Dear children,
let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18
Have you been to a ReStore yet? Habitat for Humanity's thrift stores can be found in 825 communities. They don't carry clothes, but they do carry household goods, furniture, appliances, building supplies (sinks, doors, etc.), and books! Our ReStore recently moved from one location to another within the same shopping plaza. The new place looks really small from the outside, but it's huge on the inside, much bigger than the previous spot. I bought this wreath for $6 yesterday for my front door. They were giving out cards for $5 off of a $20 purchase, so I also bought a desk lamp for $4, a hamper for $4, and several nutrition books and a video for $6. I also donated a comforter set that a neighbor had passed along to us.
This cheerful mural adorns one of the walls, and reminds everyone why Habitat for Humanity exists: "Seeking to put God's love into action" by providing affordable housing through community service.
You can help by donating household items to ReStore, donating money to Habitat for Humanity, or volunteering your time either in a ReStore shop or on a house building / restoration project. If you are a high school student living in Florida, you can earn your Bright Futures scholarship volunteer hours, too! Grace, Virginia Knowles www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com
Dear friends, Mindful in the moment? Jim Elliot, a missionary martyred in the 1950's, once wrote,
"Wherever you are, be all there!
Live to the hilt every situation
you believe to be the will of God."
I try to practice mindfulness. It's calming to be able to savor the little beauties and epiphanies that come my way. I recently walked out of my doctor's office and glanced across the street at the hospital parking lot. And a retention pond. Big deal, right? Wait. What? Little beauty waiting for me. I take it where I can find it.
My eyes are attentive. I tune out the cars and asphalt and focus on the reflections of trees in the water. My feet are drawn across the street, down the bank for a closer look.
Two ducks glide around the pond, weaving in and out among the water plants. Do you see them there? They are attentive to me, too, and swim away in caution. I see upside down trees, rippling reflections on the glassy surface.
I walk quietly, not wanting to disturb the rhythms of nature. On the other end of the pond, I bend down to see clusters of orange and yellow composite flowers. I hear rustling around me. Squirrels in the tree are dropping something into the water. A frog plops in with a splash.
My ears are attentive, too. I can hear the whir and chirp of life there. I tune in to their music and switch my iPod camera to record mode. My camera is an extension of me, capturing my memories so I can continue to attend to the beauty.
This is what you would see driving by. Only a road with a yellow traffic line, a parking lot with cars, buildings. Unless, you are paying attention, that is.
That afternoon, in a Christian women's discussion group, our facilitator talks about being mindful as a way of building our spiritual strength and learning to rest in God's providence. I smile. I know this by heart. She hands us hard peppermints, with instructions to suck them slowly, not chewing. Too late. I've already crunched. It's a stress response, I know. But I press the remains tightly between tongue and palate, allowing them to dissolve. The next one I faithfully suck down to the slivers, mindful of the texture and flavor. There is always more to learn, even if we know. So...
Stop.
Look. Listen. Taste. Feel. Smell. You were given five basic senses for a reason: to use them -- and to fully experience all that God has given us!
Think. Savor. Ponder. Wonder. Meditate. Enjoy. Appreciate. You were given a brain, a heart, a spiritual life for a reason: to use them -- and to thank God for all he has given us!
Want more on being mindful of Creation? Look at these photo essays:
Friends, My daughter heard "Soldier" by Gavin DeGraw on the radio recently and played it for me on YouTube. I love the positive message of the song, and I'm delighted that my son found this version of the video, dedicated to the Wounded Warrior Project, which highlights folks who are doing good in their communities in various ways. Enjoy! (If you are reading this through e-mail or feed reader, click on my original post here to watch the video.) Gavin DeGraw "Soldier"
Here is the chorus: I'll get it if you need it, I'll search if you don't see it, You're thirsty, I'll be rain, You get hurt, I'll take your pain. I know you don't believe it, But I said it and I still mean it, When you heard what I told you, When you get worried, I'll be your soldier.
I'm playing this music video in my English class today since it goes along with our literature and history theme for the week. (We're learning about King Robert Bruce and the fight for Scottish independence with a story and a poem about Bruce and the spider, as well as the poem "Bannockburn" by Robert Burns.)
I think this "Soldier" song embodies the spirit of chivalry as it applies in our millennium.
P.S. I haven't done any "A Worthy Cause"posts recently, but I think this one qualifies: The Wounded Warrior Project's mission is "to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history." Find out more here: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
A lovely miniature rose tea set graces our front hallway table right now. I don't even know who gave it to us. We found a bag on our doorstep one Christmas about 15 years ago, with toys for all of our (then) five or six children. Someone was being very kind and very anonymous. My seven daughters have passed down the tea set, sister to sister. Every few years, I set it up in the hallway for all to enjoy. It's lost a few pieces to breakage, but it's still beautiful. And it still brings me to tears. Kindnesses remembered. It helps me to recount all of the ways people have been kind to our family throughout the years. Listening long. Sharing hand-me-downs. Making a way for my kids to go to camp. Teaching classes on interesting stuff. Lending me good books. Babysitting. I am so thankful. I want to do the same. How about you? "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:9-13 Virginia Knowles www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com
Dear friends, Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. I have written a lot of articles in recent years, many filled with art, music, and poetry. You can find an updated list them on my Easter links page, but here is what I have so far. May God fill you with joy, hope, peace, grace, and most of all love this season, Virginia Knowles www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com
Many years ago, my Aunt Nancy kindly gave our family a porcelain bunny village which we set out nearly every year. My favorite piece is the church, of course!
This year, the bunny village has a place of honor on the tall cabinet in our front hallway.
We often receive hand-me-down clothes from friends and neighbors, and we always try to pass along what we can't use. But I got tired of seeing plastic bags of clothes to be given away just plopped down in the hallway. I bought a brown fabric hamper (with a sturdy wire frame) at Walmart, covered it with a right-sized board, added a vintage lace cloth, and topped it with a silk rose bouquet. Decorative and useful at the same time!
On the low table in the hallway, I put a bowl of lemons on a vintage lace doily. They're actually plastic, but you can't tell that by looking at them. I bought the whole bag of them for $1.49 at Salvation Army. I'm still missing a few of them since my grandsons got a hold of them!
I just moved this plaque from the bathroom today. I have been tweaking our bathrooms lately, as you can see here:
Dear friends, On Sunday morning, the Living Waters a Capella (voices only) singing group from Yale University blessed our little church with two songs during our worship service. Then on Monday night, they serenaded the ladies' Bible study with two more! (One of the leaders of the singing group is the daughter of the lady who was teaching the study.) I'm really glad I went to the study, my first time. I'll write more about it later in the post, but first wanted to share this one music video of them singing "At the Cross" which made me cry. The soloist, Esther, is from the Sudan but spent most of her life in Kenya. Both places have been in turmoil in recent years, so the words she sings are all the more poignant. She is a political science major at Yale. "At the Cross" (Chorus) by Hillsong
Oh Lord You've searched me You know my way Even when I fail You I know You love me
Your holy presence Surrounding me In every season I know You love me I know You love me
At the cross I bow my knee Where Your blood was shed for me There's no greater love than this You have overcome the grave Your glory fills the highest place What can separate me now?
You go before me You shield my way Your hand upholds me I know You love me
You tore the veil You made a way When You said that it is done
The other thing that blessed me about the study is that they were watching a video from Lysa TerKeurst's series Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. I absolutely love how she used the beauty of art and music to "set the table" for her lesson on how God shapes us into who he wants us to be: she taught much of the lesson from in front of Michelangelo's David sculpture in Florence, Italy. What do I mean by "set the table"? I guess you'll have to head over to my post "Bella Sophia" (Lady Wisdom Sets the Table)! I love the concept that God is the passionate artist who is working on us bit by bit to transform us into his perfect vision for us. We are his masterpieces, and he is very patient with us. “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” Michelangelo
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”Michelangelo
