Blogging for CollegePlus!

Some of you may know that I'm doing this crazy program called CollegePlus. I've been testing out of college credits and taking online classes through CollegePlus, and am hoping to have a BA in English in less than two years! CollegePlus is what is making this possible for me. 

Anyway, I was asked to write a post for their blog! Of course I was thrilled... lots of grins and happy dances ensued in the process of writing this post! Go check it out!

Reason vs. Wisdom, the Battle for Your Life

I stood at the dryer, folding my clothes. Dreaming. Cozy-warm shirts and socks matched the thoughts airing in my brain. High ambitions, wild ideas, and sweet hopes I couldn't put into words. 

Do you ever catch a couple voices arguing inside your head? Me too. This brain of mine is a battleground - voices parrying here and there, some defending, some attacking. And apparently whispering dreams are worthy of attack. Hey, hold on a sec, Reason countered my dreams. Before I chase mountain-top achievements and wild-eyed fancies I need to get my life under control. 

I nodded internally. Sounds legit.

No. 

A new voice flew by, chasing Reason down. 

I need to let Jesus have control of my life. And this newcomer tackled Reason with a bold twist of her own words. I'm pretty sure it was the Holy Spirit.

That, my friends, was World Reason vs. Wisdom - a classic battle.

I need to get my life under control became I need to let Jesus have control of my life.

This taking, this getting.... it clashes against the giving. The letting. 

Reason said I need to soldier through with my current tasks before I can chase whatever wild things I wish for my future. Reason said, learn to master your life; be in control of it. Then you will be strong enough and free enough to chase your dreams.

Wisdom said I need to surrender. I need to give up control and self defense, baring myself to the power of Christ. To obediently walk His path. Wisdom said, learn to loose your life. Then God's strength will carry you beyond your wildest dreams and into glory. Chase Christ. 

Remember my internal nod at the voice of reason? It's sad but true. World Reason sounds mighty becoming when it's the only force on the playing field. She sounds true - noble, even. 

And if the Holy Spirit and His Wisdom hadn't shown up, I probably would have followed reason. 

I'm a gullible girl, okay? And that's why it's vital for me to be saturated with the Word of God. His Word is where I find wisdom. His word sharpens my ears to His voice. His word is where I find nourishment so I don't gorge myself on empty world-junk-food.

His word is vital to me. 

Without it I pick up this life I've laid down and start hacking it around, chipping off corners and slicing into others. Without God's Word to show me how to lay down my life, I try to control it myself.

So, the Bible. And the Holy Spirit. And Wisdom. They're The Big Deal, guys. 

Chase them down for all you're worth. Lay down your life and chase Christ.

Because Christ? He. Is. Your. Life.

A Safe Place for My Love

I'm going to practice a little transparency here and say that fall is not my favorite season. 

I love the warm sunshine.

I love the trees that catch on fire with color.

I love the crunch of leaves under my feet.

I love the smell of the autumn air.

All this might render fall my favorite season if it wasn't for one thing. 

The transient nature of fall.

I'm a steady girl who doesn't like change or unexpected happenings. 

So the warmth of the sunshine is cooled by the knowledge that it will soon be gone.

The fire in the trees is tainted by a wish that they would stay just like that. But I know they won't.

Crunching leaves remind me that more leaves are falling and they'll soon be replaced with snow.

And the deep autumn smell hanging in the air is almost like the countryside's last sleepy breath before it buries itself in snow-white hibernation.

Autumn is beautiful. But I cannot love it as I long to because it leaves me holding my breath, straining to capture every glory before it drifts away. 

And I think every human being aches to find a beautiful thing to love without reservation. A beautiful thing that will not turn ugly in time. But we can't bring ourselves to love with a passion because we know that this glorious beauty will disapear and we'll be left cradling a disintegrating brown shell of a leaf. 

Is there anything I am safe to love?

Only God.

That God who breathed life into Adam? 

He who picked the lowly Abraham, Gideon, and David and changed the world through them?

The God who healed the sick

Who made the blind see

Who loved the little children

Who died without fighting back

And who rose up alive, brilliant hope fulfilled.

And God? He doesn't change like the shifting shadows.

He doesn't cycle like the seasons.

That life he breathed into Adam is still filling my lungs. 

This lowly girl is being used by God in mighty ways.

God heals my sickness

Opens my eyes

And loves this child of His 

To the grave 

And back again.

He's not transient. He will stay. And stay. And stay with me.

Yeah, I think I could love someone like that. 

Because He won't disappear like the glories of autumn. 

He is a safe place for my love.

On the Edge | Little Dresses for Africa (part 2)

So I left you hanging last week from two 7 inch pieces of elastic. Let's pick up right where we left off before you loose your grip, shall we? 

7. Attach a medium/small safety pin to the end of one piece of elastic, like this:

Now thread it into the little casing at the top of the dress. Right before the loose end disappears into the casing, fasten it in place with another safety pin. You don't want it to slide inside.

Once you get the elastic all the way through the casing, safety pin the other side together as well. It will look all bunched together.

Repeat on the other side.

8. Cut two 38 inch lengths of double-fold bias tape. Find the halfway point of each by folding the strips in half. 

9. Line this middle point up with the center of one armhole and unfold the main crease in the bias tape. Re-fold the bias tape, sandwiching the edge of the armhole inside. Pin in place. Keep working your way up both sides of the armhole, sandwiching and pining as you go.

Repeat on the other armhole. The dress should look like this:

10. Sew the bias tape in place. The seam should be fairly close to the edge of the bias tape with fabric sticking out, and make sure you double-stich over the ends a couple times.

11. The dress is done! Now you just have to include a note stating that the dress is a size medium (additional sizing info is here), package it up, and ship it to:

Little Dresses for Africa

24614 Curtis Drive

Brownstown, MI 48134

If at all possible, enclose a donation of $2.00 per dress to help with shipping costs. 

(Disclaimer: the credit for the ideas and pattern in this post go to Little Dresses for Africa)

On the Edge | Little Dresses for Africa (part 1)

I have a ton of fabric. And for as long as I can remember I've wanted to do something meaningful with it. I've got a whole cubbard full just waiting for a worthy cause.

I think I've found it, guys.

It's called Little Dresses for Africa; you can read more about the organization here. 

Basically this organization is asking people to make some seriously simple pillowcase dresses and send them in the mail. The organization takes care of getting the dresses to needy girls in Africa, and they even have a pattern to follow on their site! These dresses can be made from fabric pieces or pillowcases, and the only extra supplies needed are 14" of 1/4" elastic and 76" of double-fold bias tape. If you haven't sewed much, this would be an excellent place to start!  

So that's what I'm doing with the fabric waiting in my basement. I'm planning on sending a box full of hope and sweet dresses over to Africa in the near future! Here are the instructions for you to join me!

If you're starting out with just fabric, start here. If you are using a pillowcase, simply cut off the short seam on the top of the pillowcase and skip to step 4.

1. Cut a piece of fabric 28 inches wide by 40 inches long.

2. Fold in half crosswise, patterned sides together. It should look like an inside-out pillowcase. 

Sew the long sides together, then zigzag/surge the edges and trim.

3. Pick one unfinished edge of the tube and zigzag/surge all the way around. Turn under and sew a simple hem. This is the bottom of the dress.

4. Turn the tube right-side out and fold in half lengthwise, so it's half as skinny as it was before. Cut a 2 inch by 4 inch armhole at the corner where the unfinished top edge and all the side seams meet. 

When you unfold the dress it should look like this:

5. Zigzag/surge both raw edges at the top of the dress (in between the armholes). Turn each edge under about 3/8" and sew on top of the zigzag/surging. This should make a casing big enough to fit 1/4" elastic.

6. Cut two 7 inch lengths of 1/4" elastic. 

So I'm going to leave you hanging right here until next week... Or you could hop on over to the original directions here and finish your darling dress yourself. :) 

(Disclaimer: credit for the ideas and patterns in this post go to Little Dresses for Africa)