Thursday, June 20, 2013

'Shrooms: a photo journey

My daughter, Sydnee and I went on a walking journey beside the lake in front of our home yesterday. We wanted a bit of exercise for the morning. Although we weren't expecting anything different, we noticed several mushrooms. We've experienced quite the rainy season in North Georgia this spring. The large amounts of water produced some interesting fungi. I hope you admire them as much as we enjoyed scouting them out...
red mushroom
orange mushroom

Day tripping,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Show me some comment love. I'd love to know what these are and if they are poisonous. Got an idea?

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Four P's of a Prayer

model prayer

Are your prayers answered? Do you ever wonder if you're praying amiss? Jesus gave us "the model prayer" in Matthew 6:9-13. We know the scriptures as The Lord's Prayer. Our Sunday School curriculum is focused on prayer for June. We thought it would be fun and easy to teach our 1st to 3rd graders to pray by using something they likely knew...the parts of a letter.  We explained how a prayer is very similar to writing a letter. Using The Lord's Prayer as a model, we reinforce each week the correct way to pray.

1.  Greeting - address God by calling his name. "Our Father", "Heavenly Father", etc.
2.  Body - the four P's
  • Praise - Give God praise and glory for specific things or all things. "Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done"
  • Provisions - Ask God for your needs. "Give us this day our daily bread"
  • Penance - Admit your sins and ask God for forgiveness. "Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors"
  • Protection - Ask God for guidance. "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us"
3.  Closing - Tell God how awesome he is again and ask for all these favors and blessings in the name of Jesus.

Pray with a humble, sincere heart with a meaningful voice. I believe if we get into the same mundane prayer, it becomes redundant and boring to us. Can you imagine how God feels hearing it? It would be just like your child telling you the same thing every day. You listen but only half-hearted, right? After awhile, you may tune the broken record out altogether!  Be passionate and pray with your whole heart.

Do you use a map for directions? You do if you want to get where you're going! If you use a map, you're probably praying correctly using the model that Jesus gave us. If you don't use a map or ask for directions, you're probably not praying as Jesus instructed. You may be wondering around in the prayer wilderness questioning if your prayer will ever be heard much less answered! Don't stay there for 40 years. You've got the map and there's milk and honey just ahead! 
Remodeling my prayers,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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Loving blogging,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap


Monday, June 17, 2013

How to Use, Refresh and Create an Heirloom

 Use an Heirloom
quilt
Trying to find a place
for that old thing?
I WAS!

Cleaning out a closet, I found a quilt my mother-in-law hand-stitched.

I decided to display it as a wall hanging in our family room as a memorial to her.

It was simple to machine wash and line dry.

I sewed wooden rings to one end and tied on some twine to hang it neatly.

The quilt is a conversation piece. Everyone that visits inquires of it's history.

I enjoy telling it and feel proud that her handiwork and her legacy is alive in our home.
Refresh an Heirloom
I love unique things. I found these antique lemon tree wall hangings in Virginia. I've used them as I

Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Father's Day Gift that Got Away

Father's Day 2013

My Dad, Clyde Parker was born on June 8, 1937. He's earned the right to be a bit picky at the age of 76! But....he remains a simple man, preferring a 1950's Farmall 100 with a shabby paint job to the newer technology of a shiny green John Deere. He says "Tammy, they just don't build'em like they used to!"  I've watched him work months to rebuild a tractor. Not once did I doubt the tractor would