New to Me Vintage Hat

Hi Everyone!

 Today I wore a favorite dress of mine I made a little while ago from Jennie Chancey's Swing dress pattern. Click here to see Jennie's pattern company and click here to see my posts about the process of sewing the dress.

 I hope your Lord's Day was refreshing spiritually as well as physically. For me it was so exciting to see Gods people studying God's Word and talking about the great God we serve together. It was also nice to just sit at home and read a few good books, write a blog post for a guest post on another blog, dream, pray, and spend time with my family.

 A big thank you to Mrs. Van Tuyl who gave me this lovely little black hat. The hat was originally Mrs. Vvan Tuyl's mothers hat. I imagine her wearing this litle velvet beauty to church or to a funeral or a dinner party or another special occasion of sorts. For me church is definitely a special occasion so I decided to sport this little beauty today.

 I am not sure what era it is from, but it is vintage. Mrs. Van Tuyl guessed it was from the 1930s, 40s, or 50s. I would guess from the shape and style of the hat that it is from the 1950s. Let me know if any of you have a guess too! Or do any of you know how to date hats well?

 I love to wear my pearls my mother gave me when she came back from a trip to Canada. They are real pearls, but they are the type that are naturally shaped. So they are not perfect little round balls, but in their natural textured form. My dress is made out of fabric I bought on the red tag sale table from Joann Fabrics years ago when I made the dress of course. I thought it definitely had the 1940s vibe. I believe its a rayon/polyester blend.

 And if any of you are wondering about my hair all I did was one pony tail on each side, sort of rolled backward and then each pony tail on either side of my head in twisted into a bun of sorts. Let me know if any of you would like to see a tutorial in the future. I could definitely do a video. I just played around with my hair a lot this year of 2013 and figured out a style that looks good and stays well for my curly hair type. Are there any other naturally curly gals out there? Let me know in the comments if any of you curly headed or not have tried to replicate vintage hair styles? I am definitely curious.

Love In Christ,
Rebecca

Still, My Soul, Be Still

 Hi ladies!

 I wanted to record myself for all my readers and friends near and far. Glory to God! I pray the song blesses you.

In Christ with love,
Rebecca

God Is Good All The Time

Hey ladies and gents,

The Lord just inspired me and told me I need to say what He has been doing in my life. Even when I can't see Him working God is still good. 

My 2010 graduation with other friends graduating the same time.

Back in 2010 when I graduated from High School I never thought I would be where I am at. I was worried about the future and anxious all the time. 

 I remember worrying anytime I would go out the door of my own home. I would always think of all the things that could go wrong or just might by chance happened. I was an anxious, worried person and very vocal about that with my words. I also was very negative and pessimistic about everything.

2009, My sister Bethany and I at the art museum.

 God by His amazing, seriously His amazing, amazing grace has shown me in this new year of 2013 I don't have to worry. God has got my back as a friend has always told me. 

2012 with friends a local garden.

  So I want to impress and implore you ladies to not worry about the future! Do not worry! I was enslaved to worry and anxiety and pessimism. It ran my life and therefore I was a very negative and un-joyful person. So please repent of your negativity and be joyful, because Christ for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross! WOW! Did you catch that, for the JOY that was set before He ENDURED the cross. It hit me this year that Jesus joyfully submitted to the Father God by dying on our behalf! So God has been teaching me to kill the god of negativity, the god of anxiety, and the god of worry that was definitely competing with Christs Lordship in my life. 

 In 2012, I was much happier, but still worried about every little thing. Now I have experienced freedom in Christ knowing I do not have to be enslaved to fear anymore. I am a servant of Jesus, not a slave to sin. I always was a servant of Christ ever since He saved me at age 7, but I was struggling with the sin of worry so much. I still do struggle with worry each day, but now I am just so much more joyful because I know God holds my life and each circumstance, each thing I come across to do in His hands. Worry does not have to be my life, Jesus is.

 I am not perfect everyone! I have not figured it all out. I cannot do anything, not even blinking my eyes or walking around without God helping me. So daily I am trying to live with Jesus, beside Jesus, for Jesus.Its tough so many times, so many moments are wasted, so many moments are painful emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. But I know God is God and as it says in Exodus 14:14, " The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still!" 

  God will continually fight for us ladies! He is never gonna lose! Jesus Christ has the victory over sin and death. You cannot conquer those sins areas that are tough for you to overcome alone. Jesus Christ has already conquered them, you just gotta let Him conquer them each second, each moment, and each day of your life.

  I decided to take a swing dancing class and go dancing more often this year of 2013. Its something I had always wanted to do, but I was so much of a worrier I had never tried it on my own before. Now I have taken two lindy hop classes and love it. But my confidence is not in my body, my mind, or my image. My confidence is in Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe. In Him alone I give the glory.

 Seriously ladies, Jesus has changed my life and he continues to do so! My prayer is that He would do the same daily in each of your lives as well. God is real, even when you can't hear Him speak through His WORD clearly to you about something you struggle with or you doubt His goodness or sovereign plan for your life. He is still God, He is the same yesterday, today, and for the rest of our lives. Isn't that amazing? He is never gonna change, even when our emotions do. He is always going to be steadfast in Love, Justice, being faithful, and being the Truth.

Besides reading the Bible, two books that have changed my way of thinking about life are A Woman's Wisdom:How the Book of Proverbs Speaks To Everything by Lydia Brownback and Overcoming, Fear, and Anxiety by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

 Do any of you struggle with worry, fear of man or the future, or anxiety? Its ok if you do because I think everyone does to some extent. God just happened to show me that I don't need to worry anymore because He has got my back always and He has your back too ladies.

In Christ with love,
Rebecca

Unstoppable The Movie and Delight Blog

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to tell you all about a new movie that is hitting theaters September 24th and that is pretty soon, so get your tickets if there is a theater in your state within a reasonable distance. You will not be sorry! My family and I have all been encouraged by Kirk Cameron's other film called Monumental. Unstoppable is the answer/sequel to Monumental. But from what I hear it can also stand on its own, so don't let the fact you have not seen Monumental stop you. 

I also have some blog post ideas that are Lord willing going to be taking shape this month and hopefully be posted by the end of the month or early October. So be on the look out for those. In the mean time do hop over to this blog that I will be doing a guest post series about music for. 

Blessings! Rebecca Ann

Leaving a Legacy

 

Click on the button to go to Angie's blog Leaving a Legacy.

Click on the button to go to Angie's blog about childbirth and see her book called Redeeming Childbirth. Its on my to read list. :)

 

 Hi Ladies, 

No matter what season of life you are in, single, married, young or old you need to listen to this interview with Angie. It was definitely an eye opener, helping me to realize each moment counts. What kind of legacy am I leaving? Is it a legacy that will point others to my Savior Jesus Christ? Does the clothing I wear, the things I talk about, the plans I make glorify my Father in heaven? These are all you might say tough questions, but they are important ones we must think about as believers in Christ.


Angie blogs over at Redeeming Childbirth and Leaving A Legacy and I am so glad my sister Bethany and my friend Jennifer introduced this lady to me.  So definitely check out both of her blogs and if you don't have time for that at least listen to her interview while you make breakfast or fold the laundry. :) Thats what I did today. 

God bless,
Rebecca Ann

Your worth is in the fact that you are His!

I saw this photo on google+ this morning.

 I had to share my thoughts as a response to what this tumbler picture is saying. We don't have worth because we are in a relationship with another human. We have worth because we are children of the Living God!

  I am sharing this to state that you can never put your whole being into a relationship with another person. You will never find true fulfillment in a relationship with a person. The only way to have worth and acceptance is to be washed in the blood of Jesus and have a relationship with the God of the universe. It breaks my heart that girls just like me are trying to find fulfillment and acceptance from a relationship instead of in Christ alone. I tried to find fulfillment in relationships too, but it was empty and cold and dark and my identity felt blurred as a teen. The Lord drew me to His side and showed me my identity is that I am His child and daughter. He wants to have a relationship with me all the time even when I mess up. He does not push me away when I say a harsh word, don't have the "perfect" clothes, and fail to call on Him when I need him. Jesus Christ is perfect, He loves with an unconditional love. A love that is steadfast even when my love for Him is not steadfast. So ladies please look to your Savior who did save you by dying on the cross.

  Don't look to another person to be that savior, they can't, its impossible. No matter all the movies and stories you have heard of the prince who saves the girl. No human being can save you from your sin, only the Lord of the Universe is perfect and has saved you.

  By no means am I perfect, I mess every day in my thoughts, words, actions, and deeds! I don't have this whole being single thing totally figured out or anything either. I am just trying in my oh so not perfect way to live moment by moment with Christ. Look to Him, The Lord God who formed you in your mothers womb before the world was made. The Lord Jesus chose you to be His.

God bless,
Rebecca

Long Time No Talk

Hi My Dear Readers!

I know I have not posted a blog update in forever (or so it seems!)! Thank you to Alison for asking how I was and thanks for sharing your thankfulness for my blog too. :) I was encouraged and touched by the fact that you noticed I had not posted and missed the posts. Also Vicki you left a comment too on my last post and asked how I was doing. Vicki, in April when I posted about that skirt, if I were to respond now my response would be so different. I am not negative and a pessimist like I used to be, God has been making me into a new creation more and more. He has been sanctifying me and drawing me to His side over these past 4-ish months. God is so so good!!!

I am not going to promise I will be posting more frequently now. I have made promises on this blog before and not followed through, so I will not be making promises I can't keep. The goal I would like to set for myself would be to do at least 2-4 blog posts a month about different subjects I have been learning about. Whether that is a book review, my thoughts on the Bible and what I am learning from God's Word, tutorials for how to take care of curly hair, tutorials for healthy skin care, pictures of what my family and I are up to, etc. I want to be more intentional about what I post and that those posts would be well thought out and build others up in the Lord.

An update about my life, my family has been attending one church now since November 2012, so its been 8 months and I have felt God's peace that this is where I am supposed to be. I praise God He has given me peace about this church, because I was so resistant about this being His will for me right now. I never thought I would go to a church that is as large as the one we are attending. 1,000s of people attend this church, so yes its a mega church. But, every Sunday I have been growing spiritually through the worship of our Lord through hearing from His Word and worshiping Him. I look forward to church, where as, when we were church hunting, it was a dread some days. Thank you to those in my life and through the internet who prayed for my family and I! The Lord indeed has done wondrous deeds in my life, a good church is just one of those wondrous things He has done! God is so so good to us all, no matter what we are going through. My life by far is not perfect, because of my sin, I fall short, but as a friend said the other day," The moment we sin we are already forgiven by Jesus!" WOW! The moment I sin God already forgave me?! Thats just amazing and I just can't comprehend how far His mercies are to us each day.

These verses says what I was amazed about perfectly,

"19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 5:19-21

 

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

 "Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!"- Psalm 103

" I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes

the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told."- Psalm 40:1-5

(All Scripture is from the ESV Bible)

There are so many more verses and things I could say about the AMAZING God we serve. He is just so big and its been amazing me so much how He is over all He has made and it outside of time and space. My dad and others have always told me, "Rebecca God is so big, He is outside of our comprehension of time." All the more reason for me to be in awe and fear Him!

Have any of you been learning about a certain aspect about God recently or have a favorite verse you have been pondering lately? Or maybe you have some to praise God for? A wondrous deed God has done in your life?Just leave it in a comment below or feel free to email me at ra.stricker@gmail.com

God bless and love in Christ!

Rebecca