Love ~ The First Fruit of the Spirit

Well, another week has passed and a new one begins.  Seems all the things I couldn't fit into last weeks agenda are on this weeks and I will probably end up finding some silly excuse not to do them.
That's life.  At least for me.  

So, I thought I'd get a head start on my list of things to do tomorrow and post the next part in my Fruit of the Spirit series. Any idea what the first fruit of the spirit is?  HINT:  the picture above is a dead giveaway.  Yep, Love.  So let's talk about love.

Love (The Sacrifice of Self) – Love is too often mistaken for a feeling.  All the romance movies and romance novels promoted by the world have given us an unrealistic view of love. Yes, love is a feeling but it is so much more than just a feeling. One thing you will learn about the Fruit of the Spirit is that every fruit is a decision and love is no different.  We can choose to love others or we can choose not to.  We, as Christians, are to choose to love. No matter how we feel it is our duty to share God's love with others. We are to love others when we are tired or sick.  We are to love everyone, even those who don't give us any love back in return. And here's the hard one. We are to love our enemies. The Bible doesn't only say to love our enemies but it also tells us pray for our enemies.

Love is an action, not just words. Words aren't the only way to share God's love with others. You can tell someone you love them in so many ways. You don't have to say those three coveted words, "I love you," in order to let someone know that you love them.  By serving others, even when it's hard, you are showing them love. And serving others can be as easy as cleaning up after someone or making them a meal.  Believe it or not these small acts of kindness are sending a message to the person that you care about them and that you love them.

And you must remember that this kind of love is impossible without God's help. Our devotion to God is outwardly displayed when we love others. You cannot love God and somehow not love others. God is love and He has created us to be currents for His love to travel through. Once we are filled with God's love we won't be able to conceal it and the whole world will see God's love shining through us.

The Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

I'm sure your familiar with the fruit of the spirit. I first remember learning this verse when I was very little. But have you ever dug deeper into what means to be characterized by the fruit of the spirit?  Or have you ever broken down this verse and looked at each fruit individually?

I just finished reading a book about the fruit of the spirit. “A Young Women's Walk with God” by Elizabeth George. Not only did this book help me to understand each fruit of the spirit better but it just so happened that my pastor was also teaching a sermon series on the fruit of the spirit. I just love it when God puts these perfect little coincidences in my life. I knew without a doubt that God was speaking to me and he was telling me that He really wanted me to learn about the fruit of the spirit. And not only to learn about the fruit of the spirit but to grow in my walk with Him by learning about the fruit of the spirit.

And now here I am at the end of my study on the fruit of the spirit. I'm a little bit sad because I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this topic. I have learned so much and It wouldn't be fair for me to keep all of what I learned to myself so over the next few weeks I would like to share with you what I have learned.

As Christians we are to be defined by the fruit we bear. This is where the fruit of the spirit comes into play. In Paul’s letter to Galatians, before he writes the fruit of the spirit he list's things that a christian should not be characterized by (i.e. hatred, jealousy, selfishness...). He then says that instead we are to be characterized by the fruit of the spirit. 

 To better understand what it truly means to be characterized by the these christian virtues I would like to, over the next few weeks, look at each fruit individually.  

DIY ~ Lace Headband Tutorial

Today I made these cute headbands and they are so easy to make and don't take much time at all.  I was able to make one in fifteen minutes. I thought I'd try making a tutorial.  This is my first time making a picture tutorial so I know it's not going to be perfect but I hope you find this tutorial helpful.

Step One: Cut a piece of lace about fifteen inches long.  Or wrap it around you head and cut the lace long enough to reach to the end of your ears. (I actually used a lace headband I bought last year but was too small for me even though it said one size fits all.  I was pretty bummed that the headband didn't fit me because It wasn't really cheap.)

Step Two:  Cut a piece of elastic that measures six inches.  I think I used 1/4'' or 1/2'' elastic.  I just used the only elastic I had so the width of the elastic doesn't really matter.  You may need to cut a longer strip depending on how loose you want your headband.  I usually prefer my headbands to lay loosely on my head because I hate it when your headband slowly works it way off your head.  SO ANNOYING!

Step Three: Find a coordinating fabric and using your elastic strip as a guide cut the fabric about 1/2'' wider than the elastic on all sides.

Step Four: This step is optional. I took my fabric and trimmed it so that it was not as wide in the middle to give it a more fitted look.  

Step Five: Fold the ends down on both sides and sew the fabric together right sides together.  When you finish is should look like the above picture.

Step Six: Now turn your fabric right side out.  You now have the casing for the elastic.

Step Seven: Sew the elastic to the lace.  Make sure you go back a forth a few times to add extra support.

Step Eight: Slip casing over elastic. 

Step Nine: repeat step seven with the other end of the elastic

Step Ten: Lastly sew the end of the fabric to the lace.  I went backwards and forward a few times for added support

And that is it!  Your done!   Wear your new headband with pride! 

Let me know what you think of this tutorial.  I'm open for any advice and tips.  

Movie Review ~ Cinderella

Don't you just love it when you get real excited over a movie and when you finally see it you are not disappointed at all. In fact, the movie ends up being a lot better than you thought it would be. Well, today I went to see Cinderella and that is exactly how I felt. I've been waiting for this movie for so long and it was worth the wait.  Cinderella, in my opinion, is a must see for anyone who loves romance, fairy tales, or even for someone who is simply looking for a worthwhile movie to watch for the weekend.  I may find myself taking another trip to the theater to see it again. It was that good.  :)

I would like to share with you my personal thoughts about this movie.  

The one word I have to describe this movie is: beautiful.  The fairy tale setting, the costumes, and everything else came together perfectly to really give you a warm feeling.   Ella was portrayed perfectly and I don't think Disney could have picked a better actor to play her part.  The story was close enough to the original animation to satisfy me but it also filled in many gaps and overall made more sense to me.  The best part for me was the nostalgic feeling that came over me as I watched Cinderella while thinking back to when I was a little girl and when Cinderella was my favorite movie.  That  feeling can't be beat.  Cinderella is a classic tale that will never grow old.  Plus the underlying message and moral of the story was very powerful. 

This movie has won a special place in my heart.    If you plan on seeing Cinderella your in for a real treat.  

"Where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic."

Here Goes Nothing - my very first post on my blog, yay!

I'm so excited to be able to start a blog!  I thought it wold be easy to set up, but I feel so lost in all the templates and layouts. I thought I knew a lot about how the internet works but I'm not so sure anymore.   It's so confusing.

Anyway, I hope to share lots of fun things on this blog.  I'm a Christian girl who has a variety of interests.  I love teaching myself new skills.  I like to keep my hands and my mind busy as I work on a sewing project or knitting or any other craft project.  So I hope to be able to post some tutorials on this blog.  I may post some of my writing on this blog, and from time-to-time a book review.  My hope for this blog is to inspire you.  I especially want to encourage you in your walk with God.  

I hope you enjoy my blog!