We love being outside when we’re home. For that reason, I wanted to add some nice fall decor to enjoy out there. I’m not finished yet, but here is where we are so far.
I can’t wait to build a fire and have friends/family sitting with us around it!
This swing is my favorite piece of outdoor furniture! Who doesn’t love to swing? But it also lays down flat, creating the perfect place for a nap!
Blankets are ready for cool nights.
Here’s a peek at the front with my GIANT mum that has come back for several years now.
I look forward to entertaining outdoors this fall. Fires in the fire pit on cool evenings are just so cozy and inviting. I’m praying about planning an event so we can invite our neighbors over.
A simple menu of
Hot dogs
Donuts
Cider
Marshmallows to roast
would be so easy to pull together! What could you do simply that would pull people into your backyard or home? Popcorn? Pizza? Donuts from Dunkin or these easy homemade ones? Pray about it, then put it on your calendar! Use it to encourage others, pray for the hurting and be a blessing to your own family.
Each day that I walk on my walking path, I see the view above. It captivates my attention daily because it constantly changes.
When the crops are planted in early spring, I see the rich brown tilled soil, still cool from the temperatures of winter, but fresh with seeds and full of the hope of good things to come.
Summertime brings the corn with full, green stalks pointing upward towards their Maker and bearing a lushness that is breathtaking. There is so much life and anticipation in the bounty of the harvest that is to come.
In the fall I watch the tall stalks being cut and sent through the combine. So many chewing sounds echo as the machines chop and separate. The fields are scattered with bits of stalks left alone to dry in the harvest sun.
When winter comes the field seems fruitless and barren, but there is hope for the future days because spring is always just around the corner and this cycle will begin afresh and new. I never want to overlook that blessed hope that even winter bears. God is still at work in that field, even though I cannot see it.
The Lord uses the harvest field as a picture for us over and over in Scripture. It epitomizes our lives as we walk with God. We will “bear fruit” from that which we sow in our lives. We will reap what we have sown.
Then we’re also told…
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousnessand peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
There are seasons of plenty and then want; joy and sorrow. There are seasons in our each of our lives that we are enduring trials. We’re told in Ecclesiastes 3 that there are seasons for tears.
When you’re in a season of sorrow, it’s hard to imagine that you’ll ever be joyful again. It’s that “winter” when there is only barrenness and chilly winds of adversity blowing. You can’t ever see yourself laughing again. But just around the corner, hope springs new, as slowly as spring itself comes to the earth. Healing happens, and though you will never forget the season of the sorrow, you can look back on it without the pain ripping your heart wide open. A season of joy emerges after the barrenness of heartache.
Why am I sharing these analogies to remind you of these seasons in our lives? Because I’m well aware that it can look to you that bloggers or those you follow on Instagram are celebrating happy occasions, vacations, and joyful events and you are left alone in the field of adversity. It seems as though you’ve moved to a year-round winter season in the Arctic Circle and you’ll never feel the warmth of the sun again. But what is the truth?
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Cor. 4:17-18
I Peter 5:10 But after ye have suffered a while, may the God of all grace, who hath called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.And He hath put a new song in my mouth; even praise unto our God; many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Those verses all remind us that our suffering will not last forever.
When you see pictures of happy events on the Internet, remember that the one who posted that is either just coming out of a trial, is in one right now, or is getting ready to head into one. We don’t see it, but it’s happening to each one. God knows we need it, and we trust our wise God even when the painful times come.
The seasons don’t just happen to the fields; they come to our lives, too. All of us experience the cool spring, the lushness of summer, the time of harvest and the cold, barren winter. But the blessing is, we have the Creator to
Comfort us with His Word
Carry us when we are weak
Change our situation when it is time
I encourage you today to look for God’s hand in your situation. Pay attention to what He is doing in your life that reveals His love and care for you. Sometimes it’s the little blessings that we overlook and that are the greatest comforts during a difficult season. God is still at work in “your field,” even though you might not see it. He is there.
The greatest comfort you could receive is salvation, if you don’t know Christ. This adversity could be a reminder that there is a God who loves you and has given His Son, Jesus for you so you could have a home in heaven. He doesn’t want you to miss it. If I can help you, please email me! RefreshHerblog@gmail
In which season do you currently find yourself? What are the comforts and blessings that you see from God’s hand?
On normal days (no special occasion happening) I like breakfast to be something with some protein, but also quick to prepare. One of my new favorite morning meals is Avocado Toast with a sweet twist.
The sweetness comes from a drizzle of honey over all the layers! That little bit of sweetness is the perfect touch! Of course I also sprinkle on Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. I like to make my own. It’s so much cheaper and I can control the ingredients. Let me tell you how I make my Avocado Toast and then I’ll share the Everything Bagel Seasoning.
Avocado Toast
Make the avocado mixture by mashing up one ripe avocado with about 1/4 cup of light mayo. Add salt to taste.
Fry an egg in a small saucepan sprayed with cooking spray. I like mine over easy.
Toast the bread.
Spread avocado mixture over toast.
Top with egg.
Sprinkle with Everything bu the Bagel Seasoning.
Drizzle with honey.
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
4 Tablespoons White Sesame Seeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
2 Tablespoons Dried Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Dried Diced Onion
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Mix in a bowl, then store in an airtight jar.
Have you tried Avocado toast? It seems a little strange at first, but one bite is all it takes to convince most that this is a breakfast that will change up the breakfast routine in a super-delicious (and sweet) way!
A friend recently told me that she was so encouraged when she heard a recent broadcast of mine when I said something like…
Maybe with all the difficult things going on in the world you’re having a bit of a hard time getting motivated in your home. I want to encourage you today about how helpful it is to keep moving forward especially during these difficult days. If we can’t have the confidence that home will be a place of comfort, where will we go?
Make home the best place to be. Create a warmth that draws your family back. Plan for game night with popcorn and hot chocolate. Keep the house tidied up so it feels welcoming. Decorate for the upcoming season. Light a new, fresh candle. Make comfy places for people to sit and read. Maybe this is the time to change the furniture around for a fresh look in your living room? Home is a gift, and the woman is the one who sets the tone.
We can wonder during these difficult days if we’re being frivolous to decorate our homes for fall, plan a delicious meal with friends, or take our kids to the pumpkin farm. When there are some people who are hurting so deeply, are we being uncaring?
No. Not if we’re still mindful of those needs and aware of the One Who can intervene. We can represent the hope of Christ as we gather as a family and have friends in. Remind them of the truth that He is the light in our dark world. He is the giver of eternal life. He is the anchor in our storm. He will make all wrongs right one day.
Gather together and pray for those suffering. Lift their names before the Lord. It’s in that place that we can make a difference. It’s at the Throne of grace that we can help bear their burden.
Why not also find a way you could comfort someone you know? Could you take a meal? Send a card? Make a pie? Call to pray with them?
Your family also needs the comfort of home when things are hard. So take the time to ~
Decorate your porch
Hang a pretty fall wreath
Gather Dried flowers or branches and fill a vase or urn
Put warm blankets on the back porch for the fall evenings
I Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.
My heart is truly heavy for so many today. If you’re one who has shared a difficulty, please know that I am praying for you. God has not forsaken you. He loves you. Spurgeon said, “When you can’t see God’s hand, trust His heart. He has not forsaken you, friend.
The Lord is good; a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. Nahum 1:7
If I can pray for you, please leave a comment or email me at the email address you’ll find on my contact page. I would love to help bear your burden.
Birthdays have always been special days in my life. My family made a big deal of them when I was a child, and I’ve kept that tradition with my family as well. Breakfast in bed has been a fun tradition. Special meal, cake and gifts are a part of the day as well!
Birthday lunch with my twin sister
It’s a great day to celebrate, but for me it’s also a great day to reflect on the past and make some good goals for the future. I probably do this more on my birthday than on New Year’s Day.
This past weekend as I celebrated another birthday, I connected my goals for the next year with what the Lord has been saying to me in my Bible reading. In II Chronicles, I had read about Josiah uncovering the Books of the Law and lamenting that the Word had not been obeyed. He loved God’s Word and longed to follow it because He loved the Lord and sought after him.
I was convicted that my life doesn’t always show my love for the Scripture. Oh, I read it every day and it changes me, but I realized that I have gotten very lazy with Scripture memory. If I really loved it, wouldn’t I be pouring it into my heart? I read about a group of people who had been saved and their lives were radically changed. They loved God’s Word so much that it wasn’t unusual for them to memorize the entire New Testament! Do I love God’s Word so much that I want large doses of it in my mind, or am I satisfied with status quo? I was convicted and challenged!
So on my birthday, I asked the Lord to give me a greater hunger for His Word. I began that day to memorize Colossians 3. Three days later, I’ve gotten through verse 3! My goal is to memorize one verse a day, which means in 25 days, I’ll be finished with the chapter! This has been my pattern in the past, and I’m asking the Lord to help me stick with this and memorize this precious passage of His Word.
Another goal I have is to memorize Psalm 63 this year. This is the psalm for my age and there are only 11 verses! Listen to verse 8 ~
My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.
How good is that?! I long for my soul to follow hard after the Lord this year! What a precious remembrance that His right hand upholds me! Whatever comes to my life, He holds me!
I’ll keep you updated about my Scripture memory progress as the month passes. How about you? Are you memorizing Scripture? What method do you have to hide God’s Word in your heart? Though we have so many means to have the Bible at our fingertips, we can’t always get to it. What if you’re sick? What if your phone is separated from you? We need it in our hearts!
