Finding joy in the everyday

By Terry Jack Artist: Terry Jack

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Dear ladies, not matter what your plans are for today, whether that be going off to work, working from home in a home-based business or a stay-at home wife and mother, we must rejoice in whatever situation we find ourselves in and we must pray without ceasing .  Do not face the day until  you have faced God in prayer.  Five days a week I roll out of bed at 5:40am  which isn't something I enjoy — I look forward to the weekend just so I can get a few  extra  hours of snoozing. I shower, get dressed, feed the cats, pack my bags and off to work I go. I am in the car by 6:20am so no time to eat breakfast, instead I have it at work. The drive is quite pleasant and I listen to music on the way. I  dropping my son off at his workplace and...

Lot’s wife L ikewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (Luke 17:28-33) There is very little written about Lot’s wife, we don’t even know her name.  However, we all remember one thing — she looked back and that was her downfall.  Lot, his wife and daughters lived in the wicked city of Sodom — a place of terrible sin and debauchery and one no Christian would ever want to reside. The story of Lot starts with the arrival of two angels:...

Art Friday: Sweet birds Did you know that birds are mentioned in 55 bible verses in the bible and not just mentioned, the different types are name as in Leviticus. Here are just a few: And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, the kite, and the falcon after its kind; every raven after its kind, the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (Leviticus 11:13-17) I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. (Psalm 102:6) The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land (Song of Solomon 2:12) He also sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had gone down from off ...

Lagom Lagom (pronounced [ˈlɑ̀ːɡɔm]) is a Swedish word meaning "just the right amount”, "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right".  Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", and "suitable" (in matter of amounts). In 2016 we all embraced the Danish concept of Hyyge — the concept of cosy living with friends and family. This year it is all about Lagom — which is all about " not to little, not to much, just right ". Lagom is a uniquely Swedish term that doesn’t have an English equivalent. Not only does it not translate perfectly into English but its just a very Swedish idea, or feeling. A popular etymological translation is “around the team” meaning enough food or drink for everyone at the table, this translation is said to go back to Viking times. Lagom is “Just enough,” “Not too much or too little,” “Just right,” “Enough to go around,” “Fair sha...

Be honest, what is your weakness? For some people it is chocolate, eating, shoes, computer gaming, reading romance novels? Wasting time? Procrastination? Social media? Television? Soap operas? I knew a lady who would spend all day at the shopping centre wandering from shop to shop. I couldn't imagine anything worse and what a waste of time. However, with online shopping we can now virtually wander from shop to shop and spend hours and money buying things all from the comfort of our homes. Our weakness no longer requires a car trip or much effort. Of course there are some very damaging and dangerous weaknesses that harm others — gambling, pornography, alcohol, drugs, affairs.   Whilst my weaknesses are not in the same league as those dangerous ones listed above, any weakness c an get out of control all too easily. Before you know it, you have run up huge debts and drowning in shoes or clothes or whatever the weakness is.  Therefore it is important...

Artist: Angela Clayton Seamstress I wanted to share this very talented young lady with you. She is 19 years old and lives on Long Island in New York. According to her blog “I began sewing three years ago and instantly fell in love with the process. I'm almost entirely self taught and have learned through trial and error. I always do my best but things don't always turn out so well - that's probably partially due to the fact i'm ambitious when it comes to sewing, If I want to create something I'll do it regardless of how complicated it is.” When you look at these few examples, I think you will agree that she has an incredible gift.  Here is a link to her blog :  https://doxiequeen1.wordpress.com Instagram page:  https://www.instagram.com/angelacostumery/ Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/angelaclaytoncostumery

I know this is long, but its so worth reading. It was written in 1913 by J.R. Miller but as you read it, it is more than relevant to 2017.  We spend a great deal of time minimise  our children's suffering, accidents or even fights with their siblings so our children are happy and have an easy life, however what we aren't teaching them is  resiliences , problem solving skills and that they will face  issues  they must deal with and it will be painful. This needs to start early and for the first time we have a generation of children who have been wrapped in cotton wool and will find life much harder to cope with compared to  previous  generations. We also have a generation of children that have wrapped their parents around their fingers and the child's happiness is  paramount regardless of anything else. We no longer let children play games where there are winner and looses so they don't get upset. Even sports have been altered so the...