My Etsy site

Yes, this is a shameless advertisement for my shop.  I know it's a little late for Christmas gifts this year, but I have an Etsy site with a lot of handmade wood craft items and forged items.  I also have some other items that might interest a local person, but are too expensive to ship.  My wife also has a lot of soaps, shampoo bars, and lotion bars, although she's sold out of most items at the moment.   

My Etsy shop
Pegler Crafts and Forge

Here are some pictures of items I've made that you might think of for yourself, or gifts that are on the Etsy site.  For other items, such as pens and pencils (mechanical pencils), please check out the Etsy shop above.

 

 

 



Here are the log slice lamps that I've made.  They are mostly around 20 inches tall, and are made of birch, walnut, juniper, aspen.  They aren't plugged in in the pictures below, but they can be plugged into a 120 v wall outlet.  No batteries.  These would be expensive to ship, so if you are in the Front Range of Colorado and are interested, let me know.

 

 

all things work together for good

Romans 8:28 English Standard Version (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 American Standard Version (ASV)
28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

This verse has become very meaningful to me recently.  My children still aren't reconciled to me, my parents moved across the country in their 80s, my job is in jeopardy as I write this.  Much of this is my own fault, as well.

Some observations about what Paul writes: 

1. Paul does not say that the good things will work together for good.
2. Paul does not say that the things I've done right will work together for good.
3. Paul does say all things.  That includes the things that I've done well, the things that I've done badly or for the wrong motives.  It includes even sin and the effects of sin.

God is bigger than our mistakes and our errors and our sins, and he will work these things out for good.  This is not an excuse for doing things poorly or sinning, but it is a great comfort to know in times of difficulty, even difficulties that are of our own making.