Hebrews 6:19 - Do You Have An Anchor? Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy in... Lunchboxes?

Hello there! 

Thank you for stopping by! While this summer has brought deep challenges for our family and dear friends walking through their own storms, God’s comfort and strength have anchored us through it all.

I had another post ready to go, but God nudged me in a different direction. Today’s brief devotional focuses on anchors before we return to the Psalms next week. My prayer is that these words bring you peace and encouragement today.

Before we jump in, don't miss last week's post reviewing two exceptional upcoming releases: The Train to Santa Fe by Ginger Pinholster and Where Wilted Flowers Bloom by Johanna Rojas Vann (both out August 25th). I don't often look back at my past reviews, but these two special stories are well worth mentioning.  Ms. Pinholster included historical details that were completely new to me, while prizewinning author Rojas Vann offered a deeply comforting message on turning to God in our brokenness.

So, as you enjoy your favorite reading drinks and snacks, let's move on to anchors!

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

HERE'S A WORD

You know "The Anchor Holds" was made famous by Ray Boltz, but it was actually written by a pastor, Lawrence Chewning, who was experiencing, in his words, "A Year of Sorrows".  I listened to his story and then his song.  It still brings me great comfort, especially knowing the testimony of the original writer.  Perhaps it will also encourage and comfort you as well.  

All I know about anchors is that it's that heavy thing on a ship that sailors through overboard to keep from being tossed about during storms or rough waters. Oh, but wait!  

A spiritual anchor based on faith in Jesus Christ is extremely powerful!  

Unknown source

We can hold fast because our hope isn't anchored in the shifting wind and waves, but in our unchanging God who has given us roughly countless promises in Scripture to pray through—can we even imagine that? He gives us this eassurance in Hebrews:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain...”

— Hebrews 6:19

There is so much more in this passage, but for today, simply rest in knowing that your hope is held by the One who loves you beyond measure.

Please know this:  

You are loved.  You are not alone.  You are being lovingly prayed for.

FIBER FUN

I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories:  Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines.  FoF represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.  

Can you believe I pieced this Jalapeño table topper in less than an hour?  My basic quilting was finished in 15 minutes.  The full tutorial is here at My Cotton Creations.   Honestly, this is a great gift and so easy to make!

Last Week's List

1.  Finish - nothing is planned to be finished

2.  Focus

a.  Grandchild #3's ornament. Done!   I’m making significant progress!   

b.  Bind the quilt Done! I thought black binding would be difficult to work with, but, with good lighting, it's been a pleasure.  I’ve made significant progress this week!

3.   Prepare/make a kit - review the scraps from the Jalapeño Topper to prep the matching placemats.  I’ve picked out a pattern and am eager to sew.   Done!  Now to begin sewing!

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - binding the black quilt

2.  Focus

a.  Grandchild #3's ornament

b.  begin my Jalapeño Placemats

c.  attach the binding to the Jalapeño Topper

3.   Prepare/make a kit - nothing for now

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

15 MINUTES TO STICH

I’m joining the Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch' challenge at Life in Pieces  helps us to develop the habit of daily sewing.  Slowly but surely, it's coming along!  Amazing what we can accomplish in 15 minutes every day!

LITERARY LIFE   

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share books that they added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week.  Some of these books were recommended by you!  Do you see your reads below?  Thank all of you for sharing!

This Week's Review

***** Corby is unemployed with a secret addiction - which lead to a terrible, accidental tragedy.  The harsh realities of prison life almost undo him.  Yet a kind librarian offers him kindness and even a reason for living - at least temporarily.  How will he survive?  Will his loved ones forgive him?  Can his family be rebuilt?  

This novel reads as a biography, but it is fiction.  However, the way Mr. Lamb wrote the book feels real as he discusses several social issues such as addition, our prison system, and COVID.  

I enjoyed listening The River is Waiting due to manner in which he described the characters, the plot with all its twists and turns, the kindness of the librarian, and the societal issues Mr. Lamb addressed.  It left me with a lot to think about and possibly discuss with fellow readers.  On a side note, I will fall in love with most books in which the librarian is a hero!  Highly Recommend.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Likea on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life.  Here is this week's prompt:  "

what back to school supply would you like to have now as an adult? Fresh new notebooks? markers or new crayons? fat pack of ruled paper? lunchbox? "  

Oh my!  I love to have the metal lunch box!  That would make a fabulous portable sewing kit!  

https://pin.it/4RbNEl9af

Your comments are so appreciated! 

 🎶Here is a list of many of the songs🎶

I've shared on this blog.

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Stitching Stuff at Kate's Life in Pieces

Mondays

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Tuesdays

To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

Thursdays

I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color

Psalm 14:6 Who are "the poor"?, Fiber Fun, Literary Living - What are you reading this summer?

Hello There!

Thank you for visiting!   I enjoyed a sweet and unexpected visit with a friend, sewing and reading!   My granddaughter and daughter taught me a new-to-me recipe. It's so easy:  mix

Psalm 14:5 God Help the Fools, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

This has been a beautiful week - despite the challenges facing my loved ones.  We got two days with my grandbabies - ages ten years to sixteen years.  My granddaughter and I shopped, laughed, giggled, sang to songs on KLove  and even purchased these micro containers of Vaseline for her friends as they return to school!  They will certainly help deal with chapped lips.  

We enjoyed Taco Salad, Pizza, fudge, banana splits and even played two games of Life!  Do you remember playing Life?

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

I Can Only Imagine

Mercy Me

The story behind the song

HERE'S A WORD

As I prepped for this study, I simply highlight all the words that describe what God does for us in my Bible and make a list of them in my journal.  I'll follow the same format here. 

The Fool Says There Is No God

(Psalm 53:1–6; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)

For the choirmaster. Of David.

1 The foola says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt; their acts are vile.

There is no one who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven

upon the sons of men

to see if any understand,

if any seek God.

3All have turned away,

they have together become corrupt;b

there is no one who does good,

not even one.c

4Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;

they refuse to call upon the LORD.

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is in the company of the righteous.

6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,

yet the LORD is their shelter.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When the LORD restores His captive people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

Psalm 14

• The LORD looks down from Heaven on all mankind
• The LORD seeks any who understand 
• The LORD seeks any who seek Him
• The LORD is present in the company of the righteous
• The LORD is a refuge for the poor
• The LORD restores His people

In the face of evildoers, God sees them as well: but there they are, overwhelmed with dread. These people have chosen the path of hopelessnes. Thank God we have the hope of Jesus Christ, not only for our salvation but for the trials we face in a fallen world. We are never alone—God seeks us out! (vs. 2). He finds us.

I love the second part of verse 5: "For God is present in the company of the righteous." After a particularly vicious attack, I found myself lost in the Word seeking guidance. The LORD gave me a chapter to repeatedly re-read. I was in a situation where I had almost an hour to re-read this chapter countless times. He showed me that I was to rest in the knowledge that I was correct in my response, and to "be still and know He is God." (Psalm 46:10). He was in my company and would take care of the entire situation. And He did.

I find it difficult to believe God is simply present. When God is present, we are protected, shielded, and find peace. Sometimes, God gives us a "tune-up"—a phrase my daddy used to say as he corrected me. Even in the face of God's correction, we are still protected, shielded, and find peace in His loving presence.

What battle are you facing today? Turn to God. As the famous quote states: "Don't tell God about your problem; tell your problem about God!" Let us literally say,

"Problem, do you know who my God is? 
Yes, I may be uncomfortable right now,

 but I am in my Father's presence! 

In fact, my name is inscribed on His palms!  

So, try as you may, my God is an awesome God and He's watching you. 

I'm going to live my life and let my Daddy, the King of Kings, deal with you."

Amen!

Please know this:  

You are loved.  You are not alone.  You are being lovingly prayed for.

FIBER FUN

I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories:  Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines.  FoF represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.  FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM

Last Week's List

1.  Finish - nothing is planned to be finished

2.  Focus

- make more binding and attach it to my quilt Done!

- Grandchild #3's ornament Done! Can you tell that it’s a dragon’s foot and leg?

- quilt the Jalapeño topper not done

3.   Prepare/make a kit - At this point nothing needs to be prepped

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health! 

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - 2 FOF hexies 

2.  Focus

- quilt the table topper!  

- Grandchild #3's ornament 

-  binding the black quilt

3.   Prepare/make a kit - review the scraps from the Jalapeño Topper to prep the matching placemats

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

15 MINUTES TO STICH

I’m joining the Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch' challenge at Life in Pieces  helps us to develop the habit of daily creativity.  This week I’ve been working on my three-quarter inch scrappy hexagon project for Kate’s 15 minutes a day. Somewhere I had read a blogger made a hand-stitched hexagon quilt in only one year.  I wonder if I can finish this project by July 2027?

This week I stitch these rows together.  I worked on it 5/7 days this week.  

LITERARY LIFE   

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share books that they added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week.  Some of these books were recommended by you!  Do you see your reads below?  Thank all of you for sharing!

Here's what I've picked up this week.

ereaderiq.com 

Review for the Week:  

***** The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is such a sweet tale told from the perspective of Nana, a former stray cat. Satoru, the human who used to feed Nana, ends up adopting him due to unexpected circumstances. Life is smooth—until it's not. The pair take a journey in Satoru's van to visit friends from various stages of his life, hoping one of them can adopt Nana.

Arikawa describes this journey beautifully, leaving the reader a trail of breadcrumbs to understand past and future events. Nana is so delightfully snarky, yet fiercely loyal and true in his love for Satoru.

On a side note, over the last year or so, I've noticed that so many of the books I pick up surprise me by dealing with grief. Even the movies we randomly watch seem to follow this theme. If your heart is heavy, pick up a copy or the audiobook of The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Perhaps it will bring a bit of comfort to your heart, as it has mine. Highly Recommend.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life.  Here's this week topic:  favorite vacation - and what made it memorable.  Perhaps this is a bit of a cheat, but at one point in my husband's military career, we were stationed on the island of Okinawa, Japan.  It was like a four-and-a-half-year honeymoon. Our good friends were from there, so we were blessed to find a good church, off the beaten track places to explore and great schools for the kids.  

I saw this Reading Journal idea somewhere online.

The creator did a phenomenal job of 

making the books appear to be on the shelves  

Have you heard the song at the beginning of this post, "I Can Only Imagine"?  I loved this song before Daddy passed away and now, it brings me hope and comfort today - on the year anniversary his passing.  

I'd seen the movie, I Can Only Imagine, before but this week we watched I Can Only Imagine 2.  I highly recommend you watch these treasures on your streaming platform.  You will immensely blessed.  

These yo-yos are a special collection. 

My sewing group gave them to me 

while I was going through chemotherapy.  

I'm ready to make something with them, but what?

I'd love to hear your ideas! 

Upon my viewing of I Can Only Imagine 2, they showed this simple gratitude/grief graph.  I have decided to print it out and make it a part of my journey.  On the exact day of Daddy's passing, I will keep this basic yet powerful journal to remind me of what was said in the movie:

"He's in the storm; He's in the fire with you."

He's with you and I.

Be it through tears or dancing around worshipping God, 

I know in time,

God will help us not only sing these lyrics,

but also make them true in our souls.

The story behind

It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Spafford

after multiple deep tragedies

Your comments are so appreciated! 

 🎶Here is a list of many of the songs🎶

I've shared on this blog.

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Stitching Stuff at Kate's Life in Pieces

Mondays

Mailbox Monday @ I'd Rather Be At the Beach

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Tuesdays

To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

Thursdays

I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color

Psalm 14:3-5: God is in Our Company, Fiber Fun with Hexagons, Literary Life, Finding Joy

 Hello There,

Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. Today, I’m looking back at where my blog began by linking to my [first] and [second] posts. These archives begin the documentation of my breast cancer journey—a time that was

Psalm 14:2, Fiber Fun, Literary Life: Liar's Dice, Finding Joy in Journaling

 Hello There!

Thank you for stopping in for a visit! I skipped posting last week—life happens, right?—but I ended up accomplishing twice as much on my goals - for the blog and behind the scenes.  The rain here has been beautiful, leaving our desert plants looking fresh.  My husband and son were away on an overnight trip, and while I enjoyed a quiet morning for studying and writing, the house felt a bit too lonely without them. I was so glad when they returned!