Cheryl Barker's Blog, page 2

Fears and Foes While Following God and Achieving Goals

“Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar . . .” Ezra 3:3

Facing fears and foes in order to achieve goals or to follow God’s leading goes way back. The Biblical account surrounding the scripture above is just one such example.

God had moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation calling all of God’s people to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. After they had “assembled as one man in Jerusalem” (Ezra 3:1), the priests and other leaders ...

Wedding Reception Idea: A Chef at Work!

Mother of the Bride, are you and the Mr. & Mrs.-to-Be considering the menu for the wedding reception yet? Options are numerous, and families today choose anything from a full sit-down dinner to a buffet to hors d’oeuvres to cake and punch alone. Your choice will be determined, of course, by the happy couple’s wishes as well as the wedding budget.

One super fun idea is to feature a chef-attended live-action station at some point during the festivities. A chef at work could be incorporated ...

Country Church Comfort

With Memorial Weekend coming this weekend, many of us will be remembering loved ones who’ve gone on before us. For me, that includes both sets of my grandparents. They lived on neighboring farms and attended the same little country church.

My cherished memories of my grandparents’ church inspired the following poem. Does a country church hold a spot in the landscape of your own personal history? If so, I hope this brings back some pleasant memories, and if not, here’s your chance to ge...

Engagement Photo: Include Heart Balloons!

Mother of the Bride, don’t you love how fun and creative today’s engagement photos are? Sure, the photographer may have your soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. pose for a traditional shot or two, but the more creative shots capturing the personality of the couple or the depth of their love will be the ones that warm your hearts the most.

Pictured above is an engagement photo idea too cute not to pass along—heart balloons included in a shot where the couple is kissing. Super sweet, right? So much love ...

Bringing Sunshine to Others

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“But may all who love [God] be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Judges 5:31 NIV

Sunshine is good medicine, isn’t it? After the cooler than normal spring we’ve had this year and the rains that accompanied many of those days, it sure feels good when a new day dawns with some more-than-welcome sunshine. You know the kind of day I’m talking about. A day when the sun “rises in its strength”—like described in the verse above.

After a few cool and dreary days, sunshine has a way o...

Make-It-Yourself Bridal Keepsake Box

Mothers of the Bride, for those of you who are crafters—or have friends who are crafters (yes!)—delight your daughter with a gorgeous bridal keepsake box like the one pictured above. I’m not a crafter myself, but thank goodness my good friend Teri is. She made the beauty above for my daughter Kristin when she was a bride-to-be.

Start with an oval-shaped box. Right away this makes it special by using a shape that’s not as common. Believe it or not, this box is actually a Harry & David Dark...

Pressing On—Rain or Shine

[image error]I admit it. I’d rather be out running around on a sunshiny day than dodging puddles and trying to keep my glasses spot-free on a dreary, rainy day. I’ve been known to avoid water rides at theme parks too. I guess I just don’t like getting wet.

But while I may stay holed up singing rain, rain, go away, I’ve noticed that our feathered friends don’t let a few showers get them down or sway them from their tasks.

As long as the weather is not severe and even though they may get a little wet-for-the-w...

Wedding Day Photo: A Veiled Kiss

[image error]Mother of the Bride, I hope you and your darling daughter are collecting some great wedding day photo ideas. Your photographer will be sure to have some amazing ideas, but it’s always a good idea to make a list of shots you love. That way you can guard against any disappointment by giving your photographer a list of shots you’d like included.

Bride and groom kissing shots are always winners, but I think the veiled kiss photo idea above is especially sweet. The dreamy quality created by draping t...

Refreshing Signs of Life

Spring has officially sprung. Signs of life are everywhere—and oh, how refreshing that is!

When looking for signs of life, naturally we notice the big ones first. Grass turning green, weeds attempting their annual takeover of our lawns, and leaves as well as a variety of beautiful blossoms adding color once again to the landscape of our neighborhoods. In fact, we get giddy over green this time of year. And, of course, warmer temperatures beckon us out the door every chance we get. Oh yes, delici...

Scattered Pearls Wedding Cake Design

[image error]Mother of the Bride, are you and your bride-to-be daughter gathering ideas for a wedding cake yet? It’s so much fun looking at all the possibilities out there—and if you think that’s fun, just wait until it’s time to taste a few. My husband even wanted to get in on that aspect of wedding planning!

The scattered pearls cake pictured above is a great one to share with your daughter. The cake top with fresh flowers and adorned with edible pearls looks both elegant and lovely as well as interesting ...