Sunday, July 8, 2012

Banana Bread and Moccasins


I get the pleasure of hostessing the challenge this week at

 Stampin' Sisters in Christ.

I hope you enjoy reading
 what the Lord place on my heart this week.


What do banana bread and moccasins have in common? The Lord used them as illustrations as I was meditating on the following bible verse:

 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

BANANA BREAD: How important are plans anyway? In May I was making banana bread for my family. I have used the same recipe for over 20 years. I got in a hurry and wasn’t reading the “plan” very closely and almost forgot to add the sugar. I had the mixture in the pans before I realized it, but fortunately I hadn’t cooked it yet so I could fix it. It made me wonder if sometimes in my familiarity with scriptures, that I “miss” something from God’s plan.

Now back to the banana bread illustration. What would have happened if I hadn’t even looked at the recipe, even though someone had taken the time to write it down? What would have happened if I just tried to put the general ingredients together, in amounts that I determined?  The result would have been a disaster. Who would be to blame for my banana bread turning out badly, me or the person who wrote the recipe?  God used inspired men to write down His plan, the Bible. The world does things on its own, disregarding the Bible, and then blames God for all the disasters.

MOCCASINS: My son Joshua is going to scout camp in a week and needs a pair of moccasins for a ceremony. Most of the boys make their moccasins by buying a premade kit. Problem for Joshua is that he wears a size 16. No kits that size that we could find. No patterns either. I only had a limited amount of vinyl to make his shoes. If I messed up there wouldn’t be enough vinyl to fix my mistakes, so getting it right the first time was really important. I searched the internet for “plans” and I asked my father-in-law for advice because he has made moccasins before.

The first thought that I had about the moccasins was,  that if a small piece of vinyl was so important to  “get it right” that I would invest that time looking for a plan, how much more important it should be for me to search the Bible to “get it right” when it comes to my soul? 

The second thought came to me when I asked my father-in-law to give me advice based on his experience. I was thinking about the importance of learning from older women who have been following God’s plans longer than I have, and the responsibility that I have to teach those younger than I.  

Titus 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

I hope you are encouraged to take time this week to read God’s word and read His “plans”.



Our sponsor this week is Doodle Pantry 


Here is my challenge: make a project
 that follows this PLAN:
 (at least) 1 circle or oval element, 
(at least) 2 different papers,
 and (at least) 1 embellishment

P7061757



The embellishment that I used
 on my card  was a little plastic charm
that says "Birthday Greetings"


It was made with a piece of  .plastic.


I made a video tutorial on how I made my charm.



I thought I would share this photo of Joshua and his moccasins.




 Not too bad for our first try.






Check out what my Stampin’ Sisters in Christ have created to share with you.
Candace
Diane
Helen
Jerusha
Kris
Linda
Michelle
Miesje
Peggysue
Sandie
Traci

11 comments:

  1. Excellent illustration Marilynn. Reminds me of my booboo with a "Friendship cake" recently!

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  2. Thank you for your thought MariLynn - you are such a blessed teacher.
    I love your card too - it is so pretty. I have not time at the moment to watch your tutorial, but I will come back to it.
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  3. MariLynn...what a fantastic parable you've given with your analogies. Love your lesson for us this week. And your challenge was so fun. You are a gifted teacher of the Word, and I'm always touched and inspired by your thoughts. Have a wonderful week!

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  4. Good grief! I love your devotion! Such fantastic real-life explanations. You are a very good "teacher"! Thanks for the tutorial too - great job. Have a wonderful week!

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  5. Marilynn, AWESOME DEVO this week!! I enjoyed that thoroughly. And yes, I've encountered similar illustrations, except in my version, I got to the eating part before realizing we (kids & I) used more flour in place of sugar. YUCK!!! LoL. Great comparison to following God's Plan for us--the Bible. A teacher isn't any good teaching if the kids don't make an effort to learn. Such is a Bible that no one cares to open and read.

    ANd... GREAT JOB to you and Joshua with the moccasins!! They turned out great *Ü*

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  6. MariLynn, such wonderful words of insight you have shared today.
    And the timing of your tutorial is perfect!! I have a swap I'm in at the Scrap Beach and I need some charms the represent 'me'. I'm having trouble finding some so I need to make them. I was just wondering this past week about making my own with plastic. Do I think God had anything to do with this? Of course I do!
    Thanks so, so much!
    Oh yes! Your card is lovely and congratulations on the moccasins. You did a great job on them. =))

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  7. What a beautiful card!! And what a great devotional!! We all do need to seek to follow His plan for us! Jer 29:11 is one my favorite verses!! In fact, I just made a tile of it this week!

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  8. this scripture holds a special place in my heart and Ilove your commentary on it MariLynn-very pretty card and the mocs are great

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  9. Insightful devotional, MariLynn...based on real life experience, and those are the best!! Your moccasins turned out great...and your car is beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us. Praying for God's blessing on your week, friend.

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  10. Hi MariLynn! Thanks so much for your inspiring devotional thoughts this week! Great Bible verse you chose! And your card is lovely...love the techniques and pretty details! Thanks too for another good tutorial! Have a great weekend! Blessings to you!
    Sandie

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  11. Your card is gorgeous!!! I love the bow so much!!! I also love the colors and the die cut! Thank you for a wonderful devotion this week! Jeremiah 29:11 is my most favorite verse ever! You did great on the moccasins!!! Have a blessed week-end! ~H

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