Sweetness From Rocky Soil
Dear Friends,
Miles of rows of grape vines fill the hills of Samaria near Jerusalem. Large white rocks have been used to terrace the hills, creating little walls making the land useful for the vineyard and olive grove owners.
Each day the grape harvest starts early before the morning dew has evaporated. The sun rises higher in the sky. The scorching heat is perfect for ripening the grapes. The last clusters of royal purple grapes need to be picked before the cooler weather along with daily, heavy rainfall begins. The vineyard owner wants every grape picked to make his prize-winning wine. The ground is dry and dusty and the grapes are beginning to shrivel on the vines. These are the last and the sweetest grapes from ancient vines that will be pressed into the sweetest wine. The sweetness attracts the honey bees which will make golden, sticky sweetness.
The roots of these vines are strong. They have worked hard to push through the rocks to reach the deep water source down below the surface to feed the vines.
Once the work of the harvest is finished the heavy rains come. The dry, thirsty soil is thankful and the leaves on the vines become beautiful red and dry as they fall from the vines. The roots grow deeper as they find that the Source is now filled with life giving water.
Colossians 2:7
"Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
A Fragrance Remembered: Reyhaneh
Dear Friends,
Flower petals are blowing in the breeze and cover the ground in silky softness. Happy children play in the blossoms tossing the tiny bits of color into the air. Little girls are dancing and twirling under the Magnolia tree. The fragrance fills the air of Heaven.
In Iran a young woman named Reyhaneh is known for her courage and her truthfulness and her merciful attitude. Reyhaneh was broken by cruel acts of injustice and wicked lies.
When I heard about Reyhaneh I thought of the woman who overcame many fears and came to Jesus. The room was crowded with many strange men. Cruel words were spoken against her as she approached the Master. She knew her calling and closed her ears to the accusations against her. She had walked carefully and deliberately with the fragile alabaster jar. Brave and confidently she came to Him and broke the jar of perfume. The ointment flowed over the head of Messiah. The accusations got louder and every eye was on her as the scent filled the air. She was blessed by Jesus and she is remembered today. This woman isn't named in the Bible. They said it was a waste of precious perfume. Jesus said she would be remembered.
Those who meant for Reyhaneh's death to be the end don't know Jesus. He can make something beautiful out of the injustice of her death. When Reyhaneh forgave her accusers the scent of perfume filled the air. When she wrote of her desire for her death to be used for good that others could live a more full life the scent of the perfume filled the air. The alabaster jar was broken and Reyhaneh will be remembered.
I pray that God will comfort those who knew and miss her and that they will know the One who died for us so that we can live with Him.
First John 4:10
"This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins."
Finding Sunshine: A Garden Surprise
Dear Friends,
Gardens are so much like life. Several years ago I started referring to my children as "my garden". People say that children grow like weeds, but I always thought of them as flowers. I am always seeing relationships between my garden and faith and life. Today I want to tell you about my unpredictable garden and how life can be that way.
Last spring I bought a packet of Cosmos seeds that had a picture of a vase with multi-colored blooms on the front. Some of the flowers were pastel and some brightly colored. The thin stems with fern-like leaves holding the flowers was what I could imagine growing here. This combination was just right for my cottage garden!
I planted them in the perfect sunny place and waited. The delicate stems grew and buds formed and started to bloom. White ..... white ..... white .... no blushing pink with yellow centers, no velvety scarlet, no royal purple, only white. It didn't take long until I had to admit that they really are pretty in a tall, feathery white sort of way. When the wind blows a gentle breeze the delicate stems dance and the blossoms wave back and forth like small, white-gloved hands! This is very different from the picture on the packet. The place where they are growing would be empty if I pulled them out and it's too late in the season to plant more, so I water them, take pictures of them and add them to bouquets. It's okay if they are all white. They look nice with the other flowers in the garden.
On October 24, 2000 our daughter Autumn Sunshine was born. When I held her for the first time she had the same fresh-from-God scent that all new babies do. She was small and fragile and different than I had expected. They whisked her away and came back and told us that she has Down Syndrome and that they had detected a heart defect. This was the first of many health challenges that we have faced with Autumn. Nobody plans to have a child who needs special care. I have times that I don't know if I can do life another day. But God gives me what I need. My garden was given a special surprise. The place where she grows in my heart is full of Sunshine.
Psalms 139: 14
"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works..."
Linen Stitches: Finding Butterfly Wings
Dear Friends,
God calls all of us to love our neighbors and to lay down our lives for one another. Loving our neighbors not only ministers to that individual but also is a reflection of Jesus to others around us while building up the Body.
I have been thinking about the different ways God uses our unique gifts, talents and personalities. Searching God's Word and allowing Him to guide our steps will bring us to the opportunities He has planned for us. We have a choice to step into that place or not. When we do take the step He will equip us for the task and provide what we need to accomplish the job for His glory.
I have wondered why Simon was the one chosen to carry the Cross for Jesus. He had a choice to bolt from the scene to escape the task pressing on him. I imagine him looking into the eyes of Jesus and welcoming the opportunity to use his strength. Did he whisper a kind word to Jesus as he lifted the Cross onto his own shoulder? Did he sweat and bleed under the weight of the Cross? Simon's encounter with Jesus involved pain and suffering.
When we enter into the work that we are called to do and are accompanied by the gifts and talents of others the weight of the task is lightened. Unity and community is loving our neighbor and carrying the cross.
I've met people who have a special love for children with special needs. They opened their hearts and homes to several of these children who didn't have family to love and care for them. They made a choice and stepped into the hard place where God wanted them to minister in. It isn't a job that can be done alone. It takes unity and community, the Church loving one another. I've met a family who laid down their life and moved to another state to care for an elderly parent (grandpa) so that his quality of life would improve. The family works together in his care, strong and determined to do the task God has burned into their hearts. It takes unity and community to do this work. These are examples of loving your neighbor, of laying down your life for another. Maybe when we see a brother or a sister who is carrying a cross we will actively welcome an opportunity to help. A cup of water, a hug and a prayer can go a long way sometimes.
Finding butterfly wings is a way to describe finding your path, or your calling and then trusting and taking flight into the area He is leading.
Matthew 25: 40
"....Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Mark 8:34
".... He said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Lessons From Wrens
Dear Friends,
God can show us truths about His character even when we look out our windows.
I have a couple of wren families who come to my garden to nest every year. They know it's a safe place for them and it is filled with nesting materials and food and shelter that they need. In the spring when the first one returns she perches on a branch and sings for her mate to come. When he arrives they spend a few days going house hunting for the perfect home for their babies. They poke their heads into the different little houses, hopping in and out. When a decision is made they sit on the top of the house and sing their shrill wren song to each other.
Just the other day I was surprised to see a group of baby wrens playing together in my garden. It appeared to be a game of hide and seek! I watched three tiny babies flying from flower to flower and then to a branch looking for just the right place to hide. Then they found a little birdhouse that has the roof missing. It's like a little box hanging in the midst of Sunflowers and tangles of Morning Glories in my garden. One by one they perched on the edge of the house and hopped inside. They were being very still as if they were hiding in the little broken house. Then another tiny wren flew to the edge of the hiding place and they all flew out and repeated the game again a couple of times!
The wrens were not bothered by the brokenness of the little house. They were able to see past that flaw and find a purpose for it!
I have written about brokenness before and God brings me back to this message to continue to show me and to help me to paint the picture for you. God can use and make beauty from broken lives and from the ashes. He has many ways to show us His love: a broken alabaster box, pottery mended with gold, and a little broken bird house. Jesus is always ready to mend and heal us and to use us for His glory. When we go to the safe place of His presence in prayer and receive His forgiveness and His nourishment we can find this blessing.
Isaiah 61:3
"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory."
Feathers, Petals and Songs
Dear Friends,
This summer has been so unusually rainy and when I go to the garden my flowers are covered with raindrops. The sunlight is coming out from behind the clouds and glistening on the delicate petals of the Hibiscus. The sun shines through the petals like a sunbeam shines through a curtain made of lace. The intricate details of the life sustaining veins inside each petal is visible. Yesterday the flower was still curled tightly like an unborn baby is curled inside a womb. The birth happened unseen by my eyes. The rain and the sunlight provided the life giving nutrients bringing birth to the flower. I saw the bud yesterday and I see the blossom today. Beautiful!
So often I am reminded of Naghmeh Abedini who is the wife of Saeed. He is in prison in Iran for his faith in Jesus. She asks for prayers as she goes before officials, or when she is being interviewed on news programs. She has shared how she is naturally a very quiet person and is very nervous to be in the public eye. I heard it said that courage is doing what you know that you should do, something good and right, even though you are afraid. Even through the pain she speaks out and shares the Gospel.
God sees the tears on her pillow, and He hears her trembling heart when she gets behind a microphone. He know the sorrows that she faces each day when her children cry for their daddy. When she has the opportunity to tell people about Saeed she also tells them about God's love and about her faith and how God is sustaining them through this time of extreme pain.
I see Naghmeh blooming as this flower is now. Prayers can be life giving much like rain and sunshine are to a garden. Let us remember to pray for them. God is working and will be glorified!
Psalms 34:18
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."
Hebrews 11:30
"It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down."
Gardens and Harps:
Finding Healing In The Willow Tree
Dear Friends,
These words comes to my mind as I consider the recent horrific event that happened in Charleston, S.C. this past week.
I remember as a small child how I enjoyed playing under the swaying, leafy branches of the willow tree in the back yard. The branches were like flowing hair on a beautiful princess who was dancing in the breeze. Children love playing and having picnics under the canopy of the willow.
Psalms 137 says that "they hanged their harps on the willow." They were in captivity. A place of no joy. The joy that had flowed from the music of the harps and the dancing branches of the willow tree before the invasion had turned to desolation and despair.
When evil touched the community in Charleston they responded in their overwhelming grief with a message of forgiveness and compassion for the one who hurt them. The sorrow and pain of loss of lives will remain, but Jesus is the victor in this situation. Prayers and God's Word will continue to go forth from that place. They made a choice to NOT hang their harps on the willow!
Some different forms of captivity include physical, emotional and spiritual. Bitterness and unforgiving attitudes can lead to addictions and emotional or mental problems that keep people in bondage. When someone hangs their harp on the willow it's a sign of a need to turn to Jesus.
Willow bark is called "Nature's Aspirin" because of the pain relieving benefits. The Willow cannot remove the pain associated with a crime like the people of Charleston experienced nor can it remove the pain caused by a bitter heart.
My picture of a Passion flower represents the pain that Jesus endured for us on the Cross. He made the choice to die for us so that we can be freed from captivity. Listen to the message of the people of Charleston, the message of forgiveness, of turning to Jesus with our pain! He is the wonderful healer! He wants us to come to Him like children. Come under the canopy of the Willow! Jesus wants us to play the harp and be joyful in freedom from the chains that hold us captive.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Then Jesus said, Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
