Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer: Psalm 9, Part 2, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you so much for stopping in! I sure hope you all are doing better than I am. It's my birthday weekend and strep throat decided to crash the party. I've been miserable, but am hopeful the coming week will be better. My husband, who is an amazing cook, made me a big pot of delicious chicken/vegetable soup! It's so soothing to my throat. Thank You, God for antibiotics, my wonderful husband and chicken soup!

Before I got sick, my husband was also in to mood to paint my sewing room. The walls are now a soft beige. It really brightened up my space!

Well, please get your favorite beverage, hit play on this week's song and enjoy your visit!

Here's the story behind the song.

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say,

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

HERE'S A WORD

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

There is so much to uncover in Psalm 9 that and I'll take it piece by piece so we can spend time reflecting on each section individually. For this week, we'll focus on verses 1-6.

Psalm 9 ^a,^b

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

1I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

2I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

3My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4For you have upheld my right and my cause,

sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.

5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;

even the memory of them has perished.

7The Lord reigns forever;

he has established his throne for judgment.

8He rules the world in righteousness

and judges the peoples with equity.

9The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;

proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12For he who avenges blood remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

13Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!

Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14that I may declare your praises

in the gates of Daughter Zion,

and there rejoice in your salvation.

15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. ^c

17The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,

all the nations that forget God.

18But God will never forget the needy;

the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

19Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;

let the nations be judged in your presence.

20Strike them with terror, Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortal.

Last week as we focused on verses 1-6, we saw how David pointed to God as the one who judges and deals with David's enemies. Then we discussed who our enemies may be and how we can have a godly attitude during times of strife.

This week we will be focusing on verses 7-10 which is all about the peace we find as we lean on Him. He will reign forever: forever. Long after we are gone from this world, God will still rein. We need not leave Earth worried about our loved ones for many reasons, the main one being that our LORD reins forever!

He has already established His throne for judgement. Well, what does that mean? It means that whether He is judging our actions or our enemies', we can trust His judgement, His decisions for our lives. He is the perfect, loving Father and judge. I'm blessed in that I had a very loving earthly father, so I understand this verse. For those who have not had that experience, give God a try. As you open your heart, your soul, your will and your mind to Him, you'll experience a peace beyond understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

I’ve learned we can stand on Psalm 9:7 with confidence. Trusting God hasn't come easy for me. It has been built and nurtured over time. My heart was once hard and bitter, convinced by life that I needed to be in total control. Could I trust this God who judges not only my enemies, but me? He has taught me that His is indeed righteous and just. He has changed me so much that I'm even learning to pray for grace for my enemies. I may have wasted years struggling against God, but I praise Him today for the never-ending love that patiently and lovingly waited for me. He's also waiting patiently and lovingly for you.

Verse 9 is much beloved and quoted: The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Oh, my precious reader, look at verse 10! Hallelujah and 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 - This one is simple: frame this cute embroidery project. Here's the one project I thought would be the easiest and it didn't get done. I'm looking forward to next week when I can hopefull shop for a frame/hoop to display it.

2. Focus

- FoF BOM: Appliqué and bind this hexie

- make the binding for the Dissapperaring Nine Patch Quilt The binding is made and waiting for its "better half" to come home from my much appreciated LAQ

- Complete 200 - 300 stitches on Darth Vader using this cross-stitch design at RinaStitchesPatterns Done! I don’t think you can really tell where the white stitches are, but believe me they’re in there!

3. Prepare/make a kit

- Do you remember my Bee Humble project? Here's what is should look like. (photo from Bits and Pieces Quilt shop) I'll be pulling it out to refresh my memory and set up the next steps for next Saturday's Sit and Sew at Be Sew Creative.

Here's where I left off - so close to finishing!

I have a total of 24 leaves and four bees with all their parts cut out and ready to go. All I need to do is embroider the detail on them. I made this carrying case several years ago. I wish I could remember where I found the pattern.

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

This Week's goals

1. Finish - frame this project

2. Focus

- Complete 200 - 300 stitches on Darth Vader using this cross-stitch design at RinaStitchesPatterns

- Even though I can't go to our First Saturday Sit and Sew, I'll spend that time embroidering some of the details on the Bee Humble leaves and bees

3. Prepare/make a kit

I’ve been wondering: Do I find as much creative satisfaction in making my kits as I do in the actual sewing? Hmmm. I do know I get more accomplished by taking the time to curate a kit for my next project. What about you?

This week I plan to attach and begin binding to the Disappearing 9 Patch quilt.

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

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 I'm starting to post these titles on Instagram on the day I acquire them as the deals are short-term.

My battle with strep throat has provided so much time for reading!

I finished the Molly the Maid Book Series by Nita Prose via audiobook. I had read The Maid and instantly fell in love with Molly. With each additional book, I fell even more in love with Molly as well as the rest of the characters. The narrator, Lauren Ambrose, did such a fabulous job, greatly enhancing my reading experience.

Highly Recommend all four books.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life. Here's our weekly prompt from LeeAnna:

Do you make anything special for Easter dinner?

We like to keep things easy, so we usually grill and then have our Easter Egg Hunt. In an effort to reduce sugar, we hide fidget toys all over out backyard. Even the teens enjoy the hunt and the toys! My husband will hide a few eggs will money in them.

Do you use special recipes or tableware? No, we usually use dispensable items.

Do you order chocolate bunnies to give out or keep? Do you bite the ears off first? We don't order any bunnies, but I may pick up a Cadbury Egg or two for myself.

What about hot cross buns or other special cookies? I love making a big fresh fruit salad for my family; they love to gobble it up!