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Freedom Friday - On Serving Two Masters

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If you are here today expecting a pretty words to go with the pretty pictures you are in the wrong place. Instead, the vision I intend to paint for you today is of a cloying, disgusting, hideous creature whom we may be paying homage to unawares.

Caution: You are entering the not so pretty side of Old Things New! Click To Tweet

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

In my last Freedom Friday post I talked about Gossip, and how even Listening to Gossip is contrary to God’s teaching. Simply put, it is sin. What other sins do we justify because, well, maybe they aren’t as bad as what someone else is doing, or because we don’t believe that they are harming anyone? Maybe we don’t even bother to justify a behavior but sin deliberately because we know that God will forgive us this “one little thing”.

There may even be sinful attitudes in your life that you aren’t aware of, but believe me, someone close to you probably is VERY aware! Unforgiveness, bitterness, a critical spirit, jealousy, self pity, etc. These “little” things can cloud our relationship with God. We know there is something not quite right but we can’t pinpoint what’s wrong. We feel distant from Him and our walk simply isn’t what it used to be. This teaching today is not meant to bring condemnation down on you because God is full of grace. Instead, it is meant to perhaps open your eyes to walk in a better way, in fullness of joy in the Lord. God has such good things in store for those who love and follow Him.

Today I want to tell you about a conversation I had last week with my dear friend Norma. Norma is a woman of God, a mighty prayer warrior, with a heart to minister God’s freedom to the younger women of the church. As we normally do when we talk on the phone we spent time sharing what’s been happening in our lives since the last time we talked. Out of the blue, Norma shared with me a vision she had from the Lord some twenty five years ago. It was a vision from God and meant just for her that day, but today she feels that the message of the vision is meant to be shared with others. When I heard it, it struck me so strongly that I felt compelled to share it with you here.

Come back in time with me and imagine if you will, young Norma, wife, mom to three busy teenagers, active in church, a “full on” kind of Christ follower from the get-go, so grateful for His saving grace. It is a beautiful warm day in the Pacific Northwest, and Norma is enjoying time relaxing in the hammock in her back yard as she meditates upon God’s Word. She has been reading in the the Old Testament about those who burned incense to other gods and worshiped in the high places. With a desire to serve God with her whole heart Norma asks, “God, in what ways have I worshiped in the high places and how have I burned incense to other gods?”

God’s answer to Norma came in a powerful vision that rocked her peaceful day.

In her mind’s eye Norma clearly saw three altars before her, one tall altar with two smaller ones attached on either side. Hovering above the altar was a terrible sight. An ugly monstrous beast. Large, bulbous, and filled with excitement as he looked down upon the altar beneath him. His face was hideous, his claws terrible as they reached up into his nose where fumes from the putrid incense burned upon the altar were inhaled into his nostrils. The creature so delighted in the fragrance of the altar sacrifice that he quivered in exultation. The more sacrifices he received the more he grew in size and in strength.

As Norma gazed upon this horrible sight God spoke to her the answer to her questions as, in her spirit, He revealed to her that she, with her attitudes of judgement, criticism, and condemnation, was offering sacrifices upon the altar to a god other than He.

On this one day in Norma’s life God allowed her to see into the spiritual realm and changed her thinking forever. Can you imagine the horror she felt as she realized the delight that Satan feels as he feeds upon our sin? How he grows more powerful in our lives when we continue in our accustomed behaviors? God says we can’t serve God and mamon (money) (Matt. 6:24), but neither can we serve God and unforgiveness; or God and jealousy; or God and hatred. Do we minimize these behaviors as just a part of our personality . . . “it’s who I am” . . . or do we call them what they are . . . sin?

Norma’s vision was so real to me in her telling of it, that I really had to search myself and give thought to what attitudes or habits in my own life I might be delighting the enemy with, maybe even without full awareness?

How many of us regularly walk into church on Sunday with a smile on our face while in our hearts we are holding judgement, bitterness, and unforgiveness? What things are we seeking vengeance for? Are we worshiping God or are we worshiping jealousy, greed, fear and anger? What gets the most attention in our lives? Are we doing something that leads us to question whether it is right or wrong? Hmmm . . . that might be a clue to stop doing it. Let's not become complacent in our brokenness! Click To Tweet

If this word isn’t for you that’s okay. If it is for you you’ll know in your spirit that it is. Take those things that are weighing upon you to God. He delights in restoring us to right relationship with Him and in filling us with His Spirit so that we are empowered to walk as overcomers. I know full well that there are some habits or behaviors that aren’t so easily overcome. These may require the help of other mature believers to come alongside and walk through with us. That is what my friend Norma often does for me as “iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17) in our relationship. I’m so thankful to have her in my life.

Prayer: Papa God, please reveal to us those things we are hanging onto and justifying as being “not too bad.” Forgive us for indulging ourselves, and indulging the enemy of our souls, rather than serving You. Cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness and make us holy and acceptable in your sight. Empower us to stand strong in You and live daily in Your fullness of joy. For joy in YOU Lord IS our strength! In Jesus name, Amen.

Walking daily with the Lord, life simply doesn’t get any better than that!

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays,

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Vintage Music & an Antique Mirror

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A good friend looks out for you. They will tell you if you have a piece of spinach caught in your teeth. They will let you know that your slip is hanging below your dress - although that might be the look you’re going for since that’s currently the fashion. They will surely let you know that you have an inch long hair growing out of your cheek.

Good friends take care of one another.

Another thing about good friends is that they love you just the way you are - midrift bulges; sags and wrinkles; squinty I-forgot-to-bring-my-glasses eyes. They even love your, “Have I told you this story before?” memory.

Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to antique and vintage pieces. With all their crackly, chippy, faded beauty they remind me just a little bit of myself.

I wanted to share with you today, another aspect of my At Long Last Dining Room Reveal, this sweet French Country mirror.

I fell in love with this mirror when I first saw it in an antique store back in Olympia, Washington. It’s shabby goodness spoke to my heart.

I even liked the fact that the silvering on the back of the mirror was peeling because it gave me the perfect opportunity to place some of my vintage sheet music behind the mirror.

This may be SHOCKING to some of you purists but I even chipped away a tiny bit more of the silver so the music would really stand out.

Fun Fact: Before the 19th century mirrors were silvered (the name of the mirroring process) with an amalgam of tin and mercury. By the 19th century when this mirror was made the silvering process was done with real silver. Today aluminum or other compounds are more often used.

I love the look of the musical notes on yellowed paper peeking out from behind the mirror, and it is such fun when someone walks into my dining room and stops to take a second look!

If you are going to be an antique you might as well be the best looking antique you can be!

Speaking of looking your best you might be interested in checking out my Fab Over Fifty Pinterest board to see some of the looks I love to wear, because who says we older gals aren’t worth a “second look?”

If you are a lover of mirrors like I am, you might also like my Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Pinterest board.

Just looking out for you FRIENDS 😉

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays,

Monday:
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I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

Blue & White Hanging Wall Vases

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Sometime around 6:00 in the morning my head and my body start a conversation that goes something like this:

Head: I have so many ideas for the fun things we can do today!

Body: Be quiet and let me sleep.

Head: But if you sleep too late we won’t get everything accomplished!

Body: If I don’t get enough sleep we’ll be tired all day and won’t get everything accomplished either.

Body nestles down under the covers anticipating another hour or so of sleep. Head agrees that it feels quite snug pressed into this squishy down pillow but still can’t keep from swirling with words and pictures. Body allows Head a few creative thoughts, as long as she is allowed to be still and cozy, until the REAL Cozy, Old Beagle Cozy, agrees with Head that it is time to rise and shine.

Up onto the bed she jumps and begins pushing her hard face into mine like a little bulldozer (hence the nickname, Cozer the Bulldozer) and whining in the most annoying way.

So the day begins.

NOTE: This post contains links to products for sale on Amazon. If you click on the link and make a purchase it doesn’t cost you more than going directly to the Amazon website to make your purchase. I do however, receive a small compensation which goes toward covering the costs associated with maintaining this website.

I’ve had so many comments and questions about the different aspects of my Dining Room Makeover that I decided to focus in on each, one post at a time. First, these blue and white hanging wall vases. Where did I buy them, or did I make them, and if I made them, how?

No, I did not make them, though a creative person with a glass cutter certainly could.

I found them at a Marshall’s store quite some time ago, used them for awhile in my old house, then stuck them in a closet for an even longer while. When I started pulling my dining room together I “shopped my house” and was delighted to find them again in a storage closet.

So though I haven’t seen anything like them recently in a store I did some research online and found a couple of different varieties of blue and white vases on Amazon.

I also found many other styles and colors of wall vases while searching, four hundred pages to be exact!

I’ve included some links for you here in case you are interested in purchasing vases similar to mine. Simply click on the pictures below to see them in more detail or to make a purchase.

To see the many other varieties of wall vases I came across simply type Hanging Vases in the search box once you are in the Amazon website.

Head: I’m so glad you got up out of bed and allowed me to share some of my thoughts this morning. Thank you.

Body: You’re welcome. Is it time for another cup of coffee?

Blessings to you my friends,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

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12’s Chicken Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese

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Hi readers! I’m so excited that the Seahawks have made it to the next round of the playoffs and are playing the Panthers in my home territory tomorrow. I’ve been wearing my Seahawks colors proudly and plan to put my great BIG 12th man flag out in the front yard for the game tomorrow. It will probably not even be noticed as this is more of a college ball town anyway.

So here is the official Recipe of the Week for the Home of the 12s Facebook page. This recipe is taken from Cooking Light Diet and goes along with my New Year’s resolution to lose a few pounds and get in shape. I don’t normally do a lot of recipes on this blog but have been kept hopping lately as the Seahawks just keep pushing on through. Let’s hope that I’ll be back with more next week!

Seahawks vs. Panthers tomorrow. What a game that will be!

Go Hawks!

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:
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Freedom Friday - On Listening to Gossip

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I believe the single most important thing I can do to keep myself in the “right” place with God is daily Bible reading and journaling. I say daily because that’s my goal, though to be completely honest there are times that I skip this practice for a day, two days, even a week at a time. It is in the skipping that I realize it’s importance as everything goes awry without the daily infusion of God’s Word into my life and my reflection upon it. God speaks to me through His Word.

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

Proverbs 17 was on my reading schedule this past week. Before reading I always usually ask God to highlight any particular verse that He wants to speak through that day. This day it was Proverbs 17:4. Here is how it reads in The Voice Bible.

Wrongdoers perk up when listening to gossip. Click To Tweet

I’d never heard this verse worded quite this way before so I checked out a few other versions. Most simply say that wrongdoers “listen” to gossip (I love how switching up the version of the Bible I read from time to time brings fresh new perspective).

I don’t think of myself as a gossip - anymore - though it used to be that I could add my input with the best of them! I’m NOT Perfect Patti but God has graced me with enough growth that I can usually keep my mouth shut when I shouldn’t speak - at least when it comes to gossip! When it comes to saying silly things, NOT so easy!

After reading this verse I decided to write down a few questions to ask myself:

  • Do my ears “perk up” at gossip?
  • Do I become more attentive or do I move away from the conversation?
  • Does it depend on who the conversation is about?
  • What if it is about someone who has hurt me or someone I love?
  • What if it is about someone who always seems to come out on top?
  • What if it is about someone who isn’t on the “same side” as I’m on?
  • Do I ever have a sense of vindication or self-satisfaction when I hear an evil word about another person?
  • Is any of this okay, as long as I don’t say a word of gossip out loud myself?

 

I believe that to be a listener to gossip can be just as bad as being the gossiper.

  • By listening without speaking we can appear to be in agreement.
  • By listening we may believe information about another person that is untrue.
  • By listening, our view of another person can be tainted.
  • Finally - if our ears perk up at gossip there may be something inside ourselves that we need to deal with - unforgiveness, judgement, ill will, hatred, insecurity, etc.

Having said all this, let me tell you that sometimes I get hurt and feel like verbally bashing the one who hurt me. I have people who say unkind things about me and to me (when you put yourself out there on a blog that’s going to happen).

When I’m hurt I try to talk to God before running to find someone to share with. Sometimes we need human “one-anothers” also, as the Bible tells us to encourage one another and stir up one another to brotherly love. I have my husband and a couple of trusted friends that have heard my woes from time-to-time and have helped me to see things through God’s eyes. Even so, it is important that I be careful and test my sharing in prayer. God is faithful to show me if I am gossiping (talking with the intent of bringing harm to another) or sharing to receive feedback and insight into a situation.

Haha! That makes me think of something funny I heard from a woman with regard to talking about her husband, “I'm not gossiping, I'm just reporting! Click To Tweet”

Maybe some of you can relate the words I’ve written and need to spend some time asking God if you’ve been an active participant in gossip even if you’ve been a silent participant.

Prayer: Search me oh Lord, and show me if there is any wicked way in me. Cleanse me from anything within me that would cause me to “perk up” at a word of gossip. Give me strength to stand strong against the temptation to sin, even in the listening, and give me words of grace to walk away from situations that compromise my relationship with You and with others. Amen.

Note: The Voice Bible is an actual translation, not a paraphrase, but it is unique in that it was written by esteemed Bible scholars in collaboration with pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists. The goal of this translation was to help bring to believers joy and wonder at God’s revelation. If you are interested in trying a different version for your daily Bible reading I’ve added the link below.

The Voice Bible, Step Into the Story of Scripture

 

In my next Freedom Friday post I’ll be sharing a frightening vision that a dear and godly friend had, regarding those things we hang onto and how they cloud our relationship with God. It was important to her life personally and I sense that it is an important message for all of us to hear.

Until then, blessings to you dear readers,

Photographs taken in Tybee Island, GA

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: