Turn it Around - THE BOOK

It's not that I think my "turn it around" book is so spectacular, it's just that:

#1 - It is one of the only crafts I have made since leaving MOPS.

#2 - It was such a fun, memorable day.

#3 - The MAMBI papers are just delectable! 

#4 - Since crafting is such a rare occurrence, I decided I should save it for posterity.

#5 - I am fairly craft impaired, so, actually, for me, this IS spectacular!!!

Anyhow, in light of the above, I decided to take a picture of every single page layout... and yes, lucky readers, I will update again once I have written in them!!!

Turn it Around

My Women's Bible study group just finished Beth Moore's newest Bible study (Esther).

It was a very good study.

The theme was:

Reversal of Destiny (or "Turn it Around").

Each week we talked about how it was "tough being a woman" in various ciurcumstances but then Beth Moore (via DVD) taught from Scripture how the Lord turns those various tough scenarios around.

To finish out our time together, we got together and ATE (of course!) and created "Turn it Around" books where we could write the tough scenarios and God's turnarounds for them.

  (Although the books turned out so darned cute - THANKS SUEZI -  that many of them are now going to be photo albums and prayer journals.)

Here are the scenarios and some photos:

* It’s tough being a woman in another woman’s shadow (Overshadowed)

TURNAROUND - Psalm 91:1 - He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

* It’s tough being a woman in a world where beauty is a treatment (Underrated)
TURNAROUND - Eccl 3:11 - He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set

 eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

* It’s tough being a woman in a mean world (Overwrought)
TURNAROUND - 1 Tim 1:18, 19 - …I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
* It’s tough being a woman thrown a giant sized weight (Under Qualified)

TURNAROUND - 1 peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Deut 23:5 - However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

* It’s tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear (Under Attack)
TURNAROUND -  

Deut 33:29 - Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places

Neh 4:14 - …"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

Isa 49: 15, 16 …I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands”
Ps 139:10 - even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
* It’s tough being a woman who can balance passion with patience (Over Anxious)
TURNAROUND - Is 30:18 - Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you

 compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

* It’s tough being a woman who feels responsible for the “how” (Over-Responsible)
TURNAROUND - 2 peter 2:9 - If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
Ps 103:14 - for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
*** It’s tough being a woman… BUT it is TRUST that turns it all around.

*** It’s tough being a woman… BUT TRUST REVERSES THE DETOURS OF ADVERSITY INTO THE HIGHWAYS OF DESTINY.

We missed you Jen, Lynn, Stephanie, Andria, & Sharon!!!

St. John - Day 6

Woke up at 8:30 and got on my face out on the deck for my prayer time. Nothing quite so amazing as praising God with the expanse of His glorious creation - the ocean - stretching out before you while a flock of tiny, bright yellow birds swarm a dish of sugar water and a brown thrushie bird zips back and forth feeding her nest full of chirping babies over head.

From the BIG to the little, God's creation is AMAZING.

Did my Beth Moore Bible study (catching up on the Psalms of Ascent).

Dad (D) & I woke up and had coffee & breakfast then packed up for the beach and dabbled on our laptops for a little bit.  We got gas then headed to our daily trip to Starfish to get a sandwich to take (we split one every day and bring that along with some sodas and chips and maybe a candy).  We did a little research to find out about ferries over to Virgin Gorda (fat virgin) or Jost van Dyke (pronounced "Yoast"van dyke) - which are both British Virgin Islands or BVI (whereas we are on the US virgin islands , or USVI).  We can do a self-guided all day trip to one of these via ferry or we can do more of an excursion type tour and hit 4 islands in one day.  Sounds like this might be the best way to go.

We ventured to another of the 'secret beaches' today... Gibney.  Parking is up on the road by a steel gate.  

We hiked down and there was a police officer parked at the bottom with his scout troop.  We hiked around through the water to a more secluded part of the beach and were all by ourselves (except for a dog we named "Daisy" for the day, because she reminded us of Bijou but we didn't want to call her "Jouey", so we gave her a name of her own).  

An older woman with long gray hair, a floppy orange hat, and a large gap between her front 2 teeth climbed out of the water and we were able to ask her some questions about the island.  (She currently lives in Maine, but had lived on the island for 20 years.)  She was back for 3 weeks for a 60th birthday party being held that very day in the Oppenheimer property (Oppenheimer was apparently called the "father of the atomic bomb" and he bought SOME of the property from the Gibneys back in the 1950's).

Anyhow, we were alone on the beach from about 11:30-2:30 when a group of about 12 women, no men, cam and flopped down 15 feet from us and then 20 minutes later a couple and their Yorkshire terrier cam and parked 15 feet from us on the other side.  Oh well, we had secluded paradise for a FEW hours.  Meanwhile the sounds of music floated through the air from the party and the ocean ebbed and flowed and pelicans dive-bombed the water and it was a fine day.  

We left Gibney at about 4:30 and headed 'home' where we showered in the shower with open views to the south and west and overhead (open-air skylights with screens)... feels almost like showering outdoors.

We've eaten in 3 nights and out 1 night.

I think tonight might be another 'out night.

We have also watched a DVD (rented from home before we left) every night.

(Yesterday, in the rain, we watched two.)

Ahhhh... vacation rhythm... Just limin' mon.