Springtime Renewal

Just a few days ago I noticed the first sign of spring – the daffodils are blooming! What a beautiful sight after many cold, gray, rainy days to see the bright yellow and white flowers standing tall and proud facing upward toward the heavens. This small flower reminded me of the renewal and new growth that springtime brings. The question came to mind, “What new growth is happening in your life right now?”

In order to have new growth it is essential to live in a God-centered life. So many people profess Christianity but fail to claim the power that God promises to give us when we trust Jesus as our Lord. What is the greatest source of power in your life? Are you spending your greatest efforts, time, money, and interests on self, family, doing good things and forgetting that we can do nothing apart from God (John 15:5)? Only when we accept the anointing of God on our lives can we accomplish supernatural things that really make a difference in this world and the life to come. Author and Bible teacher Pricilla Shirer says in her study, “Friend, if you know Jesus [as Savior] you are anointed –empowered to live supernaturally for the purpose of accomplishing God’s tasks on the earth. Only believers led and enabled by God’s spirit can accomplish His plans and purposes. Our attempts may achieve stunning success in the natural realm but will not amount to much in God’s economy.” If you really want to live a meaningful life and accomplish great things you must first give your life to Jesus. He can do so much more with it than we can on our own.

If your life is surrendered to Christ, you are not free from responsibility and promised a life without difficulty. You must live with passion and patience, knowing that the Lord has equipped you for every task given to you. Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels coming up with your own ideas and mapping out your own plans for the future only to be disappointed when things don’t quiet work out like you expected? Or are you expecting God to do something greater in your life than He has ever done? Is there a freshness and excitement in your spirit that can only come when you are relying on God’s power to do what He has called you to do. Precious child, God wants to do great things through you! Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, CEO, window washer, or investment banker, God has equipped you for the task He has called you to. So live purposefully in the power given to you by His Spirit and give the best of yourself in all tasks big or small so that He will be made known in every season of your life. 

Christmas Card Ornaments

 Okay, so I know Christmas is 11 months away but I saw this craft on my friend's blog I follow and wanted to share it with you here. The photo above and the instructions below are from the very creative Lois Dorrell on her blog Dorrell Delineations.  Ever wonder what to do with the piles of beautiful Christmas cards you get each year? Why not transform them into these beautiful ornaments.  They can be done in various sizes and you can even use the pictures to tell a story. That makes me think...what if I used a theme of pictures to tell the Easter story and used one of these "card balls" as a teaching tool for preschool Sunday School class! You can even enlist the kids to help trace the circles using coins or a stencil for the triangles. A scrapbook circle punch would make this faster and more even for sure. Adorable!

A "card ball" is made up of circles cut from old Christmas cards...then you draw an equilateral triangle on the back of the circle and fold them on the lines and then glue them together...five circle/triangles make up the top and the bottom and ten around the middle. Once you get really "good" at doing this you can make the center and the bottom have all the pictures be right side up...you have to have 10 "right-side-up" triangles and 10 "upside-down" triangles.


UPDATE 1/2012:  I found another version of a Christmas Card ornament on Pinterest. This one was for sale custom made at  tipsywhimseyart on ETSY but you could easily make this with a little patience. So many people send photo cards for Christmas now that this is a sweet way to remember them and watch them grow through the years. Use a small to medium round punch to cut out the faces of people on the cards then glue them individually to a inexpensive foam ball found in the craft or floral section of your local store. Start at the bottom and work your way to the top of the ornament for the pine cone look and attach a ribbon as a hanger with a straight pin. 
 

Knitting is Knifty

Baby it's cold outside! I've kept my hands busy inside lately working on a few knifty knitter projects. I saw this baby cocoon project at Etsy.com and just had to make one or two. We have several friends welcoming new babies into their lives this year so thought it would make a cute gift for a photo. I'd love to see what my photographer brother-in-law could do with one of these and a sweet baby for newborn photos. These photos are from what inspired me at etsy and are professional portraits. The things I made {including the hats in my sons favorite colors} are at the slide show on the right. Everything I knit is on a loom because it's so easy for beginners like me. There are endless free patterns online and even how-to videos on YouTube.  Try the free patterns at http://knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/loom_knitting.php .  Don't be afraid to try something new. Teach yourself a new hobby this year!

Snow Day!

I guess the old wives tale is true - even if it is artificial snow! Our friends had a snow party for their birthday yesterday and all the kids had a blast playing in the snow made by something like a giant snow cone machine. It was about 60 degrees outside but that didn't stop them from romping and stomping in the snow. It was a so much fun! It was quite possibly the first time some of these Louisiana children had ever seen snow. My children had to be taught how to make a snowman b/c they had never made one before (at least that they remember). See the pictures in the slide show to the right.

New Year Challenge!

Some of you have already had a challenging new year. Others are setting goals to challenge themselves in new ways. Many will resolve to lose weight, get in shape, read more, save more, or spend less. Here is fresh idea for a challenge everyone can do and it doesn't cost you a thing. My friend, Leslie, has started a blog to challenge us to memorize 100 key Bible scriptures. Memorize them in any translation you like. What better way to create a new you than to hide God's words in your heart? I challenge you to follow along with her blog at http://seedsoftruth-leslie.blogspot.com this year and memorize these passages as a way of weaving the living breathing Word of God into every fiber of your being. You will be changed! Are you still doubting you can follow through? Get some accountability by asking a buddy to follow along with you and pray for God to give you the perseverance to keep trying. You will be amazed at how many times these scriptures will pop into your mind throughout the day as you practice committing them to memory. Be blessed this year by the memorizing of God's word!