Letters to Malcolm ~ Spritual Growth ~ C.S. Lewis ~ Quote

If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart.” And equally, if our heart flatter us, God is greater than our heart. I sometimes pray not for self-knowledge in general but for just so much self-knowledge at the moment as I can bear and use at the moment; the little daily dose.

Have we any reason to suppose that total self-knowledge, if it were given us, would be for our good? Children and fools, we are told, should never look at half-done work; and we are not yet, I trust, even half-done. You and I wouldn’t, at all stages, think it wise to tell a pupil exactly what we thought of his quality. It is much more important that he would know what to do next…

The unfinished picture would so like to jump off the easel and have a look at itself!”

I hate to add anything to a C.S. Lewis quote but here goes…lighten up on yourself, trust the Lord, thank Him for what He is doing in your life, be filled with contentment knowing He will accomplish what He wants with you, cooperate with what He is doing right now, rejoice that you are His child. Again I say rejoice dear ones!

Works For Me ~ Goodwill

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bargain hunter. Goodwill in Washington (not California!) has been a very good shopping friend of mine. I have found countless treasures there. Today I’m sharing one of my daughters prom dresses that I purchased at Goodwill for $7.  She’s the one in the metallic grey dress. Now some kids probably wouldn’t do this but she bragged about the cost and where the dress came from to all her friends. The necklace and earrings that she purchased cost more than the dress! When I wanted to give up shopping at Goodwill for lent Katie exclaimed, “Now what good would that do?” So y’all shopping at Goodwill works for me, it might work for you, too.

 

Just yesterday my daughter and I went to Goodwill and I found all 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia books for $1.49 each. They are the Full-Color Collector’s Edition. So Goodwill works for me for clothes, books, housewares, purses, etc. etc.

Now go on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see more handy dandy tips!

Your Thoughts ~ Susannah Spurgeon ~ Romans 12: 1-2

Woman to Woman: “Share an important quote and what it means to you.”

 

A while back, Lana, at  Above the Clouds wrote about how Bible Study can be illustrated with these Matryoshka dolls. I’m paraphrasing but the idea is that there is always more to find, deeper to go. I’m going to use this illustration in how God has been going into my mind, revealing thoughts that need to be captured for Him. Thoughts within thoughts within thoughts. The quote I chose to segue off of is the following by Susannah Spurgeon:

“The God who can understand your thoughts ‘afar off’ has the power to restrain them; no, more than that; before they reach you, while they are yet distant and unexpressed, he will purify and cleanse them, so that they shall enter your heart as angel whispers, and pass your lips only as words of love and blessing.” ~ Susannah Spurgeon

A few years ago I started to memorize Romans 12:1-3. This proved to be a mind changing experience for me. God began working on me in regards to my mind. He showed me wrong (sinful) patterns of thought that I entertained in my mind. He started with obvious big bad thoughts “the big outer doll”, if you will. Then He opened up doll after doll to show me how the wickedness in my mind was infecting my heart.  These thought patterns, fantasies, scenarios, rebuttals, defenses, gave me bad attitudes toward loved ones and wrong justifications about my behaviour. I knew God wanted me to say no to them. He showed me with practice in obedience to say no each time the same patterns would force their way into my mind. I had to say no a lot before some would desist! This was revolutionary for me. Mind you, we still have many more dolls to work on. Just look at all of them in that photo! ) Sometimes I even try to put the same dolls back together. I am looking forward to the day that I’ll meet my Savior “face to face” by His grace with the last solid doll in my hand!

 

Romans 12: 1-2

I with Susannah want to be brave enough to pray, “Dear Master, I make your servant David’s prayer my own and say ‘Search me O God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

If you’d like to read an insightful, well written post on “The Grace of a Clean Heart” go to Paul Tripp’s blog. He has a wonderful series of posts on Psalm 51.

Here are more passages to consider:  Colossians 3:2; Psalm 26:2; Is. 26:3; Mt. 22:37; Rom. 8:5-7; Phil. 2:5

Romans Image courtesy of Snapshots of Joy. Click here to see more images.

Now you can go to My Many Colored Days to read more Woman to Woman posts…

First Time For Everything…

I arrived in Seattle at 6:00 P.M. Saturday night but woe is me my bag did not! I stood at that dreaded carousel for 1 hour but nothing… The little black Kirkland brand bag with my lavender ribbon tied to the handle was nowhere to be found.

My daughter was waiting patiently in the cell-phone waiting lot (yep we have a lot called the cell phone waiting lot for people who are picking up passengers!)

Finally I gave her the call to come get me. I went home without my bag, trying frantically to remember everything I had packed in that bag. Of the most concern for me was my trusty notebook/calendar that is always by my side, except when it’s in my suitcase. 🙂

 My computer power cord. My card reader. Two pairs of shoes. My favorite black pants, a couple tops, some other necessary items. Not going to list those items but trust me they are darn expensive to replace. There was also a pair of Dear’s shoes and 6 of his shirts. Yikes, what an empty feeling to leave the airport without that bag. This morning at 6 am I called the Alaska Property Irregularity Desk with my Property Irregularity Receipt and inquired about my bag. The sweet lady informed me my bag decided to fly to Vancouver, B.C. It would be on the 6:30 am flight from Vancouver back to Seattle and after it goes through customs they’d deliver it to my porch. Relief and rejoicing…I hope it’s really on my porch when I get home from church!

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There Is A Redeemer

There Is A Redeemer ~ Words and Music by Melody Green

There is a Redeemer
Jesus, God’s own Son
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah
Holy One

Jesus my Redeemer
Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah
O for sinners slain

(Chorus)
Thank You oh my Father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit
Til the work on earth is done

When I stand in glory
I will see His face
And there I’ll serve my King forever
In that holy place

Fellowship ~ Food ~ Family ~ Friends ~ Fun

Father’s Day weekend was filled with time enjoying family and friends. On Saturday Ken and Heidi traveled North from Orange county and Jim and Jeanie traveled South from Central California to enjoy the day with us.

Heidi, Ken, Dear, Jim and Jeanie.

Heidi is an friend of mine from the Russian Baptist Church. We have had many traveling adventures together. She was living with Greg and me in Huntington Beach when she met Ken. I was the matron of honor in their wedding in 1978.

Jim is my cousin. His father and my father are brothers. I met Jeanie in college and we became good friends. I introduced her to Jim. They were married in 1974, eight months before us. For a few years all three of us couples lived in Huntington Beach and attended the same church.

Ellen and Dear

We have always enjoyed each others company and can laugh and cry together. This is the “front row” inside joke that got us chuckling. Jim, it’s true by the way…(call me)

The guys enjoyed talking about new digital camera capabilities, stereo high and low sounds, contractor woes, and the importance of accountability.

Still friends after all these years…

More family made their way to Camarillo yesterday and we christened the Condo pool! My sister Kathy, niece Michelle and her son Jackson came for lunch and a swim.

Jackson giving me the smile!

Enjoying the pool in Mommy’s arms.

Yippee!

Nana sitting close by…

until she’s needed!

Chicken nuggets at Great Aunties.

A lovely steamed pear and date dessert for the ladies made by niece Michelle.

My company left and I was off to pick up Dear from work.

Straight to California Grill in Camarillo to use the Father’s Day gift card from our children to their dad. Thanks Josh, Laura, Dan and Katie. Dinner was wonderful and we still have money left on the card!

Today I head North to the Seattle area for the next three weeks. We’ll be having a grand celebration over the 4th with Dear home for 2 weeks and family flying in. I’ll be posting from the North. Blessings on the rest of your weekend!

Photobucket blacked out all my photos and is holding all my photos hostage as of July 2017.

When People Are Big and God is Small ~ Review

When People Are Big and God is Small – Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man ~ by Edward T. Welch

I am going to list the chapter headings so you have a better idea of what Welch covers in this book.

Part One: How and Why We Fear Others
2. “People will see me”
3. “People will reject me”
4. “People will physically hurt me”
5. “The world wants me to fear people”
Part Two: Overcoming the Fear of Others
6.   Know the Fear of the Lord
7.   Grow in the Fear of the Lord
8.   Biblically Examine your felt needs
9.   Know your real needs
10. Delight in the God who fills us
11. Love your enemies and your neighbors
12. Love your brothers and sisters
13. “The Conclusion of the Matter: Fear God and Keep His Commandments”

I enjoyed reading part two over part one. At the end of each chapter he has “for further thought” sections that are very helpful. This is a book that we all can benefit from reading.

The Dallas Morning News says ~”Need people less. Love people more. That’s the author’s challenge…He’s talking about a tendency to hold other people in awe, to be controlled and mastered by them, to depend on them for what God alone can give… [Welch] proposed an antidote: the fear of God…the believer’s response to God’s power, majesty and not least his mercy.”

This is a biblical, helpful, convicting, and encouraging read…

I’ll leave you with one more quote from the book, pg. 113 ~ Grow in the Fear of the Lord ~

The problem is clear: People are too big in our lives and God is too small. The answer is straightforward: We must learn to know that our God is more loving and more powerful than we ever imagined. Yet this task is not easy. Even if we worked at the most spectacular of national parks, or the bush in our backyard started burning without being consumed, or Jesus appeared and wrestled a few rounds with us, we would not be guaranteed a persistent reverence of God. Too often our mountain-top experiences are quickly over-taken by the clamor of the world, and God once again is diminished in our minds. The goal is to establish a daily tradition of growing in the knowledge of God.

That challenges me to ask: What is my daily tradition of growing in the knowledge of God?

Espresso Mini ~ You’re Not In Seattle Anymore

 

It’s time for Show and Tell Friday and I’d like to take you on a trip to England.

 

Being from Seattle you are bombarded by Espresso Stands everywhere. These stands exist and survive even though we also have a Starbucks, or Tullys, or Seattle Best Coffee, or other coffee companies on every other corner. We love our strong coffee in Seattle. Costco in the Seattle area even has coffee roasting in some of their warehouses with their own label . Coffee beans sold fresh from the roaster. We are serious about our coffee.

I was so excited to see this cute little espresso car just outside the village of Bakewell when we were in England. I’ve never seen a cute little espresso van in Seattle! Even though I don’t drink coffee past nine in the morning, I had to support this venture in England. I bet there’s someone in Seattle that could really make a go of it with a vehicle like this…

F.Y.I. ~ Bakewell is suppose to be the village of Lambton in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This is where Lizzy stays at the Inn close to Pemberley (Chatsworth House) and runs into Darcy. This site has more actual places from the novel. Since we’re in Great Britain, here are a few more sites for you to enjoy…Cotswolds, Oxford, Wales, Oban, Lake District, London, York.

For more fun with show and tell head on over to There’s No Place Like Home…

Photobucket blacked out all my photos and is holding all my photos hostage as of July 2017.

Bed in Summer ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Bed in Summer

Robert Louis Stevenson (1885)


#1
Page Number:  14.  Illustrator:  Ruth M. Hallock
Publisher:  Rand McNally & Co.  Date:  1919

 

     In Winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle light.
In Summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

In Washington our summer evenings stay light as late as 10 PM. Fourth of July fireworks shows start late in Seattle. This poem reminds me of my husband and I trying to go to sleep at our normal 9-10 pm time with it being light outside.

www.zoppa.com/Nod/nodbook.html