Blessed....

This is the completed lower border of the right side tapestry for the Nativity church commission I am working on. The elements in it are a bunch of grapes, the "Peace" banner, and a dove.

The bunch of grapes refers to our community, with Christ and with each other. Christ said He is the vine, and we are the branches. We are to bear fruit to stay alive. The fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Things to strive towards, and to check our lives for frequently. (Notice that I said we're to check our own lives for them, not everybody else's lives.) We are not on the branches alone, however, and these fruits need to be born in community with others. That is the tough part! The bunch of grapes doesn't have just one big juicy grape on it that is me. My grape must rub up against a whole bunch of other grapes!

The Peace banner is very important to me. I believe all followers of Christ are to be Peacemakers, because He is a Peacemaker. When asked about how to treat our enemies, He said to turn the other cheek, and to love our enemies. He did not say to go to war and bomb them. That is the difference between worldly 'wisdom' and spiritual wisdom. James says,

"... the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace." (James 3:17, 18)

Sounds a bit like the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5, doesn't it? James 4 goes on to talk about where wars, fights, and murder come from. They do not come from the peaceful Spirit of God. I find it hard to swallow when a christian says things that show he or she is supportive of any war, just as I would find it hard to believe a true follower of the Peacemaker would be supportive of any form of murder. I have often heard military members praised for being willing to 'give their lives' for others and their country, but what goes unsaid is that they are also expected to be willing to take the lives of others for their country. As a Peacemaker, how can I support that?

I know I will be controversial in saying these things, in today's world. Christ was controversial when he said to love our enemies, too. But I am a pacifist because I am a follower of the One who came to show us how to live in Peace.

The final element on this border is the dove. It symbolizes both the dove of Peace, and the Spirit, who manifested as a dove when Christ was baptized.

"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

May your life be blessed.... May you live in Peace.

Some more Grace...

You say grace before meals. All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

--G. K. Chesterton, from an early notebook (mid-1890s)

This lovely thought from GK Chesterton was in the November issue of Real Simple magazine! Perhaps Chesterton was referring to praying, which is a wonderful thing to do before any activity, especially, I believe before we take the risk of expressing ourselves creatively. But what if we took it even more literally and said the word "Grace" before these activities? It seems to me like saying the word would have a profound effect on me, as much effect as asking God to grace my work, which I also do. If I say the word, "Grace," I think I would feel God's presence and love and participation in what I do. I would be reminding myself that God graces me, and would be simply invoking Him to grace my work.

I believe I will start to try saying this word during the days ahead, and see if it has the power of a God Word. I believe it does!

Amazing Grace....

This is the so-far completed left-side tapestry for the Nativity church that I am weaving. This lower border includes an anchor, which I already discussed here. It also has a banner with the word "Grace" on it, and a branch of flowers, which are Rose of Sharon blooms.

So what led me to include the banner of Grace in this tapestry? How could grace not be a part of it? It is a part of every true relationship with God. In fact, it is the crucial part of our hope in Him.

Here is the online dictionary's definition of grace:

grace:

Favor or goodwill. Synonyms: kindness, kindliness, love, benignity; condescension.

A manifestation of favor, especially by a superior: It was only through the dean's grace that I wasn't expelled from school. Synonyms: forgiveness, charity, mercifulness. Antonyms: animosity, enmity, disfavor.

Mercy; clemency; pardon: He was saved by an act of grace from the governor. Synonyms: lenity, leniency, reprieve. Antonyms: harshness.


All of those things define Grace, but it is so much more. Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy; it is receiving something, everything of any value, really, even though there is no way we can earn or deserve it. It is being given something that we cannot pay for or give anything back for.

I know a lot of truly good and deeply spiritual people. But I know some of them well enough to know that even they are not perfect and must rely on God's grace, which has already been given to them with overflowing, unmerited, never failing Love, for forgiveness and for a lifeline to God.

Grace is what it is all about. When we sing this version of Amazing Grace in church, I truly feel God's grace, and it can be an overwhelming thing. I can rarely end the song out loud.



Amazing grace. Truly amazing. I hope those who view the tapestry as they worship will be ever mindful of God's Amazing Grace.

The rose, or the Rose of Sharon, is seen by much of the religious community as a symbol of purity, beauty, and of the Passion of Christ. The region of Sharon was a valley known for it's beautiful wildflowers. Since we also live in a valley rich in wildflowers, and Jesus has been called the Rose of Sharon in many hymns and analogies (though not in an actual direct way in the New Testament), I have included this bunch of flowers in this tapestry border to symbolize the beauty of Christ, as well as the beauty of our natural world - and the connection they share in the Father/Creator.

A prayer for my worry....

"Go and find Jesus when your patience and strength give out and you feel alone and helpless. He is waiting for you. Say to Him, 'Jesus, you know exactly what is going on. You are all I have, and you know all. Come to my help.' And then go and don't worry about how you are going to manage. That you have told God about it is enough. He has a good memory."
Jeanne Jugan




I have become an expert at worry lately, and I am guessing that I am not alone in this. I love what Jeanne Jugan has said! I especially love the reminder that God has a good memory. My memory grows weaker with the more things I need to remember! But God even remembers to notice the needs of the lilies of the field and to notice when a feather falls from a sparrow. He will surely remember my seemingly overwhelming needs, fears, and requests.

Sometimes my prayers get into 'nag-mode;' begging the Father over and over for the same things, as if the more I nag Him, the quicker He will respond. How silly is that? I think a simple prayer saying, 'Lord, you know my needs, and I thank You for not forgetting me,' would surely be a more faithful prayer.



Remember the lilies. Remember that God has a good memory, and also that He loves me. That really is enough to remember in times of worry, isn't it?

Praying...

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
stones; just pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest, but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver

What has prompted me to pray lately?
The beauty of the wildflowers,
the chaos of my garden,
the despair of a dear friend,
the sweetness of small childrens' songs and laughter,
the pain of a loved one,
oncoming death of a relative,
my dog's fear of thunder,
hummingbird's in flight,
a bear's hunger,
true love,
loneliness and laziness,
frustration in my work,
love of my work,
music,
everything.
And nothing at all.

How about you?

In the shallow end...

I have been floating along in the shallow end of Life for a bit. Life events... health issues, house guests, and just the speed of daily living... have kept me so occupied that I have just been spiritually floating along. No, not even floating; I've been wading and wallowing in the shallows.

I don't particularly like it in the shallow end. That end can quickly become mucky and muddy. Clarity is hard to find. And you don't even want to think about what is in all the muck and mud! The shallow end is where most people dwell, and some aren't even aware of it, except for those occasional nudges that makes them wonder what being in the clear moving depths would be like.


It makes me think of my grandson at his last birthday party, which was held at a swimming pool. A couple of his friends would run with abandon and leap into the pool, making a huge splash and then resurfacing, shaking the water off their faces and hair. Moe was carefully climbing down the ladder, or sliding in from sitting on the edge of the pool. He watched them a few times and then came over to me. "I wish I could do that, Grandma," he whispered to me, as one jumped in. I looked at him and whispered back, "Then just do it." I told him he could hold his nose shut and shut his eyes, if he wanted to. But he looked back at me, turned and ran the few feet to the pool, and jumped in, making a HUGE splash, and coming up grinning. The rest of the day, that is how he entered the pool. How brave! And what Joy it gave him... and me. I hope he always remembers to let go of the fears that keep him from jumping in over his head. I hope, when he finds himself wallowing in the mire of the shallow end, he will find the courage to take the leaps that send him into the deep, clear waters of Life.


And I, too, am again ready to take a few dives into the deeper waters of Life... Here's hoping I make a huge SPLASH and come up grinning!

Every day is a new day....

There are days when the alarm radio goes off, and I hear such distressing news to begin my day: horrible weather events that have devastated so many lives; war and ugly politics; people behaving badly, though they claim Christ's name.

I confess that it makes me want to cover my head and stay in bed. But to do so would be to miss out on all the rest of it: the things that don't make the early morning news. If my head was under my pillow, I would miss my dog's wagging tail. I would miss the constant hum of the busy bees in our garden trees. I would miss the sunset, and the play of spring storm clouds across our big sky. I would miss the tart taste of rhubarb, and the wake-up smell of coffee. I would miss the feel of a new skein of wool winding through my fingers, and the indescribable feel of paint smoothing across a canvas. I would miss the call from a friend and the hug from my husband.


Each day is a new day; a day the Lord has made for me. He wants me to rejoice and be glad in it. I have had some days recently when 'rejoicing and being glad' just felt like too much work. And sometimes it does take effort. Those are the times when I need to go for a walk to watch the young owls, or get out my guitar and make some loud and joyful noise...


... because each day is a new day, and the Lord is waiting to share it with me.