by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
5 Reasons Why You Should Start Writing Morning Pages – Right Now!
by Nicky Hajal
“For years I’ve wanted to write daily but been unable to. The proof is 5 or 6 journals filled with just a single entry. Then, I came across
Morning pages in
The Artists’ Way, by Julia Cameron. The idea is to wake up and immediately write three pages about
anything, simply transcribing your thoughts.Their purpose is not to be shared with
others or even reread by yourself but simply to create awareness and to
free your mind of all the chatter. They work incredibly well and have had a huge impact on me since I started consistently writing in December. I know you have a ton of things to accomplish and I want you to accomplish them. That’s why I want you to write morning pages. But before I go into the
how of getting into morning pages (next post) I want to go more deeply into
the why.” To read the article in its entirety, click here.
Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin, by Robyn Stone @ Add A Pinch
This has become a go-to favorite for these empty nesters! The aroma alone should require Weight Watcher points. It’s very simple and anything in a crock pot grabs my attention. Add the crock pot liner and you’ll also have an easy clean up. Add Jasmine Rice and a veggie. Voila! I’d love to know what you think when you give it a try.
This recipe is a favorite, but so is Robyn’s site, Add A Pinch. It’s filled with great recipes, travel tips, homeschooling ideas and much more. Enjoy!
100 Days of Real Food – Meal Ideas and Resources
Ready to cut down on processed food? Lisa Leake does a terrific job in offering delicious recipes, along with FREE meal plans!
How to Create a Cleaning Schedule that Works for You – Living Well Spending Less
This has been a favorite site of mine for awhile but this article in particular has proven to be especially helpful. You’ll want to visit this site often as Ruth serves up helpful tips on saving money, easy DIY’s, and much more.
Do you spend time trying to earn approval from others? From God? Jennifer Dukes Lee Love Idol was recently released and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. You know if Susan Stilwell promotes it, the book is slam full of truth with little fluff. My kind of book! I’m considering trying an online study group for Love Idol this summer via Google Hangout. If you might be interested, leave a comment on the blog and stay tuned!
Studying God’s Word, eating healthy, spending time/money wisely and spiffing up our skills all enhance the fragrance we have to offer each other and the world. Don’t you agree?
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
Tea and encouragement. I prayed God would weave them together for a greater purpose. I’d hosted tea parties in my home but sensed God shaping my desire into something even more personal.
One day, while browsing an antique shop in Myrtle Beach, SC, I spotted the answer to my prayer sitting on a shelf, painted in delicate blue/yellow stripes and shaped like a petite one-cup tea-pot. With it, all the other details flowed into place.
When we returned from the beach, I wasted no time assembling a “Barnie Basket,” Barnie, aka Barnabas,”Son of Encouragement,” from Acts 4:36.
Each week, I’d pray for God to give me the name of a woman in our church in need of encouragement. On Sunday mornings, I would ask her to meet me at my car after the service. There, I would hand off the basket and point to the enclosed note card for all the details.
In the note, I shared how God had laid her on my heart and that inside the basket was an opportunity for one-on-one tea time with her heavenly Father.
In the basket, I placed:
- One answer-to-prayer teapot
- One teacup, along with an individually-wrapped teabag
- A journal and pen (the recipient was encouraged to journal about her time with the Lord and to read the entries made by previous recipients.)
- Homemade cookies, packaged biscotti, or tea cookies
- Mini-scripture notes written specifically for the recipient
She need only place the teacup, teapot, and journal in the basket to return to me the following Sunday morning.
That was almost twenty years ago.
Five years ago, a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. I desperately wanted to lift her spirits as she would soon face a double mastectomy. Then I remembered that this friend was one of the first recipients of the Barnie Basket all those years ago. I searched my shelves for the journal that had traveled home with so many friends and turned to the page of her entry. In it, she shared in detail how she trusted God above all else — no matter what. I carefully removed the page from the journal and framed it for her, presenting it to her a few days before her surgery. It was a special moment, indeed.
We never know, do we? But God does.
Tea Maker
Steeped in His Word
Infused with His love
Sweetened by His Spirit
Stirred from above.
-Patsy Clairmont
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
Do you sometimes go to a particular spot to pray?
I have a friend, Dee Dee, who lives in the NC hills. Actually, a hollow. When introducing me to her several years ago, Beth used the words prayer warrior. Now I know why.
Many a day, Dee Dee has headed outdoors to her prayer bush on my behalf or that of my family. At times she places a ribbon on the bush as a reminder of a particular request. I’m hoping she’ll blog in more detail about her special place of prayer in the near future.
While a bush itself holds nothing special when it comes to prayer, I took two things into consideration when picking mine out:
- I searched for an evergreen as a reminder that Jesus always lives to intercede for me. (Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:25). And unlike deciduous shrubs, evergreens remain the same regardless of the season. (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8)
- Fragrance was a must. Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! Psalm 141:2
The winner? A four-year old Fragrant Tea Olive. It just so happens to be one of my favorite shrubs (which explains why I’ve planted 6+ in our yard.) It’s not the prettiest shrub in my yard, but then again, neither are my prayers. They’re simple, not eloquent or poetic, just as my Father desires.
So, how about you? I’d love to hear one of your favorite places to pray and/or what shrub you would choose from your yard to use as your prayer bush.
Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this
fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by
those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:15
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
I wonder if she peeks over my shoulder on days like this.
Days when I comb my granddaughter’s hair like she once combed mine. Soft and slow, watching each strand snap back into place.
Days when my granddaughter takes off running for the daffodil patch in hopes of finding one to pluck from its hiding spot.
Days when I sit with my baby grandson on one knee and a “big girl” granddaughter on the other, both vying for my attention — one with a coo and the other with a pat on the shoulder.
Days when tears make way over my crooked smile as I stare at pictures of another sweet granddaughter far away, yet so close to my heart.
I know of no biblical evidence to support my wondering ways. Yet to place any mortal-minded limitations to what God might do in the heavenlies is foolish.
The Word does say that we cannot perceive what God has prepared for those He loves. So does this mean I believe God somehow allows my grandmother to occasionally peek through the portals of heaven?
I can’t say for sure, but on days like this, I can’t help but smile at the possibility.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. Psalm 125:2
Welcome to the makings of a Psalm 125:2 Tea Gathering! The purpose of this particular gathering is to surround a person with love, encouragement, and prayer. The honoree may be currently going through a difficult time or will soon be facing one.
Consider ahead of time: Ask those who will be in attendance (except the honoree) to be praying about a specific verse they feel God would have them share with the honoree during your gathering. Also, they may want to consider a word of encouragement to accompany their verse. This will be one of the most meaningful moments during your gathering, so giving your guests a week or more to prepare their thoughts will enhance your time even more.
Click here to get all the details on this gathering from the setting to closing out your time together. Feel free to change it up! These are simply suggestions I’ve discovered to be helpful along the way.
What’s your favorite part of a tea party? If you’ve never attended one does it sound like something you’d enjoy?
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
