Condemnation VS. Conviction ~ 8/8/13

"Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces."
Isaiah 25:8

A wise friend once gave me some advice I have come back to again and again over the course of my life.  I was having trouble getting past some mistakes I had made, and my friend advised me to ask myself, "Am I feeling condemned by the devil or am I being convicted by God's Spirit?"  Condemnation, she told me, is never from God.  "The devil will try to make you feel like you're just plain worthless," she said.  "The Holy Spirit, by contrast, will direct you to confess your wrongdoing, receive God's forgiveness, make amends where you can, and get going in the right direction."

"God never condemns His children.  His gracious method is to get us back on track as quickly as possible."


Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Steadfast Love ~ 8/1/13

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3;22-23

Feelings of love tend to ebb and flow, Lord, and too often my action are the result of my overly sensitive nature.  Thank You for your love, which flows like a steady stream.  Thank You for mercies that never dry up, as seasonal brooks do.  Help my love to be more like yours today.  Keep me fro selfishly withholding or retracting it when I'm hurt, angry, or disappointed.  Let love flow more--not less--where it seems most undeserved.  Help me conquer the troubles around me by means of a flood of merciful love.

"Mercy is not easy to give, but it carries us into a place of great freedom and power--freedom from bitterness and anger, and power to love in a way that conquers pride and fear."


Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Friends ~ 7/25/13

"I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father."
John 15:15

Lord, I am thankful every day that You sent Your Son to live among us.  How blessed we are that He taught us about You and gave us such a beautiful example to follow.  May I remember every day to pause and give thanks for this, so I do not get too caught up in my trivial, worldly cares.

"What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!"
--Joseph M. Scriven

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Prayer ~ 7/18/13

I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but I ask You to protect them from the evil one.
John 17:15

Lord, how unworthy we feel of Your Son's prayers on our behalf, but how grateful we are for His intercession!  It's all more marvelous, more mysterious than we can grasp, but because we trust Your Word and Your heart, we humbly thank Him for caring so much about us.  Surely His prayers are heard above all others!

"As Jesus prayed for us, so we must pray for one another."

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Victory ~ 7/11/13

Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exulted in my God...I rejoice in my victory.
1 Samuel 2:1

Victories--both bit and small--are sweet when they come from You, God.  Promotions, honors, breakthroughs, discoveries, answered prayers...it's fun to savor them and know that your gracious hand has provided them.  Help me remember to thank You when I taste victory today and to give You praise in all circumstances.  My greatest reward in this life is Your abiding presence with me.

"There are no losers in the Kingdom of God.  Christ has secured victory for us over sin and death by His own death and resurrection.  We are forever winners in Him!

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Freedom ~ 7/4/13

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

Lord, how blessed we are to live in a country where we are free to worship as we please.  Help us to never take such freedom for granted.  Today we ask You to bless any believers who are being persecuted for living out their faith.  Draw especially near to them, Lord.  Surround them with Your mighty army of angels.

"Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; 
protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King!" 
--Samuel F. Smith

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Now and Forever ~ 6/27/13

Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.
Jude 24-25

Lord, I just want to tell you how much I love You, how grateful I am that You have taken me into Your care.  Ever since I've entrusted myself to You, You've kept me from becoming entangled in the kinds of things that would bring me to ruin.  You fill my heart and mind with peace as I stay close to You.  It's a miracle of Your grace that I am standing tall today, lifting my praise to you from a heart full of love.

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay in invincible summer." --Albert Camus

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Seeing Him ~ 6/20/13

Blessed are those who have not seen 
and yet have come to believe.
John 20:29

Lord, how blessed we are to be able to see you all around us and to sense your presence within us.  Even though we can't see you in the same way we might see a friend or a neighbor, we see you in your Word and in all that is good and true in the world around us.  Thank you, Lord, for making yourself available to us.

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book

Getting to Know: Carey at Gypsy Thread ~ 4/4/13

Name: Carey Cherivtch
Home State: MA

State of Residence: FL

Birthday: October 16
Hair Color: Light brown?

Eye Color: They change – usually some form of blue, gray, or green

Home life (Family, pets, etc.): My 20 year-old man-child, James, keeps promising he’s going to move out soon so I can convert his bedroom into my very own sewing paradise. It doesn’t seem likely in any sort of immediate future, though. Am I a bad mother for looking forward to having an “empty nest”?

Occupation: Once upon a time I worked in corporate finance and corporate legal worlds. In June 2005 I ended up developing a neurological disease, CRPS, and have technically been “disabled” since. To stay productive I put more effort into one of my hobbies, sewing, and Gypsy Thread was born.

Favorite food: Yes. Food. Food is my favorite. J
Go-to beverage of choice: Coffees and Iced Tea

Favorite Accessory: Earrings and Bracelets

What's your blog/website(s)? www.gypsythread.blogspot.com / www.gypsythread.com

Why do you blog/write? What do you hope to accomplish with blogging? My blog is terribly neglected. I do try to use the platform to write about my sewing adventures and let others know where I’ve been fortunate enough to find treasures.

What's the latest goings-on that you would want others to know about? I’m still trying to find my footing after moving from MA to FL last August. I miss my loving family, fabulous fabric stores, and favorite foodie spots. I am super grateful to have found several great groups of other artisans to connect with who have been a fabulous help socially and in finding new resources. However, I am absolutely NOT missing the New England winter!

Any words of encouragement or wisdom to impart? "Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms, the right to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances - the right to choose one’s own way." ~ Viktor Frankl

Where can readers connect with you online? All over! Facebook – www.facebook.com/gypsythread, Twitter – www.twitter.com/gypsythreadco, Pinterest –www.pinterest.com/gypsythreadco, Instagram – www.instagram.com/gypsythread

If you'd like to be featured in a "Getting to Know You" post, please email me at collettaskitchensink [at] yahoo [dot] com .

Health Management ~ Session 2 Part 2 ~ Teaching Obedience ~ 2/21/13

Insights from my visits with Art, the Christian Counselor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had my second meeting with Art last week.  We talked most about relationships.  How to discipline my children and be consistent was the main focus because I have to admit that I have a habit of giving "reprieves" on punishment.

Health Management ~Session 2 Part 1 ~ Love Languages ~ 2/14/13

Insights from my visits with Art, the Christian Counselor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had my second meeting with Art earlier in the week.  We talked most about relationships.  How to discipline my children and be consistent was the main focus because I have to admit that I have a habit of giving "reprieves" on punishment.
We also talked about my relationship with my husband.  I'm going to focus on this today because it is, after-all, Valentine's Day :)

Health Management ~ Session 1, Part 2 ~ 2/7/13

This is the second part of my visit with Art, the Christian Counselor and tips we talked about to better management my health including my anxiety and depression.  You can read  Part 1 HERE.

Health Management ~ Session 1, Part 1 ~ 1/31/13

I mentioned in a previous post about taking the plunge and making an appointment to speak with a counselor to see if it would help me to get a better grip on my depression and anxiety flare-ups.  After trying to explain what I wanted to get out of our meetings and not being very articulate he said, "You mean Health Management".  I actually laughed because that was exactly what I meant but didn't know how to express it so concisely.  I already knew that speaking with "Art" was going to be helpful.

Desire to Inspire ~ Conquering Depression and Anxiety ~ 1/10/13

Today's post is two-fold.

First, I would like to welcome all my new blog followers!  I've gotten so many new readers over the past months and it absolutely thrills me!  Some things about me that I hope come across right away is that I love my God; I love to read; I'm a mom of two girls; a wife to a wonderful hubby; I run a hand-crafted shop while being a stay-at-home-mom/wife.

Something I haven't spoken much of lately is how I've struggled with major depression and anxiety over the past 11 years.  It might have been even longer but my pregnancy hormones kicked it into full view.  I haven't spoken of it lately because I have been doing really well and try to put it out of my mind and just live.

This is where I want to encourage anyone who is struggling to please get help.  I waited years to finally seek treatment.  I saddens me to think that I didn't have to fight all those years and believe me, each day is a fight when dealing with depression and anxiety.  This time of year can be especially difficult.

My treatment consists of the following:

1.  Meds.  So many people are afraid or stubborn and don't want to have to take meds.  I know I struggled with the idea for a long time.

2.  Knowing my triggers. What causes me to start feeling the symptoms and what can I do to change my situation or avoid those things.  Such as being over-tired, scary movies, too much caffeine, letting my happiness depend too much on others.

3.  Be gentle with myself.  Speak kindly to myself.  Don't demand perfection from myself or others.  Get enough rest.  Read.  Play.  Laugh.  Take a time-out when I need it.  Don't over-schedule.  Take it easy when I'm sick. Etc.

4.  Exercise.  Gotta get those feel good chemicals flowing!

5.  Sunshine.  I try to get outside everyday especially in the sun to soak up the Vitamin D.

6.  Have support people.  When I start feeling funky, I usually tell my husband that I'm struggling.  Just knowing that he knows is such a burden lifted.  My mom is also a great listener and has been with me in the bad times.  Church family is also a wonderful support.

7.  Music.  Music does indeed soothe the savage beast :)  I listen to mostly Christian music throughout the day.  KLOVE is my favorite station.  You can listen to it online at www.klove.com if you don't have a local station.  Their tagline is :  Positive, Encouraging, KLOVE  and it truly is.

7.  Daily quiet time with God, prayer and Bible Study.  I can't even describe what this does for my spirit.  (This is by no mean at the bottom of my treatment list.  I left it for last so that I can segue into point #2 :)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Which brings me to the second point of this post.

I've seen everyone sharing their "One Word" for 2013 and they have all been great.  The first year I picked my "One Word", I chose a word and verse that were so powerful for me in my battle with depression and anxiety.  The next year, I decided I didn't want to change my word or verse so I made it my "Life Word and Verse".

"CONQUER"

"But in all these things I overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves me."

Romans 8:37

For so long I felt like a victim and definitely NOT a conqueror.  But through Jesus, I can conquer.

And so can you!

Desire to Inspire ~ Heartbroken ~ 1/3/13

This is my first "Desire to Inspire" post.  I wanted to write something inspirational and thought-provoking.  I've thought about it all morning.  I thought about it as I went out and did my 2 mile walk for the day in the beautiful sunshine.  I thought about it as I was puttering around the house trying to get some work done and yet not getting much at all accomplished.

I finally realized why I was having so much trouble with deciding what to write.  I'm heartbroken.  I wasn't going to even talk about this on my blog at all but I find that it is all I can think of.

Yesterday was a sad, sad day for me as I learned of the passing of a dear friend and brother-in-Christ.

I know with blessed assurance where his soul now is.  Without a doubt. For that, I am grateful.  But at the same time, I feel grief.  For his dear wife.  For me.  For his friends and the many lives that he has touched.  We will all miss his presence here with us.

Over the years, as I encounter more and more death around me, I've tried very hard to not focus on the sadness that death inevitably brings.  After the initial shock and heartbreak, I've been learning to focus on being thankful for the time I was given with the loved one.

I guess I have more learning to do.  For today, I'll just let myself feel.

And tomorrow, I'll try again.