The Last Homely House is a home in Imladris, from Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Nestled in the mountains, nearly impossible to find unless you know where to look, Imladris is a beautiful haven where elves reside. Music, singing, and storytelling abound, and the peaceful atmosphere is a welcome refuge for a weary soul.
Since the last post, I have gotten my own domain, so moved my blog there! You can find it at blog.wovenandspun.net. There isn't anything yet on the main page of the domain, wovenandspun.net, but I hope to fix that soon. Feel free to drop by my blog, and commenting to let me know you're reading is greatly appreciated! :)
I haven't been using this blog much because I've wanted to start a new blog for a while, and it seemed rather pointless to put much up here if I wasn't going to keep it. So I've finally gotten around to creating my new one, and here it is!
I wrote this sometime last year, and in reading it over again, I thought I'd share it.
All to You, Lord,
I give it all to You.
All my hopes, all my dreams,
all I say and do.
Help me follow You,
to know and do Your will.
I know that when I fail,
You will be there still.
You will lift me up,
help me find a way,
You will always be there,
each and every day.
When I'm growing tired,
I grieve or I despair,
I will give it all to You,
for You are always there.
One of my latest favorite songs is Nichole Nordeman's Gratitude. The lyrics are beautiful and thought-provoking, and each time I listen to the song, I get something new from it. The more I listened to the song, the more I wanted to share about it, so here are my thoughts along with the lyrics. :)
Gratitude
Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain
Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead And if we never taste that bread
Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would You please . . .
I find the words to be such a beautiful reminder of how we should give thanks to God in everything. Please, Jesus, give us bread, but if you don't, thank you for the lesson in trust. That's such a trusting attitude, and it shows the kind of gratitude we really should have for Him.
Too often, people question why they don't have more. Why don't they have money for all these nice cars, or money for expensive clothes or big vacations or even more simple things. Instead of asking why He doesn't give us these things, we should ask why He gives us anything at all. Not why He doesn't relieve us of pain, but why He suffered and died for us. We should be grateful for all He has done for us; He's given us so much more than we deserve, and we should be immensely grateful for all that He has given us.
This extends into greater issues too, such as suffering. It's all too common for Christians to ask why God allows them to suffer, why He doesn't take that away. Instead, we should be praising God that we have life at all, especially eternal life. We should be grateful for all the ways He has provided for us, and learn what we can through trials.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. - James 1:2-3
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28
God will work things together for good, even if we can't see how at the time. He has a reason and a purpose, and He will work things together for the ultimate good, to fit His purpose.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; - Philippians 4:6
We should make our requests with thanksgiving rather than anxiety, thanking God in the midst of our needs. I think that message is so powerful in this song, and so beautifully written.
This site is hilarious!
One of our most often quoted rights as Americans is our right to free speech. But too often when this right is being exercised, people seem to overlook two other things. First off, if you have the right to say whatever you want, I have the right to not like it and say so. There's been this big to-do with Imus and what he said, some people upset over his words, then others getting up in arms about it and saying he has the right to say what he did. Sure, he has the right as an American, but I also have the right to not like what he said and to express my thoughts on the matter. It goes both ways.
The second overlooked issue is more important, because it comes from a higher mandate than the Constitution.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. - Colossians 4:6
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. - Ephesians 4:29
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. - Proverbs 25:11
These verses tell us how we should speak, with grace and edifying words. We need to examine what we say against those principles.
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. - 1 Corinthians 10:24
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3,4
These verses show attitudes we should have toward others. If we're truly seeking the good of others above our own desires, if we try to edify others rather than make ourselves look good or superior, we should desire to speak with grace and to encourage others and build them up. Sometimes it even means saying something the other person doesn't want to hear, but it should be done in love and with grace. We should want to encourage and edify them rather than accuse and shame them, and rather than wanting to say anything that comes to mind because we have "the right to free speech".
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. - John 15:12, 13
We should love others as Christ loves us, and show them His love and treat people the way He would treat them. If a person is willing to lay his life down for his friend, should he not also be willing to put aside his own desires enough to speak in a manner which is edifying?
Our American rights are nothing compared to the love we should have for others, the love Christ commanded us to show. The right to free speech is a very good thing to have as a law, to keep the government from infringing upon us any more than it already does, and it can be a useful right when it comes to spreading the gospel. But more importantly, we need to filter what we say through those standards we were given by God, and make sure our words would have His approval, rather than that of the first amendment.
I really did intend to keep you all updated more...I guess a lack of activity has kept me from posting much, but I should start posting again anyway. I've been wanting to write more, and maybe journaling would be a good start. I used to write in journals a lot more, but online and on paper, but I've slacked off the past several months.
First off, I haven't been doing much, on account of the fact that I'm still trying to get myself well. I went back to the doctor earlier in the week to refill a prescription, and apparently the sinus infection from four weeks ago is still hanging around, which would explain a lot of why I've been feeling so bad. That also irritates the asthma. So I've been staying on antibiotic and heavy decongestants a lot this week, which has been rough, but I think it's helping me. I've had a rough night, but also felt better this morning than I've been feeling, so maybe it's a good sign, and hopefully I'll be feeling better sometime over this next week.
I had so many writing goals for the month! I wanted to get a ton written in February, but between being sick and being drugged because I was sick, that hasn't exactly happened. Hopefully I can get more written throughout this month. I'm making it a goal anyway...maybe if I post about it here, I'll be more inclined to do so.
Randomness:
99% cocoa dark chocolate is good, especially with coffee. It's very strong though, so I would recommend working your way up to it in degrees. Wal-mart has Ghirardhelli 60% cocoa with ground espresso beans, and I think that's the best chocolate I've ever had. Absolutely fabulous. I don't know if you can get the 99% stuff here in America though. I have friends in high places... ;) Well, Europe, really. That's where mine came from. :P
I'm tired of computer problems. Our router died earlier this week, and our modem was acting up as well. They were almost five years old and really needed to be fixed anyway, but it was still frustrating, especially considering I spent three hours trying to get the new router working before I found out the modem was having trouble too. But my laptop is now wireless, which makes me happy! *grin* Maybe I'll post more about the other computer problems later. I'm more cheered up right now and don't want to think about that anymore. :P
I need something to read. Of course, I have plenty of books I haven't read or want to read again, but I'm indecisive and none of them interest me at the moment. Though I would like to read The Silmarillion again. Maybe I'll read that one.
I'm writing a short story in the style of Wodehouse. It's rather fun, though I haven't gotten very far. I decided I wanted to have a go at that writing style, so we'll see how that turns out! I've read a bit of Wodehouse before, then this week, have started watching Jeeves and Wooster. Hugh Laurie is brilliant as Wooster! He's really a great actor, and does the role perfectly. :)
I'm getting rather sleepy now, so toodle pip!
I know I haven't been updating much lately, but that's really because there hasn't been much for me to update about. I've been sick a lot this winter, so haven't been doing an awful lot. I'm feeling a lot better at the moment than I was a week ago...A week ago from this moment, I was sitting in the hospital getting a breathing treatment for my asthma. It had been flaring up a lot that week, getting worse than it had ever been, and late that night(or, rather, early that morning), it became clear I needed to go in, because I just couldn't get it under control. We got there about 2am, and five hours, three breathing treatments, two x-rays, and one big scary needle later, we finally got home again. I was so wired from all the medicine, it was still a couple more hours before I could get to sleep. I felt better than I had felt in weeks though! The breathing treatments helped a lot, and I got a prescription for a nebulizer, so I can do breathing treatments at home when I need, and hopefully avoid further hospital trips.
I've felt pretty good most of the week, compared to how I felt last week. This change in weather over the past few days is bothering me some, but I'm hoping I'm finally on the mend! I'll try to update here more often, when there's anything to update about. :)
Anyone who hasn't heard of Pat Hetic has to watch this video, by Daniel Gardner. If you go to his site, you can see more of his videos. They're great.
This is my first post from my new laptop!! I got it Thursday night. I love it!! :D It's wonderful, and I love having a laptop. And it's so much better than my old computer! I've been transferring files, downloading stuff, and ripping music to this computer. I love it. :D I named her Ezri, after a character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I love my new computer! I thought of something that would be rather amusing to try...It would be fun to get pictures of my laptop and carry them in my purse, then when I meet someone, I can say, "Do you want to see pictures of my baby?" and pull out my laptop pictures. :grin: That would be too much fun.
It's been an interesting adjustment, trying to get used to the keyboard and touchpad on the laptop. The touchpad is very sensitive, and sometimes I click things twice without meaning to, or click places without trying, or accidently move the cursor around and click things with my hand while I'm typing. Then there have been a few times I kept trying to click the right key and it just wouldn't work, no matter how many times I tapped it...then I realized I was tapping my right finger on the pad instead of clicking the button. The keyboard is different as well, but I like it. And it's nice being able to move around and sit on my bed or on the floor or at the desk...I love having a laptop!
I've been getting plenty of rest and taking things easy, trying not to do too much. I think I am getting well though. Overall, I'm feeling better than I was and feel up to do more.
I've also been working on backing up files from an old computer we have, then I'm going to wipe the hard drive and reinstall things and see what I can do with it. It will be good to keep around in case we ever need it.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year so far!
Whether you're grinchy 
or jolly 
,
naughty 
or nice 
,
dreaming of snowflakes 
,
or covered in ice
,
may God grant you this Christmas 
joy and good cheer 
and fill you with gladness 
throughout the new year! 
Merry Christmas and God bless!!
I got tagged for this a while back by Bonnie, so here's my response!
A - Available/Single? Who's asking? :P
B - Best Friend? I've found a lot of trouble before revolving around this question...
C - Cake or Pie? Pie. Cake doesn't produce the same fascinating results when smacked in a person's face.
D - Drink Of Choice? Dr. Pepper! Coke's good too. And Café Mochas from Starbucks are really, really good.
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? My computer
F - Favorite Color? Green, when it's not blue
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Worms, though I'd prefer gummy worms to regular ones.
H - Hair Style? Curly and kinda messy
I - Indulgence? Chocolate!
J - January Or February? January! My birthday's in January. :grin:
K - Kids & Their Names? 12. I haven't named them yet. Though it's getting tiring just referring to them by numbers. Thing one, thing two, and the like get rather old. Okay, okay, I don't have any kids. :P
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Chocolate!! Oh, well, I suppose some would say that's not exactly a necessity...More seriously, prayer, God's Word, and Christian fellowship.
M - Marriage Date? Tomorrow sounds nice. Of course, a groom would be nice as well, so tomorrow might not work out.
N- Number Of Siblings? 6. What? Don't the dog and cat count?
O - Oranges Or Apples? :sigh: Haven't you learned by now that you can't compare the two?
P - Phobias/Fears? Fingernail files. Touch me with one and I'll hit you.
Q - Favorite Quote? I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
R - Reason to Smile? I'm getting a laptop soon, I've made some absolutely wonderfully fabulous friendships this past year, it's the Christmas season, I have a piece of cake in front of me waiting to be eaten, I have a stuffed otter sitting on top of my monitor, and I got a sweet e-card from a friend today telling me to get well.
S - Season? Christmas
T - Tag Three People? Beka, Mama, and Melissa.
U - Unknown Fact About Me? I can be a bit crazy at times. Oh, you already knew that? Hmm...I can bend my toes back more than 98% of other people can bend back their own toes.
V - Vegetable you don't like? Cabbage...at least, I didn't like it last time I tried it, when I was little. But I just discovered that after years of supposed hatred toward pickles, I actually like them, so who knows what might be possible.
W - Worst Habit? Worrying too much about how others might perceive me.
X - X-rays You've Had? I've had x-rays to my arm/hand/wrist various times. I think I had one done on my foot once, and I must have had one when I broke my collarbone when I was little.
Y - Your Favorite Food? Chocolate!
Z - Zodiac Sign? Capricorn. I'm not even sure how I know that, because I really don't care.
This brings back memories! I remember having a Lite Brite when I was little and loving to play with it. Now you can play online! :)
There's something else I wanted to share after my reading of Galatians. It's not a new thought of mine, really, but something I've been turning over in my mind for a while.
I find it interesting to compare the opening addresses and closing notes in each of Paul's letters. He will often start by naming himself, and a coauthor if applicable, say who the letter is written to, then follow with blessings, thanks, and encouragement toward those people, all the while praising God. Take for example 1 Corinthians chapter 1:
Verse 1:
"Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,"
Paul states who is writing the letter.
Verse 2:
"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"
A very specific mention of the recipients.
Verses 3-9:
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Blessings, thanks, and encouragement to the people, as well as praise of God.
His letters will often end with blessings, admonitions, greetings to fellow laborers, and an occasional request for prayer.
Then take this the closing of 2 Corinthians:
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."
He's closing out his letter to them with encouraging notes and blessings, and has an obvious love for these people. I've been thinking for a while now about what we can learn from this, and wondering how, as Christians, we could follow this example.
Often today, relationships are so shallow, and people seem to lack a genuine care for one another. Such encouragement is rare. Part of that is because people don't take the time to get to know someone well enough to know how the person needs to be encouraged. If you don't know what someone is going through, how will you know in what way to encourage him? We should be there for one another, bear one another's burdens, and be an encouragement and support to each other. How can we effectively do so if we don't take the time to stop and truly get to know someone? I think it is also good to let people know how much we appreciate them, and let them know you are praying for them and thank God for them.
Those are just some thoughts I had while comparing these passages, and I mull this over from time to time. What can we learn from this, and how can we apply it to our relationships?
In the words of Paul, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Being kept up late last night with my cold and asthma, I decided to get a bit of reading done. Sunday night, I was skipping around a bit in the New Testament, trying to decide what book to read next. I read a bit of Galatians and a bit of Philippians, then last night decided to go with Galatians. But this time, instead of continuing where I left off, I thought I'd start over and read all of Galatians straight through. It amazed me how much more I got out of it that way rather than skipping around reading a chapter at a time!
When you mentally break it up into sections, where it's divided up in your Bible, you can lose a lot of the context. When Galatians was written, there weren't chapters and section dividers. It was written as one long letter, and that's how it should be viewed. Too often, I think, verses are taken out of context and the overall picture seems to be lost. It's good to divide the Word and break it apart while studying it, but we need to take care not to look past the context and the big picture; don't get so wrapped up in the trees that you lose sight of the forest as a whole. You'll get lost much easier that way.
I've had this cold for a week and a day now, and it just doesn't want to go away! I keep asking it to leave, but it seems quite content to stay. :sigh: It will let me think it's leaving, then announce its presence again, letting me know it hasn't gone anywhere. Today I did wake up not feeling so tired and run down, but the cold seems to have moved to my respiratory system now, which isn't good. I'm rather susceptible to respiratory infections and bronchitis, so I'm hoping and praying I won't get either of those!
This afternoon, I had a brilliant plan for getting rid of my cold: I could bribe it with chocolate! Few can resist the lures of chocolate, so my plan seemed sure to work. I would offer to eat chocolate if only my cold would go away. I proceeded to eat a nice, big piece of chocolate, all for the sake of my cold, you know, telling my cold how mighty obliged I would be if it would leave me in peace once it had its chocolate. But alas, it was to no avail. It would seem that my cold is one of those odd creatures that actually doesn't like chocoate, so my brilliant plan did no good, and the cold is still here. The chocolate made me happy though, so it wasn't completely in vain.
Several weeks ago, I got a call on my cell phone for someone asking if Toffee was here...I didn't have any toffee lying about, so I told them no. Just now, I got a call asking for ATM! I don't know if she was asking for someone called ATM, if she wanted to know if there was an ATM here, or if she thought I was an ATM, but it was rather odd.
And look, two posts in less than 24 hours! That hasn't happened in a while. We're not going to that Christmas ball after all, because it's just too short notice for getting together costumes and all. We're planning for the spring ball though! My hand is improving a lot too. I'm able to use it a lot more now. It's such a relief to have it healing on its own!
i'm rebelling against the rules of grammar and not using any capitalization for this post. in fact, i haven't been using capitalization much today in what i type. i find it rather amusing.
actually, i do have a better reason than just the fact that it's fun. you see, i have these odd ways of injuring myself...i don't get hurt doing things one would naturally see as all that dangerous. i get hurt in weird ways, or doing something rather everyday. last wednesday night, i was sitting here at my desk(which is actually a plastic table), and i had a movie on. i noticed the screen was dusty, so i grasped the edge of the desk and leaned over to wipe off the dust. the desk shocked my hand, leaving my fingers numb, then in a lot of pain, and left it sore all the way up my arm. i certainly didn't think it would still be giving me trouble almost a week later, but it is. sometimes it isn't bothering me much, but if i turn my hand or arm just the wrong way, it sends shooting pains and leaves it sore for a while. it's rather odd, really. i never thought a static shock like that could cause this! i think it must be a problem with the nerves. ice helps the pain, and i'm hoping it will improve soon if i take things easy. oh, and as for the lack of capitalization, i'm mainly typing this one-handed, and don't feel like bothering with the capitals. i can use my right hand some, but it's currently wrapped in a bandage and taking a rest.
this link might be of interest to some of you houston area people who enjoy dancing: conroe christmas ball we're planning on attending, and i'm quite excited!
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a fabulous day! We all have so much to be thankful for. :)
"...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:20
