Reading Romans 1-8

I did a challenge that my friend Grace shared on her blog.  (Here is the link to her blog: The Romans Challenge )  The challenge is to read Romans 1-8 everyday for 50 days!  It was challenging for me, as I usually only read two chapters a day.  On April 14th I finished my 50 days!  Through it I have been able to see the big picture of the gospel, and our progression from helpless sinners to a new life in Christ.
I have also been memorizing it.  My goal is to memorize all eight chapters, but so far I only gotten through the the middle of chapter three.

Here are some key things that I've learned from Romans:

•  The gospel was promised beforehand by God through his prophets.
• Jesus Christ was declared through the power of the Holy Spirit to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.
• The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe, and it is by faith. "as it is written 'The righteous will live by faith.' " (Rom.1:17)
• Everyone is a sinner whether they openly reject God and live wholly for themselves or try to attain salvation by their own good works (as it says in Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God")
• God gives us a righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and in his sacrificial death for our sins.  "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all" (Rom. 4:16a)  It is not by works, but by God's grace that we are saved.
• "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.''  (Rom. 5:8)
• At one time, we were sinners and enemies of God, but now we have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ, and we have peace, joy and the hope of the glory of God
• When we are baptized into Christ, we join in Christ's death and resurrection so that we may live a new life with Him and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)!  We then should count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God and become slaves to righteousness leading to holiness which leads to eternal life.
• "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:23 emphasis added)
• The law is holy, righteous, and good because it is from God.  Its purpose was to show us our sin and need for Christ, but it is not by obeying the law that we are saved.
• "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 8:1) If we are in Christ Jesus we are free from sin.
• Once we have a new life in Christ, we cannot go back to our old way of living, nor can we do what is right without relying on the Holy Spirit to give us strength and guidance.
•  If we have the Holy Spirit, we belong to Christ and have become children of God. 
• So we are more than conquerors through Christ for God works for the good of those who love Him, and nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our Lord!

Baby Blanket with Ruffle Border

My cousin taught me how to crochet this blanket several years ago, and my friend Mrs. Bettis taught me how to do the boarder which comes from The Complete Book of Crochet Border Designs by Linda P. Schapper.  Ever since it has been my favorite baby blanket pattern.  (For baby boys I use a different border.)

For this blanket I used sport weight yarn that is 80% acrylic and 20% wool.  Usually I use Sugar 'n Cream yarn which is 100% cotton and a bit thicker.  (When I use Sugar 'n Cream yarn I only chain 102 to get it about the same width.)
This blanket is 28'' by 26'' (The size may vary because of your tension or if you use thicker yarn.)

Blanket:
Ch 152
Foundation row: Hdc in the 2nd ch from hook, then hdc in each stitch across, turn.  (150 hdc)
Row 1:  Ch 2, *hdc in front loop of next stitch, then hdc in back loop of next stitch; repeat from * across, turn.
Repeat row 2 until it is approximately 23'' (or whatever size you prefer).
Fasten off.

Picot: Ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
Border:

Row 1:  Join yarn to any corner of blanket.  Sc across each side of blanket, sl st into 1st sc (When doing the border, do not turn).
Row 2:  Ch 1, *3 sc in corner, sc across to next corner sc,* repeat around, sl st into 1st sc.
Row 3:  Ch 1, sc in first sc, *ch 2, skip next 2 sc, sc in next sc;  repeat from * across.  (You may want to only skip 1 sc around corners so it lays flat.)
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as dc), picot, *(dc, picot) 3 times in next ch-2 space, dc into next sc, picot* repeat around, ending with (dc, picot) 3 times in last ch-2 space.
Fasten off and weave in ends.


Crochet abbreviations:
ch- chain
dc- double crochet
hdc- half double crochet
sc- single crochet

sl st- slip stitch

Ellen's Everyday Events

 Ellen has her own blog!  She's wanted one for awhile, but it has taken us a while to get it set up.  Here's the link Ellen's Everyday Events Enjoy!