Congratulations to Ambar, selected via random dot org. I will be shipping to Ambar 7 skeins of yarn, 2 knitting pattern books, a printed copy of the Salvation Colors Afghan, a set of knitting needles and a crochet hook.
I wish I could send something to everyone who commented. Each of you have a wonderful testimony. I was excited to read each of the comments.
I will plan another contest soon. This was a lot of fun.
My wall looks very bare. In past years Christmas cards lined the hallway wall, representing best wishes from family and friends
As a child I watched as my mother proudly displayed each card after reading it. Many were filled with pictures and long notes of the year gone by. As I set up my own home and started my family, I followed in her footsteps.
Ah, but alas, the world of technology has taken over. Combine the technology of facebook and the rising cost of postage, the past few years cards have become scarce. Today, only a few cards are displayed.
Don’t get me wrong, I like facebook and the world that technology has opened up. That technology has paid the bills in my home for many years.
With nearly 200 people who ‘like’ the “Knit and Crochet Bible Study” on facebook and over 900 on twitter, I certainly cannot use the United States Postal Service to send each of you a card. – hmmm. 1150 people times 44 cents each…..add the 2, carry the 7, double the 9….. that’s $484.00!!
So I thought about a gift. If cards are nearly $500 I certainly can’t send all of you a gift. BUT… what if….. I have been telling you about the yarn my father-in-law has sent me. I’ve heard from some who say they are jealous and would love to receive boxes like that. One person even said she’d rather have a skein of yarn than a birthday card! This got me to thinking. I am going to put together a gift package of yarn and I don’t know what else. I’ll find some other accessories for the package. How do you get it?
To qualify for the drawing to receive this package, leave a comment below. One per person with this exception. If you make a comment on the Knit and Crochet facebook page, then leave a comment here linking to the facebook comment. Now you have 2 entries. Want a third one? Tweet that you like Knit and Crochet Bible Study -@KnitnBibleStudy – then leave a comment here with a link to the tweet ( @KnitnBibleStudy and the hashtag #kcbspresent must be included in the tweet). There you have it, 3 chances. All entries must be in by midnight December 24. I will use random dot org to choose a winner on Christmas day. I will send the winner an email and post it on facebook and twitter.
Now on to your Christmas Card. So what could I do that would be a special Christmas greeting to all with a story of what is happening in my life? In comes Jon Acuff. I follow Jon’s blog “Stuff Christians Like“. He is a funny writer. He is now working with Dave Ramsey. Jon just released his book “Gazells, Baby Steps and 7 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt“. He offered to write a Christmas card if his book was pre-ordered. So, I did. (I have since received the book and laughed all the way through it, realizing how true this thoughts were.)
So here is my Christmas card letter, as written by Jon Acuff. Merry Christmas to all. And to all, some good yarn.
Dear friends & family,
My name is Jon Acuff and recently on my blog I offered to write Christmas cards for people. I am happy to say that TerryAnn took me up on the offer. Why? Well, she’s probably really busy. For one thing, she’s on the edge of her 10 year wedding anniversary. For another she has found a creative way to incorporate crafting into the study of the Bible. That’s no easy feat. Be honest, did you ever read the book of Joel and think, “I could see finding a creative way to use these verses in a craft application?” Probably not, and neither did I. But TerryAnn is creative that way and so is her husband. He’s a Trekie and Scrabble enthusiast. Thus far he has not found the tie between the Old Testament and Star Trek, but if someone can it will be him.Thanks Jon. Wishing all of you a very blessed and merry Christmas.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 37:7
Christmas is so hard. You see wrapped gifts under the tree, and all you can do is peek at the wrapping, shake the package.
As children, we used to sneak under the tree with a flashlight, whispering together thinking mom and dad couldn’t possibly know what we were doing (they were watching from their bedroom, unknown to us).
The waiting is soooo hard. Patience is a virtue that must be developed and Christmas time is not the time to pursue it.
I get the same feeling when I am working on a large project. I recently made a SpiderWeb Afghan for my grandson for Christmas.
The bigger it got, the more I kept repeating “is this the last round? No! Then is this the last round?” Now that it is finished I am excited to see his reaction to it. I constantly look at the calendar and count the days until I give it to him.
While I am excited to give my gift, he is excited to see what he will receive at Christmas. “That’s long time grandma” is his response when we talk about that special morning.
The 2 hardest words in the English language might be ‘just wait’. Throughout the old and new testaments we read story after story of people’s lives and God’s promises fulfilled. In every situation we can look back and see God’s hand at work and each blessing received at the right time. But that time is God’s timing, not our own.
My husband and I are just coming out of a financially difficult time. Like millions of others we felt the sting of unemployment. Medical bills continued as my pain worsened and surgery was scheduled.
Throughout these days we trusted in God and asked ‘why Lord’. We waited on Him, I was impatient. No amount of worry, of crying, or foot stomping was going to change the situation.
There is only one way to learn patience. Through events that cause us to wait.
Old Testament figure, Joseph, experienced many “just wait” moments. He is sold by his brothers into slavery, is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. He does not see his family for many years. He “waited patiently for the Lord” and became a person of authority serving Pharaoh. ( read about Joseph starting in the 37th chapter of Genesis )
Read the story of Mordecai in the book of Esther. He sent a warning after hearing of a plot to kill the king. It was customary to offer a token of gratitude. But none came. “But wait patiently for God”. On the night when Haman was plotting Mordecai’s death, the king could not sleep and read the chronicles. With God’s perfect timing he arranges for Mordecai’s public reward and discovers Haman’s wrong deeds. God put all the puzzle pieces in place and in the end His name was glorified.
Can you look back at your life and see incidents where no matter what you did, God’s hand was there without you knowing it. My best personal example of this took place at the still-birth of my first grandchild.
A package was delivered to our home. Before I could open it my daughter called to tell me the child she was carrying had died in the womb. The doctor was starting labor for her to deliver him.
With tears running down my cheeks I rushed to be at her side. I held her hand as this lifeless child came quietly into the world, born into Jesus’ arms. I spent the night with her in the hospital. When I arrived home I opened the box that was delivered. Inside was a plaque that read “Joy Comes in the Morning. Psalm 30:5”
The package was from my father-in-law and his wife. I called to tell them about the baby and how timely the plaque was. “Sherry didn’t know why, she just felt she was supposed to send it to you”.
God had touched her heart and prepared a special message of encouragement. If I had opened that package 24 hours earlier, the meaning would have been lost.
So whether it is a large knitting project, a job search, bible study or Christmas morning, we learn to “be still and wait patiently”. All things happen at the right time and no amount of worry or impatience will change this.
Maybe next time I work row after repeated row after repeated row on a knit or crochet project, while my hands are moving mindlessly, I will quote Scripture and memorize passages. While I struggle to block a sweater I will pray and ask blessings on others, naming one for every straight pin I poke into place.
Christmas is coming. So are the events of your life. Will you grab a flashlight and try to sneak a peek? Or will you wait upon the Lord, trusting all will work for good in His time?
I am sucker for the word FREE. I hate to admit it, but I have been enticed into many purchases because of the word FREE.
Buy one, get one FREE. I didn’t need the first one, but now I can get two!! My biggest temptation comes when the offer includes a teddy bear. I have so many teddy bears that many are still packed from our last move 3 years ago. I have no place for them. But they are teddy bears and many were offered as free with purchase or by signing up, or whatever FREE idea was popular at the time.
My yarn and pattern stash is the same way. I have 2 rooms full of yarn and notebooks filled with patterns. More than I will ever use, but gee, lots of them were free!
My favorite FREE offer comes from God. The gift of salvation. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NIV)
God’s FREE gift is offered to all. But not all will accept the gift. They will respond I don’t need that, I can do this on my own. I can get to heaven just being good. None of this is true. Nothing you can do on your own is good enough. We are all sinners. God is God. He is perfect. He cannot abide sin and the sinful nature. So He has offered a way, a gift, to allow us to spend eternity with Him. That gift is Jesus Christ, His only Son, whom He sent as a sacrifice for my sin and for yours. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
But God will not force you to accept Him. You must invite Him in. Will you?
Two words keep coming to my mind lately during my prayer time that I pray back “But, God”.
Things are distracting me from studying, But, God intervenes and opens a time.
Health issues have taken its toll on me. But, God sees to it His Word is proclaimed.
Little details draw my attention from the big picture. But, God steps up and says ‘lift up your eyes, look away from the difficulty and look at me.”
No matter what is happening ‘but, God” will have His way. Many times in scripture a story is told of difficulties. These are often followed by 2 little words; But, God.
I pray that no matter what steps in your way as you struggle with whatever is facing you today, look away from it, lift your eyes and say “but, God” has it under control.
Show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Matthew 5:19 MSG
As another year of Bible Study begins at my local church I look at myself and feel so unworthy of speaking of God’s Word. I fear I will fail Him.
This led me to look over the second Knit and Crochet Bible Study Book. It is a look at the Proverbs 31 woman.
The class at my church, and I believe many others that host a Knit and Crochet Bible Study, is multi-generational.
Becoming the Proverbs 31 woman is a journey, a road traveled with twists and turns and even a few detours. It is not a journey you need to take alone. Working alongside women of all ages helps us to grow emotionally and spiritually. Titus 2:1 tell us Your job is to speak out on the things that make for sound doctrine. It is my prayer these studies lead you to that sound doctrine.
Then verses 3-5 says Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives.
But the older woman can also learn from the younger. Sitting side by side, many find their lives are woven together through their crafting, through God’s love, through life experiences. With one simple shared gift, knit and crochet, they open a dialog with each other; one that may not have opened in other circumstances.
The Proverbs 31 woman is not born the perfect woman you read about. She grows into that woman through work, friendships, prayer, experience, and learning from others.
Perhaps in your local group you see a woman you look upon as The Proverbs 31 Woman. You admire her emotional strength, her family love, her ability to knit or crochet without even looking at her work. Talk to her. Learn about her life and how she came to this place in her life; the struggles she endured; the losses she has experienced; how she learned to look to God in all things. She is not now the woman she used to be. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me and not without results.. yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 1Corinthians 15:10 NLT
Why are we doing all this? Read Titus chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 in the Message. We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears.
You are a beautiful woman, beauty that radiates from inside. What matters is not your outer appearance-the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes-but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. I Peter 3:3-4 MSG
With the passage of time you have grown from youthful vanity to honorable womanhood. Use this time together in the presence of other women to learn how to be obedient to the Lord.
Though I fear failing Him, I continue on, demonstrating God’s love as He allows. He is still working on me to become the woman He desires me to be. I am an older woman to some, who watch me from afar as a witness to demonstrate God’s command. I am also a younger woman to others as I watch them and learn how to walk pleasing to God.
You knit me together in my mother’s womb Psalm 139.13 says. God has not put down his knitting needles yet. There are panels to complete, seaming to be done, a decorative crocheted edging to be added. He is still stitching you and me into a tapestry of life of which we are not even aware.
So, I will continue to knit, to crochet and demonstrate God’s glorious love with those around me. I thank the Lord every day for accepting me as His child and allowing me to speak of His greatness.
Show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Matthew 5:19 MSG
if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. Job 11:14-15
I have recently heard a new term: Knit to Quit. (before you crocheters hit the close button, the term as I heard it is ‘knit to quit’ but ‘crochet to quit’ is just as effective)
I first heard the term from my mother who had just read the book Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber.
I quickly did a google search and found several references to the phrase ‘Knit to Quit’ including a website by that name.
I learned to knit and to crochet as a child, but as I got older and into business and technology I set the yarn aside. I picked it back up when I started suffering chronic back pain. I knit to change my focus, to help me quit thinking about the pain. I have heard others say that as long as their hands are busy with yarn they don’t eat mindlessly. Many people have found benefits aside from yarn stashing and handmade clothing.
I am currently reading ‘Summer on Blossom Street’ and the ‘Knit to Quit’ class is attended by people wanting to quit something: smoking, a bad relationship, eating.
Some who have participated in my Knit and Crochet Bible Study say they use it to quit being busy. Knitting makes them sit and even relax. I have a hard time just sitting I have to have something in my hands, so by knitting and crochet I am relaxing, easing some of the pain, changing my focus, and being productive!
Some time ago there was a Canadian sitcom on one of my cable channels, Corner Gas. It took place in a small town with a gas station and diner on the corner. In most episodes Emma would be knitting something. One day she commented to her son, Brent, that he drank too much coffee. He said he would quit coffee if she would quit knitting. I’lll spoil it for you and tell you at the end, neither one quit.
What challenge could be made to you to get you to quit knitting or crochet?
God wants us to quit something. He wants us to quit sinning. God also knows this is not something we can do alone. God loves us so much He offered up His own Son as a sacrifice to help us. We will never be sinless, no matter how hard we try, because we are human. We can seek forgiveness and follow His commands.
Have you ever found yourself driving the wrong direction and needed to make a U-Turn to get back on the right road. That is what we do when we repent, seeking forgiveness. It means to turn away from the sin, not back to it. So we must quit that sin.
Using our knit/crochet terms, that u-turn is like frogging a project. (Frog, think rip-it, rip-it, rip-it) And just like frogging a project you have worked on for so long feels painful as you see each stitch ripped away as if it never existed, so we must frog our lives, rip out those problem parts of our lives and seek forgiveness.
Job 11:13-19 “Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor. Our sins are frogged and gone. Once forgiven, God forgets. He doesn’t keep a tally of our wrongs. He keeps our names in the book of life. He who overcomes will, like then, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Rev 3:5NIV
Why do you knit/crochet? What would you quit by knitting/crochet?
P.S. I just thought of this as I ended the piece so I will add it here. This discussion has been on quitting something. There is something I’ like to encourage you to start. Pray. Pray while you are knitting. Pray silently, pray out loud; pray for the recipient of your project, pray for your needs. If you are not in a group setting, remember Christ is beside you and you have your own group setting. Now tell him, what do you want to quit; what do you need; what are you grateful for.
You can find Summer on Blossom Streetâ at Amazon or other bookstores.
Today I opened my daily K-Love Word of the Day which reminded me that is not what God intended.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Heb 10:25
When God created man, he then created woman because it was not good for man to be alone. Just as God desires a relationship with us, He desires for us to have relationships, gathering together to encourage, one another.
If you know someone alone or ill, stop by and talk with them. Conversation does NOT need to revolve around medical issues, talk about life, family, tell jokes, laugh.
I have a friend that receives calls from me occasionally where I say to her ‘talk to me about anything’. She doesn’t ask about my pain level or what is wrong. She tells me about her dogs latest antics, how her golf game went, how she did in her computer solitaire game and what projects she is ignoring by doing these things. In the end she has me laughing and forgetting, even if for just a short time, the physical pain. She is a treasure in my life.
Perhaps I need to add a little note here: don’t be the one always receiving the encouragement. You will find great strengths in yourself when you also in return offer encouragement to others.
Encouragement comes in many forms, and just taking the time to spend time with someone in need, is often the best encouragement of all.
Take a look at your Bible Study group. Everyone sits around a table or in some group setting. Bibles are open and pens are poised for note taking. Some will say very little, fearful of sounding unintelligent. Others willingly share their knowledge and ideas. But the focus is the Lord.
Now take a look at the knitting or crochet group. Everyone sits around, project in hand, with conversation and laughter around. The ease of the setting makes it easy to talk and share.
Let’s combine the two. Take the ease and comfort from the knitting/crochet group setting and add the conversation guidelines of the Bible Study which is to be focused on the Lord. While the others are working on projects, one person reads the lesson and scripture. Discussion questions are stated.
With the relaxed atmosphere and hook or needles in hand, a sense of sharing instead of studying prevails. For many having the project in hand makes it more comfortable to join in. Insights are made with in depth discussions into how the Word has affected the lives of those involved.
That is a Knit and Crochet Bible Study. A few guidelines are stated up front:
All conversation must be God honoring. This is not a stitch and bitch session. Are you mad at your husband or children? You can speak but no demeaning words may be spoken. Male bashing will not be allowed.
You must be respectful of all persons whether in the room or not.
Prayer requests are confidential. They are not to be discussed outside the group. They are not to be forwarded with email.
Prayer requests must not be something that would be harmful information about another. Every family has secrets. Honor those secrets. Seek counsel from your pastor or another trusted person on a one-to-one basis.
Respect each others view. Don’t argue the gospel. Don’t speculate on the gospel. Use the Word as written.
There is only one gospel, but when it comes to knitting and crochet, there are many techniques. Just because someone doesn’t do the stitch or hold the yarn the same way you do doesn’t make them wrong. Work together without criticism of needlework abilities.
And there you have a Knit and Crochet Bible Study.
With that that in mind, grab your Bible, yarn, needles and/or your hooks; let’s get started.
Several years ago my husband introduced me to reading e-books on my computer or phone. I have enjoyed it. I could stand in line at the DMV or grocery store or at the doctors office and have my book on my phone ready to read while waiting. Less cost, easy to manage.
When I started working on the lessons for the Knit and Crochet Bible Study we discussed fees and the idea of putting out the book as a PDF file quickly proved the most cost effective, especially in these economically challenging days.
Whether you purchase one or both current books, you receive a notification with a link., From here, download the files to your computer. But that is not the best part.
Have you participated in Bible Study which required each person involved to buy the book and maybe even the additional workbook? This can run into considerable expense with each individual possibly running from $10 – $25 or more.
Once you purchase from Knit and Crochet Bible Study, you have copyright permission to print as many copies as you need for your local group. So the breakdown looks like this:
Purchase one of the books: cost $27 ($37 if both are purchased together)
Now, you want to offer up a class at your local church. You have 10 people sign up so you can legally print 10 copies. You can choose how to bind them. One suggestion I like is to print these on front and back, 3 hole punch, place in a binder. You can charge each participant $5 if you choose, whatever the cost of printing is. Then when you do the 2nd class, copy the second book front and back page, 3 hold punch, add to the same notebook as previous class.
You have full control of the fees. Now you want to offer the first class again. No need to order any more books, you still have permission to print for your local group, so copy again.
No extra books to keep in storage or return to the publisher. Printing cost whether you go to Kinkos or print at your local church, are all predictable.
The cost effective method and low key format allows women to learn new trades, share their craft knowledge with others and expand their abilities. It also allows for less threatening setting allowing someone who has never participated in a Bible Study.
This is a great opportunity for intergenerational learning. A Titus 2 setting is created.
Additional class studies can also be created from the stories in the monthly e-newsletter Purls and Chains of Wisdom.
If you’d like more information on the books, click here.
