I NEED MORE LIGHT!

We live in a dark world.


I literally mean, dark.

A split-level monstrosity, our home has no overhead lighting in the majority of the rooms. The  70's lighting style had wall light switches connected  to outlets, so you could enter a room, flick a switch and a lamp would turn on.

This lighting style was designed to create mood and atmosphere with strategically placed lamps.

It gives me a mood, alright, a crabby one.

And those strategically placed floor lamps?  They can only be knocked over about five times before they have to be replaced.  The more you pay for the lamp guarantees how quickly it will be knocked over.

The person that invented that system probably never tried to read a book in the rooms. Even huddled under a lamp, I end up moving my book around, trying to capture the clearest beams to light up the words that probably should be large print, anyway.

That person also probably never tried to sew in his room full of ambiance. I turn on a lamp  directly over my sewing machine, then I turn on every lamp in the whole kitchen/dining room/living room area. But, I think light, like heat, must rise because I still can't see.


That person never had to walk into a room, stumbling and falling in the darkness, because one of his kids shut the lamp off by the switch on the lamp and not on the wall. He didn't get Lego's wedged between his toes, and knocked his shins on sharp coffee table edge, while clawing for the lamp switch in the dark, then stumbling back to the switch on the wall.


Yea, the 70's lighting creates atmosphere, alright, but who wants to live in a very dark cavernous cave?  For those of us that live in the PNW, the sun does not shine an average of 226 days in a year, but who's counting?

I find myself saying, as I am reading, sewing or crafting, "I JUST NEED MORE LIGHT!"

At one time my soul cried, this, too.

I was 18, in college, and living the party life that most college kids do. But, I was also reading my Bible regularly and trying to attend all the Bible studies I could find. I was so longing for real purpose in life and spiritual Truth.  I was living in darkness, but seeking light.

It didn't last long. Since the creation of the world, the Lord always loves to separate the light out  from the darkness. Through reading the Bible, I discovered there is only one True Light, the Lord Jesus.

John 1:4

 In him was life;

and the life was the light of men.

He bright light and eternal life into my soul when I became a born-again Christian.

The inner light of Jesus changes a human life so dramatically, it is as if it shines through in all you say and do.

And the amazing thing about that Light? It is so powerful, in Heaven there is no need for lamps.

Revelation 22:5 

There shall be no night there:

They need no lamp nor light of the sun,

for the Lord God gives them light.

And they shall reign forever and ever.

There will be a day, when I no longer will be fumbling in the dark for light switches, replacing light bulbs, and buying newer and brighter lamps.  The Lord Jesus will be the only Light I need.

But, until that day, you'll hear me muttering in my home, "I NEED MORE LIGHT!"

With the onset of the gray, overcast and rainy winter weather,this week I have on my agenda to replace all burned out light bulbs and buy a few new lamps.

I also have on the agenda to make sure my spiritual light bulbs aren't burned out.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I NEED MORE LIGHT!

 

*****

 

MM Meditation - Master, Where Dwellest Thou?

John 1:38-39

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following,

and said unto them,

What seek ye?

They said unto him, Rabbi, (Master)

Where dwellest thou?

39 He said unto them, Come and see.

They came and saw where he dwelt,

and abode with him that day:

 for it was about the tenth hour.

*****

The Lord asked those that were physically following Him what they wanted.

They answered with their own question, "Where dwellest thou?"

They came, they saw, and they abode.

Today's believer's might have said, "Oh, no, you go on ahead, I only stay at 5 star hotels."

"What, no down-filled duvets, just mats on the earthen floor?"

"I think I'll just stop and pick up something to eat on the way, she might only be offering bread."

"I'm not sure my spiritual gifts will really be utilized in that small home."

Was this a test? Was the Lord just checking to see if they really would follow Him completely?

Following Jesus is dwelling as He dwelt, in the sense of willfully and joyfully accepting the circumstances of our life, as He accepted the circumstances of His life. I am not saying we all should own one set of clothes and be homeless, but we should have His same mindset in responding to our life.

As we follow Him, He may call some of us to follow Him into similar circumstances.

Some believers do go through a time of homelessness, as Jesus did. He had no place to lay His head.

Some believers do go through a time of financial loss and hardship. The Lord sent Peter fishing to have enough money to pay His taxes.

Some believers go through physical suffering, the Lord suffered all physical pains on the cross. There was not one part of His body that did not suffer during the crucifixion; there is not one ailment He cannot relate to.

Some believers go through severe heartbreaks in relationships, hurt the most by the ones they had loved the most.  The Lord suffered Judas' kiss and Peter's denial, not to mention the pain every human has inflicted upon Him with denial and disbelief.

Following Him is following the life He had, one of suffering, pain, loss and hardship.  If he had lived in a beautiful home, we might have the right to expect that.

If He lived a life of perfect health, we might have the right to expect that.

If He lived a life of wealth, we might have the right to expect that.

We need to be as these believers.
We need to go where He leads.

We need to understand and accept our circumstances.

We need to abide in the situation He has placed us, not just physicially, but spiritually.

When pressed for their true intention,   they asked the Lord, with hearts to follow -

"Master, Where Dwellest Thou?"

True Measure of Thanksgiving

I had one last decorating trick up my sleeve.

Several yards of this soft, sheer, crinkly gold material had been purchased last year

at a thrift store,  for this year's Fall decorating.

(click on any picture to enlarge)  

 I simply folded the material in half lengthwise, and cut it in half.

This was repeated with the two pieces, so I had four long, narrow strips.

 One piece was swagged along the top of my buffet with garland.

Another piece was swooshed along the bottom.

Recognize the flowers?

I still had some left over after making

wreaths for the front doors and

wreaths for the chairs.

Can you believe I am buying Avocado Green dishes? 

When we got married, everything in our early apartments

and rented trailer home was green.

Toilets were green.

Sinks were green.

Linoleum was green.

Carpeting was green.

Stoves were green.

Fridges were green.

And somehow, just when all the Avocado green was finally removed from my life,

because we purchased homes with newer appliances,

I began missing it.

This particular green glassware looks amazing when the light shines through.

My buffet is now ready for Thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do in word or deed,

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks

 to God the Father through Him.

Hebrews 13:15

Therefore by Him let us continually offer

the sacrifice of praise to God,

that is, the fruit of our lips,

giving thanks

 to His name.

*****

"Not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them,

is the true measure of our thanksgiving."

W.T. Purkiser

*****

Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday we celebrate with dry turkey
and the can-shaped cranberries nobody really likes.

It is a state of heart, mind, body and soul that Christians should embrace.

*****

Hebrews 13:15

Therefore by Him let us continually offer

the sacrifice of praise to God,

that is, the fruit of our lips,

giving thanks

to His name.

Let's celebrate this kind of thanksgiving,
every day.

*****

Wanna' see what I did next?

Quick File Folder Games

I just blogged about creating a quick file folder game out of a workbook page.

We're also sharing ways to stimulate the joy of learning and teaching.

Please join me at

hOmE tEaChEd

and leave a comment.

I'd love to hear your inspiring thoughts.

I have 11 years of teaching left. 

The comments may be read

over

and over

and over

and over

again.

My Chairs are Ready for Thanksgiving

Last year I had this vision.

I wanted to create small wreaths to hang on the back of each dining room chair.

The wreaths just couldn't be found.

The local craft stores were scoured,
they just weren't selling the size and kind I envisioned.

I checked online.
If I could find the size I wanted,
I didn't wanted to pay their price.

I gave up.

The Thanksgiving food was still delicious,

despite barren chairs.

This summer I found the wreaths.

They were $.25 each at a thrift store,
and there were just enough for my chairs.

Praise the Lord!

I had some of my fall fabric left.

The same scalloped decorative stitch was sewn along

the edges, and the material was unraveled.

I had some of my silk flowers left.

And I created these.

The fabric strips are simple pinned over the chair with brooches,

mostly vintage.

The long-dreamed vision,

has become a reality.

Even my dining room chairs are ready for the holidays.

Maybe one of these days I should start thinking about the food...

*****Wanna see what I did next?

Disasters to Decorations

Last year, we invited friends for Thanksgiving dinner.

 

My friend, Barbie, walked into my home laughing,

and barely peeking out from behind this

gorgeous,

monstrous,

flower arrangement.

It was GINORMOUS.

It definitely was professionally done and looked stunning on my table.

It dwarfed my dining room table,

but looked stunning.

Barbie said she knew it was too big for my home,

but she found it at a 90% off sale.

She said,

"I know you'll think of something to do with it.

You could make three or four arrangements with all these flowers."

I didn't want to pull it apart.

It really looked great covering the table.

We removed it for the meal, but when we were done with the dishes,

we sat it on the table, lit the candles,

and hoped it wouldn't start the house on fire.

I put it in a large plastic container in the attic,

so I could use it again this year.

Yea, dumb, right?

Like, candles melt in temps above 90,

DUH!

This year it wasn't looking so pretty so I decided to take Barbie's advice.

I had also hit the 90% clearance last year,

buying two decorated wreaths that were hideous to me,

but cheaper than buying bare wreaths.

They hung above my craft table for a long, long time,

daring me to find time to rescue and restore them.

I removed these,

and these,

and added some of these.

I ended up with this,

and this.

Wait until you see

what I did

with the

 rest

of

the

flowers...

*****

Wanna see what I did next?

hanging garland

I love hanging garland along the tops of my curtains

to create a simple, festive feel in my home.

It's colorful and reusable.

For years I had ivy wrapped around

white, twinkly little lights and left it up all year around.

Now, I change for the  winter holidays.

I usually hang fall garland in September,

to celebrate the season change,

but I'm a little slow this year.

And, the earth still revolved.

A revolutionary thought

for a TYPE AA person.

I love these curtain hooks.

Usually, I would use the ones that are

more rounded, but this is what I had on hand.

You slip the curved part over the curtain rod,

with the pokey part pointing up,

and slide the garland into between

the narrow opening.

The fall garland I purchased this year even had small little plastic circles,

alonge the main stem, for hanging purposes.

It took less than 15 minutes to hang,

and create that Fall feeling.

If I have enough garland, I like it to swag.

This year, it won't swag. 

The tag said each strand is 6 feet long,

that must be including the tag,

and the sales receipt.

I received a great comment on my blog yesterday.

To me, the comments are the

exclamation points,

the amen,

the cherry on the sundae.

They add so much to the blog.

From Mary Joy

"Don't forget to relax and enjoy

spending time with your family...your guests will love it."

My Mother-in-Law taught me a similar lesson.

She had all the decorating AND food preparation done ahead of each visit.

Since she used disposable aluminum pans for baking,

and disposable dinner ware,

there was hardly any clean-up.

Large family gatherings were so well-orchestrated,

we were able to sit around visiting and playing games.

She told me my job as a hostess was to look beautiful

and enjoy my company, that's why you work so hard ahead of time.

Yea, as much as I enjoy decorating and

creating that special holiday atmosphere for my family and friends,

it's really the family and friends that give the holiday

that special feel. 

*****

Wanna see what I did next?