Knit and Crochet Bible Study

Blog

  • God Loves You…and so do I

    It’s Valentine’s Day 2014.  I have never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I don’t like the idea that on this day you have to have someone in your life who loves you and you have to give/receive elaborate gifts of love.

    If you are single and not dating, it is a day on the calendar where your status stands out

    If you have a ‘significant other’ you are watched and hounded “what did he/she get you” and “what did you get for him/her” ?

    There are so many ways to show someone you love them.  I believe quality time and kind words are a wonderful expression of love. 

    Many times I prefer that over a material gift. Try telling someone in answer to the ‘what did he give you’ question that ‘he sat with me holding my hand watching a movie’. It just doesn’t fit what the holiday has become and movies have taught us.

    One way I express love is with homemade items: baked, sewn, knit, crocheted. Recently there was a photo going around facebook with a picture of crocheted items and the words

    “All I got from her was a crocheted hat and scarf. Jeez.”

    Fact: That gift of love cost your friend a minimum of $12 to make (each skein of yarn being approximately $5-$6, nowadays), and about the same number of hours to create. And, while she worked on that gift for you, she thought about you. <3

    If I make something for you, it is because I care about you and I want to give to you a part of me.

    God gave us a special gift: His Son, Jesus Christ.  Many have declared that John 3:16 is God’s valentine to us.

    GodsValentine

    God tells us every day He loves us. He doesn’t need a special day on the calendar. He doesn’t need a celebration. He is reaching out to you with His love. Have you accepted it?

    Even though I have not crocheted something for each of you, I wish each you a Happy Valentine’s Day.

    signature

  • Color My World

     

    You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows how to set. – Psalm 104.19 NLT

    I love autumn. I love the colors in the trees as they prepare for their sleep. Here in the Midwest the reds and oranges and yellows all flow together to create a beautiful scene. (I now admire then from afar since a tree fell on my car as I passed by along a frontage road a couple of months ago.)

     

    Only God could paint this beautiful scene.  It is amazing to me the difference in the landscape by just a simple change of color.

    Color makes a difference in our knit and crochet projects too.  Have you looked at a pattern and stared at the picture the designer includes thinking, ‘no, that doesn’t impress me’ only to find a finished project someone else did from that same pattern in different colors? When I see the new colors it looks to me like an entirely different project and I am excited to try the design.

    We live in a great time with technology and crafts. If you have not yet found RAVELRY or CRAFTSY, I’d like to invite you to check them out. Both are free websites. You can look around without signing up but if you sign up for a free account you can participate in conversations and also upload pictures of your own work.  On both of these sites you can link your finished project to a designers pattern. With a few clicks on your keyboard you can see what color schemes others have chosen for a project and how different interpretations reflect the same pattern.

    This week take time to admire the beauty of the season that God has created around you, then search for a project to inspire your own creativity.

     

    signature

    P.S. If you are on Ravelry or Craftsy, you can find me listed as “BearyAnn”.

  • K2TOG or SC2TOG

    I was knitting another teddy bear last night and for some reason after I made a k2tog (knit 2 stitches together) I stopped and stared at the stitch.

    Two stitches are close together and one stitch appears to wrap around the two.

    Immediately I thought “that is marriage”. My husband and I are 2 stitches being held together by the thread that is God.

    Working in crochet the look is the same two stitches are held together with one wrapped around it.

    Marriage, or any relationship, is not easy. It must be worked at. Wherever 2 or more people are gathered you will find 2 or more ideas, plans, purposes. These can tear a relationship apart unless there is something holding them together.

    I am currently reading “Wife After God’” – a 30 devotional to pray through your marriage. You can find it on Amazon (click here to go the Kindle book on Amazon).  I am reading it with  several others. It is a reminder that no matter what state our marriage is in, we need God. We need Him for ourselves and we must ask Him to be part of our marriage, even if our husband is not a God fearing man.

    Next time you k2tog or sc2tog say a quick prayer for your marriage.

    signature

  • Rip-it Rip-it Rip-it

    When I tell my knit/crochet groups that pulling out a large number of stitches is called “FROGGING” they usually laugh.

    Why is it called “FROGGING”?   –  Because you ‘rip it, rip it, rip it”

    There are many times I’d like to ‘FROG’ events from my life.  Like the past couple of months.  First I hit another car. Just dented her bumper but destroyed my front end. We got another car and had a blow out which left us stranded until we could find someone to help. It seems the jack had disappeared from the car. Then a few weeks after that a tree fell along a side road and hit my car in the process as I was driving by.Damage over $1800!!  Enough!!  I don’t want to get in a car right now.

    Is there something in your life you’d like to ‘FROG’? Many of you are suffering financial problems, health issues, difficult family situations and much more.

    Recently a small group I participate in had a discussion about the verse ‘God doesn’t give you more than you can handle’.  Where is that verse located?  We searched and searched; guess what. THERE IS NO SUCH VERSE.  We are promised

    “no temptation more than you can stand. “When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure”. (1 Cor 10:13).

    This is speaking of temptation, not struggles.In fact, Scripture promises there will be troubles in our lives.

    “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John 16:33NLT)

    “Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1Pet 4:12NLT)

    We will experience more troubles than we can handle. If we could handle our problems on our own we wouldn’t need God!!

    “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. he will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psa 55:22NLT)

    “He comforts us in all out troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (1 Cor 1:4NLT)

    John 16:33 ends with Christ reminding us

    “Take heart, for I have overcome the world”.

    If you think that because you are a follow of Christ your life should be all blooming roses and pretty rainbows, I want to remind you that Paul wrote many of his letters to new Christians while in a jail cell; Jesus was beaten and crucified.

    Life is filled with many difficulties and many rewards. The greatest reward of all is the ‘peace that passes all understanding’ when we put Christ first in our lives. It is a gift we can accept if we choose to accept it.

    “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27NLT)

    Next time your life needs some ‘frogging’ turn to God and give him your burden. Let Him stitch some peace into your life as He holds your hand through it.

    Stitched in His love,

    signature

    BearyAnn, a citizen of heaven (Heb 13:14) straining toward what is ahead (Phil 3:13); bearing witness of Christ (Jn 1:7) anxiously awaiting his return (1 Cor 1:7)

  • Newbies

    I love to watch someone just learning to knit or crochet; the excitement when they realize ‘hey, I can do this’.  They get a big smile, quite contagious when you are around them, and they want to show off their work.

    It’s like that with new Christians too.  If they have truly accepted the relationship with Christ they exude excitement and want to tell everyone they meet about Jesus.

    I have recently met a woman who has known ‘of God’ much of her life, but just started a relationship with Christ as Lord of her life. This woman will tell anyone and everyone she meets about Jesus. She’ll stop what she is doing and pray for any concern you share with her. I know her love and prayers are real because of the blessings I have seen God bless her with.

    Sometimes after we have been Christians for a while we lose that excitement. As we sometimes do with those we love, we take for granted what we have.

    I am thankful that Christ doesn’t lose His excitement for me or take my love for granted. Despite my many failures He is always there, ready to take my hand when I extend it back to Him. He loves me so much He died that I may have an eternal life with Him.

    This week, watch a new knitter or crocheter at work and remember your early days in the skill (after the initial “I am never going to get this” feeling had passed).  Stand back and watch a new Christian seek more knowledge of Christ.

    What can you do to bring back some of the same excitement into your life?

  • I am being “Felted”

    One of my favorite lessons in the first Knit and Crochet Bible Study books is “Felted in Jesus“.  Last night I had the honor of leading the devotional in our small group and I handed everyone a crocheted wool square to felt while I presented the lesson.

    Everyone enjoyed discussing how they are being felted in their lives. I am in the felting process too.

    Last week, while on the way to a prayer session at a local nursing home I had an accident. This is the first time I have ever caused an accident. No one was hurt seriously. I have lots of bruising on my body and especially my pride. I feel guilty and depressed; feelings definitely NOT from the Lord.

    On top of this, I have been overwhelmed by a situation of conflict with another person.

    During the presentation I heard God telling me to listen to my own words.

    God doesn’t give you the people you want, He gives you the people to NEED. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be.

    Wool felts from the friction created by rubbing the fibers together. Once they are bonded the material will hold tight. You can cut a shape out of the fabric created and it will not unravel or tear.

    In the same manner, God can mold and cut out the person he is creating with the friction rubbing against me and felting me into Him.

    Are you being felted? Gather some wool, knit or crochet a square. Get it wet with water and a drop of dish soap. Now squeeze it, rub it together, squish it until it becomes a tightly woven material. Cut out a shape that you can place on a key ring or chain. Hang it somewhere you will see it daily. And be reminded that you felted into God’s love.

    SUGGESTION – if you are using this project with a group, after everyone has cut out their desired shape, go around the room asking the meaning of the shape they chose.

    Who can steal you away from Him? Read Romans 8:35-39 to find out.

    (spoiler alert: not death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing)

    You can purchase 1 or both studies on Amazon.

  • Errata

    Dictionary dot com defines ‘errata’ as “a list of errors and their corrections inserted, usually on a separate page or slip of paper, in a book or other publication”

    We live in a wonderful time technologically.  It used to be we would buy a magazine with knitting or crochet patterns. Then while working the pattern we would reach a section that just would not work right. We would have to buy the next month’s issue and look for the page titled “Errata” and look for pattern corrections so we could complete the project.

    Today’s technology offers so many patterns to be purchased in PDF format. Then when an error is found, buyers are sent notice of corrections and new files to download with corrections and updates. It is easy to contact designers with the internet and email.

    With all this technology, however, there is one thing that has not changed;

    Errors are made.

    There is one book that has no errors – The Bible. God’s Word, like Christ himself is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

    The God who created the heavens and the earth is the same who dried up the sea, making a path of escape through the depths so that your people could cross over. (Isaiah 51:10)

    Things change every day in our lives.Things need to be fixed in our lives every day. (I just uploaded a web page wrong and messed up my website, hopefully fixed so you can see this post).

    I am thankful for one thing. GOD NEVER CHANGES. HE IS IN CONTROL. I don’t want to follow a god that can be manipulated. I want a God that is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, that is omnipresent, omniscient, faithful and just.

    Rev 22:13  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

  • Take Off the Grave Clothes

    The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:44

    The story of Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb after laying dead in it 4 days is a story often told. As excellent a bible story as it is, I bet you are wondering what this has to do with knitting/crochet.

    My pastor did an excellent sermon this week using the story and pointed out something I had not seen in previous readings.  At the end of the verse (John 11:44) Jesus told the family and friends with him to “take off the grave clothes.”.  He was telling them to take these off Lazarus. The point of this? We need others in our lives.

    One of the benefits of group bible studies is sharing with each other. We can talk about daily happenings and encourage one another.  You can study by yourself, but God did not create us to take life on alone. He wants to be part of our lives and he wants us to spend time with others of faith.

    The Knit and Crochet Bible Study is created to be used in a group setting. Often these groups are multi-generational. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from each other, young and old. The short story I tell in each lesson is created to be a conversation starter. Read each piece, then discuss amongst yourselves how the verse affected you; how you relate to my story; tell your own story. 

    We are in the process of making single copy studies available via Kindle and Nook. This is not to take you away from the group setting, but to allow you to each have your own copy instead of the church version where paper copies must be made for everyone.

    Many people have been hurt at one time or another by someone in the church. They have chosen this as a reason to stay away. God doesn’t want us to stay away. He wants us to help each other grow. As in all gardens there are weeds that need to be plucked, but the flowers still need to stand out and grow together, making a beautiful picture.

    Join the group, take off the death clothes, and let’s grow together.



  • Lessons 1 Practical Application

    I am currently leading a Knit and Crochet Bible Study.  We recently had our first session.

    If you are about to lead a study, here is an idea that may help.

    In my group, everyone already knows how to knit and/or crochet. They are at varying levels, but each is working on a project.

    Lesson 1 focuses on Jesus as the Foundation of our spiritual life.  We are called to “€ast our burdens on him”. Along this line, we must make our foundation strong when we “cast on” or our projects will fall apart.

    So we practiced different ways to cast on in knitting. Did you know there are multiple cast-on methods?

    The long tail cast on is the most popular. We reviewed that. Then we discussed knit on and cable cast on.  You can find a description of each of these on the knitty web site.

    If you want to add the beginning of a crochet project, some techniques to practice could include the foundation single crochet.

    In preparation for this I took some extra sets of hooks and needles and some scrap yarn from my stash to allow everyone to practice.  I made sure all hooks and needles returned to me before everyone left.

    I would love to hear what practical lessons you have used in these sessions. Tell me about them. Share your suggestions to help others planning their first sessions.

     

    a citizen of heaven (Heb 13:14) straining toward what is ahead (Phil 3:13) ; bearing witness of Christ (Jn 1:7) anxiously awaiting His return (I Cor 1:7)

  • Test Me

    Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do”,  says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!:   Mal 3:10

    I have the pleasure of testing knit and crochet patterns for a couple of designers online. I get an advanced copy of the pattern which I use to create their product. I help determine if the sizing of the item is correct, are the materials proper for the project, and if the pattern is written clearly.

    Once it has been tested by several people, the designer then releases the pattern to the public.

    Did you know God has asked us to test Him?

    We are to accept God’s love and salvation on FAITH. We are to follow His Word on FAITH. We are to trust His Will on FAITH. But there is one area He says “test me” and that is in giving.

    God promises if we will give back a portion of that which He has provided for us, He will pour out blessing upon us.  It is hard, once that paycheck is in hand to turn over from the top, a portion back to Him. Now, this is not a give to me so you can get more type of scenario.   2 Corinthians 9:7 says You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.

    I have attended a couple of churches that offered a money-back guarantee. For 90 days give from the first fruits as God gave to you. If after 90 days you feel the giving has created a financial hardship and you were not blessed, you would get your money back. In the 15 years one church offered this, no one ever asked for their money back.  The same for the short 4 years the 2nd church made the offer.   God keeps His promises.

    If you are not a regular giver, consider God’s offer to test Him and see what blessings He has for you.

    Below are just a few of the items I have had the privilege of testing over the past few months.