Unite my divided heart...

One of my earliest memories is of a time that I told a deliberate lie to Mama.  She was mopping the dining room floor with one of those old timey string mops and a big metal bucket of soapy water.  In the background of my memory are two young boys that Mama was babysitting, though I have no idea who they were or who they belonged to.  I have no memory of my older siblings being there, so I guess they must have been in school that day.  I also don't remember my youngest brother being around, so perhaps he was down for a nap.  Something happened that interrupted Mama's mopping, and I remember her specifically telling me to stay away from the mop bucket when she left the room.  I disobeyed her and spilled that whole bucket of sudsy water all over the dining room floor.  When Mama came back into the room and asked me what happened, I lied and blamed those little boys for the mess. To this day I can remember the icky feeling that entered my little heart, the sense of guilt and wrongdoing.  You might say that in that moment my heart became divided from Mama's heart.  My sin, my deceit, built an instant wall inside my little heart.  To keep from being found out I would need to keep on lying, which only served to fortify the wall and the division I felt inside.  To come clean and be completely transparent and honest would tear down that wall and I could live in peaceful unity with my Mama once again.

God's heart is for us to live in a state of peaceful unity with Him.  He made a way for that to be possible for each one of us.  He knew we couldn't achieve this through our own self effort or good works.  So, He sent His Son to live the sinless life that is impossible for you and I to live.  His Son then died to take the punishment for our sins, all of our sins, making it possible for us to live in peaceful reconciliation with our holy Father God.  Our part is in the "coming clean" about our sins, in being honest and open with God about all of our struggles and sin, all of our doubts and fears. A hidden heart is a divided heart, a walled up heart.  An open and honest heart is undivided.

(Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 25th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

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Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Peace and Quiet...

We live in tumultuous times. Once again, this week's news was filled with violence and controversy.   I long for peace and quiet in the midst of this world's chaos.  In Isaiah 32:18 we read that God's people can dwell in peace, safety and quiet.  Perhaps there are some things that we can do to cooperate with God in making this happen.

1) Ask the Prince of Peace to dwell in you and in your home and family.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Invite Him into every area of your life, home and family.  Give Him permission to show you anything in you, your home and your family that is a peace robber.  There are many things that can steal your peace.  Unforgiveness, offenses, worry, anxiety, overcrowded schedules, chaotic surroundings...I could go on and on.  The good news is that God is willing to show us the things that are keeping us from living in peace if we will ask Him to and then listen to Him.

(Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 18th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Friday Favs - Affordable Felt Letterboard

Felt letter boards used in decor can be seen all over Instagram and Pinterest.

They can be used for fun quotes, for leaving your family fun reminders or messages,

or for a favorite scripture or inspirational saying.

The downside is that they are pretty expensive.

Because of that I didn't pursue getting one, but when I happened upon one at Walmart for $9.97,

I couldn't pass it up!

Since I have copper pans and other copper accents in the dining room,

I decided to spray paint the frame of the letter board with copper colored spray paint.

For $9.97 and the price of a can of spray paint, you could personalize your letter board in your own favorite color!

Well, it's almost Friday, friends!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and a safe and BLESSED weekend!

             

Hydrangea and some upcoming summer projects...

As summer draws near, at our new to us house, we are already beginning some big house projects.

(We moved in two years ago this coming September.)

Outside my husband and some friends have been pulling out more old and overgrown shrubs from our flowerbeds, putting up some new fencing, and are getting ready to expand our patio space.

I'm hoping that my hydrangea will bloom more heartily now that it isn't being overcrowded by other shrubs.

Also, happening this summer, our kitchen updates are finally happening.

It's time for our kitchen to come out of 1992 and into 2017!

I've chosen and ordered our new quartz kitchen countertops.

A fun new backsplash will be installed.

Our oak cabinets will be painted white and updated with some fun changes.

I'm excited!

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songography at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"

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Overflowing with praise...

Last week was a busy and full week filled with blessings and the goodness of the Lord,

all unearned and undeserved.  He's such a good, good Father Who is consistently faithful, steadfast and loving.  On good days, on hard days, on mundane ordinary days, He blesses me, He cares for me.

I am so grateful and He is so worthy of praise.

****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#9885-#9910

6-5-17-

-early sunrise

-quiet time for devotions and blogging

-patio plans and estimates from our friend

-God's provision to do updates on our kitchen and expand our patio

6-6-17-

-eight hours of sleep!

-God working things out when I cast my cares onto Him

-dinner with our youngest daughter, her husband, and our newest grand baby

-that sweet baby smell-I love snuggling our grandson!

6-7-17-

-seeing a huge improvement in our middle granddaughter's schoolwork

-her telling me all about the parable of the sower and what it means as we walked to the park

-our middle grandson, age 3, telling me he is now "Nana's big boy" 

since our newest grandson is now "Nana's baby boy"

6-8-17-

-God's help with a long to-do list

-raindrops on peonies

-a break in the rain for my walk

-Thursday dinner with the two oldest grandkids

-our youngest daughter and our newest grandson spending the night

-going on a walk to the church with them

6-9-17-

-a good doctor that our daughter feels comfortable with for our grandson 

-lunch at Chipotle with my girl

-our son-in-law hanging our new woven wood blinds

6-10-17-

-riding to my sister's with my nephew and his family 

-beautiful Oregon

-a fun visit with my sister and her husband

6-11-17-

-the sweet spirit in my sister's church

-a fun birthday surprise for my sister

-safe travels back home to my hubs

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Our Burden Bearer...

Times of deep trial and testing are definitely heavy and burdensome.  However, it seems to me that it is the daily burdens that we bear that are especially trying and wearisome.  Daily burdens can be as mundane as the seemingly endless piles of laundry, the never ending sinks full of dirty dishes,  referreeing squabbles between your children, the stresses of your nine to five job, or the challenges that arise in our day to day relationships.  It is the repetitive, never ending dailiness of our responsibilities and burdens that can wear us out and wear us down.

I am so thankful, so amazed, that God bears with me and bears my burdens day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 11th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Friday Favs...Mexican Sugarmold Centerpiece and some Mantel Changes...

My husband ordered a vintage Mexican sugar mold for me for Mother's Day.

He's really good at snooping around at what I've had my eye on online

and I'm good at leaving him clues!

The mold came with tin inserts and candles for each of the twelve holes.

I decided to put faux succulents in every other hole.

Because the sugar mold became my centerpiece, I then moved my demijohn collection to my mantel.

I also added a string of natural wood beads and a string of glass beads from Ghana 

around the necks of two of the demijohns for some texture and interest.

On the other side of the mantel is a faux succulent in a faceted vase stacked on a couple of antique books. 

I love how realistic the succulent is.

Well, it's almost Friday, friends!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and a safe and BLESSED weekend!