Tip of the Day 9/7/12

108 Days 'til Christmas: I am not good at doing nothing. That is not poor grammar, I just have a hard time not being about accomplishing something. Today I am accomplishing resting. :) But as I rest I know I can still be accomplishing things that make me feel better. I will finish my book for book club and I will read the instructions for the projects I am making f

or Christmas gifts. As I listen to the rain I can relax about missing one of my favorite garage sales and I can plan which pieces of fabric I purchased at a sale yesterday that I want to use for which projects. Since becoming a Pinterest user I have pinned a lot of ideas on my boards and have used a lot of the recipes. I have also looked back through the ideas and been purchasing the items needed to make the items. Last week I sorted my craft drawers and now I know what I can use for many of the projects. I used the idea of hanging my fabric on multi pant hangers and can now see what I have to choose from for the projects. I have begun physically and mentally sorting the items for the projects. Looking through what I already have encourages me to undertake ideas I like. As I sorted I found everything I needed to make autograph books for the grands to take to Disneyworld. I set the items aside to make soon. I found srtrapping and cord I can use for other patterns I thought would be fun, like the log carrier and felt Mr. Potato Head set. If you are a crafter, sorting or looking through your supplies can bring inspiration. Maybe you purchased something thinking you would use it for one project, but didn't. When you look at it now, can you see a new use for it? Get inspired by going through your craft supplies. If you have become a pinner, become a doer! Share with us what you are working on. Look back through what you have pinned or purchased and make a commitment to it. Decide who to make it for and tell others you are going to do it. Ask them to ask you how you are doing with it. Get busy, you will feel great, unless you have a cold and need to stay in bed. :)

 Word for Today, Language: Have you ever been to a foreign country and wished you could understand the language? When we moved to Africa we discovered most people spoke English, but they also spoke Kswahili and their tribal language. It was so exciting to learn some of their language to share. One of our guards, who spoke very little English, loved for us to be able to greet him with karibu inst

ead of hello. Often the problems begin when you speak one word and they assume you know more. I read a book this summer by 35 artists that spent time living in Paris. It was sad that the one thing they all encountered was rudeness when they spoke French to a shopkeeper. They said they were often ignored, or told they pronounced the word wrong. I think anyone at least trying to speak the language of the country they are in should be acknowledged and encouraged. One of my sons-in-law's mother speaks virtually no English. She knows I don't really know anything beyond Hola, Buenos Dias, gracias, and I know she doesn't know much beyond hello and thank you. But we carry on conversations. I have no idea what we have talked about, but I like listening to her. In the book of Hebrews in the Bible we are told that God spoke to us "in Son." This is like Nico's mother speaking to me "in Spanish." It is a language, and "in Son" is a language of love. It is said the best way to learn a language is by immersion. Children that are raised in a dual language home have no trouble learning both. It becomes harder the older you get. You are more set and tuned to the language you have always heard and spoken. The same is true when it comes to God's Word. The longer you have waited to listen to His voice, the harder it can be to understand. But He made a way, He speaks to us "in Son," a language anyone can understand. We will come to know the sound of it without effort, to know the difference between it and the language of man, when we immerse ourself in it. Reading it everyday will work like the teller's learning the difference between real and counterfit money. We will be able to recognize a man speaking genuine "in Son," or "pig latin." Start today to learn a new language and you don't need Rosetta Stone to do it. Just a Bible, God's Spirit, and a good church with a teacher that speaks "in Son."