Table #6: Simple Elegance

Meet Tina at Table #6.

This is Tina and her husband, Steven.  They are practically newlyweds, high school sweethearts who found each other again after many, many years.  She says thank you to her elf who helped her pull it all together. 

I knew from our very first conversation that Tina knew the Lord.  Every time I talk with her, I get Holy Ghost bumps all over.  Now, I know that's a term that not everyone understands.  The teenagers I worked with knew so well, they'd go, "Oh, she's getting the chill bumps thingy again." It's just one of the ways that God reveals Himself to me and I'm so thankful.

Tina is a hairdresser and unapologetically shares Jesus. I would betcha she prays over every head she touches.  She's very humble and would certainly not want me to draw attention to her.

Table #6 is elegant, not in a foo-foo kind of way, just simply elegant.

To me, Tina's table is like her, not doing-your-good works-to-be-seen kind of thing. 

"You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before man, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16

When I look at Tina I see the example of a godly woman. 

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from the outward of appearance...instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight"  1 Peter 3:1-4

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Sand and Sea Ornament Giveaway

Table #5: The Sand and the Sea

The beach is my favorite place in the world to be.  It is at the beach that my mind is clear and I am able to hear God speak. Far from the distractions of the world, my soul is quiet and I am at peace.

The idea of the giveaway came from the next table.  Table number 5 was displayed by several women who have known suffering.  Three of the ladies suffer quietly with Rheumatoid Arthritis and another finished treatments this year for breast cancer. All suffer without complaint and continue to serve the Lord.

It is comforting to know that in the midst of the storm, Jesus offers peace.  When faced with uncertainly, he whispers, "It is I; do not be afraid." (John 6:20)  In another Gospel, the disciples were amazed that even the winds and the seas obeyed Him.

Table #5:  The Sand and the Sea

When I am asked to speak to women, I always remind them that they are beautifully and wonderfully made.  My favorite chapter in the Bible is Psalm 139.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (v. 14)

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you." (v. 17-18)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."  (v. 23-24)

On the first table post, I mentioned a guy named Bob Benson.  His writings are somewhat like parables using this and that, things we can relate to to tell a story.  Please allow me again to share some of His words.

At our home, we have a lovely Nativity set of wood carvings of the Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the angels, and the shepherds.  It also includes some sheep, lambs, horses, cows, calves, ponies and even a sleeping rooster.

Peg is really the decorator in our house, and she has a knack for displaying things at their best and making places look special.  But she agreed to let me set up the manger scene the first season.  

I have accumulated a box or two of materials that I use along with the carvings. There are some pieces of driftwood I picked up on our various vacations on the coast.  I take them out of the box each year like old friends.  I know each one of them for its special size and shape and smoothness.  I wish that I could ask them questions and hear them answer back. "Where did you begin your journey?  What kind of tree were you?  What brought you crashing down? How did you get washed up on that lonely stretch of beach? Did you once hold up a little girl's swing or a boy's tree house?  Were you part of a house or a boat or a packing box?"  For I believe that everything has a story; it has been somewhere, and it is going somewhere.

In early December, I get out all these manger things.  With the stones, I make a rocky hillside, and with the wood, I build a barn and a stall.  I carefully place the manger, the Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the rest of the figures (right down to the sleeping rooster on the roof).  Then I light a candle, sit down before the scene again, and try to imagine how this holy story could ever have happened at all.  

Admittedly, I have gathered up this materials for this scene from lots of places.  But always I am impressed to remember that everything needed to make this sacred tableau can be found in anybody's neighborhood.  Sticks and stones, straw and foliage, dogs and cats, neighbors and a virgin girl.  All of them can be touched with the meaning that only Christ can bring, meaning that obliterates the lines that separate the divine and the commonplace, meaning that changes a stall into a holy place and a manger into an altar. 

I consider this story and I ask you the same questions, "Where did your journey begin? Is it painful even to think about? Was there something that happened to cause you to come crashing down or have you been down so long that you can't even remember where it all began?  Do you feel washed up like shells on a sea shore? Has the stretch been lonely? Have you held dreams in your hand, as the song-writer wrote, and watched them drift like sifted sand?"

The same God who is constant in the ebb and flow of the tide, consistently loves you and draws you Himself. May you be aware of His presence this Christmas season.

Don't forget to post a comment, follow my blog, or share with a friend.  See the following link to particiate in the giveaway, 

http://vintagegirl901.blogspot.com/2014/12/lift-banquet-and-give-away-everyone.html

Ten Books That Influenced My Life the Most

Recently, I was asked to name

ten books that have influenced my life the most.

Now, I'm an avid reader 

and I read just about anything.

That is, when Ms. Callie doesn't get in my business.

All I need is a good cup of coffee

and I can read forever.

As you can tell, I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan. 

He's the kind of writer that mixes in 

a little romance, family and a deeper message

than what appears on the surface.

His books are what I call easy reading,

the kind I read at the beach. 

I read alot of suspense and mystery, 

drama and action,

and books about the CIA and FBI.

Although reading those books is fun, 

they don't give me inspiration.

The following books have challenged and inspired 

me to live a life worthy of my calling

that is in Christ Jesus, my Lord. 

1. The Bible- I hid God's Word in my heart as a young child and the Holy Spirit uses it to remind me of His promises, His comfort, His help, and His love. 
2. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young- This book was given to me during one of the darkest moments of my life.  It's a go-to book when I need to hear God speak through His Word and I don't know where to begin to look.
3. Is it Spiritual Warfare? This has taught me that when there are problems with people that it is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of the dark, evil world.  
4. Believing God, Beth Moore-This challenged me to live a life of faith and to come boldly to the throne to ask anything in His name. 
5. I Love the Word Impossible, Ann Kiemel Anderson-Challenged me to love youth and inspired me to actively teach and live love by caring for the teen that noone else wants to reach.
6. Forgotten God, Frances Chan-Wow!  Through this book, I learned much about the Holy Spirit and began to see His active role in my live today.
7. The Shack, William Paul Young-Helped me understand the personalities of the Triune God.
8. The Five Love Languages-This is one that I've just finished teaching our career class.  It has helped me to understand and and appreciate the language that others speak, especially within relationships. 
9. Streams in the Desert, L. B. Cowan-A classic devotional book for encouragement during the storms.
10. God Loves Broken People, Sheila Walsh-I have lived in brokenness the past five years, losing both parents, Christy and Troy's sickness and infertility, finding my idenity without my parents and children.  I have found that there is hope and transformation even when life is at its darkest.

Grab a mug of coffee or tea

and read along with me. 

Tell me, what do you read?

Bonnie:)

Sweet Aroma Soy Candles

More and more people today

are going back to homemade naturals.

I have a friend who is making 

her own soaps, detergents and body creams.

The scents are made with essential oils.

They smell delicious!

I love the sweet smell of lavender.

Research is finding healing in the natural.

When I worked in the nursing home, 

I used lavender to calm an agitated resident.

My sister makes her own body scrubs 

with sugar, while some use salt.  

The soy candles that she makes 

smell yummy.

She calls her line, Sweet Aroma.

We were trying to think of a name 

and we remembered the verse, 

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among

those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

2 Corinthians 2:15

The Message Paraphrase says, 

"Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.  

Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God,

which is recognized by those on the way of salvation."

2 Corinthians 2:15

You can't put the sweet aroma of Christ 

in a jar.

We must smell sweet in a world that is rotting.

I love soy candles. 

Unlike regular candles, they continually

fill the house with lasting fragrance. 

The Message goes on to say, 

"But those on the way to destruction

treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse."

So we must offer LIFE and not death

that others may desire the sweet aroma of Christ

leading others to salvation.

"This is a terrific responsibility.  Is anyone competent to take it on?

No, but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and 

then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. 

We stand in Christ's presence when we speak."

The Message

My sister's candles have not sold well. 

The large candles are $8 and the small ones are $5.

The owner of the shop says she is selling them too cheap.

People want to know that we are selling something 

that is real and that lasts.

I pray that I am

leaving a sweet fragrance to all I pass by-

not a cheap imitation of what is real.

Are you smelling sweet today?

Bonnie:)

Where is Your "Be Still" Place?

I was encouraged today by Debby's blog

My Favorite Things

http://debbysfavoritethings.blogspot.com/.

God keeps reminding me to, "Be Still and Know."

My place to be still is often in my living room, 

with my Bible open and a good cup of coffee.

However, sometimes I need time away from the 

daily hub of living.

Your "Be Still" place may simply be
a chair by the pool, 

 a cabin in the woods,

or a mountain stream.

Any place that provides 

comfort, rest and quiet
whispers from the Father,
can be your "Be Still" place.

I'm going to take a virtual vacation

and give you a tour of my place my dream.

My cottage would look like this,

It would have a porch for the kiddos to do what kiddos do

and adults too.

The girls would have their own comfy room upstairs 

to share secrets, laughs and pillow fights.

The chest would be full of beach things that they can enjoy

year after year.

The boys would have their own wave to ride.

This would be our room with a view of the ocean.

Another bedroom for our children,

and another bedroom for the other children.

I could take my afternoon nap right here 

and with open windows, enjoy the sound of the sea. 

We would shower in the outside shower

before going in for a sandwich.

A simple little nook with an island/bar 

will be fine for my cottage kitchen.

A mix of these colors will be my inspiration.

I can relax just thinking about it. 

Where is your "Be Still" place?

Bonnie:)

Stacks: When is Too Much, Too Much?

I like stacks...

stacks of books,

stacks of magazines,

stacks of baskets,

stacks of dishes.

When my children were small, 

we'd stack blocks.

We'd stack block 

   upon block

       upon block

            upon block

               until

                     they

                         all

                                  came

                                           crashing

                                                     down.....

It was a fun game.

My cupboard is much the same.

I squeeze as much in one place as I possibly can.

After all, I like to show off my wares.

Don't we all?

But sometimes more is too much,

and less is more. 

We stack and pray that the pieces don't topple.

I like activity, 

always did.

Shoot!  I even made a career out of it, 

Activity Director.

Before the children left home,
we rarely had an evening alone.

There was a men's softball game two nights a week, 

often followed by a youth game,

church league volleyball 

and recreation basketball,

 baseball practice and games, 

theatre practice and plays, 

youth choir practice and concerts,

vocal competitions and literary

Wednesday night youth meeting.

Those were the every week things

depending on the season, of course. 

Not to mention summer youth activities, 

children's camp, youth camp, Six Flags, Stone Mountain, 

Braves Game, Gross Food Night, Game Night, Fundraisers, and Retreats. 

Throw in teaching on Wednesday nights

and Sunday School, morning worship and

Sunday night service. 

We stack one activity on top of the other

on top of another, on top of another 

and there's no room to squeeze in one more thing

and wonder why we crash.

But, we like to show off our "wares."

We want perfect children who look smart and achieve much

 look good, and behave well.

When is too much, too much?

We fill our lives with so much 

and pray nothing falls apart. 

I wanted my children to have what I didn't have

encouragement, affirmation, goals and dreams.

However, in the process I wonder if I pushed too hard.

One Summer, I had a near breakdown.

I just couldn't do it anymore.

I was in major burn-out.

I quit my job, 

took a year off

to regroup and prioritize.

(Sometimes we can get too busy even in the church)

It was the best thing I ever did.

  

Martha and Mary were sisters. 

They had planned a dinner for Jesus.

Martha couldn't get Mary to do a thing.

Not to mention that she was sitting at the feet of Jesus.

"GET up and HELP me!"

"Lord, don't you care???"

"Martha, Martha, the Lord answered,

"you are worried and upset about many things, 

but only one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen what is better, and 

it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:41-42

I must confess, 

sometimes the clutter in my cupboard

and the magazines on the counter

and the books on the desk

becomes overwhelming.

And so does LIFE.

Is Your Much Too Much?

God's Purpose Will Be Achieved

My heart is anxious today.

Therefore, I seek comfort in God's Word.

My neighbor's flowers

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return to it without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish, 

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 

so is my word that goes out of mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

s

A Creative God

There is within us all 

 a desire to create.

Although not God, 

we were made in His image

and He is a creative God.

So when I begin to put 

things in order, 

either in my home 

or in my relationship with Him, 

I am prone to become creative.

After spending time listening to God speak to me through His word, 

I knew that somethings needed to be moved around, 

somethings needed to be put in front

and others moved behind.

Alone, these pieces may be pretty to me,

and I may find pleasure in their simplicity,

and beauty in their uniqueness,

it is only when put all together 

does it feel complete.

Right now, 

I feel somewhat disconnected,

a single egg, in a single basket,

a life that may spring forth

though isolated and alone.

I long to be outside of the cage 

that I may have built around myself 

or that others have locked me in.

I long to be connected 

and creative and used for His purpose. 

I will pray this prayer today...

God, if I have any hope of leaving behind hurtful things

in my past it will be because you deliver me.  

Thank you that you are a God who delivers us 

out of slavery and leads us to freedom. 

Give me the strength to walk this journey

toward the Promised Land that you have for me.

When I get weary, uphold me,

when I lose focus, give me clarity, 

when I want to give up, give me hope.

In Jesus' name.

Amen

I am thankful for a creative God, 

WHO makes something out of nothing.

That gives me HOPE.

What are you creating today?

Better yet, how do you see God being creative in your life?

Bonnie:)

Thankful for a God who Walks WITH Us

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to check in and read your blogs the past week.  I will be home on Wednesday to catch up.

I attended the most beautiful service yesterday at Providence Community Church in Mt. Juliet, TN. The United Methodist Pastor,  Jacob Armstrong is very personable and intentional about reaching out to those who are hurting.

I'll be honest, it's not been easy for me to attend a Mother's Day service since my mama passed away 4 years ago.  I am usually with my children at the beach.  I've tried to concentrate on the blessings of being a mom myself and enjoying my children and pushed away any thoughts of my mama.  It was just too hard.  The only reason that I went to the service was to stand beside my daughter who sat with an empty heart and hands and nervous anticipation of what was just around the corner.

The message was not the typical Mother's Day sermon.  After all, who are we really there to worship? It bothers me today how so much emphasis is put on everything else, from the worship team to the pastor, to the children, to the youth and to the recipients of those for whom we celebrate.
(I will share his message at a later day which was very timely for me.)

My daughter saw the carnations and thought, "Oh, no not another one!"  However, his approach was different.  He honored all women at the end of the service with first a reading by Amy Young. Two girls on the praise team read the following:

To those who gave birth this year to your first child-we celebrate with you.
To those who lost a child this year-we mourn with you.
To those who are in the trenches with little ones everyday and wear the badge of food stains, we appreciate you.
To those who experienced loss by miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away, we mourn with you.
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears and disappointment, we walk with you.  Forgive us when we say foolish things.  We don't mean to make this harder than it is. 
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, or spiritual moms, we need you.
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children, we celebrate with you.
To those who have disappointment, heartache and distance with your children, we sit with you.
To those who lost their mothers this year, we grieve with you.
To those who encountered abuse at the hands of your mother, we acknowledge your experience.
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood, we are better for having you in our midst.
To those of you who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children, we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be. 
To those who step parent, we walk with you on this complex path.
To those who envisioned lavishing love on your grandchildren yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you.
To those who will have emptier nests in the coming year, we grieve and REJOICE with you.
To those who placed children up for adoption, we commend you for your selflessness and remember now that you hold that child in your heart.
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expecting or surprising, we anticipate with you.
This Mother's Day, we walk with you.  Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst.  We remember you.

Read more of Amy Young's blog at www.messymiddle.com.

At the end of the service, Pastor Jacob asked the ladies to come up and pick a carnation-red for those who still had their mothers and white for those whose mothers are no longer with us.  Those flowers were placed on the altar.  Afterwards, we were given the bread and the wine remembering the ONE for whom we derive our name, Jesus.  Pastor Jacob then prayed.  It was moving.  I looked at my daughter. Tears of comfort were streaming down her face as I looked with blinded, flood filled eyes.

My heart rejoices in a God who sees, who understands, who cares and a community who is willing to walk WITH us on whatever journey life may bring.

My son't birthday was yesterday,  We was my favorite Mother's Day present of all time.

I can still smell my mama's signature scent, White Shoulders.

Bonnie:)

Dreams: In a Little While

Dreams.

We've all had them.

Sometimes we reach for them

and they vanish as a vapor.

Did I really see it?

Or was it a shadow out of the

corner of my eye,

gone with just a blink.

As any typical teenager, 

I dreamed of marriage and babies.
I'm living that dream.
I tell people,
"It's the one thing I did right."

I never dreamed of college.
I never saw it!
Didn't happen either.
I have no regrets.

As young adult, I dreamed of ministry.
I was in youth ministry.

I never saw this one coming.

God said, "One day you will teach women."

It's one thing to have a dream that you envisioned.
It's quite another thing to have a God-moment, a dream,
a vision, a voice beyond your own thoughts.

I didn't ask for it.  I didn't go looking for it at the time.
I even said, "God, if I leave my ministry to youth,
you will have to knock me over the head."

That was 1987 and I've been knocked over the head
more than once, as God led me in different directions.

What now???

It's been, how many years?
27 years since that God-moment.

I'm still waiting.

I spoke with a counselor about this...
Did I really hear, "One day you will teach women"?
Was it really God?
Did I create the vision in my own mind?
Did I feel what I thought I felt?

I said to him,
It felt like God.
It sounded liked God.
When I think about the moment, I still get the same strong
impression that it was God.

He said,
"If it felt like God, sounded like God, and still moves you like God,
it probably was God."

I know he can't answers those questions for me.

Jacob Armstrong from Providence Church,
wrote,
"Life, does not follow a simple formula.
Instead, we experience life like a story.
We turn the next page and see what is there.
Sometimes it is what we expected.
Usually it is something we didn't.
It unfolds whether we want it to or not,
sometimes too fast,
sometimes too slow."

I am a dreamer.
What I heard and saw that day
has been confirmed many times
through out my life, my ministry...

at a Youth Specialities conference,
 a Ladies' conference,
sitting on a beach with 20 other women
not hearing the rambling of another,
but lost in my own thoughts...

"One day you will do this."

WHAT LORD, WHAT???

"One day you will teach women."

Yes, I still hear it.

My dreams in the night
have taken me many places,
around a mountain in a van,
in a car with a baby.

In all of my dreams,
I am moving in the direction of
where I first heard the call.

In my last dream I am riding a tricycle.
I am on the highway going toward my dream.
Pedaling is strenuous and everyone is passing me.
I'm afraid that I won't get there.

The dream may be an empty longing of
a 53 year old woman who has yet
to reach her dream.

Sometimes I feel like I'm running out of time.

Then I remember...

Abraham was OLD when God spoke.
He and his wife laughed.  They tried to help God along,
taking matters into their own hands.
(Oh how many times, have I been guilty of doing the same!)

God found Moses on the back side of a desert.

David, the shepherd boy had to grow up.

Joseph, oh my goodness.  I can't even begin to tell his story.

My baby girl and her husband have their own dream-
to love and hold a baby of their own.

Today, "Everything looks as expected."
Smile, tears, relief, an anxious heart,
a mama who sees, hears, and believes.

Monday she is scheduled to be at the fertility center
for embryo transfer.  She feels good, a little bloating, but good.

They too having waited, will continue to wait...
for just a little while.

"And the God of all grace, WHO CALLED YOU,
to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while,
will HIMSELF stablish, strengthen and settle you.
To Him be the glory and the power, for ever and ever."
1 Peter 5:10-11

After a Little While,

Bonnie:)

Quilts and Community

I was fascinated by the quilts

and the linens yesterday.  

After I got married, 

Mama turned my room into a quilting/sewing room.

She had a wooden frame like they used

when she was a little girl.

She told us stories of how the children would 

sit under the quilting frame and listen 

to the ladies in the community talk.

Mama's family had their own community 

among themselves with three sisters 

Granny, Grandmother, aunts and cousins.

The girls were expected to make their own quilt.

Mama made her first one when she was 8 years old.

Community was something you didn't 

have to look very far to find. 

Everyone helped each other. 

If there was a need in the community

or someone was burned out, 

Granny would bake some larded biscuits

and grab a couple of quilts 

to take the family.

She always said, 

"At least they will be warm and won't go hungry."

One thing that we are lacking today is community.

I never realized how much until my parents died. 

I struggle with my place in the church now. 

I long for community.  I long for a place to belong. 

Because you see, we really do need each other. 

The Early Church knew community.

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. 

No one claimed that any of his possessions

was his own, but they shared everything they had."

Acts 4:32

Wouldn't need welfare, would we?

"Now you are the body of Christ, 

and each one is a part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:27

We Really Do Need Each Other, 

Bonnie:)