A Lesson on Love: First Corinthians Thirteen

"Now these three remain. 

Faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13 

I heard a great message on love last week by Alice McQuitty.  

It was a hard to hear, very good message on the reality of just how hard it is to love well.

Good thing is... God makes himself perfectly clear on the subject.

We often read the "love" passages as "feel good" poetry at weddings.  

But when you read it as a filter on your life, as a means of giving yourself a "grade" on your current status of loving others, it gets real serious, real fast.

For years, I have prayed for a tough skin and soft heart so I could receive instruction from God's word.  

The Holy Spirit's conviction often stings at first, but transforming your life in response to it leads to victory~ and THAT is something that feels GOOD.

Here are two tools for you if you are serious about loving well.


1. Listen to Alice McQuitty's message on love here.

This is Alice with her sweet grandaughter Madeline Mae.

{Even more precious... her grandchildren call her "Honey"!}

She love's God's word and is great at helping us apply it to our lives.

I think you will enjoy her lesson on love.


2.  Print out the following little reminder.

These pretty printables from Brooke will keep it front and center.  I love the second one, where you can put  your name in the blanks.  I did this {ever so cautiously} because I knew by doing so, I would be challenged to apply it all...

Find Brooke's printables from Playing Grown Up here

After you write your name in the blanks, read it OUT LOUD and consider it ALL.  Then make a plan for shedding those behaviors that don't look like love.  
Praying for you {and me} today, that we would embrace the challenge to do whatever it takes to show love.  In the end, it really is all that matters.  

Finding Significance in the Abundant Life

"...I have come to give you the abundant life!"

~Jesus
A few weeks ago, I spent time with some dear friends at my annual "Abundant Life" retreat.  This little retreat started when several of us began to have questions about what we should do with the second half of our lives.  
{the goal for this little blog came out of last years Abundant Life weekend!}
 Every year we meet to reflect on the past year, 
evaluate our current commitments and set goals for the future.


This year was a special event, because it was our 5th anniversary. 
I decided to purchase a little gift for everyone to "mark" our time together.


I found a little shop on Etsy called "Oh Sweetlee Me"  
where you can select a verse to to be hand-stamped on a silver disk.

I chose to have Alely, the shop owner, stamp the reference for our key verse on the necklace:


"The thief has come to kill, steal and destroy, 
but I have come to give you the abundant life."

Not only did the necklaces delight everyone with the scripture reference and sweet pearl, but the packaging!  Could it be any more precious?  

She made a little envelope out of a page from an old book, tucked the necklace inside, added a doily and some twine and even attached the verse!  

Wouldn't a special hand-stamped verse or someone's initials be perfect for 
graduation or Mother's Day?
Find her shop HERE.
Here are some of her sweet Mother's Day ideas in the picture below:

Message for Women and Daughters: Love your body

 “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” 

1 Peter 3:3-4

Ugh. It's nearly swimsuit season. 

So I have an assignment for us.  We must read the following "Note to Self."

Share it with your friends and your daughters.

Stop focusing on your body, and celebrate God's remarkable design!

Thank you, Carrie, from Rhubarb Sky, for taking us up to 30,000 feet for a dose of perspective~ 

You may have saved our summer pool-side JOY!

Carrie looked over a few decades, spoke honestly about what she was thinking about her body and the tragic result~ we miss so many blessings when we spend time thinking about ourselves!

1991
Dear 16 year old me: No. You are *definitely* not fat.

Read the rest of her visual story HERE.

Then print yourself a little reminder at Joy Ever After HERE

Print Posters with Sound Messages {Free Printable}

Today, I bring to your attention some wonderful graphic posters.  

They may be downloaded free and framed for your inspiration, or used as a 

gift for someone you love.  

Enjoy!

With the intention to usher in a new era of social action art, ReadyMade asked illustrators and designers Nick Dewar, Christopher Silas Neal, Christoph Niemann, Open, and Mike Perry  to conceive and draw out the iconic messages of our day. Find the article and download the prints here.

This one made me think of my Blake, who has taken up bike riding~ EVERYWHERE!  

What a sweet, simple way to get around!

This would be perfect for my tree hugging friends
Matt and Kelly Shook in Austin, Texas. 
They have a cool juice shop and love living "green" 
so the trees can grow.

Kelly Bataglia will LOVE this~ she's a gal who loves locally grown REAL food...

And, well... this one might just be for me {I LOVE to meet new people!},  

or my friend Delisa Yates who has never met a stanger. 

These posters are available for downloading and framing for your pleasure~ enjoy!

Everything you Need for Easter fun and Encouragement {Free Printables}

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.  

~Virgil A. Kraft

My journey into blog-land has taken me places I didn't know existed.  

Bloggers that design and share generously are just a trail of links away... 

You can get lost in hours of discovery!

I'm bringing you some precious links to great sites~ all who offer "freebies" for you.

Won't these sweet gestures bring a smile and a giggle to your friends, neighbors, teachers and pastors?


Would be delighted if you would forward this along to your friends or post the link on your facebook... we need to infuse some color and love into this drab and dirty world!


Peeps, well... they "peep" for themselves!
from Joy Ever After

Peep, Peep, Peep! From Eighteen 25

You're kids will go crazy for these cupcakes with bunny ears from

Thirty Handmade Days

Now THIS is a BLAST!  

Surprise Easter Egg Hunt or front door Easter treat using this pintable from Eighteen 25

via Tip Junkie see pictures of their egg hunt here.

No time for shopping, crafting, buying or egging?  
Just print and send this card from Living Locurto!

Finally... the Pièce de résistance  at Catch My Party
A LOOONNNGG list of printables for your Easter Entertaining~ I think these pastel printables are my favs!
Place cards, invitations, "Happy Easter" Buntings...
PRECIOUS!

 

As much as we love spring chicks, pastel eggs and chocolate, let's not forget the one who made 'em and gave 'em to us!  This little book looks like a great way to re-center our holidays.  You can find it HERE.

Christianity Today also has a wonderful list of Bible lessons and 

activities for your family HERE.

Potted Flower Prankster Brings JOY! {Free Printable}

"When you see flowers, 

your day is brightened, it's like sunshine!"

~Marinus Koole

My font porch is screaming for color and my flower beds are dry and barren.  
Oh, how I would love to see some color spring up around here!  

A friend of mine shared a little spring tradition that she has in her neighborhood~
 It's a sneaky little project as explained in her own words below.  
{ I am withholding her name so I don't blow her cover!}

Photo Credit: Sense and Simplicity

 "For the past several years, I have anonymously given friends, neighbors, people I know who are particularly harried or down or expecting company, the gift of beautiful pots of flowers.  Sometimes I buy the pot, plant the flowers and then put it on their front porch (always anonymously).  Sometimes, however (and this is the really fun part) I drive by someone's house and notice an empty flowerpot by their entry... so I grab my gardening gloves and digger, some potting soil, a bottle of water and I dash to the nursery and buy the flowers.  Then, when I think they're not home, I pull up to their curb, hop out, plant the pot, give the flowers a bit of water, and drive off.  So far I have never been caught!" 


I had the privilege of receiving two gestures like this when I was going through cancer treatment.  Once when a neighbor planted flats of begonias in my flower beds, only to be discovered when I walked out to get the mail!   Another time, I answered the door to find, not a person, but a pot of beautiful yellow mums sitting cheerfully on my porch.  At the time, I had no energy for planting, so the gift was an extra special blessing!


Here is a card you might like to download to use in your next flower prank~  
you could sign it "Just Because... from a neighbor who cares!"
From Living Locurto HERE

 Or a cute message on a stick from Tip Junkie HERE

Or a sweet card with a spring message HERE

Have fun planting happiness!

Pies for Soldiers~ Royer's Round Top Sends It's Love!

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.”
~Jane Austen

 

We didn't know you have to make reservations WAAAYYY in advance if you want to go 

to Royer's Cafe during Round Top's Antique Fair.

But we REALLY wanted to go...

So we waited...

For 3 hours.  

Until 9:30 p.m.   

{And it was worth it}

Bud, sittin' out front, taking reservations, and chattin' with folks.

A collection of Bud's cigar butts add character!

I had seen a segment on Royer's Cafe in Round Top on the Sunday Morning Show and had been drooling ever since.  Licking the juice off my fingers from the blackened pork chops, smashed potatoes and black eyed peas was everything I'd dreamed.  And the Pie~ oh, my!  


The bonus to our late night was that we closed the place down, and true to the Royer's recipe for a successful cafe (which involves lots of "friends"), Bud Royer came over to meet us, sat down at our table, and stayed a while.

When Bud is navigating the crowds out front, he only has enough time to welcome you to his place and send you inside.  But if you have the privilege of spending time with him, you discover a man with a big heart.  We learned of the history of his place, he pointed out his kids~ all whom have a roll in the business.  He laughed and smiled and told stories~ even had a few extra pieces of pie sent over for us to try...each one as good as the next.  But in the end, what we enjoyed most, was getting a glimpse of this man's heart.  


Bud loves Jesus...and people...and the community he lives in.  He brags on his kids and grandkids, pointing out the picture-plastered walls of the ones he loves.  We learned that Royer's has made pies for Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a homeless ministry in Austin, and we learned that Bud loves soldiers.

If you go the website, you can send a pie to a soldier over seas that you know, or let Bud select a soldier for you.  What a way to send some home-made love to a soldier lonesome for the good ol' USA!   Here is a little video I shot of him while he explained the project to us~ Don't you just love Bud's turquoise jewelry and flamboyant apron?  They are like a garnish that embellish his vision and heart!

If you head down to Round Top, 

make sure you say "howdy" 

to my new friends, 

the Royers!