Tuesday 4: Pondering Odds & Ends

Pondering Odds & Ends

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept up in her memory.
We offer 4 questions for you to ponder and consider each week. Hopefully they make you stop and think and even get to know yourself and other Bloggers a bit better.
Here we go discussing some personal thoughts this week....


1. Do you have a favorite gem stone? Why is it a favorite.

My favorite is a Blue Sapphire. Why? Because it's my birthstone (September), and it just seems to fit my personality and my color palette.  My hubby has given me some lovely sapphire rings and bracelets over the years. 

I enjoy wearing these two different sapphire bracelets...one is silver and the other gold, so I can wear one with whichever other jewelry I am wearing...

And this sweet ring he gave me many years ago, and I always loved it because it has 4 little diamonds, one for each of the "men in my life", hubby and our 3 sons, and the sapphire was for me.

But then he gave me this ring, and I started wearing it all the time.  The other one is a little snug for me, and this one fits better.  But I love them all.

 
2. Do you know and understand the doctrines of your religious faith?

Yes, I am a born again Christian...and my religious faith is a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  My faith is not based on any one denominational creed or doctrine, however I do believe my faith is pretty well summed up in the Apostles' Creed, which is used by many different Christian denominations.  *Please note that the word "catholic" in this creed does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church, but refers to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic* Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. " 

If you are not religious, do you have a personal doctrine you believe and live?  See above.
If this question is too personal.. tell us about your pet or favorite pastime. 

 

My faith is very important to my life...it is the basis of my existence, and I look forward to the day when I will meet Jesus face to face in heaven. Until then I will do my best to live for Him and serve Him as He directs me through prayer and reading of His Word, the Bible.  My husband and I, along with our three young sons, spent many many years serving in the pastoral ministry.  It was not an easy life, but very rewarding in so many wonderful ways.  Even though we are now retired, we are still very active in our local church. My husband teaches the adult Sunday School class and I sing in the choir and am active in the women's ministries of the church.  I am very thankful that God called us to service and that we, like the Prophet Isaiah, responded "Here am I, send me."

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,

And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

Here is the video from this past Sunday's service at our church. This was pre-recorded to have available for those who cannot currently attend church services in person.  If you start at the beginning you will hear the choir singing one of my favorite old hymns, "Wonderful Grace of Jesus", and then our pastor has a wonderful message from Romans 6:1-14, which also further explains what I believe.

Here's the words to the song:

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin

How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Chorus:

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus; deeper than the mighty rolling sea.

Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain. All sufficient grace for even me.

Broader than the scope of my transgressions. Greater far than all my sin and shame.

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His Name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost.

By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost.

Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Chorus:

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus; deeper than the mighty rolling sea.

Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain. All sufficient grace for even me.

Broader than the scope of my transgressions. Greater far than all my sin and shame.

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His Name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled.

By its transforming power, making him God’s dear child.

Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Chorus:

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus; deeper than the mighty rolling sea.

Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain. All sufficient grace for even me.

Broader than the scope of my transgressions. Greater far than all my sin and shame.

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His Name!

Also, one more thing, I respect each and every person here and understand that not everyone will agree with what I've shared above. I certainly do not base my friendship on what others believe or do not believe, and I would not want this to become a reason for anyone to find fault or cause any kind of disagreement. We should honor each other's right to express their own personal beliefs without any cause for critical review. Thank you so much, and I look forward to reading what you share as well.

Okay, moving right along to the next question! 

3. Do you have a favorite décor style... as in classical, traditional, modern, mid century, colonial, etc?  What do you like about it?

Oh my!! My "favorite decor style" would be whatever I happen to have! LOL.  So much of our furnishings have been given to us via family heirlooms or gifts, and to be honest I have not really had much say in the overall design of our decor...it is what it is because that is what we've been given. We have rarely ever purchased any new furniture, except for a few recliners over the years and appliances. But the bulk of our furnishings came from family.  Now, don't get me wrong, I actually love what I have and have grown quite attached to it.  I've written extensively about some of the furnishings in our home over the years. If you look at the "Some Special Topics" listing in the right hand column of this blog, you will see the category for "Family Treasures". That should open up a list of blog posts that tell about different special items in our home that mean a lot to me.  Here's a picture of a few favorite items...

However, all that being said...if I had the opportunity to have a nice little cabin vacation home, I would furnish that with country rustic style, comfortable furnishings that would be considered cabin style/or lake/coastal/somewhat shabby chic...does that make any sense? That's kind of my "dream home"...Here's an idea I just found on Pinterest...that's just an idea...and probably mine would be more rustic.

Maybe more like this....well a girl can dream, can't she?

4. Are there any books or movies you want to see this summer?

To be honest I cannot think of any book or movie that I am looking forward to.  I haven't been doing as much reading as I used to...just kind of got out of the habit and spend more time here on the computer writing or reading, or watching special series of programs with my hubby on TV. I like it when we find a series that we both like and we can enjoy it together.  Otherwise, he's usually watching sports or something on YouTube, and I am doing whatever I can find to do here on the computer, if I'm not doing other stuff like cooking, cleaning...you know the routine.  And I hope to get outdoors more now that the weather is getting nicer and maybe do some more flower gardening, sitting in the swing, and taking walks or rides.  (until it gets too hot to do much outside...then it's back indoors in the A/C. )

Okay, this was fun. I hope you all participate as well over at the Tuesday 4 Linkup (HERE).  Thank you, Annie, for setting this up each week.  

Have a great day my friends!!