Perfect summer hodgepodge

 

 Nearly the midpoint of summer -- and it also happens to be time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  Here we go ...

 1. The midpoint of summer (believe it or not) is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one this year? 

A perfect summer day: quiet time and coffee by the campfire; a long walk; a visit to some outdoor destination in our beautiful state; lunch at a picnic table by one of our amazing lakes; time spent cross-stitching on a dock or a screened porch; supper out at a treetop restaurant; an evening at our cottage with all the windows open.

No, I haven't had a summer day just like that this year.  Parts of them.

2. What's one thing you wish you knew before starting high school? 

Popularity is overrated.

3. What's something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly? 

Honestly, I can't think of anything like that.  Punctuation, maybe.  Misplaced apostrophes really bother me.

4. What's the most overrated food you're convinced people are just pretending to enjoy? What's a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated? 

Oh, I don't know.  I don't pay a lot of attention to food trends.  Sushi (and yes, I know that's not new) doesn't intrigue me, but I know people who genuinely love it.  One new-ish food that I actually do enjoy is maple bacon ice cream.

5. Wrapping it up this week with five fun this or thats...

personal stylist or personal chef? 
dance like nobody's watching or sing like nobody's listening? 
unlimited tacos or free pizza? 

bookshelf organization-by size or by genre? 
ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 

* Personal chef, if I have to choose one.

* Sing like nobody's listening.

* Unlimited tacos -- especially at a taco truck.

* Both.  Only some of my shelves will hold tall books, so those ones are sorted by size.

* Ten minutes early whenever possible.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We've been playing tourist lately and taking some staycation days.  Plus we did take 2 days away in Maine,  Delightful!

There is the Wednesday Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of July 14,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Ministry -- Terry's graveside service; time with Rebekah at the park; blogging; Sunday School lesson prep

2) Homemaking -- catch up on tasks here at home; reset sheets and towels at camp

3) Etsy --  new listings; add items to Christmas sale; package and ship any orders.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: Ministry is a joy.  Sunday School lesson prep, meeting with Rebekah, posting in both blogs.  I also take joy in homemaking tasks accomplished and I enjoy preparing Etsy listings when I am not pressed for time.

Worries: Not really worries, just  a few concerns. My hubby's yearly checkup and the concern that it could result in medication changes or some test or treatment the doctor might suggest.  There's also the possibility that the day and time for Terry's service could change.

Desires: As always,  that God will be glorified in the events of the week.  For us to present a good testimony to Terry's family.  To get a lot of homemaking tasks done.  To list a few things on Etsy.  To be an encouragement to Rebekah and to extended family members we may see this week.

Stressors: Time constraints, hot weather, limitations of aging, dietary restrictions.  Extended family dynamics.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of this week and will order it as You see fit.  You know all about Steve's health issues and are in full control of any changes his doctor might suggest.  You are fully aware of our commitments for the week, and we can trust You to order all things as You see best.  You are aware of our time and energy constraints and of our limitations as we age.  You are sovereign over every one of our days.

* Lord, I feel ...a little discouraged this morning.  I had thought that some physical issues had completely gone away -- they hadn't troubled me in weeks -- but they made an appearance this morning.  I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed when I think about how much work it takes to downsize and declutter.

* Lord, help me with ... All of the tasks on my plate this week. Help me to be a testimony to Terry's family and neighbors and our own extended family.  Help me to encourage my daughters, grandchildren, and daughters of the heart.  Help me to be wise and efficient with my use of time and energy in my homemaking responsibilities.  Help me find time to exercise every day.

* Lord, forgive me for ... feeling discouraged or defeated.  I know that You tell me to "be of good cheer" and that I can do all things through Christ, so in reality I need feel neither discouraged nor defeated.  Forgive me too for those times when I don't use time wisely.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed  a young couple seeking God's direction, an unborn baby whose birth is overdue (and her parents, feeling a bit anxious), and another young couple who recently lost a baby to miscarriage..

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Zephaniah 3:17, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "The LORD, thy God, in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."  (Zephaniah 3:17)

O = The book of Zephaniah was written by the prophet Zephaniah, a great-grandson of King Hezekiah.  He was stirred by the moral decline of his time.  He prophesied the fall of Jerusalem and looked ahead to the judgment of the Gentiles and the restoration of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom.

Verse 17 is part of a section titled "Israel's restoration and blessing: the King in the Kingdom" (which includes verses 14-20 and finishes out chapter 3 and the book itself).

There's a lot in this verse:

* The Lord, the self-existent One, is in the midst of His people, even in captivity.

* He is mighty.

* He will save.  

* He will rejoice over His people with joy.

* He will rest in His love.

* He will joy over His people with singing.

Scofield wrote: "For the LORD's own, His final word is not of anger, but of love, as expressed in this beautiful verse.  When it comes to His people, chastised and forgiven, the LORD rests His case in love and rejoicing."

For the phrase, "the LORD  thy God in the midst of thee" we are pointed back to verse 15 -- "The LORD hath taken away thy judgments", He hath cast out thine enemy; the King of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee, thou shalt not see evil any more."  

Cross-reference for "He is mighty, He will save" -- "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?  This that is glorious in apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?  I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."  (Isaiah 63:1)

Cross-references for "rejoice over thee with joy" -- "And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of the land, for good, for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as  He rejoiced over thy fathers."  (Deuteronomy 30:29)

"For as a young man marrieth a virgin ... and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."  (Isaiah 30:5)

"And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying."  (Isaiah 65:19)

"Yea, I will rejoice over them in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul."  (Jeremiah 32:41)

The phrase "rest in His love" -- literally means "be silent" in His love -- that is, His love for His people is a love too great for words.

A=  Warren Wiersbe says, " We need not fret, for God sees what is coming. The prophet writes about two future 'days' that relate to the Jewish people: a judgment day when the nations will attack Jerusalem, and a joyful day when the Lord will rescue his people 'Do not fear,' the Lord says to them, for he is with them to deliver them. We can depend on his love, for it will never fail.' There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear). As the psalmist wrote, 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble'." 

Wiersbe goes on to add, "Our God not only saves, but He sings. In our text we see God the Father as a loving parent, holding a troubled child in His lap and singing the child to sleep. Imagine! The Father tenderly holds us and soothes our troubled heart.   In Matthew 26:30, we find God the Son singing at the Passover feast before going to the garden to pray and then to Calvary to die.  ... The Holy Spirit sings in and through God’s church when we assemble for worship and are yielded to him (Ephesians 5:18-21). There are times in the Christian’s life when nothing seems to bring peace. Circumstances are pressing, people are too busy to listen, and even our prayers seem ineffective. That’s the time to be silent before the Lord and let him sing you into peace. Don’t try to explain it, because God’s peace 'surpasses all understanding' (Philippians 4:7)); just enjoy it."

"The last word is, however, the most wonderful of all: “He will joy over thee with singing.” Think of the great Jehovah singing! Can you imagine it? Is it possible to conceive of the Deity breaking into a song: Father, Son and Holy Ghost together singing over the redeemed? God is so happy in the love which He bears to his people that He breaks the eternal silence, and sun and moon and stars with astonishment hear God chanting a hymn of joy." -- Charles Spurgeon

Henry Morris writes: "Except for the time when Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples at the last supper, this is the only place in the Bible where we read of God actually singing. This beautiful verse also reveals Him as a mighty God, a saving God, a loving God, a rejoicing God and a resting God. The great millennial kingdom age will be a time of joy and singing and a time of resting, even for God."

"The Lord not only sees what is coming, saves us from judgment, and sings to us, but he rejoices over us. We can make God happy! Parents cherish those times when their children bring great joy to their hearts because of some act of spontaneous obedience and love or because of something very special the children have done just to please them. It isn’t enough to simply know God’s will and do it; we must also do it to please him. Jonah finally got to Nineveh and delivered God’s message, but his attitude was all wrong. He hated the people to whom he was preaching and finally went outside the city and pouted, hoping God would destroy it (Jonah 4). Jesus said, 'I always do those things that please Him' (John 8:29). The Father wants us to 'walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him' (Colossians 1:10). God told the priests in Malachi’s day, 'I have no pleasure in you'” ( Malachi 1:10). Our living should be like our giving, 'not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Corinthians 9:7)." -- Warren Wiersbe, Old Testament Words for Today

To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is the LORD, the self-existent One.  He is mighty.  He will save.  He promises to rejoice over His people with joy and with singing.  He loves His people with a love too deep for words.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am saved by the Lord.  I am a servant of a mighty God.  My God loves me with a love too great for words -- and this is evidenced by His sending His Son to die for me.  My God promises to rejoice over me with joy and with singing.  His love for me is so great as to be almost incomprehensible.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should be living as a child of God, beloved by my Father.  I should live a life of obedience to Him who said "if you love Me, keep my commandments."  As unbelievable as it seems, God says He will rejoice in me.  I should live in a way that brings joy to Him.

P= "Lord,I cannot even fathom the depths of Your love -- a love so amazing that You would send Your only Son to earth to die, to make a way for sinners to be right with You.  It is astounding that not only have saved me and  made me Your child, but You say that You rejoice over me and all believers with joy and singing. You love Your people with a love too deep for words.

"I pray that You will help me to live every day as a child beloved by her Father.  Help me live a life of obedience out of love and gratitude to You.  I thank You for all You have done and all you will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Getting the "plain pine box" safely delivered to a funeral home in an unfamiliar city.  God worked out many details including borrowing an SUV and our friends son guiding us safely into and out of the city,

2) Energy to clean the cottage and the blessing of being able to help our friends by letting them use it for visiting family.

3)Things going very well at VBS.  A good number of kids.  Energy and strength to serve at VBS each day.  Seeing some of the kids return for church on Sunday.

4) The fun of going out for lunch with friends on Friday after VBS.

5) Strength and forbearance during a hastily planned, last-minute family get-together.  The blessing it is that all of my hubby's siblings are still in this life.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on  FELLOWSHIP. We were to make a to intentionally rest this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

 We have a plan in place to fellowship with friends over ice cream on Saturday.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

God is strong and tender, a warrior and a loving Father.

We can take this encouraging thought into the coming week as we seek to live in joyful obedience to our loving heavenly Father.

And that's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

A few goals for August

Somehow it is August, so it's time to set a few goals for the month:

* 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
* Continue reading through the One-Year Chronological Bible
*  Continue with the book Fix Your Focus for my Sunday Scripture series
* Continue studying and preparing for my ladies' Sunday School class
* Continue through the wonderful Daily Grace Co. study of Habakkuk, Even If (this is intended to be a 3-week study; it has taken me months since I only work on it on Saturdays)
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Keep up with Flylady's zones of the week
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Continue meeting with my young friend R. for discipleship
* Spend quality time at our little camp; plan some staycation time
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Continue with the habit of getting outdoors for the morning light
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Help with our church's outreach at the local outdoor market

HEALTHY HABITS FOR AUGUST:  Drink more water/get more sleep/exercise daily/intermittent fasting/limit carbs/get morning light

And that should be more than enough to keep me out of trouble this month!

Goodbye July Hodgepodge

 

Nearly the end of July, and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  Here we go ...

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

Haven't had a TV in years so I watch no talk shows at all and am probably the better for it.  My thoughts on the hubbub are pretty simple: Networks tend to cancel shows that aren't profitable for them.

2. What's the best part of your day? 

 

Mornings!  Coffee, Bible reading, prayer, and often a walk.

 

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

 Hmmm ...

 4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

I usually clean as I go.  Last thing I cooked in my kitchen -- pork chops, yesterday.  I've been using this recipe: Juicy Baked Pork Chops and it has become a favorite.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

Ministry, hospitality, loss, travel, creating -- and yes, sweating.  (Not part of my word count, but it's been hot here in NH.)

Bee balm is blooming at our little cottage in July.

We also rode the Cannon Mountain tramway in July.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

There's not the best light for cross-stitching at our little camp, so I've been doing more small crochet projects when we're there, and rediscovering the fun of making these hot mats:

This is an older photo.  I haven't made this many this time around, but only a couple so far.

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 

 For Sunday Scripture posts currently, I'm using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus. This is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of July 7, but I am working ahead of you readers.  (I can hardly believe that in my own working on this book, I am 19 weeks into it.  Seems unbelievable.). So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this week-at-a-glance checklist first.  [Maybe you would like to use this same checklist if you are following along with us.]

This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Ministry-- VBS Monday through Friday., blogging, delivering Terry's casket, Sunday School lesson prep, preparing our cottage for friends to stay there.

2) Homemaking -- trying to catch up on homemaking tasks and decluttering both at home and camp

3) Etsy --  prepare some new listings, add to sale, ship any orders.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: Getting to catch up with a few things at home; getting to see my younger friend Jennifer each day at VBS; getting ideas for Christmas in July at my Christmas blog.

Worries: A few concerns regarding lending our cottage to friends for a few days -- mostly a concern that we won't have it ready in time.

Desires: That God will be glorified in the events of this week. To be a good testimony to Terry's kids.  To get a few new items listed in my Etsy shop.  To see children's lives changed at VBS.

Stressors: Unknowns that impact many situations.  The extreme heat.  The limitations of age.  Time and energy constraints.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of this week and all that it will hold.  You are able to handle each stressor and bend it to Your purposes.  You are in control of the weather and can cause the heat to abate ... and You are able to give wisdom to deal with it if the temperatures remain high.  You are aware of each of my concerns and you are able to resolve each one.

* Lord, I feel ... hot, sticky, not very well rested and not ready for this busy day.  Not complaining ... but it's a truthful account of how I feel.  But I also feel grateful for another day of life, for the open windows and birds singing, for this little cottage in the woods that You have blessed us with.

* Lord, help me with ... my attitudes this week.  I do have limited patience with unruly [for lack of a better descriptor] children.  Help me with staying cooler and with getting enough rest.  Help me with cleaning at our cottage and preparing it for guests.  Help me to catch up with email correspondence.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I'm impatient or speak hastily. . Times when I might be resentful about circumstances and fail to acknowledgeYour sovereign hand in them. For any times when I might tend to act in my own very limited strength rather than relying on Your mighty power.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.   l listed friends who have just lost their mom; a young couple seeking God's direction; friends driving from Missouri to New Hampshire

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, 2 Peter 1:3, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, though the knowledge of Him that hat called us to glory and virtue."  (2 Peter 1:3)

O= These words were written by Peter, "a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ" (v.1).  He was writing "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us" (v.1)..

In verse 2 Peter prays that grace and peace will be multiplied to these believers.  How will this happen?

"Through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord."  (verse 2)

This can happen as a result of God's divine power having given to believers all things that pertain to life and godliness.  He provides these things though the knowledge of Himself who has called us through His own glory and virtue (verse 3).

Cross-reference for "divine power" -- "Who are kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time."  (1 Peter 1:5)

Cross-references for "life and godliness" -- "For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ." (1 John 1:2)

"Because narrow is the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."  (Matthew 7:14)

Cross-references for "who called us" -- "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you into His kingdom and glory."  (1 Thessalonians 2:12)

"Unto which He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

"Who hath saved us, and hath called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."  (2 Timothy 1:9)

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you."  (1 Peter 5:10)

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is divine.  He is all-powerful.  He is generous to give us all things that will equip us for godly living.  He is a God whom we can know.  He has called us to glory and virtue.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

As God's child, I have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness.  I've been given access to these things through the knowledge of God who has called me. That means it is possible for me to truly know Him, and it's important that I make the effort to do just that.  I have been called by God to glory and to excellence.

* Throughout the week, consider how these verses should affect the way you live.

I should live as one who has been called by God to glory and excellence.  I should live a thankful life in gratitude to Him who has given me all things pertaining to life and godliness.  I should spend good quality time getting to know God.

God has given us all things -- everything -- that pertain to life and godliness.  We have everything that is necessary for our spiritual growth.  Our heavenly Father gives us everything we need to live the Christian life and become godly people who glorify Him.

God's divine power is His omnipotence working in us and for us.  the means by which this power produces this life and godliness is through the full knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.

One writer noted, "Peter says that God’s power gives us what we need to experience real life in a way that pleases Him. God wants to affect every area of our lives—work, marriage and family, relationships, church, and community. How can you make God’s power operational in your experience? Peter says that it comes 'through the knowledge of Him who called us.' In other words, we must grow closer to Christ." 

P= "Lord, I thank and praise You for this powerful verse.  I thank You that You have given me all I need to live every area of  my life in a way that pleases and glorifies You, and that it's Your mighty power that provides all I need to live a godly life.  I praise You that it is possible to know You, the omnipotent God of the universe.   Help me every day to spend good quality time getting to know You better and better.  I thank You for how You will work in my life , in Jesus' name,  Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) The opportunity to have a brief visit with our friend Terry before she passed away in hospice.

2) Wisdom and clarity of thought in planning VBS snacks.

3) Good opportunities to reach out to people at the farmer's market.  The time flew by!

4) A blessed, refreshing time with friends and family on Independence Day.

5) Going out for a scrumptious lunch on the Tuesday and getting lots of errands taken care of

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on FASTNG. We were to consider what we could fast from this week and to make a plan for replacing our fasted item with the pursuit of God and His Word.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

 My answer: We do intermittent fasting daily, and I do use that time to pursue God and His Word.  This week we are spending several nights at our cottage.  That serves as a fast from internet and social media, and I also try to spend extra time in Bible study whenever we stay there.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

In Christ, I have everything I need to live a godly life today and experience eternal life forever more.

We can take this encouraging thought into the coming week and know that we have everything we need to live a godly life no matter our circumstances.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!.

Just beachy Hodgepodge

 

July is three-quarters over!  How is that even possible?  But it's time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  Here we go ...

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? 

I find that it often seems God expands my time when I have a lot to do.  Seems surprising, but it's happened often enough that I recognize it by now.  Time passes quickly for me when I'm doing something absorbing like needlework or writing.

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I do have a favorite lake beach.   It's a state park on Newfound Lake in our state and I've been going there since I was a child. 

 

 

My favorite ocean beach is probably the one at Cabot Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island.  Popham Beach State Park and Reid State Park in Maine are also nice.  We enjoy several beaches in York, Maine, but only in the off season.  They are just too crowded in summer.

Reid State Park

 

Reid State Park

My favorite beach activity would depend on the beach.  In PEI or at Popham Beach, looking for sand dollars or sea glass.  At one of the York beaches, just walking.  At the lake, either reading, needlework, or picnicking.

In my beach bag -- a book and a needlework project.  Occasionally some type of snack.

Not sure on this one.  Maybe Long Sands in York.

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

It has to be both book and movie series -- Anne of Green Cables, with its lovely Prince Edward Island setting. 

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

The lobster/clambake in progress

Lobster.   I might only eat it every few years and usually at the Cabbage Island clambake.  Thankfully we usually go with friends who are helpful in tutoring us in the method of eating.  We tend to forget from year to year.  It's delicious though and worth it for that day.

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? 

No, I don't.  Back in the day I went on a couple of the large, rickety old wooden type.  Can't handle any roller coasters now and just have no interest.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Have you visited Christmas in July over at my Christmas blog?  When July began I had literally no idea what I would post about.  Bit by bit the calendar has begun to fill in!

And that is the Hodgepodge for this week, friends!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of June 30, but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Rest-- a staycation, "set no alarms" day on Tuesday, relaxing time with friends planned for July 4

2) Homemaking -- trying to catch up with homemaking tasks at home and camp

3) Ministry --  planning for VBS snacks; visiting a friend in hospice care; posting in both blogs; phone calls with younger women; future Sunday School lesson prep; farmer's market outreach.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: It's always a joy to spend time with friends and to talk with my "daughters of the heart" in addition to my biological daughters.  Sunday School preparation and blogging are also joys..

Worries: No real worries, just concern for my husband's health, plus concerns about the planning of VBS snacks.

Desires: As always,  that God will be glorified in the events of the week.  That I would be a useful servant for Him and not in any way an unprofitable servant.  That I could get some good solid homemaking tasks accomplished.  To be able to blog most days for Christmas in July.

Stressors: Time and energy constraints, limitations of aging, dietary restrictions that complicate meal planning.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of this week and all that it will hold.  You are able to give wisdom for every task and decision I face.  You hold time and you are able to expand my time and energize me for its wise use.

* Lord, I feel ...tired and a little bit overwhelmed this morning.

* Lord, help me with ... the events of this week.  Visiting our very ill friend will be challenging, but we will look to You to lead and guide us in that visit.  The limitations of aging are frustrating, but You know all about these and will help us with necessary tasks.  Help me with my attitudes as well..

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I worry too much about what other people think of me.  Times when I fail to trust You as I should.  For wasting time rather than using it wisely and productively.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed a dear friend in hospice care; her two children; a young couple seeking God's direction.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Isaiah 55:11, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "So shall My word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."  (Isaiah 55:11)

O= Verse 11 seems to look back to verse 10, where the Lord says that: "As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to heaven, but instead water the earth and make it bring forth and bud and produce grain.  So shall His Word be."

God's Word will not return to Him empty.  It will do whatever he sends it to do.  It will accomplish His purposes.

ESV says: "So shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Cross-reference for "goeth forth" -- "I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."  (Isaiah 45:23)

Cross-reference for "it shall accomplish" -- "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever."  (Isaiah 40:8)

Cross-reference for "prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" -- "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country; yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed it, I will also do it."  (Isaiah 46:9-11)

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is the One true God whose Word is so powerful that it will accomplish what He pleases and will succeed in what He sends it to do .

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

As a child of God, I can absolutely trust His all-powerful, completely effective Word to accomplish His good purposes in my life, in the lives of others, and in our world.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live expecting God's Word to work powerfully in my life and in the lives of others.  I should pray for God's Word to take root in the lives of believers and to soften hearts of those who do not yet know Him.

Dr. H.A. Ironside wrote: "How Isaiah's own soul must have been stirred as he gave forth this proclamation! And what an encouragement it should be for every servant of CHRIST to remember that GOD has declared that His word will accomplish that for which He has sent it."

One author noted: "Isaiah used rain’s renewal to illustrate God’s refreshing Word: Scripture carries spiritual vitality. That’s why it doesn’t return void. Wherever it encounters an open heart, it brings refreshment, nourishment, and new life."

Another devotional writer commented, "Some years ago, I received a letter from a man whom I had never met telling me that a note I had sent to a nearby friend had found its way to him, and it had encouraged him in a time of weariness and dark despair. The friend to whom I had sent the note sent it to a friend, who, in turn, sent it to a friend, and so on, until it was sent to the man who wrote to me.

It may be that a simple word offered in love, guided by the wisdom of God, and borne aloft on the wings of the Spirit will have eternal consequences in someone’s life.

Should we not then fill ourselves with God’s Word and pass it on to others with the prayer that God will use it for His intended purposes?"

P= "Lord, how I praise You for Your Word, the Bible.   It is living and powerful!  It is life giving and sustaining.  You tell us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  I am so thankful to have Your Word in my own language, when so many do not.  I'm blessed to own multiple copies of the Bible and to have it always at my fingertips. I praise You for the blessing it is to read, study, meditate on, and memorize Your Word, and I pray that You will help me to do so faithfully.  I'm thankful that Your Word will never return to You empty, but will always accomplish Your intended purposes.  What a promise to cling to as we speak Your Word into the lives of others!  I praise and thank You for all of this, in the name of Jesus, the Word made flesh.  Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) A wonderful day trip with friends on the Monday.

2) Things going smoothly with the family event on the Thursday evening.

3) Answers to prayer for our nation as God works in and through our leaders.

4) Slight improvements in the psoriasis.

5) A good time at our Ladies of Grace meeting on Saturday.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on REST. We were to make a to intentionally rest this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

 Our day with friends on the Monday was pure rest and relaxation, playing tourist.  We also planned an overnight at our cottage where we did not set an alarm!

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

God's Word never fails to accomplish His will.

We can take this encouraging thought into the coming week as we seek to share God's Word with others and to apply it to our own hearts and lives.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!