In the Word Wednesday #12: Time

My beloved hubby has amassed quite the watch collection over the last 2 years. It all started with the smallest watch, next to last in line. It belonged to his father (Pops!) and he received it when he retired. Hubby has had it for years, but due to his very hands-on jobs, he rarely wore it. Now he rotates between all of these and the latest one that arrived yesterday (G-Shock Rangeman, in case you are wondering).

Time. We are obsessed with time; we live in less than 700 square feet and between our watches (yes, I have a few, too), phones, clocks and other appliances, we have TWENTY time telling pieces.

I spend a lot of my time creating cards…and I finally got around to mailing a few out! 😉If I don’t take some time to write out a card, why make them, right? We spend time in church; do we take the time to serve in church? To show God’s love to others? I spend time cooking; do I take time to make extra to bless someone?

There’s a lot in Scripture about time, and how we choose to spend it. Time, for us, passes quickly and seems so short. It was only yesterday that I was 20…30…you get the idea. I can’t believe I can say, “I remember in 1975…” and it was decades ago! My oldest would have just turned 40 a few weeks ago, and my oldest grandkid is almost 17. What?

I mentioned above that my oldest would have been 40 years old…I never imagined that I would celebrate that day without her. We don’t know how much time we have with our loved ones. It is precisely the nature of our fleeting time that Jesus is concerned with. In many places in Scripture we’re told TODAY is the day of salvation. Take the time to listen to Him today. 💛

Blessings, my friends,

Barbara

In the Word Wednesday #11: Using Stamps in Your Faith Journal and Planner

Happy Wednesday, friends! I’m so glad you came for a visit. Pour some tea or coffee, pull out your faith journal/planner and some supplies and let’s get creative!

Wait a second…what does stamping have to do with worship?

We worship the CREATOR of the universe; the sun, moon and stars, mountains, valleys, birds, butterflies, rivers, lakes, oceans, you get the picture. Why not incorporate creativity into your journaling?

I don’t always “feel” like it; sometimes I just want to write, write, write. But there are times when some pretty stamps or washi tape (and let’s not forget stickers…but that’s a whole different rabbit hole!) inspire some praise, or worship can inspire the decor!

You don’t need to run out and buy anything; chances are if you read this blog, you already have stamps, ink and paper. 😀 Why not use them for more than card making?

I wanted something a bit different this year for my planner, and I decided to once again try out a disc-bound system. My friend Kristi of LifeinLine123 creates really nice, functional pages that you can print and use in your planners or journal. All her info is in the link, she’s passionate about incorporating faith into planning, wellness, and all of life! Here are a few shots of my February spread and weekly pages. Nothing too fancy, just reminders to trust God as I make plans, write appointments, etc.I also have a spiral notebook that I use for worship and prayer.

Who doesn’t love Washi tape? I’m pretty low on it, but I’m NOT low on ink and stamps!

I used the Easter Lilies and Courage and Faith stamp sets on the February monthly spread. 🠞

I love me a good Bible verse set! Encouraging words for the month are always good to review. I love the background stamps, too, to add just a bit of interest to the pages. If you use Kristi’s or any printable pages, you don’t have to disc-bind your journals. You can 3 hole punch, put them in plastic sleeves, the sky is the limit! If you have a comb-binder, you can do that, too. I may splurge on some better quality printer paper as I go forward.

🠜Here I’ll use the tiny heart from the Sending Love set to mark off my daily goal boxes..SO CUTE!!! 💛 I think that tiny heart is my very favorite stamp. Do you have a favorite stamp or set? Break it out and use it for more than cards!

I’ll share my March spread at the end of February…it’s birthday month 🎆and I’ll try adding some fun papers to my monthly and weekly spreads, as well as some hand made dividers using a retired color card stock and some overstock of Sale-A-Bration DSP.

I hope this inspires you to get out some ink and stamps (and, maybe some washi 😉 ) and do a little creative stamping in your journals or planners.

Till next week, stay creative and prayerful!
Blessings

Barbara 🌻

In the Word Wednesday #8: When You're Tired

There are times in this life when you are just plain tired.

The holiday season, a group of family birthdays, work responsibilities, care giving stressors, the list can go on and on. Maybe you’re facing a health issue, loss of income, family tensions. Let’s face it, life isn’t always kittens and rainbows.

But, here is where a perspective check may be in order; were we promised “easy”? Have you read through the book of Psalms? Lamentations? Ecclesiastes?

Those are perhaps my favorite portions of Scripture. The authors are real, raw and oh, so very in need…

~ in need of God’s comfort

~ in need of God’s hand to move on their behalf

~ in need of GOD

And, you know? GOD always shows up.

I won’t lie; I was tired today. I woke up later than I usually do. I had plans to do XYZ, and those went by the wayside. We had to get to the grocery store. Hubby isn’t feeling great. And, I had blog posts to catch up on, I still need to practice with my tripod to start making video tutorials, dishes were in the sink, you get the point. All I wanted to do was go back to bed.

But…I put on worship music.

But…I took out my prayer journals.

But…I took a breath, opened my Bible and read His word.

Yes. I am still a bit tired; but I filled my tank and moved on.

I encourage you, right now, to put the phone down, get off the devices, put on some praise music and open your Bible. You don’t need to carve out 2 hours. If you can only read 2 verses, DO. God is waiting for you. He meets you where you are, and will lift your spirit.

I think this is especially important when you feel tired, when you feel like life is not being fair. Spend some time in the Word. God does not disappoint. 💛

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

The word of the Lord. Blessed be His Name.

I hope you all have fabulous holidays. I will be taking a break next week, and will be back on December 27 for In the Word Wednesday.

Blessings, Barb

Image from YouVersion Bible App

In the Word Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

I am so grateful that you spend some of your precious time here reading my posts.

Every few days, I incorporate Martin Luther’s prayer “formula,” for lack of a better phrase. His barber, Peter, asked Luther how he should pray, and after prayer and thought, he came back with a 40 page document on personal prayer! Whoa!

Don’t be alarmed! I am only giving you the highlights!

The acronym is ITCP: Instruction, Thanksgiving, Confession, Praise. It has been a good way of keeping my mind focused on what I am doing. If you’re anything like me, your mind can wander even at the most sacred of times. I cannot numerate the amount of times, in church, my brain begins to think about what I’m making for dinner rather than what the pastor is speaking about. Sad, but true.

So, as you prepare for the holiday, no matter if you are hosting, traveling, going out to dinner or staying home quiet, spend some of your time in prayer, asking Gid what He is showing you (Instruction), thanking Him for insights (Thanksgiving), repenting and keeping a short account with God and seek what He is showing you (Confession), and praise Him for everything, even the stuff that’s not so much fun (Praise).

I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful and blessed holiday weekend.

Doxology

Give Thanks, by Don Moen