Trial by design ....

When your trial comes, then, put it right into the will of God,
and climb into that will as a little child climbs into it's mother's arms.
- Hannah Whitall Smith -

What do we do with the questions that seem to have no answers? 
How do we explain something that makes no sense at all?
Where do we turn for help?

Trials come, and yes, they hurt.
They cause stress and concern.
It helps to know that none of those trials have crept in unnoticed by God. 
Not one happens outside of his will. 
That's a difficult truth for us to understand.
But as a child trusts her mom to comfort her when life hurts,
so God calls us into his loving arms.

God lovingly ordains all things for our good, the blessings, and the burdens. 
Each trial is designed by Him to develop the image of His Son in us. 
In our sufferings, He draws us closer to Him.

As Hannah Whitall Smith writes, put your trial
"right into the will of God." 
Draw close. 
You'll find comfort in his embrace.

Thank you Lord, that I can run to you in the midst of trials and disappointments,
temptations and sorrows ... when my heart is aching and when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Thank you for embracing me and absorbing my burdens.
I'm learning to live moment by moment with a grateful heart!
You are good,
You are good,
You're so good to me!



We're going through a difficult family situation right now,
but God has never failed us through any of our trials, nor will He ever!
Please pray for peace in the midst ... thank you all!

Hugs,
- debi xoxo

xanga lives on ....

oh happy day ... i think!!
it looks like things have changed for all those who loved blogging on xanga!

seems they have lowered their financial goal,
and then exceeded it on the very last day they were to close!

*which was to have been july 31, 2013!
it's still there, too .. at least right now!

not sure how this is all going to work out,
but you can read it for yourself if you haven't already.
here is a link to their home page
where you will find a post and a video with more information
on the new, and improved xanga 2.0.

xanga home page

after all the work on this new site,
and taking time to locate and follow my friends from xanga,
sure hope you don't mind, but i think i'll hang out here for awhile ...
just to see exactly what becomes of our 'old' friend!
i will be thankful when all this is finally settled, though!
have a wonderful day!

blessings to you,
- debi <><

independence day and beyond ...

and so a new week begins ...
and the 'recycled' version of threads of faith -
formally from xanga,
independently speaking, lol, continues on!

i hope everyone enjoyed a blessed and happy independence day
and weekend that followed!
the 4th here was gray, with occasional sprinkles ...
hubby and ian worked a long day together,
and neither one of them were up to doing much at all ... ian went home,
and we decided to go out for bite at our favorite mexican restaurant,
then had a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone (stopping at one dip each),
then a quick stop in at kohl's department store to look at their shoes,
took a short drive and noticed that the the sky was clearing revealing a beautiful sunset,
then we headed home ... exciting huh?! lol!
i didn't mind at all ... we did see some off in the distance,
and heard quite a few once we got home.
the cats were a bit jumpy, too ...
seems there were more in the neighborhood this year than usual.

thought i'd share some photos with you from a sunnier day,
along with 'old glory' ... long may she wave!

Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord,
the people He chooses for His inheritance.
- Psalm 33:12 -

what really unites this great land
is more than a flag -
it's an idea.
the idea that all people under heaven
are the idea of a GREAT God.
- ann voskamp -

it really was one of those days you could only hope would last forever!

seems she was a bit timid to jump in ... but, eventually she did!

these two were an inseparable 'couple',
and two of the friendliest little ducks ever!
still trying to figure out names for these guys.

the rest of the weekend was nice, although a bit muggy.
saturday: house and yard work,
sunday: a phenomenal service at church,
then dinner out with ian and nicole
a visit to goodwill, a drive in the country,
then home to relax.

would love to hear about your weekend, too, until then,
i hope you all have a wonderful week!

i can't wait to see more of my xanga friends dropping in here ...
i'm thinking i should either post this over on xanga,
or leave a link to send them over this way, again! :)

it's lonely over here!

i know most are still posting on xanga till the very end ...
and then maybe moving to wordpress,
that is, if it all works out with the fund raiser!

*here's the link if you want to follow the total raised:
https://xanga.crowdhoster.com/relaunch-xanga
all other info about xanga is found at the bottom of the linked page, too.

just hope this 'change' doesn't take too long!

blessings and love to you all!

- deborah <><

Xanga ... Closing ?!

xanga closing?!!
oh, say it isn't so!!

somehow I missed the email that they had sent ...
thankfully, I heard this through the facebook grapevine from a xanga friend!

so I began my research ...
and apparently they are needing to raise money in order to keep this boat afloat!

i have heard that if they are able to raise what they need,
they will be changing to xanga 2.0, and, if I understand it all correctly,
they will be migrating over to the wordpress platform.

if you're a 'xangan', here is a link to read all about it ...

Xanga Blog Fundraiser

now, if you have a xanga blog, and want to keep all your posts and photos, all those memories ...
you must first be sure you're logged in to your account over there.
then head to the link below, click on the button to create your archives,
wait about 24 hours, go back to the same page,
and you will see a list of .zip files there ... click on each one to download it to your computer.
once on your computer you can open them and save them in a file marked 'xanga' ...
well, that's what I did ... keeping all those memories in one spot to easily access!

- DOWNLOAD XANGA ARCHIVES -

even though I haven't been as faithful to Xanga as I once was,
i will miss my very first online blog that my dear son introduced me to.

my first blog post was on sunday, september 24, 2006, and seems like yesterday.
i knew absolutely nothing about how to blog, or how to work all the little gadgets,
but over the months following my first post, i did finally master the xanga platform.

over the years that followed, i was blessed to meet so many dear and sweet friends,
friends who prayed and cared about what was happening in my life and family,
and, thankfully, many of those i do still correspond with on facebook now ...
but there are those who have not yet moved to that social network, and may never,
so I want to have a way to stay in touch.

this new blog will be my attempt to do just that,
as I hope others will also do by finding a new home to continue blogging if xanga does close ...
i'd much rather use a format like this rather than facebook ...
i think this way is so much more personal between friends!

so, i suppose you could say this will be the resurrected version of my xanga blog
all things from there-to-here from those of you who know me as,
deborah <><
at 'threads_of_faith'!

i sure hope you'll join me here ...
that way we can reconnect again and pick up where we left off!

change = a new beginning

so thankful that God is into second chances,
and that His mercies are new every morning!

In the meantime, I'm working at building this new blog home ..
trying to make the format here look as much like my page over on Xanga ...
then maybe I won't miss it so much, ya think?!

i do find it a bit more user friendly when it comes to adding things ...
i do like the ease of it, and that makes it very nice.

i downloaded all my archives from Xanga,
and since this is my FIRST post here on my continuing journey,
i thought I'd re-post my very first xanga blog entry below.
from time to time, i'll be sharing more of my past 'journal'.

i noticed that the 'archive .zip file' that we downloaded from xanga did not have the photos in the posts,
only those little empty squares where they once were, so, when i do post them,
i'll need to go to the photo archive file and figure out which ones I used for each post.
i'd say I have my work cut out for me, but i don't mind ...
it'll be fun to go back and read through my 'journal' again, enjoying all those memories,
and to see just how much i've grown from there-to-here!

finally, i am happy that i got my music back on here from Playlist, as well!
i've missed that!

well, i think i spoke too soon ... Playlist just converted to 'beta' version and
apparently they no longer support the on-site music players! oh well!

moving on ...

hope you all have a great week, and i sure hope to see you here soon!
it would be so very nice to get some of my dear xanga friends back to share with again!

*i want to be more faithful to my readers and friends i met on xanga ...
- and please to my xanga friends ... read more about my journey on 'threads of faith'
by clicking the 'me and xanga and you' tab at the top of this page,
or just click here to get there quick!

blessings & ((hugs)) to you all,
~ deborah <><





Threads of Faith - Xanga

Originally Posted -
Sunday September 24, 2006

"Threads" 
The Beginning...

Greetings, and blessings to all who happen upon this newly minted blog o' mine! 
I'm here in this little corner of the world wide web, sharing threads of my life,
in hopes that maybe one little thread will touch and encourage your life! 

Tonight, I'm beginning this journey....
but be forewarned,
I'm new at all the mechanics of this blogging thing, so I pray thee,   

please bear with me! 



I'm sitting here looking over my many precious inspirational thoughts,
and poems, that I've collected over the years, so from time to time,
I would like to share them with you. 
If any touch your heart, as they have mine, send me a note. 
I'll love hearing from you!
I'll start with a poem that is apropos to the title of my weblog. 
God bless you all, have a great day, and keep checking back for more "threads"!
     
~ LIFE'S WEAVINGS ~

My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me;

I may not choose the colors,

He knows what they should be.


For He can view the pattern

Upon the upper side,

While I can see it only

On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow,

Which seemeth strange to me;

But I will trust His judgment,

And work on faithfully;


"Tis He who fills the shuttle,

He knows just what is best;

So I shall weave in earnest

And leave with Him the rest.

At last, when life is ended,

With Him I shall abide,

Then I may view the pattern

Upon the upper side.


Then I shall know the reason

Why pain, with joy, entwined,

Was woven in the fabric

Of this life that God designed.


~Author Unknown~

~Scripture of the Day~


Just as a seamstress carefully guides the needle through the cloth, 

so does the Lord guide us on the paths of our lives with His ever watchful eye.

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:

I will guide thee with mine eye".

- Psalm 32:8 -

~Thought of the Day~


God did not call us because we were holy;

He called us to make us holy through His workmanship.

~Word of the Day~

ap-ro-pos: 
adj.:  (the "s" is silent ):
suitable or relevant to what is being said or done

Posted 9/24/2006 at 1:51 AM

{... and below was my very first comment!
some of you may remember my dear friend, marcia,
who i had shared about when, sadly, she
passed away of breast cancer ...
well, this is her oldest son, and our son's good friend.
boy, was i ever happy to see him take time to come visit me on that first day!}
1 Comments
hey, cool to see you have a site.
Posted 9/26/2006 at 6:5 PM by Boarder84
(Boarder84 = Mark M)