Testimonies of the Creator

Acts 14:15-17

"We also are men of like passions with you,

and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God,

which made heaven,

and earth,

and the sea,

and all things that are therein:

Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness,

in that he did good,

and gave us rain from heaven,

and fruitful seasons,

filling our hearts with food and gladness."

Psalm 65

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion:

and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer,

unto thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me:

as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,

and causest to approach unto thee,

that he may dwell in thy courts:

we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,

even of thy holy temple.
By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us,

O God of our salvation;

who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,

and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;

being girded with power:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas,

the noise of their waves,

and the tumult of the people.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:

thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it:

thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God,

which is full of water:

thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly:

thou settlest the furrows thereof:

thou makest it soft with showers:

thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;

and thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:

and the little hills rejoice on every side.
The pastures are clothed with flocks;

the valleys also are covered over with corn;

they shout for joy, they also sing.

Plans

Some of you know that for a long time I have been wanting to go visit our friends, the H's, in Indiana, to help them around the house and with their church. Pastor H used to pastor a church we used to go to, which is how we met. We developed a good friendship with Pastor and Mrs. H, as well as with their three children: Kaylyn (7), Daniel (5), and Hannah (2). (I think I got the ages right... ;-) ) The H moved down to Indiana in late 2006 to pastor a new church plant there. Well, it worked out for our family to go down to Creation Museum this next week and Daddy talked with Pastor H and it looks like I will finally be able to go for my visit. :-) (If plans don't change, that is.) Our whole family will be leaving for Cincinnati after church tomorrow, Lord willing, and the H's will pick me up on Wednesday. I will (again, Lord willing) be there for a week and a half, possibly less, and then my mom and sisters will pick me up and we will make a quick visit with family in northern and central Indiana. So that's the plan!

Please pray for me as I am down there. I have never been away from my family for very long at all-- I've always at least had one of my sisters with me-- so I am a little nervous. I am still a little shaken by the news about Megan too. However, I am convinced that this is what the Lord wants me to do and am greatly anticipating being used by Him in some way. So please keep me in your prayers for the next two weeks!! I'm not sure how much internet access I'll have but I will try to post and keep you updated. :-) Thanks so much!

Discourse in the Churchyard

The next day, after services and a lazy Sabbath afternoon, Malcolm again made his way in the evening to the Alton to visit Mr. Graham. Malcolm found his friend seated on a stone in the churchyard.

"See," said the schoolmaster, "how the shadow from one grave stretches like an arm to embrace another. In this light the churchyard seems the very birthplace of shadows." A brief silence followed. "Does the morning or the evening light suit such a place best, Malcolm?"

The pupil thought for a while.

"The evning light, sir," he answered at length, "for you see the sun's dying like, and death's like falling asleep, and the grave's the bed and the sod is the bedclothes, and there's a long night ahead."

"Are you sure of that, Malcolm?"

"That's the way most folk sees it, sir."

"Come here, Malcolm," said Mr. Graham, and took him by the arm toward the east end of the yard.

"Read that," he said, pointing to a flat gravestone covered with moss but on the inscription nevertheless stood out clearly: "He is not here: he is risen."

While Malcolm gazed, trying to think what his master would have him think, Mr. Graham resumed: "If he is risen-- if the sun is up, Malcolm-- then the morning and not the evening is the season for the place of the tombs; the morning when the shadows are shortening and separating, not the evening when they are growing all into one. I used to love the churchyard best in the evening, when the past was more to me than the future. But now I visit it almost every bright summer morning and only occasionally at night."

"But, sir, isn't death a dreadful thing?" asked Malcolm.

"That depends on whether a man regards it as his fate or as the will of a perfect God. Its obscurity is its dread. But if God be light, then death itself must be full of splendor-- a splendor probably too keen for our eyes to receive."

"But there's the dying itself; isn't that fearsome? It's that I would be afraid of."

"I don't see why it should be. It's the lack of a God that makes it dreadful, and you would be greatly to blame for that, Malcolm, if you hadn't found your God by the time you had to die."

....They walked about the churchyard until the sun went down in what Mr. Graham called the grave of his endless resurrection-- the clouds on the one side bearing all the pomp of his funeral, the clouds on the other all the glory of his uprising. After the twilight was gone they once more seated themselves and talked and dreamed together of the life to come. There were also long periods of silence. For the master believed in solitude and silence. Say rather, he believed in God and he believe that when the human is still, the Divine speaks to it, because it is its own.

-from The Fisherman's Lady, by George MacDonald, pages 55-58

If You Have a Friend Worth Loving

When I was looking for "A Psalm of Life" the other week, I came across this excellent poem. Yesterday, when we found out about the death of our childhood friend, Megan (see "Day by Day"), the poem came to my mind.

If you have a friend worth loving,

Love him. Yes, and let him know

That you love him; ere life's evening

Tinge his brow with sunset glow.

Why should good words ne'er be said

Of a friend-- till he is dead?

If you hear a song that thrills you,

Sung by any child of song,

Praise it. Do not let the singer

Wait deserved praises long.

Why should one who thrills your heart

Lack the joy you may impart?

If you hear a prayer that moves you

By its humble, pleading tone,

Join it. Do not let the seeker

Bow before his God alone.

Why should not your brother share

The strength of "two or three" in prayer?

If you see the hot tears falling

From a brother's weeping eyes,

Share them. And by kindly sharing

Own your kinship in the skies.

Why should anyone be glad

When a brother's heart is sad?

If a silvery laugh goes rippling

Through the sunshine on his face,

Share it. 'Tis the wise man's saying--

For both grief and joy a place.

There's health and goodness in the mirth

In which an honest laugh has birth.

If your work is made more easy

By a friendly, helping hand,

Say so. Speak out brave and truly

Ere the darkness veil the land.

Should a brother workman dear

Falter for a word of cheer?

Scatter thus your seeds of kindness

All enriching as you go--

Leave them. Trust the Harvest-giver;

He will make each seed to grow.

So, until the happy end,

Your life shall never lack a friend.

~Anonymous

Megan (pictured third from left, holding the springer spaniel), with several of the lives she touched.

My Regency Dress

Last week I was able to finish my Regency gown. I am having a little trouble closing it up in the back, but that should be solved by adding just a few more hooks-and-eyes. It's so much fun to wear; I wore it to Miranda's graduation party on Saturday and all day at home on Monday. I love it!

This is the pattern I used: Simplicty, 4055.


Here are some pictures of me in the dress:

Front View:

Back View:
(see how it gapes a teeny in the back?)

Look! I'm Elinor Dashwood! Or perhaps I am Catherine Morland, daydreaming about breathtaking adventures in ancient castles...

Right now I am working on sewing some jumpers for some special little girls that I am going to visit next week. :-)

After I come home, I plan on making a white regency gown out of the same pattern as the dress above (I already have the fabric-- it's beautiful!! :-D ) And I plan on trying this authentic vintage pattern which I ordered off of Best Vintage Patterns.

I am also willing to make a Regency gown for anyone (local) who is willing to pay for fabric, notions, and labor. :-)

Today's Song of Praise

Today is such a beautiful, beautiful day. Outside, the sun has been for some time struggling to show its face, and only a few moments ago it finally broke out into a beautiful smile upon the budding world. Sitting in the living room near the front of the house, I can hear the wind whipping madly around the house, tossing the chimes and causing them to sing and dance in its hold. The trees wave back and forth, flaunting their huge, red, allergy-laden buds or their fresh green sprouts. The woods to the side of our house are painted in tones of yellow and green and brown, and the crab apple tree out our kitchen window is proclaiming spring as its pink leaves squeeze their way out into the world. All nature sings of a powerful, almighty Creator who is so great and yet so caring as to pay attention to each little detail-- each bud on each tree, each blade of grass, each grain of pollen-- each breath I breathe, each beat my heart makes, each sigh of contentment, each tug of grief or loneliness-- This is our God. So powerful. Yet so caring. So good. So faithful.

All nature proclaims,

"Praise Him! For He alone is worthy!"

If you are silent,

the very stones will cry out!

The Love of John 3:16

In my IBE lessons, Dr. Minnick taught me the four different Greek words for love, in a lesson which was very convicting to me! They are as follows:



Eros (said like AIR-oss) -- physical attraction, passionate compulsion (lust). Aristotle said, "Eros always begins with the pleasure of the eye, and no one falls into it without first being charmed by beauty." Dr. Minnick called this unconverted love and pictured it like this: Two circles next to eachother, with an arrow coming out from one of the circles, but the arrow is inverted towards itself. It is a kind of "love" that is out for what it can get more than what it can give.

Philos (said like FIH-loss)-- friendship love, a mutual affection. Dr. Minnick illustrated this by two circles next two eachother with a line between the two with arrows pointing towards each other.

Storge (said like STORE-gay)-- family love, also a mutual affection. This word is used twice in the negative in the New Testament, in Romans 1:1 and 2 Timothy 3:3. This is illustrated in the same way as the former philos.

Agape (said like uh-GAH-pay)-- divine love, God's love, John 3:16 love. This is God giving to the world. It is illustrated in two circles, with an arrow (not inverted) going out from one circle to the other. It desires the other's highest good. This is the character of love that a true disciple of Christ should show to EVERYONE.




It was that last one, agape, that really convicted me. We are not told to have warm, fuzzy philos/storge love towards everyone, necessarily, but we are told to have agape love towards all people! What? All people? What if this one person rejects my love? Or doesn't care what I think about them? Worse, what if that person hates my guts and would do anything to be rid of me? Am I to love that person?

I love the picture in Fireproof, when Caleb is complaining to his dad about Catherine, and asks how is he supposed to love someone who continually rejects him. His dad uses that question and turns it around on him-- how is it that God would continue to love him, even though he continued to reject Him? Think about it. We have hurt God over and over again by sinning against Him, lifting ourselves up against Him in our hearts, rejecting Him. Yet, when we were yet sinners, He loved us, so much that He died for us and took the penalty of our sins upon Himself! What great love! And even when men reject Him, He still loves them and continues to offer them a chance to repent and put their faith and trust in Him.

When I think of God's love in that way, I am ashamed of my own level of "love". I don't even have people who hate me so much that they wish I were dead (I don't think I do, at least!) but there are people I know well who are hard to love because they tend to be unkind, annoying, sometimes hurtful (intentionally or unintentionally, with words or actions)... and it is so easy to feel bitter or resentful towards those people. I don't "feel" like loving them, because they are just so unlovable! Shame on me! Aren't I so unlovable, and yet God loved me? Haven't I sinned and hurt God and others, and yet God loves and forgives me? Haven't I blasphemed His name, and yet He offers me salvation and forgiveness through His death on the cross? Who am I to resent or withhold forgiveness from anyone for something done against me, or anyone, for that matter? Jesus loves them with the same magnitude of love with which He has loved me. And if Christ is in me, so should His fruit be abiding and abounding in me. My Heavenly Father has been so good lately to challenge me to this new depth of love in the face of difficult relationships. Revealing Himself and the nature of His love to me, He shows me where I am so fleshly in this area, and yet offers me victory through His Name and by His blood. This is not a losing effort, if God is on my side-- and He is! :-)

Please pray for me as I seek to grow in this area of Christlike agape love towards all. I also encourage you to allow the Spirit to shed light on your own hearts and show you if there is any bitterness or resentment in your heart that needs to be rooted out. It may be painful for a moment, but the end will be sweet joy!

A Psalm of Life

Hey, I found the poem that I mentioned in my tag! And... I see you wincing!... I found a couple excellent poetry books while I was at it and, in them, lots of delicious poems! Poetry might take over quotes now on this blog... ;-) No, I'll try not to overload you. :-D
I don't remember where I heard this poem first-- I think it was on a movie, maybe a Jane Austen? It sounds like something that might be in Sense and Sensibility, but I think that might be the wrong era... Does anybody know what movie this is quoted in? ANYWAY! It is such a beautiful poem-- life may seem hopeless or pointless, we may think, "What's the point of living if we're just going to die anyway?" But God has given us a precious treasure to use for His glory-- let us not waste away our days in selfishness or worry or self-pity. Let us be instruments for Him to use and leave an imprint on the lives of those around us. I hope you enjoy it as I have, and feel free to insert your thoughts in the Comments section if you wish.




Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
"Life is but an empty dream!"
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
"Dust thou art, to dust returnest,"
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,-- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time;

Footsteps, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Part of "act,--act in the present", and "learn to labor and to wait" consists of living each moment as an offering to God. "Only what's done for Christ will last." Our lives will be wasted if we fret it away on the past and the future and on selfish things; but the moments that are used to glorify the Father and guide other souls to Him are never lost.

Tag

Here is a fun tag I actually came across (was not officially tagged :-) ) I thought some of you might enjoy it and are welcome to participate if you wish.

What is your favorite...



Movie: Wives and Daughters

Movie Character: Molly Gibson (Wives and Daughters), Esther Summerson (Bleak House), Jefferson Smith (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)

Book: Christy (that’s just one of them :-) I really don’t have a favorite, if I were to name all the ones I love I would fill up this whole page!)

Book Character: Malcolm MacPhail, Laura Ingalls, and many, many more (favorite movie character and favorite Jane Austen character also apply :-) )

Jane Austen Novel: Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen Movie/Mini Series: A&E Pride and Prejudice (duh! ;-) )

Jane Austen Character: Elinor Dashwood, Edward Ferrars, Henry Tilney, Anne Elliot

Poet: Amy Carmichael

Poem: Hm… that I don’t know. I like the one “Tell me not in mournful numbers ‘life is but a passing dream’…I don’t remember the title or the author of that one; I think Tennyson?

Type of Music: Celtic/ mountain, and definitely Christian

Song: “Beneath the Cross” (by Keith and Kristy Getty), “Before the Throne of God Above”, "The Prodigal Son Suite" (I listen to all 12 minutes of it over and over again when I am sewing, and always cry at end-- 'Prepare a feast, for my son's alive!' :-D )

Quote: Far too many! I have an insatiable thirst for quotes, as you all know! I'll just have to post a new one that I haven't before... :-P “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” -J. Oswald Sanders

Costume that you own: well, I’ve just started that collection so I’d have to say my own historical costume… my blue regency dress. ;-) But I like the white Regency gown of my dreams even better… :-D

School Subject: Home EcBook of the Bible: John, Romans, Genesis, Isaiah

Bible Character: I can’t stand this question. “Bible character” makes them seem like intangible fictional characters. I LOVE Jesus—not because He is a character in a book. He is my savior, He is my refuge and help in trouble, He is my Creator, He is my friend, He is my GOD! I do also love reading about Joseph (OT), because he was so pure, wise, forgiving… oh, and Abraham and David too!

Bible Verse: The Scriptures are so full of treasures! How can I only pick one? And who said I need only pick one? However, some that have greatly encouraged me are Galatians 2:20 and Psalm 34

Historical Time Period: Regency, Romantic (Wives and Daughters), 1850’s (North and South, Bleak House :-) )

Website: http://forums.sensibility.com/ and all my friends' blogs

Hobbies: writing, sewing

Animal: mostly anything in the cat family, and I also love ephelants! (wrong spelling on purpose ;-) )

God at the Controls/ When Things Seem Impossible

Paul commended Steve for the neat landing he had made in spite of the rough wind and difficult runway. They began to taxi back to the trail which led to the village.

"Man, this doesn't feel right," Paul remarked, not seeing any Indians around where they usually parked the plane. No sign of the Cains either, in spite of the radio call made en route...

Steve swung the tail of the airplane around and was shutting off the engine as Paul said again, "Steve, something doesn't seem right to me. There's nobody here."

"Here they come!" Steve announced.

Paul looked under the right wing down the trail to where people normally came, and said, "I don't see anybody."

"No, the guerillas!"

Then he saw them. Two were coming toward them from the front, out of the jungle, and two were coming from behind. There was no escape.


The year is 1985. Tim and Bunny are ministering among the Puinave people in a village called Morichal, in the Amazon River Basin area of Colombia, when one day strange Colombian men, donned in camoflauge and armed with guns, appear on their doorstep. They are the F.A.R.C. (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia), a Colombian Marxist guerilla group. Tim is forced by the guerillas to call in the missionary pilots to fly him out-- all the while it is a trap for pilots Paul Dye and Steve Estelle!

Separating the missionaries, the guerillas have Paul fly them to one of their small jungle bases while Steve, Tim, and Bunny are held at Morichal. Here the Lord deals patiently with his children, and they must learn to wait on Him and trust Him to do the absolute Impossible!

God at the Controls, now entitled When Things Seem Impossible, is a true account of God's amazing power in the lives of His children in a very troubled part of the world. Written by Jean Dye Johnson and published by New Tribes Mission, it is an inspiring testimony of the power of the God of Creation in spite of the powers of this world. When God's children allow Him to work in their hearts, and when they trust their lives to Him in complete faith, He shows Himself strong above all that they could ask or think. You will read with baited breath as you see God close the eyes of the enemy and aid in a miraculous escape from the powerful guerilla forces, and you will put down the book with a new confidence that we do serve the God of the Impossible!

Elizabeth Gaskell Collection

Lately I've had some ideas in my mind and yesterday I took the time to carry them through... but I had to do it on "the other computer" since mine doesn't have a good picture program! :-) I decided to make posters of the three BBC mini-series based on the works of Elizabeth Gaskell. I still want to touch up the one for Wives and Daughters, but we'll see.

So, scroll down to the bottom of the page and let me know what you think! :-)

Happy Resurrection Day to you all!!!

I pray that this day you are reflecting upon the wonder of our Savior's love, sacrifice, and majesty!

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:
yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

But God commendeth his love toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood,

we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,

much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom we have now received the atonement."

(Romans 5:7-11)

Trust

Storms arise and fears assail,

Men may speak and men may fail.

Secret sessions, two-faced friends,

Few beginnings, many ends.

Battered, beaten, blown about,

Trapped 'til you could scream and shout--

You may stranded feel to be.

Light and hope you may not see.

Groping, grasping, seeking light--

What is wrong and what is right?

Wait in silence, heart; be still!

Cast yourself on Heaven's will.

Trust in God, O fearful heart.

He your path of life will chart.

Do not fear the tangled way;

Cling to Him, for He is Day.

Better than to trust in man

Is to trust the Master's plan!

Look, therefore, unto the hills--

Fearful, lonely hearts He stills.

P.S. I hope the overload of poetry isn't tiring to my readers. Some time back, I was writing poetry very frequently (before I started this blog) and then, for some reason, went through a "dry" time where I just wasn't "feeling the rythm" ;-) ) Recently, however, as I again find material things unstable and am ever needing to cling more to the Lord, He has been filling me heart with rhyme again, giving me songs that stem from the root of life's circumstances and spiritual relationship. So I wanted to share it with you. Personally, I often find it easier to share my heart in verse rather than in prose. May you be encouraged to read it as I have been to write it.

Beautiful Words!

Doubt sees the obstacles;

Faith sees the way.

Doubt sees the darkest night;

Faith sees the day.

Doubt dreads to take a step;

Faith soars on high.

Doubt questions 'who believes?';

Faith answers, 'I.' ''

- Source Unknown

Note: The picture above is from BBC's Planet Earth, the Seasonal Forests episode. In this scene, a species of duck in, I believe, the Russia area, hatched some chicks in a hollow high up in a tree. In order to get to water, the newborn chicks must make a long jump down to the ground. The scene is very hilarious as the mama duck cheers the chicks on, and they jump out one by one and land in a big splash of leaves. :-) The picture seemed to me to reflect the words of the poem a little, because we are like the chicks, small, weak, and fearful, and sometimes must move ahead even when it's scary. But with God leading us along and helping us, we can do it.

Mountain Rain

1906. James Fraser was intelligent and musical, and was pursuing a career in engineering at Imperial College, London. But God had different plans for him. Rather than leading him to a flourishing engineering career, God led him all the way to China to do a mighty work through him.

James' first station was at Tengyueh, in the southwest, near Burma. It was there that he began to notice an unusual tribal people, called the Lisu. These people God eventually would use James to bring to Himself, but it would not be an easy journey-- it would be a road of hard work, travelling, tears, and most of all, prayer.

Mountain Rain, written by J. O. Fraser's second daughter, Eileen Fraser Crossman, and published by OMF Books in 1982, tells of this incredible journey of faith. She writes in an easy style, including subdivisions within the chapters so it is easier to put down if you only have a limited time to sit and read. Drawing from letters, journal entries, and personal remembrances from individuals, Eileen brings to life this outstanding man of God who was part of a huge turning to God among the tribal people of Yunnan Province, and who also was instrumental in the call of well-known missionary and author Isobel Kuhn to China (which you can read about in Mrs. Kuhn's book, By Searching.)

One part of the book that especially had an impact on me was Mrs. Crossman's account and James' letters and journal entries about his difficult struggle in the beginning of his work among the Lisu-- of the strength of satan's strongholds, but the even more powerful weapon of prayer. God used these chapters, especially, to truly open my eyes to the nature of prayer, and I was convicted of the shallowness of my own prayer life. Through James' writings, I learned the nature of the "prayer of faith" and "definite prayer." I also was blessed as I read about what God taught James during the times when he was very discouraged-- and so was I about the time I read it. We can indeed have victory through faith in the power of the God of Hosts; we can defeat discouragement by "resisting the devil" and relying upon God. These truths were so refreshing to me in my walk with Christ, and I heartily encourage you to read this book and be blessed as well!

"I had so much to learn! It seemed as if God was saying: 'You are crying to me to do a big work among the Lisu; I am wanting to do a big work in you yourself.' "

-J. O. Fraser

P.S. You may read further thoughts on this book in this post.

Poll Answer

Good job, folks, on the poll! 8 votes were for "Flywheel" and 2 for "Facing the Giants." The answer was "Flywheel".

Enjoy the next one... it's one of my favorites. :-)

Please Pray...

This morning my granddaddy (age 82) went in to the hospital with heart attack symptoms... He is staying over night so he can be watched and so they can figure out exactly what is wrong with him. Please pray that the Lord would protect and heal him, and give us all courage... and also that my Grama will have patience and strength. We love our granddaddy so much, and it's hard to imagine what it would be like without him... (He and Grama live in the same town as us. Granddaddy is very well-known and respected, as used to be the family doctor of just about everyone in this area of Ohio/PA.)

Anyway, if you would pray, that would be greatly appreciated! His name is Dr. William (Bill) Anderson.

Friendship

A friend of mine sent me these pictures that she took a couple weeks ago at church. They were a blessing to me because they reminded me of the blessing of friendship and the fellowship we have through Christ when we belong to Him. I thought I would share them with you. :-)

Back left: Sarah. Back right: Ashley. Front, left to right: me, Chaya, and Moryah.

Leahna and I.

This one was taken by Bethany at the tea. It is of Alaina and me. I really like this one. :-)

Here's another picture, this time of my friend Hannah and I. Photo courtesy of Simeon Ring. :-)

To All the Friends Whom God Has Brought Into My Life:

Thank you so much for your sweet friendship and the spiritual encouragement and edification you have given me. May the Lord bless and keep you and continue to make you like Himself! I love you all!

"But if we walk in the light, as He [Jesus] is in the light,

we have fellowship one with another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

1 John 1:7

Rain in Springtime

This spring morning I awoke

To the sound of falling rain,

Pouring on the ground and roof,

Rushing swiftly down the drain.

Grasses brown from many snows

Now take on an Irish green,

On the branches once so dead,

Waking leaves can now be seen.

"Spring is coming!" Nature shouts,

And around the flower beds,

Blue bells, tulips, irises,

Daffodils all show their heads.

And 'tis all the falling rain,

Washing all the dry away,

Giving life to what was dead,

Turning winter's night to day.

Brown and frigid, I am like

Icy winter in my heart--

Flowers gone, the trees all bare,

Waiting still for life to start.

Holy Spirit, like the rain,

Fall in floods upon this ground;

Send your sap through all my veins;

Make it springtime all around.

Fill my heart with songs of birds,

Songs of praise, O, let me sing!

Rain of God, wash out the cold

And refresh me with Thy spring!

Regency

Regency Era: the years from the 1790s to the 1820s, mainly in Europe. To me, "Regency" means beautiful dresses and hairstyles, social classes, Pemberly, Hartfield, Norland, and, well, in short, Jane Austen! :-)

I love everything Regency! Mainly my love for it is inspired by the excellent books by Jane Austen, and some of the delightful movie renditions of them...

Lately I have taken up sewing (or attempting to sew) my own Regency wardrobe. :-) But you kind of have to work from the inside out, so I started with the chemise, which is like a slip, and is also called a shift... I learned so many new skills while sewing it, such as sewing gussets in sleeves, making a bias, and sewing flat felled seams! (Thank you, Mrs. Smith! :-) )

Then the short stays... which are a mild form of a corset, basically-- softer and shorter. It was a big project, and lots of fun, especially applying the boning. :-) I finished that on Monday, but haven't gotten a picture of them. Unfortunately, they were a little big on me, but fit Amanda, so either I am going to have to make a new pair or try some other option. At least, it only took me a week to make, but still... that was all afternoon every day but Sunday! :-P

Below is the basic look of the stays, only these aren't the ones I made. The pattern is from Sense and Sensibility.

Well, once I find a solution to the stays problem, I will, Lord willing, make the dress. The pattern I have is from Simplicity, but the same pattern can be gotten from Sense and Sensibility (link above.) In cutting out the pattern pieces for this dress, I have decided I like working with the Sensibility much better than Simplicity-- I say that in case you decide to buy the pattern yourself. Of course, your taste in may vary from mine. :-)

I've also tried a hairstyle inspired from the films, particularly Elinor in the new "Sense and Sensibility" (BBC). Here's Elinor:

And here's me:

Hmm... needs some improvement in the back where it wraps around. How do some people manage to make their hair (or others') so nice?

Well, I don't know whether or not to say this post was totally pointless... but it's fun for me and thought you might like to know what's going on over here in between Sundays. :-)

I hope you are all enjoying the beauty of God's creation and the joy of a blooming spring, inside and out. May the Lord "grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being..."