Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine 47

Who knew I was so girly.

My mom & e-mail forwards

I don’t know how she does it, but my mom gets some of the best e-mail forwards. 

* from Power Line – America Rising

Recent Virginia Church Service – Stimulus Sermon

My mom sent this e-mail to me the other day.  Because I agree whole heartedly, I thought I would share.

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Genesis 47:13-27 

I would love to give the Pastor of this church in Virginia a hug and a high five. This guy is obviously a leader.  Perhaps we should each decide who our real leader is.  It is amazing to see that very little has changed in 4,000 years. 

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Good morning, brothers and sisters; it’s always a delight to see the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God’s Word. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th chapter of Genesis, we’ll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.  Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us? …..(reading)….. 

Joseph and the Famine

 ¹³ There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up.”

 ¹⁶ “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

 ¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

 ²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, ²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, ^[a] from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

 ²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. ²⁴ But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

 ²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”

 ²⁶ So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.

 ²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.

Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray. So we see that economic hard times fell upon  Egypt, and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again. 

So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock - their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.  But the famine wasn’t over, was it? So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives.

“There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh.” So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh’s government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain.

What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?  That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery?  Yes.

That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes. 

But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus  Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen .. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” God provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn’t end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions!

But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today – the government today wants to “share the wealth “once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago – as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders. 

What Mr. Obama’s government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh’s government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a “Messiah,” don’t they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn’t the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, ”You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh”?  Well, I tell you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh. 

Bow with me in prayer, if you will. ”Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says “And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh’s government. In God We Trust.”

Amen.

Knitter’s Prayer

Sorry & Thanks

I’m so sorry I have been away so long.  Apparently, 2010 has had a big effect on me.  I thought surely it would come last year when I turned 30.  Nope.  I flew right by that one without a backward glance.  But, the new year came in while I was sleeping and knocked me upside the head.  Ever since, I have been in thinking mode.  You know, where do I want my life to go from here kind of thoughts.  Once you get in that kind of contemplation, it is hard to keep focused on the really important things like blogging.  I think I’m on the tail end of the major contemplation mode, so hopefully I’ll be back to regularly blogging soon.

Now, for the thanks portion of this post.

Thanks Mom for the creme brulee set.  I made my first batch last Friday.  I will say that I can never buy another dessert at a restaurant now  I know how easy it is to make.  I will say I was intimidated by the torch.  I made Hubby fill it and turn it on the first time.  So, I made up the custard part and took them and the torch up to the office (it was a belated Christmas gift to a co-worker).  I fired up the torch and slowly began to move across the top.  It quickly began to smoke.  Now, this was not too bad, but I was standing directly under the sprinkler system!  I was so sure the water would come rushing down & cause the building to evacuate.  Luckily, everything was okay.  Everyone was impressed that this was my first attempt.  I confess, I was impressed with myself.

Thanks Helen-Joy for the wonderful patterns! They are GREAT! I can’t wait to try them out.

Suzanne, thanks for the wonderful Christmas gifts.  The needle holder is perfect.   Also, your stripe sweater is amazing!  I am so envious of your knitting skills.  Great car, too!  Thanks for the lunch.  Most importantly, thanks for being a great friend.

SG, thanks for being a knitter.  It’s nice to have one in the family.  Nana says you are very talented.  I hope to see some creations soon.

Grandmama, thanks for having small feet.  Your socks are almost done.

Thanks to Hubby and Boy Child.  You were both very generous and thoughtful the past year. Love you!

Thanks pattern companies for finally realizing that people who make their own clothes still want to be fashionable.

Thanks to my group leaders at my church for continuing our classes this semester.  This time we are working on prayer shawls in my knitting group and the second half of the New Testament in my morning class.  I can’t wait to learn about Revelations.

Cell phones vs Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go…..hmm……. where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more  thing. Unlike our cell  phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible  being disconnected, because Jesus already paid the  bill.

Makes you stop and think ‘where are my priorities?

Trust in the Lord and *ASAP (Always Say A  Prayer)

Stolen Owls

So, before Christmas, I was looking around Etsy and I found a really cute pattern for an owl.  Now, I really have a thing for owls right now; so I didn’t think anything of purchasing it.

 

 

See! How cute is that pattern!  I can’t wait to make one for myself!

Well, today, I received an e-mail from Tina Whitmore explaining  that the person I purchased the pattern from had actually stolen the pattern from her!  Can you believe it!?!  I offered to repurchase the pattern from her.  She kindly said that all she wanted was for me to tell family and friends about her site.  So, I’m doing that here. 

If you like this pattern, please visit KnitWhits for your own copy. 

Merry Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….

Twelve yummy tea bags,

Eleven hours baking,

Ten cookie tins,

Nine family visits,

Eight gifty cards,

Seven books to read,

Six leafy buttons,

Five Harry Potters,

Four hand made gifts,

Three rubber duckies,

Two hand knit sweaters,

And a baby who saved us all.

Pass Tests While You Tarry

I received this several months ago and was prompted to hold onto it.  For a while, I read it every day.  I had a serious case of the “Why mes.”  Everything seem to be coming down on me at once.  This article helped me through it. 

Today, I was thrown right back into that feeling.  I’ve been sick the past several days.  Today, I finally felt like I could muddle through work , though I still feel like poo.  Once I got to work,  I received an e-mail that gave me a full on panic attack.  Which, I haven’t had in several years.  Since the e-mail is of a personal nature, and I’m not comfortable with all the Internets knowing everything about me, I will simply say that the person who sent the e-mail is being, and has been for a while, disrespectful to me.  I can not cut this person out of my life (again, personal circumstances); but really don’t want to continue to be disrespected all the time. 

After raging for a bit, I replied in what I thought was a neutral but firm e-mail that stated if the disrespect continued the situation would go down hill quick.  Knowing this person, I have a feeling it will head that way soon.  I just have to pray for this person to realize that there are other people in this world and read this article and hope it takes root in my heart.

 

He hurried down the concourse to catch an important connecting flight. As he arrived at the gate, he noticed that the door was closed and the airplane was just pulling away. Looking at his watch, he stepped up to the counter and said, “I don’t understand. The airplane is leaving eight minutes early. I really needed to be on that flight.”

The representative replied, “Yes, unfortunately the airplane left early, and I am sorry but we cannot call it back.” After making arrangements to be included on the next flight, the pastor sat down to wait. A little while later, the representative, who had been watching him closely, came over and asked, “Why are you so pleasant? I expected that you would get angry after what happened.”

The pastor explained, “I belong to God. He controls all things. If He wanted me on that airplane, He would have kept it here until it was originally scheduled to depart. I know that since He didn’t allow me to catch that flight, He must have something better for me, and for that I am grateful.” This pastor passed an important test to get more of God’s power:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). 

How can we prepare to “pass the tests” that God gives us? One of the most important ways is to develop a thankful heart that recognizes and accepts His sovereignty in our lives.

There are at least four good reasons why we should give thanks for whatever God allows to happen in our lives. First of all, God is in control of all things. Nothing happens without His awareness and permission, not even the falling of one sparrow. Therefore, we can be sure that God is fully aware of everything that happens to us. (See Matthew 10:29–31.)

Second, if we love the Lord and are committed to doing His will, then we can be confident that what He allows to happen will be for our ultimate good. (See Romans 8:28.)

Third, one of the highest purposes for which God allows difficulties in our lives is to conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we learn to respond as Christ would to whatever situations we face, we develop His characteristics, including patience, endurance, compassion, discernment, wisdom, humility, self-control, and many other important qualities. (See Hebrews 12:5–11 and Romans 8:29.)

Fourth, God wants to teach us His ways, which are higher than our ways, and His thoughts, which are higher than our thoughts. (See Isaiah 55:9.) By humbling ourselves and thanking God for whatever He allows us to experience, we will demonstrate meekness, which is strength under control. Scripture promises, “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way” (Psalm 25:9).

When we rejoice in tribulation, we gain patience, experience, hope, and love, which come by the power of the Holy Spirit. (See Romans 5:3–5.)

This pastor thanked God for allowing Him to miss his airplane, because he knew it was the right thing to do. However, he later had more reasons to be thankful when he learned that the airplane he missed had tragically crashed.

If we want to experience more of the power of the Holy Spirit, we must begin by fully surrendering ourselves to His control and exhibiting a grateful attitude for whatever He allows in our lives.

Friday Fill-ins and Knitting Deadlines

1.    Good times: horseback riding, tickle fights on the couch, stories at bedtime, messes in the kitchen while baking treats, snorkling on the island.

2.    My sanctuary is my home.

3.    Sleigh bells ring incessantly at my house.

4.    People had more respect for other people when I was little.

5.     Once more, there are other people in this world beside you!  Please learn some manners people!

6.    When is this day going to end?

7.    And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to finishing up Christmas knitting project 2/5, tomorrow my plans include making Christmas candy and Sunday, I want to finish up Christmas sewing projects 1, 2, 3, & 4!

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Most days at work, I can get my actual work knocked out before lunch.  That leaves the remainder of the day to knit, read, balance my checkbook and pay bills.  I admit that I often wish I had more work to do; however, I’m pretty content listening to my audiobooks and knitting.  Now, in keeping whith my luck in the past few months, I am getting a little behind in my knitting/sewing projects.  I’ve realized that Christmas knitting project #5 will not be the original new pattern I was hoping it would be.  Instead, I will just finish up a project that has been put on hold since October. 

That is fine.  It’s okay.  The real problem is that I’ve been counting on all the knitting time I usually have during the day.  This week, I have only been able to knit at home after work, after I make dinner, after I clean up the house, after I get onto Boy Child for not doing homework in a timely fashion, after nagging Boy Child into the shower, after visiting with Hubby.  Needless to say, this has been a very knitting light week, and I’m behind. 

I am scheduled to finish KP #3 tomorrow.  Technically, it is still possible if I do nothing today and tomorrow but knit.  That, however,  is not goinging to happen.  I am looking at 4 huge stacks of papers that I need to go through, organize and file.  Nope.  There will be no knitting today.  Sigh.  I’m sure everything will be okay.  Santa knits, right?