Thanksgiving Crafts

We've gotten a little crafty around here lately!

In our Home Ec class we made turkey pins.

(my variation on Paper Turkey Pins found at FamilyFun mag)

Instead of cereal boxes, we used magazine pages backed with a piece of card stock.

We also made turkey cookies in class.

Pillsbury Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies are a yummy way to celebrate and give thanks!

This morning we thought we get one more treat in before the big day, 

Pilgrim Hat Cookies.

You'll find different variations floating around Pinterest and the web, 

but we bought cookies that had a fancy scalloped edge 

and used other ingredients we had on hand. 

They are easy and delicious!

Taste of Home has a great recipe you can follow.

What Should I Read Next!

A friend suggested I check out www.whatshouldireadnext.com.

Let me say, "It's AWESOME!"

Type in a title or author and you will get recommendations from other readers of books to try next.

Click on the Info/Buy button and it takes you to Amazon so you can check out the selection there.

You can build your own book list and share recommendations by registering with your email.

What apps or sites do you use to find new books to read?

Such a happy distraction! Enjoy.

Two Songs For You

A few weeks ago I was driving in my husband's truck and listening to Satellite Radio. That evening I was listening to THE MESSAGE channel and Natalie Grant was debuting her new CD, Hurricane. During the broadcast Natalie shared the stories behind each song with a small live audience. There were some very poignant moments and I found myself reaching for tissues a couple of times.  At the stoplights I also reached for my pen and notepad to jot down the titles of songs I wanted to purchase on iTunes so I could listen to them again and again.

While I like the song, Whisper, I truly liked what Natalie had to say about it.

The jist of what she said was so very often we want God to thump us over the head with what He has to say to us - if His words came like lightening, it would be so much easier to know His mind.

But He doesn't do that.

Why?

Because God is too close to yell.

He has to whisper.

That thought made me want to pull over and just listen right then and there.

It's so true. We want the message on the loud speaker. 

We're busy. 

We want it to be easy.

But the Lord wants to sit with us and He wants us to quietly listen.

My newest favorite song is When I Leave the Room. 

Natalie wanted to write a song for her little girls, but she said she wanted to write only ONE really good one. She worked at it for months and nothing seemed right. She was touring with Nichole Nordeman and had her family along. Nichole understood Natalie's heart and after the tour ended Nichole called and said, "I think I have something for you." She sent the lyrics to this song. Natalie and her husband, Bernie Herms, put the lyrics to a haunting tune that will tug at your heart. You may want to reach for the tissues before listening! It's the new Butterfly Kisses, I think.

I found my notes from the ride and have made my purchases. If you're interested in reading more about the album, you can read about it at nataliegrant.com

I hope you enjoy.

Walking on the Water

Lately the Lord seems to be reminding me to trust in Him, to recognize His Sovereignty, to be at peace with where He will take me.  That's a little scary and makes me wonder what's going to happen. Some big changes are possible for me in the near future and I don't know if the Lord is preparing my heart to trust through those changes OR if the possibility of those changes has been used as a gentle reminder that it's about keeping my eyes on Him and not my circumstances. It doesn't really matter, the message is still the same.

I temporarily lost my study Bible this week and had to read from my chronological Bible one morning for devotions.  That's was a little frustrating since it's organized by days of the year instead of books of the Bible, but as I opened it up on Friday morning, I thought, "The Lord probably has Matthew 14 on today's date!" I thought this because earlier in the week someone used that passage to encourage me re: the possible changes and I bristled a little when it was shared. Of course, right in the middle of day's reading was, you guessed it, Matthew 14. It made me chuckle.

The passage is a familiar one with Jesus walking on the water and Peter stepping out to walk with Him. He doesn't succeed for very long, but gets distracted by the circumstances, the wind and the waves, and he takes his eyes off Jesus. Down he goes, right!  The Holy Spirit wasn't being too subtle this week; I got the message. However, despite the usual reminder we get from that passage - to keep our eyes on the Lord - He also gave me one more nugget, which has been immensely encouraging.

The disciples see a figure walking on the water. They think it's a ghost at first, but then the Lord identifies Himself and says, "Don't be afraid!" What does Peter do next? He asks for confirmation (Is that you, Lord?) and then He asks to join the Lord ("command me to come to You on the water.") 

Why on earth, Peter, do you want to walk on the water?

Stay in the safety of the boat, Dude!

No. More than anything else, Peter wanted to be with Christ, no matter where that was.

It makes me think of Matt Redman's line from Better Is One Day,

"Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere."

Do we really feel that way about walking with the Lord? Are we willing to walk anywhere? Through any circumstances? The wind and the waves are always going to be there in one way or another, but where Christ is, there is safety, shelter, and perfect peace. Each day, each hour, we have a choice to abide with Christ or to drown in our circumstances. I'm practicing the choice to abide.