Soul Food

I am a person. Therefore, I eat to live. 
I eat to enjoy. Food is a daily part of my life. I cannot go through a day without food and not notice or care. I care a great deal.
If necessary, I could survive for a little while without food, though it would be a terrible, painful ordeal. I know this to be true.

I am a Christian . . . but do I eat to live? Do I eat to enjoy?
What of soul-food? What of hearty, thick spiritual stew that sticks to bones? What of sweet, rich feasts that revive the barren soul? What of cool, clean water . . . living water?

Can I go through the motions of living out my day and enjoy it without soul-food? Sadly, I find that I can, far more easily than I can without food for the physical. 
I can choose to live on tiny snacks and grow anemic and thin and weak. I can choose to try living without. But it will not last for long. Soon, I will waste away. The enemy that rises up against me hour by hour will gain the victory . . . again and again. For I will be weak, far too weak to fight. I will starve.

Yes, it is that important, this day by day communion with the Father. It is necessary for life.

And so, like the Israelites, we go out. We gather manna, our sustenance. We take only what we can for this day. We do not eat an enormous feast and expect it to last us. It cannot be stored inside to last us longer. It runs out. We need more. Day by day, we need more. And day by day, as we go out to the place of food and stretch forth our arms to gather, HE gives. He delights in hungry souls, open and waiting, ready for the Father's sustenance.

I am a Christian. Therefore, I eat to live. I eat to enjoy. Soul-food is a daily part of my life. I cannot go through a day without soul-food and not notice or care. I care a great deal.

Eat, hungry Christians! Open souls to Him and feast.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him" (Psalm 34:8).

~Miss Emily Elizabeth

My Very Own Love Story

Attention, please, everyone! This is a message I would like to share with the whole, beautiful world :)

On Saturday, July 12, 2014, a special man of God knelt in front of me and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. And I said YES. :) God is so good. I am blessed beyond measure.

Tyler and Emily. Forever. 

Pray for us as we prepare to begin our new adventure together, always seeking God first and growing in His grace. :)

He's so cute ;)

~Miss Emily Elizabeth

Liebster Award

It is high time, if you ask me, for a purely fun post. Thank you, Madison at A Wanderer's Journey, for nominating me for the Liebster blog award! Do you know that is the first blog award nomination I have ever received? I am thrilled to complete this fun post and to nominate some other inspiring blogs for the same special award. 

Liebster, a charming word with German origins, means such beautiful things as "dearest, sweetest,  lovely, pleasant, valued, endearing, and welcome." What an honor to be bestowed upon The Tansy Patch.

Even purely fun posts must follow proper rules. The rules of the Liebster award are as follows: I, the honored nominee, must list eleven facts about myself, then answer eleven questions posed to me by Madison, the nominator. In turn, I present eleven original questions to nine bloggers of my choice who have fewer than 200 followers (these will be the ones I nominate for the Liebster award). I will share a link to these nine blogs at the end of this post, and they will, I hope, do the same on their own respective blogs. I must also let these nominees know that they have been selected for the Liebster award. In addition, I must share a link to the blog of the one who nominated me, which I did in the beginning :)

Time for the fun part!

About me:

1. I have a whole collection of paint-stained cups and mugs from my crafty projects (not to mention drawers and boxes filled with snippets of paper and ribbon, stickers, stamps, fabric, sketchbooks, crayons, markers, and more).

2. Sometimes I write on my to-do list something I’ve already finished, simply to experience the pleasure of marking it off.

3. I named my computer Gilligan and our piano Rochester (Think Gilligan's Island and Jane Eyre).

4. My favorite snack is chocolate milk and cheddar goldfish crackers. Yes, together. No, not mixed.

5. I am absolutely, undoubtedly stuck in the past. I adore television shows, movies, radio programs, music, magazines, photographs, sheet music, clothes, and stories from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. 

6. I carry at least one book with me everywhere I go (usually a stack or two on overnight trips).

7. I love t-shirts that commemorate events/memories. Especially free ones.

8. I sing loudly in the shower. Usually happy songs from old musicals.

9. I am known in my household and among friends as the caretaker/collector of old, forgotten books who need a home and love. Yes, I am one of those who digs through every scattered box of dusty thrift store books in search of hidden treasures.

10. On my wall are framed pictures of Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, and The Lone Ranger.

11. I enjoy reading tombstones in old, tree-enshrouded graveyards. Those people had stories once.

Now, I get to answer Madison's questions!

1. What are your favorite names?
Avonlea, Eden-Grace, Adam, Levi, and Rowan

2. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
 Ireland. Then Prince Edward Island.

3. Do you like to read, and what is your favorite book or genre?
Do I like to read? Hahahahahahahahahaha. Ahem. Yes, you could say that. Favorite genre is probably historical fiction. Favorite books are the Emily of New Moon trilogy by L. M. Montgomery.

4. What is your favorite movie?
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Runners-up are the 1949 Little Women and Disney's 1965 That Darn Cat (scrupulously referred to in our household as D.C.) ;) . . . For a heartbreaking, serious true story, A Man Called Peter is the best. And in a superior category of their own, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea cannot be left out.

5. Country or city girl?
Oh my. Country. For sure.
 
6. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
 More of an introvert

7. What is your favorite verse or quote?
Quote: "God's in His heaven; all's right with the world." (Robert Browning) 
Verse: Too many to choose, but I love John 1:16, "For of His fullness, we have all received, and grace upon grace." (NASB)

8. Early bird or night owl?
Night Owl. Without a doubt.

9. What was your first "job" or business endeavor?
My very first? "Secret Spy Services," my detective agency begun with two friends at age 8. We solved the case of the missing white-out bottle. Even had homemade business cards. Boy, were we good.

10. How tall are you?
Practically 5 feet. I try not to brag.

11. What was one thing you were terrified to do but did anyway?
Go away to college. A small Bible college two and a half hours from home. It was a grand adventure.

I  nominate Kristin at Sew Technicolor, Tarissa at In the Bookcase, Shannon Ashley at A Bright Light in a Dark World, Jessica at Soli Deo Gloria, Samantha at All Things Beautiful, Rachel at Real Girls, Real Faith, Rebecca Jane at Sewing in the Past, Shannon at Thoughts and Thimbles, and and Atlanta at The Story of a Seamstress. 

My questions for these ladies are:
1. What do you collect?
2. Who is your favorite literary hero? Heroine?
3. What is your favorite game?
4. Would you rather ride in a hot air balloon or skydive?
5. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
6. What movie do you watch the most often?
7. What would you like to build or create one day?
8. What one item do you most desire to have in your future home? 
9. Where is your favorite fictional place?
10. What was your favorite toy when you were little?
11. If you could meet one person from the past, who would it be?

Now, wasn't that fun? :)

~Miss Emily Elizabeth