Sermon Notes and Third Cowl!

Hello everyone on a gorgeous, sunny Sunday!  Yesterday was hectic with complicated personalities in my life.  I've decided to simplify that, but won't go into detail.  Suffice it to say:  "Ignorance really IS bliss!!!"

The sermon was called "A New Beginning" this morning.  It was good.  Basically, it was about getting OVER your past and being able to CHANGE old habits, and form new ones.  Sounds pretty simple, huh?  Unfortunately, it would be easier for some to jump off a cliff than to change the tiniest little thing about their personality or life habits.  You cannot allow your past to control your future IF you want to achieve God's best for your life.  Be willing to embrace a new idea.   

A long time ago, when my husband was in his "missionary" period, we tried to help troubled couples in our church -- or that our church told us about.  After many wasted hours including many long nights, we came upon the conclusion that people don't WANT to change -- they want everyone else to change.  Some people can't admit they are wrong to save their lives!  And they cannot get out of the past. 

Now, you ask, what about me.  Can I, Joy, change?  Can I, Joy, admit I was wrong.

Let me tell you what I've learned about that.  The MORE you do it, the easier it becomes!  I can do it, and I have done it.  If someone gives me advice, I really listen to it.  If it is good, I apply it.  It it isn't, I discard it.

I'll give you one example, although I could give you dozens.

When I was in my early 20's -- divorced and had a little girl -- I met a really good-looking guy.  He was tall, dark and very handsome.  He had muscles on top of his muscles!  I have always been attracted to muscular

men -- not to be mistaken as the super-hideous body-building types like the former body of Arnold.   I HATE that.  I like the God-given kind.  This guy was a house painter, so he had major arm muscles.  He didn't have any sense, and he didn't have any money, and he wasn't much brighter than your common rock -- but he sure was good looking!  He also lied to me, and treated me awful.

After I had gone with that goofus for about six months, I met another guy.  He wasn't as handsome due to a space between his two front teeth.  He wasn't very tall.  He was light-haired, and light-skinned and being a pharmacist, he was skinny and not very muscular.  He was VERY nice to me, however.  He never lied to me.  If he said he would do something, he did it.  He treated me like a princess even though I was half-rude to him.

And WHAT IS MY POINT!?  I'm beginning to wonder myself, lol!

I had a girlfriend at the time whose name was Glenda.  (Not Glenda Sparling.)  She and I worked together, and she knew my day-to-day activities.  I was telling her one day about this "new guy" I had met.  I was telling her how nice he was, but I just was NOT attracted to him because he was so skinny, etc.  I told her I was hung up on the handsome, muscular guy.  THIS is what she said to me, and I will NEVER forget it:

"Joy!  Don't be an idiot!  Take a picture of the guy with the muscles and hang it over your fireplace, but keep the one who TREATS YOU RIGHT!"

Here it is, 37 years later, and I am married to the man that treated me nice.  He also got his teeth fixed shortly after we were married -- gained weight and joined a health spa -- and he put on more muscles than the other guy had!  I think he is the most handsome man in the world, and I love him even more as the years go by. 

I'll give you one more example concerning my ability to change.  I smoked for a short period of my life.  It happened because I was single, and I was around other women who smoked all the time.  I just picked up the habit being with them.  In those days, you could smoke at your desk at work.  It was a good way to take a break. 

One day, I was having a conversation with my good friend, Deanna.  We were talking about smoking, and this is my translation of ONE comment she made to me:

"I have always prided myself in having strong self control, and I would not allow something like a cigarette to have more control over my brain than I have over my brain."

THAT ONE SENTENCE was all it took for me to put down the cigarettes from that moment forward.  I took control and have kept it ever since. 

Anyhow, just trying to prove to you that I not only agree with Hagee's sermon this morning, I have applied it to my life.  Therefore, I know it is possible.  Hagee said, "When you want something you have never had, you must do something you have never done."  SO TRUE!  I wish we could teach our young people this.  They don't want to listen to advice, never mind ever take any.  They suffer so much for it.

Hagee said we can be saturated with the favor of God.  I believe that is true, and that is what I live for.  Hope you do too.

AND finally, Hagee gave these 3 things necessary for change to happen in 2013 in our homes:

1.  The BIBLE must have a prominent place in your life.  Abe Lincoln ready it every morning!

2.  PRAY.  A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.

3.  GIVE and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!      (Luke 6:38)

And, YES, I am working on my THIRD cowl neck knit top.  I am like that.  I don't want it just good enough.  I want it to be the BEST I can do it.  Hagee said something about that too this morning.  He said, "Good is the enemy of better, and better is the enemy of best."  So true!

I do have one picture to show you.  I want you to see the difference between a D bust dart and a B bust dart.  For those of you who don't sew, let me say that in order to sew you HAVE TO KNOW your bust cup size.  To find out what it is, you measure around the fullest part of your bust.  Then you measure around just underneath your bust around your body.  Then you subtract the small number from the big number.  The difference in the two numbers tell you your bust cup size.  Before me DESM diet, the answer I came up with was 7 inches.  I measured yesterday, and I am only 5 inches now.  THEREFORE, I made a new cowl neck SFD pattern with a B dart instead of a D dart.  Here is a picture.

You can see that there is a THREE INCH difference in these two patterns.  If you double that to include both sides of your front, it is a SIX INCH difference.  I will cut this new pattern out tomorrow and show you what difference it makes in the cowl.  I don't want a big bunch of fabric folds lying on my chest.  I just want a gentle waterfall that I don't have to constantly adjust the folds in.  I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my husband is putting up our new 3D TV screen.  I had him buy Titanic in 3D for me -- not realizing that it was a small fortune! -- and we are going to watch it in our own living room with 3D glasses on. 

At $35.00 for the DVD, we may have to watch it every night this year!

I'll let you know how that turns out too.

Hugs, Joy