Married to the Cloth

The last week has been full.of many lessons. The Bible readings for our congregational read along were the book of Daniel. Since Paradise burned, the phrase "there's another in the fire" has taken on new meaning. He was there with us. Preserving us and saving lives. So many miracles happened, and almost everyone who talk to will tell you their miracle in their narrative. pge photo So about a week ago a new fire started, same area as the fire that took our town and home. This one acted more like a normal fire and had low wind. So it has stayed with us, slowly burning. Adding 2,500 acres a day....until recently when it made it into the canyons east of us. 20,000 acres a day. Heatherly Walker photo Our evacuation warning was just lifted, but the fire is in our beloved forests, campgrounds, national forests, and where so many from Paradise have their new homes. Also people who took us in and offered homes to Paradise, are now fleeing the fire. This mor

This reminds me of my childhood.  My mother would drag us kids all over Washington DC for Bible studies. The moms would be at the table discussing and pouring over scripture,  and all us kids would be on the living room floor or a side room, with matchbox cars, GI Joe's, My Little Pony, or Strawberry Shortcake.  Small things that traveled well. Do moms still do this? The serious Bible teachers, especially if they did precepts, or the like, all had a Thompson's. It was a treasured and yes, coveted Bible edition.  The woman who discussed scripture with my at the time very pagan mother,  owned a Thompson's. My mother would discuss spells and such with one neighbor and Miss Vicki would show up in our backyard in Italy, and take path after path of scripture, following the scarlet threads, and point my mother to Messiah. Every question that arose could be traced and discussed with Gd's Word, not man's stories and speculations. Through her faithful

5 years ago the question was posed as to whether Bible journaling was just a phase, a passing trend. There were only a select few translations and options back then.  Now you can find almost any translation you could desire in a journaling, note taking, colouring, and illustrated and illustrating version. And new versions are being added each season.  Rather than crafting and scrapbooking, women began pouring out their hearts, filling the pages with colours,  paint, fancy lettering, and their prayers. This crossed denominational lines. And freed up those whonmay have been raised to never "underline" to get comfortable with their Bibles.  A journaling Bible became an annual purchase or one for each child or grand child, with individualized prayers. Custom hand painted Bibles also rose to the top of Bible sales across the USA, ditching the 1990s custom denim Jean and quilted Bible covers. (Any one else use their "pre baby" jeans to cover the Bi

I was sent a set of Verse Mapping resources by Kristy Cameron for review. This made me very happy as I have been interested in them for months but had not been able to see a copy or an example of the interior pages. https://www.zondervan.com/9780310454595/niv-verse-mapping-bible-cloth-over-board-gray-comfort-print/ My daughter and I decided to do a joint study, she using the girls Bible and I with the regular adult version. She was VERY happy that the Girls version was NOT in pink.  girls version pictured below What was wonderful is the commentary and notes in the girls version may be more simplified, but it isnt dumbed down. Verse Mapping is a more friendly version of "Bible diagramming" in which instead of grammatical diagramming of sentences,  the verses and meaning are deciphered without going into parts of speech. Rather than using the trite "put this verse into your own words" method, the

One of my sweet daughters knew when she had her baby, that she was not the kind of mom who was gonna remember to take photos each month of her baby's life on the right day. She knew herself, her limitations, and her priorities, and went with it. So she would write "3 months and then some"  cuz it may be 2 days late or 7...and it was ok and she didn't  need that extra pressure to do the perfect social media photo shoot. She was too busy playing with her baby and living her life. So much wisdom in that.  I had wanted to write up a 2 years since the Paradise California Camp Fire post. This is where we are now kind of update however hit when my heart was still so broken. We were still homeless and living in a PARKING LOT. Our friends are still gone. Our businesses are still in ruins and having to close them down because we can't afford state fees so we can "try again next year". Plus coVid and trying to balance health and faith and the responsibi