Front Door Paint Job

Summer has flown by and with it went all the time and plans that I had for summer projects. Finally, I managed to at least get the front door repainted. The door was in good shape, but I wasn't fond of the color. Just wanted something more fun and  wanted it to match the blue accent color I picked for the house. So, I went from this......  

to this......

 Now the door matches the flower pot tower. The paint color is from Walmart and it is called Deep Heliotrope. It looks like it is a bright royal blue when the sunlight is on it, but when it is in the shade it is more of a darker true blue. Sometimes it even looks a little purple. Much more fun than the dark green door. Along with the paint job for the door, I freshened up the house number and the porch light with a coat of spray-paint.

Really simple and quick project that just makes everything look a little more put together. Also, If you don't have money to change out what you have for what you want, this is a great way to make it work. Here are the simple steps that I took:

1. Remove whatever you can and lay it out on newspaper, cardboard, or something that you can spray paint on. I was able to take the house numbers off and the top part of the light fixture. 
2. Clean off the dirt and cobwebs. 
3. Tape off anything that you don't want painted. In my case, I taped off around the light fixture and then taped sheets of newspaper around it so that I wouldn't spray paint  the windows or siding. 
4. Give everything a coat or  two of spray paint. I used Krylon Fussion in a dark grey metal hammered finish. 
5. Let it dry completely and then put everything back together. 

This small project was pretty quick and I was able to do it while letting coats of paint dry on the door. Speaking of the door, here is how that was done. 

1. Clean the door. 
2. Fill any dents or cracks. I used an outdoor caulking to seal around the frame of the window because there were some cracks in it. 
   
3. Tape off everything that you don't want painted. The proper way to paint a door would be to remove it and all the hardware. I am too lazy for all that. So, I just taped off what I didn't want painted. 
4. You may want to lightly sand the door so that the paint adheres to it really well. (I didn't do this, we will see if that was a smart step to skip or not.)
5. Apply a layer of outdoor paint primer and let it dry completely.
6. Apply a coat or two of an outdoor paint. I used a flat finish paint cause that I what I had on hand, but a semi gloss finish is really nice and easier to clean. 
   
   When painting a door it is important to paint it correctly to avoid streaks or drips. Here is a graphic that I saw on Pinterest that was super helpful.
   

There you have it, a new fun blue door. So, simple that I even made dinner in between coats of paint. And there I am in the reflection of the storm door.  

Zelophehad's Daughters

Zelophehad was a man who had no sons, only daughters; five daughters to be exact, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. Zelophehad died and left no sons to inherit his land. For the Israelites receiving an inheritance was very important. The land and possessions of a person would be passed down from generation to generation in order for it to stay within the family and to be a part of the Israelites’ territory. In the way that things were done then, since Zelophehad had no sons to inherit his land that would mean that his daughters would be left with nothing. Zelophehad’s daughters set out to change this, but they did it all in the right way. They didn’t demand that they receive their father’s land. They showed respect for the law of the day, those in charge of upholding that law, and those that had the ability to change that law.

They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said, “Our father dies in the desert. …Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”   Numbers 27:1b, 2; 27:4

Zelophehad’s daughters sought to keep his name alive among the people. They knew that if they didn’t have property of their own then his lineage would cease.

Moses, being a righteous man of God, sought the LORD on what to do about their request. He heard from the LORD and responded to them with that direction.

And the LORD said to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance over to them….This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.  Numbers 27:6, 7, 11b

The story of Zelophehad’s daughters doesn’t end there. In the very last chapter of Numbers they are brought up again. This time some men bring to question the possibility of what would happen if the daughters marry outside of their tribe. If they did this then it would mean that their inheritance would be added to whatever tribe they would marry into. For the Israelites it was incredibly important that each tribe hold on to their tribal inheritance.

Moses again sought the LORD on what to do. Again he was given instruction to pass on to Zelophehad’s daughters.

“This is what the LORD commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father.”  Numbers 36:6  

That is just what Zelophehad’s daughters did; they married within their father’s clan. They were obedient to what the LORD had told them to do.

Zelophehad’s daughters were bold to request a change in the way that an inheritance would be handled. And yet, they were humble in the way that they did it. They followed the proper steps to make their request, and then they followed the guidelines that were set out for them when the request was granted. They were faithful to follow the command of the LORD they He gave directly for them. 

Miriam

Miriam was the sister of Moses. (Side note: she may or may not have been the sister that watched over Moses when he was put into the Nile as a baby. The Bible doesn’t call that sister by name. Later when we see the genealogy of Amram, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam are the only children listed (Num. 26:59, 1 Chron. 4:17.) From this, it seems as though Miriam was that sister, but we don’t know for sure.) Moses, Aaron, and Miriam worked side by side to deliver and then lead the Israelites. In Micah 6:4 the three of them are all mentioned as the ones sent to lead God’s people.

Miriam was not just Moses’ sister though, she was a prophetess, and a worshiper of God as well. When we first see Miriam mentioned by name it is after the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea. They had just seen the Egyptian army wiped out and are rejoicing in the fact that God has delivered them. In celebration, they sing a song of praise to the Lord. Miriam did her part in leading the women in song and dance.

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”   Exodus 15:20, 21

This is the last we hear of Miriam until the book of Numbers. Miriam goes from being a worshiper of God, to opposing her brother Moses. It seems as though Miriam and Aaron were not too fond of Moses’ Cushite wife. Essentially they were jealous of Moses and began to talk about him in an unfavorable way. They were jealous because he was the main leader of the people. God also spoke directly (face to face) with him.

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this.  Numbers 12:1, 2

Still today we see this same behavior. We talk against leaders, pastors, politicians, bosses, and others that God has placed in a position of authority. This does not please God. He placed those people in that position, and we are to treat them with respect. We may not completely agree with them on all matters, but we can disagree with respect. Miriam was put in a place of humility because of her actions, and yet we do the same thing without any fear of being brought to humility.  

God wasn’t happy with what Miriam and Aaron were doing and he called them out on it. God spoke directly to them to correct them. When He was done, he left, leaving Miriam to bear the consequences of her actions.

When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam – leprous, like snow.  Exodus 12:10a

Miriam was struck with leprosy. Leprosy was a disgraceful disease. If you had it, you would be quarantined from the rest of the camp because it was an infectious disease. Here Miriam was a leader and prophetess among the people and suddenly she would have to be shunned by them. Moses cried out to God on her behalf. God heard his cries, but first Miriam would have to go through a process of in order to be healed.

The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.  Numbers 12:14, 15  

God was faithful to heal Miriam, but it was a process. A process that would have taught her humility. She probably didn’t go around talking bad about people after that. Miriam was also an example to the people of what do if someone was infected with leprosy. She was remembered for this in Deuteronomy 24:9. This may not have been the legacy that Miriam had wanted to leave behind, but it is one that we can learn a thing or two about humility from.  

Modern Pioneering -- book review

Whether you are an avid DIYer, want to try your hand at a little gardening, want to cook food from whole ingredients, or consider yourself to be a modern pioneer, this book is a fun and helpful read. Now, Modern Pioneering by GeorgiaPellegrini isn’t a normal book. Modern Pioneering is more like a guide and cook book all in one. It is composed of various sections that cover the different areas. All the while, with lovely photographs throughout the whole book.

The first section is on The Garden. I found this part of the book to be full of lots of helpful tips and information. Thank goodness for that information on mulching, it has saved me a top of work in the garden already this summer. There was plenty of information that I will probably refer back to for years to come.

Next is the section on The Home. This section is mostly comprised of recipes. All of the recipes have clear instructions that are easy to follow. Now there are several recipes I plan to try. There are also several recipes that I’m pretty sure I would never try. Not they are bad recipes, just not something that I would eat. All the recipes use fresh ingredients that you would gather from your garden, get from a farmers market, or from your local store. There aren’t any processed foods in these recipes.

The following section is The Wild. This contains information on vegetation that you can eat from the wild. There are also recipes for using those foods. This section also contains useful information on such things like how to use a compass, survive in the wild, and such.

Lastly is The Rest. There are some recipes in here. There are some DIY projects. There is some random stuff. Honestly, most of the stuff in this section could have been left out and the book wouldn’t be lacking. The home DIY crafty stuff seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the book.

Overall, it was a fun read that gave me some good information and good ideas of stuff to try. I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Zipporah

Zipporah is the wife of Moses. Now Moses is a very well known Bible character, Zipporah on the other hand is hardly mentioned. The small bit that we do know of her is an odd part of the story as well.

After Moses had fled Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian and knew that his life would be in danger, he fled to Midian. When in Midian, Moses rescued the daughters of Jethro (also known as Reuel) from some bullies. The girls were simply trying to get water for their flocks when some other shepherds drove them away. Moses could have minded his own business, but he stepped in and stood up for the girls. When the girls returned to their father, he inquired as to why they were finished so early. The girls told him of their rescuer. Jethro insisted that they invite Moses to come to their home. This led to Zipporah becoming the wife of Moses.

Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.  Exodus 2:21

After Moses, Zipporah, and their two sons had lived in the land of Midian for a long time, God instructed Moses to return to Egypt to free the Israelites.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.  Exodus 4:20

It was during this journey to Egypt that the story of Zipporah has this weird, confusing, and mysterious part.

Remember that Zipporah was not an Israelite. She did not follow the same religious practices that Moses followed. For all we know she may not have even served God like he did, we don’t know that for sure though. Anyhow, circumcision was an important practice for the Israelites. If you were a male, you were going to be circumcised when you were a baby. From this part of the story we see that Moses and Zipporah had not followed this tradition with one of their sons. Because Moses had not followed this practice it brought some serious consequences to his life.  

At a lodging place along the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said. “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)  Exodus 4:24-26

And this is where a lot of us read this story, go “huh?” and keep on reading. Yep, this is the strange part.

Zipporah knew that Moses’ life was in danger and she knew why. Surely her husband would have told her of the importance of circumcision. Immediately she acted. She knew what had to be done, and she did it. After she had cut off the foreskin and touched it to Moses’ feet, she made the declaration that he was a bridegroom of blood to her. This is a statement of her surrender to follow the Jewish custom. Some translations say that she “flung the foreskin” at his feet. This just goes to show the desperate state that she was in. It took a bold move on Zipporah’s part to save Moses from death.

At some point, Moses sent Zipporah and their two sons back to her father. We don’t know exactly why he did this. Later Jethro brings them back to Moses, and they are reunited. This is about the last that we hear of Zipporah. 

Moses' Mother, Sister, & Pharaoh's Daughter

Without the help of Moses’ Mother, Sister, and Pharaoh’s Daughter, Moses would have never survived. All three of these women played an important role in saving the life of a baby that would grow up to be a very important man to his people, and one that changed the course of their history. 

Moses was Hebrew, a Levite to be exact. Because of this fact, when he was born his life was in danger. At that time, the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. Pharaoh, the head of the Egyptians, didn’t like that the Israelites were outnumbering the Egyptians. His solution to this problem was to have all the male babies killed. Moses’ mother knew that her baby’s life was in danger because of what Pharaoh was doing. She hid her child as long as she could. Then she took a courageous step in the hopes that it would save his life.

But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.   Exodus 2:3

I can’t imagine the anguish that this woman would have gone through to do this. She didn’t know if her son would be rescued. She didn’t know if he would be found by an Egyptian and killed anyhow. She was a desperate woman who was willing to let go of her son in order to try to save him.

Moses’ sister stood watch over her brother while he was floating in the Nile. (Side note: later in Exodus Moses has a sister we learn is named Miriam. The Bible doesn’t state if this is the same sister or not.) When Moses is rescued it is his sister that speaks up to ensure that for a little while longer he is in his mother’s care. Without her being there, Moses’ mother may have never known what happened to him, and probably wouldn’t have seen him again.

It is Pharaoh’s daughter who is the final rescuer.

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.  Exodus 2:5,6

If she wouldn’t have been in the right place at the right time, and not had compassion, Moses would not have ended up in the place that he needed to be. Being taken in by Pharaoh’s daughter put him in the right position to free his people later in life.

Moses’ mother was given another short time to be with her son. She was allowed to nurse him and take care of him as work for Pharaoh’s daughter. Of course she couldn’t let her know that she was his mother. Because of this arrangement it meant that she would again have to let go of her son and give him up in order to save him.

When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”  Exodus 2:10  

Moses’ mother loved him so much that she was willing to give him up not once, but twice in order to save his life. Now that is truly a mother’s love. 

Heart Wide Open -- book review

I first heard of this book when Shellie was doing a give-away for the release of the book. When I was checking out the give-away, I discovered the book trailer for Heart Wide Open. It is posted below for you to watch as well.

After watching the book trailer, I wanted to read the book. The book did not disappoint. It isn’t very often that I read a book in the Christian Living genre that I don’t want to put down or take a break from. Heart Wide Open is one of those books that did just that though. Shellie Rushing Tomlinson does a great job of winding antidotes from her own life, other stories, humor, quotes, and most importantly Scripture together to make a great read. This book does a good job at encouraging you in your faith and walk with God no matter what stage of your Christian life you are in. The things in this book could be applicable to a new believer just as much as a seasoned veteran of the faith.

Shellie is a southern girl from Louisiana. The southern in her comes through in her writing. In saying that I mean it feels like you could sit out on the porch with her, drink some sweet tea, and chat for hours even though you have never met her. This southern warmth comes through in her writing in a way that makes the book not seem too preachy or harsh. Instead it is encouraging and full of grace and love. One minute you may find yourself and laughing out loud at one of her stories and the next page over be brought to tears by the truth of God’s Word. All the while the purpose of the book, to encourage you to open your heart up to a life fully lived with God as a part of all of it, shines through.   

Heart Wide Open was a fantastic book to read on my own. It would make an excellent read for a Bible Study or small group setting as well. There is actually a short Bible study or discussion guide in the back of the book. I love books that come with a discussion guide included. Shellie has also put together a DVD that you can purchase to go along with the book if you are using it for a Bible study or small group.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.