AS AUGUST SLIPS INTO THE PAST

I honestly can’t believe we’ve reached the end of August!  Here I am already writing the August Newsletter.

Remember all those things I said last month about August being a pretty uneventful month where you could take your time and catch your breath?

I’m sorry I unintentionally told you a lie.

August turned out to be the busiest month ever!

Some of my blogging intentions got put aside for lack of time; but we are still going to squeeze in those thoughts and ideas as soon as possible.

Let’s use this August Newsletter for 2018 to take a look at the things that we DID get done during the month of August. This turned out to be a very wonderful and sharing-type of month for The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community.

SCHOOL IS NOW IN SESSION

I’m just a very proud grandmother now; no back-to-school for me; but I remember what it was like; and I definitely think today’s parents face some very unique and unusual challenges.  I pray for all of you every day.

We shared some back-to-school snack ideas with those of you who are looking for a few fresh ideas.  You already have so much to worry about; why not let some of our ideas and suggestions make your back-to-school snack-time easy, unique and fun for the whole family?   In choosing these snacks; we put a lot of emphasis on health.  Just click here for some great suggestions: BACK TO SCHOOL SNACKS.

MEDITATING THROUGH THE HEBREW MONTH OF ELUL

August brought the Hebrew calendar month of Elul.  We dove deep into some Elul meditations including a whole series on the ten commandments; plus some more general  meditations.  It is definitely a special time in the life of the Beloved.

A few of the weekly articles from our every Thursday Bible study called COME AS A CHILD tied right in with these Elul meditation themes.  I love how God always times these things out for us, there is no way I could have known we would hit these milestones and these lessons in the same time-frames.  It wouldn’t have worked better, had I planned and scheduled them out myself!

Amazing!

Here are some of those Elul themed articles if you missed any of them: A PEOPLE MADE READY – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 226 BE HOLY – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 225  BE HOLY – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 225  THOU SHALT NOT MURDER – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 146  WORK – SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOR – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 144  HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 145  TESHUVAH – A SERIES OF ELUL MEDITATIONS- MEDITATION 2 – SEASONS  THOU SHALT NOT LIE – THE NINTH COMMANDMENT  UNLAWFUL SEXUAL RELATIONS AND THE CONSEQUENCES, COME AS A CHILD, LESSON 224  WELCOME TO ELUL  THE JOURNEY TO CONTENTMENT  DRINKING BLOOD AND WORSHIPING GOATS – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 223

GETTING READY FOR ROSH HASHANAH/FEAST OF TRUMPETS

This is the month when we are PREPARING for The Feast of Trumpets!

The feast actually arrives in September; but we prepare in August.  Several articles were offered during the month of August to began the thought processes for those preparations. Here are the links for those who might have missed them: THE RAM’S HORN – ROSH HASHANAH MEDITATIONS – MEDITATION 2 – SEASONS  ON THE FIRST DAY OF FOREVER – SHORT MEDITATIONS FOR THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS – MEDITATION NO. 1 – SEASONS  THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS 2018 – ROSH HASHANAH FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE – SEASONS,

GETTING READY FOR THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

August is such a time of getting ready and prepared!  We spent a lot of August preparing for the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles.  Our first thoughts were to review exactly what this feast is all about.  There is so much coming up in September that we prepare for in August; we decided to share a bit of that in early September instead of bombarding you with SO MUCH information in August.  We concentrated on Elul, Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets and The Day of Atonement THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AS SPELLED OUT IN LEVITICUS 16 – COME AS A CHILD LESSON 222 in August and decided to spend the first parts of September discussing The Days of Awe and The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot.  Just too much to squeeze into one month!!!

Lots and lots of events are happening in September which we must prepare for!  It will be worth all the time and effort; because God is going to bless us tremendously with His awesome presence.

A UNIQUE IDEA FOR SOME LABOR DAY PLANS

This IS a seasonal blog; and we do try to cover most ALL of the secular seasons as well as the biblical feasts and festivals, among other subjects.  With all the exciting preparations for the Fall Holy Days we almost let Labor Day slip up on us this year.  So what do you do when you totally forgot to plan?

You know what?

We decided to keep it simple, easy and fun. If you missed our travel idea suggestions for the long Labor Day weekend; you might want to click this link:A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LABOR DAY TRAVEL.  I think this was one of the best ideas I’ve had all year.   I hope some of you decided to give it a try.

Sometime in September we will share the results that any of our readers reported back to us; as well as tell you how our  own little labor day excursions turned out.  This is an idea that will carry over into next year and many other such long weekends for us.

Why stress and plan when you don’t have to?

Life is simple; right?

It was fun just to take a deep breath and rest and relax in this new found way of travel.

COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY FOR AUGUST

This study was so FULL in August.

If you missed any of the “every Thursday” lessons you can review them here: A PEOPLE MADE READY – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 226  BE HOLY – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 225  UNLAWFUL SEXUAL RELATIONS AND THE CONSEQUENCES, COME AS A CHILD, LESSON 224  DRINKING BLOOD AND WORSHIPING GOATS – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 223.

It is always amazing to me how the things we are studying seem to be right on target with the seasons on God’s calendar. I don’t plan this out; we are following scripture to scripture in this walk through the bible.  Things just always seem to turn out that way!

We’ve been busy going through the book of Leviticus. That took us into  a quick review for THE DAY OF ATONEMENT (which was great since it is coming up in September) during the first lesson of the month of August.  THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AS SPELLED OUT IN LEVITICUS 16 – COME AS A CHILD LESSON 222 .  Then towards the end of August we got into a great review of the ten commandments which tied right in with the meditations listed earlier which we published for Elul. We had a lesson on “being holy” which got us to thinking about the sacredness of God’s Fall Holy Days which are right around the corner.  God’s timing is amazing; and so much better than man’s timing.

PEN ART FOR AUGUST

We gave you one movie review during the month of August.  I mentioned that I actually saw two movies worth noting during the month – one older one and one newer one.

The first and the older was called Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont – and you can read our review here: THE FIRST OF TWO NOSTALGIC MOVIES OF AUGUST – PEN ART.

The other movie I viewed was the more popular “Christopher Robin” and you can read that movie review when it comes out in our September posts.

AN APPLE A DAY

On another eventful August day, I wrote a little short story that touched on how healthy it is to be “mindful” of the troubles of others and that we are to be asking God to help those around us; even perfect strangers, should that be the case.

This too seemed to fit right in with all the Elul and Feast of Trumpets articles; perhaps they are really sinking down into my soul!  They are spilling over into my short stories for sure.

So I published this little story which you may read here:MINDFULNESS – ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE.  It is a true story; and I hope the woman who gave me the bracelet stumbles across it somehow.  My days are full of stories.  I never seem to have a completely boring moment, though most people might consider my life dull and uneventful.  There are so many stories all around me!

Truthfully; I can see where God is fast at work making so many little things happen constantly; and He is really getting my attention as He does.  I’m sure you can say the same of your own life.  It is amusing to me though that most everything astounding in my life seems to come from some mundane part of just living out every day as it unfolds .  This little story just shared one of those types of days. I do hope you enjoyed it.

AUGUST PRODUCTS

We gave you lots of cool products which were all related to The IN SEASON Lifestyle through out all of our August posts.  We hope you are enjoying the opportunity to shop with us and to have your favorite products arranged conveniently all in one place at the end of each month.  If you missed the chance to browse and shop; the IN SEASON Lifestyle Community Store is only a convenient click away:  https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/august-community-store/.  Happy shopping!!!!

SEPTEMBER BRINGS IT’S JOY OUR WAY

September is always SO VERY special!

I think September and October are truly my favorite months of the year.  November and December follow as close seconds.

So much happens!!!

There will be a lot of Fall sharing for The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community in September; so get ready:

FALL IS IN THE AIR

Saturday, September 22, 2018 blesses us with the very first day of fall.  How appropriate that the lovely season arrives on the Sabbath!  Our little community is gathering its energy and getting ready to celebrate the season full force.  Get ready to hear all about many exciting events of the fall harvest season.

We hope to catch a few craft exhibits, visit a few vineyards, participate in a few harvest festivals and take a lot of lovely photos as the season creeps into our lives on quiet tip-toes but in loud colors and splashy landscapes.

Can’t you just feel the anticipation everywhere?  We may have some recipes to share that match the season and we may have lots of poetry that expresses the season’s sheer loveliness.

SCHOOL IS NOW OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY

The younger ones are busy and scheduled up!  Let’s let them have at least a little down-time to enjoy the season though.

Those amateur football games are beginning; and some little cheerleaders are learning how to make encouraging noises.  Bands are polishing up their instruments and students are practicing those notes.  Let the marching begin!

Even if you have decided to home school; there are plenty of ways to get your child involved in these seasonal activities.  We are still on the subject of the benefits of homeschooling here at The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community.  Look for some more of those articles to appear this fall; maybe even as early as September.

FOOTBALL PARTY TREATS

There are plenty of adult sporting activities happening too.  College football season is now in full swing. We’ve really been enjoying the local college and even several of the high school games in our part of town this year.

It really is a lot of fun to gather people in the den at home; or for a tail-gate party while we watch the college games on television or live in the fields of the local stadiums.  The IN SEASON Lifestyle has a few snack ideas to enjoy as we cheer on our favorite teams and players.

We’ve got you covered for a grand yet easy menu for feeding all those hungry people who come over to watch the game this year.  Just keep reading for some new and exciting recipe ideas in September.

OUR HOMES ARE BECOMING OUR WELCOME CENTERS FOR GOD’S GLORY IN OUR DAILY LIVING

September is a little different inside our home this year.  We are staying with the Tuscany themes we have been enjoying from the summer season.

I think the Fall theme of living in a vineyard will be wonderful; and that will be the theme of our Feast of Trumpets kitchen/dining area for this year.

Come and see what all we can do with apples and grapes in this harvest season; and you might enjoy noticing the vineyard themed decor we have loved collecting.  Be careful though; watch for those sneaky little foxes.

Those little foxes are going to give us a chance to talk to our grand-kids about how you need to keep the foxes out of the vineyards.  We can’t take credit for the idea; it originated straight from the scriptures and is original with God Himself.  It also makes for a lovely and lively kitchen conversation.

We will be having those lively conversations all through the fall season this year at our house.  Stay tuned and keep reading!

KEEPING GOD’S FALL HOLY DAYS

These last three events of September are my favorite parts of the sacred year.

Such special days have no words that are good enough; except to say that God is amazing; and He gave us these days to spend with Him.  They truly are part of our greatest blessings.

Even the very somber occasion of The Day of Atonement brings fulfillment and the mercy and grace of living out of God’s plan into our days.  Knowing that you have been written into The Book of Life for another sweet year is a very comforting and secure feeling; one that you can get no where else except from the peace that comes from keeping God’s Fall Holy Days.

Seeing the symbolic face of Jesus unfold in each and every detail  of the season is such a wonderful way to spend our time.

CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AT HOME WITH FAMILY MEMBERS

We have a splendid menu planned to share with you for The Feast of Trumpets.  There will only be five people sharing at our house this year; as many in our immediate family are either living out of town; or visiting out of town; but we are still going to have the best Feast of Trumpets ever.

Our little granddaughter will be with us for the whole weekend.  The Feast starts at sunset on Sunday; so we will have time for lessons and all the fun preparations with her before Sunday sunset.

She can help us get ready with the cooking and the decorating.  We will be sharing lots of God’s stories with her as the time passes and we are getting ready.  We are so thankful that two of our adult children will be able to join us, and we are looking forward to seeing their smiling faces and wishing them Shana Tova!

SEPTEMBER BRINGS THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

If you always keep The Day of Atonement, or you have read our articles so far this year; you will know this is a fast day; not a feast day.  It is the most sacred day of the sacred calendar.

There will be more articles about this special and significant time in our September posts from the SEASONS section of the blog.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Oh joy!  My cup runneth over!   There is nothing as sweet as worshiping God totally uninterrupted with your whole family in a very special place for seven days!

WE WILL BE CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES!!!

There will be many more articles and stories about The Feast of Tabernacles in our September posts; both from the past, present and future perspectives.

I hope you have made plans for celebrating this holy time with your own family.  If you are curious about how to start this godly tradition; you might enjoy many of the articles that we will be posting in early September which will be full of family and community suggestions and ideas.  We also hope to share some of the special stories of how others are sharing God’s Holy times.

We especially want you to pay attention to our Sukkah Stories that have been written by Gail Landgraf to be read with your family during The Feast of Tabernacles.  There is one story about one of God’s heroes for every day of the feast.

Do you have photos and stories about your own celebrations that you would like to share with The IN SEASON Lifestyle Community?  If so; please send them to wordcastlepublications@gmail.com.  We would love to post feast pictures from families all over the earth and share them together at the end of  September.

May your feast be blessed and your joy be full of God’s greatest blessings!

Gail Landgraf/EDITOR/The IN SEASON Lifestyle/3685 Pine Lane, Birmingham, AL  35242/205-532-9893