Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 15

Making Prayer Shawls

In January, the tweens created No Sew Prayer Shawls to give out to students in need of some comfort and love.

The first step was to cut them out.....we learned that good scissors are a must. We also learned that we need to "double knot" the fleece strips - like you knot a shoestring.



After cutting them out, and tying them together, you must pray over them - for the students who will get them in the future!



And obviously, you must show them off in a cheesy picture!



Our finished prayer shawls. We ended up making 15 in the hour - at least half were precut before we started. (That helped - so some tweens started tying knots, while others cut strips.)




Instructions!
Original Source: Danyelle Trixler Ditmer (with modifications - aka what we learned).

SUPPLIES:
- Good pair of scissors
- Yard stick
- 2 – 60”x26” pieces of fleece
(FYI - thin fleece didn't work well)
- 3”x3” cardboard template

DIRECTIONS:
- Lay out fleece wrong sides together (if “wrong” sides are evident)

- Match up edges
--- This is important!!!!

- Pin together to hold while you knot (I used jumbo paper clips)
--- The "big binder clips" aka what you find in the office supply store work great to hold onto the sides.

- Cut off rough edges
--- We needed to "trim" the pieces to make them even.

- Cut 3”x3” square out of each corner
--- We ended up cutting a 4x4 square - so the strips would be a bit longer for little fingers.

- Make 3” deep cuts at 1” intervals around all 4 sides
--- If you cut 4x4 squares, obviously you'll cut 4-inch strips.
Once you have all of the cuts, you need to start in one corner – Tie an overhand knot close to blanket edge – Use one strip from top fleece, one from bottom fleece – Tie second knot.
--- Tell the kids to make a double knot - like they "double knot" their shoe strings.

– Make sure the knot is tight.
--- You might have to "tighten" the knot so the pieces don't come apart.

- Knot EVERY OTHER pair of strips until you are all around the blanket one time. Turn blanket over – Knot the same way until you have tied all your knots.
--- AKA - the tweens didn't really do this step, and it went ok...

HINTS:
- Use your template as a guide to keep cuts even and equally deep
Keep your knot tie tension steady while tying your knots so you don’t overstretch the fleece.

- Snug knots will hold well through washing/drying.

Blog Tour: Sent (Review)

Everyone is living for something.

What if the answer you seek causes you to uproot everything you know,to follow a call God places on your life?

It might mean you sell everything the world/America tells you is necessary to be a success, and move your entire family to a Southeast Asian country recovering from the tsunami.

Would you go?

For Hilary Alan - her husband Curt - and their two teenagers, the answer is yes.

What happens, as recounted in her memoir Sent is something considered radical to some, and amazing to the Alans.

Sent is an amazing and interesting book.

It challenges you to think outside of the 2.5 kids/great job/American success paradigm.

It shows through the Alan's experiences (including the teens), how following God can be a challenge but oh, so rewarding.

I needed to hear what Alan wrote - maybe not to join the cross-cultural church planting ministry she advocates, but to simply be reminded of the things God can do in your life - when you simply follow God's call on your life.

I especially appreciated Alan's observations on her experience - and how simply living in community with her neighbors - helped spread the gospel of Jesus more effectively than any "force fed preaching."

I was surprised at a few things - including how a friend was treated after a stillbirth/miscarriage by her family, and how another person within Alan's world was forced to change career plans because of a disfiguring accident.

I think one of the things that makes this a solid book is that it 1) isn't gratuitously full of self promotion and 2) It gave me a new appreciation for some of my friends serving overseas.

In all, I give this book a solid four out of five. It's a spiritual memoir that is solid and encouraging.

About The Author
HILARY ALAN, a former public relations professional, is a wife and mother of two children. Hilary and her family moved to Southeast Asia in the aftermath of a tsunami that destroyed villages, homes, businesses, and hundreds of thousands of lives. Today, the Alans continue to advance the work of Christ internationally in their involvement with a church in North Carolina as they prepare for another overseas assignment.

Find this book at Amazon.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher's book review service, Blogging for Books. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lent Photo Day 14: Lift

Day 14: Lift with encouragement. 1 Thes 5:11.
Original source for photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1070365

Today's theme is lift.

I initially thought of encouragement for this theme.

One of my favorite verses is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."

(In another translation it's "lift each other up.")

One of the best things we can do for each other, is to lift each other up in prayer, encouragement and more.

How has someone lifted your spirits this week? How can you lift someone up today? Lifting is definitely a "give and take' opportunity.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: I Still Believe (Review)

I picked up Jeremy Camp's memoir, I Still Believe, because I love this genre of book.

I was not disappointed.

Camp's memoir is honest, open and at times, even painful, as he recounts how God has moved in his life - especially with the illness and ultimate death of his first wife, Melissa.

In fact, the story opens with Camp struggling to pick up his guitar and write music again after Melissa's death. Through the pain and healing, Camp wrote the song that became the title of his memoir - I Still Believe.

Belief is the thread that runs through this book. Through the ups and downs of his life, Camp shows how his faith has grown even amidst the trials. He weaves in the lyrics, so readers can get the "back-story" behind his songs.

The memoir also shows how God brought his wife, Adrienne, into his life, and the ups and down of that relationship - including the loss of their third child to miscarriage. It also walks through the roller coaster of his musical career.

Ultimately, Camp's story is one of hope and redemption. It doesn't show a life that's been all "rainbows and lollypops" but instead shows one that is authentic in actions, words and deeds.

I enjoyed reading this book. It encouraged me, gave me hope and truly gave me something to think about. Reading it in public, gave me an opportunity to have a candid conversation with a stranger.

Camp could have written a book that sugarcoated everything that happened in his life so far - but instead he decided to "rip off the band-aid" and write a candid account of his doubts and struggles.

Through it all, his faith shines through as a strong witness. On a scale of one to five, I give this book a solid four and a strong recommendation.

More About The Author
Christian recording artist Jeremy Camp has written songs that have touched millions of lives. His lyrics reveal a heart that’s been broken and a faith that has been tested and restored.

In I Still Believe, Jeremy shares, with unflinching candor and emotion, the extraordinary story behind his award-winning lyrics–from his impoverished childhood, rebellious teenage years, and spiritual awakening at Bible College, to the tragic loss of his first wife, Melissa, to cancer and the heart-wrenching spiritual journey that followed–a journey that reignited Jeremy’s faith, inspired some of his most beloved songs, and paved the way for a second chance at love with his second wife, Adrienne.

This memoir is a must-read for Jeremy Camp fans everywhere, and an inspiring, encouraging read for anyone who has ever experienced loss.
- See more at: http://tyndale.com/I-Still-Believe/9781414375595#.US1e52d_inI


watch on tyndale.com
Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, Tyndale House. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Dirty God (Review)

It's rare when a book - especially one written as a narrative/memoir - doesn't click with me.

But unfortunately, that was the case with Dirty God: Jesus In the Trenches.

I really tried. Author Johnnie Moore has an interesting writing style.The concept and the description captured my attention. Unfortunately, he just didn't keep me engaged.

I guess the book wasn't what I thought. I tried reading several chapters and I just didn't want to finish it.

So, here's the deal. Just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean you won't. I've read reviews. Others find Moore's writing engaging and thought provoking.I'm just not one of them - at least right now.

It might just be what you are looking for, to challenge your faith and ideas. Maybe this is the type of book you want to read with a small group - so you can digest it together. Who knows. but for now, I'm staying neutral on this book.

About This Book
In Dirty God: Jesus in the Trenches, Johnnie Moore draws on both Scripture and his extensive experience with other cultures and religions to show how the God of the Bible is unique in his willingness to be near us in all of our messiness. Moore outlines the central importance of the doctrine of grace while introducing readers to a humble and human Jesus who reaches out to us at our worst and pulls us up to our best.

Grace, Moore argues, is something that is both gotten and given, and the two-part structure of the book allows readers to explore both of these dynamics. By offering hope rather than condemnation and showing the practical applications of grace in today’s world, Dirty God will appeal to both the committed Christian and the spiritual seeker looking for a more authentic faith. Challenging and engaging, Dirty God is sure to establish Johnnie Moore as an emerging voice for Millennial and Gen-X evangelicals for years to come.

Find the book at Amazon

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by BookSneeze, a review division of Thomas Nelson. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried
about this detail.

Lent Photo Day 13: Cover

Lent Day 13: Cover
Today's theme reminded me of the "covering" we get when our friends pray for us.

It made me remember the prayer shawl I was given more than a year ago, when I had eye surgery.

Sometimes, you just need to wrap yourself in prayer - and this shawl is a tangible reminder of this!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lent Photo Day 12: Vision

Day 12: Vision

This a list of things a pastor took time to write down for me, when I was a struggling junior high student.

It probably wasn't a huge deal for him - but obviously, I've been holding on to it for more than two decades.

Sometimes, I just need to pull it out and re-read the positive message.

Doing this, gives me a chance to have a clearer picture - or vision - of who God made me to be.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lent Photo Day 11: Live

Day 11: Live.

I've heard the saying "Live, Laugh, Love."

To Live, you need to remember to laugh and love.

To love, I think you need to be surrounded by friends.

Today I'm I'm thinking about a friend who's friendship spans the years and miles.

Sometimes, I need to remember to simply live - and if I can live half of her life of faith, it will be amazing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lent Photo Day 10: Spirit

Lent Day 10: Spirit. Sometimes the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways. #stjamesumc #rethinkchurch #40days

The words of a former professor - found in a podcast archives, the wind blowing clouds across a bright moon, a Bible verse "popping" up as the verse of the day in YouVersion.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit shows up in mysterious ways.

God Sightings is how one children's ministry curriculum labels it.

Things that happen that make you think about God in new ways.

Just a few things that happened today/as the week ended - another mile marker on the journey known as Lent.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lent Photo Day 9: Love

Lent Day 9: Love. Learning about love from my tweens. #rethinkchurch #40days #stjamesumc

Tonight, I'm thinking about God's love - thanks to a couple of podcasts from Asbury University.

I'm also thinking about what the tweens in my life teach me about love.

No major profound words tonight.

Just soaking in what God seems to be teaching me.... all while I'm trying to receive God's love.

The refining season of lent continues......

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad