Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:36

Wool felts with water and agitation which causes the scales on the wool to swell, rub against each other and bind together. This process creates a denser, shrunken fabric. Felting is the name of the process that give us the finished product.

Have you ever noticed in Bible stories that a person is often put in situations that can be described as “agitating”, often “rubbing against” someone or something? In the end they become stronger in Lord.

Think about King David. Before he slew Goliath, became king he was shepherd boy. How did David know he could take down Goliath? By the many years he spent protecting the sheep from wolves, bears and other torments. He had been in danger, in agitating situations, many times and had learned how to handle himself.

What about Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego? Imagine the agitation they felt standing in a firey furnace.

Ruth went through the loss of her husband, leaving her family and hometown. She cared for her mother in law and moved to a country where she was an unwanted foreigner. She went on to be a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

What other Bible persons can you name? How about persons in your life you have witnessed experience this “felting” in their life? How have you been “felted”?

Can these discouraging periods of our times remove us from God? Read Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other crated thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Are you “felted” into Jesus?

If you would like to try your hand at felting check out some of these links:

Make a heart necklace   click here

Make a laptop sleeve    click here

Make a guitar strap      click here

Each should use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s faith in its various forms. 1 Pet 4:10 NIV

As knitters we have a gift that can be used to serve God by serving others.  In an effort to share in that gift, Bear Witness is hosting a Baby Shower to provide knitted baby hats, blankets, booties and teddy bears for Sanyati Baptist Hospital in Zimbabwe.  A local couple serve as missionaries there and are currently back in the States for a few months.

The “shower” will be held at the Lee’s Summit Community Church on May 3.  You and your projects are invited. Knit along as Angie Byler tells about life in Zimbabwe and their work at the hospital. Cake and punch will be served to keep with the fun. If you don’t knit there are other ways to participate.

For more details, click here.   Contact Bear Witness via email  bearyann @ bearwitness dot org (use appropriate no spaces and a period for the word dot) if you have items to contribute.  Funds are also being request due the high cost of shipping even these small items to Africa. Click here for more information. Be sure to note AFRICA in the notes section.

I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.   Psalm 119:11 NIV

I received this in an email recently and the fluff in my head started whirling around thinking about it. Read it, then check out my thoughts:

CELL PHONE vs. BIBLE
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cellphone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several time a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go….hmm..where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think ‘where are my priorities?
And no dropped calls!

With the advances in technology today I keep my cell phone AND my Bible with me all the time. My Bible is on my cell phone. It can also go on a PDA, Pocket PC and/or your computer.  Of course the question then becomes, which do you use more often?  Hmmmm, What if I used half as many minutes in my Bible as I do using the voice portion of the phone? OK, the fluff in my head just got all knotted up. I wasn’t even going that direction when I started this blog entry!! How can I possibly use the excuse “I don’t have time” when I don’t even have to go looking for my Bible? If you are like me you have no trouble locating your cell phone. So, what would prevent me from studying? That would have to lay completely at my own heart. If there is time to talk to friends and family maybe I need to make it a point to take time to talk to my Father, Lord and Savior.  I think I need to stop and think about this.    But in the meantime, if you’d like to add the Bible to your PC, PDA or Cell Phone click on the link below. Laridian offers several translations as well as commentaries, Bible Studies, devotionals and a memorization program. Priced very reasonably and easily downloadable the program keeps God’s Word very close to your heart, your ear, your eyes and your hands.

Click here