Ebenezer Journal

When I was attending the Focus on the Family Institute last summer the women created Ebenezer journals. These were journals used to help us remember what God has done for us. They are called Ebenezer because of the passage in 1 Samuel 7 where Samuel sets up stones to remember that God had helped them. I created my journal and ended up putting all of the wonderful verses God has used to romance me with. A big part of my experience at the Institute was just God calling me to Himself and revealing to me how much He loved me! So my Ebenezer journal is used to remember God's love for me! Anyways, I thought I would share with you the verses that God has romanced me with.

"You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride." -Song of Solomon 4:9-10

"And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. " -Hosea 2:11

"For your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy one of Israel is your redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called." -Isaiah 54:5

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." -Hosea 2:14

"Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."

-Psalm 34:5

"You are altogether beautiful, my love, there is no flaw in you."

- Song of Solomon 4:7

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord."

-Psalm 45:11

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. " -Exodus 19:5-6

"I am my beloved's and His desire is for me." -Song of Solomon 7:10

Disney's Earth

Go see it. I was completely enthralled from the very first second to the last. It was full of beautiful images of God's breathtaking creation. I loved it. Plus, you get to see a trailer for Disney's next documentary which comes out Earth Day 2010 called Oceans. (I'm pretty sure I squealed when I saw the trailer.)

"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." -Job 12:7-10

Commitment to Loveliness

Hosted by http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/

Five things to increase the loveliness in my life:

1. Wear dresses and skirts.

2. Be welcoming to every person that I meet.

3. Attempt to slow down and simplify.

4. Sit outside and relax.

5. Paint my toe nails.

Jesus said:

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Matthew 6:25-34

Lord,

Help me to believe that you are my provider.

Help me to rest in your promise that you will take care of me.

Help me to take care of today and not worry about tomorrow.

I lay my burdens down.

Amen.

Interested in learning a new language?

http://www.livemocha.com/

A few months ago I stumbled across this website and I have been very impressed! Livemocha.com is a social networking website for people who are wanting to learn a new language. They have completley free software and lessons to help you learn the language of your choice and I have been nothing but impressed by it. You create a profile and can add friends who are fluent in the language that you are learning to help you strengthen you skills even more!

I am about half way through Spanish 101 and I have learned so much already! At the end of each lesson you are prompted to write a few sentences about what you learned and people fluent in Spanish grade it and help to encourage you! Also, I have been able to help those that are learning English. They currently offer courses in17 languages and are working on several more to offer (including Hebrew!). If you have any interest at all in learning a new language or just brushing up on your skills then you should head on over to http://www.livemocha.com/

Meditations from Philippians 4

Philippians 4 was the topic at Night of Worship tonight. There is so much wisdom packed in this little chapter...

"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 4:6-7

I mean how wonderful would life be if I could just sit back relax and trust in the Lord? Paul says do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but PRAY and TRUST in the Lord and He will bless us with peace that guards our hearts and minds and surpasses all understanding. What would my life be like if I prayed instead of worried? Definitely something for me to ponder.

"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." 4:8

God commands us to think on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable because these things will honor and Glorify Him. I definitely need to become more aware of my thoughts and only entertain those that are holy and pure. This is not an easy process, but I have the advantage of the Holy Spirit working in me! :)

"...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." 4:11-13

Being content is such a blessing, but it comes in waves. I can't say that I've learned to be content in every circumstance. I'm working on living with an attitude of gratitude and I think contentment comes with that. I need to realize that Jesus is enough. Period.

Prayers and Lessons:

1. Give all of my worries to the Lord and relax in His promises.

2. Think only on what glorifies the Lord.

3. Realize that I have all that I need in Jesus to be content.

Busy Little Bee

Apparently my goal lately is to crank out a purse a day. I made this sparrow purse today and the guitar one is still a work in progress. I will possibly be selling these on Esty.com soon. Who knows. I might just give them away like I did my flower one. Ha I know grandma loves it!! :)

Cultivating Gratitude

"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you..."

I have been thinking about this verse a lot lately. God wants me to be grateful for what I have in every circumstance. I have plenty to be thankful for so here are my top twenty...

1. Jesus

2. Family

3. Friends

4. Music

5. Flowers

6. Laughter

7. Creativity

8. Wisdom

9. Passion

10. Hospitality

11. Worship

12. Prayer

13. Sunshine

14. Thunderstorms

15. Joy

16. Innocence

17. Contentment

18. Femininity

19. Masculinity

20. Grace

Sewing Projects

I recently made my very first dress! I was planning on wearing it for Easter, but it might be too cold. Anyways, I'm pretty excited that I made something that actually fits me!





I also made a reversible tote bag out of some material that I had on hand. Since I'm only working part time right now I've been thinking about putting some items up on Etsy.com. I am working on some more projects and will post them soon!

Relay Marathon

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
-Philippians 4:13

I ran in a relay marathon on Sunday. It was a huge challenge for me and I really didn't know if I was going to make it through. My leg of the race was six miles and I was the third one to run so I had a lot of time to psyche myself out, but I wrote Philippians 4:13 on my wrist and said a few prayers to calm myself down. The day of the race it was FREEZING, like 20s and 30s and running six miles in that weather was the very last thing that I wanted to do, but I had no choice. I had already paid my $20 and committed to the team. Darn it.

As I was waiting for my teammate to come and touch my hand to start my leg of the race I realized that I had to go to the bathroom and didn't have time!! All I could do was stand there and stress out about how I was gonna have to hold it for an hour while running. Well I finally started my part of the race and didn't really know if I was going to be able to run the entire thing, but I took it one mile at a time. I think it might be easier to run in the cold because you are numb and have no idea what kind of pain your body is in! ha. I was able to run the whole six miles without stopping (a feat never accomplished before in my life!!) and half way through my teammates passed by me in there car and cheered which really enouraged me.

One thing I really love about running in races is that everyone is so encouraging towards one another. It is like one big family. They had volunteers at every mile standing in the freezing cold simply to point us in the right direction and cheer us on! It was very encouraging. I'm glad I made it through alive and I just might have to make this an annual thing!!

Welcome

Welcome to Graceful Little Honey Bee. The name of this blog was inspired by my own name's meaning. Thanks for stopping by! I just recently finished college and am in the process of figuring out what God has next for me. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." It is my prayer that I can live this verse out as I seek full-time employment, marriage, or whatever else God has in store for me!