Baby Steps…

Today my daughter finished her school work early, and I had promised her that if she finished early, we would start on her longstitch. We bought this longstitch for her about three years ago, and it has taken me all of that time to pluck up the courage to be able to start it.

If you have been told all of your life that you can’t do anything, you’ll never amount to anything and that you’re no good, then you’re set up for failure your whole life, and your confidence takes a very real battering. It takes a lot of determination and trust, both in God and in self to break out of that whole cycle of self-doubt, but that is exactly what I have done (through God) today.

By doubting self, I was doubting God and His ability to change me, and also doubting the promise in His Word that says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. I have taken hold of that promise, and today my daughter and I started on that longstitch – it wasn’t easy, as I have never been taught how to do anything in the way of stitch work, but we managed to make a start on it, and I feel good. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

How can I tell our children that they can do all things through Christ which strengthens them if I dare to doubt what He says in His Word? I can now look them straight in the eye and tell them that they can do all things through Christ which strengthens them, knowing that I have walked the path of trust first.

We thoroughly enjoyed tackling the starting of this project, and it has given me a degree of self God confidence, knowing that I can do things that I haven’t tried before.  I  have taught my daughter how to do it, and she has now taken over, with me supervising. My daughter did all of the brown area, and I’m so happy, and so is she. We just need to have the confidence to take that first baby step…

What do you Think of…

Ironing?

Did I just hear you utter up a sigh or perhaps a groan? Well, ironing is one of those things that, in our home, needs to be done and done to the glory of God. After all, God loves you, and He considers you worthy of the very best. If we didn’t iron, that would signify that we think ourselves not worthy of the time spent ironing our clothes. I love putting on fresh, clean, wrinkle-free clothes every morning.

The task of ironing our clothes is extremely easy in our home, as we hang all hanging up clothing on clothes racks, which dry in our sunroom during the summer and in the loungeroom, in front of the fire, during winter. We live very close to a dirt road, and our clothing was forever being covered in dust, and besides, it is more practical – the coloureds don’t fade nearly as much, either.

My daughter does the majority of the ironing in our home, as my son HATES ironing, and would rather pay his sister to iron his clothes. I think that he figures he can earn more by designing web pages, and his sister doesn’t mind, as she gets paid to iron his clothes, but he has been taught to iron, too. Just recently we have had discussions on why we iron our clothes and why they need to be wrinkle-free, and these Bible verses sprang immediately to mind. We need to instill a good work ethic into our children so that they can teach it their children and their children’s children.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. Proverbs 31:13

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Proverbs 31:24

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2: 4-5

Perhaps you could pray for the person whose clothing you are ironing, or even pray for missionaries while you are standing there. This would be making good use of the time with which God entrusts us – redeeming the time, so to speak. In Bible times, linen was worn, and if you have ever worn linen, you would know that it is extremely prone to creasing. To iron linen would have taken a very long time, and is very hard work. The advantages of linen are that it is moth-resistant, repels dirt well and keeps perspiration away from the skin.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5: 15- 16

It is important to teach our children how to care for their own clothes, so that they will always look their best. If they were applying for a job, they would be judged on their appearance firstly and foremostly.

Who does the ironing in your place? Perhaps you buy clothes that are crease-resistant – do you iron at all? Do you consider yourself worthy of the time spent ironing?

The God of Glory Thundereth

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29

The psalmist in Psalm 29 uses the electrical storm to describe God’s awesome power, glory and majesty, but last night we saw and heard God’s awesome power, glory and majesty first hand! We had a power blackout – it went off at 12:10 a.m., and it didn’t come back on until 2:40p.m – that’s fourteen and a half hours without power, but I praise God and count it all joy.

The electrical storm last night was extremely LOUD – there was the long rolling rumble of thunder, the shaking of the windows and the crrraaack as it thundered overhead.We managed to find the candles, but the matches were absolutely elusive, although we did manage to find a box in the kitchen cupboard, so I lit a candle and went to bed – somehow, everything is right in my world if there is light!. If  it wasn’t so late, I should have probably watched the lightning as well, but I was content to bury my head under the covers, and then the rain started – it absolutely pelted down for about half an hour.

During the daytime I managed to do all of my filing, and the filing cabinet looks much tidier, now. My daughter and I also paid the bills and bought some food when we went to town. Crazy, isn’t it? We have a freezer and a fridge/freezer full of food, and yet we couldn’t open them, as we are never sure how long the power is going to be off for. Most times it is off for over 12 hours and under 18 hours, but nothing defrosts in the deep freeze as long as we don’t open it.

It appears that we are now expecting another severe thunderstorm, as the BOM has issued this warning:

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
South Australia Regional Office

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
for DAMAGING WIND, LARGE HAILSTONES and FLASH FLOODING
For people in the Flinders, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and parts
of the Mid North and Northeast Pastoral districts.

Issued at 2:07 pm Tuesday, 6 April 2010.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones,
very heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the warning area during this
afternoon. Locations which may be affected include Renmark, Loxton, Lameroo,
Keith, Leigh Creek and Jamestown. Large hailstones are not expected north of the
Barrier Highway.

My son and husband were going to cut firewood this afternoon, but it appears that God has other ideas! With large hail expected, our car is safely ensconced in the car shed, and I can relax knowing that we are all safe and warm at home.

Praise You Almighty God…

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that
He is risen from the dead;
and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28

• That you sent your only Son to die in my place, a substitutionary sacrifice – the Passover Lamb, so that I could live. Crucifixion was one of the most barbaric and cruellest of deaths, and yet, Jesus endured it that we might live. On the third day, He was risen from the dead and Jesus lives right here – in my ♥! This was the fulfilment of the Old Covenant and the starting of the New Covenant. His death gives us eternal life!

• For excellent medical practitioners, who seek to keep us fit and healthy. On Friday we all had a doctor’s appointment, so that we could have the ‘flu and Swine ‘flu vaccinations, but the doctor said that the rest of the family could have them, but not me, as I had a severe allergic reaction to the last Fluvax that I had, and was in hospital for three weeks. However, the doctor did say that my family could show their love by having the vaccination, which would prevent them from bringing home the ‘flu virus. Yay – I feel loved!

• For my husband and his ice-cream making ability – he made a batch of home-made Goats’ Milk Ice-Cream this afternoon, and it is absolutely delicious. For now, his pain management is under control, and I praise God for answered prayer, for helping my husband to be able to walk easily.

• For warm, autumn weather – enabling us to keep our store of wood for the colder winter months. For the moment, we are using a bar heater if it gets too cold in the evenings, and of course, there’s always the option of an early night if it’s colder than that.

• For friends, such as Janice, who is coming up to spend some time with us and helping us to cut firewood. Talk about friendship – I love this lady to pieces, and such love she has for us, that she is willing to take time out of her busy schedule to help us cut and load firewood. Of course I praise God for all our friends – internet, blogging and IRL friends, too.

• That we have helpful children, who without being asked will: -

1. Water the strawberries and parsley.
2. Milk and feed the goats.
3. Vacuum and mop our home, and that is such a BIG job.
4. Do dishes without arguing.
5. Keep their rooms tidy.
6. Do their schoolwork without having to be told.
7. Clean the shower and bath.
8. Clean their bedrooms and help with the rest of the housework.
9. Help with the cooking – making delicious cakes and stews.

• Physiotherapists, who work closely alongside doctors – I now have patches for my back pain, which sure makes everyday living a whole lot more bearable.

I pray that you have a wonderful and blessed Easter, as we commemorate the work completed on the Cross for us.

Have a Blessed Easter