Feb 24, 2021

31 Days of Renewal

Updated: Mar 23, 2021

The March theme for our Month-by-Month Bible Quilt Journal series is...

- - - Renewal - - -

For most of us this is a transitional month from winter to spring. Often that means we're shaking off the sluggishness of primarily indoor activities to the re-energizing pace of the sunny outdoors. It can be a chaotic blend of both seasons, so it's a good time to focus on ways we need to renew our hearts, minds and bodies for springtime.

This cheery little shamrock is part of our family legacy. My husband grew up with it on his family's kitchen table and it became part of our "plant inheritance" when my mother-in-law passed away several years ago. Every night the shamrock folds up its leaves and looks a little droopy. The next morning though it is all perky again, reaching for the sun. For me it's a daily reminder of the rhythms of renewal.

We all need a little recharge time so we can get perky again to meet the day's challenges. This pandemic winter has taken its toll on us in many ways, but the hope of spring is on the horizon. As we look forward to more sunny days to energize us, let's also put some spring in our devotional time by focusing on Renewal!

I'm preparing for our #31daysofrenewal by decorating my March calendar page with spring green washi tape and nature stickers.

We tenderize our hearts to receive the Lord's will for our lives when we cultivate time with Him each day. I added the word "grow" on my calendar as a reminder of what the purpose is for us in this process: to deepen our faith and to strengthen our roots in our relationship with God, grounding ourselves in scripture.

I selected Psalm 51:10 as my anchor verse this month. It's a great transitional verse from our heart-loaded February series 28 Days of Love.

"Create in me a ***pure heart, O God, & RENEW* a steadfast spirit in me."**

The March reference list for #31daysofrenewal is part of the bookmark set previously released.

Thanks to Tracy, one of our consistent quilters in Alabama, for harvesting a wonderful collection of scriptures to refresh us this month!!

I'm beginning to look up these scriptures and write them on my flip card set.

As a reminder, our translations and impressions of verses may differ so you always have the flexibility to choose your own verse or translation...or to move the sequence around. The more personalized your process, the more meaningful it will be for you.

On that note, sometimes we'll find errors in our lists. Corrections for Day 14 - Hebrews 6:4-6; Day 15 - Job 29:20. Along the way we may discover other verses that resonate more with us & you can adapt as you go.

Here are a couple bonus scriptures you can mix in wherever you'd like:

"I long to obey your commandments!

Renew my life with your goodness." Psalm 119:40

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

You can make a set or write the scriptures directly on your BQ calendar, monthly BQJ or 31-day template set.

The GROW template is paired with March in the Monthly BQJ, but it can also be downloaded as a single printable to use in your regular BQJ or #abcbiblequiltjournal (maybe "G is for Growth?")

If you've got the 2021 BQ Calendar, then you've got a version of this spring-like template called Bloom. It already has some quilt squares stitched in, so you're ready to go!

Either of these designs is fun to color with all the glorious colors of spring.

I added a couple of vibrant butterfly stickers to add some animation to my March calendar page.

My friend Lara designed a fun shamrock template for us, too!

Spring is a time of new growth as well as pruning out old habits, isn't it?

If you'd like to branch out using these verses of #31daysofrenewal on another template, try the Vine & Branches. Here's a peek at a page I did a couple years ago.