29 July, 2013

Let You Heart be Broken.

Sometimes I see something that touches my heart. Like this photo. (There are many more. Take a look at my 'Touch my Heart' board on Pinterest. )


It makes me think,  How can I help? What can I do to help them? I have so much in comparison. I live with my family in a nice home, I have plenty of clothes to wear, always something to eat and drink, and always shelter, warmth, and love. I am blessed. Now...how can I share what I have? I don't know. I really don't. But I found this song yesterday that really summed up all my thoughts. 

'Let Your Heart be Broken.'

Let your heart be broken for a world in need:
Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed,
Give the cup of water, and the loaf of bread-
Be the hands of Jesus, serving in His stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love,
Visible expression - God still rules above -
Living illustration of the Living Word
To the minds of all who're never heard.

Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,
Challenged by the need - apparent every where.
Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.
Be the means through which the Lord reveals His grace.

Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,
Knowing Christ as saviour, make Him master too.
Follow in His footsteps, go where He has trod:
In the world's great trouble risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear:
See mankind as God sees, serve him far and near.
Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain;
Share your rich resources, give and give again.
                                                                  -Bryan Jefferey Leech


The tune of this song really adds to it as well. But I can't find it on YouTube, so you'll just have to use your imagination. Think slow, minor, passionate. After reading and singing and pondering this these words, I added to them:

'Lord, this song has touched my weak and wand'ring heart,
I am willing, waiting, help me do my part.
Teach me of Your ways, and give me of Your love,
May I spend my life preparing for above.' 





20 July, 2013

Look Up!

This afternoon, well really it was evening, but I prefer the word afternoon, so we’ll call it afternoon. This afternoon we went for a walk. We started out walking through the paddock and then went on the road the rest of the way. I was walking along with my head down listening to everyone else’s conversations. (Or is that called eavesdropping?) I seem to have this habit of looking at the ground while I walk. So my view consisted of stones, leaves, a few sticks, and mud. How exciting! Did I really go for a walk just to see some wet dirt? So I thought ‘How entirely stupid that I am walking along here looking at a piece of average ground, nothing special, nothing amazing, when I could be looking up. Up at green paddocks, and trees with a road winding through them, sheep and cows… Up at the sky which was filled with clouds and shades of a sunset…’  




How often do we look down as we travel our way through life, looking down, when we could look up? How often do we focus our thoughts and time and attention on all the ‘down’ things in life when we could be looking up? Up to Jesus, up to all that He does for us, up to all the blessings He’s given us, up to all the ways He can help us with the ‘down’ things in life…  Look up! 

13 July, 2013

Prayer...

About a week ago I was reading A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshell, and an excerpt from one of Peter's sermons, "Why Worry", stood out to me. It was an answer to the often asked question, "How much should I do to help God answer my prayers, and how much should I leave to Him?" I thought it was a really good explanation of why sometimes it seems God doesn't answer our prayers. 


"When faced with problems that worry us, we should, by all means, talk them over with the Lord.
We should, because He wants us to, turn the matter over to Him.
But God may insist on bringing up other matters as a prerequisite to His answering our prayers.

If we want to trust God,
   but feel that our faith is hardly strong enough for such a venture, then we can, with every confidence, ask Him to give us the faith too,
for faith is a gift of God. 
What, after all, do I mean, when I speak of taking worries to the Lord and leaving them there?

Let me use the simplest illustration of which i can think.
Suppose a child has a broken toy.
He believes that his father can mend it.
He brings the toy to his father, saying that he himself has tried to fix it and has failed.
He asks his father to do it for him.

The father gladly agrees...
   takes the toy
      and begins to work.

Now obviously, the father can do his work most quickly and easily, if the child makes no attempt to interfere, but simply sits quietly watching.
   or even goes about other business
with never a doubt that the toy is being sucessfully mended.

But what do most of God's children do in such a situation?
Often we stand by, offering a lot of meaningless advice and some rather silly criticism.
We even get a little impatient, because it is taking so long,
   and we try to help
      and get our hands in the Father's way, generally hindering His work. 

Finally, in our desperation, we may even grab the toy out of our Father's hands entirely, saying rather bitterly that we hadn't really thought He could fix it anyway,
   that we had given Him a chance,
       and that He had failed us.

There are times when God asks us to mend some broken relationships,
   to do something to make the way straight before Him.
But never forget that His plans may include simply turning over your problem
   doing nothing else...
       just shutting out all doubt and worry.

This is the kind of solution that God loves because it glorifies Him.

And we are glad to say:
   "I didn't do anything but just believe.
    God did it all.
       Give Him the credit.!"

Why not give Him the chance with your problems?
God can fix it for you.
He is eager to do it."

04 July, 2013

Book Review || Storm Over the Prairie

I've just finished reading a book called 'Storm Over the Prairie', by Kathryn L. Wrote. I bought this book at an op shop just over a year ago for the grand sum of fifty cents, and I've read it quite a few times since then.    It's quite an old book - copyright 1982 - so I'm not sure if it's still in print or not...Anyway.

This book tells the story of Marta. Marta grew up as the second youngest child, and only girl in a family of eight children. Marta was a hardworking young tomboy, who loved nothing more than to be with her horse, Beauty. She and Beauty would go for Sunday afternoon walks to the lake. When Marta gained her Father's permission to enter the cross-country horse race, she and Beauty practised for it every day on a secret course in the valley. On the day, Marta was in the lead, headed for the finish line, when someone's dirty little trick came into effect. Marta won the trophy, but Beauty was dead. In her heart, Marta wondered how a loving God could take away her only friend.

Marta put horses out of her head and began to take an interest in school and the other topics her classmates discussed. She started going to dances, and spending time with a young man named Abe Stiltmeir. She enjoyed his company, and often went to the trouble of making herself new dresses for the picnics they went on together. One moonlight night Abe told Marta that he loved her, and wanted her to be his wife. Memories came rushing back to Marta about the last time she had allowed herself to love something. She couldn't allow herself to love Abe.

But after several months, Marta's friend convinced her to come to another dance. And at the dance was Abe. They found themselves alone outside. 'I love you too' Marta said. They began making plans for their marriage. Marta and her mother made the dress and sewed sheets and quilts in preparation.

One day as they were sewing together, Marta's mother told her some interesting history. Marta's mother had grown up in Germany, and married a German man. They had had two children, a boy and a girl. But her husband was killed, and when she later married Marta's  father and moved to America, her parents insisted that the children stay behind. Marta had a sister.

Not long after that, and before the wedding, Marta's mother died. Marta felt as if part of her were being buried along with her mother's form. She felt she had nothing left to give Abe. She wondered why God, if there was a God, chose to take away her mother.

Life went on and a few months later they were married. Life took on a new meaning for Marta. Sometime later Marta found out she was pregnant. She had seen her mother almost die giving birth to Marta's younger brother, and she was scared. But she gave birth to a healthy girl, whom they named Mary.

As Mary grew older she became an object of war between her parents. They were fighting against each other for her affections. Because Mary preferred the outdoors more than cooking and cleaning, Abe usually won. And Marta  and Abe's relationship deteriorated. As Marta's father lay dying he pleaded with Marta to make things right.

Things did get better, and soon Marta discovered she was pregnant again. Mary was ecstatic at the prospect of having a new brother or sister, and when Willie arrived the two were inseparable. When Willie was about two, Abe and Mary took him down to the pond to go paddling. Abe went out a bit deeper, leaving Mary in charge. But Willie choked on a stone, and before Abe could do anything, it was too late.

Marta was distraught and decided if that was what God was like, she'd rather not have anything to do with him. She made Abe promise that they would raise Mary without religion. And so it was. But one day a preacher came to town doing revival meetings. The girls at school were all talking about it, and Mary wanted to go. Marta grudgingly let her. Mary went, and received Jesus into her heart. She was thrilled with her new found saviour and spent every spare moment devouring her Bible. But Marta wanted nothing to do with God, or any religion, and Abe sided with Mary. Their relationship and home was, once again, crumbling.

One day Marta received an unexpected letter. The return address was 'Frankfurt, Germany.' It was from her long-lost, in fact never known, half sister. Marta had a sister. Here was a gift she understood. 'For the first time in her life, Marta talked with God.'

This is really only a short book - 119 pages - a brief account of Marta's life. So it doesn't read exactly like a story book. And while it might have sounded a bit like it to begin with, it is not a love story. It is the story of Marta's gradual rejection of God, and then her acceptance of him. I like this book because it shows that, even though it might not look like it, God still understands and cares about us.


01 July, 2013

I sewed.

You know how over there in my blurb about my self it says I like sewing? Well... I thought it was about time I did more than said I like it. Like doing it, for example. So yesterday I did some sewing. I found a piece of dark green cotton knit fabric... 


And some cute buttons...


And I made a neck-warmer. 


It was really easy. I just cut a strip of fabric 45 inches long, and 7 inches wide. Then i joined it together like a tube, turned it in the right way, made some buttonholes, sewed on some buttons, and 'Hey Presto!' I'm done! It really was that easy. 





And then I enjoyed making that one so much, I found some more cute fabric...


And i made another one for my sister.


It is knit fabric on the outside, and polar fleece on the inside.  





So... there's my sewing efforts. Super easy, super simple, super quick, super fun, and super functional. 
Have I inspired you to make one yet?