Still...

Still...

"Be still and know that I am God."

Be still.... 

slow down... 

even in my mind not just externally.

Be entirely still. 

And know the He IS God. 

Still...
quiet, thoughtfulness, not for just the purpose of being quiet but being still to KNOW Him. Be quiet to hear His "still small voice." 

Busyness of mind, 

busyness of hands and actions 

will hinder us from hearing. 

My heart... 

my mind... 

must be still.

Thank you, Lord that busyness does not equate holiness to you. Thank you, Lord that you want me to be still and KNOW You. That in order to choose the "good part" as Mary did, I must come to You and be still.

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I wrote this post as part of "5 minute Friday." 

It was so much fun! 

I didn't use a stop clock so mine may be more of a 4.5 or 6 minute Friday link-up, but I did enjoy doing it... it was a great little mind exercise.

The weird, the bizarre, the unusual ... the real me.

I have read other bloggers' "10 guilty pleasures", this is my take on it.


Bugs, snakes, spiders... you know, all that stuff girls are supposed to be afraid of... I am drawn to them. While other women shriek and run away from them, I clap with joy and run to them!

Thunderstorms....lightening to be exact. I have an incredible urge every time I see lightening to run outside to an open space with arms outstretched so I can feel it. I have resisted this urge thus far in my life, but if in the future you hear of a woman burnt to a crisp on her front lawn during a thunderstorm... you'll know I gave in!

Non-fiction...I have a very hard time reading fiction, unless it is written pre-1900. When I have an hour or two to read, I nearly always read non-fiction, many times taking notes. This may sound like a round-about way to brag but honestly it isn't..it makes me feel a bit "out of it" at times. It can also be a bit annoying. Friends recommend books to me, I check them out from the library, and I have all I can do most times to manage to get through the first chapter. I want to read the latest and greatest, too... but instead I'm stuck back in 1850.

Facebook... Okay, this isn't weird or strange.... unless you don't get it. THEN, it may seem odd. I do not spend hours on there each day, but I do enjoy reading the statuses and articles posted. I work on a project for an hour or two and if I'm home I'll check Facebook for 5 minutes or so. It is a fun little addition to my life!

Notebooks...I nearly always have a notebook with me. It is rare for me not to. I have little ones (yes, two) I carry in my handbag (which is quite small itself!) I am always jotting down notes and thoughts and have notebooks full of a paragraph or two of random thoughts.

Boxes...I collect unusual or cute-to-me boxes. Yeah, boxes. I have to be careful or I will have quite a stack. About once a year or so, I go through the ones I am not using and burn most of them. I use them to organize papers, and etc.

I sing to myself...nearly all the time when I am alone. A few times I have been caught doing this within hearing range of others.. I hum, too. I try not to when others are around but sometimes....My boys grew up listening to me sing and singing with me... I remember when they were young, an Amy Grant song came on the radio and my youngest son thought it was me singing... ah the ears of love! Now mostly just my guinea pig must endure it although on occasion I have been caught singing to my chickens!!

Why?.... I want to know the reasoning behind things. I can seldom take anything at face value, everything must be researched before I can call it my own. And conversely, I find fascinating what many find dull... to know that the base of much modern thought actually goes back centuries is so interesting to me! Much of what we think or how things are done today is because of the ideas of men many years ago. To me, that kind of stuff is cool. (Note: If you are looking for the Truth, look no further than the Word of God, the Bible. Authors like Francis Schaeffer can help you "put it all together" as well. We must have a solid base!)

Well, that is all I can come up with for now... there are not 10... I may add on eventually or maybe not, maybe I'll keep the rest a secret. ~smile


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You've Got Mail

Mmmm.... a letter from the One I love most. I have to read it again and again.

 
Have you ever received a letter (or email) from someone you love or admire? You read it once through quickly, then again slowly, then again and again until it is nearly memorized. You never tire of reading those words written by the One you love.

It is like that with God's Word. His precious Word for us. 

Never dull,

never boring,

filled with love,

and always just what I need to hear.

There have been times in my life when I have neglected reading the Bible.  Always the Holy Spirit draws me back to it... after a few days I literally thirst for it, the need is so great. At times reading it has been painful, yet as I weep tears of sorrow, He turns them to joy.

Knowing my Lord loves me so... His Word is so dear.

^"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

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Mmmm... a really good book

For the past few months I have been reading Francis A. Schaeffer's 

How Should We Then Live. 

Yes.

I said...

the last few months. 

No, I am not a beginning reader and English is not my second language. I am going at this pace on purpose.  I'm going slowly, taking notes, reading about 1 chapter a week or so. 

 I really enjoy F.A. Schaeffer's literary style. He makes meaty content so enjoyable to read. While reading this book, I feel almost as though someone is present with me explaining the details to me in a way that is both interesting and memorable.

 How Should We Then Live is basically an brief synopsis of history from the beginning of time until it was written in 1976. What I am enjoying so much about this book is the way it brings so much of history together- showing how the past and the present (and hence the future) are interrelated. 

For example:

Were you aware that Voltaire's humanist thoughts and writings were what lead the French to a horrible blood bath with many dead and ultimately left them under the authoritarian rule of Napoleon Bonaparte instead of to an eutopia of human enlightenment as he had hoped? Do you know why?

And did you realize that Machiavelli's book The Prince, a book said to tell how to improve society, is what both Mussolini and Hitler based much of their political practices on?

Well... maybe you don't really care, but I'll tell you... this book is so well written, I bet you'll be saying "I had no idea!" within the few first pages AND that you'll want to continue on reading. Really, I bet you will! ~smile

There are so many interesting treasures in HSWTL. I could go on and on.

But instead, I'll leave the rest for you to discover on your own. 

Happy reading.

Want to look GREAT?? Then you really do need to have these.

In my last post I spoke a little about "frumpiness". It was a light-hearted post and said a bit with tongue-in-cheek. Today I want to share what I believe are the two most important fashion assets any woman (or man for that matter) can have. Want to look GREAT?? Then you really do need to have these.

1. A smile.

Not a fake, pasted-on, "I really can't stand you but am smiling anyway" smile, but rather a sincere smile that comes from peace and joy deep in our hearts. The kind of smile that says "all is well with my soul". A smile that adds a twinkle to our eyes and a spring to our step! Do you know that a smile makes you look younger? It may add "smile lines" but a smile makes other wrinkles less noticeable. There really is nothing quite so attractive as a woman or man whose joy of life shows in their face. Attractive is an apt term to describe a person who has a wonderful smile- people are literally drawn to them. A smile is free and makes you feel great as well.

2. A servant's heart.

 A woman who serves and sincerely cares for others is BEAUTIFUL. I know several women like this. They give, give, give and they never let on to others how much they are serving... you never hear them "brag" and seldom do you even hear them mention in passing what they are doing to serve..     

....And you know what? Even though they may not wear the latest fashions, wear little or no make-up, have simple hair styles, etc., they are honestly beautiful.

It is a beauty that comes from within.

It can not be faked,  no make-up can give the appearance that it is there when it isn't...

but you can not mistake this kind of beauty when you see it.

I have noticed women like this before and for a few brief moments I have thought... "if that woman just shortened her shirt a bit so it wasn't pulled so tightly down over her stomach, wore a different height of heel, applied a little mascara...." then as I watched her with others... watched as she served when tired...with a smile.. I realized she didn't need anything else to look more attractive. She was beautiful.

For more encouraging articles visit:

Feminine not frumpy!!

I've previously mentioned in this post Why I wear skirts alot that I enjoy wearing skirts

a lot. 

I love to look "girly". I wear a skirt while cleaning out my hen house, hoeing in my garden, working in the woods (working on  firewood), shoveling gravel, shoveling snow, etc, etc.... you get the idea. I wear them nearly all the time!

One thing I am conscious of beyond the modesty question is...

I hate to look frumpy. 

Oh, ugh, how I hate frumpiness!! 

Oh yes, I do. 

I HATE it!!

God wants us to be modest but it is not immodest to look attractive! 

Ayuh!

I'll tell you, it is very difficult as a full-figured women wearing skirts to NOT look frumpy. I do so enjoy "cute" fashions....something with a little style... yet, I am not a trendy type dresser. I have neither the desire or the money to wear the latest fashions, but I am conscious as I dress each day to try to look as pleasant as my situation allows, --yes, even to just go split wood. ~Smile

Recently, I came across the blog of one young woman that truly inspires me fashion-wise. (She is not plus sized, but many of her fashion choices would look lovely on larger gals, too.) She is stylish, cute, and.... 

of all things... 

you just won't believe it.....

modest!!

I absolutely adore her style. AND there is not even the tiniest bit of frumpiness in any of her posts that I have seen!

You really must have a little look at her blog, whether you enjoy wearing skirts or not.....If you think modest clothing has to be frumpy, boring, or outdated... think again!!

What I wear... 

Warning!!! Looking at her blog may change how YOU feel about wearing skirts. ~smile

7-4-2011

 (This says all verses. In fact, it is only two. Our national anthem contains four verses.)

"May the Heaven-rescued land, praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!"

Have a wonderful

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