Thankfulness

I know that you're expecting to see posts about thankfulness and gratitude today, and well you should.  I had to throw my hat into the ring as well, because so many times we take for granted and forget to give thanks for the amazing and wonderful gifts that God has given us.

I am going to start with the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, my Lord.  Not to mention, the gift of life, period.

I am so thankful for my wonderful family, from my wonderful husband and children (and grandchild, to my amazing parents, to my little brother, to my many precious nieces and nephews, both actual and assumed, our furry children, and so many more.

I am thankful for my supportive and loving church family and friends, for my community, for my library, and more people, places, and blessings than I could ever name.  I am thankful to have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and for my husband's job.

[ Psalm 95 :1-2] Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

1 Thessalonians 5:18New International Version (NIV)
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Chronicles 16:34New International Version (NIV)
34 
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 29:13New International Version (NIV)
13 
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name.

Psalm 9[a][b]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1 
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 69:30New International Version (NIV)
30 
I will praise God’s name in song
    and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 100:4New International Version (NIV)
4 
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.

Boutonneire

Well I couldn't post the bouquets and leave out the boys, now could I?  These were built in much the same way, on a smaller scale.  I trimmed the flowers to the length I wanted, wrapped them together with corsage tape, and finished them off with a bit of ribbon.

Bridesmaid's Bouquet

You may have seen my earlier post, DIY Bouquet  (Bridal Bouquet with Sunflowers, Teal Roses, and Daisies).  This is the bridesmaid's bouquet, put together to complement that bridal bouquet.

I made it in the same style, beginning with two stems, and adding one at a time with corsage tape to hold it together.  I finished off the wrap with a twist of lace accented burlap, and the finished product looks like this!

DIY Bouquets and Boutonniere (Bridal Bouquet with Sunflowers, Teal Roses, and Daisies)

I have made bouquets and flower arrangements before, but it's been awhile, so I skimmed Pinterest and looked up a few DIY Tutorials.  Our oldest daughter and her fiance are beginning to plan their wedding, and I just went a little Pin/research crazy on the planning end (don't worry, I haven't sent her all these pins, I'm just quietly putting them on my boards and getting it out of my system so I don't drive her crazy).

There are separate tutorials for fake or fresh flowers, but they are pretty similar (except shelf life and preservation techniques), and the one I found the most informative and helpful is here, at http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/04/how-to-make-a-wedding-bouquet/.

You'll need your flowers, sturdy shears, floral tape, fabric or ribbon of your choice, and I used a hot glue gun instead of pins.

First, choose two or three stems to be the center, foundation of your bouquet.  Arrange those the way you would like them, and wrap floral tape around the stems to secure them in place.

I did not think to take step by step photos (I know, silly me), but there are very good ones on the site I mentioned earlier.

Add other flowers one or two stems at a time, securing them to the center with more floral tape.  When you have the complete arrangement that you want, wrap the entire end (or to a point about 2 inches from the bottom if you want the handtied rustic look), and then wrap your fabric or ribbon over that.

This is where I used the hot glue gun, finding that it is more secure and less likely to come apart.  Since I was using artificial flowers, this didn't harm them in any way, and it made it stay put!

I also added small charms to this bouquet, representing our daughter's interests and personality.  These I attached with jewelry wire tucked into the bouquet, and a dab of hot glue to secure.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

How Is Your Prayer Life?

This really wasn't from last week, but I discovered that I'd drafted and never actually published this blog post, so I wanted to make sure it got out there!

Last week we talked about time in God's Word, and how interconnected reading the Bible and prayer are.  This week's sermon was about prayer.

I have failed God in many ways, and one of those is prayer.  I get busy and I forget, but the only person that hurts is me and my relationship with Christ.

We are all alike as Christians.  When we accept Christ we all have the same Holy Spirit to help us in our Christian walk, in our lives.

Romans 8:26-27
²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.


If someone has a conviction in the middle of the night to pray for someone, the prayer doesn't know what is going on with that person, but the Holy Spirit does.

Jesus talked about fasting.  The Apostle Paul talked about fasting.  On October 16, 1746, the Governor of Massachusetts declared a time of fasting and prayer.  French Admiral d'Anville had set sail with the most powerful fleet of its day: 73 ships with 800 cannons and 13,000 troops.