keeps giving that to me freely and without asking for anything in return every single day.

So as hard as it is, I pray for God to help me to die to self and live my life for Him because my life could very well be the only Jesus some people will ever see.

Sewing

My Mom is an excellent seamstress and the past few years she has been teaching my sisters and me, all of the tricks and tips that she has learned over the years. We love spending the afternoon or evening in our basement sewing room, passing the time while creating new things. Today I worked on baby bonnets. A lot of our friends are having babies and it's always nice to have these on hand to give away as baby gifts.

The ones I made are really plain and simple. But these are the first ones that I've made. I'll try making them more fancy as I go along. :D The patterns were pretty easy to figure out and it was lots of fun!
Here are a few pictures of the ones I made:

 

Jesus is in every book of the Bible

In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman.

In Exodus, He is the passover lamb.

In Leviticus, He is our high priest.

In Numbers, He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses.

In Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation.

In Judges, He is our judge and lawgiver.

In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.

In 1st and 2nd Samuel, He is our trusted prophet.

In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning king.

In Ezra, He is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life.

In Esther, He is our Mordecai.

In Job, He is our ever-living redeemer.

In Psalms, He is our shepherd.

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is our wisdom.

In the Song of Solomon, He is the loving bridegroom.

In Isaiah, He is the prince of peace.

In Jeremiah, He is the righteous branch.

In Lamentations, He is our weeping prophet.

In Ezekiel, He is the wonderful four-faced man.

In Daniel, He is the forth man in life’s “fiery furnace.”

In Hosea, He is the faithful husband, forever married to the backslider.

In Joel, He is the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire.

In Amos, He is our burden-bearer.

In Obadiah, He is the mighty to save.

In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary.

In Micah, He is the messenger of beautiful feet.

In Nahum, He is the avenger of God’s elect.

In Habakkuk, he is God’s evangelist, crying, “revive thy work in the midst of the years.”

In Zephaniah, He is our Saviour.

In Haggai, He is the restorer of God’s lost heritage.

In Zechariah, He is the fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanness.

In Malachi, He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.

In Matthew, He is King of the Jews.

In Mark, He is the Servant.

In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.

In John, He is the Son of God.

In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.

In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.

In 1st Corinthians, He is the Rock that followed Israel.

In 2nd Corinthians, He is the Triumphant One, giving victory.

In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.

In Ephesians, He is Head of the Church.

In Philippians, He is your joy.

In Colossians, He is your completeness.

In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, He is your hope.

In 1st Timothy, He is your faith.

In 2nd Timothy, He is your stability.

In Philemon, He is your Benefactor.

In Titus, He is truth.

In Hebrews, He is your perfection.

In James, he is the Power behind your faith.

In 1st Peter, He is your example.

In 2nd Peter, He is your purity.

In 1st John, He is your life.

In 2nd John, He is your pattern.

In 3rd John, He is your motivation.

In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.

In Revelation, He is your coming King.

He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!

He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!

He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.

He always was, He always is, and He always will be…

Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!

He was pierced and eased pain!

He was persecuted and brought freedom!

He was dead and brought life!

He is risen and brings power!

He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can’t understand him,

The armies can’t defeat Him,

The schools can’t explain Him, and

The leaders can’t ignore Him.

Herod couldn’t kill Him,

The Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him, and

The people couldn’t hold Him!

Nero couldn’t crush Him,

Hitler couldn’t silence Him,

The New Age can’t replace Him, and

Oprah (or Donahue) can’t explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.

He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.

He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right, His word is eternal,

His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.

He is my Redeemer, He is my Savior,

He is my guide, and He is my peace!

He is my Joy, He is my comfort,

He is my Lord, and He rules my life!

I serve Him because His bond is love,

His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because He is:

the wisdom of the wise,

the Power of the powerful,

the Ancient of days,

the Ruler of rulers,

the Leader of leaders,

the Overseer of the overcomer's, and

the Sovereign Lord of all that was and is and is to come.

And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size:

His goal is a relationship with me!

He will never leave me,

never forsake me,

never mislead me,

never forget me,

never overlook me,

and never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!

When I fail, He forgives!

When I am weak, He is strong!

When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!

When I stumble, He steadies me!

When I am hurt, He heals me!

When I am broken, He mends me!

When I am blind, He leads me!

When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me!

When I face persecution, He shields me!

When I face problems, He comforts me!

When I face loss, He provides for me!

When I face death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and every way.

He is God, He is faithful.

I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world!

So, if you’re wondering why I feel so secure, know and understand this . . .

God said it and that settles it. God is in control, I am on His side, and that means all is well with my soul.

Everyday is a blessing because God is!

First Post

I have always wanted to have a blog, a small space in the world where I could share my thoughts and feelings. Let friends know what I am up to, share with readers about new, good books that I'm reading and just write about real, every day life.
Soooo...here goes! :)
I recently found this great website called BookSneeze.com which sends out advanced reader copies of books, to be reviewed. Since I love books, I figured I might as well try it out and see how I like it!
So from time to time I will post reviews of books that I've received and read and then other times I will just blog about things that I'm keeping busy with, things that inspire me or just whatever is happening in my life.
So, if you want to stick around and read my ramblings, you are more than welcome. Leave a comment or don't, whatever you wish...but I hope the words I write and the things I share brighten your day, or are a blessing to you as you travel through life!
Hugs,
Carolynn