awareness of the beauty of life

And yet all we need is an awareness of the beauty in life to make us richly content. 

~Gladys Taber

There is much work to do.

 On some Saturdays you might find us working across the street at Good Drop Ridge. Since I went to my High School Reunion last weekend, my husband stayed home and decided he would do a few things that needed tending to, but I was a bit unnerved after his confession ...like being out on the tin roof cleaning the gutters... alone. 

My childhood friend and her husband are trying to encourage us to open and provide Good Drop as a airbnb. I am not completely convinced I want to open my little rural countryside cottage to those I don't know, but my husband is more open to possibly  doing so in the future. However, I  know I would definitely enjoy being a hostess welcoming overnight guests.

This day we carried the table from the sunporch and enjoyed the dappling of sunshine alongside a few appetizers in the pleasing autumnal afternoon.

I had a bit of time to review my James 1 scriptures too.

Sometime this week I hope to share with you how I am personally going about Bible memorization. There are countless expressive remarks encountered when someone hears about active Bible Memorization. I want to encourage others to memorize God's Word not in any way discourage it.

Thy Word have hid in mine heart 

that I might not sin against Thee.

Psalm 119:11

Blessings!

a simple pear dessert

The pear harvest is now in full swing and I thought I would share this recipe with you. It is simple and it is delicious.  

Begin by slicing a pear in half, removing the stem and core. You can either peel it or leave the skin on, I have done it both ways. It really just depends on your preference.

In a small saucepan melt:

1-2 Tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar

 A dash of vanilla extract

Place the pear in a baking dish, flesh-side up. Pour the cinnamon syrup over the pear. Turn it over and coat both sides well. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Serve topped with vanilla ice cream, whipping cream, or yogurt. I like to add a few pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I usually  prepare this dessert using two pears, one for me and one for my husband. I double the syrup mixture, of course! 

a daybook entry

 I keep journals. I keep daybooks. Somewhere in betwixt it all there is a blending with piecing my days much like a beautiful, quotidian quilt... one that is much loved and much used.

Since I have enjoyed reading some of your similar posts regarding your days and since I have included a label saying"daybook" on my sidebar, I believe it is proper on this lovely Monday in October to do a daybook entry. 

Outside:

The weather is still pleasant and calming to one's soul, "specially ordered" I am thinking. The luminous full moon shines in the evening's sky alongside the pinky-colored glow of the setting sun. I look forward to beholding it again later today. 

Gardening:

Finally, I planted the little pansy plants into the long planter. I bought these plants several weeks ago, I have watched them grow while watering them, but not until today did I successfully plant them in the intended place. Certainly, they are ready to be cut back at this stage. Also, I am cleaning up the cutting garden, gleaning a few peppers, okra, and herbs. The blackberry bushes are awaiting my pruning , hopefully later this week.

I removed the leaves from the dried oregano stems that were cut back in June.

In the Kitchen:

Canning pears. I declare I believe pears are one of my most favorite fruits, pommes for sure. I ordered 20 pounds from Azure this past month and I have them on my October order too. We eat pears daily and I preserve the rest. 

Menu Planning:

An easy week of meal planning overall. My husband is out of town tonight, then on Wednesday we eat at church. That only leaves three nights with two meals of leftovers already covered in the refrigerator, chicken pie and spaghetti.

Reading:

 Reading biographies are a favorite genre of mine especially those that have the addition of material depicting a particular historical time frame.  I read The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson about two months ago. It is about Winston Churchill and England during the beginning of WWII. I found it quite interesting and informative. From there I decided to read a book about his wife, Clementine (pronounced "Clementeen").  

I am also reading His Word in My Heart By Janet Pope and Spiritual Warfare, The Battle for God's Glory by Jerry Rankin. The later is one my Sunday school class decided to read.

Handiwork:

Continuing on with the embroidery project I have shown in the past, but I am now back to knitting a carry- along project, a simple sock using # 2 double points and Patons Kroy FX yarn. Today, I brought down from my third floor sewing room the quilt I promised my husband last winter. It is ready to be pinned together for the forthcoming hand quilting to begin. I am looking forward to the cooler evenings and the engagement of that peaceful endeavor.

Venturing:

I walked the ridge, but that is not actually getting into the car and driving anywhere, though I will be taking Ivy to Swimming practice around 5:30 today.

Planning:

My high School 50th Reunion is this weekend. The only reason I agreed to go is because my dear childhood friend ask me to go with her so she would not have to go alone. Though it will be nice to walk those halls of my high school memories after so many years.

Bible and Memorization:

We are studying the book of Daniel in Precepts this year. I am continuing with my James study and hope to have it completed by early November. My daily devotional includes Acts and John at the present. I am currently memorizing James 1:1-14.

Around the House:

  An itch I get ever so often...rearranging furniture in certain rooms of my house. 

Quote:

"In the rush and n rise of life, as you have intervals, be still. Wait  upon God and feel His presence; this will carry you evenly through your day's business."     -William Penn

hiding God's Word in your heart

"Systematic memorization of Scripture is a discipline that every Christian should practice. It is a powerful weapon in the spiritual battle"

-John MacArthur

I grew up in a church that promoted memorizing scripture. I was taught Bible verses through song and constant repeating in Sunday school classes, in the lists of scriptures to learn with fun challenges through Vacation Bible School, and when acquiring the next step up in GA's I was required to memorize larger passages of Scripture.

 Though the years into adulthood I have never lost my desire to be a memorizer of God's Word, but I have not had a true systematic way that I have continued in over time. During the summers when I homeschooled my children, we would use the Scripture Memory Fellowship resources. That was fun, and if we found another family to participate with us that added to the motivation. I would continue throughout the year using various SMF materials that were very helpful and at the least kept me trying to memorize with some form of success.
I am older now. There are no excuses left of why I can not take the time to focus on letting Bible Memorization become a daily lifetime discipline in my life. I have more alone time to review and less years to see all the rich benefits to my life that memorizing God's Word will provide, both spiritually and in general.
I like listening to others that have prioritized memorizing God's Word. I am journeying on to the next step of memorizing an entire book of the Bible. Since I began a Bible Study this summer in the book of James, that is the book I am presently memorizing.
Is it easy? No. It is a discipline. But I can tell you with complete confidence, it does get easier. You witness the delight of those verses staying with you throughout the day. You find opportunities to pray  specific verses in a particular situation. You meditate on God's Word constantly and it changes your thinking, more importantly, it changes you.

I would love to hear from any of you highlighting your stories and experiences of memorizing God's Word. It has never been an easy task to get a great deal of active support with memorization of the Scriptures. Many women want this discipline very much, but more times than I want to count start off with, " I just can not do it". I say we can.