Weekend Words

From Amish Proverbs - Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

On Faith

Religion is 24/7 for the Amish.  Everything they do, especially the manner in which they dress, is based upon their faith.  Their simple clothing - a tradition of the Amish and the reason they are also called the Plain People - is a tangible reminder that they are a people set apart, belonging to the Lord.  The Kapp or 'head cap' worn by every woman and even infants, might be the most symbolic garment.

To the modern world, the Amish seem radical.  Their deep commitment to faith is why they choose to live separate from the world.  They believe the ways of the world oppose God.  They eschew accumulating materialistic goods because it leads them to pride.  Their Plain clothes serve to keep them separate from the world by creating a unifying identity.  Their dependence on a caring community is intended to reflect the body of Christ.  Their emphasis on humility reminds them that God alone is worthy of praise.

Most Amish believe the adage that "The cornerstone of faith is truth, not tolerance."  They take Scripture literally and don't rationalize or justify behavior that the Bible labels as sin.

But the focus of the Amish life is not solely on avoiding temptation.  It is on pleasing God, conforming to His will, living a faithful life...

You can't stumble when you are on your knees.

Walk softly, speak tenderly, and pray fervently.

When you get to your wits end, you'll find God lives there.

When I have nothing left but God, then I find that God is all I need.

 

If you want your life to be a reflection of Christ, you need to take time to reflect on Christ.

If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience.

Faith gives us the courage to face the present with confidence and the future with expectancy.

F-A-I-T-H: Forsaking all, I trust Him.

Know the Bible in your head, stow it in your heart, show it in your life, sow it in the world.

 

Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.

Put everything in God's hand and eventually you will see God's hand in everything.

All our tomorrows must pass before God before they ever reach us.

Faith makes things possible, not easy.

Faith is like stepping out at God's command onto what appears to be a cloud and finding it to be solid rock.  

If you don't want the fruits of sin, stay our of the devil's orchard.

Though you may ask God to do something for you, he generally wants to do something in you.

(all photos from Amish Doll Quilts - Rachel and Kenneth Pellman)

Rainy Day Thursday

It is winter, so I suppose a few rainy days is to be expected.  But I'm still getting out for my walk each day.

This morning at the river...

Even in winter my lavender is looking pretty...

And this rose I passed on my walk is enjoying a drink...

 

 

Some days are blue skies...

And sunshine on my path...

 

 

Other days are fog on my path...

 

 

Even though I've been doing the same walk for years, it never gets boring...

And then on the really raining days, I get to stay inside, and because it's too wet, I don't have to feel guilty about the work that needs doing in the garden :)


The back and half a sleeve done on Hazel's  pink cardigan...

 I decided I need another beanie.  I wear one pretty much all the time during the cold of winter, even in the house...

Only took a couple of hours to knit...

super quick with big needles and yarn used double

Recently finished reading these two.  Both very good...

The crocheted blanket in the background is another one I've started using more of the Patons Sierra yarn (like the pink one I finished recently), but this has a brown base colour.  I'll show you more next post

Our libraries have opened up completely now, so you can go in and browse the shelves.  I have these two to get through and take back...

Then I'll have re-read all the Little House books!

All that walking, knitting and reading makes a body hungry, so I've also been baking.  Made a vegetarian loaf...

I can't remember exactly what I put in it, because I made it last week.  I didn't have a recipe, just worked with what I had.  But it went something like this:  cooked and mashed potato, sweet potato, pumpkin and carrot.  Sauted chopped onion, garlic and capsicum (bell pepper) in a little olive oil.  Added cooked beans (can't remember what type, I cook up pots of various types and then put them in zip lock bags in the freezer for future use), peas, corn, sourdough bread crumbs, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, currants, 2 eggs (to hold it all together), salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, curry powder, home made tomato relish.  Mix all together, put in a loaf tin, and bake in a moderate oven for half (?) an hour.

Makes a nice loaf and I sliced some and put in the freezer.  I had the last piece for lunch today...

This carrot cake slice recipe from Marnie.  With seriously addictive cream cheese frosting...

The original recipe is HERE

(but I only used 1/2 a cup of sugar, and substituted some of the white flour with whole wheat, spelt and almond meal.  And added some lemon juice instead of vanilla to the frosting)

 

And more Anzac biscuits...

just as well I do a lot of walking!!

 

 

The vest I knitted for Rafe arrived, and Anushka sent me a photo of him sporting his new attire...

 

 

 

And I couldn't resist this one Hayley sent me of Ben and Hazel...

father and daughter, out for a stroll :)

 

Seems walking runs in the family!!

 

xx

Weekend Words

From A Year's Journey with God - Jennifer Rees Larcombe

 

The Old Teddy Bear 

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.  You have given them great joy, Lord; You have made them happy.

(Isaiah 9:2-3a)

Several of us had been helping to clear an old lady's attic when I found him.  Squashed in a box full of rubbish, he looked so lonely and forlorn.  All the love he had received eighty years before had worn away his fur and during his years of banishment the mice and moths had wrecked him.  He leaked sawdust, his ears hung by threads and one glass eye was missing.

'Help yourself to anything you want, my dears,' the old lady told us, and while the others picked plates and vases I chose the teddy.  'These antique bears can be quite valuable,' I told them defensively.  'Not that one!' they replied.

On many evenings that winter I worked away at him, darning, patching, restoring and finally knitting him a colourful new suit and hat.  He spent so long on my lap that we grew far too close to each other ever to be parted again.  When I look at him now I often remember the promise Jesus makes to mend us when life messes us up (Isaiah 61:1).  He definitely does just that, but He does seem to take a very long time to do it sometimes!  Perhaps it is while He does the mending that we grow 'too close to Him ever to be parted again'?

When we have been loved once but then forgotten, like my bear, loneliness hurts!  But Jesus promises to be the sort of friend who never walks away (Hebrews 13:5).

He is our clothing; out of love for us He wraps us around, fastens the clasp, and enfolds us in His love, so that He will never leave us. - Julian of Norwich

Weekend Words

These books were published in 2012 and 2013.  Times have not changed for the good...

From Amish Proverbs - Suzanne Woods Fisher

On Money

It's not that the Amish aren't money savvy; they are.  But their goal in life isn't to accumulate wealth.  Money is a tool, not a goal.  They want only to support their family in an environment that best reflects their values.  They believe in ownership of land, hard work, frugality, honesty and industry.  But they strive to prevent affluent living, keeping up with the Joneses, and social status.  

Instead, the Amish give their highest respect to those who care for their homes and families and community.

The Amish put the brakes on accumulation and all of the distractions and complications that come with it.  There's a point where enough is enough, especially if it interferes with what is truly important to them: faith, family, community.  That's where they draw the line.

Enough is enough is a rare concept for our modern world.  A curious finding by a 2009 study shines a spotlight on one result of affluence: the higher the income, the study found, the less time a family spends together.  The decline in family time, the study found, coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks.  The study found that, whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the television, families are spending less time together.

The Amish remind us that there is goodness and satisfaction in a simpler life.

He who has no money is poor; he who has nothing but money is even poorer.

You are only poor when you want more than you have.

It's not what you make but what you save that gets you out of debt.

It is worse to have an empty purpose that it is to have an empty purse.

If you want to feel rich, just count the blessings that money can't buy.

Most folks tend to forget that even a bargain costs money.

The values we leave our children are more important than the valuables we leave them.

From Amish Peace - Tricia Goyer

Open Your Hand and Give

Don't worry about these things, saying, "What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?"  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Matthew 6:31-32

Recession has hit our country in recent years.  Friends have lost their homes.  Others have whittled down their savings.  Many are out of jobs.  But the Amish are a segment of society that has hardly been touched with financial trouble.  When the world around us uses advertising and promotion to urge consumers to buy more, the Amish raise their children to get by with just enough.  "Waste not want not" is a common saying.  Amish are consumers, too, but they consume in a different way.  They don't purchase products to make them look good or to bring comfort, ease or beauty to their lives.  They purchase food, clothing, tools, or other supplies because they have a specific need.

The Amish live by common sense, and they foster contentment with what they have.  They also open their hands and give to those who are in need.  Giving to others as a top money management technique may seem foolish, but the Amish received this advice from the One who owns everything.  Jesus said, "Give and you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.  The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." (Luke 6:38)

If you want to live in peace, throw away your long shopping list and learn to live with less.  Do you want to be unruffled and content?  Cease focusing on what you don't have, and instead consider what you can give to someone who has less.

Those who don't believe that God is there - and that He cares for them - have reason to worry and fret.  But our heavenly Father not only knows our needs but also brings others into our lives to help meet them.  He also brings people in need into our lives because He knows we will be blessed when we open our hands to give.

June Yarn Along

It's Yarn Along time again!

I've finished the lap blanket I was crocheting...

 and don't tell anyone, but I've bought more of this yarn (because I enjoyed working with it so much), in a different colour combination, to make another one :)

Here's granddaughter Hazel in the cardigan I recently knitted for her...

she also wants a pale pink one :)

And grandson Jaya in the vest I knitted for him...

and now I'm working on one for his brother Rafe

 

And daughter Marnie made herself some leg warmers...

Seems they are 'flavour of the month' at the moment :)…

And in my 'spare' time, I'm onto the last of the Little House books I have here, and enjoying the latest Above Rubies magazine that arrived last week...

The good news is our local library re-opens tomorrow.  Only for 'click and collect', which means you can reserve books from the online catalogue and they send you an email when your books are ready to collect.  Still no browsing the library shelves yet. 

And here's a quote I read this morning in Those Happy Golden Years (from the chapter School Days End):

As Laura went down the stairs she thought : 'The last time always seems sad, but it isn't really.  The end of one thing is only the beginning of another.'

Here's to new beginnings!

xx

Weekend Words

From Amish Proverbs - Suzanne Woods Fisher

On time...



 



Don't hurry, don't worry, do your best, leave the rest!

To the Amish, waiting isn't a verb.  It's an attitude.  They wait for Spring to plow and plan, for autumn to reap and harvest.  They know that the seasons can't be rushed.  They wait for the rain to come and nourish their crops.  Much of their three-plus-hour church service is a time of waiting: they wait in expectation before God, rich with the promise of what is to come.

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7) is a biblical principle the Amish take to heart.  Waiting on the Lord is the same thing as trusting Him.  All that they have belongs to Him, including the minutes and hours and days and years that make up their lives...

The Amish recognize patience as a key part of God's character.  Confirming their will to God's will is what being Amish is all about.  One way they try to conform is to purposefully slow down the tempo of life...

The Amish can teach us to slow down.  Time is not something to be mastered but a boundary to be respected.  They remind us that Christians should look at life from a different perspective because we are part of a different kingdom - one that stretches into infinity.

"Run the race with eternity in view" and " What we do in this life echoes in eternity" are frequently quoted in sermons.  And one thing the Amish know to be true: unlike humans, God is not in short supply of time.  There is no limit to His days or His patience or His joy.

 

 



You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough.

Many times we are climbing mountains when we ought to be quietly resting.

One thing you can learn by watching the clock is that it passes time by keeping its hands busy.

Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait.

 

Regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us of the moment.

Live each short hour with God and the long years will take care of themselves.

The person who kills time has not learnt the value of life.

Worry wastes today's time, cluttering tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles.

 

Beware of the barrenness of a too-busy life!

The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today.

Things that steal our time are usually the easiest to do.

What a new year brings us depends a great deal on what we bring to the new year.

 

Don't worry what you could do if you lived your life over; get busy with what's left.

If you keep waiting for the right time, you may never begin.

To stay youthful, stay useful.

 

(All photos are from The Amish Cook - Elizabeth Coblentz)

 

Further afield

Yesterday I took a drive up to Latrobe (40km away) and did a walk with Marnie and Denver...

 

A local...

More locals...

Denver and Marnie

 

Part of the track has been planted with Australian native plants...

And part was just natural bush...

And there is a river there too...

the Mersey River

I managed to pick up two more of these at the plant nursery for my side garden...

Helichrysum

Almost finished knitting Rafe's vest, still working on my crocheted blanket...

and onto the last of the Little House books I have

 

 

We are in for  -1C overnight!  I've closed up the house, lit the wood heater, and am hunkering down for the night...

FYI - to clean the glass in your wood heater = wet newspaper or paper towel and some of the ash from the fire box.  Works a treat!

 

Stay warm (or cool) and safe.

 

xx