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Pursuing Peace

This is where I start my days--however, this past week's stops
here were way too brief and left me hungry & thirsty
Life here in the US can be so...distracting!  There are so many cool things to do and see and pursue and acquire and...it can leave me tired, frazzled and wondering where my peace is hiding out--and PEACE is my word-for-the-year!  God has been reminding me of that.  He's like that.  Scripture commands us to "seek peace and pursue it ( 1 Peter 3:11 )--not run the other way.  Admittedly, scripture also makes a distinction between times when we are called to run and when we are to walk (Is 40:31 for one) --balanced with times of being still and resting by those still waters.  The last few days I have heard the Lord distinctly instructing me to "Stop, already!"  There are several decisions I have to make and I so need His wisdom--and to receive that I must take the time to hear His heart.  In addition, several ministry opportunities of an international nature have come up and it would be so easy to just say "yes!" as these really get me excited.   The stark reality is that I have finite resources of time, energy and money--and I would not want to place undue stress on my precious relationships.  I must know His will.  I must stop and listen.  That means controlling the coming and going as well as input; meaning the chatter that is so constant here.  I really like NPR and Netflix and my iPod!  ...but what I need is some silence.

Plus, I feel the need just to hang out--enjoy summer here and luxuriate in some unstructured time.  Big challenge for me.  So, this coming week I have 3 commitments falling within 1 1/2 days.  The rest I am leaving open.  Wide open.  Then I need to figure out how to squeeze in a visit to the Munchkins in WA state ;)

OK, Despite being a bit too busy lately, I have managed to squeeze in Munchkin time and some sewing :D

Feeding the ducks--though Kelby & Layla ate most of their duck bread on the way there :)
















Swimming with Friends & Family :)

Sewing clothes!  It's been a very long time; but a trip to Denver Fabrics with Nikki was just what I needed to  kick start my creativity in this area (their bargain bins are amazing!).  Having everything in one place and in order didn't hurt either.  This sweater I had actually started about 3 years ago.  It's light and drapey and I'm very pleased with it!
This is a pool dress--a swimsuit cover-up.  The flowers are way bigger than I normally choose, but the fabric is a really light  washable linen and I like it a lot.  
this was a really easy pattern--I'd like to make the top--I like how the hem line is reversed from the dress
I finished up the ironing board cover project and whipped up this great little clothes pin bag

I close with these challenging quotes from
Strong Women, Soft Hearts: A Woman's Guide to Cultivating a Wise Heart and a Passionate Life
Thank you, Nancy!
 
"It is a bit of a mystery how we lose the early glow we have when the wonder of the gospel first captures us  How we slowly drift from the domain of the heart to a focus on efficiency and performance--as though this whole thing was mostly about doing and duty.  The passion is replaced with just showing up."

Yikes!  May that not be any of us--and if it is, let's take it to Him and let Him fix it!  God should never be boring.

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