Simply the Hodgepodge

 

 It's Wednesday again, and that means it's time for the Hodgepodge -- the linkup where Joyce, at  From This Side of the Pond, asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers on their own blogs.  I've been MIA from the Hodgepodge for a few weeks but am jumping back in today.  This week's Hodgepodge questions are kind of all over the place.   Here goes:

1. Is your life simple? Elaborate. 

In a way it's very simple.   We are retired and live in our own home in the woods just outside of a small town.  We are blessed to have a getaway place just 15 minutes away.  Life is busy with people and ministry and that, of course, makes it less simple.

2. What simple pleasure are you are currently enjoying?  

Time at our little camp.  It's very simple and basic there, but with a few comforts.  Sort of like glamping I guess.  No internet and no plumbing, but we do have cold water to the kitchen sink, an incinerating toilet, and a gravity feed hot shower.  I'm really amazed, by the way, at the water pressure from that gravity feed. 

 

Living room end of the camp

Yes, that paint or lack thereof needs attention!  Planned for this summer.

3. Travel by plane or go on a cruise? walk or ride a bike? swim or ski? ocean or mountains? 

I prefer a plane to a cruise.  I like bike riding, but in general prefer walking.  Not a fan of either swimming or skiing, but will say I prefer the lakes in summer to snowy mountains in winter.  I've only ever tried cross-country skiing, not downhill, but loathed it, actually.  Ocean and mountains are both favorite places for me, but if I can only choose one I'll say ocean.

4. What's the last thing you bought online that you really loved? 

Oh, let's see.   I can't think of anything, so I will just say I love being able to order from Walmart.com and have things arrive almost more quickly than going into the store.  We like to buy our vitamin C from Walmart as it's the best price for the brand we like, but our local store is almost always sold out of it.  Online to the rescue!

5. What’s your 'back in my day we__________' story? 

I'm old enough to remember party telephone lines where more than one household shared the same line.  Think Mayberry.  It was all too common to be unable to make a call because a couple of gossipy neighbors were tying up the line.  And of course they could then listen in on other people's calls and have more gossip fodder!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Oh, goodness.  Well, this one is really anything but random.  It's a verse we were discussing in Sunday School on Sunday, and I was just thinking this morning that I would like to memorize this, along with verse 5 that follows it:

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week.  Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

 Once again this Monday, I may not logically have time for this, but -- I'm joining Sandra for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

The Weather:::

Rain, Rain, Rain!  Currently it's 68º with a 100% chance of rain.  94% humidity with a 5 mph breeze.  Our weather for the past week has been either rainy or hot and humid.  Not the greatest, but I try not to complain too much.  Humidity is not my friend.

As I look outside my window:::

Everything is incredibly lush and green from recent cool rainy weather.  Mostly wildflowers and weeds are blooming around here.  Orange daylilies are abundant on roadsides and in people's yards.  The elderberries are flowering gloriously.

 

Right now I am:::
 

Working on a blog post.

 
Thinking and pondering:::

 

On a sentence I recently read in Holy Hygge.  This was in the context of living out the purposes God has for us -- that as we invest time, energy and talent in these we will be motivated to "put our hands to the work and do it with laser focus".  It all reminded me of back in 2010  when I spent a few hours considering God's purposes for my life -- which I will share below.  (If you have never identified God's purposes for your life, you really should.  It's incredibly important and helpful.) Taking into account God's purposes for all believers and for me in particular, I came up with a list which I wrote out and placed in my prayer journal.   Since doing that, I make it a point to review God's purposes for my life frequently.

God's overarching purpose for me is the same as for any believer: To bring honor and glory to God with my life by using the spiritual gifts and the talents He has equipped me with.    I have broken this down into a 3-part personal "job description":

1) Be a godly wife [this includes being a good homemaker]; mother, grandmother.

2) Use my teaching gifts and other spiritual gifts for God's glory -- to encourage fellow believers and help them to grow spiritually, and to reach out to those who don't yet know Him.

3) Use my writing talents and other talents to God's glory -- again, to encourage my fellow believers and to point others to Him.

 

Anyway, back to the sentence from Holy Hygge, in this context: 

 

Be the person you wish others would be for you.

That certainly motivates me!  How about you?

On my bedside table::: 

 A lamp, three books,  a pen and a jar of lavender-infused oil for helping with insect bites.

On my tv this week::: 

Nothing this week.

 Listening to::: 

The falling rain.  An occasional passing car makes a wet noise on the road below our house.  Phoebes singing outside the window.

 On the Breakfast plate:::

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast.  Lunch will be a salad with cubes of pork roast, tomato, avocado, and some banana pepper rings in addition to leaf lettuce.

On the dinner plate::: 

Egg roll in a bowl, made with broccoli slaw and leftover pork roast. 

 

On the menu for this week::: 

I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning.  A few meals on my menu plan:

Egg roll in a bowl

Egg bake
Cheeseburger Pie

Fish Chowder
Enchilada skillet

 

On my reading pile:::

 

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donna Otto

We Travel an Appointed Way by A.W. Tozer

The Teaming Church by Robert Crosby

 

On my to do list today:::
 

Work on blog posts
Etsy listings

Laundry √

Prepare and send an Etsy order√

 

Plans for this week:::

Plan menus and make grocery list
List some notions, patterns, cards, and kids' books on Etsy
Visit Story Land, a fun White Mountains amusement park as our granddaughter does a concert there

Ironing
Take a bag to the thrift store

Write blog posts, especially some for Christmas in July
Work on my Sunday School lesson

Possibly get together with friends for a picnic

 

 

What I am creating:::

January cross-stitch sampler
Felt food for some toddler birthday gifts
Crocheting a red, white and blue hot mat

Refurbishing a tiny vintage balsam pillow√

You might wonder about that last project.  I failed to get a photo but the original looks a little like the screenshot below.  Mine is a New Hampshire pillow.  I've had it for years.  It was stained and no longer had any balsam scent at all.  It just smelled musty and old.  But I love it and really wanted to keep and display it.  So I opened up one end, dumped out the balsam needles, washed the pillow cover and hung it in the sun to dry.  Then I pressed it, refilled it with fresh balsam from a bag I bought a few years back from LL Bean.  And stitched up the end again!  A small project to be sure, but one I'm very happy with.

 

Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::

 

This, from the study Between Grief and Glory in the chapter A Pattern of Deliverance: "We cannot interpret God and His character based on our present pain.  Instead, we need to interpret all our circumstances based on knowledge of God from His Word and from the evidence of His past faithfulness.  Circumstances change, but God does not."

So important!  I love that -- interpreting all our circumstances based on our knowledge of God from His Word and from His past faithfulness to us.  

It reminds me of a favorite quote of mine from F.B. Meyer: 

"Unbelief sees God through circumstances, as we sometimes see the sun shorn of his rays through smoky air; but faith puts God between itself and circumstances, and looks at them through Him."

 

On my prayer list:::

 

Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country

 

And there's the Happy Homemaker Monday for this week!  

 

 

Sunday Scripture

 

Just a reminder that I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these simpler ones are also a blessing to do, and I think they've worked out quite well for my Sunday Scripture posts.  Only a couple more psalms to go, so soon I'll be making plans for future Sunday scriptures.

 As I've noted before, I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing especially when I am studying shorter passages, and I hope others will give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.

This study also includes a reflection question for each passage.  Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.  Whenever I do answer it (and this week I did), I'll do so right after the SOAP part.

Today's study is from Psalm 148.  The verse to focus on was verse 13.  

S= "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is excellent: His glory is above the earth and heaven."  (Psalm 148:13)

O= C.I. Scofield titles this psalm "God praised by all creation".  The following are instructed to praise the Lord: His angels, His hosts, sun, moon and stars, heavens, waters, deeps, dragons, fire, hail, snow, vapor, stormy wind, mountains, all hills, fruitful trees, cedars, beasts and cattle, creeping things, flying fowl, kings, princes, judges, all peoples, young men, maidens, old men, and children.  That's a pretty inclusive list!  

"Excellent" in verse 13 literally means "exalted".  We are to praise His name, for it alone is exalted, and His glory is above both earth and heaven.

Cross-reference for "name" -- 

"O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who hast set Thy glory above the heavens!" (Psalm 8:1)

Concerning the phrase "the name of the LORD", 

Rayment wrote in 1630: "Jehovah is a name of great power and efficacy ... Thus ought everyone to stand in awe, and sin not by taking the name of God in vain; but to sing praises, to honor, to remember, to declare, to exalt, and bless it; for holy and reverend, only worthy and excellent is His name."

Spurgeon writes concerning the entire psalm, 

"It seems almost impossible to expound it in detail, for a living poem is not to be dissected verse by verse.  It is a song of nature and of grace.   As a flash of lightning flames through space, and enwraps both heaven and earth in one vestment of glory, so doth the adoration of the Lord in this Psalm light up all the universe and cause it to glow with a radiance of praise.  The song begins in the heavens, sweeps downward to dragons and all deeps, and then ascends again, till the people near unto Jehovah take up the strain.  For its exposition the chief requisite is a heart on fire with reverent love to the Lord over all, who is to be blessed forever."

Oh, my.  Spurgeon certainly had a way with words.

I also gave a little thought to the fact that older people are specifically directed to praise the Lord (v. 12).   The Treasury of David condenses a lengthy sermon by George Lawson (1749-1820) titled "The Duty of the Old to Praise God."  Now that's putting it bluntly.

Thomas Chalmers wrote: "It is a favorite speculation of mine that [as we] enter on the 7th decade of human life ... that this, if possible, should be turned into the sabbath of our earthly pilgrimage, and spent sabbatically, as if on the shores of an eternal world."

Which shores we are on as older folks, when you think about it.  I'm not sure how his speculation would work out or even if it's entirely biblical, but it is a very interesting thought.

A= All creation is instructed, commanded, to praise the name of the Lord, because His name alone is excellent.   His glory is above earth and heaven, and He is to be praised and worshiped.  

All people are specifically called to worship Him and to praise His name, so that instruction is for me.  As an older person, I am specifically directed to praise the name of the Lord, so I need to be doing that.  I must be honoring His name in deed as well as in word.

P= "Oh Lord, how great You are!  Truly Your name is exalted.  It is a name of incomparable majesty and power.  Help me in my praise and in my everyday conversation to take every opportunity to honor and bless Your name.  Help me, as an older person who is specifically commanded to praise Your name, to do so frequently and enthusiastically -- to take that responsibility to heart.  I praise You today and everyday, in the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen."

Reflection question: "Our praise to the Lord must not be silent.  Sometimes our worship is soft and quiet but other times it should be enthusiastic.  All the earth is commanded to praise the Lord.  Are you comfortable being noisy in your worship?  Why or why not?  How can you be freer in your worship this week?

My response:  I do honestly think that we need to temper our worship with an awareness of God's majesty and holiness and of the fact that He instructs all things to be done decently and in order in the church.  (Perhaps I will learn differently in heaven; however, for now I will err on the side of respectful awe.)  

That said, I also believe we should all worship wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, heartily "singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord."  I find it incredibly annoying (and sad) when people won't sing with the congregation.  

You could say this question touches on two of my pet peeves -- congregants who call attention to themselves, not God, and congregants who stand mutely (or even worse, chew gum rhythmically) when they are meant to be singing.  We must never forget that worship is about God and not about us.

And that's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

A glorious Independence Day to you!

 

(This is pretty much a re-post from 2021, but my thoughts are still the same, so I am posting it again.)

I hope that each of you Americans reading this will have a glorious Fourth of July celebrating the birthday of our beloved country! Whether you celebrate with family, friends, or church family, whether you are here on US soil or elsewhere, whether you're enjoying a picnic, a parade, fireworks, or possibly even a meaningful visit to a cemetery, I hope that each of you will take a moment sometime throughout the day to thank God for the land He has blessed us to be able to live in. Our country has many serious problems and flaws, but it is still a wonderful place to live and we enjoy many blessings here which we often take for granted. The wonderful song "America the Beautiful" includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded -- and it happened again when we sang this in church Sunday morning -- that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws.  But we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. I've often thought, too,  how so many of our citizens are so confused concerning the balance between liberty and self-control. Our land offers us many freedoms, yet we take them for granted and many times do not see the need to exercise self-control or self-restraint in any area of life. We want what we want, when we want it, and then when we meet the inevitable consequences of our lack of self-control, we expect our government to take care of us.

 Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.  Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.

Today I'm also sharing a few links to previous Fourth of July posts that might be fun or encouraging reads on this meaningful day.

From 2019: Independence Day Medley

From 2018: Praying for our country

From 2017: July 4 Hodgepodge

From 2016: This Land is Our Land

Hope you'll enjoy them!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

 I may not logically have time for this, but -- I'm joining Sandra again today for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

The Weather:::

It's about 75º with 4 mph winds.  Partly cloudy and partly sunny, but when the sun is out if feels much hotter 90% than 75º!  Humidity is 73% and the chance of rain 15% currently.  We didn't walk this morning as it was pouring when we would have gone.   We have thunderstorms in the forecast for the next few days. 

As I look outside my window:::

Most everything is lush and green from recent cool rainy weather.  Mostly wildflowers and weeds are blooming around here.  Orange daylilies are starting to appear on roadsides.

 

 

Right now I am:::
 

Working on a blog post.

 
Thinking and pondering:::

 

A high school graduate, a daughter of missionary friends in Canada, asked that folks would share with her  a favorite Scripture and/or advice for life.  I really had to ponder a bit to think about what advice to share.    But bottom line, it was stay close to God; make time with Him a priority each day and get to know Him well -- for the better you know Him, the more you can trust Him.

 

Lovely graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

On my bedside table::: 

 A lamp, three books,  a pen and a jar of lavender-infused oil for helping with insect bites.

On my tv this week::: 

Nothing this week.

 Listening to::: 

The hum of the dryer.  Robins singing "cheerily, cheerily"outside the window.

Another from Little Birdie Blessings

On the Breakfast plate:::

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast.  Lunch will be a salad with cubes of turkey, cheese, and some banana pepper rings in addition to leaf lettuce.

On the dinner plate::: 

Slow cooked pork loin.  I sort of cobbled up a recipe after not having everything I needed for recipes I looked at. 

 

On the menu for this week::: 

I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning.  A few meals on my menu plan:

Pork loin

Egg bake
Cheeseburger Pie

Burger Bowls

 

On my reading pile:::

 

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donna Otto

We Travel an Appointed Way by A.W. Tozer

The Teaming Church by Robert Crosby

 

On my to do list today:::
 

Work on blog posts

Cook pork loin

Possibly do some cooking/baking for the Fourth
Work on felt food

Laundry √

Send a graduation card √

Fireworks from our friends' place last Independence Day

 

Plans for this week:::

Plan menus and make grocery list
List some notions, patterns, cards, and kids' books on Etsy

Declutter a closet

Have visiting friends over to our camp for lunch on Wednesday 

Possibly have a picnic with other friends on Saturday
Get together with family to see a visiting nephew on Sunday

Ironing
Take a bag to the thrift store

Write blog posts, especially some for Christmas in July
Work on my Sunday School lesson

Attend Fourth of July festivities with church family and friends at our friends' home

 

What I am creating:::

January cross-stitch sampler
Felt food for some toddler birthday gifts

 

Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::

 

"According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,  according to the good pleasure of His will,

"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;

"Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence."  (Ephesians 1:4-6)

In a ladies' Bible study a few weeks ago,  we were pondering the thought of election.  I have since read this following quote by Rand Hummel from his Bible study In Christ.  I found it so helpful.

“The words chosen (v.4) and predestinated (v.5) are Bible words and should not scare us.  This choosing comes from a God who is loving (v. 4-5), sovereign (v.5), gracious (v. 6-7), forgiving (v.7) and wise (v. 8).  Even though there are secret things that belong to God, and His ways are past finding out, every choice is made by a loving, sovereign, gracious, forgiving, and wise God.  That is something to be thankful for!”

 

 

On my prayer list:::

 

Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country

 

And there's the Happy Homemaker Monday for this week!  

 

 

Sunday Scripture

 

I've mentioned that I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these simpler ones are also a blessing to do, and I think they are working out quite well for my Sunday Scripture posts.

 As I've noted before, I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing especially when I am studying shorter passages, and I hope others will give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- asking the Lord to help you apply this verse or praising Him for what it means to you.

This study also includes a reflection question for each passage.  Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.  Whenever I do answer it, I'll do so right after the SOAP part.

Today's study is from Psalm 147.  Verse 3 was the suggested verse to study, but I chose to look quite closely at verses 3-5.  These are some of my favorite verses from Psalms!

S= "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

"He appointeth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.

"Great is our Lord, and of great power;  His understanding is infinite."  (Psalm 147:3-5)

O= C.I. Scofield has titled this psalm "God praised for regathering Israel" but there is much more to it than that.  Here just in these few verses are just a handful of amazing truths about our God:

🌿 He heals the brokenhearted
🌿 He binds up the wounds of the brokenhearted ["wounds" here literally means griefs"]
🌿 He appoints the number of stars
🌿 He calls all the stars by their names
🌿 He is great, and of great power
🌿 His understanding is infinite.

And, if we read on to the end of the psalm, we see much much more.

Cross-references for "healeth":

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O LORD, Thou wilt not despise."  (Psalm 51:17) 

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)

And the similar verse in the New Testament:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."  (Luke 4:18)

Cross-references for "appointeth" or "telleth" (v.4) --

"And He brought [Abraham] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to number them."  (Genesis 15:5) 

"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, who bringeth out their host by number; He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might; for He is strong in power.  Not one faileth."  (Isaiah 40:26)

Regarding verses 3-4, M.P. Ferguson wrote the following lines: 

"With His healing hand on a broken heart,
And the other on a star,
Our wonderful God views the miles between
And they seem not very far.

"There is hope and help for our sighs and tears,
For the wound that stings and smarts;
Our God is at home with the rolling spheres,
And at home with broken hearts."

These thoughts have been a comfort and blessing to me for years!

"None but He can count the mighty host, but as He made them and sustains them He can number them.  To Jehovah stars are as mere coins, which the merchant tells as he puts them into his bag. He has an intimate acquaintance with each separate orb, so as to know its name or character ... Vast as these stars are, they are perfectly obedient to His bidding, even as soldiers to a captain who calls their names, and allots them to their stations.  Do they not rise, and set, and move, or stand, precisely according to His order?" -- Charles Spurgeon

William MacDonald writes, "He is the God of restoration ... In His gracious ministry of restoring, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  And since He numbers the stars and calls each of them by name, it must follow that He numbers His people and knows each one individually and intimately  ... the tender compassion of the Lord is placed beside His infinite knowledge in verses 3 and 4."

Spurgeon wrote, "what a change is here [in v.4] from the preceding verse!  Read the two without a break, and feel the full force of the contrast.  From stars to sighs is a deep descent!  From worlds to wounds is a distance which only infinite compassion can bridge.  Yet He who doth a surgeon's part with wounded hearts, marshals the heavenly host ... O Lord, it is good to praise Thee as ruling over the stars, but it is pleasant to adore Thee as ruling over the broken in heart!" 

Cross-reference for "great" (v. 5) -- 

"For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods." (Psalm 96:4)

Cross-reference for "understanding" in verse 5 -- 

"Hast thou not known?  Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?  There is no searching of His understanding." (Isaiah 40:28)

 "There is no fathoming His wisdom, or measuring His knowledge.  He is infinite in existence, in poser, and in knowledge, as these three phrases plainly teach us.  And yet how condescending!  For this is He who so tenderly nurses the sick souls, and waits to be gracious to sinful men.  He brings His boundless power and infinite understanding to bear upon human distress for its assuagement and sanctification.  For all these let His praise be great; even could it be infinite, it would not exceed His due.  In the building of the church and the salvation of souls, His greatness, power and wisdom are all displayed."  -- Spurgeon

A= Praise, praise, praise!  There is so much in this psalm to praise God for, and it is such an example of how we should be praising Him.  As Spurgeon notes, even if our praise could be infinite, it would not exceed praise that is due to our amazing God.  And the fact that He "brings His boundless power and infinite understanding to bear upon human distress" ought to encourage us so much.  We can bring every heartbreak to Him, knowing that He cares and heals.

P= "Lord, how wonderful You are!  I am so thankful for Your Word and for the Psalms in particular.  They teach us so much about Your attributes and character and Your interactions with Your people.  I praise You for all that is revealed about You in this psalm and even in these few verses.  I am in awe of how the Holy Spirit put them together.  What an encouragement to Your people!  I praise You that I can bring every heartache to you, knowing that healing, help, and infinite power and understanding are available from You.  I praise You for all of this and for so much more, in Jesus' name, Amen."

The reflection question asks, "Are you hurting today? Has someone broken your heart or wounded you?  The Lord cares and He loves you so much.  He is near to you.  He wants to heal you.  Ask Him for healing today."

My response: This is one of my absolute favorite passages of Scripture.  I have turned to it countless times for comfort and encouragement when my heart has felt broken.  

Archibald G. Brown wrote these eloquent words: "O Holy Spirit, with lowly reverence we venture to say that never hast Thou collected and put side by side two more exquisite statements than these: 'He healeth the broken in heart, and knoweth the number of the stars."

One poet has written that "our God is at home with the rolling spheres, and at home with broken hearts."  

To me, the fact that this mighty, all-powerful, creative, all-knowing God cares about my heartbreaks and wants to mend them, is beyond comforting.

There is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I hope it was a blessing.

Some goals for July

 

Time to turn the calendar page!  Here are a few goals for July:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Continue working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- hopefully several times per week
* Post in my Christmas blog every day this month
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Stay at our little camp as often as possible
* Have friends over for lunch after church
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations (yes, even now!)
* Do some sewing projects ( a few more sachets to stave off musty odors) for the cottage
* Finish 2 pillow quilts for youngest granddaughters
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue decluttering the entire house, zone by zone
* With my hubby, set some goals for the rest of 2023
* Enjoy the Fourth of July with family and friends
* Attend the concert of the summer chamber group our granddaughter is part of
* Enjoy a concert by the same granddaughter's orchestra, at Story Land, a fun NH amusement park
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Finish up my trust responsibilities
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Memorize four Bible verses and review four older ones
* Prepare and teach a ladies' Sunday School class each week
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

HEALTHY HABITS FOR JULY:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs 

All that should be more than enough to keep me out of trouble!  Of course, many of these goals are ongoing ones and will not be finished just because June has ended.