Gardens, Creating, Life & the Future
May 22, 2010
“One does not need to have a degree, nor even a tremendous talent, to enjoy and bring enjoyment to others through the medium of gardening. God’s planted garden was both pleasant to look at and its produce was good to eat! There should be something of both these aspects in every person’s garden.“
This reminds me of playing with a little friend and going to the garden to gather things for “tea” . . . in the garden we found the perfect ingredients for our teapot as well as some lovely flowers for decoration.
“There is great satisfaction in . . . restoring some old cast-off to a place of usefulness and beauty, or rescuing some discarded piece of wood, stone or metal from the dump and turning it into an object that has purpose and charm in your home.“
Just like making flowers out of fabric, we can create things and express the creativity that the Lord has given us. (By the way, the tutorial is coming next week!)
“We foolish mortals sometime live through years of not realizing how short life is, and that TODAY is our life.“
Today is our life. Let us spend every moment with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord!
“People so often look with longing into a daydream future, while ignoring the importance of the present.“
We must live everyday to its fullest in serving our God. We need to be passionate about tomorrow and today, so that we can be prepared for the future and not miss the opportunities that the Lord gives us here and now.
All italicized quotations are from the book “Hidden Art” by Edith Schaeffer.
A Rare & Precious Gift
May 9, 2010
“An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” – Proverbs 31:10
Her spiritual beauty and loveliness makes her diligently sought after, but only a chosen few actually succeed in their mission to find her. Yet those who do succeed realize that they did not find her, but were rather given a gift from the Lord.
The Lord took pleasure in saving my father and mother, by His amazing grace, and transformed them into the righteous man and the virtuous woman.
My mother is that rare and precious gift.
She is a godly wife, a wonderful mother and a precious friend. I do not know what I would do without her. She is there to encourage, to edify, to talk with and to listen, to teach and train, to laugh with, to cry with, to dream with, and to share my heart with. She is a faithful wife and mother who is always finding ways to encourage and bless her family.
I could not ask for a better mother. I consider myself blessed to be given such a wonderful and precious gift from the Lord: a god-fearing mother.
She is a gift I do not deserve. But in God’s perfect will, He has made her my mother and I her daughter. Thank you, Lord!
Picking the battles . . . and correcting.
May 3, 2010
Time flies by so quickly. And there are many, many battles to fight.
This world would like you to think it’s a playground. But it’s not. It’s a battleground. We don’t have time to waste our lives on frivolities (although sometimes we may try to convince ourselves that we do).
There is a long list of cultural battles that we can take part in overcoming for God’s glory, by His grace, and for the expansion of His kingdom. At times I am overwhelmed when thinking about the many things needing to be accomplished and taken captive to the obedience of Christ . . . especially when it seems there is so “little” time to do them all.
Yes, life is short, but . . .
God gave us twenty-four hour days for a reason. If I don’t think there’s enough time in a day, that problem lies with how I’m spending my time. It’s a battle we all face.
Maybe I’ve spent time doing something that really didn’t need to be done. Maybe I could’ve been doing something better with my time. Time is a blessed gift from the Lord that He has given us stewardship over. My lifetime is short and the time I have on this earth lasts just for the moment in all of eternity.
By God’s grace I can change and correct.
Correcting these areas is not always an easy task—it includes weeding out things in my life and schedule that are unnecessary and take up valuable time that can be used for working not just on the good things, but on the best things!
Would you like to join me?
Above the heavens His splendor is displayed!
May 2, 2010
“O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!”
—Psalm 8:1
Notes from the Father & Daughter Retreat – Part Two
April 10, 2010
Below are brief summaries of a few of the sessions during the 2010 Father & Daughter Retreat put on by Vision Forum and held at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Click here to read Part One of my notes.
I hope that they are as much of an encouragement to you as they have been to me!
(Please note that these are not necessarily direct quotations,
but rather short summaries of what I wrote down while listening to the talks.)
Whose Daughter Are You? Examining Our Affections and Identity by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
Are you God’s daughter or your own daughter? Are you pretending to be God’s daughter? You can do the right things, act the right things, and think the right things all the way to hell. You must have a true relationship with Christ.
Let go of everything that you want, and desire the things of the Lord. Identity is a matter of the heart, not appearance! What fruit are you bearing? (Matthew 7:16-18) What is your attitude towards God? Do you have fear of other things rather than a fear of the Lord? (Psalm 73:25-28)
Who are you going to be? Embrace the place where God has placed you and study to be prepared and ready for the battlefield. Actively place your love in the right place! (Proverbs 6:20-23)
A Twenty-First-Century Vision of Biblical Womanhood by Doug Phillips
We all have a religion – we either worship God or we worship man. Culture is religion externalized. The things we see in the culture (Hannah Montana, MTV, etc.) are all an expression of religion.
Cultivate a passion for defending the culture of life in the midst of a culture of death.
When you carry yourself like a lady with true femininity and grace, men treat you differently. When you act like a lady from your heart, others see that beauty and many times other women will desire to follow. Ask yourself, “How can I be a daughter in my father’s house and fully fulfill my God-given task as a submissive daughter?”
Model the virtues of femininity and womanhood in a world of androgyny. Be a truly beautiful woman, one that is characterized by strength, grace, love, faith, hope, joy, and femininity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ministry is serving God in the domain He has placed you. Seven Biblical Missions of the Christian Home: Worship, Industry, Education, Evangelism, Hospitality, Culture, & Care.
Be joyful, serving, and obedient! Love your daughterhood, embrace it, rejoice in it!
Notes from the Father & Daughter Retreat – Part One
April 8, 2010
The speeches were most certainly a highlight for my father, sister and I. The Lord has used the speakers mightily in our walks with Him, and it is always such a blessing to hear them speak such wonderful words of wisdom from the Word of God.
Below are brief summaries of a couple of the sessions during the 2010 Father & Daughter Retreat put on by Vision Forum and held at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia.
I hope that they are as much of an encouragement to you as they have been to me!
(Please note that these are not necessarily direct quotations,
but rather short summaries of what I wrote down while listening to the talks.)
What It Means for a Daughter to Have a Father by Doug Phillips
Fathers are God-given and God-appointed. Fathers are wonderful gifts that the Lord has given and they help us to understand our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
There are many orphans who spend their days yearning, praying, and hoping for a father, and yet the world is telling daughters who have fathers to run from their fathers in independence.
Those girls without daddys would give everything to enjoy just a moment of the pleasure we take granted every day: the blessing of having a father who provides, protects, guides, and cares for us. Be thankful for the father that you have and pray for those dear girls who do not have daddys.
Proverbs 31 and the Daughter of the King by Scott Brown
The Proverbs 31 woman is a treasure, a strong, virtuous woman. She is very difficult to find – her rarity shows her value and that she is not a “cheap” girl. The Bible puts enormous emphasis on women and Proverbs 31 is no exception! A virtuous woman is priceless and we have a wonderful purpose!
She is Christ-centered above all, and through that she focuses her time and energy in her God-given role towards her husband, children and the home.
All the things in Proverbs 31 are fruits of the fear of the Lord. Be willing to take every bit of chastisement that will come, because His ways are pleasant ways. Do not falter. Do everything in Him, through Him, and for Him. What a wonderful life to be called to!
More notes coming . . . don’t miss them!
The 2010 Vision Forum Father & Daughter Retreat
April 5, 2010
My dear daddy, Breezy, and I at the Father & Daughter Retreat
(Photo by my dear mother.)
Last weekend we attended Vision Forum’s Father & Daughter Retreat, which was held at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
The event lasted from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, and it was a wonderful experience! During the weekend there was:
Father & Daughter Unity Games – Unity games were held on the Grand Lawn. Each game had a purpose: in croquet the daughter played and the father corrected when needed, the three-legged race helped fathers and daughters practice working together, and for the obstacle course the daughters were blindfolded and had to follow their fathers voice, testing how well they listened to their father.
Picnic on the Grand Lawn – The sun was shining on the grand lawn, with a cool breeze flowing by while fathers and daughters ate a picnic dinner (of hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, etc.) atop blankets spread out on the ground.
Speeches of Great Encouragement – The speakers included Mr. Botkin and his two daughters, Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, Doug Phillips, and Scott Brown. Topics ranged from What it Means for a Daughter to Have a Father to Proverbs 31 and the Daughter of the King. Each and every session was edifying and we left with a bountiful amount of biblical instruction and encouragement!
High Tea – At noon on Saturday was High Tea. This was a time for daughters and their fathers to enjoy having an elegant tea together while getting to know other fathers and daughters. Included during the tea were many delicious and sweet treats to enjoy! (And my dear mother was one of the wonderful, sweet ladies who helped to set up the lovely tea!)
Fellowship with Like-Minded Believers – How sweet the fellowship is between those in the body of Christ! We all gathered each of us sharing something very special in common: daughters having fathers and fathers having daughters. It was precious to see fathers turning their hearts to their daughters, and daughters hearts to their fathers!
The entire weekend was such a blessing and I can wholeheartedly say that the nearly dozen hour trip was worth it! If any of you have the opportunity to go, I encourage you to eagerly take up the opportunity – I guarantee that it will be a great blessing and a life-changing event . . . and it is worth every sacrifice that you would make to attend!
Over the next few days I will be posting notes from the talks and a few pictures of the delightful trip! Stay tuned!
The Surprise: LAF has been Re-launched!
March 31, 2010
One of the projects I have been working on over the past several weeks has been the design of the “new” LAF. It has been such a wonderful blessing to be able to work with Mrs. Chancey in bringing together a new design for the re-launch!
LAF stands for Ladies Against Feminism. The site began in 2002 by Mrs. Jennie Chancey, and has grown into a wonderful site for women to be encouraged in their God-given roles. The articles promote strong, beautiful womanhood and refute the follies of feminism.
The theme verse of this website is Proverbs 31:25, which says,
“Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she laughs at the time to come.”
LAF has been a great blessing to my mother, sister and I over the years. There is a plethora of wisdom and encouragement to be found there!
Also, there will be a few giveaways in celebration the re-launch of LAF, so be sure to stay updated on LAF so you do not miss them! (Our paper dolls are one of them!)
Sneak peek . . .
March 27, 2010
The bag and skirt were finished in perfect timing! Here’s a sneak peek . . .
And there’s another surprise – one that will be a wonderful blessing to you all – but you’ll just have to wait a few more days to see it!
While living the life my Lord has blessed me with, I am at home with my family enjoying being a daughter, homemaker and artist. My highest goal is to give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. It is He that has saved me with His amazing grace and is continually molding me; to Him I owe everything. Read more . . .
