An Outcast

I got this devotional today in my inbox and it just touched me...
Always For The Outcast
"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry ..." - Exodus 22:22-23 (NKJV)
In biblical times, the widow and the orphan were the epitome of the social outcast. Unable to perform the manual labor required to feed themselves, they were at a decided disadvantage when it came to something as simple as survival.
There were no insurance policy checks, no IRA or 401K accounts to draw from, and no food stamps. There was just the charity of those who were more fortunate. And as God was laying down His Law for His people, He made His heart very, very clear concerning them. "Take care of them-or else."
God is always for the outcast. They occupy a territory in His heart that is very near and dear to Him. When you look at Christ's earthly ministry, you see that He spent much more time with the "nobodies" than the "somebodies" of His day. Not because He had to, but because He wanted to. And it cannot be denied that although Jesus possessed the prerogative to take on any appearance when He came to this world, He deliberately chose to assume the identity of someone who wasn't exactly on the world's A-list:
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:2-3 NKJV)
Regardless of where God has placed you on society's scale, never forget that God is always for the outcast.

(Garden Crown - Available Here)

A Romantic Barnsale!

I have been terribly absent in the last couple of weeks but I promise, I've had a good reason.

French Cupboard has opened a division specifically for Etsy Sellers!
Please come over and browse our Romantic Barn Sale.

Picky

I admit it, I'm a creative junkie. I love creating both in "real" life and online. My family might tell you that it's the only way to keep me sitting still. I can't do nothing. I'm terrible at doing nothing. Which is why I'm really picky about the tv programs that I watch. If I don't love the program, I usually find something else to do. But last night, during the American Idol commercial breaks, I watched American Pickers on my laptop. It's a weekly program that follows the junking escapades of two "scrappers". They knock on doors and ask if they can pick through the stuff in people's barns.

It reminded me of a house that's a few miles from my home.

They've got this mysterious old west town in their backyard.
Anybody wanna go picking?!!

PORCH Love

Sending some PORCH love to you ...

The new Romantic French issue is available!

Click Here to visit the PORCH website

Pointe & Shoot

I'm so excited! I'm like a school girl at her first dance recital. Today I get to attend a photography class that I've been anticipating for months. Why must cameras come with so many gizmos? And why do we subject ourselves to the more difficult DSLR cameras when there are so many good point & shoot cameras out there?

What's your camera of choice?

Silver Sunday

Hope you have a blessed Silver Sunday!

P.S. Just had to share this....

In all my years of blogging, that's the first time I've come across a "bless" word verification.
Return to Silver Sunday

Oh and one last thing...

The new issue of Porch will be available sometime in the next week!

Keep an eye on the blog - we'll announce it there first.

Vintage Black Friday

I'm so excited that Vintage Black Friday is back!

If you haven't participated before, you can go HERE and linky up with us & show off your vintage black on the first Friday of every month.

This week I wanted to show you this old pin crown cushion. It has a tape measure in the base of it that unwinds. The top of the crown is where the thimble is supposed to rest.

Come on over and visit the other bloggers!

Sleep Study

Mr. Blessing and I had a huge fight! AND I snore. In fact, I think that might be why we had a big fight. Sometimes I find him sleeping in other rooms... and it makes me mad! He says he doesn't want to disturb my sleep... but it still makes me mad. Victorian ladies - even ones that wear blue jeans & live in farmhouses - are not supposed to snore!

We made up, of course. Because he's too "McWonderful" for me to stay mad at him. But still! We have 4 kids and have been married more than a decade. How long has he been sneaking around, sleeping without me and being so stinking considerate? And what reasonable explanation is there that THIS is what pushes my button? None I tell you. It's not reasonable to be mad at someone for being considerate. Darn it.