Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; 

and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, 
and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

TRUST =  assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, 

or truth of someone or something: one in which confidence is placed.

ALL =  the whole amount, quantity, or extent of, as much as possible.

As I was thinking about this scripture, a life verse for many. I compared the kind of trust Jesus is looking for, to that of a child. During the first few years of life, children who receive warm loving care, are able to establish a sense of trust with their parents or caregivers. Without a doubt, they know they will be fed, changed and loved. It may not come in their timing, but they know it will happen. As they grow into the toddler years and venture out on mini explorations, they have the confidence to turn away from danger, and go back to the caregiver they trust, for reassurance and protection.

Children believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt that their caregiver will protect them and take care of them. That’s what Jesus wants from us. Never a doubt that He will be that caregiver for us and meet our needs. TRUST Him with complete confidence that He will do what is best for your life, He’ll guide you. He tells us in Isaiah 55:8, His ways are not our ways. Why? Because He’s all knowing. He knows our future. He sees the Master plan. Who better to put our trust in, than someone who knows us better than we know ourselves?

You can probably think of a time that you had a certain dilemma all figured out, God just needed to come through on His end. Well, He had a surprise for you didn’t He? He provided you with what you needed, but not in the way you expected it to happen. I think that’s His way of reminding us that He’s taking care of us.

In ALL our ways, everything we do, He wants us to acknowledge him. He’ll keep us on the path we need to go, we just need to TRUST and obey.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Old hymn written in 1887 ~ Trust and Obey

I hope and pray you are encouraged by these verses from Proverbs 3:5-6.  It's such a remarkable passage that can apply to so many different aspects of our life.  Memorize it if you can, carry it in your heart.  Have a delightful day.

A Child's Prayer

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; 

but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  

But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; 

for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, 

whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child 

will by no means enter it.”  And He took them up in His arms, 

laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Mark 10:13-16 (NKJV)

I'll be sharing a little bit tomorrow about child like faith in my Bible Verse Thursday post.  So wanted to share this particular scripture today with you about children, and the vintage graphic below.  The graphic came from a very old book in my collection.  I think it's just as sweet as it can be.  I love the prayer, the little bird and nest, and the bird at the bottom.  This image is free for you.  Click for a larger size before saving it to your computer.

I had intended to get this posted earlier today, but sometimes the best laid plans go awry, and that's just what happened today.   I won't bore you with the details, but some days we just need to go where it takes us, even if it's unpleasant. 

My new friend Holly over at the 2911 Jeremiah Avenue Blog.  Found my blog awhile back and really liked one of my posts, so asked if I'd be a guest on her blog.  I happily accepted.  You can find the post here:  Meet Miss Abby

If you head over to Holly's blog by clicking on the image above, look at the post under mine.  October's Woman of Hope.  A woman who has overcome extreme adversities in her life.  She makes the most delightful folk dolls.  She states her favorite quote is from Oswald Chambers “our circumstances are the means of manifesting how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure the son of God is”.  Her "circumstances" are definitely beyond anything most of us will have to face.

I wanted to introduce to you another new blogging friend - Mrs. Smith.  She is new to blogging, so I wondered if you'd stop by to say hello to her and make her feel welcome.  Her blog is Sweet Tea and Simplicity.  You can click on the image below to take you there.

 

That's all for now, I'll be back in the morning for another Bible Verse Thursday.  I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

A little of This and a Lot of That

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; 

slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psalm 145:8

I shared a couple of real photo postcards of children with you the other day.  Here are a couple more I thought you'd enjoy.

Free Vintage Postcard of brothers

Free vintage postcard of sisters

Aren't they adorable?  As an amateur photographer, I love to capture children, especially candid photos.  I found a blog today, with tips for photographing children which might come in handy for you.   Photographer's Tips for Interacting with Children.

I've been having some fun with Pinterest as you can see if you've been looking at any of my boards there.  I found THE most exciting tip there this week.  Now, don't laugh at me, this really worked and I'm happy about it.

I learned that I could free the rollers of my vacuum cleaner with a seam ripper.   It really worked, and I'm thrilled that my vacuum cleaner can now be used for the purpose it was intended.  If you don't have a white long haired dog like my Sadie, you may not need this technique. 

I found a great site called Ministry-To-Children.com where there are tons of ideas for Sunday School, VBS, and at home.  Everything is free - Bible lessons, coloring pages, crafts, games, tons of free things to print off their website.  Lots of ideas for ways to make learning the Bible fun.   It is run by a father of 5 who is a Children's Minister, along with a team of 5 writers.  I spent a lot of time there reviewing the lessons and background and I give them a thumbs up. 

Here's a few Pinterest tips below.

• Did you know that when you "follow" someone, you can select just specific boards they have that interest you, or select to follow all of them.  You can "unfollow" a board without the "pinner" getting a notification.
  
• You can rearrange your boards in the order you want them to appear.

• When you repin, you can change the comment.

•  When you are viewing your boards or pins, if you click on the black "pinterest" in the upper left corner, you can view all the new pins of the people you follow.

• When you pin something from a blog or website, be sure that you link it to the actual post, otherwise others won't be able to easily find the great tutorial you're sharing.  

Okay, moving on to another topic.  I recently discovered Persnickety Prints and placed my first order with them.  They are not your typical photo processing company, but are geared for digital scrappers/artists.  My order came at lightening speed and I was thrilled with the quality and the prices. 

Here's what  I found to be great about their services:

• They offer scrapbook size prints - 6x6, 8x8, 12x12 and so much more.  You can't see, but I'm doing a happy dance about that
• You can order 3 1/2" x 5", not many places offer that anymore.  The happy dance continues.
• You can order matte, glossy or metallic finish which is a little more expensive but gives the print a very unique look.  Also tons of other options such as photo books, cards, postcards and more. 
• $5.00 flat rate shipping, I got my prints 2 days after I ordered them online.
• Unlimited photo storage, file sharing, photo editing, free drag and drop templates
• Low prices compared to other online sites.
• Persnickety Blog offers free digital downloads and much more.

I highly recommend them.  

Don't forget my 100 follower giveaway which ends Friday, September 30th. 

I'm giving away two batches of goodies similar to what you see below ~ lace, buttons, old Christmas postcards, punches from vintage music, and more.  You can click on the lady in blue above which will take you to the post on how you could win.

That's all I have for you today my friends.  I hope you have a wonderful day. 

The Story Behind the Hymn

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

The hymn God Will Take Care of You was written in 1904 by Civilla Durfee Martin.  She wrote the words to numerous other hymns and her husband composed the music to most of them.  This hymn was one of her more popular ones.  She also wrote a favorite of mine, and perhaps yours - -  His Eye is on the Sparrow.

Civilla D. Martin Hymnwriter  1866-1948

Since I always like to find out the story behind some of the hymns I like, I investigated this one and was excited to find Civilla's own words about the story behind this hymn. 

"I was confined to a sick bed in a Bible school in Lestershire, New York. My husband was spending several weeks at the school, making a songbook for the president of the school. ‘God Will Take Care of You’ was written one Sunday afternoon while my husband went to a preaching appointment. When he returned I gave the words to him. He immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.”

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.

If you're familiar at all with hymns, you know this is still popular and in hymnbooks today.  Here's a copy of this hymn below for you.

The old hymns are so comforting to sing.  I have a friend who keeps a hymnal with her Bible and reads/sings through the hymn lyrics as part of her devotional time. 

I feel like it's been awhile since I've posted some free images for you.  I looked through my collection of children and found these.  Real photo postcards of siblings.  The first one is somewhat unique with the boy looking quite studious and serious.  I wonder if he was mischievous when no one was looking.

This next one is so sweet.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  

Have a wonderfully blessed day my friends.

Bible Verse Thursday ~ No Worries

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

Please read Matthew 6:25-34 for a bigger picture of worry, or rather not worrying about tomorrow. It’s a wonderful passage of scripture that concludes with today’s verse.

We’re told in this scripture not to worry about tomorrow. Worrying is something that comes naturally to many of us. In fact, if we worry often enough and long enough we build up stress and anxiety, which in turn causes physical problems.

The Bible is God’s guidebook for our lives, everything He tells us is true, it’s a promise – a given! If you seek him, you will find him. Don’t waste your strength on worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet. I’m somewhat of an expert in the field of worry and anxiety. I know about these things. I also know that God ALWAYS works things out for my best interest. Over the years, I’ve become better about trusting him with the details. It’s a continual process though and He’s still working on me.

Two months ago, I was asked to be one of six speakers at a women’s retreat. Two months was a long way away, sure......I’d do it. I started fretting as the days got closer and I realized what I’d agreed to. It’s one thing to write a blog post, or a Bible Verse Thursday devotional sitting in the comfort of my home. Quite another to stand live in front of a church full of women with a microphone literally ½ inch from my mouth, all eyes on me, waiting for what inspiration I was going to offer them. Did I mention I was the first speaker of the day?

I was worrying about “tomorrow”, worrying about something that hadn’t even happened yet. As the retreat date got closer, I reached a point where I made peace in my mind about it. If God were placing it on my heart to speak, He’d give me what He wanted me to say. I confidently and prayerfully placed it in His capable hands.

The day I’m writing this post, is the day that I spoke at the Women’s Retreat. Would you like to know what God did? He took a shy woman (me) and enabled me to speak with confidence, he enabled me with a sense of peace and security in what I was saying, and he enabled me with the words he wanted me to say. I did not need to worry about “tomorrow”. He was already there and the details were taken care of.

One of my favorite hymns is Day by Day, written in 1865. The first verse of that hymn sums up Matthew 6:34

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

  

It's a GIVEAWAY

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
   the world, and all who live in it; 

Psalm 24:1

Wow!  101 followers as of today, and 51 who subscribe by feedburner.  I started this blog one year ago, not really knowing what would happen with it.  I remember the excitement when I got my first comment, and the excitement when someone I didn't know started following me.

I have met so many wonderful people through blogging, and am so appreciative of each and every one of you.  Some of you stop by for the free vintage images, others for the inspiration, some for both.  Whatever it is, your visits here have given me more than you realize.  

Courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

 I thank God for helping me along with this blog.  Giving me the ideas for devotions, and sending  encouragement from my readers just when I needed it. 

Okay..... on to the giveaway.

I have not one......

not two.......

but THREE......... 

things to give away.

Sorry, it's not the babies.  Jan from Re-Creations was my 100th follower and she'll be receiving these goodies below.

100 Follower Giveaway

Two more of my followers have a chance to win a similar set of goodies.  Here's how:

• Be one of my "Followers" (I don't really like that expression but anyway...) Leave a comment on this post by Midnight EST, September 30th, 2011.  In your comment, let me know what you like most about my blog.  

•  Follow me on Pinterest and leave a separate comment here letting me know. 

I will announce the winners on October 1st. That should give me enough time to figure out the random number generator gadget.  

Here's what will be in the package of goodies

• 10 Vintage Christmas Postcards

• Vintage Lace & Buttons

• at least 100 punches from Vintage Sheet Music

• Embroidery Floss

• 4 Inspirational or Scripture graphics that I designed 

 There may be more, so you could be surprised if you win.  Remember, there are two chances to win. 

Thanks so much for visiting today.

Bible Verse Thursday ~ This is the Day

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Every day is a gift, God’s gift to us. 

Everything He created is for our pleasure and enjoyment. 

Have you ever studied: 

the feathers of a peacock, 

with their majestic iridescent hues; 

 the colors in a rainbow; 

the bright red and orange glow of a sunset or sunrise; 

the hundreds of thousands of colorful flowers 

that are so fragrant and beautiful? 

 All these things and more are here for us.

The day I wrote this post, my husband and I visited an older couple in our church that had lost their son unexpectedly to illness. Within 48 hours of becoming ill, he was gone. 

Tomorrow is never promised. Each day is a gift from the Lord. Take time out each day to let the Lord know you are grateful for the day He’s given you, regardless of your circumstances be it sunshine or shadow. Spend time reflecting on what He’s given you in your friends, family and in His creation.

This is the day the Lord has made;

He calls the hours his own.

Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad,

Let praise surround the throne.

Hymn by Isaac Watts

My project is a digital 8x8 scrapbook page made using My Digital Studio from Stampin Up. I used free scripture WORDart from Karen at Papercraft Memories. Your challenge will be to make a project using this scripture or another scripture the follows the theme of rejoicing in the Lord. Karen has a lot to choose from on her site if you're looking for digital scriptures.

Ways you can participate:

• Visit the Christian Paper Craft Blog and add your project with the linky tool.  At the time I'm posting this there is a slight problem with the blog post over there, so check back if you don't see the post or linky tool.

• Add your project to online galleries such as Splitcoast Stampers using the keyword CPC-BVT124.

• If you are a member of Christian Paper Crafts, you can add your project to their gallery using the keyword BVT124.

There is no deadline, so please let me know if you participate, I'd love to see what you make.

I'm working on my 100 follower giveaway, so keep watching for that.  Assuming I'll eventually have 2 more followers.  Thanks to all  my faithful readers who leave comments and emails.  You all mean so much to me.  Have a wonderful day.

Linked with Brag on God Friday

Lights....Camera.....ACTION

It's not a common occurrence to have scenes from a movie shot around your home.  That's just what happened yesterday.  Scenes from Anatomy of The Tide were shot all day across the street at the landscaping business and in our church parking lot.  The crew rolled in early in the morning and began setting up.  My neighbor Jody was kind enough to offer us prime seating.  You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

Jody and her friend Janice enjoy some fresh coffee while they take in the action.  

My daughter and her boys came over to watch.  Jody kept them happy with tootsie pops.  

The lead character works for a landscaping business. My neighbors who own a landscaping business provided the perfect opportunity for some of the scenes in this coastal movie.  I never realized how much preparation and time is involved to do just one scene. 

Character Trent Page (with bike) played by Daniel Flaherty

 

The star of the movie is 16 year old Gabriel Basso.

Character Kyle Waterman played by Gabriel Basso

Gabriel might have been the star of the movie, however this little guy proved to be the star of the day on the set.  Getting more attention than anyone there. 

You can see the makeup artist taking a break with her new friend.  

Jody cooked up a little lunch in her coffee hut.  The aroma of her good cooking proved too tempting for some as they wandered over away from their designated catering area in hopes of something more delectable. 

More filming.  There were some seriously sized screens on this set.  

The final scene of the day was shot in our church parking lot with the pickup on a flatbed, while scenes inside the truck were shot.  

All in all, it was an exciting day for our little town, and I'm happy to have been a part of it.  I'm looking forward to seeing the movie upon completion.  Thanks Jody for the front row seating, coffee and bagels.