PAGES: MAIN TOPICS I WRITE ON

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Digital Scrapbooking: October 2017

My monthly digital scrapbook post is going up at the last minute, for these pages are just freshly done! It's been a full month, filled with two trips, another busy season of Cru work, some special family times, and sweet times with friends.

These four pages that I was able to finally finish up earlier tonight capture memories from a trip that we took at the beginning of October. Our little weekend getaway to Branson, MO, was just what we needed and wished for after the two very full months of starting up Cru again for another school year.










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Note: Most of the page templates and digital products that I use are purchased from Digital Project Life. About six years ago I switched from paper scrapbooking, and took some online lessons from Digital Scrapper to learn how to digital scrapbook using Photoshop Elements. (You can also click here for some great tutorials on the Digital Project Life website - maybe a quicker way to learn than the site that I used six years ago.) Also, besides being able to share my completed pages online, I also print them out at home in 8x8 inch size to fit in the albums that I purchase from Michael's.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Quieting My Heart: Our Most Essential Work



What is it in our lives,
in our daily work,
in the things that we give
our time and our best efforts to ...
what is of most significance?

Surely there is a long list
of what we focus on,
and spend our best time on.
Things that we consider
essential, important.

And along with my list of things,
is prayer, talking with God.
For it is of great importance,
and all I do needs to be
covered in prayer. 
Of course.

But what if the praying - 
the bringing of my daily tasks,
my deepest longings,
my highest goals and desires ...
what if the talking with Him
about everything -
what if this is my most critical work?

What if entering into His heart
for the world, for those I love,
and all He longs to do,
becomes my highest goal?

"Our Lord put all the emphasis on prayer,
and He made prayer
not preparation for the work,
not a sentiment nor a devotion,
but the work."
(Oswald Chambers)

Lord, if we are looking for the significant,
may we keep our best efforts for the best work.
And then we will see You -
"through Your mighty power at work within us,
accomplish infinitely more than 
we might ask or think."
(Ephesians 4:20)



Thursday, October 19, 2017

Quieting My Heart: The Work Has Been Done



The work has already been done;
the hard work of prayer
has already been accomplished 
on the Cross where Jesus
sacrificed His life, for us.

And because of what He did,
of all that He went through,
our prayers - In His Name -
reach the Father,
and are heard by Him.

Who am I to hesitate
and to hold back,
to even neglect and refrain
from asking, and from
sharing my deepest
requests and needs
with the Father.

“I tell you the truth,
you will ask the Father directly
and He will grant your request
because you use My Name …
Ask, using My Name,
and you will receive, and you
will have abundant joy.”
(John 16:23b-24)

How can we even grasp
this greatest privilege
that we have.
And how can we thank You
for the hard work of 
Your sacrifice for us, 
and for the unbelievable
privilege of asking.


(Photo: our Autumn Blaze maple tree, fall 2016)

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Quieting My Heart: Searching for the Gold



This practice we call prayer
is really quite illusive …
we long to be faithful in prayer,
and we often struggle with prayer.

The short, desperate prayers come easy;
asking for things, for help,
but the prayer for others, 
the real travailing in prayer - 
for things of eternal significance;
well, why is it often so hard?

Could it be that the most important
actually can become the hardest;
for the gold is often hidden,
kept for those who search the longest
and with the greatest effort.

And so taking time to pray,
to faithfully intercede
on the behalf of others -
maybe it is of deeper significance
than we even realize.

For in travailing in prayer
we enter into the very center
of God's heart -
and in entering,
we become one with Him,
with His plan and purpose
for all to come to know Him. 

And maybe if we neglect
this most high calling -
“What will suffer is the 
life of God in him,
which is nourished
not by food,
but by prayer.”
(Oswald Chambers
in “If You Will Ask”)

Lord, will you teach me,
will you teach us,
to pray?
Lead us to the gold,
the place where 
we are nourished
by You.



(Photo: our crabapple tree)

Monday, October 9, 2017

Quieting My Heart: Just Come


"I am
the Bread of Life;
whoever comes to Me
shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in Me
shall never thirst."
(John 6:35)

It's as simple
as pausing,
taking a moment, 
lifting our eyes to Him,
quieting our hurried pace,
coming close to listen
to Him.

"Why would we abandon
what is simple, available,
and sustaining
for what is cumbersome,
hard, and heavy?
Why do we try to fill 
our need with what is
ultimately empty?"
(Shelly Miller)

Lord, may today
be a day of pausing,
of quieting our hearts
even amidst our work,
and of coming close
to listen and learn,
to be loved by You.


Monday, October 2, 2017

Quieting My Heart: Completely Abandoned to You



Lord, at the start of this new month,
I long for quiet amidst the noise,
for paying attention to the
small and the ordinary things,
for spending quiet moments with You
listening, learning, and following.

“Hear me as I pray, Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard You say,
‘Come and talk with Me.’
And my heart responds,
‘Lord, I am coming.’” 
(Psalm 27:7-8)

“Only when we give all of
ourselves to God -
unedited, abandoned,
even wastefully
by the world’s standards -
can we live out who
God created us to be.”
(Sara Hagerty, in Unseen)

May all of my days -
my quiet moments
and my work hours
flow from within -
a heart full of You,
completely abandoned 
to You.


(Photo: from our weekend getaway at a Branson condo -
Fall 2017)