Timeless

Timeless pieces of cotton, aged but still rugged. Stitched together, all by ancient hands. Hands I've never met. Although I've heard their story.

The story is bitter sweet, this quilt of many colors....made over 100 years ago, and yet there is not a tare. Every stitch is made with human perfection. Fabrics from vintage dresses, work shirts, and feed sacks. If they could speak.......

Would they speak of life and lessons learned? Days of dancing in the sun and crying in the rain? Would they tell us of hard times and withered hands? The dear old woman who gave me this quilt spoke of hard, happy times and growing up. This family heirloom will be passed down as long as the hundred year old stitches hold it together.

She along with her quilt has for quite some time been silenced. In her last days she spoke more and more about going home to our Lord. This Great Aunt of mine has left not only her quilt, but a legacy. Unlike this old quilt there is another timeless piece that will never be silenced.

It's ageless. The words spill from it's pages speaking as loud as thunder , then ever so gently like a soft rain. Stories written by ancient hands, passed down from generation to generation. Like the quilt, I wrap the words around me and I feel safe and warm.

 In time the quilt will fade and some day tare. It will lose it's warmth. The stories will be no more.

 Yet this one timeless piece will forever be. For the saved and the lost. It's stories have lived on......longer than 100 years. Thousands of years His word has been passed down. They will continue to live on from generation to generation, from heart to heart. This Ageless, Timeless family Heirloom will forever be passed down.

His word speaks LIFE, even after death. The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

Open Gate, Open Door

As I watched this fence go up and the posts be put in the ground. It made me think of why we put a fence up. I mean the ones in life. Are we putting them up to keep something in or to keep something out? I don't believe that this post and barbed wire would be good for any ones life. accept a farm animal.

Fences have gates, just like  your heart has a door. You either choose to open that door or keep it closed. About 17 years ago I made a choice to open that door to my heart when my Savior came knocking. I still keep it open, to let that love flow in and out.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Art: By Greg Olsen



When people see me I want them to see Christ and if I put up that fence and shut that door, they will not see even a trace of Him.

With an open door there are no boundaries and no telling where His love could go.

From Berry to Preserve

Berries pulled from the freezer, from last summer's harvest. These little red nuggets are like gold to me. Because the dear couple that raised them are old family friends. They have been there always. They are now getting on in years.......The berries start out bright red.

But when I add the sugar, I am reminded how they compliment eachother,The two together become a beautiful deep rich red. That's why we preserve them together. Without the sugar it would be too tart and without the tart it would be too sweet.

People and relationships are that way.....one compliments the other and when the mixture is just right it becomes beautiful and deep. You should take all the steps needed to preserve what you have.

The sweet old friends that grew these berries will always be preserved in my mind....I can't remember a time that they were not there.

Like so many others .....They make a good a mixture that compliments my life. Why wouldn't I want to preserve that?

What comes next?

I made a call  to one who has shared my childhood. She, like my sister has been there all through the years. Cousins are extended family, closely intertwined. We share a special bond even though miles separate.

 She said," we are having a family meeting tomorrow night." I knew what that meant. Her Daddy is dying. I feel her pain through the phone. If only I could hold her while she talks about letting him go. The miles are many and my heart is heavy, longing to be there. "We are going to discuss what comes next." She said.

 I've prayed and talked with her about the plan I know, the plan of salvation.  The one of certainty, the one where you don't have to worry about where you will be after this life. I'm afraid that won't be discussed in their "what comes next." It's so easy to grasp, so easy to hold onto especially when one is letting go of all they've known here in this mortal world. Right now all I can do is pray. In my small mind, Sometimes I feel like I should do more, but it's not me who does the saving, it's not me who creates miracles with one breath. And though I trust in Him and what He has instore, the pain is still there. It helps to know that the pain is only for this world.

So as I cling to the memories of younger days and times when us girls (cousins) did not think about this day that comes for everyone. I'm left with the thought that it's a choice we all have to make. Nobody can make it for you. Love is only love when it's not forced and He does not force His children to come to that safe, saving place. It's His love that asks you to come home and get out of the harsh wind of life. It's His love that wants you to be free from the pain and the tears. It was his love that sent His one and only Son to die for you. It's His love that brought you here And It's his love that can take you HOME!

So I am doing only what is left for me to do.....I am praying with all my heart with all the love that He has filled my heart with......That when they discuss "what comes next." I pray they all make that choice. The choice to accept His Love, to accept His Gift. I pray for clarity of their minds, that whatever they don't understand will become so vivid  they will not beable to  focus on anything else. I pray His Love comes to take her Daddy home, I pray His love will one day take them all home................

One size fits all?

I have realized over the years that you can have multiple children under the same roof, but you can not treat them all the same. A punishment that works for one will not work for another. The way you teach one will not help the other.

It is the same with adults. The way you communicate with one person, strangely will not apply to the next.

 I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1Corinthians 9:22

An opinionated, confrontational person can silence an honest communicator and push them away. Be careful not to force your ideas and knowledge on others. Be kind, gentle and realize that others have ideas and knowledge of their own. It's the key to good communication and a good relationship.

This is not a one size fits all world. God made each of us uniquely different. What works for one may not work for another. The one thing that does fit all is LOVE!

Does His light shine in the darkness?

Are your wonders known in the place of darkness?~Ps. 88:12
 Open the door to your heart, let His light shine. See His Amazing Wonders.They are everywhere, Look towards the heavens, look here on earth. Look at the miracles taking place in Haiti. Even in such darkness the light somehow shines. Look at the light He restored in a little ones heart. Amazing signs and Wonders abound! Open the door and let the light shine!