A vessel for honor…

 

The enemy of our soul will sometimes take the very Word of God and twist it and use it against us.

I once had the enemy use this passage in Timothy to torment a woman in our church.

He told her she was just a vessel of dishonor and that’s all she would ever be.

After all, didn’t the Word say clearly there are some who are vessels of honor

and some who are vessels of dishonor?

Unfortunately, she didn’t go on and read verse 21.

It clearly states that the choice of what kind of vessel we are is up to us.

If anyone cleanses himself he will be a vessel for honor…

If we will yield to God,

repent, allow Him to cleanse us,

allow Him to change us,

allow Him to empower us to live a life of obedience,

we will be sanctified,

set apart for His purposes,

and useful for the Master,

prepared for every good work.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Friday favs…old stool and old school chair get a makeover.

This beat up old stool and this old school chair have been hanging around our house for years.

It was time to do something with them…

so, I gave them both a good sanding and a couple of coats of flat white paint.

Then I decided they were too stark white.

On the stool I thinned down some gray craft paint with water and used it as a glaze, wiping it off with paper towels until I had the look I wanted. 

When it was dry I distressed it a bit with sandpaper.

Then I gave it a good coat of natural color Minwax, buffing it when dry.

  I’m loviin’ it!

On the little school chair, after the two coats of white paint were dry,

I glazed it with some burnt umber craft paint watered down, and wiped it down with paper towels.

I left it more heavily glazed than the stool.

Once it was dry, I sanded it to distress it, applied a good coat of Minwax and buffed when dry.

I’m lovin’ it too!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Elizabeth

 

 

Café au lait!

 

Anthropologie has these cute café au lait bowls in different sizes and different colors.

But not for the great price I found the mini ones at Homegoods for, or the great price I found the larger ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond for…especially with the $5 off coupon that comes in their mailer.

I plan to use them for ice cream bowls…the mini ones will be perfect for one scoop…

the larger ones are big enough for a cup of soup or a small salad or two or three scoops of ice cream!

But on a recent Friday, which is usually the Hubs day off and our date day, he had a meeting. 

So, home alone, I suddenly thought, why not?

Café au lait! 

Then I went online and priced how much a trip to France really costs.

(Hey, a girl can dream can’t she?)

That is my simple pleasure this week…café au lait, (and dreaming).

Elizabeth

Seeing eyes, hearing ears, burning heart…

Two of your followers

on the Emmaus road

Talked about You

and Your death

You caught up with them

walked with them

talked with them

They said, “We were hoping Jesus was the one to redeem and set Israel free.”

They said, “Some women, some of those with us, went to His tomb and found it empty.”

You called these Emmaus travelers

sluggish in mind

dull of  perception

slow of heart to believe

But then You patiently explained to them through the Scriptures the things about Yourself

Toward evening, they invited You to stay for supper

In the eucharisteo,

In the breaking of bread

their eyes were opened

And they recognized the Risen Lord

Give  me O God

seeing eyes

hearing ears

a burning heart

for the Risen Lord

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Tablescape and lemon cake!

When I bought my clearance sale English transferware,

I knew I wanted to accent the table with bright spring-y yellow for Easter.

Some yellow mums in a white pitcher and mini café au lait bowls filled with jelly beans

top some yellow polka dot ribbon from the Dollar Tree.

Dollar Tree goblets, gotta love the price!

All the cleaning, cooking, baking, and table setting took place on the Saturday before Easter,

a beautiful, sunny day.  Unfortunately, Easter day dawned rainy and gray.

I think the bright colors helped to chase the gloomy gray away though,

and for sure sharing Easter dinner with family and friends that we love did!

The only thing better would have been to have my South Carolina daughter and her family,

and my Missouri daughter home for Easter too.

To go along with the “yellow theme” one of the desserts I made was my favorite lemon cake,

a recipe clipped years ago from the Oregonian newspaper.

This cake is moist, and if you keep it refrigerated it is a perfect cold, lemon-y dessert

for the, (hopefully), approaching sunny, warm days.

Happy baking!

Elizabeth

Joining the recipe party at Rhoda's!

 

 

When you’re in the “in between” place…

We watched The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday.

It got me to thinking about the hours in between His gruesome death, and His victorious resurrection.

Surely, those were dark hours for His family and followers.

Dark hours when doubt nipped at their heels,

“Was He really who He said He was?”

“Will He really rise from the dead as He said?”

“How? When?”

As I look back over my life, much of life occurs in the “in between” hours,

the dark hours before the promise.

I can remember dark days, seemingly hopeless situations, when sleep at night was a refuge from the pain,

only to waken in the dark and feel my heart sink as I remembered…

…a broken relationship with a brother or sister in Christ

…a huge financial pressure

…my daughter’s third miscarriage after years and years of infertility

…loss of our beautiful new church building due to a lawsuit by other believers

…death of a parent

…a spiritual daughter walking away from Jesus and from us

Thank God, the “in between” doesn’t last forever.

The dark days do give way to life and light and resurrection and promise.

Looking back, so many times my mind and emotions screamed,

“I can’t do this!”

Yet, here I am, still here.

Many of the situations gave way to glorious promise fulfilled.

Many were answered, not by some glorious restoration of loss,

but by His comfort and knowledge that His plans aren’t always our plans.

Many were answered by His strength, grace and endurance given,

enabling me to put one foot in front of the other and to keep walking.

But in them all, the “in-between” doesn’t last forever.

One way or the other, Good Friday gives way to Sunday, to promise, to life, to resurrection.

Thank God.

my continuing gratitude list #1063-#1080

-His great grace

-baby granddaughter, (yes, oldest daughter has her miracle baby!),

now talking in the most delightful full sentences!

-the blue of the sky

-the blue of a blue jay

-the amazing varieties of bird song on one walk outdoors

-dinner with a dear couple from church, whose home overflows with grace and peace

-a day of running errands with the Hubs

-my funny brothers and sisters and their funny emails

-favorite books, revisited like old friends

-Psalm 118

-a Friend that sticks closer than a brother

-squirrels playing tag in the tree outside my window

-cloudless blue sky on Good Friday

-beautiful pre-Easter Saturday filled with yard work, housework, cooking, baking

-Easter Sunday-He Lives!

-company for Easter dinner

-Easter phone calls from my South Carolina grandbabies

-Easter greeting, “Christ is risen!” “Christ is risen indeed!”

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth