Little Brain - Great Big God

As a child that watched a lot of super hero movies I have always wanted one superpower and that power was super-intelligence.  I have always wanted to know the secrets of everything.  I wanted to know everything the geniuses knew and more.  I wanted a brain that fired on all cylinders at full power at all times.  I wanted to comprehend everything I read and retain it into my memory banks for future withdrawal.  I didn't want to know a lot about a little or even a little about a lot...I wanted to know it ALL!

We serve a GREAT BIG GOD!  His love and majesty is beyond human comprehension.  Our brains weigh about 3.3 pounds and we only use a small fraction of them.  We can’t wrap our little brains around our Big God.  Isaiah 40:12 tells us that God held the oceans in the palm of His hands.  Why do we try to put Him in a box that we can explain?  God is OUR Creator, He explains us to us!

As I was meditating on this God revealed to me that our limited use of our brains wasn’t always the case.  When Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden, Adam was perfect, mind, body and soul.  God breathed His breath of life into Adam - GOD’S DNA – Adam was PERFECTION personified.   

Adam TALKED with God, he UNDERSTOOD God, he communed with God.  It took Adam’s entire brain to be WITH GOD.

No burning bush, no cloud, not in a dream…They walked and talked WITH GOD AND ALL HIS GLORY!   Adam and Eve understood fully the realm of the supernatural which was the way God intended.  The Supernatural is the natural way of living God intended for man.  The natural way things are today are the complete opposite than the original intention of our Creator.  Our normal natural is so abnormal that we should be ashamed that we have settled for less than the best of God.

The fall of man was the greatest tragedy this world has ever faced.  God said when you eat from the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall surely die…they did eat of it and the death surely came. 

It just took time.  They were walking in the Garden with God, in HIS GLORY!!!  Man was never intended to die; he was made PERFECT and was meant to live forever.  However sin caused Adam and Eve to be removed from the Garden and the presence of God. 

Sin cannot exist in the glory of God.  Adam and Eve had to be removed from the Garden.  

It took hundreds of years for their bodies to succumb to death because the Glory of God is just so awesome it took that long for the process to take place.   The Glory of God past through them generation to generation. 

The further and further man got from God, the less and less of His Glory was running through man’s DNA. 

The less man’s brain was needed…this world does not require our brains to be running at full capacity as it was intended and that is why over the generations we lost usage of it.

Can you imagine what it will be like after the rapture, going to Heaven, being in the Glory of God…we will be perfect again just like He intended before the fall.   We all will have the power of Super-Intelligence...Divine Intelligence.  We will be whole in the presence of our God.  

We will be able to comprehend just HOW GREAT our GREAT BIG GOD really is! 

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Fear is not our Portion

I happened across this quilt pattern when my memory went to my first quilt. 

My friend Betty taught me how to quilt by making a placemat. It had all the principals needed but in less than two hours, I had a prototype for a quilt. That little lesson sparked a fire and I wanted to make MORE.

I had gone to a yard sale and for $1.00 I had bought a bag that had some hand-sewn quilt blocks and was full of fabric pieces to make more blocks. I went home to work on my first solo quilt. (Pattern was SHOO FLY - pictured)

I didn't know anything about the fabric having bias or straight of grain...I just used what I could find to make the blocks. 

Betty came over to visit and I showed her what I was doing. She said, "Girl, could you have picked a harder block?!?" More lessons ensued learning how to make the block correctly. I ended up making a HUGE king sized quilt.

As I look back 20 years ago, my lack of knowledge didn't stop me from jumping in with both feet - going for it, making a block that was beyond my skill set.

How many of us let our lack of knowing something from moving forward. "I'm scared, you do it!" or "I don't know how and I am afraid to mess it up!"

When I was a young teen, I knew I was to minister the word of God. However my fear of messing it up, caused me to run from my calling. 

For decades because I didn't know how to answer questions about my faith, I kept my mouth shut. The more I kept my mouth shut, the more I drifted from God. The more I drifted from God, the further I got from Him. The further I got from Him, I ended up going down a really bad path.

After 20 years of running I came back to God, still hiding from my calling. Another 10 years later, I have finally accepted what God wants from me. 

Am I scared, not anymore. Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world, right?!?!? 

I pray that I continue to be as bold and brave as I was when I made that first solo quilt. So what if I make mistakes, I find that I learn the most when I do. Perfect the once mistakes so that they don't happen anymore.

As fear tries to buzz around my mind, I will SHOO it away like the pesky FLY that it is. SHOO FLY, shoo. If it ends up becoming a big pest, squash it dead. 

Is there something that you have been wanting to do or try that fear is stopping you in your tracks? 

Pray, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to use that boldness that He has already put in you. Ask for guidance, He'll show you. 

When the enemy whispers doubts in your ear, tell him to GO. God gave you authority over him, he is under your foot, squash him, the doubt and the fear.

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Blood is Thicker Than Water

Last night I taught on the book of Joel.  The name of Joel means Jehovah is God.

As a child I was told that Joel meant Proclaimer of God – you can probably guess why I remember that.  I remember that day vividly.

It was a Sunday like every other Sunday back when I was in Junior High.   I attended Northeast Assembly of God church in Fresno.  In order to get to go I had to ride the church bus.  Henry Tong was the bus driver and had been since I started attending during the summer before the 5th grade. 

I remember being one of the oldest kids on this bus and was proud when Henry let me assist in leading Sunday school songs to younger passengers.  I got to be his helper until he got married to the lovely and sweet Laurie.  At first I missed being the bus helper but when Laurie started teaching us wonderful things of God, I quickly got over myself. 

That day’s lesson was not the typical lesson.  Laurie taught on the meaning of names and brought a Baby Name Book to tell each of us what of our names meant.  I was not particularly excited to participate in that particular activity as I never could find my name on anything that kids with normal names could. 

I really didn’t want to hear how she couldn’t find my name in her book. 

However that wonderful lady must have read my face, or maybe she felt that icy wall of attitude that I immediately built, as she looked up my name without waiting for me to ask. 

That day I learnt that my name Joela derived from the name Joel meaning Proclaimer of God.  That was the day that I fell in love with my unique name.  

(Later I ran from the calling that my name prophesied but that is a story for another time)

The great thing about what the prophets had to preach in the Bible is that it is not just for God’s beloved people Israel. 

Because Christ came to this earth,

lived out the plan of the Father,

lived a sinless life,

was a living example of how we should live this life,

died for our sins

and through the dunamis power that raised Christ from the dead…

we have the chance to live a life that is full of God’s glorious blessings. 

That we may be apart of His family by being adopted into the Royal Family of God.

If any of you know my family’s history you know that my family is not all related by blood.  Some of my closest relatives were adopted into our family.   Related, Not Related, Adopted, Not Adopted, everyone in my family is my family and i love everyone of them – blood or no blood.

I find it rather amusing that my family had a saying of Blood is thicker than water…Did you know that Blood is a mixture, not a compound, and therefore does not have a chemical formula?  Water’s chemical formula is H²O.  So even though my family may not have been blood, they considered everyone blood that entered the family. 

Isn’t it great that when God adopts us, we become related by blood?  The powerful blood of Jesus is stronger than the biological blood that runs through a family’s pedigree.

Some people think of adoption is just someone took in unwanted children.  But it is so, so much MORE than that.  Children may not be wanted or properly cared for (or whatever reason) by their bio-parents but they are GREATLY DESIRED and CHOSEN by the adoptive parents.

It is the same way with God, HE CHOSE us.  The world may have cast us aside not thinking much of us.  But God Loves us so much, that He chose us to be in His family, He chose to send His only begotten son to this world to die for our sins so that we could be worthy of His Royal Pedigree.

Becoming a child of God is as easy as ABC:

ACCEPT Jesus into your heart

BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross for your sins

CONFESS you are a sinner

Once we become children of God, we are members of His family.  HE LOVES us so much that He forgives us for all past sins.  We are accepted into His ROYAL FAMILY, we regain our Royal Status and our Royal Inheritance.  All we have to do is say yes…then our names are in His Book of Life.   

If I was thrilled to have my name found in the BABY book of names, I can just imagine the emotions to be felt when He reads off my name in the book of life as I enter Heaven. 

It is our job as members of His Royal family to make sure that the lost find their way to Him.  No matter our calling the assignment is the same, the Great Commission was not the Great Suggestion.  We are to proclaim the word of God and spread the Good News.  We help the lost be restored back to God’s family and get their names in HIS BOOK of LIFE.

You would have to hate people to not tell them about the best thing that ever happened to humanity...JESUS.  Jesus is Love.  His message was love.  He told us to love God and love others.  Don't think that you could love all people?  Start by loving God with your all.  When you love God first and foremost you are able to love others more than you can if you put them first.  

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  His blood was shed for us to live.  Living a life that is full and abundant because when we accept Him we become HIS BLOOD and nothing can beat that! AMEN!

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

You Are Special

I am proud of: 

1. Joy, Chris, Jeannie and the grandchildren that call me Nana Jojo
2. That I was a part of James Caldwell’s life and helped to ensure his mark was left upon this world through the above mentioned children and grandchildren – he mattered!
3. Of my entire family; right, wrong, related or not, adopted or not, I love them all whether they like it or not!
4. To have been the daughter of Ilene Thrift Manes
5. That even though I may have been abandoned at times during my childhood that I had family that swooped in to save me from ending up in the foster care system
6. That I no longer have abandonment issues
7. That by watching mama get thrown around, I was determined that no man would ever do that to me
8. That I didn’t kill those that tried to use me as a punching bag…even though it came close 
9. That I didn’t go to jail for “assault with deadly weapons” that were in my reach as I defended myself from the above offenders
10. That my Mexican family that took me in, wanted to keep me when mama showed up wanting me back and that to this day they still love me and consider me one of their own
11. That I have a husband that loves me and even though I have doubled in size since he met me he still considers me beautiful
12. That I am an extrovert that does enjoy being alone having “me” times
13. That even though I only have a high school diploma I have a decent job with decent pay
14. That I had enough credits to finish high school 2 months early, being in the graduation ceremony with my class of 1984, receiving my high school diploma even though I got married at 16
15. That I was not pregnant when I got married at 16
16. That I am loyal…at times I am even loyal to those that don’t deserve my loyalty
17. That I no longer host Pity Parties with the theme of “Why Me”
18. That I am an encourager of those who need lifting up
19. To have been brought up with the mindset, you are never too poor to help others
20. That I am a giver…sometimes to a fault
21. That I am a child of God
22. That I am bold about my faith
23. That I know my calling and I am fulfilling God’s plan for my life
24. That my personal motto is: I am blessed, not just to say I am blessed but to be a blessing
25. That I am sensitive, you will not cry alone in my presence
26. That I am still a kid at heart
27. That I am not embarrassed to get into the floor to play with children and be one of them, after all they are my people!
28. That I am organized
29. That I am no longer ashamed of “me”
30. That I am no longer a migraine sufferer – I am well in Jesus Name!
31. That I am a writer and soon an author!
32. That I am a sewist (I am not a sewer) S E W E R is something gross that my plumbers have to deal with and what I do with fabric is not POOP
33. That I am the queen of copying
34. That I am a teacher of my passions - whether it is card making, scrapbooking, sewing, computer basics, organizing, Sunday school, Bible Study or even how to make enchiladas from scratch, I will teach anyone who wants to learn.  Male, Female from 2 to 102 – I love teaching others that they can do it too
35. That I strive to make ordinary things pretty
36. That my bosses think I am invaluable
37. That I am a quick study
38. That I have manners…for the most part
39. That I get excited over the littlest things
40. I am passionate and love deeply
41. That I try to make everyone feel loved and welcomed where ever I am
42. That I am willing to change things that God needs me to change about myself.  Thank God He only asks one thing at a time to change.  I am a work in progress and making progress everyday!
43. That when I am committed to something, you can either help or get out of my way, I need see it through, not only correctly but in a timely manner
44. That I can admit when I am wrong or have done something wrong and not be ashamed to ask how you would like for me to remedy my blonde blunder
45. That I can clean up your mess and not rub your face in it, I don’t need to point fingers of blame.  If I see a consistency I will pull you aside in private to let you know how not to create the mess without bruising your ego
46. That I am funny and fun to be around
47. That I can drive a stick and that back in the day I have worked on my own cars, you know before the computer era.  I have even worked on cars while wearing a dress looking good while I was doing it.  I have rebuilt a 350 transmission; change all fluids, filters, replaced alternators, starters, spark plugs, points, wires and the like.  Thanking God that I have never needed to change a tire!
48. Of my name Joela
49. That I love and obey God, without Him this list would be empty
50. Most of all that I am proud that I am ME, the best ME that I can possibly BE!!
51. and number 51, that in my 50's list that I didn't mention my overzealous love and enthusiasm for Snoopy and the Doobie Brothers!

In my writing class we were challenged with writing 50 things about our life that we are proud of.  Not really things that we have accomplished but what in our life we are proud of.   This was not a “Narcissistic” assignment – this was discovering how wonderful and special we are. 

I would like to ask you all to do this about you/your life.  50 is a lot especially for those that are all about others.  If you have trouble getting started, ask those that love you most, “What is the first thing that pops into your head when you think of me?”

I know this is not an easy task.  You wouldn't be doing this for me or anyone else, this is for you.  You don't have to share with anyone what you come up with on the list, again this is for you.

Always remember and never forget Psalm 139:14 "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." and Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." 

You may have made mistakes, but God doesn't and He thinks you are pretty awesome.  So awesome that He sent His Son to die for you.  Chew on that for a bit and let it resonate in your spirit.  

I pray that you do this and God reveals to you everything wonderful that He created in you that make you, the you that everyone around you, loves about you!

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Head Over Heels in Love

I remember the day like it was yesterday…the first time I went to a Sunday Evening Service at church.  I was in the 6^th grade.  The music director got up in front of the congregation greeted us with his big smile and asked us to turn to page 36 of our hymnals for the singing of “There is a Name I Love to Hear”.  We started singing and something happened inside of me.  I can’t really explain it but I was so overcome with joy as we sung that simple hymn. 

There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
The sweetest name on earth.

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior's love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner's perfect plea.

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe,
Who in each sorrow bears a part
That none can bear below.

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

Before I knew it the song was over…NO I wanted more.  I wanted to sing more about my love for my Jesus!!  I love(d) my Jesus!!  That was the moment I fell for Jesus, I fell hopelessly in love with Him.  There I was, a 12 year old girl and in that moment, I knew that I loved Him, I loved Jesus!

A year earlier I had been saved in Sunday school, and soon I would be baptized, however that was the moment that I truly felt something for the Jesus I had given my life to.

Every time I saw the music director before service I would request #36.  He would smile at me and tell me that he would try as there are so many great songs that God loves to hear us sing to Him. 

At that time I didn’t know that the song list had been picked out the week before.  The choir and pianist had practiced what was going to be sung at the different church services.

Whenever the music director would tell us to turn to page 36 of our hymnals he would turn to me and smile.  I always sat in the same place in church so he knew where I was, the 2^nd row on the left hand side of the church.  I was once teased that is where Jesus was so I always sat there to be with Him.  I knew that He was everywhere but that was my way of telling Jesus, “I am sitting here to be with You, my loving Jesus.”

If you know me or my story at all, you know that I love music.  I love to sing and dance.  I haven’t been given those talents, however that doesn’t stop me from giving it my all!  I have come to love WORSHIP music.  I love to sing and dance for my Jesus.

Back in the day I would sing and dance at clubs rockin’ out enjoying the music.  I would scream and jump up and down for my favorite bands at concerts.  I would yell and dance with jubilant victory at sporting events.  So why wouldn’t I show as much love and enthusiasm (if not more so) for my Jesus?!?!

The name Jesus is such a beautiful name.  His name in Hebrew is Yeshua and it means Salvation.  Wow, what a wonderful name.  Is it any wonder that I love to hear that name?  Is it any wonder why I love to sing its worth?  The name Jesus sounds like music in my ear, it is the sweetest name on earth!  It tells me of my Savior’s love, who died to set me free.  It tells me of His precious blood, the powerful blood that washed away my sins…the sinner’s perfect plea.  Oh how I love Jesus, because HE first loved ME!!!

Even though my taste in worship music has changed over the years, hearing that simple old hymn takes me back to the beginning of my love for my Jesus.  His love has never diminished even when I drifted away.  His arms were waiting for me when I woke up and realized that I couldn’t live another minute more without Him.  As I begged for forgiveness He wrapped me in His arms telling me that He never stopped loving me.   Oh how I love my Jesus!

The most magnificent thing about my Jesus, is that He can be your Jesus too!  He loves us all.  All we have to do is ask Him into our hearts and lives.  

It’s as simple as ABC…

ACCEPT Jesus into your heart;

BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross for your sins;

CONFESS that you are a sinner. 

Now that you have invited Jesus into your heart move on to D, E, F and G…

Dig into the word to find out more about Jesus / God / Holy Spirit

Enrich it by finding yourself a good Bible based / Bible teaching church

Fellowship with other believers for support, guidance and revelations etc

God wants a relationship with you, talk to Him, daily as you would your best friend, parent, child..etc.  Nothing fancy, just talk to Him.

There is nothing in this world that can even compare to living for Jesus!  You just have to choose Him – He already chose you and is waiting.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Time to Thrive

I have been meditating (for 5 weeks) on the lyrics of a song that I heard on the radio by Casting Crowns entitled Thrive.  The lyrics penetrated my very core, ♪♪“We know we were made for so much more, than ordinary lives.   It's time for us to more than just survive, we were made to thrive”♪♪

My mindset for the past couple decades was living for (or looking forward to) the weekend. 

I’d get through Monday by knowing that I had my writing class during lunch and at the end of the day, my church met for prayer.

I’d get through Tuesday by knowing at the end of the day, I could relax with my husband as I had nowhere to be.

I’d get through Wednesday by knowing that we were halfway through the workweek and after work was Bible Study.

I’d get through Thursday by knowing that was my day to connect with my spiritual parents in the UK and that the next day was my favorite day of all, FRIDAY.

Basically I was surviving each day to get to the weekend.  I love my job, do not get me wrong, however I would rather do things that you don’t have to pay me to do.  Like spend time with God, my husband, studying for lessons I am to teach, WRITING, sewing or even get together with friends.

We all have heard that Bible verse, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad.”   (Psalm 118:24 NKJV)

Even the misunderstood and greatly hated Monday was created by God.  Why do we hate any day that we have been given?   Ecclesiastes 9:12 tells us that we do not know if we will get a tomorrow, so why do we waste any day by hating it? 

God created us on purpose for a purpose.  You will hear me say this A LOT as I was 45 years old when God finally got me to understand and believe that truth.  You see for the longest time, I was content in my life as it stood (…on Joela power).

My thinking was:  I’m married, we have a nice home - property, we have 40-hour-a-week jobs that we don’t hate, my kids were grown with families of their own and I was a member of a church family.  What more could I want?  We were doing more than surviving.  I felt that was what my life was and that was good enough for me.  I didn’t think there was anything more for me and I was okay with that.  I had been taught to be content in life as that is what God wants for us…or is it?

God kept having me attend sermons that the message was “God created us on purpose for a purpose.”  It took a couple years for that truth to finally cement into my spirit.  God didn’t create man to just survive. 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  (Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

Having dominion…

The word dominion is defined as, the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority – rule, control, domination.

Survive usually means to succeed in keeping alive against odds.  Surviving is not dominion, God didn’t create us to survive, He created us to thrive!

Some folks are waiting for something good to happen for (or to) them.  During my walk with God I am learning that we are to have faith and corresponding action of that faith. 

James 2:22 tells us that Abraham’s faith was perfected by his works.  Abraham believed God and His word.  He had such faith in God and His word that he did what God told him to do.  God did a lot of great things in Abraham’s life because of Abraham’s faith and corresponding actions of that faith.  Abraham didn’t survive, he thrived.  He was the father of God’s people and he was a friend of God. 

Wow, think about that for a moment.  My prayer is to be known by God and to be His friend.  Not just that spiritual being that grants my desires but my FRIEND. 

We all are guilty of making deals with God.  God if you do this, I will do that.  God if you could make me skinny I would be happy.  God if you could give me that special person in my life I would be happy.  God if I had more money I would be happy.  God I want to be famous, if you make me famous I would be happy. 

God has given us EVERYTHING we need in this life to fulfill His plan in our lives.  Our gifts, our talents, and our dreams are from God.  He has done His part, it is time we did ours. 

There is a saying in the motivational speaking world, “If it is going to be, it is up to me!”

What in your life do you want to change?  What in your life do you wish was different?  What dream do you have that you wish was reality?

If you want change, difference and dreams to come true, you need to do something about it.  What action can you do today to impact your tomorrow?  Do you want to survive or do you want to thrive?

We only get one “today” let’s not waste it on surviving, today is the day to thrive.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Stitching with the Spirit

This weekend didn't start out like I had planned.  Due to reservation mix ups we didn't get to celebrate the 4th of July on the coast.  What do you do when life doesn't go the way you want, go to God.  Besides writing I feel the most "free-est" when I am sewing.  I talk to God, sing to God, worship God and spend time with Him as I am stitching.

Yesterday I started my Snoopy Quilt that I have talked about for a year.  Bear with me as I tell you about what the Holy Spirit shared with me as the machine stitched the images for my quilt blocks.

I have been blessed with a home that has a 400 sq. ft. family room that I have turned into the office / sewing studio.  My row of sewing machines face the sliding glass door that looks out onto our deck - great view for spending time with God!

I was at the embroidery machine before the sun came up this morning.  As the sun started peeking through the trees that surround the deck, the sun shone BRIGHTLY through the only gap in between the trees.  Of course it shown in my eyes, I closed my eyes and turned my head.  I felt in my spirit, "I am with you and you shut your eyes and turn your head just like the world."  Wow, right?!?!

He showed me that during our storms we seek out the Light, seeking Him.  Needing Him in our storms so we seek Him and His protection and provisions.

During the peaceful calm days He is shining brightly in our lives and we go about "our" business / day (what have you) and we close our eyes and turn our heads when He wants us to seek Him.  

I was trying to finish the above quilt block to get a photo of the Light on my project, by the time I had finished, the Light had moved behind the trees.  He showed me how He has a time and a season for each phase of His plan for our lives, if we don't embrace it, we will miss it.

Next lesson.  Yesterday I had a bobbin issue that destroyed one of my blocks so bad that thread was in a ball under the project and inside the machine.  The project even came out of the hoop due to this bondage that took place with all the thread.  The bobbin was distorted from not filling properly and it caused major problems to the stitching.

I was shown, what are you allowing to fill you up that is distorting you and your walk with God.  Eating too much?  What media are you allowing into your thoughts & being?  Who are you listening to?  

The first half of the project looked beautiful, however the more that the distorted bobbin worked, the more that the project was affected and eventually destroyed.  Needless to say, I had to throw out that bobbin as it was not a good bobbin and couldn't be used.  

What in your life is distorting your life?  What is messing up your life?  It started out nice but it eventually has put you in bondage destroying your life?  It could be an unsuspecting noun;a person, place or thing that just needs to go.  It might be an action, what verb just needs to kick rocks?

Moving on to the next lesson.  The above bobbin mess happened when I walked away from the machine letting it go on its own without my paying attention to what it was doing.  However just sitting at the machine wasn't enough.  

Certain areas of the pattern programs the machine would get going rather fast causing the thread to loop itself around one of the thread guides and if left that way would eventually causing it to get stuck causing it to break and lock up the machine and possibly breaking the needle.  Can't have the needle breaking - it is an essential part of the stitching process.   I had to pay attention while sitting at the machine.  I had to watch the thread and put my finger next to the thread guide to make sure that the thread stay on course.  

I was shown that is like life.  This life of ours can get going pretty fast and we can drift off course...off our path of righteousness.  We have to be intentional in this life, we have to make sure that we don't drift to the right or the left when God needs us to go straight.  As the path turns if we aren't paying attention we miss the turn, right off the path we go.  We ask for forgiveness and get back on the path.  Asking God to help guide us so we don't let ourselves get stuck, locking up our lives and possible breaking areas of our lives that are essential to the plan.  

Not done with the lessons yet.  I had to fill more bobbins to keep going this morning.  Due to the distorted bobbin of yesterday, I really paid attention to how I wound those bobbins.  I was intently watching and listening as those bobbins filled.  I let them tell me when they were done.  The machine will stop when it feels that they are filled however I have learnt that the bobbins will tell me if I will listen.  (Just like our bodies will tell us when we are hungry, when we are satisfied, when we are full and overfull...we just have to listen.)

On one of the bobbins I heard a "snap", stopped the machine and checked out the bobbin.  Everything seemed fine so I continued.  I watched as the bobbin got taller and stopped the machine.  Once I stopped the machine the bobbin did a jack-in-the box move and the thread pushed the top of the bobbin off and the thread looked like a spring that was released from being compressed...flowing toward me off the machine.  The bobbin had broke.  I heard God say don't try to save the bobbin or the bobbin thread - you can't repair it, it will continue to mess things up.  I got rid of it and moved on to the next bobbin.

Is there an area of your life that is just broke?  Some things we repair however there are some things that we just have to discard and move on in life.  Listen to God.  If there is something that just doesn't work with the plan God has for you?  Is it in line with the Word of God?  You can't save everything or everyone.  That was a hard lesson for me this week.  Sometimes you have to know when God needs you to let go and move on.

God wasn't done with me.  Sewing machines are engineered for the thread to go in one direction.  Once threaded if you need to change threads you snip at the thread spool and pull the thread out through the needle.  If you tried to save that thread and pulled it back the wrong way through the machine you will cause thread lint or fibers to be inside the machine causing things to muck up the workings of the machine.  It might not happen right away but after time it will cause havoc.  Not to mention if you continue to go the wrong way you will damage the machine over time.  

God is the ONE WAY.  You sin and go back the wrong way, you will muck up your life.  The Holy Spirit cannot live where there is sin.  Just like my machine came with an instruction book on how to operate my machine, God gave us His Word.  The Bible tells us the way God wants us to live, HIS WAY.

For my embroidered blocks, I am having to change thread colors once the machine is ready for the next step of the pattern.  I got in a hurry to change colors, excited to see the picture coming alive with each thread color.   I snipped the thread at the spool, pulled the spool, grabbed the next color and as I started to thread the machine I saw that I hadn't removed the previous color and pulled it out.   

God showed me that we have to remove the old before bringing in the new.   As excited as we get to start our new season, we have to finish with the previous season.  Don't rush through forgetting that you left that step undone.  Mixing the old with the new isn't part of the plan.  Imagine if I would have left that previous thread in the machine as I threaded the new color...if I didn't throw off the tension which is very important to stitch performance, I would have thrown off the image with that second thread.  Finish yesterday before working on today so the foundation is set for tomorrow.  Time and Seasons for everything.

Also as I start with a new color before I start stitching the pattern I pull up the bobbin thread bringing to the top.  I hold both the thread and bobbin thread as the machine starts and after a few stitches I stop the machine, tie the two threads together making a little knot and snipping the tails.   The thread is now anchored, unable to get in the way of the pattern.  The bobbin has been brought to the front also anchored and unable to get knotted behind the project, eventually becoming a huge mess behind the image.  

Are you anchored in the word of God?  Or are you just going all willie-nillie making a mess of your life.  The front may look all pretty but behind the facade that the world sees is a knotted tangled mess that will cause problems when it comes time for the next phase...the quilting can bring those messy bobbin threads to the surface.   Those things you are ignoring or not dealing with will surface when you don't want them to.  Better to deal with them properly while they are no big deal.

Next was the pattern programmer gave the list of colors to be used for each step for the image to come out as they had designed.  I am all for following directions and patterns however this programmer designed Linus's blanket to be Lilac.  The characters clothes may change colors but Linus's blanket is ALWAYS baby blue.  So I went with my understanding of the Peanuts Characters and changed up the colors.  

The programmer designed their patterns on what they thought would look good in lieu of what the original artist Charles Schultz had designed when he created the characters.  In this life the world may tell us what way we are to live our lives that is not in line with our Creator.  Stick to your beliefs, if God tells you that you are one thing, don't let the world tell you that you are another.  God created you, let God dictate what you are to be.  Don't conform to this world or their ideas.  God has a great design planned for your life, don't deviate.

Okay this next one made me laugh...I was changing my thread and picked up the wrong color and threaded it and even pulled up the bobbin about to start stitching when I realized my error.  I clipped my threads and re-threaded the correct color thread.  As I was re-threading the machine God showed me, when you are in error, stop what you are doing and go back to the correct way.  Don't be ashamed that you made a mistake, ask forgiveness and turn around, get back on the correct path for your life.  (That is called repenting.)  

By the way the colors were black and white, just like His word, we are the ones that tend to grey it up...we tend to make things harder than they need to be.

Just like I have been struggling on what to write about.  Been asking God, "What do YOU want me to write?"  He talked to me during my freedom sewing.  Talk about true freedom, having God break you from the bondage of this world that is freedom!!  I thank God everyday for HIM.  I thank God that He sent Jesus to die for my sins and the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead so that I too could have that power.

Thank you for reading about my Stitching with the Spirit.  God is so good that He will talk to us if we will just listen.  God cares about us and everything that we want to do.  He created my love for sewing and quilting, why wouldn't He spend time with me as I do what I love?

Invite God into the activities that you love and see what He has to say to you.

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!