Perspectives

On Saturday morning in my year-long journey through the Bible, I came to Exodus 32.

Just before this chapter, Moses has been up on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, receiving the law from God. "He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God." Wow! How awesome is that? Doesn't it make you quake on the inside, imagining such a thing, imagining holding in your arms those tablets?

Unfortunately, down at the foot of the mountain, we discover this:

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Exodus 32:1, NAS)

A few verses later, God tells Moses to go down at once because the people have corrupted themselves. The Lord continues with this:

“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” (Exodus 32:8, NAS)

Interesting, the different perspectives, God's and the people's. The people saw the time that Moses had been up on the mountain as long, thinking that Moses had been delayed. But God considered those forty days and forty nights as brief, saying the people had quickly turned away.

It is so important to learn to see life (and time and space and trials and joys and mountain tops and valleys, etc.) through God's eyes, through His perspective. Forty days and nights seems a long time to me in my humanness. But God is eternal. He isn't bound by time and space the way we are. Forty days and nights are as nothing to Him.

When I have God's perspective, it changes how I live and how I think. It changes how I face the trials of this life. God's perspective keeps me grounded and comforted and strengthened. It makes me "rejoice always!" (My word for this year.)

Lord, give us Your perspective today.

~robin

The View From Here

We looked around the house awhile back and decided we needed to make some changes. Our house is among the tract homes that sprang up in the early 1950s when the Korean Conflic brought military personnel to California. Families soon followed, and the need for housing skyrocketed. .

The Pacific Sands tract from the sign above still exists in Huntington Beach. Seeing the original price sent me into hysterics.

We baby boomers came of age and wound up buying the very homes that were originally constructed for our parents' generation. When my hubby and I bought this place twenty-five year ago, it had some strong selling points: A great floor plan, a huge backyard for our toddlers, and a low price. The bullet hole in the front door undoubtedly had something to do with the asking price. But we were young parents and on a very tight budget. We figured we could replace the door... and the flooring.. and the bathroom fixtures... and the Kermit green kitchen tile and... well, you get the idea.

Energy conservation never occurred to the builder. Original paneling on two walls had been nailed directly to the wall studs. No drywall, no insulation. Just dead air space, then stucco. A very stingy crawl-space “attic” exists over about a third of the house; the rest of it is wooden vaulted ceiling. The roof is directly above that. Are you seeing money radiating out of the walls and roof?

The worst of it was the windows. Floor-to-vaulted ceiling, wall-to-wall windows make up the entire back of the house. Every night, the soundwaves from the Disneyland fireworks rattled those windows. Heat and air conditioning hemorrhaged out those windows. So we decided double-paned windows might be a smart move.

To do the project, it turned our whole house upside down and inside out. Things on the patio had to be moved away, things inside either went outside or into my office. Other stuff went into the trash. Cutting out the old glass caused a few difficulties—it was brittle, broke, and left shards everywhere. Days and even weeks later, tiny slivers of glass still crop up. The remaining sills took a beating and looked battered.

But the new windows went in.

Suddenly, the specially treated windows cut out the usual glare. They muffled sound. Disneyland’s fireworks no longer cause impact rattling. Our heater and air conditioning cycle far less frequently and the bills are lower. And the workmen took care to complete the installation so the sills look better than ever.

Life can be like those windows: I can chose to be closer to the world, feel its impact, its heated sensuality and cold attitudes, and have my vision blinded by the glare… OR I can chose to do a whole lot of work in my relationship with God. His love insulates me from the glare of the world, the hurt of cold attitudes and the blows of mean and selfish people. Twenty-five years ago, I didn’t see the need to make some of the changes. Even two years ago, I didn’t. But as life goes on, as my relationship with Him matures, I see places where renovation is necessary. It may be painful and messy; but it’s always worth it.

So how’s the view from your window?
Cathy

Hope

I know that word officially belongs to our Kim Sawyer, but I had to talk about it today.

Sunday we had a guest pastor since our regular pastor is in Israel learning all sorts of neat things to teach us. Anyway, the pastor spoke on Romans 15:13 and the hope we have in God. He said that the translation for that word HOPE could be correctly explained as "confident expectation".


I was so blessed by that.

We can have confident expectation in God's love and promises.

We can have confident expectation that God will watch over us and keep us in His care, even when we are surrounded by the threat of harm. We can have confident expectation that no matter the circumstances that play out before us - God is control.

The world continues in turmoil. There are governments facing destruction and people killing each other over issues of religion, politics, and a hundred other things. Christians speak of end times and others speak of the world ending in 2012 because the Mayans said so. Personally, I think they probably just ran out of paper, but that's a whole other story.

We have natural disasters and political disasters. We have issues all around us regarding economic meltdowns and unemployment. But ultimately we have hope.

No, not the hope of a politician.
Not hope in the all important, almighty dollar. Not even hope in the good nature of people to come through when the rubber meets the road.






We have confident expectation in God alone!
He can be trusted. He can be counted on. We can believe and expect confidently that God has not forsaken us. I don't know about you, but that excites me and gives me energy to face tomorrow.

May God bless you in HOPE.
Tracie

The Benefit of "Aging"

Last Sunday I passed the half-century mark. As my hubby put it, I am now the "Big 5 Uh-oh!" But you know, I don't mind. In fact, I kind of like it. In a strange sort of way, turning 50 is liberating.

At fifty, you should have a few gray hairs. Eye lines are expected--after all, a half century of smiling should result in a few crinkles. I've earned the title "ma'am," and have reached the point where my opinion is taken more seriously. Fifty seems to be synonymous with "mature." That's a good thing.

I have a wonderful vantage point now. I can look back and see how things that made no sense or really hurt at the time served a purpose. I've learned the truth of these words from Romans 5--"...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." I can't imagine living without hope. And seeing how God took hard things and used them for my good or His glory helps me trust more in the current difficult circumstances.

One of my friends teasingly asked, "So what're the three most important things you've learned after fifty years of living?" It's pretty hard to narrow down a lifetime of lessons to just three things, but this would be one: Don't be fooled by roadblocks.

I know that doesn't sound profound. In fact, it might sound a little silly. But think about it... When we come up against a roadblock, we have to change direction. Often that change in direction leads us to places we would never have imagined for ourselves. God delights in taking us to points of joy, but in our limited view, we sometimes miss the route. So a roadblock can serve as the impetus that sends us to where God wants us be. And honestly, isn't the center of God's will the very best place for any of us?

I'll share another of my "Top Three Life Lessons" with you next week. :o)

The first fifty years sure flew by fast. But what a ride it's been. Makes me look to the next half century with great anticipation.

May God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

P.S. -- Please pray for the husband and daughter of Christian fiction author Leisha Kelly, who was killed, along with her son, in a traffic accident this past Tuesday afternoon.

A Bit of Brittle

We’ve had our share of snow over the past week. Four inches one day and nine inches another. Not all that impressive to our friends in the north, but more than this Kansas girl wants right now. With all the white stuff on the ground, I haven’t been out and about very much. However, today is National Peanut Brittle Day as well as the day the first electric dental drill was built. Quite a coincidence. Once we’ve ruined our teeth eating that peanut brittle, we can rush to the dentist. My interest in peanut brittle was stronger than my interest in the dental chair, although I am thankful that we’ve progressed beyond the type of equipment used all those years ago.

By the late 1860s, recipes for peanut candy and boiled molasses candy with peanuts began to appear in cookbooks. The candy name "peanut brittle," however, didn't come into common use until around 1900.

I don’t know if any of you are fond of peanut brittle—it’s not one of my favorites, but I prefer homemade over the store-bought variety. So, with a tip of the hat to George Washington Carver who made peanuts into an industry, I’m sharing one of the recipes I discovered on a website tracing the history of Mr. Carver. And I’m sharing a recipe for Chocolate peanut brittle, as well, because most everything we make is better with a little chocolate. Believe it or not, I found recipes for Pepper Peanut Brittle, Bacon Peanut Brittle, and Sesame Peanut Brittle!

George Washington Carver Peanut Brittle:

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 scant cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon soda

Melt all together over a slow fire; cook gently without stirring until a little hardens when dropped in cold water; add the nuts; turn the mixture in well-buttered pans and cut while hot. Stirring will cause the syrup to sugar.

Semisweet Chocolate Peanut Brittle:
Combine and bring to boil 2 cups sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt; cover and boil 2 minutes; uncover and cook without stirring to 300°F hard crack stage; remove from heat; stir in quickly 6 ounces or 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup salted nuts, coarsely chopped; spread thinly on greased sheet.

During my peanut brittle tasting days, I've discovered that some homemade peanut brittle can be soft and chewy, some might call it pliable--or even a failure. Most of it is crunchy and brittle, and that's considered a successful batch. As God's children, it's the exact opposite, isn't it? Instead of being unbendable, we need to be soft and flexible so that He will mold us into the creation He intended. Giving up control and allowing ourselves to be molded by His hand can be daunting, at least for me, but how sweet the rewards when we turn it over to Him.

A number of yeas ago, my husband, sister and I had the pleasure of visiting the George Washington Carver National Monument. It was an unplanned side trip on a drive to Florida, but one of the most memorable. A fantastic museum and a wonderful nature trail are located at the site in Diamond, Missouri. The trail leads to the home constructed after a tornado wiped out the original Carver home. That's the home pictured to the upper left. If you're anywhere near Diamond, Missouri, be sure to stop, you'll be glad you did!

Now you see how easily I hop down those rabbit trails when I’m researching for my books. I’ve taken you from dental chairs and peanut brittle to the birthplace of George Washington Carver all in one blog.

May you find joy as you do something sweet for one of God’s children. ~Judy

P. S. January 26 is also Australia Day, a celebration of Australians and their country and culture. It is celebrated on January 26 each year. Happy Australia Day to all of our friends Down Under!!

Take the Stairs

Changing behavior is not an easy thing to do. We are all creatures of habit. We tend to find a place of comfort and stay there. It's much harder to put something in motion than to keep it in motion.

We find a grocery store we like and keep returning, because we become familiar with where everything is. It's easier to shop there. We tend to take the same routes to work or to school, and know them by heart.

If given a choice, we also tend to take the easier way out. If there's conflict, we prefer to avoid it. If there's a choice of taking an escalator or the stairs, most of us would choose the escalator. Watch the video below to see what one company did to help change people's behavior in that regard.

I love the differences in people as they went up the stairs. Some just smiled and kept walking up. Some hopped around and played a song. Some tried and got tickled. But according to the company's statistics, more people took the stairs that day because it was fun. It was different. It gave them joy even though they had to work at it.

Instead of standing still and being carried up, they had to hoof it. They had to make a conscious choice to get their bodies in motion. It's the same for our spiritual bodies too. It's much easier to munch on the leftovers from Sunday's sermon than to feast on daily bread.

I also loved the cacophony of keys and chords played when everyone was doing their thing, and how the sounds blended––or didn't––with each others. It reminds me of the good and bad in life that's often nestled closely together and comes in waves. I cling to the eternal promise found in Christ "that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28, NLT). 

No matter the keys played, whether harmonious or dissonant––if you belong to God––He's at work on a masterpiece in you. One we'll play in perfect harmony together forever!

And when given the choice, I'm taking the stairs.

Tammy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a late breaking announcement....
Look at "our" Tracie!

It's official, and we're so proud! Tracie is the keynote speaker at this year's ACFW Conference in September. More details available here. Proud of you, Tracie!

A Potpourri of Thoughts

Hello, everyone. Robin here. It's good to be back with my friends on Writes of Passage. A great big thanks to Carol Cox for stepping in and keeping my place active over the last six weeks. I know all of you enjoyed her posts as much as I have.

I asked Carol if she wanted to post a last note, and here is what she sent me:

---

Thanks so much to all the Writes of Passage readers who made me feel welcome over the past few weeks while I blogged for Robin. It has been a joy getting to know you better, and I've enjoyed sharing tidbits from my part of the country. And I know we're all excited to see Robin back in her regular spot again!

---

(May 2011)

A great deal has happened in my life since my last post on December 6. I've had surgery, recovered, and now have begun radiation therapy (5 treatments down; 28 treatments to go—but who's counting? LOL!).

I began knitting my first prayer shawl a few days after surgery and am better than halfway finished with it. I'll try to remember to share a photo with you when I'm done. It's by far the biggest project I've tackled since taking up knitting several years ago. (I did some knitting in my twenties, but set it aside, along with other hobbies, when I started writing.)

I've also been working on revisions of my fall release, Belonging, the first book in a new series; I'm just about done with those. My publisher sent me the cover this past week, and it is to die for. I will share it with you soon.

I also received the cover for the revised and updated edition of The Story Jar. Isn't it pretty? I'm really excited to see this book available once again. It's available for pre-order now. It's a book in honor of mothers and is full of tributes to moms from others in addition to the stories by me and Deborah Bedford.

Plus I adopted a black kitten with white paws named Princess Pinky (pink in honor of me beating breast cancer). Pinky was officially Poppet's birthday present, but after ten days of playing nice together, Poppet turned on her in a series of nasty attacks. So now I'm either having to keep them apart or keep a muzzle on Poppet. Sigh. This too shall pass. One day Pinky will be as big as Poppet and be able to protect herself.

As I'm sure you can imagine, the Lord has been a strong tower for me over the past couple of months, and He has used so many of His children to lift and encourage me, to share wisdom and to make me laugh. Many of you have dropped by my CaringBridge page and left comments. I've loved seeing you there.

Some of you may have seen this over on my regular blog, but I'll go ahead and share with everyone here because I may blog about it more than once in the months to come. For the past seven years, I've asked God each December to give me a word (or words) for the coming year. My word for 2011 is:

Rejoice Always

I love that He gave me 1st Thessalonians 5:16 for this year. I'm looking forward to rejoicing daily throughout 2011, as He heals me, as He guides me, as He instructs me, as He loves me.

And finally, I'm continuing my practice of reading through the Bible in odd numbered years (this will be my 8th time to read through the Bible since 1997). I don't know if it's because of the in-depth BSF study of Isaiah that I'm in and/or because of what I'm going through health-wise, but I feel like God is speaking to me so much in my morning devotions and through the reading of His word. I've finished Genesis and am now well into Exodus and am loving it, loving it. If you'd care to join me, you can get a PDF reading schedule by clicking this link on my web site.

~robin

FILL IN THE BLANK

Sticky notes

Memo pads
Steno notebooks

Composition books
Spiral-bound pads
Reams of paper

Journals

Diaries

Blank Books

Blank greeting cards
Boxes of stationery
Computer monitors

They all start out blank. Sometimes they are full of promise; other times the lack of anything at all makes them daunting. But writers write—whether it is to doodle or to edit a bad page or to write a love note.

And each conversation, each deed, and each day, Christians have the opportunity to write a love note to the world.

It’s full of promise, and yet daunting, isn’t it?

for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh..
Luke 6:45b

No matter where we are or what we do, the abundance of His love helps us fill in the blank.

I'm thankful God provided for a happy ending, aren't you?

Cathy

Back in the Saddle

It's great to be back. Thanks to Tammy and the others who helped me out and filled in while I was sick. I'm happy to say I'm pretty much back to normal.

We had a lovely ice fog the other day and snapped a few photos I thought you might enjoy. I was hoping to find the spider frozen in the web, but I think he's the one that was crawling around my bedroom ceiling. My hero hubby killed him last night.











I have to say, however, I was a little frustrated to get both the flu and pneumonia after having had shots for both. I really hate getting injections anyway, but when they don't have magical powers to keep you from getting sick, I really resent that. When it ruins your New Year's Eve and your birthday and your anniversary, then I resent it even more.

But such is life. I spent a lot of time in prayer for all of you - especially those flood victims down under and those dealing with the shootings in Arizona. The loss of life is devastating. The world groans in anticipation of God's return, and the pains we're enduring are numerous.

My heart breaks at the negative news everyday. The killings and threats of war, the loss of innocence in the lives of our children, and the overwhelming fears that come in a fallen world.

But I am encouraged that God is not asleep. He hasn't been taken by surprise. He is faithful and will continue to lift us up above this and the sorrows of this world.

Psalm 43:5 says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Thank you for all your prayers, and the love you've shown me.
God Bless You!
Tracie

Sure could use a little good news...

Do you ever wish you could open a newspaper and see ONLY good news? So often, good stuff doesn’t make the headlines. But we all long for good news, for encouragement, for a reason to cling to hope. Last week I asked people to share favorite scripture with me as part of a contest entry. I so enjoyed reading the entries. My heart smiled so broadly as I read how God’s Word provides encouragement, instruction, comfort, and HOPE. Read through this wonderful array of “good news.”

Lady Di said: The verse that is special to me is Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I quote this every day, as God's promise to me and to my friends.

Kav said: I'm a kind of Tiggerish person...I get excited, I can be scatterbrained, I run hither and yon trying to do too many things all at once, I take things to heart too easily, I've been known to yabber on about nothing....LOL....so, ta da -- the scripture that has become my mantra is “Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).” Calms me down every time...for a nanosecond. :-)

Jessica said: This verse helped me yesterday: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we are unafraid, even if the earth gives way, even if the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, even if its waters rage and foam, and mountains shake at its turbulence (Psalms 46:2-4).”

Becky said: I love Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 40:1 (“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”) These have been anchors in my life lately! 



Sandy said: I really like the verse Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding...” I may not always understand why things happen but I know God has a purpose for everything.

minilady said: The scripture that I always lean on is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path (Prov 3:5-6)." It took quite awhile for me to truly accept the fact that I am not suppose to UNDERSTAND everything. Just TRUST. Sometimes that is easier said than done.

Kristy said: So many verses are so very special to me! The passage closest to my mind today is Phil 2:3-5 "...in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves..."

Pam said: Since I'm going through some struggles now, these verses (Psalm 13:1-2) apply: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?" I love verses 4 and 5 that give me hope: "But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he has been so good to me."

Patti Jo said: This past summer as I was preparing to undergo major spinal surgeries (was scheduled for 3, but due to complications the neurosurgeon had to perform 4). I was feeling very anxious and nervous, needless to say. I clung to numerous comforting Scriptures, but one in particular spoke to me, so I claimed Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” I carried that special verse in my heart and oh, what a comfort as I prepared for those surgeries!

Jackie said: Psalm 73:26 (God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever) is special to me... in 2003 when my Mom was dying and again in 2010 when my husband had triple bypass....when his doctor handed me his business card, I was in awe that he even had it printed on his card!

Pam’s daughter said: 2 Chronicles 15:4 "But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them." I like this verse because it's a good reminder that God is there, you just have to remember to look for him.



Terri said: My husband and I have been through some difficult times during the past few years and Psalm 71:14 has come to have a special meaning to me: “I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.” This reminds me not to lose hope and faith when I am so discouraged and to always praise and thank God in the midst of everything.

Yolanda said: Last year the Lord gave me more of a word than a verse and so many of the scriptures that I memorized in 2010 had the word "Seek" in them. This year He did the same, and the word was "peace" but the next day I gently heard "abide". I got to thinking if I abide in Him, then His peace comes to reside in me. How cool is that?

Mary said: Phil. 4:6-7 always helps me. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Giving it all to Him and trusting has helped me deal with a lot of stress over the years. I also quote the Jabez prayer for my family. To remind myself that God is in control of their lives too and I should Just Trust!!

Virginia said: I have a scripture I love because it says it all....1 Timothy 3:16 “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up to glory.”

Judy said: I have so many favorite verses! But one of my favorites is Isaiah 41:10, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Caroline said: My favorite Bible verse has to be Psalm 40:5, "Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." A wonderful reminder that my God is SO good!

Bird said: A verse I just got done memorizing is Phil. 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Our minister is having everyone memorize this as he's teaching on a series of sermons around this verse. One of my favorites is Isaiah 33:6,"He is your constant source of stability. He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom: He gives all this to those who fear Him."

Jennifer said: I love Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” It always gives me peace when I read or hear it!

Tina said: I have several verses that are special to me, one is Psalm 28:7, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him."

Andrea said: Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." The verse captured my heart this morning. It served as a reminder that no matter what is going on in my life (good or bad), the only thing that matters and withstands everything is my God. His word stands forever.

Thank you to EVERYONE who shared a bit of good news with me last week. I trust it blesses you today. And now for the winner... My wonderful personal assistant (who happens to be my oldest offspring) drew a name from those who referred a friend to the blog, and that winner is (drumroll, please!), Yolanda. So Yolanda, please email me privately (kim at kimvogelsawyer.com) and share your address with me so I can put Courting Miss Amsel and Katy's Homecoming in the mail. Congratulations!

In closing, here’s a little more good news, set to music with lovely images. It will soothe your soul...enjoy.



God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

The Talents of Women

Let me start out by asking you to forgive me for the lousy pictures this week. Believe it or not, I tried. However, my success rate was less than stellar.

I received a book for Christmas—no big surprise there, right? But this wasn’t a novel. My son thought I might find something of interest for my writing in this book. It’s titled Feminine Ingenuity: How Women Inventors Changed America. I thought it was an excellent choice since I’m drawn to real women who have performed unique jobs at a time much earlier in history than we would have guessed.

Of course inventors are a little different story, but that makes it all the more interesting. I'm guessing that a person is generally performing some particular task or they've been presented with a problem of some sort when they decide there must be a better way to do the job. Some folks will set their minds to finding a better way and before you know it, there’s a new product on the market. That’s why we see all those advertisements for handy-dandy strap holders and food choppers on television!

One of the first women to patent her invention in the United States was Mary Dixon Kies of Connecticut who patented her process of weaving straw with silk or thread in 1809. A few years later another woman inventor from the same state, Sophia Woodhouse, substituted a native grass for straw and because of the awards she received for the Leghorn hat, British merchants wanted to import the seed and cultivate the grass so they could produce the hats. She had to tell them she’d already patented the entire process—that ended their discussion with Miss Woodhouse. This is a picture of a straw Leghorn, the picture of the grass and silk hat couldn’t be used without permission.

A couple other inventions over the following decade included a motion-activated fan attached to a rocking chair and a submarine lamp and telescope used to illuminate the ocean depths. (That's a drawing of the submarine lamp at the upper left.) Margaret Knight invited a machine to manufacture square-bottomed paper bags, but had to fight an expensive court battle against a man who had stolen her proto-type in order to prove she was, in fact, the rightful inventor. (The machine she invented is pictured below.) Hannah Mountain’s Life-Preserving mattress submitted for patent in 1873, is somewhat frightening, but apparently serviceable enough to receive a patent. (You may have to enlarge the picture at the right to get a better view.) I might take my chances swimming instead.

The list of inventions goes on and on. From the pneumatic dress form that could be enlarged to various sizes using compressed air to a folding crib that could be stored with ease, women have continued their efforts to improve life.

I am thankful for a God who created us to be inventive beings. And I’m thankful for people who daily put those talents and abilities to use. We’ve all been gifted with special and diverse talents. Are you using those talents the Lord has given you, or letting them waste away? If you’re not using your talents to the fullest, why not commit to making it a priority in this New Year.

May you find joy as you serve the Lord with the wondrous talents He has given. ~Judy

What I know for sure

We're studying the book of Luke at church for the next year, and one of our first lessons centered around what we know for sure.

The book of Luke starts out:

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

Did you catch all the bolded words (and circled in my Bible to the right) in that opening passage that point to how Luke, the physician, painstakingly researched and investigated all the minute details, then penned a careful account (not a quickly jotted down note) so that Theophilus could be CERTAIN of what he already knew?

Five thoughts stuck with me from Lloyd's sharing that Sunday:

1) You can't be sure about everything, but you must be sure of some things.
No way are we ever going to perfectly understand everything in the Bible and be totally right in every single opinion, much less agree about them all (here on earth). But there are some things that we MUST be sure of. Luke is going to tell us what those things are...

2) Certainty doesn't come by looking at ourselves, but at Jesus Christ.
We don't grow in our faith by looking at or within ourselves. Our faith is strengthened and our confidence in our salvation is made more certain when we fix my eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith.

3) Certainty doesn't come in an instant, but with time.
God is often depicted as a farmer in the Bible. Jesus used this analogy in many of his parables. One of the attributes of a farmer, a good farmer anyway, is patience. Crops may be planted in a day, but it takes time to produce a harvest. It's the same with the heart.

4) Our deepest convictions are born from our deepest pain.
This may sound familiar. It's similar to what Rick Warren wrote in The Purpose Driven Life. Just as God is going to work through our deepest pains and will enable us to minister to others who are hurting in similar ways, so our deepest convictions––the beliefs that are going to be rock solid for us––are going to be rooted in our deepest wounds.

5) There's no certainty apart from application, from living what you know.
Very simply, if we're certain of something, we act on it. That belief changes our lives. Likewise, whatever we "know" is going to inform how we live. How we treat others. How we make decisions. Dare I say how we drive? How we react in the check out line? Because when we know something for sure, it changes everything.

Before Lloyd started sharing that day, he asked us to jot down some things we knew for sure. This is what I wrote:

I know for sure that the love (agape) we experience here has no end, because God is love and He is eternal. I know for sure that God is sovereign, merciful and just, and that He has my eternal best at heart, and that He will move heaven and earth––and already has, through Christ––to save me.


I appreciate the togetherness we share on this blog and would love to know…what do you know for sure?

And lest you think I'm not eating Dove Dark Chocolate anymore (what were you thinking!), here's my wrapper from yesterday. It's so true of God's love. It says: A good love is delicious, because you can never get enough.

Wishing you some "good love" today,
Tammy

Adventures Underground

Welcome again, Carol, and thanks for guest blogging for Robin this week as she continues to recuperate from surgery for breast cancer. Robin begins radiation treatments today, friends, so please, let's keep her close in prayer. Robin, we love you. And Carol, you're loved too and you have the floor! 

Yippee! When we checked our thermometer at 7:00 this morning, it was all the way up to 30 degrees. We’re on a warming trend!

To commemorate that happy news, we’re going to leave last week’s thoughts of ice and snow behind and take a look at sunnier climes. The book I’m working on takes place in southern Arizona, not too far from Tombstone. Here’s a glimpse of what I saw when I went there with my family on a recent research trip.

When Tombstone is mentioned, most people think of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the notorious shootout at the O.K. Corral. The town has done an outstanding job of preserving the feel of its Old West roots, but there’s so much more to the history of the town than that 30-second gun battle.

The mines, for example. They were the reason for Tombstone’s existence in the first place. Learning more about them was my focus for this trip, so we signed up for a tour of the Good Enough Mine. After getting our tickets, the first thing we had to do was outfit ourselves with hard hats to keep from knocking ourselves senseless on low overhangs. I did appreciate the protection, although I don’t think I’ll adopt this as a fashion statement anytime soon.

Our group, about 30 people in all, gathered around while our tour guide gave us a few instructions. After he laid down the ground rules—or underground rules, if you prefer—we entered the mine, which is in essentially the same condition as it was when it was abandoned in the 1880s.

The first area was spacious enough, but as we descended, things became a little more snug. Do you see the word “LOW” painted on the overhang in blood-red paint? You know the ceiling’s low when this 5’1” woman has to duck. On the other hand, that bulbous hard hat probably boosted me up to a towering 5’4” or so. Maybe it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought.

Once we got down to the actual working area, I was surprised at how roomy the place felt. And instead of the dank atmosphere I expected, I learned that the temperature stays at about 70 degrees year round.

Our guide told us that most of Tombstone’s silver went to the New Orleans mint, where it was transformed into silver dollars. After we got home, we discovered we had several of the silver dollars from that mint during the same time period—perhaps made of silver from the very mine we visited.

My imagination went into high gear, picturing the men who spent their days wresting silver ore from the mines in the Tombstone area. So much time and effort invested in seeking treasure that would make them rich, but none of it a treasure that would last beyond this lifetime.

What a powerful reminder of Jesus’ teaching about storing up treasures in heaven, “where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

That’s the kind of retirement plan I want to invest in, one that has eternal value. One that keeps my heart focused on the important things.

May you discover ways every day to lay up treasures in heaven!

Carol

Visit Carol's website to learn about her latest books and what's coming next!