A Week Of Making A Change

For several days recently, the power company had workers on the property doing maintenance work. Every year they come through and trim under the power lines so they will be easily accessible in case of an emergency. This means lots of chain saws, men on ATVs driving up the ridge and back and one loud Great Dane keeping them all in their place.

"Work Area Ahead" signs were up in several places for a couple of reasons. First, the workers set up signs at the bottom of the driveway and at the first turn coming up so we'd know exactly where they were. They didn't want us to pull in or out of the driveway, possibly running them down in the process.

The second reason was so we'd understand why it was so noisy and the landscape was being changed. The first year they did this, we had no idea how much work they'd have to do. This year, though, there was much less new growth under the power lines, so the work only took about a week to complete. The changes will have many positive effects in the months and years to come, so the noise and disarray was well worth it.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10

Just like our landscape changed and is constantly changing, so should our spiritual lives. Paul, writing a letter from prison, told the church that he was praying a very specific prayer for them. More than anything, he wanted them to continue growing and learning more about the Lord all the time. There would be no point where they'd learned all they needed to and could throw in the towel because they'd "arrived." That wouldn't happen until they'd reached heaven.

Make this a week of making a change. Maybe you need to read Scripture on a more regular basis, or you might want to join a new Bible study, prayer group or Sunday school class. Is God calling you to be a Sunday school teacher, youth leader or part of the kitchen crew? This is a great week to mix things up a bit, start down a new path and grow in all those spiritual places. Just hang out a sign to let people know your work area is ahead. Then they'll know God is making amazing changes in your life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more