The Yarn Stash

As you may know, I like to have things organized. I get especially excited about organizing books (whether virtually in my book spreadsheet or physically on my bookshelf). But I also enjoy organizing my yarn stash. 

I have a rule - my extra yarn must fit into one of the drawers under my bed. When the drawer is full, I cannot buy more yarn until I use up some of the stash. 

The only problem is, when the drawer is nearly full, I can't see all the yarn at once. It's messy. So here's where I start bending the rule. [I'm a Rule Follower, so this is a big deal for me.] I have another drawer, right next to the first drawer, that I use for current crochet projects, crochet hooks, patterns, etc. But that drawer is usually only about a quarter full or less. So I decided to put yarn in it. I'm still technically obeying my rule, because all the extra yarn does indeed fit into one drawer - I'm just choosing to store it in two drawers. 

The left drawer is still a bit visually messy, because it contains all the tiny remnants, patterns, and special yarn (furry, bobbly, glittery, chunky, etc). But the right drawer makes my eyes happy.

So there you have it, a random glimpse into my eccentricity. 

"To Live is Christ" by Beth Moore

I recently finished the book "To Live is Christ" by Beth Moore. Today I flipped back through it, getting a better feel for the book as a whole, then slowing down at certain passages. I always say that I "need to hear or see things twice" before they stick in my brain. 

If you've done a Beth Moore Bible study, you know that she really dives deep into study of the Word. The same was true of this book. It follows the life of Paul, from what we know about his childhood to his conversion experience to his missionary journeys to his letters. 

The following passage seems fitting for the day after Easter:

Do we just want the cross without the resurrection? Are we trying to stuff the living, working Christ back into the tomb so He'll just save us and then leave us alone? or do we want to know "the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings"?

Paul began life as a Pharisee, who followed the law and Jewish customs to the letter. He persecuted the earliest Christians. But when the Lord appeared to him in a blinding flash of light, his life changed forever. He recognized his many sins and accepted the forgiveness and grace of Jesus. Then he went on to share the Good News with others at great personal cost.

As Paul said in Philippians 1:21-26, 

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 

And so Paul remained, through shipwrecks and floggings and imprisonments and ridicule, until the time God chose to bring him home. The story of Paul is told well in Scripture by itself, but I appreciated the added insights from reading Beth Moore's book about this man who lived for God. 

It's Friday, but Sunday is Coming

These last few days, the history of this week has been close to my mind and heart. From the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, to the cross where He died, to the hope and victory of His resurrection. 

Today the checker at the grocery store asked me what I was doing this evening. I told him I was going to the Good Friday service at my church. He replied, "Good Friday? I've never heard of that." So I had 10 seconds in which to tell him about Good Friday and share the extra-condensed version of the Best Story Ever. Then my turn in line was over. 

At church tonight, the words of Scripture and song stirred my heart. 

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

"My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole

is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul!"

The God who made the universe bled and died for me. And for the broken, afflicted person I helped at work today. And for the checker at the grocery store. And for my friends going through difficult times. And for the people around me at the church service. 

I saw a little picture of heaven as I attended church tonight. My church family felt like just that - a family. I saw so many people I know and care about. Received hugs. But I also felt a connection with the unfamiliar faces, the strangers worshiping God around me. It was a momentary glimpse of our future together with God forever. The whole point of what God did for us on this day. 

Celebration is on the way - it's Friday, but Sunday is coming!