I am Your Clay, Lord

August 7, 2022 / Being Woven / 9 Comments

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:1-6

חֹמֶר

ḥōmer

clay: as material of vessels

Jeremiah 18:4:

CSB: But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.

NET: Now and then there would be something wrong with the pot he was molding from the clay with his hands. So he would rework the clay into another kind of pot as he saw fit.

NLT: But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

שָׁחַת

šāḥaṯ (shaw-khath’)

batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, waste(-r).

God gave Jeremiah a visual this time rather than just words, as if God’s Word is not enough! I am a visual learner more often than not. I grasp the whole idea when I can see something being done, see something in actuality, see or touch rather than just hear. Looks like Jeremiah needed that for this picture, this word picture. He was preparing a sermon from this. How better to be able to grasp the WHOLE point!

The Potter reuses the same lump of clay when the first pot was not turning out as He intended because of a flaw, a lump, a stone, something in the clay. As I am the clay, God created me in His original form. As life welled up from His hands, I grew into the beautiful life that He created. As’choice’ began to be a reality in my life, some of the choices I made were His choices for me, but so many were not. Over the course of these seventy-four years now, God has thrown this lump of clay back onto the wheel to see about changing my course. He drew me back to Himself. He loves me so that He desires that I become more and more as the image of His Son, Jesus the Christ.

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter‘s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:6

I want to say that God does not need to take this clay to remake me again and again each time I take the wrong pathway from the one He has planned for me. But He does, I think! In a way! He created me perfectly, yet I need remolding from time to time as I am not perfect while I walk on this earth. The Holy Spirit draws me near and teaches me more and more through the Word, the life of Jesus, by prayer. He kneads my life through Himself to look more like the original way He created.

I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied visions,
and through the prophets gave parables. Hosea 12:10

God creates us perfectly no matter what we look like, what paths we, ourselves, choose over our lifetime, or just what happens to us in our bodies, our minds, our lives. We have been created perfectly. As we grow in Christ, we are to walk in the Lord as unto perfection, one step at a time. We should depend upon God to guide us and protect us as we become more and more like Christ. This is not an easy walk and it certainly is not a straight shot from the creation God made to the one we are to become. The road to Christ is a powerful walk but filled with storms, hills and dales, temperature extremes, roadblocks, plus our own weariness.

But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

…from George Whitefield’s ((1714-1770), sermon “The Potter and the Clay:”

“Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter?’ Saith the Lord. ‘Behold, as the clay is in the hands of the potter,’” (marred, and unfit for the first designed purpose) “‘so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’” At length, then, Jeremiah hath his sermon given to him: short, but popular. It was to be delivered to the whole house of Israel, princes, priests, and people: short, but pungent, even sharper than a two-edged sword. What! says the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, must I be denied the privilege of a common potter? May I not do what I will with my own? “Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hands, so are ye in mine hands, O house of Israel. I made and formed you into a people, and blessed you above any other nation under heaven: but, O Israel, thou by thy backslidings hast destroyed thyself. As the potter therefore might justly have thrown aside his marred clay, so may I justly unchurch and unpeople you. But what if I should come over the mountains of your guilt, heal your backslidings, revive my work in the midst of the years, and cause your latter end greatly to increase? Behold, as the clay is in the hands of the potter, lying at his disposal, either to be destroyed or formed into another vessel, so are ye in my hands, O house of Israel: I may either reject, and thereby ruin you, or I may revisit and revive you according to my own sovereign good will and pleasure, and who shall say unto me, what dost thou?”

.… “I shall now proceed to show, that what the glorious Jehovah here says of the house of Israel in general, is applicable to every individual of mankind in particular.” ….

“First, I shall undertake to prove, that every man naturally engendered of the offspring of Adam, is in the sight of the all-seeing, heart-searching God, only as a “piece of marred clay.” ….

.… “But this is not all, we have yet more evidence to call; for do the blindness of our understandings, the perverseness of our will, the rebellion of our affections, the corruption our consciences, the depravity of our reason prove this charge; and does not present disordered frame and constitution of our bodies confirm the same also? Doubtless in this respect, man, in the most literal sense of the word, is a piece of marred clay.“

….

“Secondly, That being thus marred, he must necessarily be renewed: and under this head, we shall likewise point out by whose agency this mighty change is to be brought about.”

…. “This is what John the Baptist calls “being baptized with the Holy Ghost,” without which, his and all other baptisms, whether infant or adult, avail nothing. This is that fire, which our Lord came to send into our earthly hearts, and which I pray the Lord of all lords to kindle in every unrenewed one this day.”

“As for the extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, such as working of miracles, or speaking with divers kinds of tongues, they are long since ceased. But as for this miracle of miracles, turning the soul to God by the more ordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, this abides yet, and will abide till time itself shall be nor more. For it is he that sanctifieth us, and all the elect people of God. On this account, true believers are said to be “born from above, to be born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Their second, as well as their first creation, is truly and purely divine. It is, therefore, called “a creation;” “but put ye on,” (says the apostle) “the new man which is created” — And how? Even as the first man was after God in righteousness and true holiness.”

As I readied myself to pray as I usually do at the ends of my posts, the prayer of Mr. Whitefield, at the end of his sermon, says so much that I will have him prayer for us this day:

You, that have in some degree experienced the quickening influence (for I must not conclude without dropping a word or two to God’s children) you know how to pity, and therefore, I beseech you also to pray for those, to whose circumstances this discourse is peculiarly adapted. But will you be content in praying for them? Will you not see reason to pray for yourselves also? Yes, doubtless, for yourselves also. For you, and you only know, how much there is yet lacking in your faith, and how far you are from being partakers in that degree, which you desire to be, of the whole mind that was in Christ Jesus. You know what a body of sin and death you carry about with you, and that you must necessarily expect many turns of God’s providence and grace, before you will be wholly delivered from it. But thanks be to God, we are in safe hands. He that has been the author, will also be the finisher of our faith. Yet a little while, and we like him shall say “It is finished;” we shall bow down our heads and give up the ghost. `Till then, (for to thee, O Lord, will we now direct our prayer) help us, O Almighty Father, in patience to possess our souls. Behold, we are the clay, and thou art the Potter. Let not the thing formed say to him that formed it, whatever the dispensations of thy future Will concerning us may be, Why dost thou deal with us thus? Behold, we put ourselves as blanks in thine hands, deal with us as seemeth good in thy sight, only let every cross, ever affliction, every temptation, be overruled to the stamping thy blessed image in more lively characters on our hearts; that so passing from glory to glory, by the powerful operations of they blessed Spirit, we may be made thereby more and more meet for, and at last be translated to a full, perfect, endless, and uninterrupted enjoyment of glory hereafter, with thee O Father, thee O Son, and thee O blessed Spirit; to whom, three persons but one God, be ascribed, as is most due, all honor, power, might, majesty and dominion, now and to all eternity. Amen and Amen.

The Potter & the Clay photo/graphics @ faithatworktoday.com

Photo of potter creating @ https://pixabay.com/users/riteshphotography-6483976/

Beginning Again/lump of clay in the potter’s hands photo (no credit available)

from George Whitefield’s sermon @ Blue Letter Bible https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/whitefield_george/Sermons/witf_013.cfm?a=763004

clay heart photo @ https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-volume-love-4172398/

How Great is Our God!

November 15, 2021 / Being Woven / 6 Comments

As many others, I am spending the next couple of weeks praising God with my thanks…for Who He is to me and what He has done for me. I want to take several Psalms over these two weeks which speak for me. I need not change a thing for the psalmist has said all that I desire to say to my God.

Great Is the Lord

A Song of Praise. Of David.
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!

יָדָה

yāḏâ

yaw-daw

literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands):—cast (out), (make) confess(-ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank(-ful, -s, -sgiving).

~~~

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]

The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.

You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Father, I thank You for loving me so that You saved me from my own sin. I praise You for all things beautiful, all things created by Your hands. You hear me when I call. You answer me. You hold me near and comfort me in my need. Father. I praise You and love You. Teach me Your ways. In Your Son’s Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:1-2 @ Verse of the Day

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:5 @ Pinterest

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:8-9 @ Pinterest

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:10 @ Scripture Images

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:13-14 @ Pinterest

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:16 @ A Little Perspective

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:18 @ Pinterest

Photo/graphic: Psalm 145:19-21 @ Turn Back to God/Bible Verse Art

Created in One Image – His

June 7, 2020 / Being Woven / 12 Comments

And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, … Acts 17:26

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,… NKJV

He made also of one blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth — having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings — YLT

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. NIV

We have been created from one man, from one blood. All nations, all people were created by the God of the universe.

So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

God created each and every one of us. God created us in HIS IMAGE. This is God’s powerful Truth. The color of our skin is a piece of this beautiful created human being.

Melanin has been placed in our epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin. It is a God-created phenomenon in becoming the many shades of skin that exist in human beings.

We are all humans. That is our one race. We are human beings = “Homo sapiens“= “man,” “earthly being” + “wise, sapient” (discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sage, sagacious). Our skin tones may be different but we are one and the same race yet individuals in God’s eyes.

“We are all one race (“one blood” in Acts 17:26), the human race, descended from two ancestors, Adam and Eve. When we stand boldly and confidently on God’s Word, we can correctly understand the unity and diversity of the human race.” *

We are also loved equally and perfectly by the God of the universe.

May we see one another with this love which God has for us.

And He called us to love one another.

Jesus said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

As I draw near to God, Your love pours into me. Father God, please keep pouring Your love into me so that I may love as You do, as You call me to do. I love You, LORD. May I grow in Your Love as I seek to be more and more like You. You created me in Your image. I want to become the one whom You created me to be. Then I can stand for and with every human being on this earth because You created each one for Your Glory, LORD. May I stand up for the many George Floyd’s of this world, no matter what color their skin tone may be. We are all and each equal in Your sight.

The many who are taking to the streets of this world for the good of humanity, I pray they know You as their Lord and Savior. For those who do not …YET… I pray…

I pray, Father, that this all may be true for all. I give You all the glory for all that may be. Amen.

…that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us,… Acts 7:27

At this time of turmoil, let there be togetherness.

At this time of descent, let there be ascent.

At this time of hurt, let there be healing.

At this time of anger, let there be forbearance.

At this time of hatred, let there be love.

For such a time as this, may we see You, the One Who is Almighty God, our Fortress, our Salvation.

Thank You so, Dearest God. I love You dearly.

… from the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, for You have been my Refuge, a Strong Tower against the enemy. Psalm 61:2-3

May our eyes be colorblind if they see differences in skin tones. May the eyes of our hearts see through the eyes of God for He is not colorblind, for He made us all. He loves us all. I love You, Lord. So much. Guide us. Keep us accountable to You and keep us from harming anyone else, from speaking words that hurt another. Keep us close that we will look to You for every answer to every question we have. Remind us that You loved us first as we face each new moment. I love you, Father.

Photo of Hands: https://www.theodysseyonline.com by Brody Hall, University of Northern Iowa, January 11, 2016

Photo of Arms: pinterest

Photo of flesh-tone Crayons: pinteres

*Quote: https://answersingenesis.org/racism/one-race/ by Dr. Georgia Purdom who holds a PhD in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University. She formerly served as an assistant and associate professor of biology at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. Dr. Purdom is the director of Educational Content and actively speaks and writes for “Answers in Genesis.”

He Had Come From God

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 / Being Woven / 20 Comments

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

…Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, … John 13:3

Father God, as I study Your Word, may Your Holy Spirit shine light upon Your Truth, making it clear to me…in my head and in my heart. In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Jesus knew where He came from. He knew that He had been with the Father before time began.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. Genesis 1:26

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-2

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

…to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 25

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16

The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are One, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me. John 17:22-23

As You sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. John 17:18

…come from God…

ἐξέρχομαι

exerchomai (ex-er’-khom-ahee)

to issue (literally or figuratively):—come (forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.

Before all time…from the days of eternity/the Ancient of days…in the beginning…the heavens were opened to Him…there was “us.” Jesus with God. Jesus is God. Jesus comes to earth as the One Whom God loves, Whom He sent, Who the Holy Spirit rested upon. They are Three in One. The Trinity.

Jesus knew He always had existed. He knew from Whom He had come. As He walked this earth, He was obedient to the Father for He had been commissioned by the One Who had sent Him. He glorified the Father in all He said and did. He mirrored the Father. He died for our sins and lifted us from the miry clay. Thank You, Jesus.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, (1)

In John 13:3, there is another phrase that will complete my focus:

…and was going back to God, … John 13:3

He knew where He would return when He left this earth.

But now I am going to Him Who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ John 16:5

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” John 16:28

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek Me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” John 13:33

“You heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. “ John 14:28

…going back to God, …

ὑπάγω

hypagō (hoop-ag’-o)

to lead (oneself) under, i.e. withdraw or retire (as if sinking out of sight), literally or figuratively:—depart, get hence, go (a-)way.

Jesus always knew where He would go when His earthly life was complete. He knew He would return to the Father. He would sit at the right hand of the Father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do I know from where I came? Do I know where I am going?

I do know that I came from God. He wove me.

My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance;… Psalm 139:15-16a

He has plans for me. He knows them. Those plans include a future and a hope.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

He knows How long I will be alive on the earth and when I will return to Him.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

BUT…I know so very little.

“O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am! Psalm 39:4

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Psalm 144:4

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14

What I do know is that I am a sinner. I know that Christ went to the Cross for me, died, was buried, and was resurrected. He saved me. I know that I am His. I know I will go to Heaven when my time here on earth is up. Hallelujah!!

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 4:17

ALWAYS! …and another Hallelujah!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Father, Thank You for reminding me of Who You are and Whose I am. Thank You for loving me so beautifully, so perfectly. I love You, Lord. I am Yours. Guide me along the path You have for me as I walk each day of my life. I have gray and white hair, Lord. I do not know how many more days I have, but I want to walk them with You, in obedience to You. I want to know You more and more in these days. I pray I am diligent to walk in Your Truth. I pray I remain the course. Protect me when the evil one happens by. I praise You for raining Your grace and mercy upon me. Oh, how I need them. I love Your peace that surrounds me. I know when I walk out-of-sync with You for the peace moves away and my spirit knows. Please draw me back. Oh, Father, I love You so. In Your Son’s Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

6809a8dc401311462f5d123df85340e7

photo: Wikimedia Commons – Public Domain, File:Trees-sky.jpg; Uploaded: 3 September 2005. Graphics on them done by me, Linda Gill

Christ…The Beginning of the Creation of God

November 28, 2017November 28, 2017 / Being Woven / 3 Comments

dios-creador-del-universo-500x325

As Christmas approaches, preparing for God’s Gift, Who came over 2,000 years ago, is the most important part of Christmas. It is not as though I forget Him the rest of the year, but as the world prepares for the season of Christmas, so much happens…shopping, decorating, spending more money than one has by taking out loans or using credit, preparing a large meal for lot of family and friends, parties, etc. The older I become, the less Christmas looks like all of that for me. It is a holy day, not a holiday, for me. Yes, I do a few of those Christmas things, but very little. I am drawn closer to the Lord. I want to delve into just Who this precious Gift is for me, discovering newness about Jesus all of the time. I want to live for Him in the ways that He wants me to live. I want to know Him…to really KNOW Him.

Jesus is the BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:….” Revelation 3:14

the Beginning

ἀρχή

archē

that by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause

Jesus is the very first, the ultimate start of all that was to come.

of the creation

κτίσις

ktisis

the sum or aggregate of things created

Jesus was the first of all to be created. Everything else came after Him, through Him, by Him. Amen.

59919

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2

From Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

“From whom this message was sent. Here our Lord Jesus styles himself the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

(1.) The Amen, one that is steady and unchangeable in all his purposes and promises, which are all yea, and all amen.

(2.) The faithful and true witness, whose testimony of God to men ought to be received and fully believed, and whose testimony of men to God will be fully believed and regarded, and will be a swift but true witness against all indifferent lukewarm professors.

(3.) The beginning of the creation of God, either of the first creation, and so he is the beginning, that is, the first cause, the Creator, and the Governor of it; or of the second creation, the church; and so he is the head of that body, the first-born from the dead, as it is in ch. 1:5, whence these titles are taken. Christ, having raised up himself by his own divine power, as the head of a new world, raises up dead souls to be a living temple and church to himself.”

59919

the Seed from which grows the plant

the Acorn from which sprouts an oak tree

an egg from which grows a chick, a duck, a bird

an egg from which come one or more of the mammal species

an egg fertilized becomes a human baby…a mammal species

Beginnings

Growth

Development

Changes

Beauty

Love

Joy

Peace

Compassion

…and so much more…all that is Jesus.

59919

Jesus is the first, the beginning of all that was, and is, and is to come.

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 1 John 1:1-4

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:15-18

First…He always was. Oh, how fine to know that He is and was, and will always be. We can trust that He will be with us and for us…for always.

IC1491901_l

Our Father, You created me. Through Your Son, I am adopted into Your Family. I am Your daughter. Thank You, thank You. As Christmas nears, I bow. Your Son is the greatest Gift I could have ever received in my whole life. My parents were generous and loved Christmas. They had fun giving to their children. You are my Father and loved giving Jesus to me. How blessed I am. Nothing can top Jesus as a Gift. Nothing. You also gifted me (and so many others) with Your Holy Spirit to teach me, pray for me when I know not what to say, to guide me in Your ways, and so much more. I feel so blessed this day and know that I never need another gift. I have the All of all. I lift up those who do not know You as Lord and Savior. I pray for their souls, Father. Thank You for loving us right to Your heart. You want us to come to You. I pray that many others will receive the precious gift of salvation in these coming weeks. Praising You, Father, for Jesus, the Beginning of creation. In HIs Name, I do pray. Amen.

8213ba8b106f9c53124e7f45360e2f1f 59919

Even to the Minutiae

September 24, 2017September 25, 2017 / Being Woven / 12 Comments

il_570xN.1137984525_36mg

A hand woven tapestry, rich with intricate details and colors…

minutiae…

the small, precise, or trivial details of something

details:

an individual feature, fact, or item
fine point, triviality, nicety
point, aspect, facet, component, technicality

76930a2a36df43f7b46f10ce6606c549

I never knew that the details of our fingerprints were called Minutiae. Below are some of the patterns used to analyze them:

9133951_orig

Throughout the Bible, God gives rich detail in His imagery and descriptions. I have wondered sometimes why a fact is in the Bible, but I no longer wonder. I read it and find amazement and beauty in the minutiae of God.

God weaves specifics into His story…

He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 2 Samuel 23:11

…on a snowy day…did I need to know that? “Yes.”

snow-256502_960_720

He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40

5-smooth-stones

Did he need five stones?

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
1 Samuel 17:50

He only needed one stone, but was prepared with five.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The tiniest instructions are important:

‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.’ Leviticus 19:9-10

God wants us to be generous and caring. He specifies how He would like this done in our fields and vineyards, with all that we are and have.

wheat field

The details are amazingly minute, yet, for God, each part is vital to the whole:

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. And he made for the house windows with recessed frames. He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:1-7

Prophet-Pearls-19-Terumah

Every last detail. The Bible is filled with instructions to build up, to tear down, a way to walk and to obey, to gather manna and when. God, You are the LORD our God.

May we see that God is in every small and great part of our lives:

Are the comforts of God too small for you,
or the word that deals gently with you? Job 15:11

small-daisies-macro-2560x1440-wallpaper643728

And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. Mark 12:42

Jesus knows the poverty from which she gave.

Mark-12_44-Pentecost-24

God knows all that is, that was, and that which will be:

The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in its time. Isaiah 60:22

isaiah-60-22

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Isaiah 60:22:

They will appear the more glorious, and God will be the more glorified in them, if we compare what they are with what they were, the happiness they have arrived at with the smallness of their beginnings: “A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation.’ The captives that returned out of Babylon strangely multiplied, and became a strong nation. The Christian church was a little one, a very small one at first-the number of their names was once but 120; yet it became a thousand. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands swelled so as to fill the earth. The triumphant church, and every glorified saint, will be a thousand out of a little one, a strong nation out of a small one. The grace and peace of the saints were at first like a grain of mustard-seed, but they increase and multiply, and make a little one to become a thousand, the weak to be as David. When they come to heaven, and look back upon the smallness of their beginning, they will wonder how they got thither.

3850_1920x1200

God cares about everything. He created this world. He created the beasts of the fields and the birds of the air. He created you and me. He wants us to trust Him, count on Him, lean on Him for everything.

He cares for us as He cares about what is in His Word. He wants us to read each word, seeking His Truth. The entire Word of God guides us in our way as we walk with the Author. The entire Word of God draws us towards, and to, the Finisher of our faith.

a5507b376b1f214df96af92fc2226a55--tapestry-weaving-fiber-art

Father God, You are the Shepherd of my life. You love me and care for me as if I were Your only lamb, yet I am one of 7.5 billion people on this Earth today. You love them as You love me. I am so filled with gratitude, Father. I am humbled by the details that are important to You. As tiny as the lines on my fingers are, the minutiae of everything is of concern to You. May I cling to You, learning from You as I go. As I see, read, and hear all that concerns You, may it also concern me. I pray that it does and will. You wove me in Mama’s womb, knitting me together. As a weaver places ones thread down at a time and ends up with a beautiful piece of art, You have interlaced Your life-giving threads to form me. I am extremely complex and barely understand even a tiny bit of what is going on inside of this body, mind, spirit and soul. You do. Every cell is important. Every bit of me. Every bit of everything. Thank You, my Gracious Father. In the minutiae, You are there, LORD. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

beblacksig

Reunion at Sunset, Hand Woven Tapestry by Maximo Laura, Alpaca, Peru

(If you have time, visit his site as he is actually weaving a piece more intricately detailed than this one on the front page.)

One Word Inspiration Quotes: Minutiae: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=One+Word+Inspirational+Quotes&id=78ECCF1184EC1B8A01EE48BE027DF8CA39386E59&FORM=IDBQDM

Dragonfly: Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361202832585754948/

Fingerprint/Minutiae: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=minutiae&&form=IDIVXX

snow: Pixabay https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo

stones: K. Gallagher https://graceintorah.net/2015/06/19/five-smooth-stones/

Wheat Field Harvest: http://michellespahr.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-harvest-field.html

Solomon’s Temple: Nehemiah’s Wall https://www.nehemiaswall.com/prophet-pearls-terumah

Small Daisy: http://randomwallpapers.net/small-daisies-macro_w643728

Mark 12:42-44 http://www.suggest-keywords.com/bWFyayAxMiA0NA/

Horses (Isaiah 60:22) https://faithpictures.wordpress.com/

Isaiah 60:22: Crossmap.com http://www.crossmap.com/backgrounds/isaiah-when-the-time-is-right-3850/lightbox/1920×1200

In The Park – Landscape Tapestry by Baiba Ritere https://www.pinterest.com/pin/358247345332477548/

Seasons Change

September 21, 2015January 2, 2017 / Being Woven / Leave a comment

“Even the stork in the sky
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush
Observe the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The ordinance of the LORD.” Jeremiah 8:7

As the seasons begin to change in some area, South Texas has not quite hit that beat. A day here, a day there, we notice that the winds are out of the East or Northeast; they are a bit more dry…the first signs of Fall for us.

But in the next month, I will look to the skies and see a large “V” of White Pelicans floating across the sky to make their Winter home here in South Texas…every year. They know their seasons, and they know the route of their migration.

I see God orchestrating this pageant in the sky.

Seasons change bringing various weather shifts; seasons in my life change too. I want to be open to God’s changes for me, for my husband and me. I want to hear Him, feel His leading, and know that this is the way…that I should walk in it.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:… Ecclesiastes 3:1

Father, Your creation is so majestic. These amazing birds fly silently above as they float in each Fall. They remind me of Your majesty because they are of You. They renew me as I look up to see the bright white in the sky when so many are together as the warm sun beams upon their white-white feathers. Then they change direction as if they are one large bird circling in the bright blue sky; their color changes to a gray-black, and then back to white as they circle around. Oh, Father, they are beautiful and I so look forward to their arrival once again. Thank You, LORD, for Your creation. May I be open to Your will as the seasons in my life change too. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Praising the Creator

September 11, 2015October 25, 2015 / Being Woven / Leave a comment

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise Him in the heights!

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Praise Him, all His angels;

praise Him, all His hosts!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon,

praise Him, all you shining stars!

Genesis 1:16-18a – And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

4 Praise Him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

Genesis 1:6-8a – And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!

For He commanded and they were created.

6 And He established them forever and ever;

He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Genesis 1:20-21a – And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

Genesis 1:11-12a – And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.

10 Beasts and all livestock,

creeping things and flying birds!

Genesis 1:24-25a – And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind.

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for His name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven.

Genesis 1:2b – And God called the expanse Heaven.

Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.

14 He has raised up a horn for His people,

praise for all His saints,

for the people of Israel who are near to Him.

Praise the Lord!

Amen. Amen,

This beautiful psalm of praise sidles up alongside Genesis 1 throughout. Each part of God’s creation comes forth to honor and praise the Creator.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Father, the Creator of All, You saw that all was good, even very good. I am so humbled that You even made me amongst all of the beautiful and incredible mountains and flowers and butterflies and beasts. You are such a beautiful One, the Holy One of Israel. You created and I deserve all the honor. I thank You. I love You, Father God. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus…Amen.

Graphic/Photo: Sweet to the Soul

Doxology: Words: Thomas Ken, 1674. These lyrics, sung as the Doxology in many churches, are actually the last verse of a longer hymn, Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun. Music: Old 100th, Genevan Psalter, 1551, attributed to Louis Bourgeois

31 Days of God-Woven Moments – October 24

October 24, 2014January 7, 2016 / Being Woven / Leave a comment

Upon graduating from college, I could see that I had gone to school and taken all of the courses I HAD to in order to graduate, but had not taken ONE class just for fun! So in the 1970s, I attended an adult education class in weaving. I learned the basics and then kept taking courses, kept experimenting, kept trying to make art out of something which I knew was really just a hobby. But I was enjoying it all so much.

I learned to spin various wools, including sheep, of course, goat, camel, alpaca, llama, cotton, and probably a few others. I learned to use the drop spindle, the Navajo spindle and a spinning wheel. I learned to dye to yarns. I even had a sheep-shearing experience. I wanted to learn the whole process.

I wove on what we call off-loom although the hoop or the frame is the loom, but it was making an individual loom. Later on, I actually made a loom similar to a Navajo loom where I made this first large one (below). It is actually four and a half feet by five and a half feet, all handspun yarns. I made one larger than this and it was a commissioned piece. Cool!

I often do not have a plan when I start. I just go with the flow and have fun!

I made up my own design using a crochet hook and needles for this light colored one with thin yarns.

The colored one is geometric using cotton yarns.

Blues and grays make up this very geometric and symmetrical circle of wool yarns.

A woven wool wheel with a center was not easy, keeping the center wheel in its balanced place, but I did it and have had this one many years.

This one below is woven of handspun wool in the grays and tonal pinks, and store-bought yarns in the black, pink, and purple. It was fun to make geometry take on new avenues as I went.

And these two on this collage are unique. I was daydreaming one day and wanted to try a very thin and strong thread and wrap the warp completely around the frame. I began weaving the design on the front and realized that I could make it three-dimensional by weaving on both the front and back warps. The darker one is of a snowy day in the forest and the lighter is a seascape.

God gave me creativity and this is one avenue that I found for His beauty and fun to flow from me. I have done this since the mid 1970s, although am not doing it now for physical reasons, but still love the art. I appreciate others for the doing.

I have some yarns that one day I may make into a basket. I have done that before as well as quilting, crocheting and knitting. God will keep His creation creating, I am sure.

Father, my Creator, thank You for gifting me with talents that flow and are fun. Thank You for allowing me to create pieces that have been enjoyed by others and even bought by some. Thank You for all of the teachers You have given me along the way. I am so grateful and delighted to have done this. I may not have known to give You the glory then, but I do now. Oh, how I do! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

To catch up on the previous days of this 31 day challenge, you can find them listed here.

31 Days of God-Woven Moments – October 8

October 8, 2014December 28, 2016 / Being Woven / Leave a comment

She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle. Proverbs 31:19

In order to spin flax or long-fibered wool, it makes it easier if the unspun is draped over a distaff. A distaff is a stick or staff that is designed to hold those fibers. The spinner pulls a piece from the unspun wool and begins to turn the spindle. A thread is created and then this spun thread gathers upon the spindle. The distaff makes the spinning process easier by keeping the fibers untangled, making for a steady flow of those fibers into the fingers of the spinner.

These pictures above are not a depiction of the attire of the Proverbs 31 woman, yet the distaff and spindle have not changed much from then to even today. Those who spin today use a spinning wheel more often than a spindle. I, personally, liked using this type of spindle as well as the Navajo spindle along with the spinning wheel. They each gave me great satisfaction in this creative process.

LORD God, You gave each one of us a gift of creativity. I pray that each one of us use the abilities You have given us to full capacity. You created us and the world. Now may we turn back to You with the beauty of the skills and the arts for which You made us. Thank You, Father, for Your gifts. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

To catch up on the previous days of this 31 day challenge, you can find them listed here.

חֹמֶר

שָׁחַת

Share this:

Like this:

Great Is the Lord

יָדָה

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

ἐξέρχομαι

ὑπάγω

Share this:

Like this:

ἀρχή

κτίσις

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: