You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.
Deuteronomy 8:17-19

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Stars in His Eyes


Stars in His Eyes is a free 6 inch crochet square pattern with devotion about the unconditional love that the Lord has for us.
Tested and edited by  Carmen Carpenter and Bekah Doughty.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Hook: H or I depending on how tightly you crochet
Abbreviations:
beg- beginning
BPTR- backpost treble crochet
BPDC- backpost double crochet
BPHDC- backpost half double crochet
BPSC- backpost single crochet
ch-chain
dc-double crochet
hk-hook
lp or lps-loop or loops
sc-single crochet
sl st- slip stitch
sp or sps- space or spaces
st or sts- stitch or stitches
tr- treble crochet

yo- yarn over

 

Stitch Definitions
Beginning Pinwheel Stitch- ch2 (yo, put hk into first ch-2 sp, yo, pull up lp, yo, pull through 2 lps on hk) twice in the same ch-2 sp, yo, put hk into next sc, yo, pull up lp, (yo, pull through 2 lps on hk) four times.
Pinwheel Stitch- yo, put hk into last st used (sc), yo, pull lp through, yo, pull through 2 lps on hk, (yo, put hk into first ch-2 sp, yo, pull up lp, yo, pull through 2 lps on hk) twice in the same ch-2 sp, yo, put hk into next sc, yo, pull up lp, (yo, pull through 2 lps on hk) five times.
These two stitches create what looks like a pinwheel or a cluster that leans to the left.
 
Making a BackPost stitch whether it is treble, double, halfdouble, or single is done by putting your hook from behind the stitch around the post and through the back instead of the standard putting the hook into a said stitch.


Begin Here

With Color A, ch 4, sl st to beg ch to form ring.

Rnd 1- 8 sc in ring and sl st to beg sc. (8 sc)

Rnd 2- *Sc, ch 2* Repeat 7 more times and sl st to beg sc. (8 sc, 8 ch-2 sp)

Rnd 3- Beginning Pinwheel stitch, ch 6 (Pinwheel stitch, ch 6) seven times and sl st to the top of the beg pinwheel st.  Fasten off Color A. (8 pinwheel sts, 8 ch-6 sps)

Rnd 4- Using Color B sl st into any ch-6 sp. (2 sc, 2 hdc, ch 2, 2 hdc, 2 sc) in each ch-6 sp. Sl st to beg sc. Fasten off Color B. (32 sc, 32 hdc, 8 ch-2 sps)

Rnd 5- Using either Color A or Color C if desired- (Sl st around the back of the post around any third hdc from Rnd 4, ch 4- and BPTR around the same post) *BPTR around the next 3 sts, BPDC, BPHDC around the next 2 sts, BPSC, ch 1, BPSC, BPHDC around the next 2 sts, BPDC, BPTR around the next 3 sts, (2 BPTR around the next st), ch 2 **(2 BPTR around the next st)* Repeat three more times, ending at ** on the final time.  Sl st to top of beg ch 4. (40 BPTR, 8 BPDC, 16 BPHDC, 8 BPSC,4 ch-1 sps,  4 ch-2 sps)

Rnd 6- Sc in each st with (2 hdc, ch 2, 2 hdc) in all four corner sps.

 

© Copyright September 2012 by Cynthia Boylan, all rights reserved. This pattern, in whole or part, may not be reproduced – mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying -- without the written permission of Cynthia Boylan. Projects made from this pattern may be gifted, swapped or sold. If you use this pattern to sell items on the internet, kindly credit Cynthia Boylan as the designer.



Stars In His Eyes

Psalm 37:23-24 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.(New Living Translation)

Whether it’s when you fall in love with your spouse or when you birth or adopt a child- the power of love is so strong that it seems that your heart speeds up and you get stars in your eyes just thinking of your love interest.  Even after several years of being married or during your child’s adolescence- throughout the troubles and joys that you have had together, if you take the time to think- you still have that feeling and appreciation that that person is in your life. Oh, we know that our spouse/child has failed us at times- but we are still devoted to them, and would do about anything for them.

I remember after having my first child being in absolute wonder, I didn’t know that I could love anyone as much as I did my child- it was as though God put a second heart in my chest; and it was the same with the next two children as well.  When I met my husband, it was like love at first sight looking into his beautiful blue eyes.  I still get weak kneed when I look into his eyes even after all the things that we have gone through in our marriage -things that have made us weep and laugh, things that have torn us down and built us back up- these things have helped us grow.  When I look at my children even though they have not been perfect (who is?), I know that I would sacrifice my own life for their lives. I would do anything for those that I love, as most of you would also.

Is it so crazy to believe that God would do the same for each of us?  That He wouldn’t give His life to save ours? To believe that He would still love us even when we haven’t been perfect? To believe that He doesn’t get stars in His eyes when He thinks about us?

 1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Samuel, the last judge tells Saul, the reigning king of the Lord’s plans to replace him with someone that loves and obeys Him, and will do His will. He calls the next king- a man after His own heart. The Lord sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons that the Lord has chosen to be king. Jesse had seven sons that he had come before Samuel.  Samuel looked over each one and asked the Lord if they were the ones to be king. None of them were His chosen, 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord told Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” Samuel was then directed to the last son, who was young, small, and tending the sheep at the time. 1 Samuel 16:12-13 “So he sent and had him brought in.  He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.  Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’  So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.  Samuel then went to Ramah.” David obeyed and trusted in the Lord as he fought Goliath, dealt with Saul, and in everyday life. David became king over Israel (2 Samuel 5:4). David honored God and obeyed Him. In 2 Samuel 6:6-12, David became angry and afraid of the Lord and didn’t want to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the City of David, but quickly changed his mind and obeyed the Lord. Even after David had been angry and afraid, (2 Samuel 7:4-17)the Lord loved him and promised him rest from his enemies and to establish his kingdom through his descendants- but what we all want to hear is that He promised to never take away His love.  2 Samuel 7:15 “But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.”  

And then there was David’s greatest spot on his white robe; Bathsheba.

2 Samuel 11:2-5 “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace.  From the roof he saw a woman bathing.  The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.  The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers to get her.  She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.  The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.  David slept with another man’s wife, and when she found out that she was pregnant, he tried to get the husband to spend time with her so that all would think it was the husband’s child and David’s sin would not be found out.  When the husband, Uriah would not spend time with his wife, David had him put on the front line of war. 2 Samuel 11:14-15 “In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.  In it he wrote, ‘Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest.  Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.’” Could you imagine carrying the instructions for your own murder?  The instructions were carried out and Uriah was killed.  2 Samuel 11:27 “After the time of mourning was over, David had her (Bathsheba) brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.  But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”

Some say that in this situation with Bathsheba, David broke all ten commandments.  We would think that surely God would not love someone that broke all ten commandments, but God cannot lie.  He had told David that He would never take His love from him, and so He kept His promise. 

Even though David sinned, God still loved him.  He still delighted in him.  One only needs to look through the Psalms, most were written by David to see David’s heart and the devotion he had for God and that God had for him.  He was human- a sinner- and not worthy, but God loved him anyway.  As we all are- we are human- sinners- and definitely not worthy, but God loves us; so much so that He gave His one and only Son to save us from our iniquities so that we can be with Him forever. (John 3:16)  We may think in this life that we have blown it, that He surely will turn His face away from us because of the poor choices that we have made, but He hasn’t.   He is constantly calling out to us.  He wants to take those burdens and restore you.

 Song of Solomon is a book in the Bible that not only demonstrates the love that Solomon has for his beloved, but that of Christ for His bride- us. Read this and think of the love He has for you, His beloved.

We are the stars in His eyes.

Joel 2:12-12 “’Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.”
Romans 8:35,37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Pdf file can be downloaded from this link :)