Communication: Body Language

 Hello friend! 

I'm so thankful it's the weekend...how about you? Do you have any special plans to celebrate Easter? I don't really have anything extra ordinary going on, except that all classes are cancelled through Monday and that gives us a nice break. 

The other day my friend and I were talking about body language, and she told me that body language is 55% of communication, tone is 38%, and actual words are only 7%. It makes sense because we all know the phrase, "actions speak louder than words."

Our conversation made me think of Jesus. This week is Easter, the time when we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Not only did Christ say he loved the world, he communicated it in the most powerful way through his body language when he took my sins and gave up his life on the cross for me. John 15:13 says "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It's one thing for a man to die for his friends. But it's something else for a man to die for his enemies. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did. He proved he loved the world. 

How I love to read the book You wrote for me -

You loved the world so much you gave Your Son. 

Written there in crimson, You told me I'm forgiven. 

It is done, it is done!

So if You never speak another word of blessing, 

And the silence leaves me with a sense of loss, 

I'll remember when my heart begins to question,

Any doubt that You loved me, was settled at the cross. 

I would be the first to admit I don't deserve

The kind of favor You have always shown. 

But You don't have to tell me, 

You proved how much You loved me, 

And I know, I'll still know.

That if You never speak another word of blessing,

And the silence leaves me with a sense of loss, 

I'll remember when my heart begins to question, 

Any doubt that You loved me was settled at the cross. 

Every word was mercy, every breath forgave, 

every drop of blood testifies of grace.

If You never speak another word of blessing,

And the silence leaves me with a sense of loss,

I'll remember when my heart begins to question,

Any doubt that You loved me was settled at the cross. 

~"Settled at the Cross"

Here's the music for the song if you'd like to hear it.

If viewing this post on your email, click here to listen. 

Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8

Homespun Devotions ~ Volume 2

A cheery hello to you! 

I am thrilled to share a new devotional book with you, written by my friend, Mrs. Smith. 

About the Book:

Christian living is like a quilt—multi-colored scraps of wisdom gleaned and assembled one stitch at a time. We learn as we go, as the common thread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is woven throughout the everyday moments, events, and situations we encounter. Only He can tie the pieces together and create something of beauty that will serve to warm the hearts of others and surround them with His grace.

"Homespun Devotions: Volume One" began a series of books that record the piecing together of many of the stories of my life and the rich spiritual truths God has imparted along the way; this is Volume Two. As you read these homespun narratives of family, love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and the music that is such a part of my heritage, you will discover glimpses into moments of the soul-searching and intense struggles I have experienced while journeying to a place of complete surrender to the One who bled and died for me.

I point you to no denomination, religious group, or sect—only to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, where redemption, restoration, healing, and peace still freely and lavishly flow. He loves you with a never-ending, unconditional love—I pray you embrace this truth afresh and with a deeper persuasion as you read.

My thoughts: 

 Each devotional contains a small story from Mrs. Smith's life and she gives application to go along with the lesson learned. I truly enjoy them. Whether it's a devotional reminding me to appreciate others and the things they do for me, or sharing a reminder that God is stronger than I am and can bear all my burdens, or giving me encouragement to be faithful in praying, or sharing the sweet truth that God knows me fully and loves me, each one is an encouragement to my heart. And if you read the book, I know they'll encourage you too. 

You can buy the book here on Amazon. And in case you haven't read the first devotional book, here it is.  This would be an awesome resource for any Christian friend who needs encouragement or who just likes to read. :) 

I want to thank Mrs. Smith for allowing me to read and review this book. 

About the author: 

Cheryl Smith is the author of the book “Biblical Minimalism,” the story of her family’s journey from a life of abundance to a more abundant life. She is the author of the blogs Biblical Minimalism, where she writes about minimalism from a Biblical perspective, and Homespun Devotions, where she writes devotionals and conducts “Inner Views.” She loves to spend time with her husband and son in the mountains, sing and play Bluegrass music, and write.

December 2022 - February 2023

Hello Friend!

It's been a while since I've written an update. I had most of December and January off from school, so I got to spend some wonderful time with family. Here's a few pictures from the past couple of months. 

We celebrated Christmas on Saturday since Sarah had to work on Sunday. My aunt and uncle came over for breakfast, and we enjoyed their company for a few hours. Their dog Harry loves my dad's motor bike. He's the cutest pup - he chased it around, and Gracie chased him. 😀

I visited my favorite place - the beach- a few times. The views never get old.

 A random pup walking on the beach with its owner.

Early morning sunrise

At the end of January, my mom, sister and I took a road trip back up to college. We stopped in the city of Marianna, and found a park to walk in. The water flowed from the dam, and though bubbly, it was very clear. We could see the bottom of the stream. 

How I love quiet country roads.

Interesting cafe...I can see why it's closed. 😅

A scene in Pensacola...

I'm thankful for flowers from friends that brighten our lives. 

This week at college, the students are enjoying the Bible conference. It started Wednesday and runs through Friday. It's a concentrated time to focus on God's word. We get to hear a lot of messages by a variety of preachers. Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely time of fellowship and games at the picnic. The theme was Western Roundup. There was ax throwing, bull riding, nerf gun competitions, corn hole, kite-flying, hayrides, and many other activities for the students and guests to enjoy. 

I'm in my second to last semester of college, and it's quite busy. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post, but I hope to pop in once in a while. :)

How is your year going so far? Share in the comments! 

Psalm 119:160

~ Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. 

Blender Muffins

Here's another great recipe, simple and quick to make. This recipe is for blender muffins.
To make these, you need, 

~ 1 1/2 bananas

~ 1/4 cup peanut butter

~ 2 eggs

~ 1 tsp vanilla

~ 1/2 tsp baking soda

~ honey. I just added probably a teaspoon of honey. 

~ blender: I used a magic bullet blender and found it works the best.

~ muffin pan

~ toppings: optional. I sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on the top. 

Directions: 

Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend. I didn't add quite as much peanut butter as the recipe suggested because I didn't want the taste to be overpowering, but if you like strong peanut butter flavor, feel free to add more. Grease the muffin pan and pour the batter into the muffin holes. This recipe makes enough batter to fill up a pan of 24 small muffins. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes until slightly brown. 

Scoop out of the pan, let cool, and enjoy! 

Cabbage Stir Fry

A happy hello to you friend! 

Here's a new recipe for you to try. I just made this the other day, and it turned out to be delicious! I like this recipe because it's easy to make and the ingredients can be switched up depending on what you want to add. 

Cabbage Stir Fry:

Ingredients: 

* 1/2 pound of ground beef, chicken, kielbasa, or if you prefer no meat at all, it's fine without it. I used ground beef. 

* 1-2 large carrots

* 1 or 2 cloves of garlic 

* 1/2 head of green cabbage

* Onions 

* Peppers (I didn't measure how much I used, just eyeballed it.)

* 2 tbsp soy sauce

* 1 tbsp sriracha sauce: optional (I would add however much of this fits your taste. I added about 1 tbsp because we don't like too much heat.) 

* 1 tbsp sesame oil

* 1/2 tbsp brown sugar: optional (This is to help sweeten the sauce so it isn't too hot if you add a lot of sriracha)

* 2 or 3 eggs

* Seasonings: I used pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme. 

Instructions: 

To make the sauce, mix the soy sauce, sriracha sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar together. Set aside. Cook the meat first as well as the eggs. Cut up the cabbage, onions, garlic, peppers, and shred the carrots. 

Add everything into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil and pour the sauce over the mixture. Add the seasonings. Cook until the cabbage is wilted. Enjoy! 

Other ingredients you could add: broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, baby corns. I made this recipe again but tweaked it and didn't add sriracha sauce, meat, or the brown sugar...it still turned out marvelously. 

Have a lovely week!

New Merchandise at Three Crosses Woodcraft!

Hi friend! 
I hope you are having a wonderful first week of the new year. I wanted to let you know that Three Crosses Woodcraft's shop has a couple of new products for sale: a nice patriotic shirt and a bullet journal. The shirt is available in a few colors, has a small Three Crosses logo on the front, and the flag with 'Stand up for Freedom' on the back. The bullet journal is printed with a cute 'Walk by Faith' picture on the front and the logo on the back. If you're interested in supporting Three Crosses or either one of these items, head on over to Deborah's shop and check it out. :) 

Would You Like a Snowman??

 Merry Christmas friends! 

I’m popping in to share with you an idea for a gift which I’m sure you’ll love. Whether you live in a state where you will enjoy a snowy white Christmas, or whether you live in a state where the temperature is far from cold, here’s a snowman you can enjoy all year long!

This one-of-a-kind wood snowman makes the perfect accessory to your winter outfit. It looks adorable as decoration both on your shirt or jacket, or around your house. The best part of this snowman is that it comes with a magnet on the back so you don’t poke any holes in your shirt or sweater. Since it’s magnetic, you can also place it on your refrigerator or anywhere else magnetic in your home. Each comes ready to wear with the magnetic attachment for the back of the snowman. They are only $20 each, and we would love to send you your very own. They also make fabulous gifts.  Leave a comment below or use the contact form on the right side if you’re interested!

And if you're looking for larger snowmen as decoration around your house or as gifts, check out Deborah's shop. The particular snowman listed on her website is not available, but there are more similar ones! Wood cutting boards and surfboard necklaces are available as well.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Psalm 31:19 ~ Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

Hello friend! Happy Thanksgiving to you! I hope you have a wonderful time today celebrating the goodness of God with friends and family. There are so many blessings God has loaded each one of us with that we could go on and on counting them, but I'll just list 3 that I have been thinking about recently. 

1. The precious family God has blessed me with.

2. The Bible. It is such a blessing to have a complete translation of the word of God so freely available in our language, and I'm very grateful for it. 

3. The way the Lord works in the smallest details of our lives, the details that would not seem important to anyone else but us, and to know that God cares is such a sweet comfort.

Now it's your turn! What are three things you are especially grateful for today? 

Isaiah 25:1 ~ O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day! 

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day after the armistice was signed at the end of World War I. In his speech, he said, "the anniversary of Armistice Day should stir us to a great exaltation of spirit because of the proud recollection that it was our day, a day above those early days of that never-to-be forgotten November which lifted the world to the high levels of vision and achievement upon which the great war for democracy and right was fought and won." 

An act on May 13, 1938 by Congress declared Armistice Day as a legal holiday. Then on June 5, 1954 Congress changed to Veteran's Day. In his speech, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "I...do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." 

Even though this post is going out later than I would have liked, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for the veterans of this country. Freedom originated with God, and I am so grateful for the men and women who have served God and served our country by fighting for the freedoms America enjoys today. I'm so thankful for this solemn holiday that reminds us that freedom comes at a great sacrifice, and may we never take it for granted. To all the veterans, thank you for your service. It shall never be forgotten. 

"O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,

Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land,

Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, 

And this be our motto- "In God is our trust,"

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

New follow by email widget

 Hi Friends! 

I just wanted to pop in real quick and share an update. Blogger sadly removed their Feedburner 'follow by email' option, so you will no longer receive posts through that venue. I decided to sign up with MailChimp for email delivery. Linda from My Fairy Blog Mother kindly helped me set up the new form, and I am so grateful for her assistance. If you notice the posts on your email looking a little different, now you know why. :) 

Hope you are having a great week!