At the Cross

The Easter song that is playing in my heart and my head this weekend: At The Cross by Hillsong

We started to sing this in church a few years ago when I was singing on the praise team. The lyrics stuck with me as we sang it week after week but I haven't thought about them lately until this weekend when the were placed in my heart again. The lyrics are comforting, permission for stillness in a busy world.

"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 us 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!"

"And when the earth fades, falls from my eyes, 

And You stand before me, I know You love me, I know You love me."

The bolded lyrics really stand out to me. They tell a story of acceptance, commitment, protection, and unconditional love. That God knows my every move, and yet He still loves me. We strive so hard to get acceptance from other people, which is normal. As humans we all want to be accepted. But no one in this world knows our every move, our every action, our every thought. God knows EVERYTHING and I can still be assured that He loves me. Despite my failures. Despite my mistakes. 

We transition through life seasons. Emotional seasons such as excitement, joy, sadness, grief, boredom and seasons of life like childhood, adolescence, college, young adulthood, child-bearing and child-rearing, empty nest, retirement. Through every season God loves us. Empathizes with us and never leaves us. Nothing separates us. Nothing.

He goes before us, so there is no reason to ever live in fear. He is our Shield!

And the three words that get me most: He said that "IT IS DONE." No more striving. We are free to receive grace and live in peace. It brings to mind the word complete. 

This Easter I hope you rest in the assurance of God's Love, Protection, Completeness, and Peace.

Sewing Adventures!

FINALLY posting the product of my sewing adventures a few weeks ago. I don't sew often... but my mom and grandma both love sewing. I guess my love for crafting is genetic. My grandma taught me how to sew one weekend when I stayed with her on her old black Singer sewing machine, similar to this one:

image source

I think we made a small little purse with a flap closure and I remember she told me not to sew over my finger.

A few weeks ago, I think Pinterest gave me the sewing itch. It was my roommate's birthday, who also happens to be my sorority Big.... So I went to her Pinterest boards for ideas of what she might like. I had lots of options because she has an astonishing number of pins... 7,603 to be exact! I chose to use this tutorial. Mine looks a little different because I added the ties hanging down.

   

Final Product: A cute pillow and a happy roommate! 

She even recognized that it was from her Pinterest!

Sticky Note Desk Frame

My supervisor at my internship uses sticky notes ALL the time! Last week was her first week full-time there so I made her a little sticky note holder. I saw it here via Pinterest and it is such an easy gift idea!

I bought a plastic frame from Joann’s for $0.99 (Don’t worry, I had a 20% off coupon on top of that!), and used paper, glue dots, and embellishments I already had.

I cut a piece of background paper the size of the frame. Mine was 3.5×5 inches. You could use any size and mix it up with different sizes and numbers of sticky note pads. You could also include a quote or picture if you used a bigger frame. I used her initial, a piece of ribbon, and a few little flowers, trying to coordinate the paper and decorations with the colors of the sticky notes. I wanted to keep it small so it wouldn’t take up too much room on her desk.

The sticky note pads were attached with glue dots. One in each corner- nice and secure!  It was accompanied with this card!

 These would make great gifts for teachers, college-bound students, and anyone who loves making lists. I guess it would be perfect for someone who is forgetful but I hope you approach this one carefully!

God is Not my Business Partner

Grace has never been easy for me to accept. It’s a hard concept for me to grasp in this business focused, achievement-oriented world. I think the reason grace is hard to accept is because it doesn’t make sense. A phrase that sticks out from high school economics class is this: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” There are always hidden costs and fees. Always fine print. When something seems too good to be true, we ask, “What’s the catch?” It is hard for us to believe that we can receive grace without any hidden responsibilities for us to fulfill. It’s hard to believe that there is no “catch.”

I have been reading the book of Romans in The Message lately and it explained the concept of grace and God’s promises in an interesting way. In Romans 4, God’s promises are contrasted with a business contract.

“If those who get what God gives them only by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract. That’s not a holy promise; that’s a business deal.” –Romans 4:14

Thinking about the difference of a contract and a promise, I looked up the definitions and here is what I found:

“Contract: an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.”

“Promise: a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one”

Interesting. Am I treating God too much like a business partner rather than my Holy Father? Am I relying too much on myself to earn something that cannot be earned?

Two things stand out to me in those definitions. First, a contract is “between two or more parties.” If God had offered us a business deal, a contract, it would be between the two of us. It would depend on me and God. I would have to hold up my end of the deal. But a promise is made “by one.” Because God has offered us a promise, it depends entirely on Him, not us. Secondly, the definition of a promise emphasizes that something will happen. Not might. Will. It is something we can count on.

The Message goes on to point out that a business deal has lots of fine print. This may be what makes us cautious. We are used to fine print. To details we must obey. With God’s promise, there is no fine print.

I will leave you with this, something I am trying to remember: “…But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise- and God’s promise at that- you can’t break it. That is why the fulfillment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and His way, and then simply embracing Him and what He does.” –Romans 4:16

My Crafty Weekend!

I had such a crafty weekend! Something I haven’t had time for in a long time!

I have trouble relaxing and resting, trouble not being productive. Crafts are a good balance for me: fun, expressive, and give me a sense of accomplishment.

I took several snapshots of the craftiness this weekend! Here are a few:

I
had to got to go here twice! I had a 20% off your TOTAL purchase, INCLUDING sale items the first trip! The second trip was only because I forgot something but there are worse places to have to return… and I still had my 10% off student discount card! — If you are a student anywhere, ask for one of these!

Pink, black, and white fabric, pins, and an online tutorial..

My grandma’s sewing machine… The one my mom learned to sew on!

Sewing isn’t always my craft of choice… but I did really enjoy making this. All straight lines. Not too difficult. And I cut out the fabric on the living room hard-wood floor while getting to spend time with my parents. Bonus!

I can’t reveal what this fabric creation is yet because it is a gift… But I will share a picture of the final product soon and my other two weekend crafts soon!

We also had beautiful weather! A much needed break from the cold and ice. It seems we haven’t had too much snow but lots of freezing rain lately- So I was excited to be able to wear an outfit like this:

No socks! Rolled up jeans! I even wore a pair of my favorite shorts the next day!

And I loved the walk I took with this sweet 5 year old, my niece!

 We had races (she’s fast!), played “don’t step on the crack,” and jumped across some rocks. Fresh air and great conversation!

Can’t wait for spring and summer!