Angie's Answer

Baking with the Puritans...

NEED OF JESUS

LORD JESUS,

I am blind, be thou my light,

ignorant, be thou my wisdom,

self-willed, be thou my mind.

Open my ear to grasp quickly thy Spirit's voice,

and delightfully run after his beckoning hand;

Melt my conscience that no hardness remain,

make it alive to evil's slightest touch;

When satan approaches may I flee to thy wounds,

and there cease to tremble at all alarms.

Be my good shepherd to lead me into the green pastures of thy Word,

and cause me to lie down beside the rivers of its comforts.

Fill me with peace, that no disquieting worldly gales

may ruffle the calm surface of my soul.

Thy cross was upraised to be my refuge,

Thy blood streamed forth to wash me clean,

Thy death occurred to give me a surety,

Thy name is my property to save me,

By thee all heaven is poured into my heart,

but it is too narrow to comprehend thy love.

I was a stranger, an outcast, a slave, a rebel,

but thy cross has brought me near,

has softened my heart,

has made me thy Father's child,

has admitted me to thy family,

has made me joint-heir with thyself.

O that I may love thee as thou lovest me,

that I may walk worthy of thee, my Lord,

that I may reflect the image of heaven's first-born.

May I always see thy beauty with the clear eye of faith,

and feel the power of the Spirit in my heart,

for unless he move mightily in me

no inward fire will be kindled.

(The Valley of Vision)

   This book has been so helpful to me.  I highly recommend it. 

 Baking done this evening.  Pumpkin muffins, 2 loaves of pumpkin bread, and cupcakes for tomorrow's coffeehouse.  No use straightening the house because it will not stay that way.  Letting go of my neatness---isn't neat to me. 

I'm sad today! I'm happy today!

I'm sad because...no one seems to want to sign up for my giveaway and I was so excited about it!!!

I'm happy because...my MRI was normal except for 4 spots on it that are common to migraine sufferers such as myself

I'm sad because...my hubby was laid off work tuesday

I'm happy because...the union was able to negotiate and he will go back to work saturday

I'm sad because it seems dark way too soon this time of year and that tends to make me depressed

I'm happy because I had a wonderful time just praying and playing my piano last night

I'm sad because playing my piano makes my wrists tingle and go numb

I'm happy because I will get to spend time with friends this weekend

I'm sad because one of my best friends who just finished her treatment for breast cancer just found out her husband's melanoma has come back in 7 places, including a spot on each lung.  He has already had part of his lung removed a few months ago.  He is about to start chemo for 7 days every three weeks at Emory University.   Please pray for him and his family.

I'm happy because my father in law drained my pool for me

I'm sad because I am not in good enough health to take the pool down myself

I'm happy because God has blessed me with such wonderful in-laws and parents who help take care of me while Jamey is away.

I'm sad because I am not in West Virginia with Jamey.

I'm happy because Jamey is coming home for Thanksgiving and will take me to WV with him the following weekend!!!

That's all for now!  Have a wonderful day!!!

Rainy, rainy day...

   There seems to be rain everywhere today.  The puddles have turned into small flooded areas.  The drainage systems are trying to gulp down the excess water, but they unable to handle the amount of this seemingly never ending deluge.  This is also how I feel inside.  sigh....

   I was reading in a little book that I keep around called, Get Focused, Answers to Life's Tough Questions.  Long title for such a small book.  Since I have been experiencing fear--I looked it up.  Here is what I read:

"What can I do whenI am overcome with fear?  How do I find the strength to go on?

Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  'God promises to comfort us in our fear if we seek him when we are afraid.  We have the confident assurance that he is with us in any circumstance.' "

   This little section has been a great help to me today.  I am not walking around wringing my hands in fear, but there is a dread feeling that I cannot seem to shake.  So, I am speaking some truth into the matter.  Philippians 4:8 says-"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  This is what I have been trying to do; it is harder to do than one would think.  Since I cannot seem to cut off my thoughts-EVER- this is a challenge to me on normal days let alone on trying ones.  small smile...

Thursday review

Today's review is very exciting, especially if you're new to homeschooling!  I'm talking about Homeschooling ABC's! 
  When I started homeschooling, I had 1 person I could go to with any questions or help I needed, and that was my cousin.  I felt so lucky to ave a go-to person to help me out.  A lot of people have no one!   Terri Johnson has created Homeschooling ABC's as a course for new homeschoolers.  This course is chock full of information!  You'll receive 1 lesson per week, for a total of 16 lessons!  You're going to find out how to find your curriculum, teach different ages ( I really need help with that one!), even find out how to get FREE curriculum!  How cool is that?!
  How much is this awesome course you ask?  Well, it's $60, broken down into 6 monthly payments of $10 each!  Times are tough for a lot of us right now, so the smaller payments will be convenient for a lot of folks.  Terri is readily available to answer and questions or concerns you may have!  Even if you are not new to homeschooling you will find some great resources here!  Visit Homeschooling ABC's today!

The Valley of Vision...

   The book that I have posted above is called, "The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions".  I have been reading and meditating on the prayers since Monday.  These prayers have been a healing balm to my heart, mind and soul.

CONFESSION AND PETITION

Holy LORD,

I have sinned times without number,

and been guilty of pride and unbelief,

of failure to find the mind in thy Word,

of neglect to seek thee in my daily life.

My transgressions and short-comings

present me with a list of accusations,

But I bless thee that they will not stand against me,

for all have been laid on Christ;

Go on to subdue my corruptions,

and grant me grace to live above them.

Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind

bring my spirit into subjection,

but do thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank thee that many of my prayers have been refused--

I have asked amiss and do not have,

I have prayed from lusts and been rejected,

I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness.

Go on with thy patient work,

answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to

accept it.

Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration,

everything contrary to thy rule.

I thank thee for thy wisdom and thy love,

for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject,

for sometimes putting me into the furnace

to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin.

If thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins,

or to have them burnt away with trial,

give me sanctified affliction.

Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins,

everything that dims the brightness of thy grace in me,

everything that prevents me taking delight in thee.

Then I shall bless thee, God of Jeshurun, for helping me to be

upright.

   Pain and suffering are a part of life.  For the unbeliever--I don't know their purpose other than calling the afflicted to the Cross of Christ--are we as belivers any different?  Is not pain and suffering's result to prostrate oneself before the Christ of the Cross, for forgiveness and repentence?  Mortification is the easy part.  Vivification is the hard part.  Both are according to God's plan.  Passive righteousness and active righteousness.  Hmm.....   All for HIS Glory! 

O my Father in Heaven...

   When I was a little girl, my mother always quoted the poem:

"There was a little girl, who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. 

When she was good, she was very good, and when she was bad she was horrid!"

   Of course, I had curly hair and that poem was always directed at me.  sigh....

   My mother also had a saying which she used on me all the time:

           "You are enough to drive a wooden woman crazy!!"

  Well, it is pretty hard to drive an inanimate object crazy--don'tcha think?  These two phrases, plus several more, I have a hard time forgetting.  Whenever I mess up or feel bad about myself--BAM--those phrases return with a vengence!  And the wounds open up again!  and I am a scared sad little girl all over again.  another sigh...

  Yesterday, did not turn out as I expected.  The circumstances are private and I will not mention them here.  Of course, apologies and forgiveness was in flowing abundance at the end of the day, and relationships were restored and strenthened, so good did come out of this very long week on Monday!  I am very thankful for this outcome.  Please believe me when I say I am thankful--I really mean--I AM  THANKFUL!   smiling...

   I am woman who puts a great deal of stock into words, as many of you probably can tell from my remembering what was said to me so long ago.  I have the tendency to hold on to words not neccessarily choosing my words as kindly as they should be, but none the less, I remember them.  Whether spoken, typed or written...I remember them, and this is not always a good thing.  That old saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!"  Is a lie from the pit of hell!!  Jesus identifies Himself as the Word.  John 1:1 is proof enough for that.  So words are extremely important.  Scripture talks about tearing down and building up with words.  Words are very important.

   Anywho, I now have three more phrases to ponder and pray over.

#1-You are the devil!  Wow!  That hurt!  But I do believe Jesus was called that by the Pharisees.  They were upset because Jesus was speaking, living and walking in the truth and they couldn't handle their loss of power and influence.

#2-Your heart is dark!  Man!  That one really hurt!!  But, light shines in the darkness and that one can be dealt with by turning my heart back to the light and asking for forgiveness, praying, praising and renewing my heart with the word of the LORD and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  God will chase or banish the darkness from my heart, so I, once again, can live for and serve Him.  This has been done.  Thank you Abba for never ending forgiveness.  Where would be without it?....

#3-You contol EVERYTHING!!!!  Hum!  I must say that I do control whatever I can.  I am the only one who must do this for this to be said in the way and manner it was verbalized.  I must admit--yes I control.  I control what comes into my house....there is no porn, no adultry, no sexual abuse, no words that my husband and I had deemed unworthy to be spoken.  I control the television, the cd's, the dvd's, the books, the entertainment in general--for obvious reasons.  I control who my son plays with--again for obvious reasons.  I control what we eat, how I spend my husband's hard earned money, what I wear, what my son and husband wears, the turning off the lights, the wasting of food, and the wasting of other resources that God has blessed us with.  I control the amount of gas I use, the amount of time spent away from home, the amount I spend on schooling curriculums, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts and other holidays.  I control what my son learns, reads, watches, and does with others.  I and my husband are responsible for all the above and much much more.  I am using the "I" but it is really "we".   Is that not our job as parents?  Hmmm...

   Things are now happening in my home that I am not accustomed to, and it has me frustrated, scared and angry.  These things will pass, and all will be well again, but adjustments are ongoing and painful.  God is riping our world apart and me with it.  Everything that I have believed in and put into practice in my home has been systematically torn apart.  It has been going on for a long time.  And now I am being tested, and I am failing miserably.  Learning yes, but with a failing grade.  

   Now, God is gracious and He will just run me back around the learning wheel if I don't learn this time, but I am pleading with Him to reveal my sins and cleanse me of them this time around.  I am bleeding now, I certainly don't want anymore trauma to my heart and soul.  So, my prayer is this:

"Father in heaven,

   Please continue to purge me of my insecurities and sin.  Please heal my hurts and pain.  Place a divine balm upon my unseen wounds and heal them up forever.  Help me to see that You are my Rock and my Fortress.  You are my strong tower!  It is by Your right arm that I am protected, shielded and carried.  Please blind me to my circumstances and help me to focus on You and only You!  Not family or friends, but You!  You are my protector, my good Shepherd!  I can no longer swing my manmade wooden sword that I thought was so great.  I have dropped it to the ground and You can do with it whatever You wish.  Burn it!  Cast it!  Crush it!  I no longer want it.  I am weak, tired, hurt and weary.  You have said for me to come to You if I am like this so that is what I am doing.  I am running to You, my Abba!  I am crying out to You the only way I know how.  There is nothing good in me, but Your Holy Spirit!  Please come and clean house.  Please come and dwell within me in a very visible and mighty way.  I am undone.  I am a sinful woman.  Father, the hem of Your Garment is what the woman with the issue of blood wanted.  I am asking for no more.  Because I know that You can and will heal where there is faith, and I do believe You are the ONLY ONE WHO HEALS!!!!!  Thank You for loving me.  Thank You for forgiving me.  Thank You for not forsaking me.  Thank You for Your steadfastness!  Thank You for Your Word!!  They mean everything to me and they are what I am clinging on to for peace, comfort and kindness.  Yes, I am all that was said to me yesterday, but You are my God and King and You have DEFINED ME DIFFERENTLY.

• I am born again…through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)
• I am a child of God. (John 1:12)
• I am saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
• I am loved by God and He gave his one and only Son for me. (John 3:16)
• I am a new creation in Christ; the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• I have peace with God. (Romans 5:1)
• The Holy Spirit lives in me. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
• I have access to God's wisdom. (James 1:5)
• I am helped by God. (Hebrews 4:16)
• I am reconciled to God. (Romans 5:11)
• I am not condemned by God. (Romans 8:1)
• I am justified. (Romans 5:1)
• I have Christ's righteousness. (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
• I am Christ's ambassador. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
• I am completely forgiven. (Colossians 1:14)
• I am tenderly loved by God. (Jeremiah 31:3)
• I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God. (2 Corinthians 2:15)
• I am a temple in which God dwells. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
• I am blameless and beyond reproach. (Colossians 1:22)
• I am the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)
• I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)
• I am a branch on Christ's vine. (John 15:1,5)
• I am Christ's friend. (John 15:5)
• I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
• I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. (Romans 8:17)
• I am united to the Lord, one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
• I am a member of Christ's body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
• I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
• I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
• I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved. (Colossians 3:12)
• I am a child of the light. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
• I am holy, and I share in God's heavenly calling. (Hebrews 3:1)
• I am sanctified. (Hebrews 2:11)
• I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5)
• I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession and created to sing His praises. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
• I am firmly rooted and built up in Christ. (Colossians 2:7)
• I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)
• I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
• I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
• I have been rescued from Satan's domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ. (Colossians 1:13)
• I have been made complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
• I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
• I have been given great and precious promises by God. (2 Peter 1:4)
• My needs are met by God. (Philippians 4:19)
• I am a prince (princess) in God's kingdom. (John 1:12; 1 Timothy 6:15)
• I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)
• I have been adopted as God's child. (Ephesians 1:5)
• I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
• I am assured that all things are working together for good. (Romans 8:28)
• I am free from any condemning charges against me. (Romans 8:31f)
• I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35f)
• I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21,22)
• I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected. (Philippians 1:6)
• I am a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
• I am a personal witness of Christ's. (Acts 1:8)
• I am God's coworker. (2 Corinthians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9)
• I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)
• I am God's workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
• I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength I need. (Philippians 4:13)

   Father, it is time like these that I have to be reminded who I am in You, because I have so many other people (past and present and undoubtedly in the future) telling who and what I am.  Please Abba, Help me to remember who YOU say that I am.  Please help me live in who I am in You--Help me to glorify You and You alone, no matter what my circumstances are.  Help me to always have Your praise on my lips.  Help me to never ever forget Your mercy and forgiveness.  Let the work that You ordained through Jesus' death on the cross never be wasted on me.  O, Father, may that never be! 

                                                    In Jesus Name,

                                                    Amen and Amen

Monday Nov 10th

Well, Jerm left this morning.  I miss him so much!  It's going to be so strange not having him in bed with me tonight.  I think it took them about 10 hours to get to PA.  Not too bad I guess.  He may as well be staying at a las vegas hotel as fasr away as he is!  Oh well...only 4 more days until he's home!  The kids dont' seem to mind him being gone, although when he called they jumped at the chance to talk to him.  He took my laptop with him so the kids and I have been sharing the desktop...they think it's awful if I"m on for 30 minutes!   Well they'll just get over it LOL.  Jerm and I chatted on Yahoo for a bit this evening.  It was nice.  He went to bed about an hour ago, he has to be at the plant up there at 7am tomorrow.  I think it's sort of training or something.

  Well I'd better go, Issac wants the puter.  Have a good evening!

Blessings,

~*Becca*~

Meaningful Monday....

    Mondays!  My Mondays are filled with cleaning, laundry, schooling and menu making!  I really do not mind the work at all--to me, it is like taking a shower--refreshing and promoting that clean feeling!  So, this Monday will be no different.  There are beds to be made, laundry to be done, vacuuming, dusting and mopping all to be done.  Purpose and productivity!  I love it!!

   The sun is shining on this most beautiful chilly morning.  It is going to be a gorgeous day--I can already tell.  I have my coffee in hand, my family is up doing their chores and I have my list ready and waiting to be checked off!  Ahhh.....for a left brained detail oriented person there is nothing better!!!! 

   Yesterday was a wonderful day.  Sunday school and our sermon was great!  Convicting, as they should be, but great!!  I had a typical roast beef dinner in the crockpot waiting on us when we got home, so Sunday dinner was a breeze!  The afternoon was spent talking, laughing and then debating (with ye ol' son-in-law).  Now, I love a good debate!  So, I did enjoy the afternoon very much.  I am concerned over some of my SIL's doctrine that he has been taught, but I God and the men at our church will deal with that.  I ended up going to bed early and sleeping most peacefully.

   This morning was Will's first day on his new job.  I do hope and pray all goes well with him.  He was so nervous that he didn't want to eat any breakfast nor take anything for lunch.  He has a very high anxiety level and an even lower self worth level, but hopefully, all that will change when he gets to know God more and more.

   Anna is up and taking care of baby William.  She is relieved that Will is at work, not only for financial purposes, but for a break from a frustrated out of work husband.  Plus, she has William all to herself!  She is ready for Will to be the providing father while she can mother her son and help out around here on her own.  Will is the type of young man that needs to work and stay busy.  This has not been the case for a long time, so they are both glad (for the same and different reasons) that he is back to work!

   This week is going to be filled with a great deal of planning.  Planning a Thanksgiving co-op celebration, Thanksgiving itself, some holiday planning, as well as, schooling and holiday baking.  (I have already started to stock up for my baking and candy making.)  I want this holiday season to be filled with the love of the LORD, family and friends.  This does take some planning, so I am going to sit with Anna and we will do some of this planning.  Fun stuff for me....we may not do everything we plan, but at least we will know what to shoot for.

   Well, my morning needs to be attacked, so I do hope all goes well with you and yours.  May God grant you a meaningful Monday!

                        God Bless!!! 

Enter for Christmas Book Giveaway plus BONUS! DEADLINE November 23, 2008

I am hosting my first giveaway!  The giveaway includes ONE paper copy of the book The King in the Corner  and as a BONUS, I will also include the author's CD Greybobby Discovers Creation. 

To enter once, simply leave me a comment to this post or send me an email at teresa@stitchesbyteresa.com.  To receive 4 extra chances to win the book, post this giveaway on your blog, then send me a link to your post along with your contact information. 

Deadline to enter is November 23, 2008 (in honor of my 7th wedding anniversary!)  I will draw one name from all entries and announce the winner November 24, 2008.

The book can be used during the Christmas season as a family devotional to explain each piece of the Nativity Scene. 

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO TELL THE STORY OF JESUS!

The author Rev. Zachary Carden III and I attended a bible study group for most of our teenage years.  He has since went on to seminary and then later to become a children's and youth pastor.  I am so honored to share his book with you through my blog! 

The book The King in the Corner is available on the author's storefront both by paper copy for only $12.55 or as a download for $2.50.  The CD Greybobby Discovers Creation is available on the author's storefront for $6.75 and a coloring page of Greybobby is also available as a FREE download.  The CD and coloring page are in the left hand column of the page.

This book will make a great Christmas gift for anyone with children trying to find the perfect way to make Jesus the Reason for the Season and to help them really understand how He ended up in that manger.

A note from the author:

Here's a little background for the book:

A few years ago I penned the book The King in the Corner. It is a book for Christmas that I recently updated with full color illustrations. It is a self-published work. Honestly I only get a dollar from the sale of each of these books, so the main reason I'm putting it out there is because I believe it can help families focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

I originally wrote the book in response to fathers who felt awkward in leading family devotions. Let's face it, sometimes men don't know what to say nor how to communicate with their kids. If something is awkward then a man will typically not give it another try. Knowing the reality of family devotions not being the norm, I wrote this book as a narrative. It is like sitting in on another family's devotional time during the Christmas season. So it is less awkward for fathers, because the father in the story is actually teaching his children.

Another reason I wrote this book is that I was not satisfied with the Christmas stories that were out there. I felt like all they did was rehash the Christmas Story which children have heard over and over again (even in Charlie Brown). Though the story is great and been retold countless times, we all know how it turns out, right? That's when little ears begin to tune the story out or become numb to its meaning. The King in the Corner is different.

The King in the Corner starts out with a family in which, though the parents know the Lord, they have neglected teaching their children much about Him. They have tended to focus on other things during Christmas. They have a family nativity set, but it is shoved in the corner. Lamenting this fact, the father tells the stories his own father told him and he treats it like a mystery. Who is this King? What is He like?

The father in the story adds a each piece of the nativity set one at a time. He tells his children how each piece tells about the King who would come to earth. For example the stable reminds us that Jesus was a humble king, the animals remind us that he was king of Creation, Mary reminds us that he was born in the priestly line and is the Priest King, the figure of Joseph reminds us that he is born of the line of David and is the King of kings, and so on and so forth.

Thanksgiving, Thoughts and some training needed...

This is an email I sent to my CHG's this morning.  I thought maybe you might glean some ideas from these words for your Thanksgiving celebration!  Plus, my email services are down and I don't know if they actually got my email, so I am insuring that this email will be read by them.

My dear friends,

   First, I would like to say that I cannot get on my hotmail or my yahoo accounts, so I have to use my husband AOL account for emailing for a time.  I don't understand why I cannot use my accounts but I can't.  So, until further notice--I cannot view any of my emails--sigh---