Don't let the jerks get you down

A friend told me this this morning now that I'm worn down, sick, and whiney.  (A steroid shot should fix me up, though.)  I do wish he had said something sooner, though.

I am having a problem making the main thing the main thing.  Somehow I keep putting work before everything else.  It comes before running, before sleep, and before working through my Understanding the Call workbook.

Focus...keep the main thing (God) the Main Thing!

The jerks won't win this one...love will!

Sleepily yours,
Elizabeth

John Wesley's Three Historic Questions for Candidates for Ministry

John Wesley is the founder of the movement in the Anglican Church

that became the United Methodist Church

Wesley had a series of three questions that those examining the men who felt that they were called to be pastors were required to answer about the applicant.  I had to answer these questions about myself to present to the Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPR) as part of the ordained ministry approval process by my local church.  I was able to answer the first and third one fairly easily, but the second one gave me fits!  I just couldn't make the questions go together.  With a little help from "Fulfilling God's Call" and my mentor I think I got it in pretty good shape.  I am sure that it will evolve as I go through the mentoring process with Mary Jane, but here's where I am now.

1. Do they know God as pardoning God?  Have they the love of God abiding in them?  Do they desire nothing but God?  Are they Holy in all manner of conversation?

I have experienced true forgiveness and relief from guilt by God.  I know the feeling of the weight of sin and guilt being lifted off by God’s hands.  The love of God abides in me; I know this because God has enabled me to love those who have harmed me and to forgive them.  This work can only have been accomplished by a loving God abiding in me.  I desire to grow closer to God and to hear God’s voice in my every thought and action.  I strive to speak to others with the same love, compassion, and care that God has for me.

2. Have they gifts, as well as evidence of God’s Grace, for the work?  Have they a clear, sound understanding; a right judgement in the things of God; a just conception of salvation by faith?  Do they speak justly, readily, clearly?

Examining and looking at the gifts that God has given me is difficult.  Not every gift is a great personality trait.  But these gifts have made me beloved of God. I’m silly, sarcastic, funny, joyful, happy, and sometimes, insecure.  People trust me and open up to me, I am organized and a great planner, I am emphatic and compassionate, and I make people feel loved and cared about.  I can see God’s Grace at work in me.  I don’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness; but what I think I deserve is nothing compared to what God thinks I deserve.  Of course I am saved by faith because that’s all I have to stand on; how could I ever earn something from God?  I have to have faith that the gifts God has given me are useful and God has plans to use them in God’s Kingdom. 

3. Have they fruit?  Have they been truly convinced of sin and converted to God, and are believers edified by their service?

The fruit of the spirit is the work that I do bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.  I see evidence of this fruit when I care for and uplift others; when I show them how much God loves them by loving them as God loves me.  I see fruit when the people I’ve loved, in turn love, care for, and uplift others.  When we truly love our neighbors and we share the love of God with them we give them life; we bring them into the body of Christ. 

I am converted to God.  I have always known God and have felt God in my life; there has not been a moment, even in my darkest, saddest days that I believed that God wasn’t with me.  I know that God has cried with me and celebrated with me. While I am convicted of sin I am thankful that God continues to forgive my sin.  I share my story of love and forgiveness with others to help them understanding the nature of our loving and forgiving God.  I pray that God gives me the Grace to know when to reach out to others who need to be loved; those that have been hurt by not only people but by churches teaching brokenness and hate.

These are pretty soul searching questions.  They have really made me think about myself and my relationship with God.  So, good job Rev. Wesley!

In Christ,

Elizabeth

Things Uniquely Methodist

Back in the days of the Circuit Rider in the Methodist Church, preachers had charges...it could be any number of congregations that were about a day's ride apart...he would ride his horse to the different congregations; ideally he would preach and serve communion monthly.  The other Sundays the congregation would have meetings; possibly there was a lay speaker who filled in and ran the service (of course there was singing!  Gotta sing in the Methodist Church!)  Annually the charges would meet and go over the business of the charge (including things like how much each congregation would kick in to pay the preacher!).  This was called a Charge Conference (everything is a Conference of some sort in the church!)
It's now the 21st century and United Methodist churches still hold annual Charge Conferences!
Ours at Canvas Community Church was today (Carter drove his car instead of riding a horse) and I was presented by Amy (our SPRC chairman) requesting the church's approval of my candicacy for ordained ministry.  They approved me...so now I can check off another box on my list...only about 75,000 boxes to go!


Yours in Christ,
Elizabeth

Where to Start!

I started this blog to show case my Stampin' Up! business but sometimes the focus in life gets changed.  I finally realized that the thing I had been yearning for was really a call to ordained ministry!

I will write more about my call later, but for now, I'm just kicking off the mentoring process with the delightful Rev. Mary Jane Cole!  Tomorrow I am meeting with Amy as the SPRC chair (really whole committee) to discuss my answers to Wesley's Three Historic questions and hopefully have her endorse my candidacy.

Sunday I will go before the Church at the Charge Conference and ask for their support.  Oh, and I have a ton of homework to get finished in two weeks!

Keep me in your prayers, please.

In Christ,
Elizabeth

New Catalog is LIVE today!

Are you as excited as I am??

The NEW catalog is out! And it gets better!  In the month of June, for every dollar you purchase (minus shipping and tax) from the new catalog, you get FREE stamps from my stash!  That's right FREE stamps.

I will give you Eliza-bucks and you then use them to shop my retired products.  The stash includes stamps, paper, punches, and framelits.  Some of my favorites are in there...you can give them a good home and I won't feel so sad to lose them :)

Hurry though.  You get to shop in the order in which you buy new goodies...so get yours in first to get the best freebies!

Joyful Shopping,

Elizabeth

I'm so behind!

I had great plans to blog all of this runcation stuff!  Alas, I had forgotten how much time it takes to train for a half marathon!  Between running, recovering from running, and planning to run, my brain has been taken over!

We are leaving on Friday morning.  We will check in to our hotel and then walk over to the Disneyland hotel to check in, get our goodies, and shop the expo.  On Saturday we are going to California Adventure park.  Our plan is to be back to our room and in bed by 9 since we will have to get up before the crack of dawn to line up!
Then we race!  I can't wait to race through the parks.  The first six miles should fly by!  I would love to get a picture with Snow White or any of the Dwarves.  Jessica wants a picture with Cruella.  I am going to take a "Happy Mother's Day" sign so we can take pics to send to our moms.  After the race we will eat, shower, and nap (and probably eat again)!  LOL
Then back to Disneyland!  They will be open that night until midnight...so we should be able to totally wear ourselves out.  Our shuttle picks us up at 6:15 Monday morning.  We can sleep on the plane, right?

I'm super excited.  I now know how Charlie feels before he goes to Texas to the Hotter'n Hell Hundred!

I'll do better blogging for the rest of the trip.

Joyful Running,
Elizabeth

Snow White Running Outfit

This Sunday Virginia came over to help me with my costume, er I mean running outfit for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. It's just three weeks away!  Jessica is going to be Cruella DeVille and I'm going to be Snow White.  Kind of a good vs. evil thing!  I found this blog with a super cute Snow White running outfit and GREAT directions.  I went to Sparkle Athletics and bought a yellow sparkle skirt and a red sparkle cape.  The prices are pretty good and it all got here super fast.

I ordered the remaining supplies from Amazon.  Royal blue running top, white satin fabric, heavy weight interfacing, elastic, and red and light blue satin ribbon.  I couldn't find the same brand in both colors and the red turned out to be a lot heavier and stiffer than the light blue...but as Virginia pointed out, I'm going to be running in it!

Here are the main players

I had some time Sunday morning before my massage (hey, girls who run 13 miles NEED massages!) so I got started making the collar and cape piece.  The first big hurdle was drawing the shape for the collar.  I used her general measurements and a piece of Stampin' Up! grid paper.  The first try was too flat, but the second one looked pretty good.  I cut it out and pinned it to a double layer of the interfacing.

Collar pattern on interfacing

After I cut out the interfacing to the size I wanted, I pinned it to a double layer of the satin fabric.  I just cut the fabric the seam allowance (1/2") all of the way around.

Fabric and Interfacing

I just followed the interfacing directions and ironed it onto the back of the satin.

I decided to go ahead and sew the top edges and around the corners of the collar together.  After sewing together clip the curved edges.

With a heavy heart I cut the tie off of the cape.  I was afraid that if I left it on it would be too bulky and lumpy inside the collar.  I guess it's permanent now...no super girl later using this cape.

Here's the cape with the tie cut off.

Now, things get mentally tricky (for me at least).  You have to visualize how the cape will look when finished.  The cape has to be INSIDE the collar (still turned wrong side out) so when you turn it it will be on the OUTSIDE.

Stuff the cape inside the collar.  Sandwich the curved edge of the cape in-between the curved edges of the collar and pin.  Sew it together leaving a small opening so you can turn it right side out. Clip this edge also and turn it.  Ta-dah, you have an almost cape!  Now press it really well to smooth out the seams and fold in the part that's not sewn yet.  Pin that together and sew it close to the edge.

Cape inside the collar.

Finished cape and collar!     

I laid out the ribbons on another sheet of grid paper and cut them to the lengths as shown in the instructions.  I cut elastic to fit my upper arms and sewed it in a circle.  

Then I pleated the ribbon and pinned it to the elastic.  I sewed the ribbons in a continuous piece...you could sew them one at a time, but doing it this way was faster and easier I think.

After Virginia got to my house (and after my fabulous massage!) we attached the ribbons to the tank top.  It took some thinking...the instructions call for sewing the ribbons to the OUTSIDE of the tank top.  It took a while to wrap our brains around this, but we realized that doing it that way not only hid the stitches but it made the ribbons poofey-er.  We pinned them on and I tried it on a couple of times to be sure the spacing was right.  

Ribbons pinned to outside of the tank.

Once I sewed the ribbons on both sides, we pinned the collar on and repositioned it a couple of times.  I carefully took it off and then tacked it down at the front points using the sewing machine.  It stood up fine on it's own and didn't need any more attachment than the two front spots.

Of course I had to try it all on!  Here I am with the finished tank and the yellow sparkle skirt.  I have a sparkly red sweaty band for my hair and yellow running shoes. 

I think this Snow White can run!