It's All Written Down!

I'm back at my quest of reading through the Bible.  I will finish...I will!  As I ended with Numbers, I read something that I had never noticed before.

In Numbers 33:1,2 it says, "Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  At the Lord's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey."  Then it goes on to tell us each stop made along the way and what happened at these stops. A history recap.  This got me to thinking of the importance of journaling our events.  I am not very good at this discipline, but with the convenience of texting and instant messaging, I wonder if this will soon become a lost art?

My mother gave me a journal on paper that my great-grandmother wrote in 1899. (see picture)  This was a year before my grandfather was born!  After getting their crops planted, my Great-grandfather, Great-grandmother, and Aunt headed West in a covered wagon with the final destination being Denver, Colorado. They left on May 1 1899 the journal says.  My mother tells me that Grandpa's family loved to take trips out West. I also have pictures of them beside a Model T in later years with my grandfather and his brother and sister in tow.  On this covered wagon trip, however, they journeyed for three months and returned just in time to get their crops harvested.  Now that was some vacation!

You would think the journal would be a riveting account with lots of dangers and such, but it is an account of a rather normal everyday life.   There were times of dust storms and heavy rains but for the most part it was fairly uneventful. They would cross a river or a railroad almost daily and my great-grandmother would say that great-grandfather would shoot a rabbit or catch fish for dinner. She does document each town they camped in and some of the interesting things they saw along the way.  Perhaps some day I will map their trip out!  That would be interesting.

She also crocheted small baskets like this one in the evenings and sold them for $.25, her journal says.  She also worked on her Crazy Quilt and sold it along the way.  Never hurts to have a little extra income! (Guess that is where I inherited my crafting desires!) I treasure this journal even though it isn't that exciting by anyone else's standards because it gives me a glimpse into my history and a view into the everyday life my great-grandmother lived.  My mentoring question for we women is this...what kind of written treasures are we leaving for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to read?  Even if we don't think we live that exciting a life they will be thrilled to know about it, just like I am with mine! Won't it be weird that then dishwashers, washing machines and coffee makers will be antiques!  YIKES!

Mentoring Woman: He Knows My Name

Mentoring Woman: He Knows My Name: As some of you know, I have been absent from my blog for two weeks.  For whatever reason I just couldn't get it to post while on a recen...

He Knows My Name

As some of you know, I have been absent from my blog for two weeks.  For whatever reason I just couldn't get it to post while on a recent trip to Missouri.  It cannot be because I am electronically challenged! Okay, so maybe it is!  Anyway, I am back in the groove again (a referral to my 1970's mentality).   As I was visiting my mother on the trip, I noticed something that inspired me to blog about.

We have 76 people in our family (counting in-laws, outlaws, and such).  Anyway you go about it, that's a lot of people for an 83 year old woman to keep track of! So as I was talking to mom about how many kids my nephews or nieces had and what their names were, and rather than rack our brains, my mom went and got her little spiral notebook and she began to pour over it like it was the national census.  She had marked down in her little book, the birth date, and name of each family member since she and dad began their married life together, including my step sister and her family.  So rest assured family, you are very important to mom!

I couldn't help but compare this act to our relationship to the family of God.  In Revelations 21:22-27 it says,  "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.  The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

God also has a book (but it is probably not spiral) and in it He keeps the records of names. Isn't that fascinating? It can't be because He might forget someone, like my mother was afraid of.  For if there is anything about God, it is He is all knowing.  So I would like to think one of the reasons for the book, is for our benefit. Once we trust Christ as our Saviour, we become a part of His family.  So He permanently writes our names in this Lamb's book of life. Sealed as a permanent family member.  How comforting and assuring is that?  

We sing a chorus in church which I love...written by Tommy Walker
"I have a Maker

He Formed My Heart
before even time began
my life was in his hands."

Chorus:
He knows my name
he knows my every thought
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call.

I am including a card that I designed today.  Everyone enjoys seeing their name in writing.  It is a very simple card.  I just doodled flowers with leaves and painted it with acrylic paints.  Come on give it a try, you can do it!

A Work in Progress...just doodled some flowers and leaves

The Finished Product

Mentoring Woman: A TRUE HOME

Mentoring Woman: A TRUE HOME: Today I am feeling nostalgic for I'm thinking about home (or at least the place where I grew up).  It is almost the 4th of July and ...

A TRUE HOME

Today I am feeling nostalgic for I'm thinking about home (or at least the place where I grew up).  It is almost the 4th of July and that brings back memories of a family potlucks at my grandma's home, chasing fireflies and collecting them in canning jars, watermelon cooling in washtubs, sparklers,, and of course the fireworks that my Uncle Bill always bought for us to enjoy once it got dark enough.  It was a wonderful celebration of Independence day!  I am including a poem I wrote in 1975.   No matter how we look at finding true happiness in this world it cannot be found. True Independence comes the day we trust Christ as our Lord and Saviour and peace will come when we finally are at home with Him forever.  Revelation 1:5b-6 "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen!   Now that will be a great homecoming and true Independence Day!  Happy 4th everyone!

Isn't it funny how each one of us keep searching for a home?

We strive to find true happiness no matter where we roam.

We think, "well if we just had this", then happy we would be.

But we find that when we have it, no real happiness we see.

When we were little "our home" was with our parents safe and sound.

But then we grew up and on our own, and a brand new home we found.

And so we went from here to there in order to find a home.

But still there was something missing no matter where we'd roam.

And though we do our very best for this need we want to meet.

We'll never be really at home at all, till we kneel at Jesus feet.