Pattern for Living

Pattern for Living

Instruction Sheet

For this series of meetings a pattern envelope was made and given to each lady with instructions for each meeting.  The envelope looked like this:

Front

Back

Inside the envelope was placed a sheet that looked like this:

There were several of the above pages stating the place of each meeting with the date and time, the speaker, the craft, and the hostess helpers.  You could adapt them any way you wanted.

Also enclosed was a Pattern for Living Instruction Sheet which included the following:

Important:  "In all they ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:6



General Directions for Doctrine and Life:  Study Titus 2



Planning & Layout (1st Meeting):

• Gather Materials - "Let all things be done decently and in order"  I Corinthians 14:40
  
  

•  Study directions - "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  II Timothy 2:15
• Consult expert - "Pray without ceasing."  I Thessalonians 5:17

Instruction for Cutting (2nd Meeting):

• Seam allowance - Give others the benefit of the doubt.  "Man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart." I samuel 16:7
• Cutting - Cut out all unkind criticism, gossip and fault finding.  "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby"  I Peter 2:1,2

Facing the Task & Marking the Pattern (3rd Meeting):

• Choose interfacing for shaping - "In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works." Titus 2:7
• Marking - "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:  for the end of that man is peace."  Psalms 37:37

Construction of the Garment (4th Meeting):

• Put it all together - "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." I Cor. 4:2
• Binding - "Keep they father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck."  Prov. 6:20,21

Finishing & Pressing (5th Meeting):

• Pressing - "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  Phillippians 3:14
• Finishing detail - "I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."  II Timothy 4:7

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Glossary

Ruffling - Don't get ruffled!  Not called for in this pattern!



Lip Zipper - "Lord fill my mouth with proper stuff, and nudge me when I've said enough,"



Gathering - Drawing together of friends using thread of humor.



Elasticity - Use for all problems.  For vexations caused by people, apply affection.  For problems caused by circumstances, apply prayer.  Fro infirmities or unexpected obstructions that hinder well-laid plans, say "Thy will be done."

 

How much for How Many?

HOW MUCH FOR HOW MANY?

Ever wonder how much food you need for serving larger crowds.  Below are some good guidelines to follow.

Dress up your Table

Why not practice and use a few of these napkin folds to dress up your table for a special day or holiday?

These are scans of pictures that were given to us as complimentary instructions from the Broadway Party Rental in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  My scans are not too great, but you can still get the picture.

Setting the Scene


Where does the dessert fork go? And what about the spoon, knife and napkin? Set an elegant table for a special holiday such as  Thanksgiving and Christmas with the help of this place setting example. 

taken from Kraft Food and Family Holiday 2003

Heart and Home

HEART AND HOME

Scripture:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

Introduction: Pentecost revealed what the disciples had previously misunderstood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem--nor in any temple made with hands! Now, through the miracle of the out-poured spirit, god would dwell in human hearts. the body of the believer had become the temple of the living God and the human hear the home of Jesus Christ. There is no higher privilege than to make Christ a home in our hearts, to welcome, to serve, to please and to know him there.
The first step in making the heart Christ' home is to open the door. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me: (Rev. 3:20). Ask him to come in and be your Savior and Lord.
The second step is to show Him around in your heart and expose the darkness to His light.

Use each room as an object lesson

Introduction: Pentecost revealed what the disciples had previously misunderstood. God id not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem--nor in any temple made with hands! Now, through the miracle of the out-poured Spirit, god would dwell in human hearts. The body of the believer had become the temple of the living God and the human heart the home of Jesus Christ. there is no higher privilege than to make Christ a home in our hearts, to welcome, to serve, to please and to know Him there.

The first step in making the heart Christ;s home is to open the door. "Behold, I stand at the door, and know; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Ask him to come in and be your Savior and Lord.

The second step is to show Him around in your heart and expose the darkness to His light.

The Study or Library;

The study, or library; is a good place to begin. Let's call it the study of the mind. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. Look around at the books on the shelf, the magazines on the table, the pictures on the wall, If you follow Christ's gaze around the room, is there anything there that makes you uncomfortable for Him to see? Are His eyes too pure to view what you normally see, imagine, or read? If so, ask Him to help you clean it up and change it to what it ought to be. Books on the shelf should include the books of the Bible. Meditate on the Scriptures day and night. Impure imaginations are hard to control-try putting the image of Christ in a central place and when thoughts are centered on Him, the awareness of His presence, purity and power causes wrong and impure thought to back away.

KITCHEN

Walking into the kitchen, Christ might notice peculiar odors in the room like something is dead. The refrigerator seems to be the source. Do you have one or two little things you did not want anyone to know about? Certainly you don't want Christ to see them. Most of us have dead left-overs from our old life -- not wicked, but not right and good to have in a Christian life. Yet we love them and don't watn to give them up. After all, they don't take up much space and we're ready to give him full access to the rest of our house. However, the smell of these things is causing him to withdraw his face and fellowship. His strength will be needed to clean this area because we cannot manage alone. He only needs our permission to clean it out, wash it down and restore it for better use. We all desire a clean kitchen for food preparation; christ desires a pure heart for a life of service.

Bedroom

One day we go into the bedroom. The picture hanging next to the bed is of our mate. Though our relationship is a good one, there are issues we are struggling with and feel strange talking to Him about. But Jesus knows what we are thinking and wants us to trust him with the most intimate areas of our heart and home. Let Him help you with your relationships with the opposite sex. His teachings on marital and premarital relationships are not to curtail enjoyment, but rather to protect and increase our future or present enjoyment of a loving, life-long partnership where two truly can become one in Him.

The Rec Room

Christ then asks about the rec room, where we go for fun and fellowship. This is a room we don't want to show him. After all, there are certain associations and activities we want for ourselves. Jesus wouldn't enjoy or approve doing them with us and so we haven't invited him into this room. However, he came into our home to be a close companion and do everything with us. He urges us to try entertainment we can share with Him and when we finally do, we find it is much more enjoyable. Now this room has been transformed with new and better friendships, new excitement, new joys. He reminds us that He came "that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (Jn 15:11).

The Laundry and Sewing Room

Before long, Christ will ask if we have a work area in the house. Going into the laundry and sewing room, we find stacks of sorted, dirty laundry, piles of unfolded clean clothes, clothes hanging ready to be ironed, and a half-finished skirt draped over the sewing machine. We work half-heartedly at these seemingly unending tasks and do as little of it as possible. Christ asks if this is what we do for others and we can only hang our heads in shame. We complain of awkwardness, and limited time and ability. He reminds us that "without me ye can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). He asks us to come and relax in His spirit and allow him to work through us. It is amazing what He accomplishes when we trust Him and let Him have his way. Give what you are to Christ, make yourself available and He will surprise you with what he can do through you.

The Dining room

Consider next the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. Will Christ be pleased with what is on the menu? Money, academic degrees, retirement accounts, investments, and fame-nothing wrong with this secular fare, but not really food to feed the soul and satisfy true spiritual hunger. Christ would have none of it and would suggest instead that we stop striving for our own desires and seek instead to please Him. Offerings, compassion for others, soul-winning, and work at the church-this would be food with great flavor and satisfaction!

The Living Room

Moving into the living room, we find a quiet, comfortable room with a warm atmosphere. It has a fireplace, sofa, overstuffed chairs, bookcase and an intimate atmosphere. Christ would be pleased with this room and enjoy meeting here with us everyday. It's secluded and perfect for good talks and fellowships together. It is a place where a friendship could develop and deepen. It simply needs time - daily times to read God's Word, meditate, and pray. Be careful not to let responsibilities shorten or take away this time. One never plans to walk by the living room and let the fire go out and the room become dusty with disuse, but it happens. We've invited Jesus into our hearts as our guest and we shouldn't leave Him sitting in this room alone and neglected. At great cost He redeemed us because He loves us and He desires our fellowship. Our quiet time is not just for our on spiritual growth, and help, but also for fellowship with our Lord and Savior.

Transferring the Title

After opening and showing each room of our heart to the Lord, a thought should come to us. Keeping our hearts clean and available for Christ is hard work. We start cleaning on one room only to discover that another has become dusty. It's tiring to maintain a clean heart and an obedient life. Instead of having Christ as just a guest, it is time to have Him take over and manage the whole house as the rightful owner. He will be delighted as this is what He came to do. Knowing it is impossible for us to do it all in our own strength, He is ready to do it for us and through us. He needs to be the Master and we the servants. There is no better way to live the Christian life-He knows how to keep it and use it. May He be the Lord of your heart and house also.

Topics: Incorporate these topics into your devotion.

• Women in the Home - World philosophy vs. Bible Teaching
• Husband/wife relationship/communication
• Making Memories/Teaching Creativity
• Child Discipline
• Dealing with Teens/dating, dress, peer pressure
• Family Devotions: God and family each day

GIVE USEFUL TIPS FOR THE HOME:

Kitchen: coupon strategies meal planning recipes	Bedroom: organization
Rec Room: family games trips	Laundry Room/Bathroom: stain removal tips mending ironing cleaning

A Servant's Heart

Putting the themes of our ladies meetings on my blog is one of my goals. They are here so others can use this resource to enhance their own meetings so feel free to take any of these ideas and use them for your own, or add to them, or even let me know if you think of something new that would go with the theme. The first one that I am listing is called A SERVANT'S HEART! If we all had this attitude, what a better place this world would be.

A Servants Heart

Scripture: "Bear ye One Another's Burdens" Galatians 6:2

Serve: To work for or do something for someone else; to help another person.

Blessed is the Woman

Blessed is the woman

Who can hold onto her children

while letting them go,

Who puts a tranquil home ahead

of an immaculate house,

Who know a kind act will be

remembered longer than an easy word,

Who really believes that prayer

changes things,

Whose faith in the future

sweetens the present,

Whose Bible never needs dusting,

Whose love is shown daily in things she does for others,

Whose God is the Lord!

God Pity Him

God pity him who lives for self--

that one who does not share

The griefs and joy of other men,

that one who does not care;

God pity him who does not give

to others when in need;

God pity him who works and plans

for only selfish greed.

--Anonymous

Make Me A Servant

Make Me A Servant

make me a servant, humble and meek,

Lord let me lift up those who are weak,

And may the prayer of my heart always be,

Make Me A Servant,

Make ME a Servant,

Make Me a servant today.

Music:

• I Will Serve Thee
• The Longer I Serve Him

Ideas:

• Serve by fixing a men's prayer breakfast
• Serve by involving young people in some way
• Serve by working on a project at church

Devotional Subjects:

• Serving in the Church
• Serving Neighbors
• Serving Family
• Serving in a Ministry
• Serving by Communication
• Serving by Giving

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One way ladies were encouraged to serve others was to designate areas in which they would be willing to serve. Some of those areas included:

• Help clean a home
• Do laundry for someone
• Care for and watch over children
• Conduct organized activites for children
• Prepare a meal for someone
• Make baked goods
• Do yard work
• Do mending
• Do minor alterations
• Read to the elderly, infirmed, or children.
• Drive individuals to appointments
• Provide transportation or companionship
• Paint walls
• Lead and organize a team of servants
• Be a "servant" on short notice, due to an emergency.
• List any other, give name, address, phone number, and hours and days you are available.