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Psalm 148: 7-14- ” Praise the LORD from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!
JOSHUA 10: 12-14- “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”
Just recently, my husband sat reading this amazing story to my children. Christiananswers.net summarizes it this way. “In Joshua 10, the Bible tells the story of the day when the sun–and time–stopped. The Israelites were fighting the Amorites in Canaan. During the battle, Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stop, so he would have extra daylight to finish the task. Scripture records that this prayer was answered: The sun “delayed going down about a full day” (v. 13). The very objects in the sky that the Amorites worshipped fought against them!”
As I read the story, I could envision this brave warrior asking for the sun and moon to stop, and the colors of this colorway were born. Christian answers goes on to say,
“Several modern interpretations of the story have been suggested:
- Some say there was no actual miracle, but only the use of poetic language. The Israelites had fought so hard that it just seemed like two days of work in a row!
- Others propose that a cloud shaded the sun, keeping the day cool enough for the fighting to continue all through the afternoon. However, this relief from the heat would have benefited the enemy as much as Israel.
- Similarly, a solar eclipse has been suggested as causing reduced sunlight. But eclipses of the sun last for only a few minutes, not a whole day.
All of these explanations fall far short of the statement that there has never been another day like the one described (Joshua 10:14, cf. Habbakuk 3:11 – “…Sun and moon stood still in the heavens…”).
What really happened on that special day? As with all miracles, it is futile to speculate with scientific theories. The details are unclear, but we know that God could have refracted the light, or slowed the earth’s rotation, or stopped the entire universe–all with equal ease!
Time stopped for Joshua, and it ran backwards for Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:9-11).
God used this event as a special sign to show Hezekiah that he would regain his health. The sun’s shadow moved backwards by ten steps, probably five to six hours on the sundial. That is, the sun appeared to move eastward instead of westward. The conclusion is again the same, that such a miracle is beyond scientific explanation.
God may have temporarily reversed the earth’s rotation, including all its inhabitants, or the miracle in Hezekiah’s day could have been local instead of worldwide. The latter view is supported by 2 Chronicles 32:31, which describes envoys who traveled to the land where the miracle occurred.
Joshua and Hezekiah both made lofty requests of the Lord, that the very heavens might be altered. And God answered their prayers. The sun, moon, and stars obey the Creator who placed them in the sky by the power of his word.”
I also found an article that NASA may have found that “missing” day. It is an interesting and though provoking read. Regardless of the conclusions you may draw, I do know that God’s word says it is true, and I choose to believe it.
Psalm 119:160 – “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
Job 12:22- “He reveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings the deep darkness into light. “
“Abby’s Flower Clothes”
"Big Sister, Little Girl"
Named for a favorite character in a favorite movie
Named for her mommy (her doing)
From God We Learn How to Live
Job 13 -25 “True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for. If he tears something down, it’s down for good; if he locks people up, they’re locked up for good. If he holds back the rain, there’s a drought; if he lets it loose, there’s a flood. Strength and success belong to God; both deceived and deceiver must answer to him. He strips experts of their vaunted credentials, exposes judges as witless fools. He divests kings of their royal garments, then ties a rag around their waists. He strips priests of their robes, and fires high officials from their jobs. He forces trusted sages to keep silence, deprives elders of their good sense and wisdom. He dumps contempt on famous people, disarms the strong and mighty. He shines a spotlight into caves of darkness, hauls deepest darkness into the noonday sun. He makes nations rise and then fall, builds up some and abandons others. He robs world leaders of their reason, and sends them off into no-man’s-land. They grope in the dark without a clue, lurching and staggering like drunks.”
I really like this passage. I believe the end times are upon us. There are many things that are happening in the world that lead me to believe that. (But all of that is another post.) One thing that gives me comfort is that God is in charge of it all. He IS sovereign, and he IS the one who allows things to happen- all for His glory. The leaders of nations, the falling of nations- He is in control. And I can trust Him. And I’m so glad for that. 🙂
This series is a new series. I’m calling it “Emory’s Mysteries” because Emory is the one dyeing these. As she has watched her mama run a business dyeing yarn, she often wants to help. Sometimes I let her. Each of these colorways will be one of a kind, as there is no way to really replicate her work. lol
Emory at 18 months, with Abby
This first one is called “Abby’s Flower Clothes.” She named it after her beloved doll, Abby. As a small child, she took the doll everywhere. She slept with her, and loved her. One day, she realized that the clothes could come off. After that, Emory rarely slept with Abby, but only wanted her flower clothes. And that is all she still sleeps with. Do you know how hard it is to find a nine-inch doll’s clothes when a toddler misplaces them? But somehow, we have managed to keep up with them, over the course of 4.5 years. They are tattered and have holes in them. But, they are well loved!!
Emory (at 3 years old) sleeping with her beloved “Abby’s flower clothes”
And she and her sister taken at 6 years and 4 years old.
1 Peter 2:11,12- “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-6, 8-10– For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven–God-made, not handmade -and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move–and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. That’s why we live with such good cheer…We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
In honor of my friend and partner, Colleen Kueter of Spiffy Knits, who traveled to be at home with the Lord in October of 2008.
Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ”
Psalm 37:4-6 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
Created as a custom for a special customer. She’s such a neat gal, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to “know” her. She and her husband have been hoping to add another member to their family for quite a while. And recently, she found out she was expecting again. She was so excited. They were simply overjoyed. Yet, the elation didn’t have a chance to last long as she ended up miscarrying. It’s been a tough time for them. To want a baby so bad, to become pregnant and then to lose it, all within a matter of weeks. It can be a hard season, for sure. Yet she’s really relying on the Lord for strength. In fact, she had some verses that have really meant a lot to her in this time. I will copy some of what she shared with me.
” Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
These verses are a total encouragement to me, especially at the time of my miscarriage. They helped me to keep my focus on God’s will, rather than my own will. People are amazed at my “recovery” after my miscarriage; but I just tell them that God has replaced my grief with an unmistakable, unbelievable peace & happiness.
Psalm 37:4-6
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
And these verses remind me of God’s promise. If we commit our way to the Lord, our desires become His desires. And he will give these to us.”
God knew her desires. He still knows them. Though there are hard times, He can replace our sorrow with joy. And because He loves us and desires the best for us, when we delight in Him, He will give us our “heart’s desire.”
James 1:13-18 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
This colorway was inspired by this famous box from Tiffany & Co as a representative of a “Good Gift”.
Sometimes I find that though I understand scripture, the other people can explain what I am thinking in a much more concise way. Therefore, I am turning to some commentaries to help me explain this passage. Don’t miss out on my story of “my gift” too.
First, is “David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible “.
On verses 13-16: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”: Temptation does not come from God. Though He allows it, He Himself does not entice us to evil, though God may test our faith without a solicitation to evil (nor does He Himself tempt anyone). ames knew that most people have an evil tendency to blame God when they find themselves in trials. But by His very nature, God is unable to either be tempted (in the sense we are tempted, as James will explain), nor can He Himself tempt anyone. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed: God doesn’t tempt us. Instead, temptation comes when we are drawn away by our own fleshly desires and enticed – with the world and the devil providing the enticement. Satan certainly tempts us. But the only reason temptation has a hook in us is because of our own fallen nature, which corrupts our God-given desires. We often give Satan too much credit for his tempting powers, and fail to recognize that we are drawn away by our own desires. Satan’s great strategy in temptation is to convince us that the pursuit of our corrupt desires will somehow produce life and goodness for us. If we remembered that Satan only comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10), then we would resist the deceptions of temptation more easily.”
Verse 17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above: From our own fallen natures and from those who would entice us, we expect no true goodness. But every good and every perfect gift comes from God the Father in heaven. With whom there is no variation or shadow of turning: God’s goodness is constant. There is no variation with Him. Instead of shadows, God is the Father of lights. In the ancient Greek grammar, James actually wrote “the Father of the lights.” The specific lights are the celestial bodies that light up the sky, both day and night. The sun, moon, and stars never “turn off,” even when we can’t see them. Even so, there is never a shadow with God.”
And from “Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament”, more on verse 17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift. The difference between good and perfect here, it is not easy to mark accurately. It may be that the former means that which is benevolent in its character and tendency; the latter that which is entire, where there is nothing even apparently wanting to complete it; where it can be regarded as good as a whole and in all its parts. The general sense is, that God is the author of all good. Everything that is good on the earth we are to trace to him; evil has another origin.”
And now for my personal take on the subject. I’m not sure how many of you know my story into the “yarn business”. But honestly, it was very sudden. I was dyeing for fun for my daughter and everything was the way it had been. Then we did one called “Morning Glory” (you can read more about it by searching for it here). After naming it, and thinking about how it applied to God, bells began to go off in my head. I began to wonder if it would be possible to name each one from the Bible. And with that thought process came a new way of living. It was as if instantly my vision had been changed. All of the sudden, I saw colors I’d never seen before. I could visualize things on yarn. And I KNEW it was a gift from the Lord. My special gift from Him. My way to reach out to people and share with them about our awesome God, while doing something that I love. I knew I had to honor him with my work. Truly, I am so grateful for my gift that the Lord bestowed upon me.
And He has given me so many more. He gave me Himself, His Son and His Spirit. He gave me a husband that has been so supportive of this endeavor. He coordinated the forming of my partnerships with Lea and Colleen. He has given me so many opportunities to touch other’s lives. He has given me wonderful customers who have encouraged me in countless ways. And I am so thankful for it all. I’m sure there will be bumps and hiccups along the way, yet as long as I am glorifying Christ in all that I do, I will be satisfied. And in knowing Him, I truly have the Best Gift!
Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
This colorway is lovingly named for the head Mentor in our MOPS program, where I am on the steering team. Wilma has willingly served us “young” ladies for 3 years, and over those 3 years, I’ve come to love and admire her greatly. A couple of weeks ago, she wore this lovely sweater that I knew would be a beautiful colorway. It was periwinkle, with purple and black argyle pattern on it. I decided then that I could honor her by naming this yarn after her and telling the world what a wonderful influence she has been to me.
One of my favorite aspects to MOPS is the fact that we have mentors available. This is my 4th year in MOPS and each year, I’ve been blessed with an amazing mentor. I’ve had opportunities to get to know four older women, and each of these women and all of our mentors embody the command of Titus 2.
Joyce always has a smile and an encouraging word, even despite caring for a sick husband and her own battle with breast cancer. Linda is so gracious and even threw me a surprise baby shower when I was expecting my 2nd baby. Pat is the queen of hospitality. She is always joyful in everything she does. And Wilma- well, her passion for the Lord is evident in everything she does. She serves the Lord and gives to Him out of a willing and obedient heart. And now in my 3rd year on steering, I can honestly say that Wilma has become a “mother of my heart.” She has guided my heart toward the Lord with her words, prayers and actions. I could go on and on about the hearts of our wonderful mentors. Each has been chosen because she displays the characteristics of a Titus 2 woman. And each has served in such an amazing way.
You see, the first part of this verse commands the older women to basically check their behavior. Are they modeling Christ in their lives? If they are not, they can not teach the younger generation. Thankfully, all of the women who have graciously taken on the task of mentoring at MOPS this year (and in the past) have gone above and beyond this call.
The verse then tells the older women to “teach” and “encourage” the younger women to live Godly lives at home. The older women’s times with young children afoot are past. Yet, in mothering themselves (and surviving it) they have grown and gained much wisdom. The mentors are here because they love us, care about us, want to see us flourish in motherhood, and above all- to serve Christ in everything they do.
I think the younger generations of today are missing out by not getting to know our “seasoned” women. Each and every one of these ladies is amazing and wants to bless us in numerous ways. You may or may not have a mentor at your table this year. But each and every one of them still desires to see all of us be fruitful in our lives. So my challenge for you today is to think about this verse. Are you following the commands of God here? If not, who can you turn to who can aid you in your pursuit of the honor of God? Look around today. There are “mentors” available to every young woman. I pray that you may find someone who you can call a “mother of your heart.”
You can learn about a MOPS near you at: http://www.mops.org/
Psalm 118:21-22- ” I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”
Matthew 21:42- “ Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, `THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’? ”
Acts 4:8-12 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
I am going to take this opportunity to talk about a subject that is very dear to my heart: Christ being who he says he is. I will be explaining it in 2 parts, here and on “Jordan”. This part concerns the fulfillment of prophecy.
My husband has a book by Frank Harber called “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” that specifically touches on this subject. On pages 66-67, he talks about “Evidence of Messianic Prophecies”. “The truth of Christianity stands upon the fact that Jesus is the Christ. If it shown that Jesus did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies, then Christianity would not be true. No other religion has such a stringent test imposed upon it’s leader. In Jesus Christ, 456 identifiable prophecies were uniquely filled. Chances of any man fulfilling just 48 of such prophecies is a probability of 10 ^157 ( or ten to the 157th power). This figure, calculated by Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus at Westmont College, has been confirmed by the committee of the American Science Affiliation. The fulfillment of Messianic prophecy at such a high level of probability indicates a supernatural agent. The fact that Jesus is the Messiah is not just a clever guess, nor could Jesus been an impostor who carefully arranged the fulfillment of all the Messianic prophecies. To reject Jesus as the Messiah requires an unbelief that runs counter to the laws of probability. ”
Now there were some that could have been fulfilled by a man, but some would have been impossible to control. For example, it was prophesied in Micah 5:2, that he would be born in Bethlehem some seven centuries earlier. And in Isiah 7:14, to be born of a virgin. And that he would be from the house of David. And both Mary and Joseph were from David’s lineage (isiah 11:1-5). How much control does one have over his birthplace, heritage and parents? And shortly after his birth, to escape the wrath of Herod, his parents to Jesus to Egypt, which fulfilled 2 prophesies: Hosea 11:1 about them leaving Egypt and Jeremiah 31:15 when Herod had all the 2 year old baby boys killed thinking he would kill Christ in the process. And the first 2 chapters of Matthew, 5 separate prophecies are fulfilled. And it goes on and on!!
Many people say that they Christians are unscientific. That trusting in just “faith” is trusting in nothing. Yet, when presented with the true picture, it is simply hard not to believe. For example, I’m going to use the lottery. I took it off this website.
http://www.webmath.com/cgi-bin/lottery.cgi?count=7&low=1&high=50
I calculated my odd of winning a 7 number lottery using the numbers 1-50 to be: 1 in 99,884,400. (taken from the above site.) Here are some other odds for the sake of comparison:
You have about a 1 in 2,000,000 chance of being struck by lightning.
A pregnant woman has a 1 in 705,000 chance of giving birth to quadruplets.
Someone eating an oyster has a 1 in 12,000 chance of finding a pearl inside of it.
Now, lottery odds can be pretty incomprehensible. How can we possibly have any “feeling” for the number 99,884,400? To help you with this, here’s a little experiment you can try to “get a handle on” what a 1 in 99,884,400 chance really means.
Get a piece of rope or string, that’s 103 feet long. In a wide open area, arrange the rope or string in a circle, end to end, the best you can. Get a single grain of sand or dirt (use tweezers!) and place it anywhere you wish inside the circle. Get a second grain of sand. Close your eyes, and “disorient” yourself as to where the grain of sand is that you placed inside of the circle (have someone spin you around or something!). While you’re inside the circle, drop the second grain of sand from 1 foot up.
Your chances of hitting the first grain of sand with the second is roughly equal to the odds of “1 in 99,884,400.”
So that that seem crazy? Impossible? Now go back to the original odds I gave you. For Jesus to complete just 48 of the 456- it would be 10 with 157 0’s behind it. Jesus HAS to be the Messiah! Hope you enjoyed that.
... a time to dye 