Friday, August 30, 2013

Our doorposts

   “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

 We don't literally have God's Word written on our doorposts, but we do have reminders scattered throughout our home.  And when we have passed through deep waters, these reminders have been powerful sources of encouragement.

an original by a mission supporter, now with the Lord
Give thanks in all circumstances. ~ a Korean item found at a local thrift store
I love word art like this!
A favorite verse of mine (a wedding present)
A favorite verse of Jim's
Bone-strengthening encourgagement
a tiny plaque, but a HUGE command
special gifts - tomo (the kanji above, which means "with" and is found in Isaiah 41:10) was the kanji of the year that I chose for 2009, a year of great transition & the year in which it turned out I met Jim
a wedding gift: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Couldn't believe it when I found these for 99cents each at Goodwill! The colors match, and the previous owners had left 3 nails here.  Problem solved!


Do you have any "doorposts"?  You can download some free here.

Monday, August 19, 2013

1000 Gifts, Vol. 4, #63

641.  a BLT made with my father-in-law's homegrown tomatoes--- Mmmmm!

642.  creative outlet

643.  a new Bible study

644.  with new insights from God's Word

645.  delicious breeze coming in the open windows on the last forecasted day of 70* weather (Aaaaahhh!)

646.  continued steps to feel more a part of the community through ...

647.  Jim's class reunion,

648.  new connections in an exercise class, and

649.  book club

650.  having a case worker to call ~ and her answers, advice, listening & encouragement

Saturday, August 17, 2013

When life hands you lemons ...

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade," the saying goes. 

Our guest room is not really a "lemon," for it is a great blessing to have a guest room and to welcome guests for overnight stays, but it is blue (my least favorite decorating color) and the walls are liberally covered with not only a wallpaper border but also many other wallpaper-type sticky decorations, as you can see.  :)

A little boy's dreamy room ~ complete with clouds, moons, and stars!

No doubt the original owners put a lot of time and thought into it.  I found matching lamps in the basement, and added gold shades found at Tuesday Morning.  Then I thought the least we could do was to have some sort of window treatment, and in a, "Hurry! Company is coming tomorrow!" moment, I found these gold-ish ones at Wal-mart, with the thought that it was a temporary arrangement, so I did not want to spend much money. (They are powerful sun-blockers, and I highly recommend them.)

I collected every knick-knack I had with even a hint of blue to display on the dresser, and hung a collection of Japan-related items (with brown tones) and then continued the gold-color theme with a small mirror and 3 brass plates I picked up at a $1 per bag church basement sale.

I was trying to tone down the blue...  Not sure I reached that goal, but, oh well!

After a successful master bedroom makeover (achieved by the addition of coordinating throw pillows, bed runner, and valances), I set out to try to tie the guest room together, too.

Once more, the before picture:
Before

and the after picture:
After

A framed card from Japan, carrying on the blue & gold theme

Blue (&gold) knick-knacks

Valance

Throw pillows

Bed runner (or bed scarf)

another view

Our B&B is always taking reservations!  Let us know when you are coming!

Good news!

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
...
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.  “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”      (Mark 1.1, 14-15)

I recently sat in a coffee shop studying Mark 1.1-15 with a few friends.  One of our main takeaways from this passage is that we have good news. 

Try saying that with different emphases:

WE have good news!
We HAVE good news!
We have GOOD news!
We have good NEWS!

One of the girls mused, "When I have good news, I tell everyone about it."

When was the last time you had good news? 
    You found a great recipe or restaurant?
          You found a great deal? 
               Someone gave you a special gift? 
                    You found a solution to a tough problem in your life?
                         You finally reached a goal you'd been working towards?

Did you tell anyone?  When I have news like that, I tell everyone I talk with.  

Yet, in the mundane things of daily life, I'm a "glass is half-empty" type of person.  There's really no way to be "glass is half-empty," though, about the good news about Jesus the Messiah. 

I have good news! 

How can I live more in line with the earth-shattering, life-changing fact that I have good news?  That is my meditation and prayer this morning. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

1000 Gifts, Vol. 4, #62

631.  rabbits eating clover in our backyard

632.  large orange moon rising over cornfields on a midnight blue sky

633.  unseasonably cool days {like a vacation from summer!}

634.  open windows & curtains fluttering in the breeze

635.  rare 5.45 AM breakfast together {before early morning hog-loading}

636.  room transformation {pictures coming soon}...

637.  and inspiration for another room transformation

638.  friends whose travel plans lead them down an interstate near us :)

639.  the unexpected & very providential opportunity to speak Japanese a few hours a week

640.  the privilege of sharing life with others {both their joys & their challenges}

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Do you know where your passport is?

When I lived overseas, I always knew where my passport was ~ and when it expired.  (I also kept a list of a few other people's passport & visa expiration dates, but that's another story for another day.) 

Friends kept their passports in prime real estate, so they could grab them in haste in case of an emergency (natural disaster, etc.).  Even their children knew where the passsports were.

Nowadays I have to think twice to remember where we keep our passports, and, if not for the fact that I got a new one (with my married name) a few months after we were married, I would have no clue when it expires.

If you've ever lived with a constant awareness of your passport, you'll enjoy this vignette:

Out to lunch with my passport
(click title to read article) 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The land of few street signs

In an update from missionaries preparing to go to Japan:


Everyday things will be exponentially more difficult, e.g., it will be a struggle as we learn to read street signs.

Surprise!  There will be few street signs.

Just another example of how our assumptions shape the way we think.

Wonder what assumptions I have about how my day today will unfold ...