Themes vs. details

When I read through the Bible earlier this spring, I tried to pass over the details and instead concentrate on the themes. Reading 12 pages each day does not really allow one to soak up all the details. Instead, I jotted down any specific texts or topics I wanted to come back to later.

One topic I've been intending to study for the past several years is death. It can be a depressing topic, I suppose. What happens when you die? Is there consciousness after death? And a more recent addition to my questions - is there any conscious existence before a man is born?

The Seventh Day Adventist church, of which I am a member, has an official position on the topic of death. However, I do think it is of vital importance for each Christian to study and know what the Bible says for themselves. I want to know that my beliefs are the same as those of the church that I attend or I may need to find another church. The only way to discover what I believe is to dig into the Bible for myself.

I started with Genesis 2:7, which talks about God creating Adam, the first man. Then I looked up all the cross references that are listed in my Bible for this text. When I finished reading all of the cross references, I moved on to the next text on my list and looked up all the cross references attached to that text. I now have 6.5 pages of notes and texts related to creation, death, and the breath of life.

I'm not yet done with this study, but I am noticing a bigger theme that just what happens when you die. God is in control. Regardless of what else I find in my study, I am relieved and hopeful because I can be confident that God is always in control.

Here are several of the verses that illustrate this.

God created man. - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

God gives to all life, breath, and all things. - God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things (Acts 17:24-25).

My soul is in God's hand. - Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:9-10).

In God, I live and move and have my being. - For in him [God] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring (Acts 17:28).

Praise the Lord! I can have confidence that God is in control.

Fabric strips complete!

I'm so excited! I finished cutting my last color of fabric this afternoon.



Here are all my lovely strips:



I'm not sure I like all of the colors together, but we'll see how it turns out. I need to take a color theory class or read a good color theory book. Maybe then I will feel more confident picking out fabric. Oh well! Live and learn. :)

Now I have to figure out how I'm going to arrange the strips so that I can start sewing. Ooh, I'm so excited!

Maybe THIS time!

Only one more piece of fabric to cut! I'm very excited about working on this quilt and I've been trying to set aside time each day to make some progress.

Here's what I worked on last night while waiting for my husband to finish a late shift:



And here's what I completed this afternoon:



I only have one more color to cut and then I can start sewing! I'm so excited! I know I've caught the bug when I'm already thinking about what my next project will be... My mom and I need to keep working on our Hazel's Diary quilt and I need to continue working on the quilt for my grandparents. My goal is to have it shipped up to Wyoming by Christmas.

I was optimistic in thinking that I'd get to start sewing blocks for my new quilt early this week! It seems my time tables are usually optimistic and that I need to allow more time to complete things. Either that, or I need to seriously curtail my internet time... Hmmm.



Here are the strips I cut yesterday. The picture didn't quite capture the color, but I think it's a wonderful shade of pink. I wish I had bought extra to use in a later quilt that I'll be keeping!

I think I'll take my own advice and get off the internet, as I still have some studying to do. Maybe later I'll have time to cut the next piece of fabric into strips. Only three colors left to go until I can start sewing. I can't wait!

Bible in 90 Days

I am very excited that the Bible in 90 Days program is starting up again. If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late to join! The reading starts today but there are also two grace days built into the schedule.

Reading the Bible through so quickly is challenging but very rewarding. Sometimes it's difficult to read the Bible for 45 minutes to an hour each day, especially during some of the "hard" books like Leviticus and Numbers. But reading so quickly gave me a new perspective on how God has worked throughout history. It shows how God has had His hand guiding His people. It's really amazing to see that the God who created and taught Adam is the same God who protected His people during the 40 years of wandering. That is also the same God who guided David and the judges during Israel's rocky history.

I'm not reading the entire Bible during this 90 day period but I am going to be doing some intense Bible study. I have a list of questions from my last read through and I want to try to answer some of those during this 90 day challenge. I'm also looking forward to the opportunity of praying for and encouraging some of the participants.

I cannot recommend this challenge enough. If you have never read through the entire Bible, please prayerfully consider joining. It will be a worthwhile experience!

Sarah's Garden - a review

When I saw that Sarah’s Garden (Kelly Long) was available for review, I was intrigued. A combination of gardening, quilting, and a true to life portrayal of Christianity cannot go wrong. I thought the writing was vivid as I could easily imagine the scenes taking place. The ending was to be expected, though fairly believable and welcome. Reading Amish fiction can quickly become monotonous as many of the books are formulaic. This was not one of them and I genuinely enjoyed reading Sarah’s story.

I don’t know enough about the Amish people to recognize if this book is completely accurate in its portrayal of Amish life. But the writing did inspire me to continue in my path to living a more simple life so that I can be open to hearing God’s voice. Without the distractions of constant media or busy schedules, I hope that it will be easier to recognize when God is directing me.

I look forward to reading more upcoming books in this series.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson.

Quilting progress

One of the side benefits of my new schedule is that I've been working on my Double 9 Patch quilt quite a bit. I haven't done any sewing yet. There is a lot of cutting to do first.

Yesterday -



Today -



I've cut strips in three different fabrics and have four more fabrics to go. I should be able to start sewing by early next week!