One of my favorite hymns to express this ideas is:
"Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner, It must not suffer loss;
From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed."
George Duffield and George Webb
I'm tweaking this banner idea some--I read once that "Jesus' banner over us is Love."
I also read that "Joy is the banner (flag) flown from the heart (castle) when the King(Jesus) is in residence there." We express the love and joy Jesus gives us in our daily lives and need to share them with others. We've had some things happen recently that makes it a little hard for me to be joyful--yet I know the peace of Jesus in the midst of some hard things.
Life is so short...and so unpredictable--show other Jesus' love when you can!!! Give out hugs, smiles, understanding, forgiveness, and time. Do It Now and Do It Often.
Ideas for Summer Fun--( Did I mention I love summer?)-Stock your fridge with popsicles--homemade are best! Use plastic popsicle molds and throw leftover fruit and yogurt into the blender, or fruit juice or kool-aid. Ice cream, iced tea, even water with lemon/lime slices in the fridge are good.
-Make time for porch sitting--coffee and Bible reading in the morning, iced tea and reading to the kids later in the day. Invite neighbors over.
-Read aloud to your kids--we have favorite books we read every summer.
-Have a theme day or night. Choose stories, videos, props, food for a Western,
beach, Eskimo, Country, or other day. This is great to engage the kids' creativity and add a llittle sparkle when kids get bored. (It's also free or cheap)
-Make your backyard fun--you need a sand pile, tree swing, hammock, water sprinklers or slide mat, any combination. Don't forget croquet, badmitton, or even bubbles! Don't be a stick-in-the-mud--adults can enjoy these, too!
-Eat outside--lots! Breakfast, lunch, supper on the porch, on a blanket in the backyard, cooler in the car for a picnic, etc
-Enjoy God's creation--do some gardening, smell the roses..or petunias, sample some mint, fresh tomatoes, corn, peaches, watermelon, cantalope, berries---you get the idea! If you don't grow your own, visit a farmer's market--support local growers!
-Get ouside--go for walks, ride bikes, head to the pool or pond, go canoeing (my favorite), put out blakets and star gaze late at night. (My daughter is headed to Alaska to work at a Bible camp, and it doesn't get dark there until 10:00 or so!)
-Learn something new. On those dog days of summer when you don't want to go outside, spend time reading about something new, or go on-line and take a class or just explore a different area than usual. Challenge yourself--memorize Bible verses, or a poem. I got out my clarinet the other day, bought some new reeds and may actually try to play again--it hasn't been touched since high school band days!
-Accomplish something you've put off! Write those letters, clean out a drawer or two, go through your old magazines and tear out good ideas, recycle the rest. (My favorite hot day project)
-Hang out by some water! If you can't visit the beach, lake, or pond, at least run the sprinklers and run through them, get a kid's wading pool and have plastic boat races, or just sit on a hot day, and put water in a large shallow container for a bird bath.
-Praise God every day for all the wonderful little things--and big things He gives us to enjoy. My relatives live in and around Joplin, Missouri where the terrible tornado just hit, and it reminds us to be thankful for "normal" days and all our comforts. (and necessities--like water, a roof, etc.)
Around the House
I'm reading a book called Living Well on One Income by Cynthia Yeats. (I bought it for fifty cents at our library's used book sale) Here's a great idea/project for your summer:
You bought it- Use It Up.
Her idea is to simply use all the lotions and potions we have on hand for skincare and cleaning, consume the food we have in our pantries and freezers, and use any other products we have that are just sitting around taking up space and nearing their expiration dates!!!
I am so busted on this--check your medicine cabinet--how many sahmpoos, hair care products, lotions, etc. do you have that you don't use? I have lots and my skin could really use some of those products! None of the things we spent money on will do us any good just sitting on the shleves. If you aren't going to use them, maybe someone else can. Check expiration dates, though--on your sunscreen, too. Eat from what you have on hand in the pantry--move the things with the expiration dates coming soonest to the front for use. Pick a really hot day, and explore the depths of your freezer. Discard items that are victims of freezer burn, and try to use the rest before buying more. Use your current inventory and Don't Buy Extra Stuff for a while! You can donate the money you save to a summer missions project or plan a fun family outing.
Ha-you probably thought I was going to tell you to declutter again--so I snuck it in this way. If we use what we have, we're saving money and getting rid of items to gain more space!
God Bless Your Summer--His banner or you is Love, and He shows it every day!! Be creative and use some of these ideas to spread His love to others!!
