A New Look... A New Season... A New Study

A fresh new look is just what I needed to get excited about getting back into blogland. How I have missed my bloggy sisters. I have lost touch with so many of you and I am sure it will take time for us all to re-connect. Blogland is much different than the personal relationships we have with family and friends who we see or talk to on a daily basis. Blogland is so vast that connections obviously come and go.

I have to thank Christy at Between Here ane Home for the instructions on creating custom blog banners!  My photos are from my yard.  They were taken last summer.  I am looking forward to creating new banners each month or so to keep things fresh!  After all spring will shortly be here - can I hear an Amen to that? 

Lots have been going on in my life.  One of the most exciting things is our Church's annual spiritual renewal program.  This year our groups are reading The Prodigal God (Finding Your Place at the Table) by Timothy Keller.  The book takes a look at The Parable of the Lost Son, commonly known to so many of us as "The Parable of the Prodigal Son". 

THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON: LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable:

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything."

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father."

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

One of the first lessons I have learned is the definition of the word "Prodigal"
Prodigal - Adjective
1. Recklessly Extravagant
2. Having Spent Everything

Now I can assure while I have been away from blogland, I have not been a Prodigal Daughter. ;)  Prior to beginning the study I kept asking myself "How could God be Prodigal?"  Of course this is when I assumed that prodigal meant wayward or lost.  After all in my Bible the parable is entitled "The Parable of the Lost Son".   As we walk toward the cross and ultimately toward Easter I can most definitely see that God is prodigal.  He is recklessly extravagant with us.  Lavishing so much love on us that He spent everything by sending His son to earth to bear the cross for our sins.  I don't know about you, but that is the epitome of "spending everything." 

I look forward to sharing so much more with all of you.  It never ceases to amaze me that the ancient words speak something new everytime I read them.

I invite you to ponder these verses in Luke.  Think about what has always come to mind when you read this portion of scripture.  Is the lost son the one who asked his father for his share of the inheritance, left home, spent his fortune only to find himself destitute?  Or is the lost son the elder son who stayed home, obeyed his father, did what he was supposed to do?  Have you ever thought that Jesus was telling his audience that both sons were lost?  Go back to the first verses of Luke 15.  Who was Jesus addressing? Ponder that question.  I look forward to your comments... and look forward to sharing more!

If you are interested in more information about Timothy Keller or the book The Prodigal God... visit The Prodigal God

I pray all of you are having a blessed day.  I think of many of you so often.  I enjoy keeping up with you not only when I visit blogland, but on Facebook.  You are all dear to me!

Hugs,

Sharing my faith...

I have to admit that I have not been the most faithful blogger as of late. Believe me, I have beaten myself up at times for not spending more time here. I have so much to share and don't seem to have, or should I say take the time to write.

Fortunately this winter has proven far better work wise, so my free time during the day is more limited. Taking care of my body by keeping it in shape takes about an hour a night, then there is dinner, and relaxing of an evening. Oh... and then there is Facebook. Yes, the dreaded Facebook - that some may say is good, some may say it's a curse, some may say it's a waste of time. It might be all of those things, depending on how the person uses this form of communication. What I have found is that I am sharing my faith with more people via Facebook than through my blog. Now, that does not mean I am going to stop blogging. I love blogland, and many of my bloggy sisters are also my Facebook "friends".

I have a lot of Facebook "friends". And I have to use that term loosely as many of them are acquaintances. Many are former high school classmates and I always accept a friend request from a high school chum as I am part of our reunion committees each eyar. Many are work acquaintaces - fellow realtors, mortgage and title professionals. A lot of my cycling buds and acquaintances, church friends, our friend's kids who have "friended" me. And A LOT of relatives. It's been a great way to stay in touch w/ cousins, Aunts, Uncles, nieces and nephews.

One of the blessings that has come from Facebook is sharing my faith. I have no fear posting about my love for Jesus Christ, or how the Lord has touched my life. Yes, my faith posts are mingled in with posts about cycling, the Olympics, my family, my dog, my husband... but those posts are reaching people. And God is using these posts to glorify His name and reach those who might not otherwise seek Him or feel comfortable asking questions.

One of my FB friends... she and her husband are now coming to church with us. Another High School friend of mine sent a message asking about my church, my faith etc because he and his wife are looking for a church. I am praying they find the church where God wants them to be and continue checking in with them. I get thank you's, amens from fellow believers... but I am also getting thank you's from many who's faith is not so strong... from those who are seeking. From those who are hurting. I am getting prayer requests and I feel blessed that God is using me in this way!

Yes, there are days that I am shocked to see what people say in their status posts! Especially the younger generation. Pictures and posts that break my heart and I know break God's heart.

So friends I ask this of you... pray for those who use FB for anything that is not God-pleasing. Pray that He continues to use His people to spread the good news and share Jesus with their FB "friends". Pray that if someone reaches out to a Christian that God does the talking/typing and the work... that it's about Him!
I hope if you are using FB... .that you are finding it a blessing. That it's not something that has taken you captive and bound you in chains. I know in recent years some of my bloggy sisters have taken breaks from blogland as they were spending so much time hopping from blog to blog. I know I have been guilty of that in blogland as well as FB at times.
I pray this day finds you doing well... that you continue to seek Him above all things...
I miss being here, and miss visiting your blogs on a regular basis. Perhaps God has me sitting in FB land & absent from for a reason right now...

Much Love to all of you! You are all dear and I can say I miss posting and hearing from you. The one thing I have learned... when you stop posting in blogland - you stop hearing from your bloggy sisters. I know it's a electronic community and not like the friendships I have that are in the flesh... but you are dearly loved by me my sisters!

Cozy night...

These are the nights that I don't mind winter at all! It's been snowing all day. I have a toasty fire crackling in the fireplace, I rented some movies and I am making nahcos for supper. (Jim is thrilled!) We have nothing on our plate until Sunday, so a weekend in is just perfect!

I have some projects aroubd the house to tackle tomorrow.

We are also about ready to start some kitchen remodeling. Nothing drastic, but nonetheless it will be nice! New countertops are going to make a world of diffence. I will post pics as we begin the project. What's holding us up? Finding the right light fixture. We are putting in a beadboard ceiling and until I find what I am looking for... we are at a standstill. Of course this project will also require me to strip the wall paper in the back hall and paint. Oh... and I have not picked out a paint color for the kitchen yet either.

So tonight as I relax by the fire I will look through my new Country Living magazine, watch a movie and enjoy this quiet evening the Lord has so graciously given me.

I hope you are all warm, safe and cozy tonight!

Winter Blues...

January is quickly coming to a close. It's been a cold month, a wet month and we have gone almost 2 weeks w/out a peek of sunshine. Well, the sun did burn through some clouds on Sunday and provided enough blue sky to make kitten britches. It was short lived, but it felt and looked wonderful. The temps warmed to almost 50, so I acutally threw open a window and let some fresh air into the house. Alas, the temps tumbled, the winds are howling a a bit of snow fell. I will take the snow... it's covering the brown, blech of an Indiana winter.

I have been gazing out the windows of my house thinking about spring and enjoying the garden. We use the winter months to plan our veggie garden. I asked Jim if we could expand it a bit this year. I love to can and freeze veggies for use in the winter and would like to incorporate more to the garden. We will see if he complies.

We also have some interior home projects we are ready to tackle. We have lived in our home since May of 1992. I love to cook and the only room in the house that still shows the age of my home is the kitchen. So this year the kitchen gets a bit of a face lift. Not a huge project - no new cabinets. We will be sanding and re-finishing them. I might be saying "we should have just replaced them" after this project. We have lovely, solid cabinets and frankly can't afford the price to replace them. We do have newer appliances, so we don't have to worry about that expense. New counter, new backsplash and fresh paint. We are putting up a beadboard ceiling and have found a lovely ceiling fixture/ light to finish it off. New paint on the walls as well. (haven't picked a color). The back hall off the kitchen is wallpapered. That is coming down and fresh paint for the walls and the trim. The Dining Room and Living Room need painting - that might wait until fall.

I am excited to freshen things up a bit. Jim and I enjoy doing a lot of our own work. We are ambitious that way! LOL...

What do you have planned this year? Any home improvements? I will get pics posted as we progress if anyone is interested!

The page of the Calendar turns again...

One minute to midnight, one minute to go
One minute to say good-bye before we say hello

Let's start the new year right, twelve o'clock tonight
When they dim the light, let's begin

Kissing the old year out
Kissing the new year in

Let's watch the old year die with a fond good-bye
And our hopes as high as a kite

How can our love go wrong if
We start the new year right?

"Let's Start The New Year Right" by Irving Berlin

I am a big Irving Berlin fan and "Holiday Inn" is one of my favorite movies. It showcases many of Berlin's songs (White Christmas, Easter Parade etc.)

That song has been ringing in my ears for the last few days. 2010 has arrived and 2009 is behind us.
I am not sure what 2009 held for you. Some of you may have journeyed a difficult road, some a more smooth path. Each one of us I am sure had our fair share of ups and downs... but what remains constant is our Lord's love for us and His desire for us to be in complete fellowship with Him. My theme verse for 2009 was Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Yes, in all of 2009 the Lord worked good in all things! It was a blessed year indeed... the good and the bad. January started off with the real estate market in the tank! I was a ball of nerves, fear and anxiety. Through that storm God spoke to me and I grew in a huge way in my trust of Him and that He will provide. That lesson continues to sustain me into 2010.

Each year as I open a fresh, crisp, new calendar and begin to write important dates and milestones on the pages I refer back to the year I just journeyed... A year's worth of to-do's and memories. Births, deaths, hellos and goodbyes, appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, get-to-gethers dotted the calendar. I am blessed with a very full life. One with family, friends, laughter and tears. How thankful I am for the gifts the Lord has provided.

I was able to capture (via and application on FB) a compilation of my year in a few pictures. Although there was so much more that went on... this photo does show a glimpse of 2009  A year filled with Adventure Races, Cycling, Family, Friends... I am blessed indeed!

This year my theme verse has yet to be spoken to me... right now Ecclesiastes 4:12 "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." is echoing in my heart... perhaps this is the one... He will tell me soon I am confident of that! 

I pray you all have a wonderful 2010!