Speaking With Kindness

I (Julie) have been particularly burdened with verses about our speech lately. As often happens when you have children, I hear them making unkind comments, hear them yelling at each other or saying things that they shouldn't. I have been trying to impress upon them the need to speak to each other with kindness and love - or just not speak at all if that is not possible!

Personally I have always been convicted by Proverb 31:26 "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." The note for that verse in the Geneva Study Bible says "Her tongue is a book by which one might learn many good things: for she delights to talk of the word of God." Ouch! Is my speech such that my children "learn many good things?" I desperately want that to be true!

In her book, The Virtuous Woman, Vicki Courtney has a whole chapter about speech. The last paragraph sums it up very nicely:

"A virtuous woman . . . speaks with wisdom because she wisely considers her words because she wisely considers her words before she opens her mouth. When in the presence of gossip or hearsay, the law of kindness remains on her tongue. With an awesome fear of the Lord, she is quick to remember ' that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken' (Matt. 12:36)."

Please consider joining us by creating a card or project with this week's topic and please leave us a link to it! In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful creations the design team has come up with

Julie

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Pauline

Kim

Hazel

'Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.' Colossians 4:6:



Tanis

Ruth

Lythan

A new year of priorities challenge update

The 'New year of priorities' challenge by Tanis is still open - please go to the challenge here.

So far we have had these two lovely creations:

From Elisha (you can read what she wrote here):


From Lee (you can read what she wrote here):

Thank you, ladies for your beautiful contributions.

If anyone else contributes something for this, please leave us a comment and a link to your creation so we can come and have a look.

And don't forget that Tanis is kindly offered to send her beautiful digital stamp set to anyone who responds to the challenge. Elisha and Lee please let Tanis have your email addresses so she can send you the digital stamps - her email address is on her blog.

To enter please leave a link in the comments section of Tanis' original post here.

Facing the Day

“The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer.... When I wake to see that it's light out already, I feel like the world has started without me.”

_____

“If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters.”

_____

Are you an early riser or the sort of person who prefers a lie in and leisurely start to the day? I started a new job in August which involves a longer commute Monday to Friday. I was full of trepidation about this, how would I cope getting up earlier (I really like my sleep and struggle if I don’t get enough!), would the change in routine for the family have adverse affects, would I hate the hour-long drive…

Several weeks into it and I’m enjoying it a lot. I’m not usually too tired to function in the mornings, I have time to sit and have breakfast and some quiet time before waking everyone else up, the family are adjusting well to the new routine and are actually benefitting from being up and about slightly earlier than previously, and I enjoy the drive to work.

I’ve found it particularly important to have that little bit of time to myself before I wake everyone else up. I get up, have a shower, get dressed then go downstairs to let the dogs out and get breakfast for myself. I do a lot of thinking at that time of day, during the lull between getting up and the ‘activity’ of the day beginning. It’s my time for talking quietly to God and putting the new day into his hands. My day never goes quite so well when I’ve been in too much of a rush to have that time. I always feel there’s something missing when I’ve rushed headlong into the day.

“Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”Psalm 5:3

The Psalmist starts his day by talking to God. He lays his requests before God and then waits. He doesn’t ‘do’ anything, he doesn’t try to provide answers himself, he just waits. As Christians it is important is to find that time to talk to God, to lay our requests before Him and then simply wait.

A New Year of Priorities

Happy Thursday! Sorry for the late start today.

For me, September, with back to school, is always a time of starting fresh. It's my "New Year" more than New Year's is.
So this year, when I started reflecting on this fact, that life would be changing again and there is a shift in the balance of the every day experiences, one word kept coming to me.
Priority.
What will be my priorities this year? How can I make sure my own priorities are God's priorities for me? How will I make those big (and even those small!) decisions - in prayer and trusting Him to provide clear direction....or on my own and for my own selfish reasons?
It all comes down to being in constant conversation with my Creator. And making THAT my first priority. All else will fall into place if I'm communicating with Him and trusting Him daily.

So that's my challenge word and my focus for you this time!

And I've got a little "bonus" for you! If you complete the challenge and link your creation up in the comment section on this post, I will send you this digital stamp set (just click the image to see the details).....

Just my way of saying THANKS for joining our challenge!

ON with the projects!! Check out how the Salt DT used this digital set in their creations!

Tanis

Pauline

Hazel

Ruth

Julie

It's hip to be square

Over the summer my family was hooked on a tv show called Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers in which 5 Amish young people - two of whom were on rumspringa, visited various forms of youth culture in the UK and experienced life with different families. At the same time we learned a lot about life for the Amish. It was fascinating. I had wondered if the programme would end up making fun of these naive young people in their long sleeved clothes and funny hats. But it didn't. Instead there was as deep an exploration of Christian faith as I have seen on UK television.

What intrigued me most was how the Amish were not laughed at by the other teenagers, rather were listened to and treated with respect, even if their views were not agreed with. And talking with them helped the UK youngsters reflect on their own lives. This was a big surprise. I confess that I assumed that devout Christians would be treated with derision or simply ignored. That is the message we get about secular Britain today. But instead what I saw was a hunger for something more expressed by many of the teenagers and an appreciation of the integrity of the Amish.

Now, I do not think the answer to Britain being a less faith filled place is to retreat into little communities. But I found this programme both an inspiration and a reminder that people are more receptive to hearing about faith than we can expect. I think the key is integrity - be true to who you are and people will watch and listen. That also tells us that we should watch how we behave as others will take notice. but above all, take to heart the teachings of Jesus about being salt and light. I do love the way that Peterson expresses this in the Message

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Something new

As an ex-teacher who retired quite a few years ago, I (Hazel) still tend to think of September as a time of 'new beginnings'. It was a time for getting to know another class of children and issuing new exercise books - and I well remember my own schooldays when I received those unspoiled books.

So, when I was thinking of today's challenge, my mind went to 'something new'.

With our Heavenly Father there is always an air of expectancy - Lamentations 3:22-23: 'Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.'

This is echoed in that much-loved hymn 'Great is Thy faithfulness', one of my mum's favourites and was dad's too - it brought tears to my eyes at his funeral thanksgiving service.

Great is Thy Faithfulnesss, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy Faithfulnesss!
Great is Thy Faithfulnesss!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy Faithfulnesss, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great Faithfulnesss, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

It is our prayer that those reading this will experience these blessings for themselves.

'New beginnings' can be scary at times, for instance, for children going into a new class, a new school, young people going off to college or uni for the first time - there is an air of excitement mixed with a certain trepidation at stepping out into the unknown.

With Jesus as our Saviour and friend we have no need to be afraid of the 'new beginnings' that He has in store for us, for we have the confidence of knowing that 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8).

Perhaps you are going through a dark patch where life is difficult and troublesome. Be comforted by the words of Isaiah, who assures us in chapter 43 of God's presence with us in troubled times and going on to say 'Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

So my challenge to you for this fortnight is to create 'something new' - it might be a LO that reflects on a 'new beginning', an event of special significance like a wedding, a new job, etc or a card for a new event, such as 'new home', 'new job', 'new baby' etc - or something that rejoices in God's faithfulness in His provision of 'new mercies' every day.

My own LO is based on those verses from Lamentations 3, reflecting on 'new mercies' even amid suffering. As usual, each member of the DT has her own unique response to the challenge. Please visit their own blogs to read and see more about their creations and thoughts.

If you are prompted to join in our challenge, please leave us a comment so that we can come and share in your creation. We would love to see you joining in with 'something new'.

Hazel





Lythan
Pauline

Kim

Ruth