Lessons About Church Family

 

 (My rainbow sparkly socks we knits with hand dyed yarn from Fibernymph Dye Works Yarn 

The Winter time is when all my hand knit socks get worn most!)

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:9

Hi Friends! 

Currently a Winter ice storm is passing through and it’s just plan ol messy outside. Do you feel the Winter blues?  I never have until the last few years and it seems the dreariness and shorter days without sun light has affected my mood. It’s definitely a time I have to proactively find some light and sit or stand in it! 

Finding light lately has been through encouragement from my church family. I often think about these past 2 years of the pandemic we have lived through and am thankful for people in my life who text to check on me and my family. The food sent when we have been sick at just the right time. It’s those little deposits of encouragement that add up in our life to fill us when we are sometimes depleted. 

Maybe we can think of someone who might need a text to check on them? It’s a simple act of love yet even I don’t do it enough. 

Someone told me in conversation one day they liked being single and alone. They believe God has them right where they are suppose to be. I can understand that. Also, in this conversation they had heard me say church family was a blessing yet they didn’t really see the blessing of a church family at least I don’t think right away. I said, church family aren’t the same as your biological family. Your fellow believers will pray for you and sometimes be there when your biological family can’t be. When our love of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming in our lives we want to be generous to our sisters and brothers in Christ. We will be compelled to help in ways we probably never would with our Christ living in us. 

I guess the point I am trying to make is even though we enjoy being alone or our singleness we still need community, a family whether a church family or biological, and we all need the love and encouragement of Jesus Christ! 

I pray today that you seek those in your community that could use a hug, an encouraging word, or a warm place to stay this Winter. It is this deposit of love into the lives around us that in turn we are taught and learn more about Gods grace, mercy and love towards us. 

Be well ~

Tracy 

“do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of other.” Philippians 2:4 

New Year Same Me

 

Hi friends, 

Let get caught up since we haven’t talked in awhile. It’s already a new year but it’s the same me. LOL 

As you know, I have been rather quiet on social for months between the holidays, sickness and moving to a new home it’s been as you probably can guess exhausting. I have had no mental capacity for anything. My creativity has been lost and honestly I have struggled with depression through it. I am better today. 

As I struggled from the day we decided to move, I kept going on like life as normal yet it wasn’t. I decluttered what has felt like not just my house but my heart. I got rid of so much yet replaced it with new and different things. I have never in my marriage had the peace we feel now since moving. Decluttering my heart from defeating thoughts that just because we move doesn’t mean I can’t garden or I am less because we down sized our home. I know God moved us from a place I loved and frankly I felt like I gave up so much yet gained so much more! We lived for 7 years on a small farm and it was amazing. I had animals and a large garden. It was exhausting at times to care for but so special to see God use me to grow not only a garden but in faith with Him over those years. God restored my heart when I was struggling with kids and marriage. Many tears have been shed over how much God grew me there and our family closer to Him. I needed restoring and He answered many prayers and in answering one simple prayer of financial freedom we have prayed for many years God moved us physically to a smaller place. It wasn’t easy and it felt like He was peeling back one layer at a time which hurt so bad in a good way. The freedom we wanted required something from us and God provided a way. 

We are parents and grandparents and being close to family means so much. It’s family and church family that builds us up in these times of change. God is in the business of restoration friends. Don’t hide away when things get tough. We need community. 

“For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.” 2 Corinthians 13:9 NASB

I can say today that we are settling into our new home. I see big things happening here too. Don’t worry I am planning the garden beds already to be built this Spring. There will be flowers and veggies still! 

Keep knitting, 

Tracy 

#knittheGospelintoyourheart tag me on IG! 

A Grace Filled Heart Changes Us

 Grace never looks for a reason; it only looks for an opportunity. ~W. Wiersbe 

Happy Monday friends, It’s cool here and I am taking in slow breathes of grace today. I am wrapped in a sweater and socks but also intentionally sitting in the sun in any other season this would be crazy. LOL 

Today’s opportunity is to listen to God and wrap my mind around what He wants of me. As much as I look forward to new seasons, I also seem to dread change sometimes? Isn’t that’s an interesting thing about people?  

God is who and what will never change in our life. We are dependent on an unchanging and all sufficient Savior. This revelation of God brings about thanksgiving and a heart for giving. A grace filled heart will desire the things of God and will be a grace giver with everything given to her. 

Hope In Every Season

 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭NLT

Everything feels so heavy. The prayer requests for the sick and hurting. The natural disasters and civil disruption around the world we see happening. It’s too much. It’s all too much for my heart most days. My heart aches and feels helpless yet I know there is hope. I hear the prayer requests and pray. My prayers can seem so small but I don’t want to underestimate the power of prayer. I believe our prayers bring down the power of God upon our lives. In my flesh I want to do more than pray because it seems too small. Yet this simple act of obedience makes a huge impact in the kingdom. God wants His children to pray and be alert.‬‬ 

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

‭‭Micah‬ ‭7:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is hope in every occasion even if we are blinded by those circumstances. I know His goodness is here. I want to feel it. Don’t you? I don’t want to stop praying in the highs of life to only be found one day at the lowest searching for God.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today my prayer is that I will rise to the occasion fighting in prayer for others. 

Pray without ceasing. 

Pray with a trusting heart. 

Pray with my sisters in Christ. 

Pray for those needs and requests around me daily!