Uniquely Yours, by Rachel

Sufficient Strength

2011-01-20T17:32:00.001-08:00

Fragile.

The only word that comes to mind when I think of flowers during the winter. Frail and bruised at times from unrelenting wind and ofttimes cold weather. Yet, a flower that survives winter with all its brutality would be anything but fragile...wouldn't it? It must be strong to stand the beatings of gusty cold fronts, and stalwart to hold up when the freezes encroach upon the night. Those flowers, though weak in appearance, have been created to withstand everything put in it's path, and it's strength is not undermined by its fragility.

Fragile.
It could also be used to describe us in the winters of life. So too, frail and bruised...bewildered and misshaped from circumstances beyond our control. So how, in the brutality of life can we remain strong? How do we stand firm when every fragile emotion inside of us crumbles? To resist the urge to break off, to snap under the pressure of bitter cold seems more than we can bear sometimes. The question must then be asked: where does the strength to weather the unthinkable come from?

Strong.
Our Jesus is mightier than the frigid winds that trial brings. He supports us through every bitter adversity that life throws in our direction. Without Him, our resolve is non-existent, our will to get back up and fight dies as we lie down in defeat. Yet, with Jesus we are strong...we are purposed and free. We have every ability to stand up to our enemies, or the lies taunting us, or the wind of change, and say “Enough!” We will never back down...and We can't be forced down...not when our Rock stands strong forever.

To Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to our only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord , before all ages, both now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude 24-25

How true this is in my life, he keeps me from falling...and failing. Despite the voice inside that whimpers “I am defeated...” the Spirit that strengthens shouts: “Never give up! Keep going!” Yes, I am fragile, and I have been bruised at times as we all have been. However my Strength...THE Strength, cannot be undermined by a fragile carnal shell. Instead He works through me, past my faults and whispers:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, boast all the more gladly about your weaknesses, so that My power may rest on you. And for my sake, delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when you are weak, then you are strong.

2 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV para.)

Gladness of Heart

2010-03-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well...it has been over six months since my last post, and I feel I should start fresh for a new season in my life. Tomorrow will be the last day I wake up with high school assignments on my mind...the first day of a very different life.

There have been so many changes in the last few months, I find myself overwhelmed. I love my job at Family Christian, more than I ever thought I would. I enjoy working with my sister again and finding new friends. I have started countless new projects, and finished probably half...what's more, I have waited till the last minute to update this. ;)

If I were to culminate every lost moment, every spare thought, and fleeting inspiration, I could have saved myself a great deal of missed deadlines....however, I have fully enjoyed my life...savored almost every day of this school experience and I would not trade that for all those misplaced thoughts and unknown possibilities. My point is, I have learned just how poignant and applicable Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 5 are to my life:

¹⁸ Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

Sometimes my flesh reminds me of the disappointments I have faced and I begin to "reflect on the days of my life" without looking outside at the beauty the big picture holds. However, most of the time, I am able to step back with "gladness of heart" and say "WOW, look what my God has done!"

I may be ending one point of my life, but just as He has the last 18 years of my life, God will be my joy and my encouragement, no matter where I find myself.

On that note, be joyful my friend...and enjoy the picture God is continuing to paint on our lives.

With Gratitude and Humbleness...
Rachel Marie

Knowing Joy

2009-08-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, how the Lord has been good to me these last three months...And I have so much to write it cannot be contained in this one post!
So, to start, yes, I have a job...but getting the job in itself is not what spurs my joy. After three months of job searching, I thought that the first day I went back to work would be one of the happiest, instead, it is one that arrived with caution and trepidation. How could I go back to all I had just relinquished? Wouldn't doing so lead me into the same trap?
But God is working still, as He always does in mysterious ways. Though the struggle for my job seems to be completed for now, every day He teaches me something new if I take the time to learn.
One of the most irritating things about my job is people who fail to return phone calls or emails. While you do end up getting used to it, there comes a point in everybody's life they want to know that what they have to say is worth hearing. That is especially true when it comes to God listening and answering.

A verse I read the other day seems fitting now:

In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
and he answered by setting me free.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?(Psalm 118:5-6)

In Psalm 118, David is in deep pain. In anguish he "cried" to the Lord. In the Greek text of the manuscript, this word, qara, means to shout out in order to initiate contact, to believe that if you call someone will answer. David wholeheartedly believed that if he raised his call to the Lord that God was going to answer him.
And not only did he believe God would answer him, but his heart was swelling with joy over the fact that he would be free from his pain. When he says “[God] answered by setting me free” he uses the word Mehrab for free which means to swell with joy or boastfulness. He was ecstatic even in his time of deep pain that God, 1) would answer him, 2) would give him the hope he needed to go on.
God always answers us, even if we cannot hear. His joy transcends the barriers that mortal happiness often falls flat in. This is because His love is the backing of true joy, and because He still lives as powerfully as ever, nothing will ever supersede this love.
Scripture is full of references to this powerful assurance that God answers and delivers. In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul writes:

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us...[vs 8-11]

Three times, he writes of the Lord's deliverance. In Hebrew literature repeating something even once makes it emphatic; so to repeat his assurance of God's hope three times shows me Paul was not only confident of deliverance he was staking his life on it! After all, he had just felt the “sentence of death”, why shouldn't God come through?
It is this abundant hope I am striving to achieve, a child-like faith as Paul or David possessed. They had both witnessed God's grace and believed in the future of His Power. To trust the Lord wholly and completely as I did when I was unemployed is my greatest longing. And though I am not forced to turn to Him as I was before, how much greater my joy upon meeting Him than when I come with a willing heart?
Whatever you or I are dealing with today...no matter how small or large the issue, God is the only One we can count on returning our calls. And when we speak, He listens. Despite this wonderful assurance, it in itself is not the truest marvel though. To have the King speak when we are finally quiet enough to listen...that is the most unfathomable.
The King is on our side...We have nothing to fear! Like David I can truthfully say:

My Joy knows no bounds!

Rachel

Unshaken

2009-05-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

Three days will mark a new milestone in my journey. Two months without a job. For many that would be quite a scary prospect. For me, before this all happened, it seemed like a death sentence. However, as I look back, I am in awe that I can confidently say this is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I don't say that lightly, and mark my words, there were days when I was positive I was at the end of my strength. And guess what...I was! Until I realized that without God I was nothing, this trial consumed me.
Today, I still struggle, there are still times when I feel lost and confused. God's peace surpasses this though, and I look at tomorrow with a different hope now.
Nicole Nordeman's song "Sunrise" captures this perfectly:

"There’s a moment when faith caves in, There’s a time when every soul is certain God is gone. But every shadow is evidence of sun, And every tomorrow holds out hope for us. You are sunrise, you are blue skies, How would I know the morning, If I knew not midnight?"

Our trials may seem dark, but without them, how could we ever truly know the glory of His light? God is the very embodiment of hope. He is strength and purity. As Psalm 30 says:

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."

I believe myself to be on the edge of dawn, the tears and trials not quite behind me, but the light of a new day, a new chance, just below the horizon. Sometimes, this is the hardest place to be, for even as close as one is to touching victory, there are still final steps to be taken. Those steps are heavily laden with patience.
The week is half over, or maybe I should say, there is still half of this week left to live. I strive towards staying secure in my Saviour. Under His care we can never be moved!

I remain completely unshaken,

Rachel

Quieting our Crowded Lives

2009-05-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Even after losing my job, it seems that other things rush in to fill the vacuum created in it's place. One would think I have a good deal of time on my hands to pour into this business, but it seems I am busier than ever, with less to show for it. (Ok, maybe less disciplined is a better description, but we will let that remain unsaid.)
A friend recently reminded me that "busyness is the enemy of progress". If that's true, I concluded based on the Word, that "quietness must be the foundation for strength and success".
This past weekend we went to a park not far from our house. It contains a nearly empty lake, biking trails, and endless stretches of quietness. Though I have only been twice, every time I am in such a place, I am rejuvenated, because God reminds me I don't need all the trappings of the world to satisfy me.
Though He exists everywhere, even amongst the bustle of our normal busy lives, He is most noticeable to me when I am still and away from all things man-made. Despite the fact I am not really the outdoorsy-type, I find that when I am surrounded by His handiwork, I feel closer to Him and understand His heart more.
I have a good deal of decision-making to do this week...as I know many of you out there do...Let us rejoice in Him no matter what happens.

Watching and Waiting (patiently),
Rachel

PS
Below is today's card...this one is made completely of leftover supplies!

Here is a close-up of the wording...

Coming to the Wooded Places

2009-05-03T17:50:00.001-07:00

This is my current favorite piece of jewelry...It has already been sold!!! I love the greens and the browns as they remind me of a secret forest that no one else but I have discovered. Although, even if I found such a place, the thrill would be short lived as I would want to share it with everyone I know.
Ironically, the hardest thing about being unemployed is the fact that I have realized just what and whom I was leaning on for support. I am reading a book called "Radical Reliance" and everyday am struck by how much I was using the other blessings He had put in my life to hold me up.
There is a quote in the book that I read the other morning:

Only God is capable of providing the companionship that chases our aloneness into the shadows. Only He can satisfy, sustain, and secure us.

This honestly makes perfect sense once I took the time to understand it. No one but the Creator of Companionship could fully comprehend how to fulfill it in our everyday lives. This week my prayer is that I come to the "Wooded Places" of my life, and find solace in just spending time with Jesus there.
Nothing else matters, because no one else cares as much.

Pray with me, friends as we journey these paths together!

Rachel

A Day at the Capitol

2009-04-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, good morning!
We had quite an eventful day yesterday...we were lobbying at the capitol and then attended a rally on the south steps. To experience democracy at it's finest was unbelievably thrilling. For as I walked through the old hallways, and gazed at the building that mirrors our nations capitol, I was completely amazed at the presence of God.
To be a citizen of this nation, a citizen of Texas, is such a privilege that all at once, I felt humbled and honored to be standing amongst history! When I thought of how many people fought for the freedom I now possessed that enabled me to speak up for the rights of the people and talk with the leaders who make our laws was awe-inspiring.
Tomorrow, I will post some pictures of our trip, including the one we took with the governor!
For now, here is Part III of Claudia's Prayer...(Above this post I will put today's jewelry.)

Claudia's Prayer, Part III

On our first trip here, I had marveled at the splendor and majesty of Herodius' palace. Now, as I fingered the silk bed covers with their pure white pillows and real goose-feather stuffed mattress, I was disgusted.
All of this...finery, as I had heard it been called, no longer impressed me. Especially since I now knew it had most likely been paid for, with the blood of innocent men's lives. Innocent men who were willing to do anything for a man like Jesus. I had heard the rumors, whispered among the servants here at the palace, they were all afraid of being sold, sold into slavery just because they loved this man who called himself the son of God.
A wry thought came to mind just then, was it just me, or did anyone else see the irony in Pilate living under the same roof as these “Christians”? Of course no one was supposed to know of their existence, but I did, due in part to the fact that I often snooped around the kitchen after I was presumed to have gone to bed. And I never had to worry about what Pilate thought, he was out the moment his balding head hit the satin covered pillows.
On one such night, I heard one of the girls, with no more than 14 years to her name, talk of how this man Jesus had changed her life. She was about to leave Herodius' palace to become the wife of a well known centurion. A place in which many girls her age would have died for. Only this would be one of the hardest things she would ever do, for I heard her whisper to my maidservant Shayna, that she had personally met Jesus and pledged her allegiance to him.
If her would be husband, the Roman centurion, ever found out, she would most surely be sent away from his house and into exile for the rest of her days. With all of her family dead and her only living relative an older sister, in the same position, that would mean certain death.
I was scared of all this talk. At least she had the advantage of being a Roman. Any Jew was already suspect of shady dealings, and they would be pressed all the more sharply for answers about this man, whom they believed had begun an uprising.
Who was this Jesus anyway? And why did he act like each day might be the last chance you had to accept what he said was true? What was the meaning behind his speeches anyway?
Maybe sleep would help me rest from these tiresome thoughts, I wondered, as I lay back down on the plush bed covers. Little did I know it would bring me more pain, and in the end, joy than I had ever imagined possible.

A Really Quick Post

2009-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

This has to be quick, more tomorrow...

Claudia's Prayer, Part II

I often borrowed my maidservant's clothes, forgoing my usual cosmetic treatments and abandoning all jewelry, for just one night among the people, one night amidst everyone my husband was governing. How else better to know how they really thought? During these trips, I had met some very interesting people, and by far the most interesting, the followers of Jesus Christ.
A sudden stirring in my heart made tears prick the sides of them. The past two trips here had been very meaningful, and this time I was hoping for just one more chance to see him. Last time, I had watched from my balcony as He stood in the street and healed a lame man. A man I had passed in scorn not but an hour previously. Seeing him treat that man as if he were the only person that mattered, had begun to change my heart and my perspective.
When I watched Jesus, he treated everyone the same, no matter your rank, status, or how many wives you had. No matter your crime, your stand on the publics' opinion of him; he seemed to know and accept you without hesitation.
I rubbed my head, realizing just how much it had begun to throb. Pilate told me I thought too much. I think in this case he was right. Making my way back to the large silk bed, I thought about all that had transpired over the past few years.

An Easter Story

2009-04-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Starting today, in addition to posting cards and jewelry every day or so, I will post a portion of the story I wrote for Easter last year.
Let me just give you a brief background on why I wrote this. Every year we write a story on Easter, but with a different person's perspective. From the guard at the tomb, to Mary the mother of Jesus, to Jesus himself; I have written quite a few over the years. However, last year, I felt called to do something different, someone who is often not focused on.
Through a good deal of research, and some artistic embellishment, I wrote a story based on Claudia, Pilate's wife, and the dream she had preceding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Be sure and come back each day to find out what happens next...here is today's chapter:

Claudia's Prayer
Rachel Marie Bentham

“I, Lady Claudia, have no idea what is to become of all this talk, rumors they are, and hopefully, I beg the god of speech and wisdom, right now, that is all they will stay...” the letter to my sister in Capri had grown quite lengthy and the quill in my hand was damp with my cramped hold on its sleek black body. I let it go, and watched as it rolled to a stop on the edge of the small table I had been writing on.
It was almost 3:00 in the morning and my mind would not be quieted. My husband Pontius Pilate had been mysteriously aroused only half of the hour before and he had told me not a word. I could hear my maidservant, Shayna, rustling around in the back of the room, adjusting th large silk bed and tidying the room.
Standing, I walked over to the window that overlooked the crowded city, now still and eerily quiet. This was Jerusalem, the city promised to the Jewish nation. The city my husband had fought so hard to gain control of.
He was a disturbed man, very nervous and timid at times. At at others, power seemed to throb out of the veins standing out from his neck. How odd, I had always thought, that one could be so scared yet so scary at the same time.
How he hated coming to Jerusalem every year for the Holy Feast. The crowds made him especially nervous. He himself had nothing against the religious people of the town, but the emperor and all of his other counselors would not understand that sentiment. It was for this reason my husband avoided confrontation at any level, with anyone.
I smiled despite myself. I was much more the opposite and Pilate knew it. If our roles were reversed, he knew I would make quite a stir in the city. Although, he was still unaware of my secret excursions every year during the Holy Week. If he only knew..."

"Little One" Congratulations Card

2009-03-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

I made this card as well as the envelo-box, for the baby shower we went to on Saturday. Granted, it took me all of an hour-and-a-half, but it was worth it!
Pricing for jewelry and cards is extremely hard, as they are creative jobs. Creative jobs are really hard to judge prices for because how do you put a monetary value on things like inspiration? Sometimes it can be pretty hard to come by!
What inspires you right now? Do you ever get ideas from magazines, ads, tv shows or movies? Let me know what you think...

Happy Crafting!

Rachel

Down this Road Before

2009-03-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

I will let the poem speak for itself...it seems so applicable for what is going on in my life right now, I just thank God He gave me the words to write.

Down This Road Before
Rachel Marie Bentham

It seems like I've been down this road before,
Yet still I know not what He has in store,
Brief glimpses of remembrance,
Filter through my mind,
Will I really go through this all
For the second time?

He can hear me...He can see me,
And he knows just where I am.
Through each moment,
That I'm living,
He's the rock on which I stand.
And though I know not where I go,
He sees the road I'm on.
His Father set him forth,
On a journey just like this,
When He sent Him, His only Son.

Today seems like another day, I lived once in the past,
A dark day of unbelief, before I truly grasped,
The meaning and the power,
Of love, and love divine,
When He died upon that tree,
A sinner's soul to reconcile.

And though I cannot see the way,
Blindly I do not walk,
For He my Shepherd is by my side,
And He will be my Rock!

I can hear Him...I can see Him,
Though not in human form.
Through every moment
Of every day,
My heart's no longer torn.
And though I know not where I go,
He sees the road I'm on,
When His father, my heavenly Father,
Sent Him His only Son.

One of the verses I am holding onto right now is Genesis 31:49

"The Lord keep watch between me and thee when we are absent from one another."

God is both your Rock and mine. Let us cling to him together...
Praising him,
Rachel

South Padre and TRUE Living Water

2009-03-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

One of the best memories I have is our trip to South Padre Island. Growing up in Arizona, we rarely ever saw that much water, and I have treasured our visits to any beach. When I made this recent jewelry set, all I could think of was the sun reflecting into the clear blue water and washing up and over every shell on the beach.
To me, not only is water a beautiful reminder of God's hand on the earth, it is a symbol of what he did for us on Calvary. We spend so much of our lives rushing around, sometimes we forget to take a look around us and remember why we can even be here.
Water is used for everything, to drink, to cleanse our bodies, to wash our hands, our clothing and our dishes. In the same way, the Lord, our Creator is in everything, too often, we just don't realize it.
He is the living water and he invites us to partake from it. In John 7 he states:

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

If we open our lives to his will, we will find that so many of our stale, stagnant problems will wash from our view. So, together, let's agree to be open this week, allowing the living water of God to flow in and through us, washing us clean from the inside out and reflecting his light in the prisms of that living water.

His open vessel,
Rachel

Grant me PATIENCE, Lord!

2009-03-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been! I can't believe it's over! By Tuesday, I will have reached 2 weeks without a job...yes, I am still looking. Compared to how long other people I know have been out of work, 2 weeks is merely a grain of sand next to the beach; but to me, who is ever impatient, I can't wait for it to be over.
I thought I had been doing really well. I have peace that God would provide in his timing, but sometimes the human side of my nature comes to a head, and I have a very hard time squashing it back down.
Friday was one of those days. I was just frustrated with life, and unwilling to accept the fact that I might have to get a job in something different than I wanted. I didn't want anything that would mess my whole plan up. I was forgetting Whose plan was governing my life.
The truth is, I would ideally like to work in a mortgage company again, as a sales person again, with the same team, in the same place. Then I realized, I still want my job back! I am longing for all these things in vain hopes that someday everything will be back to normal again. But it won't. And I need to get over it right now.
What I had at my former company was very special. My mom told me that every single person in there was watching out for me. It's true. There are so many people I was blessed with that I should not be complaining. But I want things my way, even though I know it's impossible. So I am praying for three things this week.

1) The patience to endure this job search for however long it may be.
2) The willingness to admit that my life has changed and I will not be working in the same place.
3) The openness to search and accept whatever God wants me to dol.

Pray with me, fellow readers, I know I don't struggle alone. May God grant you the same peace he is teaching me to accept.

Rachel Marie Bentham

"Your'e Kidding Me!" Thank you note...

2009-03-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

This card came as a bit of an accident, as I realized I had not fully punched out the circle on the last piece of mustard card stock I had...So what started as a mistake ended creating a fun, unusual, bit rustic thank you note.
I sent it to one of our friends who had generously blessed us recently. I love using twine with chipboard, as they can both have such a rustic feel.

This will have to be a short post as we had a busy day. We attended our local craft fair in the morning, then went to a baby shower in the afternoon, plus all our other regular chores. Add job searching, organizing my desk, trying to market Uniquely Yours, balancing the checkbook...Yikes! So more posting tomorrow, but for now, have a great evening!

Always,
Rachel

"Remember" Encouragement Card

2009-03-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Again, yet another picture from that vintage Hallmark gift book, I stained this one with "Jim Holz Distress Ink" in the color vintage photo. To answer those unasked questions, yes it can be messy...so do NOT do it near anything valuable! Guess how I learned that lesson...:)
I love this card because it is perfect for a thank you note...which is what I used it for, or a "thinking of you" card.
Once I start remebering everything and everyone God has put in my life, every other problem I have pales. Somehow, it just seems His blessing outweigh anything else.
What are you going through right now? Doesn't it seem as if when on problem is resolved another comes right back up? Frustrating yes, but my God is stronger than all of these earthly problems...

My prayers are with you all...

Rachel Marie Bentham

The "Princess" Set

2009-03-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

I just finished these this afternoon, and have dubbed them the "Princess" set...

Remembering the Ocean

2009-03-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

These colors, chartreuse, and cerulean, are two of my favorites to work with, especially with spring arriving.
Though I grew up in Arizona, I have always loved the ocean. That's what these beads remind me of, bright green seaweed against the sparkling blue water.

I am continuing to look for a new sales position somewhere around here, but want to market my business as well. Someone recently suggested I try Etsy. Have any of you ever tried that? With success?
Let me know what you think...I am always open to suggestions...
Today I am concentrating on polishing my resume, getting my reccomendations in order, and writing those requested by others.
The search has kept me busier than I expected, that and school, so I have barely had time to really ponder the fact that I should be at work right now...
I miss everyone I worked with, but after my first phone interview and job offer yesterday, I am reminded again and again that he is in control.
My prayers are with everyone reading this, no matter your situation, there is a PLAN to all of it, I just keep reminding myself that.
Have a great day,
Rachel Marie

Tangerine X-Treme

2009-03-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of my latest creations...I call it Tangerine Xtreme. I love Crystazi Crystals...though they cost less than actual Swarovski brand crystals, they look and feel the exact same.
Most of my cards and jewelry are made while I watch movies, ect, and I have found the project is often affected by the content of the show.

This was made during a movie about golden retrievers, thus the fun, sparkling style. For those reading these posts, is this the type of jewelry you might wear? How much would you pay for something like this?

Turning Another Page: accepting challenges gracefully

2009-03-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

What an eventful week this has been! My sister and I were both laid off from our jobs at a mortgage company and my dad had three interviews in three days! Quite the emotional roller-coaster.
Daddy walked into our room the other day, sat down. and told me something I wished I would never have to hear. He explained whom he had just been on the phone with, and an odd look passed over his face. “He told me that Monday was the girls last day.”
I think I probably looked at him with somewhat of a shocked expression, and I really couldn't say anything so I just nodded. The time was 3:34 on Tuesday March 17th and I will never forget how I felt after that.
Why, is the first word I asked myself. Why, I thought we were doing better? The day before had been wonderful, I had made 25 sales calls, one of the sales guys and I were planning on how to tackle a bunch of accounts, we were going to have our weekly sales check-in on Wednesday, now it was all over. I couldn't cry yet because I still didn't believe it. I just listened to Daddy as he relayed everything.
Mommy asked what I was thinking. Nothing, I said because I felt so numb. I thought I would be ready for it, I had prayed and given God the next page of my life. Why did I feel as if he were ripping the chapter out completely?
We made plans, we would go and get our stuff the next morning, say goodbye to everyone. Then the tears came. They came and I couldn't stop them. It had to be just a bad dream, it couldn't really happen...but it was happening, and I felt as if once more I was grasping onto a handful of sand and watching it sift into the wind.
I have a very bad habit of grabbing things right back after a short time in the Lord's possession.I started piling it all in. 2 ½ years of meeting notes, legal pads, projects, ect. It was finished way too soon. One of my closest friends shut the door and I turned. My sales team, my boss and her sister, those I had connected with the most, were gathered to pray for us, to bless our family.
As we prayed, I had to let a few tears slip. How blessed was I to have been given this many people who cared deeply enough for us to want the Lord to bless us? Outside of my family, these were some of the people I was closest to.
To be truthful, I was scared when Daddy told us about the layoff. I was scared to lose everything God had given me over the past two years. But God had given them to me, why can't I see that, if he gave them to me, why on earth would he take them away unless he planned something better?
God has never, ever let me down. Even when I feel as if he doesn't know what he is doing, it always ends up staring me back in the face when I least expect it or have long given up understanding. I don't understand why God took my job away. I will be completely honest. I want it back, and I want to be able to go to work Monday morning like everything were normal.
Life isn't normal. I should have learned that by now. I don't know what is next, and I understand that I have to trust him. I just wish it were easier to accept it in my heart. I wish I didn't have such a stubborn will.
What does God have in store for my new job, for my future? What about my relationship with all of those people? The last word has been spoken on this chapter. I need to choose to let the Lord read what's next after he turns the page.

Sweet Memories Card

2009-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I can have two favorites...Which this one definitely is. Pink and brown make a great color combo for a vintage yet chic look.
"Distressing" is one of my favorite techniques...as you might be able to tell by now, and I thoroughly enjoyed adding those touches to this card.
What is your favorite technique? To what craft supplies do you find yourself constantly turning? Feel free to comment...
(By the way, this picture was another from that vintage Hallmark gift book.)

Feedback Greatly Appreciated

2009-03-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

I am trying to figure out what I need to change about this blog, and would love comments from those reading these posts. What would you like to see on here? Do you like what you are seeing? Let me know...

Sunset over South Padre

2009-03-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

I believe this photo speaks for itself...Have a great weekend!

Magic stays on within your heart...

2009-03-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, all artists play favorites, and this would be one of mine...The wording and picture came from a 1950's edition of a Hallmark gift book. Every single picture I have used from there ends up creating one of my favorite cards...I think is it the simplicity of the watercolors and the bright colors that do a child's inquisitiveness such justice.
The quote: "Magic stays on within your heart..." is so true, as I could add, "Memories stay on within your heart". Our childhood dreams, the special days when we felt extreme love and comfort, those moments of exuberant bliss, adding up to the culmination of our legacy.
How we remember our past should spur us on to make sure that when our present becomes that past, others will recall it in such fondness...May the magic of our touch on their lives-through the love of Christ-stay on within their hearts...

Cherish Encouragement Card

2009-03-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Tada! This is my "Cherish" card, scanned in just this afternoon. I will warn you, any cards you want to purchase can never be made exactly like a card you have seen on here...as "Uniquely Yours" has a no-duplicates policy...
This allows for more creativity and ensures that you receive a "Rachel Original" every time!
For those whose browsers cannot zoom in to the lettering, it reads:

Cherish: \chair-ish\ vt. 1. to feel or show great love or care for somebody 2. to value something highly, for example, as a right, freedom, or privilege 3. to retain a memory or wish in the mind as a source of pleasure or ambition

That last line is my favorite, as many of my memories do serve to "inspire" me, especially in tough times.
Be on the lookout for more card and jewelry posts!

Opening Our Hearts to His

2009-03-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

We recently watched the movie Fireproof-for the second time-in my families three day "Sherwood Movie-athon". Aside from the moving content in each of the three, (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof); it just blows me away every time I think of how God has used this church in Albany, Georgia for His glory.
To hear Alex Kendrick relay the prayers of the crew being answered in the literal 11th hour makes me once again remember we serve no ordinary God. If all of us truly surrendered our lives to him like Jay Austin, Grant Taylor, or Caleb Holt did, I know we would see more miracle in our lives. Not because God would be doing more, but for the fact that we would actually notice the ones already occurring, once our hearts were open to his will.
Some people say they don't understand how I can relate to movie characters as if they were normal people...I think God put a stirring in all of our hearts to identify with others, he surely placed one in the hearts of Sherwood, or they would not spend the time, research, and heart-hours into making a movie others would truly be touched by.
The existence of a church like Sherwood, puts hope back into my heart for the future generations of Christians. Being home schooled often sets you apart, even from fellow believers, and church-searching has to be the most dreaded word in this family...But God can, did, and does use imperfect people to further his cause--we just need to be open to it.
Blessings,
Rachel

2009-02-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, finally! My first picture...of the first set of jewelry I ever made! Since then, my love for pearls--faux or real--has grown and I find it hard to skip past them in the craft store...
I am ordering my tax license this week as well as my business cards, so then these will officially be for sale! Look for pictures of my latest card designs within the week.

2009-01-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Picture of my cards and jewelry are forthcoming...Please be patient! For now, something to consider during such dark economic times...I have to keep remembering to give it all to Him!

Tonight
Rachel Marie Bentham

Tonight the road is darkened,
I cannot find my way,
The clouds have taken o'er the moon,
And kidnapped precious day.

Tonight the road is darkened,
My eyes search but do not find,
To find familiar things I long,
And panic grips my mind.

Tonight the road is darkened,
But not for another hour,
For tonight the Lord will come,
And dark will vanish in His Power.

Tonight the road is lightened,
My burden has been released,
The grip of night upon the Son,
Is gone and dark has ceased.

Tonight my load is lightened,
My knees fall to the ground,
Tonight I hear my Saviour,
And that the only sound.

The Lord endured His chains to free us from ours...though they can look quite different now. Often they come in the form of financial fears, burdens from the past, and troublesome relationships.
It can be all be overwhelming as we try to fall asleep at night...May we always remember how the Lord came and what kind of faith He commanded us to have-that of a child's!

Christmas Thoughts

2008-12-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a few thoughts as we approach the birth of our Saviour...

If you Were There

Rachel Marie Bentham

What if you were there?

Standing at the cross,

Wondering how this baby,

Had grown to be a man?

What if you were her,

A mother to this child?

A child that every day,

Brought you to your knees?

What if you were he?

A lowly carpenter,

A man of many trades,

Yet the father of a King?

What if you were there?

A baby in a manger,

A King upon a cross,

The Alpha and Omega,

Had given all he had.

What if you were there?

On that starry night,

What if you knew you were waiting,

To see if he was the Messiah?

What if you were there,

A shepherd with his sheep?

And suddenly an angel,

Wakes you from your sleep?

What if you were wakened

By the sound of many voices,

All calling,

Just praising,

For a babe in a manger bed.

So here you're standing now,

As he dies upon the tree,

You wonder why he will not,

Just set himself free.

And then he utters a whisper,

A cry to all of Man,

Oh Father,

Dear Father,

It is Forgiven.

Oh Father, Please Forgive them.

What if you were there?

As that last breath left his chest,

And your heart broke to see the

Blood running down his breast.

But if you knew the story,

You know that's not how it ends,

For three days later,

He rose again...

Three days later, he rose again.

A baby in a manger,

A boy wise beyond his years,

A man who never gave in,

To the utterance of fear.

A Shepherd and a Father,

The King above all Kings,

Yet, he was born in just a manger,

To save us from our sins.

I'll post more in a few days...including pictures of my cards and jewelry. Merry Christmas!

2008-12-12T06:08:00.001-08:00

This is only a test.