notes from my nest: 6/22/08

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My thoughts...
The Lord has been speaking to me over the past week about our relationship and how it plays into the everyday moments of life. What I have discovered is that much of my lack of peace and my struggle with worry stems from a lack of "currentness" (Is that a word?) in my relationship with Him. I spend a lot of time dwelling on the past or the future, which makes living in the present quite a challenge. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for future events (many of which will probably never even happen), with the spiritual insights and grace He has given me in the past, rather than walking with Him, day by day. His Word says:

It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word]. It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22 - 26.

...As your day, so shall your strength, your rest and security, be. Deuteronomy 33:25.

In her blog, Girl Talk, Carolyn Mahaney writes, "So often we ignore the awesome displays of God’s faithfulness to people in trials and instead imagine ourselves in their situation, minus the grace of God. We would do well to heed Elisabeth Elliot’s wise reminder that there is no grace for our imaginations. None. It’s simply not available. God is not waiting in the wings to help us through whatever horrible imaginary trouble we can conjure up today. But His goodness is stored up and will be abundantly poured out whenever we walk through a real trial."

I've started a new practice this week to give physical expression to developing a DAILY walk with the Lord. I bought a daily planner. Mine has lines for each day, rather than a blank space (although that would work as well). The purpose of the planner is not to set my weekly agenda though. It is a place for me to chronicle my daily interaction with Him. Each day, I'm recording the most significant "event" of my journey with Him. It may be a verse that jumped off the pages of Scripture for the first time, a quote from a Christian author that holds relevance to my life, or just a few sentences of my own thoughts. What it is not, is a frantic pleading for Him to give me grace to get through whatever I fear might happen next week, next month, or next year, which is how I have approached journaling in the past. The calendar format is serving as a daily reminder to me that He promises sufficient grace for today...every day. That is why each page beyond today will remain blank until that day comes. I am so thankful for mercies that are new every morning.

Mahaney, Carolyn. "Grace When We Need It." 2008. http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2008/04/where-there-is.html (June 22, 2008).

Jennifer at Quiverfull Family Blog

My husband and I have been married for 6 years, seven this Fall! This is sort of funny, but my husband and I met each other online on a vegetarian dating website! We are no longer vegetarians and now raise our own livestock for meat, do all of our own butchering etc. Thankfully we’ve grown together through the years! My oldest is 5, then a 2 year old, and we are expecting our third towards the end of the month! I live in Canada, in the province of Alberta.

I resisted blogging for some time. I could never really understand the appeal (little did I know!). Then this Spring I was somehow lured in – maybe it was all of the contests, but there was also a sense of camaraderie between bloggers that I loved. Then I noticed the entire Christian, homeschooling mom blog sub-culture, and that is really what inspired me to begin my blogging journey. I always have new book reviews coming up on my blog – I focus on Christian literature and try to give a good feel of the book for conservative Christian parents who are trying to discern what the best reading material for their children (and themselves) should be. I have just started doing product reviews of interest to parents and families – this is pretty new for me, but I have some exciting reviews coming up. I also have contests running from time to time, though they aren’t regularly scheduled.

The rest of my blog is dedicated to my musings on faith, homemaking, homeschooling, parenting, frugal living, homesteading, gluten free recipes and my family! I love to read, sing (particularly psalms, scripture songs and hymns) and play with my children. I also enjoy knitting and various handcrafts, though the time for them seems limited since I’ve been blogging! My husband and I came to know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour in the fall of 2006, so we are fairly new Christians. Our lives have become so rich and exciting since our conversion – there is so much to learn and so many ways to grow in Christ!

Stop by Quiverfull Family Blog and visit Jennifer!

My name is Caroline and I am the designer for Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags. I design and professionally create my bags from my home sewing studio. I am happily married to my wonderful husband and raising my two children. When my daughter was born five years ago, I made my first diaper bag for myself. I wanted a custom bag that would stand out in the crowd and look different from the generic store bought bags that everyone else was carrying. A self taught seamstress, I started making my diaper bags as gifts for my friends who were starting their own families. I always got so much joy out of the positive feedback from everyone who received a bag or gave one as a gift... one of the reasons I decided to sell them!

Shortly before my sons' first birthday, I decided to leave my career of 15 years in Retail Sales Management and Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags was officially born. I opened my own website last spring. Now going into my third year of business, I have stores on eBay, Etsy, WinkElf, and eCrater. One of my favorite things about selling on the Internet is being able to make beautiful bags and share them with you. I can't wait to see where 2008 will take me!

I professionally construct my bags in a smoke-free, pet-free sewing studio. I take special care in the construction of each bag to ensure that it will last as long as my own. I sincerely hope you will enjoy your bag for years to come. I have done several custom orders so please email me and we can work together to create your custom bag. I am very picky about selecting the fabric I use and the trim I add to ensure that everything coordinates perfectly. I love vibrant colors and experimenting with different fabric combinations. If you are looking for a stylish bag (or two, or three...one really cannot have too many bags, don’t you agree?), please visit www.pinklemonadebags.com! I am so thankful to everyone on Etsy for the opportunity to share my bags with you. Thank you for your support and allowing me to be a work at home mom to my two children! I give daily thanks to the Lord for giving me the gift of having an eye for color and design and the ability to create beautiful bags.

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