God's Minute

November 19

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.--Romans 6:18

HEAVENLY FATHER, we thank Thee for the rest which has come to our bodies in sleep. During the long hours of the night Thou hast been watching over us. Thou art always mindful of us, not only in the night, but also in the workaday. Help us, dear Father, to be as mindful of Thee as Thou are thoughtful of us. Forbid that we forget our God. May we not become so occupied with worldly affairs that we have no time or place for Thee.

As we talk to Thee, our sins rise like mountains from the deep. We are ashamed of our weaknesses. We confess everthing, and plead for Thy forgiveness. Leave us not in our humiliation, but take us by the hand and lift us up. Give us the assurance that our sins are pardoned, and help us to live this day as the blessed Jesus did every day.

We pray for the discouraged and distressed; Lord, give them cheer. We pray for all the people who are liviing in darkness; Lord, give them light. We pray for those who fight against themselves, against each other and against God; Lord, give them peace. We ask it all in the name of Jesus, for Thy glory and for our good.

Luther E. Todd, D.D.,
St. Louis, Missouri

More Quilts

This one is called Sukey's Choice.

This one is made from flannels. I love flannel checks.

Here's a close up.

The next one is my own pattern. I named it Kentucky Burley after a tobacco patch near our home in KY that, as a displaced Northener, I found endlessly fascinating. The tobacco grown in KY is called burley. I set the patches in rows to give the idea of the rows of tobacco in the field. The size of the project reflects the size of the patch. Most tobacco patches in KY are, well, patches. They are small, family owned, hand planted (called "setting the tobacco" and hand harvested. The white half-square triangles represent a stage in the growth of tobacco when it "heads up" and forms a flower. These flowers are ruthlessly removed in a process called "topping." The brown half-square triangles represent the harvested tobacco leaves, which are cut by hand and gathered together on sharp, pointed stakes. The stakes are then hung up to dry in drafty barns.

Tobacco is a huge part of the culture and economy of south central Kentucky.

For anyone who is interested, here are some facts about the tobacco industry in KY.

Kentucky is comprised primarily of small family farms that have been handed down for generations. Currently Kentucky possesses the fourth largest number of farms in the United States, with approximately 59,000 of Kentucky's 88,000 farms growing tobacco. Kentucky has more farms growing tobacco than 37 states have total farms.

Across the eight state burley belt (which includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Missouri) over 250,000 farms possess quotas, with almost 75% of these quotas being one acre or less in size. Consolidation of quotas has occurred, but the latest census data reveal that the average tobacco farm in Kentucky grows 4.5 acres of tobacco. Ninety percent of Kentucky tobacco farms produce less than 10 acres of tobacco and Kentucky, by far, has the largest tobacco farms of any burley-producing state.

Overall, tobacco is produced in 119 out of Kentucky's 120 counties, generating sales of $800-$900 million annually, which translates into about 40% of the net cash return from ag sales in Kentucky.

excerpted from Testimony Before the
U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

God's Minute

November 18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.--Ephesians 6:18

WE COME before Thee, our Father and our God, to worship, to praise Thy name, and to thank Thee for Thy great mercy and Thy many blessings. We confess our sins, but we come with boldness to Thy throne of grace, for our trust is in Him Who is our Advocate and our Mediator. We pray that Thou wilt show to each one of us Thy will for this day, and help us to do it, not going in our own selfish and sinful ways. O Lord, grant that Thy will may be done more and more by all men, and that Jesus may not only be given a place in the throne room of our hearts, but may we let Him be seated on the throne and crown Him Lord of all. Our Father, we ask that Thy Holy Spirit may be our comforter, our guide and our helper this day. May we let our light so shine today--in the home, on the street, at work or at play--that others may be drawn to Him Who is the Light of the World. We pray that it may be our earnest desire to know Christ better, and to make Him known. Help us to watch and be faithful, so when He comes He may find us with lamps trimmed and burning. And all we ask is in His own blessed name.

Amen.

Rev. J.L. Read,
Little Rock, Arkansas

From the hyperlinked article: "He was a quiet consistent Christian man."

Calling all Quilters!

If you like looking at quilts, check out this!

Many of these are world class quilts--the variety in style, type, and color will delight you! Set it as a slideshow and get ready to be wow-ed.

A Stitch in Time. . .

This is one of my favorite quilts. (I had no idea it was hanging so crookedly until I photographed it!)

It's called "Tennessee Waltz". I made it when we lived in KY. It hangs in our office where I can see it everyday.

Kim in On, and anyone else who'd like to share, (Kathy and Anne Marie, hint, hint) I'd like to see some of your quilts. Post it on your blog and send me an email and I'll link it here, or send me a picture and I'll post it here.

UPDATE:

Donna, of Quiet Life has posted some pictures of her quilts at her blog. Go and check them out!

Randi, of I have to say has posted a picture of her Bear's Claw quilt. Her quilt has a story; one that all of us quilters can relate to! Don't miss it!