Friday five ~ August 16

This week seems to have whizzed by faster than ever.  It hardly seems possible it can be Friday again already!  But here we are -- so here are some blessings from my week:

1.  Supper on the deck several times this week.  That always makes both of us feel more relaxed, as if we're on vacation when we're really just living our usual hectic lives!

2.   Spending time at a local town's Old Home Day celebration.  It was a little different this year than in the past, but we still enjoyed visiting with folks and watching the parade, etc.  For Mr. T, the most disappointing change was the lack of a food truck selling fried dough.  He was planning on that!  We made up for it by purchasing yummy bacon cheeseburgers from the 8th graders raising funds for their class trip.  Outstanding!

An entry in 2015's Old Home Day Parade

3. A fun late-afternoon breakfast at Cracker Barrel with our friend Terry on Sunday.  Her son surprised us all by meeting us there.  It was an added blessing that he took time out of his busy life to join us.

The Grandma's Pancake Sampler has become a new favorite of mine.

4.  This Nevada grandson turned 7 yesterday!  Thankful for him!

This was on his 5th birthday, whe we were in Nevada to celebrate with him and his family

5.  This sounds lame, but just seeing God give strength for our busy days and lives.  It's not a little thing!  In fact, it is huge!  He tells us that He will give strength according to our days -- and as we look to Him, that really happens.

There's my simple Friday five for this week!

Announcing ...

... a late-summer sale at my Etsy shop!

I've selected over 60 summer-related listings and they're on sale now through August 22 -- a hefty 20% off!

Here are just a few of the listings:

June 1947 New Hampshire Troubadour

Nasturtium seeds packed for 1974 -- "Glorious Gleam"

1968 lawn mower brochure

Rose needlebook

A blotter from Kellogg's Corn Flakes

Sweet vintage notecard

Adorable vintage pattern for little girls' summer outfit

  If you wish to get in on the fun, head on over to A New Hampshire Attic and check it out!

July's simple Bible journaling

Back in July I promised that I would post a bit about the simple Bible study I did for that month: Confident Trust, by Rachel Wojo.  I think that this was originally intended to be a May Bible reading plan, but I had a different plan for May, so decided to use this one for July since both months have 31 days.

These little books are basically a Bible reading/Scripture writing plan, with the added component of journaling.   They are not in-depth Bible studies in any way, but are more intended to build the habit of being in God's Word each day and making a personal application of what you read.  If you are looking for depth, you will be disappointed.  But if you are looking to build the habit of reading and applying God's Word, this could be just what you need to help you do that.

I'm trying to decide how best to give a sampling of the Scripture passages and journaling prompts.   I guess I will just start with Day 1.  The Scripture for this day was Psalm 20.  The question to ask myself had to do with what one thought from the passage would help me remember to trust God.  Here's what I wrote: 

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD our God" (verse 7).   People trust in all sorts of earthly helps.  Instead of doing that, I need to remember the LORD my God!"

For each page there is also an acrostic for the word TRUST.  It essentially says, "Today I will rest in God's promises, understanding He is sovereign and I can trust Him with .... [fill in the blank]."  When I started this study, I feared I would be filling in the blank with the same situations or things over and over.  It didn't happen that way, though.

So for Day 1 I wrote that I could trust God with "all sorts of concerns that swirl around inside my head: our church's pastoral search; my own responsibilities; the spiritual growth of those we are mentoring; the physical health and spiritual well-being of a terminally ill friend; our own physical and mental health, and more."  Thinking about how I could safely trust God with all of these really helped my head to stop spinning.

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Day 2's Scripture was Psalm 62.  The question to ask myself was what fact from this passage would remind me that God is worthy of my trust.  Here's what I wrote: "Power belongeth unto God" (verse 11) is one.  Four verses remind me that God is my salvation.  Three verses remind me that He is my Rock.  Verses 2 and 6 state that God is my defense.  All of these point to the fact that God is more than worthy of my trust!

For day 2, when I needed to fill in the blank for "I can trust Him with ..." following the acrostic, I wrote that I could trust God with "the fact that my days never seem long enough to accomplish all that I'd like to.  This is something that troubles me.  I need to recognize that God is sovereign over my days.  Of course He expects me to use my time wisely, but He knows my responsibilities and my season of life.  He will give me guidance for each day as I look to Him."

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I could go on and on, but obviously I don't want to write out all that I did for the month.  So I will pick out a couple of days from the middle of the month and a couple from the end of July, and call that good.

Day 14's Scripture was Psalm 5.  Two questions alternate each day.  The question to ask myself had to do with what one thought from the passage would help me remember to trust God.  Here's what I wrote: 

"God will lead me in His righteousness and will make my path straight.  I can joyfully trust in Him because He defends me.  I can look to Him for direction each day."

For day 14, when I needed to fill in the blank for "I can trust Him with ..." following the acrostic, I wrote that I could trust God with ... "Everything!  I'm coming to understand more and more that I have to take my hands off things and allow God to be in complete control of all things.  He IS, and I must acknowledge that fact, and remove my hands."

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Day 15's Scripture was Psalm 85:1-9.    The question to ask myself today was what fact from this passage would remind me that God is worthy of my trust.  Here's what I wrote:

"There is no God like Him, and no works comparable to His works.  He is good, ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon Him.

For day 15, when I needed to fill in the blank for "I can trust Him with ..." following the acrostic, I wrote that I could trust God with "the outcome of this infection [from a tick bite].  Do I want to return to urgent care and have it lanced?  I'd rather not, and yet I will, if that's what's necessary to resolve it.  So thankful to God for good energy even while recovering from this."

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For Day 28, the Scripture was Psalm 115:10-18.   Again, the question to ask myself today was what fact from this passage would remind me that God is worthy of my trust.  Here's what I wrote:

"If I fear (reverence) the Lord,  I can trust Him to be my help and shield -- the One who made heaven and earth!"

And for this day,  when I needed to fill in the blank for "I can trust Him with ..." following the acrostic, I wrote that I could trust God with ...

"All the responsibilities we have at church being without a pastor.  God knows all about it and has allowed us to be at this place in this time.  He will bring us the right pastor in His timing.  Until then, He will sustain us and strengthen us for all that we need to do."

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Day 31's Scripture was Psalm 56.  The question to ask myself today was what fact from this passage would remind me that God is worthy of my trust.  Here's what I wrote:

"This I know: God is for me.'  He has delivered my soul from death, so  I can surely trust Him to guide my steps through life."

And for this day,  when I needed to fill in the blank for "I can trust Him with ..." following the acrostic, I wrote that I could trust God with ...

"The large amount and variety of tasks on my plate and thoughts filling my mind.  It is so difficult to keep a good balance of what I should be doing.  So thankful that God is for me and will help me to order my days!"

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So there is a sampling of this little study and my responses.  I hope this gives you an idea of what I learned in July and what you might expect from this study, or another of Rachel's books.  If you are looking for a simple study that will get you  into God's Word each day and will challenge you to think about Scripture and begin learning to apply it, you might find this very helpful. It was certainly a blessing to me this past month!

Friday five ~ August 9

Friday again!  Let's see what I can share this week:

1.   Good outreach with our church at a community Market Day on Saturday.  We gave out bottled water, balloons, books and more.  A mom from our church did face painting for the kids and some folks played music.  It was lovely to hear the old hymns played by guitars, concertina and an Irish penny whistle, wafting over the town common.

And that sausage sub prepared and served in the firehouse by the town's volunteer firemen was pretty scrumptious too.

2.  Ice cream date with my hubby on Saturday night.  "Let's go out for ice cream first, then come home and have supper."  What does it say about me that I agreed to that?

3.  An enjoyable outdoor a capella concert in the company of friends on Sunday afternoon.

Graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

4.  Seeing God answer prayer in a difficult situation this week.  One of those dilemmas where one might need to be part of the solution, yet God provided from a totally unexpected source.

Another lovely graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

5.  A lovely phone chat with my sweet daughter in Nevada on Tuesday.  That's Joanna below, with her hubby at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, summer 2017.

And I guess that is it for this week.  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Shedding some light on the Wednesday Medley

It's Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida!  This week's questions are based off National Lighthouse Day, which is celebrated today, August 7. Why not head on over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer on your own blog?  

Here goes with the questions:

1.  Let's start with a number! How many lighthouses have you visited?

Oh, good question.  At least a couple on Prince Edward Island and at least four in Maine .. so let's say at least half a dozen. I believe that the image below is the Point Prim lighthouse on PEI, which the rest of my family did climb to the top of.

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

2.  Have you been inside a lighthouse and did you walk to the top?

I have been inside one of the Prince Edward Island lighthouses and, although I started up,  I did not make it all the way to the top.   Circular staircases make me dizzy.  My hubby and a bunch of kids and grandkids did go up inside the Pemaquid Point lighthouse, pictured below.  I believe it's one of only a very few in Maine that one can go to the top of.

3.  Do you seek them out when you are traveling the coastlines or are you not that big a fan?

Oh, I'm definitely a fan.  My hubby is also, so we definitely seek them out when we have the opportunity.  Below is Portland Head Light in Maine.  Photo from Pixabay.

4.  Do you have a favorite scripture or another reference to share with us concerning a guiding light in your life?

 "The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

And a very meaningful song to me has been the Gospel song "The Lighthouse" by Ronnie Hinson.  Here are the lyrics:

 There's a Lighthouse on the hillside
that overlooks life's sea.
When I'm tossed it sends out a light
that I might see.
And the light that shines in the darkness,
now will safely lead us o'er.
If it wasn't for the lighthouse
that ship would be no more.

Everybody that lives around me says,
tear that lighthouse down,
The big ships don't sail this way anymore,
there's no use of it standing 'round.
Then my mind goes back to that stormy night,
when just in time I saw the light,
Yes, the light from that old lighthouse,
that stands up there on the hill.

And I thank God for the Lighthouse,
I owe my life to Him,
For Jesus is the Lighthouse,
and from the rocks of sin
He has shone a light around me
that I can clearly see,
If it wasn't for the Lighthouse
where would this ship be?

I love this song and it reminds me of the decision I made to trust Jesus as my personal Savior at a very stormy, dark time in my life -- the most important decision I have ever made or ever will make.   This song says it all.

Light at Pemaquid Point

5.  If you don't collect lighthouses when you travel, is there something tangible that you tend to collect as a souvenir when you are on vacation or a road trip?

I don't always do this, but a souvenir that is a Christmas ornament or could be used as one is a good idea.

This monument in York Harbor, Maine, depicts a lighthouse.

  6.  Please share something with us about your week.

Oh, let's see.  It's  one of those weeks -- so far, at least -- in which I can't seem to get out of my own way.   I had a very tiring (though wonderfully enjoyable) weekend and was on my feet a lot.  My feet almost never swell, but this weekend they did.  Seems like I'm just trying to catch up a bit this week.  So I'm sort of going with the flow and giving myself some grace.   Oh, I'm walking for my usual hour a day and keeping up with necessary tasks -- but beyond that I'm being gentle with myself.  Doing some creative things like journaling and blogging.

And just for fun ... three grandkids inside the Pemaquid Point lighthouse

 There's this week's medley!  What a great theme Terri chose this week!

Friday five

Unbelievably, it's Friday again!  I usually do my grocery shopping on Thursday, but this week I put it off until today, so it seems even less like Friday.  But regardless, Friday is here, so here goes with a few blessings from the week:

1.  A wonderful time with our friends Sam and Jennifer and their children on Saturday evening.  We even managed to go over an entire Bible study lesson in addition to enjoying precious time together around a meal.  Below is the book we're studying:

2.  A blessed day with God's people on Sunday.  Our friend Bryan Bell shared some wonderful messages from Colossians 1.

3.  Nice phone chats with my friend Jenn and my daughter Joanna on Tuesday afternoon.

4.  Good quality time spent working at my childhood home as I continue sorting, sifting, tossing, donating and selling items.

5.   The opportunity to get out and walk nearly every day this week, even though the first few days were unbearably humid.  We go out at 6 a.m in an attempt to beat the heat!

There's my Friday five for this week!😀  (The photos are all from previous summers.)

August goals

Yes, unbelievably, it's a new month, and time for setting some fresh goals.  Here are my goals for August:
* Do an August Scripture writing challenge
* Continue reading through the New Testament
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones
* Continue our discipleship study with new believers

* Continue to  help a recently widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Continue study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  
* Limit sugar
* Drink enough water each day

 * Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week (with some help from Clean Mama)
* Do something creative each day
* Post in this blog several times per week
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible

* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones

* Send a birthday package to Nevada

* Finish a cross-stitch sampler

* Register for ladies' and couples' retreats

* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items

* Work on Etsy and trust bookkeeping as necessary
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able

* Continue to encourage and support my hubby as he works through a pastoral search for our church
* Clean church and set up for fellowship time

* Continue to sort out and declutter my dad's house, hopefully taking many loads to the dump and thrift store and consolidating the remaining items yet to dispose of;  work on estate
* Help with a church booth at a town market day
* Get together with friends visiting from Wisconsin
* Spend quality time with a cousin from out of town
* Attend a concert with friends
* Spend a day helping my cousin get started with a similar task at her childhood home

* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating

 
HEALTHY HABITS FOR AUGUST:  Drink more water/get more sleep/limit sugar (even though that last one is sort of a moot point with all of the seasonal ice cream places open)

And here's how July went:
* Do a July Scripture writing challenge -- done!
* Continue reading through the New Testament -- fell down miserably on this
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones -- may have worked on 2 verses
* Continue our discipleship study with new believers -- done!

* Continue to  help a recently widowed friend with the challenges of life in general -- done!
* Continue study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus -- done!
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  -- not done consistently
* Limit sugar -- not done consistently
* Drink enough water each day -- not done consistently

 * Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week -- done!

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week (with some help from Clean Mama) -- not done
* Do something creative each day -- done!
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- done!
* Post in my Christmas blog every day for Christmas in July! -- done!

* Get together with friends on July 4th -- done!
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones -- done!

* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects -- done!
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items -- done!

* Work on Etsy and trust bookkeeping as necessary -- done!
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- done!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- never as much as I would like

* Continue to encourage and support my hubby as he works through a pastoral search for our church -- done!
* Clean church and set up for fellowship time -- done!

* Continue to sort out and declutter my dad's house, hopefully taking many loads to the dump and thrift store and consolidating the remaining items yet to dispose of;  work on estate  -- I've done quite a bit here, but not as much as I'd hoped
* Spend a day helping my cousin get started with a similar task at her childhood home  -- not done due to time constraints on her part

* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating -- done!

 
HEALTHY HABITS FOR JULY:  Drink more water/get more sleep/limit sugar

My July was fairly productive, and one unexpected thing that happened was getting to spend more time with family visiting from Alabama and Florida.  Mr. T's sister and nephew from Tallahassee visit for a month or so every summer, but this was a banner year for actually getting to spend time with them.  His cousins from Alabama were in New England for about a week, and covered a lot of sightseeing in several states.  We were blessed to meet up with them one evening for ice cream, and then again for Sunday lunch! 

I also accomplished a huge task for the trust and coped with an infected tick bite during July, plus went to the lake twice with my daughter and grandkids.  It was a really good month, all in all.