I am thrilled that Fall is almost here, how about you?
I love the colors, the smells, the fresh start of a new school year, the hint of the coming holidays, everything about this season.
We've just started our 4th grade homeschool year and we're already having fun (and learning so much!).
It seems to get more intense as the kids get older, and each grade takes more planning than the year before, and I love every bit of it. I hope to share some details about what we're doing for school here on the blog in the coming months.
September's pattern was partially inspired by our school planning. One of God's promises is that He will always answer us. Of course the answer may not be what we're hoping for, but He does answer.
He requires something on our part though:
To seek Him with *all* of our hearts:
"And you shall seek Me, and find Me
when you shall search for Me with all your heart."
--Jeremiah 29:13
And to clean up our act:
"THEN you will call out, and the Lord will answer.
You will cry out, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
"If you stop making trouble for others,
if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,
if you feed those who are hungry
and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.
The Lord will always lead you."--Isaiah 58:9-11
God is always there, always wanting to answer us, but so many times He can't get through because our line of communication with Him is blocked.
Think of it like a clogged pipe, in order to get water flowing you have to clean it out.
The stuff that is blocking our hearts from communicating with God, according to Isaiah, isn't hair and blobs of toothpaste (although just as gross to God I'm sure) but gossip, harsh & unkind speech, judgmental finger-pointing (rooted in pride), and selfishness that stops us from helping other people.
ouch.
So what do we need?
Well, a holy plunger, if you will, of repentance and some cleansing water of forgiveness.
Water Photo by Hilde Vanstraelen / www.biewoef.be
"So turn to God!
Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven."
-Acts 3:19
He says once we do that we'll be "bright like sunshine at noon".
The Message put it this way:
"Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry."
--Isaiah 58:11
Now that' what I call an answer. :)
If you've been around awhile you know that Keith Green was one of the most annointed Praise & Worship leaders & song artists since David.
If you haven't been around awhile, then go take a look at some of his youtube videos. You will be blessed.
And now for the stitching:
If you're just joining in, click the image above for the overview
page with instructions and previous free patterns.
I Will Answer You
"Then when you call, the LORD will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ He will quickly reply."
-Isaiah 58:9 (NLT)
The Pattern
Click here to download the free pattern.
There is a copy with the ninth thing God wants you to remember, "I will answer you" and a blank copy for you to fill in your own phrase or scripture in the space if you'd like to use it again. (it's a pdf so you'll need Adobe Reader installed. Get it here for free)
The Stitches
Pretty simple stitches this time! Just backstitch mostly with a little stem stitch on the chalkboard and a partial lazy daisy for the apple's eyes & mouth.
You will probably notice when you're tracing the pattern that the line over the chalkboard (under the alphabet) is a little crooked (under the the Dd and Hh). I just stitched straight across and then lengthened my letters to meet the line.
I used the following stitches on this pattern:
♥ Lazy Daisy (I used a partial Lazy Daisy for the apple's eyes & mouth)
♥ Stem Stitch (I used this for the chalkboard outline)
♥ French Knot (I used one strand of thread to make a tiny french knot to dot the i in "will")
Thanks to each of you who've emailed me about the patterns. It is such a blessing to me to know that you're enjoying them!
I'd love to see your work if you're stitching along with us! Send me a link or a photo to be featured on the blog!
I'm praying for each of you that you'll open up your communication with GOd and recieve the answers you need.
I love you!
Grace & Peace,
♥ Melissa~
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"And you shall seek Me, and find Me when you shall search for Me with all your heart."--Jeremiah 29:13
