As If God Needed Anything

As If God Needed Anything

Acts 17:25

I was driving to school to pick up the kids one afternoon and the song came on…”The God who made the world, is not served by human hands as if He needed anything because He alone gives life and breath and everything else” Acts 17:24-25
GOD IS THE GIVER AND THE TAKER
I began to sob. I was reminded of the day He almost took my daughter’s life and breath.  I was reminded of how close He is.  I was reminded that He is the giver and the taker. I was reminded that every aspect of my life is no accident.
Isn’t it easy to lament your lot?  To assume that you are a poor, unseen, neglected soul clamouring for your most basic rights and a little reprieve from the drudgery of your every day?  It’s easier to believe that the hardships and joys are all non-ordained coincidences, so that you have some tiny hope of running your own life one day.  It’s easier to think God is a far off kind relative hoping for your best.
CONTROL
In the course of a year God took away almost all the earthly securites in my life. My husband’s job, our house, our church family, our kids’ health.  He took away our ability to think we were ever, for one moment, in control.
One summer morning, I was staying with family while looking for a house to rent.  I came downstairs and Vivion was coloring at the table with labored breathing. My mother-in-law noticed me noticing her and said she had woken her early. Because she was having a hard time breathing, she took her over to the hospital for Dr. Gpa to have a look and let me sleep in. He gave her benedryl and sent her home.  None of us thought too much of it.  Our family has lots of allergic reactions.
Four hours later I was holding her in my arms, begging God to heal her as she labored to breathe and went limp. I got up and put her in the car.  My mother-in- law joined me for the ride to the ER. I said through clenched steering wheel and hot tears, “He’s going to take her too.  HE’S GOING TO TAKE HER!”  “NO. HE’S NOT,” she said firmly.  But I didn’t have any reason to believe her.  I had experienced so much loss that year.  I was afraid of the next loss.
No one in the ER panicked appropriately.  But inside I was the panicking, begging, desperate mother pleading with God not to take her daughter as she hung limply over my shoulder heaving slowly, her chest retracting and catching.
Moments of absolute powerless desperation are where you discover true belief.  I found myself imploring mercy from the God who made the universe. I knew He had something to do with this.
Is God a cruel taskmaster?  A monopoly game warden? Or a very present help and refuge in your time of trouble?  At that moment my faith was shaken and I wasn’t sure.  My feelings were bereft of reason. {Psalm 46:1}
AT ANY ANY MOMENT 
An hour later she was stable, and we were sent home with breathing treatments. That night around 9, I lay next to her in bed.  She flailed about restlessly. Vexed and breathless.  She kicked me out of frustration.  My worried heart was willing my body to stay calm.  My spirit was thankful she was still here, but I knew we weren’t in the clear.  At any moment God could take her or anything else.  I sat on the edge of a proverbial cliff where choice and chance diverged.
As I watched her struggle to rest, I asked, “Vivion what can I do for you? What do you need?”
“I need you to pray for me,” was her simple response.  She was 2 years old.
So I did. And God gave her breath back.  Fully.  Her breathing instantly returned to normal. I think it must have been the kind of “instant calm” the seamen experienced when Jonah was thrown overboard. She fell asleep. She rested. She rested in what God had done. And I sat there awake all night in relief, disbelief, and amazement.  God was in control.  My circumstances were no accident.  He alone gives life and breath and everything else.  HE doesn’t need me.  HE is not served by me.  In fact He sent His son’s hands to serve me and you on a cross.  Our labored breathing is now at a restful sigh because of Christ’s labored heaving upon the cross for our sin.  We don’t have to do anything.  WE ask and believe and our sin is forgiven.  We have no work begging our hands for salvation.  We can proclaim His goodness becuase HE most definitely works ALL things for our good and His glory.
My story could have ended quite differently.  I am so very thankful it didn’t.  But I am also thankful God cared to remind me that all my circumstances are safe because HE is working it all for my good.  He is not panicking.  He is in control.  Would you want to worship a god who wasn’t in control? {Romans 8:28}
Are you weary? Do you need God to move?  Are you doing everything you can hoping things will change?  Don’t worry, He doesn’t need you to serve Him.  He’s not far off hoping for your best.
He is intimately involved in the circumstances of your life.  He is serving you with those circumstances.
But when you come to the foot of the cross with the breath He gave you, it only makes sense to worship Him.  To worship God is to give and serve with the breath that is not your own.  Our work, dear ones, on this earth, is only to give the Gospel in all we do that others might see and know and rest in Him and His work.
Edited By Lori Chally
Sewcation 2016 The Good, The Sad, & The Beautiful

Sewcation 2016 The Good, The Sad, & The Beautiful

IMG_3961

I promised to deliver details of the epic Sewcation 2016 and here we are.  A month later, but never the less, if you feel the itch of nosiness it can now be tamed friends……here are the details of our epic weekend.  I invited several women who have been dear and special to me throughout my life. Women whom God has placed in my life at just a time when I needed a friend.  Women who have taught me to sew, inspired me to sew, sewn me little dresses when I was growing up and women who just plain love me.

THE GOOD
Sew, I mean so…..The day started out with a spectacular display of selflessness on my husbands part. I slept in. He took all Science Fair Projects and school aged children with him to school. He set up and displayed. He listened to the presentations. My hero…..I had a leisurely morning with just Thing #5.  I had coffee BEFORE 9am.(#miracle)  After nursing and packing up the car with an unrealistic amount of sewing projects in my bags(and a unhealthy amount of optimism needed to be finishing those things)….and every notion I needed (except thread#facepalm), I hit the road to pick up Thing #3 from kindergarten and grab lunch.
My hero called just in time to save me from the woe of drive thru fast food to tell me of everyones sciency success and offered to take me to sushi! Ruby Jane (#5) thoroughly enjoyed this.  But mostly she liked the spoons.

IMG_3934

THE SAD
My friend Lori from Cottonwood Farm called to confirm that she was indeed stuck in Texas with her husband on a big painting job and would not make it back in time. When one lives in a land of Sewcationless days for 365.25 days of every other year, the utter devastation of a chum stuck two states away is beyond SAD.  We mourned for her loss.  We vowed to plan a redo Sewcation 2016.2 in her honor.  There may have been selfish sewing motives mixed in with our pure ones.  I can’t be sure.  (Winky Face)

MORE GOOD

We all arrived at The House On Eagle Ridge around 6 except for my friend G who stayed late in KC to deal with the rest of the science fair madness and transport our 5 million children where they needed to go after school.  She brought my Thing #1 and Thing #2 with her. Bless her heart.

Our hostess with the mostest, (aka my mother in law) seated us to a beautiful table, perfect with themed decor.  Apothecary jars full of buttons and thread mixed and mingled among the fresh flowers.  We all felt a bit ridiculous at the beautiful and lavish pampering our tired selves were unaccustomed to.  It was pure loveliness.  She is gifted at entertaining!  Her daughters helped serve and watch my kiddos too!

IMG_3935 IMG_4156

But we were all here to do one very important thing. So we valiantly polished off our tiramisu and headed out to the party room with hot large cups of coffee to begin our sewing adventures for the weekend.

We were all a bit tired and didn’t last long! So we headed to the lovely guest barn and settled in for the night.  My MIL has been working hard to make it a rustic haven for all her guests. It’s truly unique and adorable.

IMG_6240  IMG_6235  IMG_5212  IMG_6234

IMG_6247 IMG_6253

MORE SAD

Over the course of the night my friend Ginny got the flu, and my friend Alicia’s sweet 6 week baby boy came down with a nasty cold.  They left after lunch.  We were dropping like flies!

THE BEAUTIFUL

There were many moments of beauty throughout the weekend.  I really enjoyed catching up with my sweet southern belle Haley.  I listened to her talk about letting her boys pick out their quilt patterns and fabric in her warm Arkansas accent as she worked….and I realized the beautiful thing about Haley is,  she always sees the possible in every situation and encourages those around her to let their hearts dream a little.  She’s a vault of how-to information and knows the steps hard work must take to realize those dreams, encouraging those steps with excitement for those around her.

I loved watching my cousin Jaimee, as she worked, sleep deprived from her cute little #4 on a beautiful quilt for her sons’ teacher. Only her second quilt, but she finished an entire quilt top that weekend!  All the while her beautiful little boy Nolan cheering her along close by.

jaimeesquiltnolan

Her mother my Aunt Kathy, brought a giant dahlia quilt to work on. Attempting a quilt like that is no small feat! I can’t wait to see it all finished.  It’s amazing!  She is gifted at detail work, I still love the beautiful embroidered pillowcases she made me for my wedding!  She has a kind heart and loves me like her own.

 

 

IMG_4792My mother began a giant mustard and gray colored arrowhead quilt for me.  The beautiful thing about my mom is that she always loves people by spending time with them and on them. I’ve never wondered if she loved me but I’ve often thought about how blessed I am that she likes me.  She taught me how to sew, but of course so much more.

Next we have Ginny.  She is amazing!  She is a true artist.  The quilts she sews up are always an exciting surprise of modern, quirky, delightfully unexpected patterns and colors.  I love how she just makes what makes her heart sing.  I can’t imagine where I’d be without her.  She taught me that fearing mistakes suck all the joy out of creating.  I love that God brought us together over cloth diapers and we first shared our hearts over nachos one rainy afternoon in her big comfy house.  She has been encouraging me ever since.

Alicia is Ginny’s sister in law! She is always making something from beautiful fabric non stop.  Even with her baby strapped on and 4 other children to homeschool, she makes time to sew.  She brought some amazing Chalk and Paint Fabric for AGF by Sew Caroline.  In no time at all she had whipped up a darling easter dress for her sweet one and only girl Lillian.  Off topic but may I also say that Alicia is a talented baker and often makes us decadent treats for girls craft nights that are simply to die for.  I now firmly believe all sewing must involve desserts thanks to her.

Finally, I made about 24 blocks of the Fancy Fox quilt for my #3 Hayler. It’s probably the most intricate time consuming quilt I’ve ever made. It’s not hard but it is tedious and I am not a fast piecer.  I hope I can finish it this Spring!  There are lots of exciting projects in the works in my hectic little home that distract me from it and I can’t wait to share about them all here.

foxyquilt IMG_3962

IMG_3938 ruth IMG_4158

I hope this post inspires you to make fond memories over busy hands with the dear ones in your life.

-Andrea