Tapestry Threads Make A Garden
Dear Friends,
The wrens were done with the little rustic house that I had hung for them last spring. The tiny birds that fill the garden with their melodies flew to warmer climates to escape the winter harshness. I opened the back door on the tiny house to clean it up for them to make it ready for a new nest in the spring. I found a tapestry inside the house. Packed tight inside was an assortment of twigs, leaves, grass, dry flower petals, bits of paper, hair and fur, tinsel and yarn and threads. Tiny baby wren feathers were at the top of the nest.
I see a cocoon that is now empty, clinging to a dry branch. A tiny hole at the end where the butterfly had emerged. The process of transformation was complete.
He takes His paintbrush and paints the clouds, then blows His wind making the clouds transform into dragons then into horses and finally ribbons flying across the sky.
He is the One who is the Great Master Weaver.
I'm so thankful for the way that he made us unique.
I recently came across something from ancient Chinese history call the Terra-Cotta Army that was discovered by accident in 1974. It is an army of several thousand life-size figures of soldiers, horses and chariots that were buried with an emperor. The faces of the soldiers are all unique, and took three decades to make by over 700,000 laborers of that day. A river of mercury flows through the underground tomb which is the reason that it remains mostly unexcavated today. Emperor Qin wanted to be remembered as triumphant and glorious. He was also wicked and would have his workers killed if he suspected that they would reveal the location of the work.
I'm thankful for my Savior, the One who shed His blood for me, the God of all creation!
Psalms 139:14
"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous, how well I know it."
At The City Gate
Dear Friends,
The Beautiful Gate at the entrance to the Temple was possibly the most heavily traveled place in the city. People were streaming into the gateway with their burdens weighing heavily on their backs and in their hearts. All of the people have something in common....... a desire to meet with God in prayer.
Others were exiting through the same gate with their hearts lighter and their burdens lifted.
In Acts chapter three we read about a man who was brought to this Beautiful gate every day but he remained outside. He was unable to enter because he was a prisoner of lameness. The lame man had a life-long need to be carried about and tended to. He was dependent on others for his most basic needs. He sat at the gate every day. He was obviously loved because they tended to him and granted his request to be brought to the Beautiful Gate. This was the place of anticipation, the place of drawing close to God. Peter and John were entering into the gateway and they noticed the lame man.
Jesus had been crucified and was risen but His name held the power to heal. God moved when the name of Jesus was spoken. The compassion of Jesus poured from the mouth of Peter giving the gift of wellness to the lame man. The man went leaping about, praising God!
The Gate of Prayer is like the Beautiful gate. At times our burdens can cause lameness. At times we need others to carry us to this place in prayer. I want to encourage you to seek after compassion and pray for others. Be a friend to someone in need, bring them to the Beautiful Gate.
Acts 3:6-8
"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."
The Sky Sings Praise
Dear Friends,
I took this picture last fall on the first night of a three week visit to Israel. Every night the sky was a brilliant riot of color. She (the sky) was singing praises to the Lord. The clouds glided in dance across the sky in their own worship to the King.
All of Creation is an expression of God's glory. The God who made the universe also made the blades of grass. Within the tiny blade of grass is a detailed construction project. How does the grass grow? Why is it green? How does it take up nourishment from the ground? How does it make seeds? God thought of all the details during the days of creation.
Even now during the winter we don't need to look far before we can see the majesty of God in nature. When the snow falls and covers the cold, brown winter earth with a glistening blanket we can see God's handiwork! Millions of intricately formed snowflakes make up the glittering landscape.
On the bare patches of ground under a tree you can find small,velvety moss growing. A rainbow is reflected onto the wall when the sunlight streams through the sun catcher hanging in the window. Blessings. Things to be thankful for.
He gives gifts of beauty, expressions of His love for us. Each sparkle of a snowflake is a song of praise!
Psalms 148:5
"Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command and they came into being."
Beauty In The Thorns
Dear Friends,
An olive grove was planted on a steep, rocky hillside in Samaria. The rocks and boulders were left where they were and the trees were planted in the midst of them. Over the years the trees grew and were at last ready for harvest. Sharp, thorny bushes had grown among the rocks and boulders and under all the trees.
The olives needed to be harvested. Fallen branches became strong staffs for the climb up the hill. Nets were placed on top of the thorny bushes under the trees with rocks to hold them in place. The olives were pulled from the branches and rained down on the heads of the harvesters.
The nets became torn and damaged from the rocks and thorns. Olives would roll down the slope of the hill on the nets then gathered into buckets. Ankles were torn by the thorns. Rocks caused falls into the thorns. These olives would be crushed into healing oil. Praise songs rose to heaven.
In the thorns were small round berries like drops of our Savior's blood. The small, sharp spears pierced His brow while the soldiers mocked. Cruel thorns from rocky ground became the crown of the King of Kings who remained silent while bearing the thorns.
The loss of blood, the loss of comfort, the loss of earthly pleasure can draw us into fellowship with Christ.
John 19: 2-3
"The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. "Hail! king of the Jews!" they mocked, as they slapped him across the face."
Fragrance From The Garden
Dear Friends,
Years ago we had an old fashioned lilac bush in our yard and in the springtime when it bloomed the whole neighborhood was filled with the sweet fragrance of the lovely lavender colored blossoms.
When the woman came to Jesus and broke the alabaster box the aroma from the perfume filled the room. Every crack and crevice of the room was scented with the perfume and every person in the room noticed the sweet smell.
People experience sorrows and their situations can have an effect on lives outside of the immediate situation, sometimes with great impact.
The Abedini family is touching lives all around the world as a result of Saeed's imprisonment in Iran for his faith in Jesus. From inside the cold, dark prison walls Saeed has sent messages of encouragement and love. In a recent letter he told of the loneliness and struggles he faces and then went on to preach to us who are free. From inside those walls, in the midst of threats and pain and persecution his letter tells us of the "...life-giving fire of God's love."
His wife is being transformed like a butterfly emerging from her cocoon. She has told of the changes that God is bringing about in her life as she yields herself to Him. She was fearful of traveling and of speaking to crowds. Now she is a strong voice for Saeed and the persecuted church. She is finding joy in proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the giver of life.
Like the fragrance of a beautiful lilac bush can't be contained behind a fence or within a walled courtyard, the message of the persecuted changes lives around the world. Believers join in prayer and intercession that Saeed will be released. Saeed's prayer is that the Word of God will saturate the world with "... the lava-like love of Christ."
Unite in prayer for Saeed and for the persecuted church. Pray for those who persecute, that their eyes will be opened to His life changing love.
Hebrews 13: 3
"Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies."
Messengers and the Message
Dear Friends,
Before the birth of the Savior some important messengers were sent to bring the message of comfort and joy. First an angel came to Zacharias with the message that his wife Elisabeth would bear a son that would bring them joy and gladness. The angel told of the message that this child would bring to people, to help them get ready for the Messiah. Soon a messenger was sent by God to bring this good news to Mary who was the cousin of Elizabeth. When Mary was told the news that Elisabeth was having a baby she gained confidence and met the challenge and the blessing that the messenger had brought to her with confidence. The women soared with joy when they shared the news with each other. I can see that they were not only cousins, but very good friends too. Good friends rejoice with one another and share sorrows with one another.
It was quite a different scene when Mary and Joseph were alone in the stable when Jesus was born. A messenger from Heaven came to announce the news to the shepherds nearby and when the message was delivered the sky filled with angels blessing God and giving Him the glory. The shepherds hurried to see the sight that the angel had described and found things just as they had been told. What a joy filled, glorious visit that must have been. Mary and Joseph must have been so thankful that God was meeting every need, sending the messengers to proclaim the news of the Messiah even now at His birth and bringing friends to share the new birth with them.
Mary and Joseph were confident that He would provide their needs, and as we walk each day with Him our needs will be met. When we face something that could bring fear, God will provide all that we need.
Luke 2:13-14
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Garden Promises
Dear Friends,
As soon as the winter rains start falling on the dry, rocky hills of Samaria tiny pink flowers spring up in random places giving a precious beauty to a land that has endured a hot, dry summer. They are like little promises of more rain to come that will fill the rivers and creeks with gushing torrents pouring down the hills.
Hope for the rain is not just wishful thinking, but it's having a trust in our Mighty God for what He has promised to provide.
Right now my garden is covered with a damp blanket of leaves, and the flowers are bent with the heavy weight. The burden laden stems break and lay on the ground as if mourning the loss of the beauty of summer. The shepherd hooks are leaning over and the wind chimes seem to have a sorrowful sound as the cold wind brings a song that is more like a clanging in the brown bent garden.
When I look at my past garden pictures I am promised hope that this season won't last. The memories of the past years when blooms came back after a long, cold winter are like hopeful gifts. The basket of seeds that I gathered in the fall are full of promises of a brilliant color filled summer. A small piece of yard becomes a
pretty cottage garden filled with color and texture after it has spent the winter under the cover of brown. A pile of fabric scraps can be made into a beautiful crazy quilt, with random shaped pieces of fabric that are various colors and textures put together with unique detailing done in handwork. We are promised that beauty will come from ashes, that we will be given oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness. The wind chimes will sing a new song and we will have joy everlasting.
In Isaiah 61:3 we read these promises, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."
In Luke 4:18 Jesus spoke these promises, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
