Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from 1 Peter 2:1-9.  

S= Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that ye may grow by it,
"If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious;
"To whom, coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God, and precious,
"Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
"Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.

"Unto you, therefore, who believe He is precious, but unto those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
"And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them who stumble at the word,  being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people of His own, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."  (1 Peter 2:1-9)

O= Cross-reference for "tasted" (v.3) -- "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusteth in Him."  (Psalm 34:8)

Cross-reference for "stone" (v.4) -- "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)." (Genesis 49:24)

Cross-reference for "disallowed" or "rejected" (v.4)  -- "The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner."  (Psalm 118:22)

In reference to "holy priesthood" (v.5) and "holy nation" (v.9) there is this note: "In the New Testament, one Greek word, hagios, in its various forms, is rendered 'holy', 'holiness', 'sanctify', 'sancified', 'sanctification'.  It signifies set apart."

Cross-reference for "Behold, I lay in Zion" (v.6)-- "Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste."  (Isaiah 28:16) 

Cross-reference for "stone of stumbling" (v.8) -- "And He shall be for a sanctuary: but for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."  (Isaiah 8:14)

Cross-reference for "whereunto also they were appointed" (v.8) -- "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another to dishonor?
"What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction,
"And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory,
"Even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"  (Romans 9:21-24)

Cross-references for "chosen generation" (v.9) -- "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God; the LORD thy God hath chosen you to be a special people unto Himself, above all people who are upon the face of the earth."  (Deuteronomy 7:6)

"I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen."  (Isaiah 43:20)

Note concerning "royal priesthood" (v.9) -- "In the exercise of his office the New Testament believer-priest is 1) a sacrificer who offers a fourfold sacrifice: 

 * his own living body (Romans 12:1)
* praise to God (Hebrews 13:15)
* his substance (Romans 12:13)
* his service (Hebrews 13:16)

2) an intercessor (Colossians 4:12)

Note concerning "holy nation" (v.9) -- "In both testaments the same Greek words are rendered by the English words 'sanctify' and 'holy' in their various grammatical forms.  The one uniform meaning is to set apart for God." -- Scofield

Cross-reference for "people of His own" (v.9) -- "Now therefore if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine.  And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation."  (Exodus 19:5-6a)

Scofield comments, "What under law was conditional is, under grace, freely given to every believer." 

"Praises" (v.9) literally means "excellencies".

Cross-references for "out of darkness" (v.9) -- "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in Me."  (Acts 26:18)

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known.  I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.  These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."  (Isaiah 42:16)

Cross-reference for "His marvelous light" (v.9) -- "For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light."  (Psalm 36:9)

A= Warren Wiersbe notes concerning verses 1-2: "Just as a baby has an appetite for the mother's milk, so the child of God has an appetite for the Father's Word.  If you lose that appetite and stop growing, check to see if any of the sins listed in verse 1 are infecting your life."  Food for thought, for sure!

For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"Remembering who I once was is important to realize who I am now." -- Rachel Wojo

This thought of course fits with verse 9, which reminds us that God has brought us out of spiritual darkness. 

 
Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "mercy". 

 
It's certainly God's mercy that brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  It's His mercy that has made us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people of His own.

The question was asked: Which of my own words have blocked the beauty of God's Word?

My response in 2018: Again, probably words like "This is too hard!" when God's Word clearly states that there is nothing too hard for Him.

Answering this same question in 2024:  Words like "I can't do all this!" when God clearly tells me that I can do all things through Christ.  I know I absolutely can do all things that are His will for me to do.  

As Elisabeth Elliot wrote, "If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there.  Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God."

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the music I hear; the people I encounter; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the words I read, there are the beautiful words of the Bible as well as lovely poetry I have recently read.

For the places I go, I noted how we are surrounded with cool, refreshing shades of green at our little cottage in the woods.

 For the people I encounter, I spoke of a diverse and unexpectedly large group of ladies in my Sunday School class, all encouraging one another with their insights.

For the weather I experience, I mentioned a string of perfect summer days.

A journaling prompt was this:  List one or more ideas to remind myself to intentionally look for God's beauty throughout the day.

My response in 2018: Walk outdoors or on the porch if at all possible.  Soak up any available sunshine.  Breathe deeply while outdoors.  Listen for birdsong.

For my response in 2024, I added: Enjoy hummingbirds at the camp, and a large variety of colorful birds at our feeder at home.   Watch for perennial summer flowers and wildflowers.  Admire the color of my homemade chive blossom vinegar!

P= "Lord,  I praise You today that You have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light!  Your expectation is that I will show forth Your praises in my life.  I need to be sure I'm doing that every day, not just on days when I'm feeling fine.  Help me to show forth Your praises every day, and I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Psalm 96:1-6.  

S= "Oh, sing unto the LORD a new song; sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
"Sing unto the LORD, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day.
"Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
"For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.
"For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.
"Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."  (Psalm 96:1-6)

O= Cross-references for "Oh, sing unto the LORD" (v.1) -- "Sing unto the LORD, all the earth;  show forth from day to day His salvation.
"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples.
"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.
"For all the gods of the people are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.
"Glory and honor are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place."  (1 Chronicles 16:23-27)

Note for "to be feared" (v.4) -- "The fear of the LORD is an Old Testament expression meaning reverential trust, including the hatred of evil." -- C.I. Scofield

Cross-references for "gods" (v.4) and "gods of the nations" (v.5) -- "But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.
"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
"They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not.
"They have ears, but they hear not; noses  have they, but they smell not.
"They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat."  (Psalm 115:3-7)

"For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven, or in earth (as there are gods many, and lords many),
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him."  (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)

Note concerning "gods" -- "Of course there is only one God.  The pagans had, however, those whom they called 'gods; for instance, in David's day, Dagon and Baal.  Then and now, whatever preempts the place in one's heart that belongs to the true God may be said to be a god; for example, self and the pleasures of this world." -- C.I. Scofield

Believer's Bible Commentary explains,  "The LORD is great, infinitely superior to all gods.  False gods made of wood or stone are powerless; the true God is Jehovah, who made the heavens.  His attributes are like inseparable attendants, accompanying Him everywhere.  Thus honor and majesty precede Him, and strength and beauty wait on Him in His sanctuary."

Cross-references for "the LORD made the heavens" -- "Thus saith God, the LORD, He who created the heavens, and stretched them out; He who spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He who giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk in it."  (Isaiah 42:5)

"He hath made the earth by His power; He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His understanding."  (Jeremiah 10:12)

A= Warren Wiersbe comments concerning these verses that in them we are given an admonition to sing to the Lord.  He writes, "Sing a new song because you have had a new experience with Him.  Sing a worship hymn because God is glorious (v.3) and great (v.4-5).  Sing a gospel song because the nations need to hear the good news of salvation.  Sing a song of victory and reveal the strength of the Lord.  Sing a song of devotion and reveal the beauty of the Lord."

For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"I must open my eyes to see the beauty in His sanctuary." -- Rachel Wojo

This thought of course fits with verse 6, which reminds us that "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."  It also brought to my mind Psalm 63, verse 2:

"To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary."

 

Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "open". We do indeed need to open our eyes.to see His strength and beauty.

The question was asked: What one thought can I surrender to create room for seeing moments  of grace?

My response in 2018:  Maybe the thought that this physical difficulty is never going to end -- and I won't ever get back to normal.  I need to remember that whatever happens, God's grace is, and will always be,  sufficient for me.

Answering this same question in 2024:  Any thought that I can do anything in my own strength.  If I try to do this, I will not notice moments of God's grace in those situations.

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the music I hear; the people I encounter; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the music I hear, there is such a variety of birdsong around our little cottage.  

 One of the birds we hear frequently is the wood thrush.

In the music I hear category, I am also so thankful for the opportunity to hear a concert that our granddaughter and some friends are playing in, livestreamed all the way from Sweden!

For the air I breathe, I noted the delightful coolness of sleeping with open windows at our little cottage.

A journaling prompt was this:  Everything God made is beautiful.  Where have I noticed God's beauty in the last 24 hours?

My response in 2018: Pale beech leaves and lacy evergreen shrubs against the snow.  Last night's hazy crescent moon.  The kind concern of others.  A direct message from a friend asking about my health.  A handmade card from another friend.

For my response in 2024, I added: The endless variety in wildflowers' color, shape, and form.  The beautiful color of my knockout roses and peonies.  Fireflies spangling the dark evenings at our little camp.  The moon visible and bright as a piece of gold through our open window.

P= "Lord,  I praise You that Your grace is sufficient for me and that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness -- even when my weakness is most pronounced.  I praise You that my concerning weakness from six years ago did pass, and that You helped me to not only get back into my regular activities and ministries, but to even go beyond that.  I praise You that in that very same year, You helped us to take a big trip out West with family.  And I praise you that in recent years, You have given energy and endurance to serve you in different, more challenging ways than ever before.  I thank You for all that You have done and all that You continue to do,  in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

 

Variety -- the spice of my devotional life

 

 I've alluded to this a bit before, but haven't gone into detail.  I seem to need creativity in my life on a daily basis, and even though I don't always get to work on a craft as I'd like to,  I do find joy in realizing a creative solution to an everyday dilemma or need.  Such has been the case with my quiet time.  

I love Bible study and journaling and there are just more studies that I want to do than I ever seem to find time for.   In 2024, things have been ever so slightly better in that regard and my devotional life has been spiced up with a little creativity.  I thought I'd share in case others might be interested in taking a similar approach.

This year, I determined that I wanted to journal through Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, by Charles Swindoll.  It's one of his older books and I acquired a hardcover copy of it last summer.  Each reading includes a devotional lesson, a "Deepening Your Roots" section with Scripture to look up, and a "Branching Out" section with ideas for applying the lesson to real life.  This book, though, has devotional lessons only for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with a "Growing Strong" section on Saturday where one journals about how applying the lessons for the week has worked out.

 So, that leaves Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday to do something else for Bible study and quiet time.  In fact, it leaves Saturday too, because the "Growing Strong" wrap-up doesn't involve much, if any Scripture.  So this is how I'm using those four days each week:

 Tuesdays and Thursdays I work on SOAPing the Scripture from the Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan that I'm using for my Sunday Scripture blog posts.  You can read about the SOAP method of Bible study here if it is new to you.  

On Saturdays I'm working my way through a Bible study on Habakkuk.  You can find it here: Even If.

Prior to beginning this study, I completed another on the armor of God.  Although it may seem slow to work through a Bible study like this only one day a week, I find it is far, far better to do this than just to lament the fact that I don't have time to do all the studies I want to.  Far better to work on it once a week than not at all, and I do eventually complete them.

On Sundays, I usually work on making a new page for my prayer journal or a page in the prayer journal I'm making for my husband.  This involves either searching out and/or copying Scripture relating to a particular attribute of God or a relating to an issue in my life that I want to keep before the Lord in prayer on a regular basis.   For the longest time, I felt so frustrated that I wanted and needed to make new pages for these prayer journals, but it would never get done.  It finally occurred to me that this would be a good devotional exercise for Sundays.

(And by the way, if you don't have a prayer journal or the one you have isn't working for you, check out this post:  How to Make a Prayer Journal (which, interestingly, is the second most popular post of all time on my blog!).  You will probably also want to read this one: Using a Prayer Journal.  I find that there's pretty much an endless list of things I want to pray about regularly, like specific character flaws in my life, for example, so I am frequently adding to my prayer journal.  The posts I've linked to will show you how to do that.)
 

   This varied approach to my quiet time surely has been a blessing to me, and I hope others may be encouraged to try something different as well.

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Job 5:8-18.  

S= "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
"Who doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number;
"Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields,
"To set up on high those that are low, that those who mourn may be exalted to safety.
"He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
"He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the clever is carried headlong.
"They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
"But He saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
"So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
"Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore, despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty;
"For He maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and His hands make whole.  (Job 5:8-18)

O= C.I. Scofield titles this chapter, "Eliphaz continues: God is faithful."  As you may remember, Eliphaz the Temanite was one of Job's supposed friends who "made an appointment to come to mourn with [Job] and to comfort him".  In truth, a lot of their time with Job was spent lecturing him.

Here in Job 5, Eliphaz says he would seek unto God and would commit his cause unto God.  He then begins to describe God:

* God does great, unsearchable things
* He does numberless, marvelous things
* He gives rain upon the fields
* He sends water upon the earth
* He sets those who are low, on high
* He takes those who mourn and exalts them to safety
* He disappoints the devices of the crafty, so their hands cannot perform what they've planned
* He captures the wise in their own craftiness
* He carries the counsel of the clever headlong
* He causes wicked people to meet with darkness in the daytime, groping at noon as if it were night
* So the poor have hope, and the mouth of iniquity is stopped
* The man God corrects is happy
* Thus, we must not despise chastening from the Almighty
* God makes sore, yet binds up
* God wounds, yet His hands make whole again.

Cross-reference for "giveth rain upon the earth" (v.10) -- "When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder."  (Job 28:26)

Cross-reference for "wise" (v.13) -- "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."  (1 Corinthians 3:19)

Cross-reference for "saveth the poor" (v.15) -- "All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like Thee, who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy, from him that spoileth him?"  (Psalm 35:10)

Cross-references for "so the poor hath hope" (v.16) -- "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the refuse, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and He hath set the earth upon them."  (1 Samuel 2:8)

"Yet setteth He the poor on high from affliction, and maketh their families like a flock.  The righteous shall see it, and rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth."  (Psalm 107:41-42)

Cross-references for "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth" (v.17) -- "Blessed is the man whom Thou chasteneth, O LORD, and teachest him out of Thy law."  (Psalm 94:10)

"My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither be weary of his correction; For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."  (Proverbs 3:11-12)

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto sons, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him; For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." (Hebrews 12:6-7)

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."  (James 1:12)

Cross-references for "For He maketh sore" (v.18) -- "See now that I, even I, am He; and there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand."  (Deuteronomy 32:39)

"The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich; He bringeth low, and lifteth up."  (1 Samuel 2:7)

"Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up."  (Hosea 6:1)

A= For this Scripture, there were a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"I cannot count all God's marvelous things." -- Rachel Wojo

This thought of course fits with verse 9, which reminds us that God does great, unsearchable things, "marvelous things without number."  It also brought to my mind Psalm 40, verse 5:

"Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are toward us: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

 

Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "beyond". I noted that all God's marvelous things, and His thoughts toward us, are beyond my ability to count them.

The question was asked: What season or circumstance of life challenges me to see God's gifts of beauty?

My response in 2018: I'm still in this season of recovering from injuries received in a fall.  Pain and discomfort definitely challenge me to see God's gifts of beauty or even to see beyond my own situation.

Answering this same question in 2024: Seasons of discouragement can cause our view of God's beauty to dim.  I'm thankful for a study like this one that helps me stay focused on God.

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the music I hear; the people I encounter; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the places I go, a friend gave us the opportunity to visit some remote property he owns not far from us.  It was like being in another world, a simpler, more beautiful one.  We saw a bear and cub, many beautiful flowers, trees, and distant mountains.

 
For the music I hear, I mentioned the beautiful voices of a choir of college students singing at our church on Sunday, and the lovely violin accompaniment.

 
For the rest I receive, I noted how we sleep so well at our little cottage.  Now that June has arrived, we are spending 3 or 4 nights a week there.  It's a wonderful way to relax and unplug.

A journaling prompt was this:  List one or more ideas to remind myself to intentionally look for God's beauty throughout the day.

My response in 2018: Walk on the porch.  Soak up any available sunshine.  Notice God's beauty in the color and form of everyday objects.

For my response in 2024, I added: When we stay at our cottage, lift my eyes to the morning light as I walk to and from the outdoor shower.  Pay attention to what flowers, wild and otherwise, are currently blooming.  Seek to identify unfamiliar bird songs.

P= "Lord, I'm so thankful for the beauty of Your Word.  I especially enjoy the poetic yet practical language in the book of Job.  I'm thankful that we can commit our cause to You -- the One who does great, unsearchable, marvelous things -- far too many to count!  What an amazing privilege we have to be in relationship with the God of the universe!   I praise You in Jesus' name , Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

Friday five

 

It's been a long time since I've done a Friday five post, and I probably shouldn't be taking time now.  But I wanted to just put up a quick post and share a few blessings from the week.

1.  My knockout rosebush is blooming again this year.  This is a big deal for me.  Our soil is pretty poor and I'm still not sure the bush will continue to survive, but so far, so good.

2.  Some productive time at home this week.  I'm thankful to have accomplished a lot on many fronts -- cleaning, Sunday School lesson prep, phone calls, and much more.

3.  Getting to stay at our little camp three nights in a row.  It's so calm and peaceful and we are forced to unplug since we don't have internet access there.  

4.  Something I've had on my list of goals month after month after month is to keep up with FlyLady's zone missions.  And I never manage it.  I'm so, so thankful that this week I was able to just jump in and do the Zone 3 missions.  That may be deserving of its own post, we will see!

5.  Increased energy, flexibility, and creativity.  Not completely sure what to attribute it to, but it might be the Redmond Relyte.   I think it really is making a difference for me.

 
As I've mentioned many times, creativity is a must in my life, something I seem to need every day, even if it's only a creative solution or approach to an everyday problem.  Recently I've begun structuring my quiet time in a different way, and it has made such a difference in how much quality time I can spend in God's Word.  I do intend to blog about this, maybe next week.  I'm wondering if I can take a similar approach to crafts I enjoy, and am hoping to work on that soon also.

And there's a simple Friday Five!

Sunday Scripture

 

 Time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Psalm 135:1-7.

S= "Praise ye the LORD.   Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise Him, O ye servants of the LORD.
"Ye who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
"Praise the LORD,  for the LORD is good.  Sing praises unto His name, for it is pleasant.
"For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure. 
"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth,  in the seas, and all deep places.
"He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries."  (Psalm 135:1-7)

O= In The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon  points out that this psalm "is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures.  It has been called a mosaic, and compared to a tesselated pavement."

He then goes on to list all of the Scriptures referenced in this psalm.  These come from other psalms; from Deuteronomy; from Exodus; and from Jeremiah.  (I'm not going to write them all out, but if you're interested in the references, let me know in a comment and I will see that you get them.)

Another note from Spurgeon that was a blessing to my study:  "The whole Psalm is a compound of many choice extracts, and has all the continuity and freshness of an original poem.  The Holy Spirit occasionally repeats Himself; not because He has any lack of thoughts or words, but because it is expedient for us that we hear the same things in the same form.  Yet, when our great Teacher uses repetition, it is usually with instructive variations, which deserve our careful attention."

Several cross=references are given for these verses:

For "the courts of the house of our God" (v.2) -- "I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all His people, In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.  Praise ye the LORD."  (Psalm 116:19)

 

For "the LORD is good" (v.3) -- "Thou art good, and doest good: teach me Thy statutes.". (Psalm 119:68)

 

For "chosen Jacob unto Himself" (v.4) --  "Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day."  (Deuteronomy 10:15)

For "Whatsoever the LORD pleased" (v.6) -- "But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased."  (Psalm 115:3)

For "He maketh lightnings" (v.7) -- "To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth  the waters by measure.  When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder."  (Job 28:25-26)

-- "Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of the thunder." (Job 38:25)

 

For "His treasuries" (v.7) -- "When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries."  (Jeremiah 51:16)

 
A= For this Scripture, there were a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"The LORD is great and makes great." -- Rachel Wojo

Warren Wiersbe wrote in With the Word, "The psalmist opened his song praising the Lord four times (v.1-3) and he ended it blessing the Lord four times (v.19-21).  In between he gave four excellent reasons why the Lord deserves your heartfelt praise."

Two of the reasons are these, pointed out in verses 1-7: 

* He is the God of salvation.  In His grace, He chose you; in His mercy, He made you His special treasure.

* He is the God of creation, which means He provides for you day after day ... He is in charge of the storms and uses them to accomplish His perfect will.

 

Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "praise". As I mentioned last week, I've set a goal for myself to begin praising God each morning, even before I get out of bed.

The question was asked: Which of my own words have blocked the beauty of God's Word?

My response in 2018: Maybe my own faulty and flawed thinking.  Words like "I can't do this" and "This is hard".  Thoughts like this certainly block the beauty of "I can do all things through Christ" and "My help cometh from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Answering this same question in 2024: Any words of grumbling and complaining.  Praise God instead.

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the music I hear; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the places I go, we drove through the New Hampshire veterans cemetery with our friend Terry whose husband is buried there.  The flags placed for Memorial Day were still out and so beautiful with the symmetrical headstones.   It looked somewhat like this older photo:

For the music I hear, I noted the delight of being able to listen and watch our 8-year-old granddaughter's piano recital over livestream, three time zones away.

A journaling prompt was this:  Everything God made is beautiful.  Where have I noticed God's beauty in the last 24 hours?

My response in 2018: In yesterday's gorgeous blue sky.  The beauty of several hours of unbroken sleep.  The attractive tracery of bare tree limbs against blue sky.  The beauty of God's Word as I consider the accounts of the Resurrection.

For my response in 2024, I added: In the glowing smile of an 84-year-old waitress at a favorite eatery.  In a deer grazing in a field near our little cottage.  In the beauty of strings accompanying piano as we worship God in song at church.

P= "Lord, I  praise You,  for You are great, and are above all gods!  I praise You that You have done all that You pleased, in heaven, in earth, and in  all deep places -- everywhere, in fact!  You make lightning, You direct the wind -- truly, You are all powerful!  And it is You, the Maker of heaven and earth and all things, who are my Helper  How I praise You!  In Jesus' name , Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

A very special cookie for all of your Spring and Summer events

 

Last Wednesday evening my Nevada daughter messaged me on Instagram to ask about this recipe.  Her young daughter had a piano recital coming up and Joanna wanted to make these cookies to add to the refreshments at the recital.  

It's so appropriate!  Decades ago,  I made these cookies for the piano recitals of all three children. They were a great favorite on the refreshment table! In fact, they became such a favorite of the kids' piano teacher that I frequently presented her with a tin of these as an end-of-the year gift. These cookies are quite a bit of work, but the impressively delicious results are worth it!

The recipe (which I originally found in a Farm Journal cookie cookbook) ended up being published in another cookbook, The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook. This came about in an interesting way.  

 

Our children's piano teacher was an elderly lady with many students.  One of the families whose children took lessons from her lived in a large and beautiful home and they offered their music room, complete with baby grand piano, as a recital venue.  

I wanted to bring cookies as elegant as the surroundings, so I tried this recipe.  And the hostess enjoyed them so much that she asked if she could have the recipe.  Friends of hers held an annual cookie exchange and she thought these cookies were special enough to share.  Later when Yankee published the cookbook, this wonderful recipe was included.

 SPRITZ CHOCOLATE SANDWICHES

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Buttery Chocolate Frosting:
3 Tblsp. butter, softened
4 1/2 Tblsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
About 6 Tblsp. light cream or evaporated milk

1 cup chopped walnuts

For dough, beat butter until light; gradually add sugar, beating after each addition. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla to blend well. Sift together flour and salt; gradually add to creamed
mixture, mixing well.

Put star plate in cookie press. Working with one-fourth of the dough in the press at a time, press out strips of dough about 2 1/2 inches long about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until very delicately browned.  Remove cookies to cooling rack at once.

For Buttery Chocolate Frosting,
combine the butter and cocoa. Beat in vanilla, salt, sugar, and enough light cream to make frosting of spreading consistency. When cookies are cool, put them together in pairs with frosting between. Dip ends of sandwiches in the frosting and then in the chopped nuts. Allow frosting to set before packaging or storing cookies. Makes about 5 dozen sandwich cookies.

A note on the quantity of cookies this recipe will produce.  The original recipe says it makes 69 sandwich cookies.  I had adjusted it to say 5 dozen, which would of course be 60 sandwich cookies.  However, when Joanna made these, she found she only got about 30 sandwich cookies (2 1/2 dozen).  So when making these, be aware that the quantity of cookies can vary greatly depending upon how large you make them.  

Jerusha  about to press cookies

Finished product!

It's so much fun that these cookies are being served at a second generation of piano recitals!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from 1 Peter 1:20-25.  

S= "[Christ] was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
"Who by Him do believe in God, who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.
"Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit with unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently,
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
"For all flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man like the flower of grass.  The grass withereth, and its flower falleth away,
"But the word of the Lord endureth forever.  And this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you."  (1 Peter 1:20-25)

O= "Foreordained" (verse 20) literally means "foreknown".  It is the Greek PROGINOSKO, "to know before", used in this case of Divine knowledge concerning Christ, according to Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words.

Cross-reference for "foreordained" is Acts 2:23 -- "Him [Jesus] being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."

Cross-references for "believe" (v. 21) -- "And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ."  (1 John 3:23)

"Wherefore, also, it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
"Unto you, therefore, who believe He is precious; but unto them who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner."  (1 Peter 2:6-7)

In relation to "believe", Scofield offers this summary of faith: "The essence of faith consists in believing and receiving what God has revealed, and may be defined as that trust in the God of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ whom He has sent, which receives Him as Lord and Savior and impels to loving obedience and good works."

Cross-reference for "Spirit" (v. 23) -- "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."  (1 Peter 3:18)

Cross-references for "love of the brethren" and "love one another" (v. 23) -- "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."  (1 Peter 3:8)

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another;  as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."  (John 13:34)

"And now I beseech thee ... not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another."  (2 John 5)

Cross-references for "Word of God" (v. 23) -- "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which you heard of us, ye received it, not as the word of men but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe."  (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

"Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures."  (James 1:18)

Cross-reference for "all flesh is like grass" (v. 24) -- "The voice said, Cry.  And he said, What shall I cry?  All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of the LORD bloweth upon it; surely the people are grass.
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever."  (Isaiah 40:6-8)

"Word" (v. 25) literally means "saying".  This is the Greek noun RHEMA, used twice in this verse to refer to "a statement, command, instruction", etc.  

Cross-reference for "gospel" -- 1 Peter 1:12 refers to "them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into."

A= For this Scripture, there were a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"Place today's hope where it lasts beyond tomorrow.  Then do it again." -- Rachel Wojo

Warren Wiersbe wrote in With the Word, Men's hopes are dead hopes.  Like cut flowers, they bloom awhile and then fade and die.  The Christian's hope is fresh and fruitful because it is a 'living hope', purchased by the living Christ and promised in the living Word."

Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  I hadn't previously paid much attention to these for the Sunday Scripture posts, but have decided to do so now.

For this lesson the focus word is "repetition".  In thinking of this word, I set a goal for myself: Begin to intentionally practice gratitude on a daily basis.  Morning by morning.  Day after day.

The question was asked: How can I realign the eyes of my heart to see the Father's present of everyday elegance?

My response in 2018: Remember that God's Word lives and abides forever.  I can trust it!  His Word will always be truer than my own thoughts and feelings.

Answering this same question in 2024: Adjust my attitude to one of praise and gratitude at the beginning of each day, before I even get out of bed. 

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the places I go, we took a day trip to York, Maine and saw some glorious sights -- Old white and purple lilacs beside the sea; a white wooden arbor overhung with cascades of lavender wisteria.  I wish we had taken more photos that day, but we didn't.

For the weather I experience, I can say we've been experiencing some beautifully sunny, though breezy, weather.

 
For the rest I receive, I didn't really note it that day, but the following day I realized how re-energized I was feeling just to have had a day away with no responsibilities.  It made a good bridge between our work at The Wilds of New England and the busyness of summer, which kicked off the following Monday as we hosted friends and family at our cottage.

A journaling prompt was this:  List one or more ideas to remind myself to intentionally look for God's beauty throughout the day.

My response in 2018: Look out the window often.  Get out and walk on the porch if at all possible.  Soak up any sunshine that may come my way.  Admire God's beauty in the colors of everyday objects.

For my response in 2024, I added: Make a habit of thanking and praising God when I first wake up.  Make a habit of seeing His hand in everything.

P= "Lord, I do thank and praise You for Your Word, which lives and abides forever.  I praise You that this is the Word by which the Gospel was preached to me and by which I understood my need for salvation.  Now I need to obey its truths and trust its promises every day.  I praise You for how You'll help me to do that,  in Jesus' name , Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

Some goals for June

Speeding into June!

A new month means new goals (and with me, always some ongoing ones as well) -- so here goes!

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Get back to working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Spend time with our friends who are younger believers
* Enjoy our church ladies' gathering
* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Use Charles Swindoll's devotional Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life for my quiet time daily
* Continue studying and preparing for my Sunday School lessons
* Continue studying and preparing for my Sunday Scripture blog posts
*Work on Even If, a study of Habakkuk from the Daily Grace Co.
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Touch base with teen grandchildren regarding the Stand Firm Bible study
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Continue to work on memorizing the book of James
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Do some needed outside scraping and painting of our little cottage
* Help prepare and serve a fellowship meal at church to share with a visiting choir
* Do some planning of meals for a vacation coming up at the end of July