Sunday, July 1, 2018

JULY JUMBLE

JULY 2018
This is the month that summer comes alive . . .  
      or simmers slowly with the hot days.
Life slows down.
I linger longer on the back  porch when it is not too uncomfortable.
Hazy mornings and lazy days invite me to dig deeply into projects I've yet to complete.

July . . . a wonder-filled month.

July 1, 2018                      A 'last option' brings faith-full results
I love Jesus' parables.
The stories are simple yet the context or the true meaning is sometimes not  clear.
I read, re-read and chew on God's words to find several options
to focus upon.
My friend and I were discussing the stories in the Gospel of Mark chapter 5. 
She saw something different than I did but we both agreed that Jesus' healing power for both body and soul is beyond what we could ever expect.
Sometimes the 'last' option brings mega-results, as in these two stories.
Jairus, the Roman soldier, was told his daughter was dead and to stop seeking Jesus to heal her. 
 Jairus was determined, and faith-filled, to press on, to seek the impossible even if it meant persecution from fellow Roman officers.
After all, there were no options left.
Jairus' faith in Jesus' miracles was his only hope.
Indeed, Jesus went to Jairus' home, sent away those who were mourning, and entered the room with Jairus, his wife, Peter, James and John.
There they were, staring at a dead daughter, when Jesus said, "She is only asleep.  Arise, child!"  
The 12 year old got up and walked.
Jesus then said, "Feed her and tell no one about this."

That last phrase is a sermon in itself!  Rarely can this incredible news be kept secret.  Jesus' reputation for healing was greatly magnified, placing him in jeopardy for being arrested.

Because Jairus persevered in faith, the results were far greater than he'd imagined.
Because of his faith, he became faith-full.

 The next story, in Mark 5, is of the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years.
She'd spent all she had seeking healing from doctors.
Her condition kept her from being in community because she was 'unclean'.
She pressed into the crowd, where she could have been arrested, in order to simply touch the hem of Jesus' garment.
She had no options.
This was her last chance.
She believed that touching Jesus' garment would be enough to heal her.
Enough it was.
Yet, Jesus wanted to give her more than complete physical healing.
He wanted to heal her soul . . . 
to look into her face as she looked into his . . . 
to tell her that her 'faith' has made her faith-full to heal both body and soul.
Jesus felt his 'presence' move into the woman's body when she touched his garment.
Yet, she needed to actually connect, face to face, with Jesus' divine presence, the divine presence of God.
By looking into Jesus' face, the woman was healed of twelve years of agony, of separation from community, of isolation.
A simple healing of the body is nothing compared to the deep healing of isolation, separation, an empty soul.
Both Jairus and the woman were desperate.
Both stepped out in faith for their 'last chance.'
Both were open to receiving the full 'presence' of the 'divine' that not only resurrected a child from the dead but resurrected the two who were faith-full enough to seek the impossible.
Seeking the impossible, persevering in the impossible, believing in the possibility of the impossible, is possible . . . when the giver of the impossible is Jesus, the Christ.  
He makes all things possible . . . and more.

July 2                    Seeing is believing?  Where is our Faith?
I'm mulling over a quote from St. Augustine:
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” 

We know, as Christians, that faith comes by believing and not by seeing.
Augustine affirms this and so do the scriptures, especially the numerous examples in the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 11.

Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."  

The passage continues . . . "by faith Abel . . . by faith Enoch . . .  by faith Noah . . . by faith Abraham . . .  by faith Isaac . . .  by faith Jacob . . . by faith Joseph . . . by faith Moses . . . by faith Rahab . . . by faith Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah of David and Samuel and the prophets . . . 

By faith, each of these people, including Augustine, took one step at a time, IN FAITH, because God told them to take that step.
They knew not what the consequences would be other than they knew God's blessing was in those consequences.

By faith each took steps before seeing the outcome.
By faith we all wake in the morning expecting the sun to rise.
By faith we prepare for the day, follow through with our normal daily routine and trust that the sun will set.
We don't look for a moon in the sky to tell us it is evening.
We just know, without a doubt, that the sun will set and it will get dark and that is 'evening.'

Why do we trust that the sun will rise and set daily?
Is it because someone told us or is it because, since our first breath, we have experienced the phenomenon of light and
dark, of day and night . . . and were told that this is due to where the sun is at a particular hour?

Why is it so difficult to have that same faith in a God who loves us beyond measure and has provided such stunningly beautiful surroundings for us to enjoy all over the world?

Why is it so difficult to realize God as our Creator when we count the perfect number of petals on a flower or the exact same number of seeds in every sunflower, arranged in perfect rows?
Why is it so hard to believe unending love comes from the same source who created us?
Why is it so hard to believe, if God can create that which we see around us, he also gave part of himself to us when God's
seed entered Mary, mother of Jesus.
People saw the crucifixion and the resurrected Jesus and wrote volumes about it. 
 So why is it so hard to believe what others saw even though we did not see it?  

Why is it so hard to believe that God's only begotten son, Jesus Christ, the healer for thousands in his lifetime, can also heal us through the spirit he sent to us, the Holy Spirit from God.
God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit . . . 
Real
Unseen
Given to us who, by faith, without seeing, believe.
Read the scriptures.
Find out for yourself how those who could not possibly see the outcome had the faith to believe without seeing and eventually were able to believe in the result presented to them . . . and presented to future generations . . . by God.

July 3                                                      Love is an action
As usual, hubby and I made plans regarding a visit to my friend who is permanently in skilled nursing.
Brilliant!
Plan:  He will drop me off and go to the gym not too far away.
I remain until he returns.

I bring a book just in case my visit is short and I have to wait in the lobby until hubby returns.
As is usual, my call to her and her husband (each has a cell phone) was left in 'messages.'
As usual, he does not check messages and she is unable to do so.
So, Plan B:  Hubby will go to the room with me and, if she is not there, I join him at the gym.
Brilliant!
We arrive and both husband and wife are there, did not know we were coming, and were ready for a little jaunt to the library downstairs.

Plan C: Hubby decides to remain as we all glide with our friend's wheelchair, down the elevator and into a lovely, sunny room that is usually empty.
Today it seemed packed.

Perhaps the unusually hot temps outside kept those in this room from lingering on the porch. (100 degree index)
So, this was the perfect place to gather.
There was plenty of room for all.

We continued with Plan C as hubby remained and chatted with my friend's husband while she and I had some 'girl-time' together.
Her husband is not easy to talk with but my hubby is a master at asking questions that breathe life into the other person.
They chatted for over an hour about the military (he was a Colonel in the Air Force) and other 'guy' topics.

What a gift!
Hubby set aside his gym time to not only lift the spirit of my friend's husband but also to allow my friend and I some
dedicated time to chat about her needs, frustrations and blessings.

Turns out that both my friend and her husband felt energized and affirmed as they continue to deal with the daily routine of limited function and life in skilled nursing.

Because of Hubby's ACT of love, we felt we both, as a team, could be a loving presence to two dear people who simply needed one-on-one time with someone who would listen.
Love-ly

July 4       Independence and de-pendence on God
'Independence Day'!
We wave the flag and celebrate 'independence' as a nation.
Yet, independence comes at a price.

Not only have thousands died to maintain that independence,  but EACH of us is also called to 'die to self' and take responsibility for our actions . . . each and every action . . .so that we might remain 'independent.'

Independence has never meant, "Do your own thing" without consideration regarding consequences.
We use to live by the "Golden Rule" . . . "Do unto others as you would have them do onto you."

This little diddy evolved from the scripture that says, "Love the Lord, thy God, with all your heart, soul and mind; love your neighbor as yourself."

We have always seen our nation as under the influence of God . . .  as "One Nation Under God." 
President Eisenhower added this phrase in the 1950s but, even before we won independence in 1776 and before the U.S. Constitution, 1787, and Bill of Rights, 1792,was created, our fore fathers assumed we were one nation under God.


We are governed by God whether we choose to recognize this fact or not.
We are governed by our Creator.
 God, our creator, created us to live our life according to His precepts.
We can choose to follow them . . .  or not.
We can choose to live life as we choose but we all end up perishing at some point in time.
Our bodies were not made to last long on this earth.
Our souls were meant to last forever . . .  with God . . .  or not.
We can choose.

Yet, what about that life, created at conception, who has no choice of his/her own?
That frail life must totally trust his/her caretaker for life.

That frail life, growing within, was created by two who were also created, who were also "a life within the womb."  
The creators of this life were given life with the ability to create life.

Yet, the gift of creating life comes with responsibility.
That very life within the womb, when born, must continue to trust his/her caretaker for several years.
Independence means taking responsibility for our lives . . . and helping the frail ones in our care to develop independence with responsibility . . . under God.

We have so much freedom but it's never free, is it?
God is our source of Life . . . 
God gives us independence to choose. . .  
God expects us to remain responsible for every decision we make . . . 
God will help us each step of the way . . . if we ask for guidance.

Independence in life means De-pendence on God.
It's a Good thing, isn't it. 

July 5                                                           Of Course!
Of course we have had temperatures indexed at over 100 degrees most of the week.
Of course the sun has burned down on us non-stop with few clouds past 10 am each day.
Of course the evening of fireworks last night would prove magnificent against clear, stary skies.


And . . .  of course . . .  it RAINED!
Just for the hours of the fireworks it rained.

The sky still lit up with wild brilliance as red, white, blue and gold sparkle was blown into the black clouds dripping liquid.

Of course many brave souls covered themselves the best they could and joined the din of 'oohs' and 'aaaaaaahs'.
Hubby and I are getting up there in years so decided to be a bit less brave.

If we stood very still and looked out our bedroom window, we could see a few sparkles topping the tall, full trees.
We chose an even easier route.
Watch "The Capitol Fourth" on television.
FABULOUS.
Groups from our past and a few from this generation of youth spilled out sounds and words that tugged at our hearts.
All magnificent.
Clear skies in D.C., great tribute to our military and mesmerizing fireworks became a feast for the eyes as the 1812 overture, by tradition, blasted notes between the thunder of real cannon peals.
Boom . . .  Boom . . . Boom.
Majestic
Glorious
Patriotic
Wonder-ous for the soul.

July 6                                                Twinkle-twinkle
I sit on the porch for just a few moments as sky melts into land-shadows.
The sky dims at twilight but our vast green meadows behind our home seem to light up with tiny sparkles of glitter flitting about.
Fireflies sending signals as they seek mates over these few hot
days.
Time is of the essence for them but their show is splendid.
I'm just getting past the delights in the sky from the 4th.
This is even better.
Silence.
Twinkles of light flit about as my eye tries to trace  a pattern.
Their sparks are too fast for me to follow as they bounce from our back yard, down the hill and into the tall grasses below.
They are all over, it seems.
Optimum places to land, plenty of room for flight, they have the lay of the land.
What JOY fills my soul.
I could watch for hours if my eyes could focus better.
The sparks move too fast in an array of light too instantaneous for my mind to grasp.
I want patterns, sequences, order.
There is none.
Simple, dancing, sparkles of light greet the eye.
I    B R E A T H E    deep, enjoy the moment, linger a little longer, then call it a night.
I want to dance with them but It's time to go in.
"Twinkle, twinkle little sparks, 
flitting about to capture hearts,of others doing the same,
but none are tame.
Linger longer, my heart says;
as fire flies flit about then rest.
May each find mates and multiply
So I can see more sparkles fly! 
Sigh."

July 7                                                Remembrance
Today is a special day of remembrance for my cousin's life.
I recalled the time my sister and I visited for a week with her
mother, my dearest most beloved aunt, and shared space in their home while my cousin was preparing for her upcoming wedding.

She seemed so much older than my sister and myself.
So sophisticated.
She was growing daisies in the back yard for her wedding which would be at the end of summer when the daisies would be in full bloom.
Amazingly, at the last minute, my cousin found out that, when daisies are cut, their smell is less than fragrant.
Nix the daisies.
Such silly stories we remember when sharing about the long life of an amazing woman.

I remember when my cousin was editor of a charismatic Christian publication for Aglow International called "Aglow Magazine."
Monthly articles drew together women in Aglow Chapters from all over the United States.
This was no small venture.
When I visited her mother (my aunt who lived to 104) periodically, we enjoyed little day-adventures together.
That's when I was able to visit the Aglow publications office, a tiny few rooms in a multi-use building.
How hard my cousin worked . . . with a small staff in a tiny space.

Years later, after she and her husband raised three fabulous children who are strong in their Christian faith and sent them off with equally wonderful spouses, I thought she'd be able to relax a bit.

She continued her work as magazine editor, nurtured her mother as her husband was ailing, and made sure the family gathered as often as possible.
For several years her husband battled cancer as they continued to live a 'normal' life.
Soon it was time for her mother, my aunt, to move in with them.
And then her husband needed more care.

My cousin continued to maintain her schedule as best she could but, after her husband died, then her brother and then her mother, I think she was just plain tired.
One can care for others and reach out as we serve the Lord with gladness but, eventually, we may sputter to our own end.

Her children, and grandchildren, are mature and filled with joy in the Lord but it still must be hard to let go of the last parent.
Now the 'kids' are matriarchs and patriarchs for the next generation, who are currently in high school and college.

As we celebrate my cousin's life, it's good to remember those wonder-filled stories that seem like trivia.
It's the little memories, shared by endless friends and relatives, that create the greater story of my cousin's full life.

I pray for the 'children', now older and wiser, as they carry on the traditions they've grown to love while going about their own busy lives.
They will carry on what they learned from their parents: to share the love of the Lord with others as his truth and promises are 'aglow' within each of them.

June 8                                               Family ties in scripture
Once again, the words preached today hit a home run.
Hubby took notes.
How is 'brother' interpreted from the whole of scripture?
Often there is confusion when we read that so-and-so's is referred
to as "brother" but is not actually in the same family.
We forget that when reading any scripture, we must consider the whole context . . . all scripture . . . Old Testament, including Psalms, and New Testament.

Scripture explains scripture but to find answers takes much work.
That's why we rely on numerous scholars who share their findings with others.
Eventually, there is enough agreement upon the explanation that it is printed in a reliable source for others to use, a commentary.
In fact, there were very large teams of theologians who spent years deciding which books would be included in the larger text we call the Bible.
Many of us do not realize that valid historians, prophets and others wrote treatises that not only validate much of what is in the bible
but add numerous insights.

Therefore, we can understand that the Jewish people, especially after their exodus from Egypt, became one large clan that was divided into tribes.
This clan, with all its tribes, was seen as 'one.'
Each tribe had separate families but the entire tribe was connected as 'brothers' and 'sisters' in that tribe.

It's much like today when we consider a fellow Christian to be a 'brother' or a 'sister' in Christ.
We are all part of one body . . . Ephesians 4  . . . brothers and sisters in Christ. . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, through all and in all . . . 


Therefore, the authors of books from 1 Chronicles 22 or the Gospels, or the letters of Paul all refer to 'brothers' in the 'tribe' dedicated to our one God.
I could get into great detail regarding Jesus' "brothers" but that would take several blog days.
Suffice it to say, it's important to understand the context of all scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
It's good to take time to think through passages that refer to Jesus' 'brothers' in context with all scripture.

June 9                                           Anxious Moments
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”     1 Peter 5:6-7 

In my daily meditations I was struck by this verse.
DOUBLE rainbow!

Cast all your anxiety on the Lord.
God wants us to seek his loving care, his comforting embrace, his eternal presence in our lives.
Yet, I'm continuously amazed by others who seem forever anxious, day in and day out.

Stress is a killer.
Yet, there are so many solutions for stress.
I am very much aware that we all encounter anxious moments now and then.
Life is challenging at best and we each desire those in our lives to be content.
When they are not, we may become anxious until those dear to us figure out how to overcome another challenge in their lives . . . or not.

On the other hand, why do we become anxious for daily outcomes?
Why do the 'what ifs' loom in front of so many who know there is 'another' who can take that anxiety and make it evaporate in thin air?

What is it about we who claim to believe in and seem to rely on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . the God who gave us his only begotten Son, who died and was resurrected from the dead for us who believe in his divinity . . .  who believe in eternal life through him?
Do we believe that he is able to take those anxious, challenging moments in our life and turn them upside-down and inside out and wick anxiety away from us?

Sometimes I feel anxious when I awake in the morning for no real reason.
Is my body telling me something?
Did I fail to pay a bill?
Am I suppose to be somewhere or do something that I've forgotten?
I Stop.

I   B R E A T H E deep.
I ask myself why I feel as I do?
Most often my body is simply telling me that it needs hydration or nourishment.
 I remind myself to pray through my day and ask the Lord to guide me through all its nooks and crannies.
I then remember to express, out loud, three things I'm thankful for today.
I then get out of bed, follow my daily routine I complete before I enter into my scheduled events, tasks, and obligations, and let that verse from 1 Peter guide me through the day.

"Don't be anxious," I tell myself, "I have a loving God who cares for me . . .  really cares for me . . . cares for me so much that all I have to do is seek God's presence in all I say and do and 
B R E A T H E."
God will do the rest.

July 10-16                                     Off the Grid
I love certain editorialists.
When they take vacation from their weekly commitment to us readers, I sometimes sense that my week is not complete.
One editor, who I thought was on vacation, just retired.
She is now "off the grid."
She has earned the right.
Her writing is Pulitzer all the way.
That's why I miss her!

My most favorite editorial writer, of course, was Charles Krauthammer.
I fully admit that I was his groupie, par excellence.

He only missed writing his column a couple times a year and was sorely missed by me for those two weeks.
Now that he succumbed to cancer in June, the world will no longer be gifted with his editorials.

I'm sure Charles is discoursing with all the other editorialists who have gone before him and is free of all encumbrance of his paralysis.
I so miss him.
I can only re-read his wonder-filled book "Things That Matter," a dozen more times to memorize his profound logic.
This will help me to adjust to his loss.

Hence, I choose to follow the example of my cherished editorialists and go "off the grid" every now an then.

In doing so, I'm   B R E A T H I N G   new life into my soul as I "hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest" the piles of information stacked around me.
During these past few days I devoured four books and a commentary on Hebrews written about fifty years ago by an Oxford scholar.
It was given to me to browse and sat for a full year.

I'm now ready to dig into the voluminous caverns of the Book of Hebrews, one verse at a time, with exegesis.
Like being dedicated to a historic "dig"  I carefully comb through every word in this small but dense book in the New Testament that takes Christians back to our roots in the Old Covenant scriptures.

I'm also taking space . . .  and time . . . to finish all the counted cross stitch embroideries that were half-completed twenty years ago.

FUN!
I love the combination of cerebral stimulation of perfectly counted stitches combined with the creativity of various patterns in the Hardanger embroidery I'm finally completing 25 years after I began.
Study, 
creativity, 
a little time in the garden, 
serendipity adventures with hubby 
and the lingering heat of summer 
seem to be fine reason to be "off the grid" a few days at a time.

July 17-31                                        Lingering Longer
I'm still 'off the grid' but feel the inclination to write.
During this 'lingering' time I tested myself by returning to a special kind of embroidery I began decades ago.
Hardanger is a region in Norway that distinguishes it's festive costumes (Bunads) by it intricate embroidery.
The Bunad apron and parts of the blouse include their 'cut' designs.

I took a class with a friend during a sabbatical I took from work shortly after we were married.  I found the stitches too difficult for me to continue after our three-day Hardanger seminar.

Fast forward to this month.


Once I returned to my Hardanger Embroidery project it took me at least a month, working every night for several hours, to complete. 

Since it is "white on white" I also had to wash my hands before I touched the piece. . . and not work on the little back porch where it was hot and sticky.

This time I was aided by YouTube videos.
I watched one video four times before I got the hang of one particular stitch.

The top photo shows half the snowflake-star with holes with the other half blank.
Before 'cutting' in very particular places, the piece looks like the right side . . .  no holes.
I pull larger threads leaving little threads that must be 'bound' (second photo).
Each hole must be bound on all sides for the piece to work.
The fabric is now washed but needs to be ironed before little sequins are placed on a few tiny squares to complete the piece.
All in all, I feel quite proud of myself for pressing through this challenge.


Many times I had to removed work.
In fact, if you notice, the little 'window' squares have some stitching above and below them (both pictures).
These stitches shown on the left were removed as I learned the best stitch for this space . . .  with tiny holes that were made by pulling each thread tight.
These two shots show the 'window' boxes with change in lines above and below.
The one on the left was taken before I completely redid the "Nun's"stitch above and below the windows.
Can you see the difference?
On the left is a simple one-stitch on four sides.
On the right is the corrected stitch (yes, I tore out all the 4-sided stitches on the left) and replaced them with the corrected "Nun's" stitch.

Stitching threads very tight (part of Hardanger) 'pulls' threads away from the fabric to make tiny holes, adding to the character of the pattern.
This shot of the corner (above) shows the Nun's stitch done correctly to create a boarder that allows all threads to be pulled beyond it.
That's how we create the fringe.

The full length picture of the piece was just ironed.
However, adding the last part . . . sequins in the snowflake-star makes it look a bit raggedy.  

A close up of the completed snowflake-star shows the sequins a bit better.
This piece could be used on a table.
However, I intend to steam-iron this again and place the piece on blue fabric and frame it.
Carefully smoothing the fringe before placing under glass will be a bit tricky but I think it will look nice next to another piece of art.

So, on to another adventure where I linger a little longer.
Writing words, setting up the curriculum for my Hebrews class. 

Study and needlework enables me to linger just where I ought to be for the moment.
Love these lingering moments.






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