“The RoseBouquet”

Jesus said, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

When I went to school in a little one-room country school, this was taught us as the Golden Rule. Only occasionally do I ever hear references to it any more.

The Israelite people got ten commandments from God when on the way to their promised land. Later however, the priests and scribes added all kinds of little laws to define precisely how to keep the basic ten commandments. The average person in Israel, without a special law education could hardly keep up knowing all the hundreds of new laws, never mind keeping them all.

When God, in the form of Jesus, came to earth, He took pity on the average person and child who wanted to please Him, but simply couldn’t cope with all those 600 or more laws. He gave them a very simple key for keeping all His laws at once; just treat others the respectful way you want them to treat you. Or, honour everyone.

When I was a Pioneer Girls leader in London, Ontario, I was very much aware that I came from a poor family in the prairies, and with my mother having been ill most of my life, I knew no manners. But another leader, Helen, had been to a finishing school as a teen girl. She was very gracious. Helen said that all the etiquette rules can be boiled down to just one; “Always do and always say the kindest thing in the kindest way.”

Now that one I could understand and keep! It has often stood me in good stead. I see it is just like Jesus’ golden rule of Matt. 7:11.

PRAYER: How kind of You, Lord Jesus, to simplify all those laws, so that anyone can obey You and do what is good and right in Your sight. When I look closer at the ten commandments, they are in essence, showing You honour and respect by worship, and respecting others the way I want to be honoured. No hair-splitting.

Oh thank You, Jesus! You make it easy to obey You!

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. Do you eat novels like chocolates? Here’s one with both weight and excellent flavour! For a satisfying treat, read Ruthe’s Secret Roses

Psst. This book makes a great Christmas gift too!

Remember that I said last week to watch this spot for progress on Deacon’s Teddy bear? Well, here he is. I got him done last night, about midnight. (Now I just have to get Trevor and Joanne’s new address so I can send him to Deacon, my newest great-nephew).

It is that time of year when I start fussin’ and fiddling with this and that to make gifts, and get my Christmas mailing ready for my relatives and friends. I’ve forgotten just now how many years I’ve been doing an annual Christmas story as my gift. Usually that involves less bulky packaging, and less postage, and it is always original. No one can ever say they got another story-gift just like mine!

Well, I think I have that story written for this year, and my card designed, but I didn’t quite get the annual letter done last night that I send with it. It needs more editing polish and I think a few more photos inserted. It may take me the rest of this week yet.

My next problem will be to keep the ink cartridges in the printer filled. Last year I ended up making over 100 each of the card, the s tory and the letter. My cartridges need to be re-inked about every 40-50 sheets that go through, so I’m very glad I’ve ordered some bulk inks from ink-inkrefills-ink.com and can inject more ink. However, after about 13 refills, the cartridges need to be replaced too.

Last night as I was stitching on this teddy’s nose, I got to thinking, “I don’t enjoy crafts as much as I used to - maybe because I live in a different world most of my work days? Maybe because they take time - slow time.”

It would be great to streamline the printing process too, so if I can afford it, I might even go get a batch done at a place like Office Depot in the city.

I need to start on gifts soon as well, for the special ones!

So how much extra work do you make for yourself in preparing for Christmas?

This week I installed my first aStore from Amazon.com on my Ruthes-SecretRoses.com site, and now that I’m through the steps once, I’m eager to do more. They say there is no limit! Basically, it means I can choose some Amazon products that I can recommend, and put them together in their “kit” store, which I can insert into one of my web pages. In fact, it can be 8 or 9 store pages all continuing through links inside one of my pages. So visitors can choose items on my site, and when they are ready to check out the shopping cart link takes them to Amazon to complete the sale. I don’t handle any sales work myself, but I get commissions!

Other affiliate stores are creating the same opportunity, so once I have figured out what kind of items I want in my stores, I’m going to set up a bunch of them.

Time! Time! Oh, for more time! But let me not forget to give you the link so you can go check out my first aStore

Last week I hinted that I wouldn’t mind some feedback. I got some wonderful replies! It makes me realize that in editing down the RoseBouquet ezine, so I could handle it as a weekly blog, in what I hoped would be less time instead of more, I trimmed out the YOU connection. Meaning, you, my dear readers. I must find a way to interact more, instead of just talking about myself.

I suppose I could sneak some abbreviated feedback comments into this section. I wouldn’t exactly have to create a new one, right?

Nor do I want to embarrass anyone or put them in danger of spam attacks, but my basic ethics are in place, so if I only give first names, and only quote the complimentary lines, (oops, that could make ME blush) - then it doesn’t have to be so difficult, eh?

Helen wrote: Oh Ruth, I am always so blessed in reading your RoseBouquet newsletter. I so enjoyed how you wrote about your father knitting you socks, how loving and precious. You both are so blessed to have one another and our Lord. Hey… also that teddy pattern…. did you write that you attached the pattern? I couldn’t find it… wouldn’t mind making one.

Me: We’ve already had much more correspondence. But in case anyone else is wondering about the pattern, it is copyrighted and in the Creative Hands craft encyclopedia, Vol. 10. But if you write me, I’ll see what I can do for you.

Tess wrote: You asked for feed back… I’m sorry I don’t respond more often because I really enjoy what you write and I enjoy reading about your Dad. He has so many talents and he uses them…which is great. My health is slowly improving for which I am extremely grateful… everybodies prayers have really helped.

Hopefully I’ll remember to do this more frequently.

Suzanne Beecher owns and runs this book club, and she is really a special person! I look forward to her brief personal note at the beginning of her installment as much as the book itself. I’ve discovered and sampled some great books in the Good News Club (she has others too), which features inspirational books.

Suzanne says, “Join a book club and every morning I’ll send you a portion of a book in your email. After you’ve read two or three chapters from a book, I’ll start sending a new book. It’s free and you can read at more than one club. Join today and start taking a five minute reading break every day.” DearReader.com

This email is a treat I allow myself every day in my email hours.

Are you a frugal shopper? Maybe a coupon queen? Or do you know where all the best discount stores are, and how to time your visits when a new shipment has come in? Good for you! You could teach me a thing or two.

You see, I’ve learned to be so frugal I hardly ever shop at all any more. Especially when it comes to Christmas gifts. For years now, I’ve been making gifts out of the things I find lying around the house. If you are hard up, and willing to invest some time, here are some ideas to get your mind going.

If you have a sewing machine, or can borrow one, and have access to bags of remnants of fabric, there are a number of things to sew.

Pretty silks and sheers might make scarfs. Monogramed?

Shopping Bag/Wallet - sturdy cottons, cords, and synethics, even if in prints you would never wear, can be sewn into a shopping bag. I once saw and copied one done so it folded up into a compact zippered wallet.

The construction is similar to a paper bag, then just sew a heavier base over the bottom but allow it to be a wee bit bigger than the base. Sew a zipper around and fold or crumple the bag part inside.

Picture frames make a nice gift and can be done in so many ways. Use the stiff paper of empty cereal boxes, to cut a frame (oval, rectangle, chippendale, etc.) and a matching base without the hole. Cover each with fabric, adding a bit of fiber fill or cotton batten for the frame part. Glue together with a glue gun, or plain white school glue. Then add a scrap of cardboard covered with fabric for the stand on the back, or else glue on a ribbon loop for a hanger.

Another variation; use rumpled aluminum foil instead of fabric to cover the cardboard pieces. Smear shoe polish on the frame front and rub lightly for various antique pewter looks.

If you have children who want to be involved in making gifts, work with old standbys like paper mache, bakers clay and plaster of paris.

Paper Mache -
This is just torn up strips or bits of newspaper soaked in a basin of 1 cup flour to 4 cups of water. (Increase the quantities if you have a gang of kids, or if you are making heaps of crafts). If your newspaper is mucky enough you can mold things out of it.

Generally I layer and criss-cross strips of the wet paper over some base such as a blown up balloon. Later when dry, you cut away the excess portions to make a basket or a mask, or lacqueured fruit or candy dish.

One year I made a batch of about 19 lambs heads using balloons, for costumes for the Christmas program. Another year I shaped the plaster strips over yogurt cups to make bells. I’m tying them together with gold cords into threes and adding a huge newspaper shaped bow covered with fabric. These were door decorations, and my main gifts that year.

Bakers Clay -
This is a dough you make with 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1.5 cups water, and for smoothness, 1 tablespoon cooking oil. You mold various shapes, let them air-dry or bake them hard in the oven, and then paint.

I’ve made a whole set of tree ornaments, then used Rubbertex (stinky stuff!) and painted over them six times, to form a mold which I could use to pour copies of the original with plaster of paris.

Plaster of Paris -
is a chalky powder to mix with water and pour into molds. You can buy it fairly cheap in sacks at lumber yards. I used to get a 20 kg (50 lb) sack for about $11 when I was designing crafts for kids at church, and that would make 100-200 crafts for them to paint.

There are no end of ideas for plaster. If you can, get some plaque molds from a craft store, or make your own with the bakers’ clay and Rubbertex, and then make copies. Cost-wise, they work out to about 10-50 cents an item, depending on size.

If you are a good artist with paints, your crafts or ornaments can be as pretty as the ceramic ones. You just need to be more careful as the plaster will break when dropped on the floor.

To make sidewalk chalk for or with kids; mix up the plaster with water (as per instructions), add some powdered tempera paints, and pour into empty toilet paper cores, where you have taped one end shut. When dry, tear off the paper core, and you have coloured sidewalk chalk for the kids. Big fat crayons too!

It would take another article to cover all the gifts you can bake. One I’ve done a number of times is our traditional Mennonite Peppernuts. They are spicy wee cookies, the size of a nut that are made by the pail full. There are many recipes, but a number of them call for anise, which adds a licorice flavour. I’m doing one with candied fruits, and will make another batch of plain ones with anise, then mix the two in jars which I dress up with pinked caps and fancy labels. These gifts have been popular in the past.

There! I’m running out of space, but have I triggered some new ideas for things you can do? Go for it!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ruth Marlene Friesen, makes friends everywhere, just like her alter ego,
the heroine of her novel, Ruthe’s Secret Roses. Discover the secrets of
intentional friendship that transforms lives at Ruthes-SecretRoses.com.
There’s over 600 pages to read! Look for the blog links too.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Article may be reprinted only with the above resource box].

Jesus asks some blunt questions to which the answers should be very obvious. If your child is hungry and asks for bread, do you tease him by offering him a stone? If the child asks for a fish, do you hand him a snake?

Clearly a parent loves his or her child too much to be so cruel. (Except, some news reports nowadays make me wonder). If you are a real parent with natural love for your offspring, you far sooner bend over backwards to grant your children’s desires, especially if they ask for something they need, like food.

Swiftly Jesus brings in His punchline; if you are falable humans, prone to do evil, but you give good gifts to your children, how much more will your loving Heavenly Father, who is perfect, give good gifts to you - His spiritual children when you ask Him?

This puts a whole new light on God’s love for us, doesn’t it? If you haven’t had a doting, loving parent yourself, recall some other parent you have watched who kept their eyes on their child, and the instant the child cried out or asked for something that parent was reaching out to pick the child up, hold them close, and give them what they desired. Unless it was harmful, of course, like gravel or sharp objects. Now picture God ready to pick you up and respond to you just as eagerly.

Really! Our Heavenly Father watches us that closely. The instant we pray with a sincere cry of need or trust in Him, He’s scooping us up and responding to us! Doesn’t that just thrill you through and through?

PRAYER: Oh God, You’ve given me a fresh glimpse of Your wonderful character as our perfect Father. I certainly need a perfect parent, and right now I’m willing to let go of some bad memories of failures in our family. Please heal those memories, and make up to me what I missed.

Thank You for the healing You’ve already done in me in this regard. I wish everyone could discover You as Father!

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. You’ve heard of power naps at work, right? You rise refreshed, bright and alert. Take a break to refresh your spirit with a good inspirational story.

This is an amazing and wonderful truth that I’ve been trying to absorb into the very fiber of my soul and spirit and mind over the last two or three years.

At first it may look like a company credit card on which you may charge anything and the boss will pay. But these two verses offer much more than that. When you see the principle here and how it operates you will be thrilled.

Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Notice first, that this is not for passive waiters. It’s for doers, people who get up and make an effort to get what they want. They ask questions, they go looking and hunting for information or resources, and they knock on doors of opportunity.

They know above all that they must ask God for the very things they seek and work for, as He is the final source, the One who helps them find and get what they want. Always with an eye to pure motives, not for selfish gain, or to dishonour God, naturally.

It has made a difference, since I’ve realized that the Lord expects me to be active too in obtaining the things I ask for. It has turned me into a business woman. I no longer pray a timid prayer and wait impatiently for years for God to serve it before me on a platter.

I spend time every morning asking the Lord, then the rest of the day seeking answers, and knocking on doors of opportunity. This gets me starting many things. Some turn out to be closed doors, but some are profitable and bring about what I wanted.

PRAYER: Father-God, I praise You for this invitation to work WITH You for the answers and resources I need. I’m an adult child of Yours now, not an immature one, and I do wish many others would learn this! Help me to teach them this fine principle.

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. You don’t really have time to read on the couch, but if you’re like me, you do read snatches on the run, and somehow make time to read a GOOD book completely.

So how can you be sure this Ruthe in the book is not some kook? Read the six sample chapters.

Usually I don’t think of Jesus as using sarcasm, but here is a place where He did. - to make a point clear.

This is still to do with being critical of others. Jesus asked, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay not attention to the plank in your own eye?” How vividly this illustrates what happens so often; we see a glaring fault in one we know, however we have a much larger fault. Like a plank or 2 x 6, compared to a speck of sawdust.

Now you are flooded with examples in your mind, right?

Jesus continues by asking how can we offer to take the speck out of another person’s eye when we have this plank in our own eye? Then He follows it swiftly with the charge, “You hypocrite,” and advise to first deal with the plank in our own eye, so we can see more clearly to remove the speak from our brother’s eye.

Have you had experience with trying to get a speck of dust, or even a tiny eyelash hair out of your eye? I find that so-o very irritating, but I don’t like someone else’s fingers in there trying to help me. I’m very protective of my host eye!

More obviously now, in the spiritual realm too, I don’t like others correcting me and telling me my faults. I prefer to deal with them privately in my own way. You too? Most particularly, I don’t want someone whose life is full of glaring faults telling me how to live. Nor do you!

Let’s resolve right here, not to be critical of others until we’ve faced up to our own glaring faults and confessed them before the Lord.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You must’ve experienced or seen this speck business more than once when You were helping Joseph with carpentry work. I’ve found it’s really hard to work with these irritants because I’m so absorbed in the pain. May I ask Your help to clear out all specks and beams in my eyes? Then I’d like grace to be kind and helpful to others with similar problems.

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. Wish you could have a heart-to-heart talk with God?

Ruthe does. All the time, where ever she goes, she’s having a running conversation with the one she calls Lord, or my Best Friend. You’ve got to meet Ruthe! AND her Secret Roses.

May this be a blessed week for you - with lots of good things!

Once I sat in on an adult Sunday School class and found them discussing these verses, but with the understanding that judging always meant passing sentence, or speaking very negatively about anyone. Something in my spirit was troubled for I understood judging to have several different meanings and these were ignored.

Isn’t subjective evaluation a form of judging? There are other verses (1 Cor.11:31, Col. 2:16, John 7:24), where we are to judge or evaluate ourselves, so that others will not need to do it.

Another passage (Matt. 7:16) says that “by their fruits you shall know them,” To know what kinds of fruit other people are bearing we do need to look objectively at their lives for evidence that they are in union with Christ.

Here in Matthew we find Jesus saying we need to be very careful how we judge or evaluate others, for we are going to be measured with the same scale we use on others.

Isn’t that true? Have you ever noticed how a certain woman in church who is a perfectionist and who tells everyone each little fault she observes in others is generally graded in the same detailed way by the others? At the same time, the woman who cheerfully sees the positive in everyone and smooths over mistakes, is talked about in a similar positive way? Observe people and you’ll discover that most people get back the same attitudes they dish out.

No doubt Jesus was aware of this, but I believe He was talking in terms of our accountability to God too. If we measure others with sharp and high standards, God will apply higher standards to us. If we are easier on others, He will be lighter on us. All, of course, within God’s pure and holy standards.

PRAYER: Lord, You are the ultimate perfectionist, but You judge in love. I’d rather be judged by You than some of the people I know on earth! Help me not to be critical in my evaluation of others; rather to offer encouragement and help when I see they fall short somewhere. Then I’ll be judging,or evaluating, more like You!

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. You will love Ruthe’s Secret Roses if you like;
* walking and talking intimately with God
* stories of compassion and dramatic conversion
* have a bleeding, caring heart of your own
* are a caregiving older sister
* love designing clothes and make-overs
* love giving gifts and surprises
* are a mentor or counseling kind of friend.

See you on Monday! Enjoy your weekend! Spend some of it resting, okay?

Jesus points to some wild flowers - He calls them lilies - and how beautifully they were clothed even though they often last but a day. He counts them in with the grass, perhaps even weeds, that people find growing naturally in their fields, and cut cut down to throw in the fire. These were not floral wonders of a flower bed, but just wild flowers that happened to grow where they did because of the natural ways God scatters their seed. (Weeds often do have pretty flowers, don’t they?)

Jesus says God is personally involved in designing those lovely flower heads, never mind how poorly they are esteemed, so surely, since we are much, much more valuable to God, He will see that we get clothes to wear.

From personal experience I know that He always does. I have had fine clothes given to me many times over the past 20 years when I had no income. I often have trouble deciding which to wear! If I but sigh, “Lord, I think I need new shoes soon,” in the next few days, there they are! More than one pair.

The pagans run after these things, Jesus adds. They are people who do not know or worship God. However, we who do know Him as a Heavenly Father who knows we need these things. As long as we put His kingdom and glory first, we will not have to worry about clothes or what to get for groceries.

What really ought to be our focus is to desire and work towards God’s reign over us. That spiritual kingdom we cannot see, unlike clothes and food, but which is so real and eternal. Honouring God, and becoming righteous like Him is to be our primary concern. If it is - all these practical needs will be supplied.

Prayer: Oh Lord God, when I focus on You and remember Your power and majesty, Your holiness and love, it is far easier to trust You’ll meet all my practical needs. I really need not worry about what I’ll have tomorrow or the day after. So help me to stop such worrying!

+++++Jesus is my King+++++Jesus is my King+++++

Blessings on you Today!
Ruth Marlene Friesen

P.S. Ruthe is afraid to tell her family back home for reasons of her own, and this leads her to live a double life. The pressures build. Sooner or later she has to take some of the advice she gives others, for she’s getting into serious trouble! Ruthe’s Secret Roses.