Quilts #2 and #3

I’ve made my first three quilts!  The first one is a wall hanging I made last Christmas as a practice/learning experience.  The second is a large quilt for a bed, and it has a story behind it.  I had commissioned my sister, Robyn, to make the quilt for me.  She has made dozens (or hundreds) of quilts, so I had asked her to make one for me for pay.  She agreed.  For several months I bought various floral fabrics and then finally sent them to her.  About this time, I made the 1st quilt mentioned above and sent her a photo.  Well, that was either a mistake or a blessing, because she responded that she thought I could make my own floral quilt!   She then offered to help me get started by cutting out block pieces and sending them in zip-lock bags.

That was all the incentive I needed because I thoroughly enjoyed making the quilt and designing the layout.  For some reason, I can never play music exactly as written — I have to jazz it up and improvise.  It must be the same with quilts — I can’t follow a pattern exactly; I have to improvise my own as I go along.  Fun.

Still, there was a problem.  When the blocks were finished, I didn’t have any idea how to square them up or sew them together — especially with the weird layout I had planned — so we both agreed to fly to Kansas City to meet up at our dad’s house.  We did that earlier this month, and here is the result!

I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned from my big sister in just a few days.  And we had a blast in our mother’s former sewing room (since she passed away in 2001), sharing secrets and working on this project.  My mother made hundreds of quilts, too, and she would be so pleased (or shocked) to see what I have done.

Here is Robyn working on a pair of my jeans to hem!

If that wasn’t enough, I had also prepared a second grouping of 6″ blocks — my Civil War Quilt! I’ll show you that one on the next post.

Blessed Christmas Day

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:  The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  – Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  – Matthew 1:20-21

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times…He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  And he will be their peace.  – Micah 5:2, 4-5

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.– Luke 2:4-6

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  ”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel — which means, ‘God with us.’”– Matthew 1:23

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:8-12

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  – Luke 2:13-14

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger…The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  – Luke 2:16, 20

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him…they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed…they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  – Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.  – Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

A Western Christmas

Here are some of the lovely scenes around our town in northern Wyoming.  I thought you would enjoy seeing what Christmas looks like in the Wild, Wild West!

What Should We Do?

Three questions, all the same: “What should we do?” Three answers that pretty much cover the whole of our responsibility with one another.

The setting is very clearly laid out in scripture. Luke 3 leaves no doubt about when and where the events occurred.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the vicinity of Jordon, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah. — Luke 3:1-4a (HCSB)

Can anything be more clear? These are verifiable facts, historical details.

He then talks about the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One — the very One the Jews had been awaiting for thousands of years. And he talks about repentance, the only way to prepare for this Coming One. Sins forgiven. Salvation. I underlined five words in my Bible: filled, low, straight, smooth, salvation. Each of these words describe something God would do.

Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God. — Luke 3:4b-6 (HCSB)

Next, he talks about producing fruit consistent with repentance.  If you are truly repentant, you will do the works that prove you are sorry for your sins, straightened up, smoothed out, saved.  In fact, “every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  (v. 9)

Thus, the question.

It was repeated three times, from three parts of society:  the crowds, the tax collectors, and the soldiers.  The answer is stunning, because it shows how to treat others in society.

• With Compassion — To the crowds:  ”The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”  (v. 11)
• With Integrity — To the tax collectors:  ”Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”  (v. 13)  The Message says, “No more extortion…”
• With Respect — To the soldiers:  ”Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.”  (v. 14)  I prefer how The Messages puts it:  ”No shakedowns, no blackmail — and be content with your rations.”

Wow.  I was stunned when I read this today.  This is Biblical counseling in a nutshell.  An entire library of psychological advice summed up in three sentences.  A recipe for human relationships that can stand all trials, setbacks, frustrations and resentments.

• The first — Compassion — has to do with putting others first.  Instead of being all about me, it’s all about you.  I will share what I have with you.  I will notice your need and do something about it.  Jesus added a promise to those who practice compassion:  ”Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”  (Mark 10:21)
• The second — Integrity — has to do with being fair.  How do you want to be treated?  Then do the same for others.  Do you wish they would apologize to you?  Then apologize to them.  Do you wish someone would cherish you?  Then cherish them.  Do you wish someone would notice you?  Then notice them.  Jesus said this sums up the entire Law and the Prophets:  ”Do to others what you would have them do to you.”  (Matthew 7:12)
• The third — Respect — has to do with how you see others.  Do you see them as your servants?  Were they created to meet your needs?  Were you meant to walk all over them, to push your way to the front of a crowd, or to expect help, resources or energy that they don’t have?  No.  With God’s help, we can see others through His eyes, through His love.

Finally, from the third “What should we do” question in verse 14, we can be “satisfied with our wages.”  Dealing with others in our world helps to balance out our need to learn Compassion, Integrity and Respect.  For years, I resented the fact that my husband isn’t the first one to pick up a snow shovel around here.  I finally realized that my resentment was just as wrong as his lack of energy with a shovel.  Maybe my need of patience and forgiveness was more important than the condition of our driveway.  Maybe the removal of my resentment (through simple repentance) was more important than the removal of snow.

When resentment, anger, bitterness, selfishness, disrespect and such things are removed by God through repentance, what remains?  Compassion, Integrity and Respect, among other virtues.  What a brilliant sermon John just gave us in far fewer words than I used.

If you would like to show your love to a child in need this Christmas season, you can do so by sponsoring a child through Compassion International (click the words in red to see children awaiting sponsors). I know for a fact that they work with Compassion, Integrity and Respect.  It is all about helping the children to meet their God-given potential, being honest and fair in all financial details, and giving the poor the honor and dignity they need to realize how much they are loved.  I can’t recommend this enough.  It has completely changed my outlook in life.

I Like This Link

Here is an excellent link to see again during the Christmas season.  I had forgotten about it.  I hope you enjoy it; don’t miss the end of it.  Priceless!  What does Christmas mean to you?

Great Quotes — Nine

It’s time to update you on some of the “hold” scriptures and quotes I’ve come across recently.  When I chose this as my word for the year, I had no idea there were this many different uses of the word.  I’m really wondering what God will give me for a word in 2010 that can even come close in comparison.

The happiest people I know are the ones who have learned how to hold everything loosely and have given the worrisome, stress-filled, fearful details of their lives into God’s keeping.  – Chuck Swindoll, Encouragement for Life

Few could resist Babylon’s charms.  Few had a firm enough hold on reality not to fall for her pretense.  – Beth Moore, Daniel study

That was the reason for Simeon’s song.  Deep inside his tired old heart, he knew that the infant he held in his arms was in truth the One who had been holding him all his life long. — Michael Card, Joy in the Journey

Jacob was born gripping his twin brother’s heel, holding him back, trying to get ahead. — David Roper, Jacob

…train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  –  1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)

David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph.  Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.  – 1 Samuel 23:14 (NIV)

Did We Miss Something?

I have several friends struggling with deep hurts and trials right now.  I keep waking up in the night praying for them.  I’m so sorry they have to suffer in such personal ways.  But I know that God is present and working in their situations.  He showed me this in a strong and powerful way this week.

I was returning from a neighboring town and driving towards the Big Horn Mountains.  I felt nudged to call one of these friends to let her know God was still waking me up in the night to pray.  Lo and behold, she had been sitting in the middle of the room, on the floor, feeling pretty discouraged and low.  God had nudged me to call her at just the right moment.  He loves her that much.  But there is more.

When we finished talking I was delighted to see a glorious sunset before me.  It covered the mountains and the whole town of Buffalo, wrapping all around me.  Only a small portion of the sky was dark, and the rest was covered in bright purples, pinks and blues.  It was unbelievable.  And then I realized — this friend was sitting there in her home, feeling a bit dejected, and had no idea that God’s glory was all around her, on every side and right across the top of the whole town.  She couldn’t even have seen it if I’d called her back to tell her to step outside, because it required a view from the distance.  Some of God’s glory is too big to see; too mysterious and all-encompassing.

But there is more.  My scripture reading the next morning said it all.

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.  – Psalm 103:19 (HCSB)

How often do we sit in despair, not realizing that God is all around, and that His glory actually covers and protects us?  Do we worry over finances or grieve a loss and not realize that His glory covers us in this?  Do we miss what He is doing around us — not seeing that at the same moment of our sorrow He is performing a miracle elsewhere — bringing a child into the world, feeding a hungry soul, lifting a wounded spirit?  Do we forget that it’s not “all about us?”  It’s all about Him — His purposes, His plans, His ways.

It is not to our shame to realize this, for we will not see every sunrise or sunset.  We cannot see His glory in the deepest parts of the ocean or in the darkest caves.  The sorrows and feelings of each of these friends are very deep and personal and cannot be easily dismissed, nor should they be.  We will not always feel or see His glory; we miss so much every day.  But we can at least be encouraged that it always there, and that His Presence is always with us, even when we don’t see it.  We can at least believe and trust that His glory and presence surrounds us in these times.  Perhaps the picture is bigger and greater and far more wonderful than anyone could ever imagine.

Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.  – Psalm 119:18 (MSG)

Missing Scriptures

There’s a lot of scriptures I wish we could read.  They seem to be missing from my Bible.  Here are some of the stories I’d like to read:

• Jesus’ appearance to Simon Peter (mentioned in Luke 24:34 & 1 Corinthians 15:5)
• His appearance also to James (see 1 Corinthians 15:7)
• The conversion of several priests (Acts 6:7)
• Philip’s sudden appearance in Azotus (Acts 8:40)
• Paul’s revelation (Galatians 2:2)
• The women’s prayer meeting (Acts 16:13-14)
• The childhood of Jesus (Luke 2:52)
• Job’s family (Job 42:16)
• Joseph’s bedtime stories (Surely he told bedtime stories!  Genesis 50:22)
• Moses’ funeral (Deuteronomy 34:5-6)

What stories do you feel are “missing” from the Bible?  Surely we will have plenty of time to talk to the Saints and listen to their stories in Heaven, but I still wish I could read some of those stories now.

The Man Who Ended World War II

John Jarvis

“Dad ended World War II.”

This is the message that was relayed to me shortly after I married into the Jarvis family.  ”How in the world did you arrive at that conclusion?” I asked, certain that it could not be true.  To my surprise, I learned it was true, and this is the story.

John Jarvis was born on Christmas Day, 1908 — how appropriate that this young man would be the one to spread peace across the Pacific Ocean.  John enlisted as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in 1944.

John Jarvis -- Guam

His training took him from Officer Candidate’s Training in Arizona, to Harvard University in Massachusetts, then to Louisiana to a base along the Mississippi River.  From there, he received a transfer to advanced headquarters on the island of Guam as a communications specialist.  He arrived there shortly after American forces had recaptured it in the summer of ‘44, and became a member of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’ staff.  He described the Admiral as a “fine old gentleman” who often requested John to join him on his evening walks.  Strangely enough, several Japanese soldiers remained in hiding on the island, unwilling to surrender, and were occasionally seen scurrying across their paths, attempting to break into the American food lockers.

John received several war dispatches under his voice call of “Orangejuice” in those days.  Most of them simply needed decoding and rerouting to other designations.  One such message came from Admiral Turner after the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato, following its suicide mission near Okinawa early in April, 1945.  Admiral Turner relayed the message to CINCPAC headquarters in Guam thus:  ”I may be crazy but it looks like the Japs have quit the war at least in this section.”  Nimitz returned the message, “Delete all after crazy,” knowing that the enemy was probably just waiting for the United States to push farther into Okinawa.  One of the most solemn radio messages received in those days included the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, April 12, 1945, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima August 6, and on Nagasaki August 9, 1945.

Admiral Nimitz

Cease Fire

On August 14, 1945, John Jarvis was on duty when the “cease fire” order came over the teletype from President Harry S. Truman.  He took the order to Admiral Nimitiz, who then gave orders for John to relay the message to the entire Pacific fleet, which he did very happily.  We have a copy of the outgoing teletype, and it says,  ”CEASE OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST JAPANESE FORCES X CONTINUE SEARCHES AND PATROLS X MAINTAIN DEFENSIVE AND INTERNAL SECURITY MEASURES AT HIGHEST LEVEL AND BEWARE OF TREACHERY OR LAST MOMENT ATTACKS BY ENEMY FORCES OR INDIVIDUALS.”

In keeping with his character, the congratulatory signal sent out later by the Admiral said, “The use of insulting epithets in connection with the Japanese as a race or individuals does not now become the officers of the United States Navy.”

John sat down that afternoon and wrote to his wife, Shirley:  ”Honey, I sent out the cease firing order this morning!  That was a big thrill!”  Thrill indeed.  He also wrote similar letters both to his mom and dad.  Around his home town of Winfield, Kansas, he became known as “The Man Who Ended World War Two.”

Formal Surrender

The following day, August 15, was proclaimed “V-J Day” — Victory over Japan.  They formally surrendered to the allies in Tokyo Bay on board the U.S. battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945, bringing an end to World War II.  Perhaps the Missouri was given the honor because it was the President’s home state; incidentally, it’s my home state, too.  A friend of John Jarvis’ that attended the ceremony brought him some 8 x 12 copies of photos he took.  They’re stunning to see!  Click the images below to get a closer look.  We have some other photos that I’ll share next September, on the anniversary date of this event.

Thank you Veterans for your sacrifice!

Surrender onboard the USS Missouri

Admiral Nimitz signs the documents

Great Quotes — Eight

Three really great quotes!

John wrote the book of Revelation to comfort believers who were looking persecution squarely in the face.  He also writes to us today, who are squarely looking at the death of Christendom.  Understanding his purpose in writing is not a matter of decoding or solving some complex mystery as much as it is a matter of simply listening to the Spirit.  – Michael Card, Joy in the Journey

While David knelt at the brook, the world was bounded on one side by an arrogant and bullying people of Philistia and on the other by the demoralized and anxious people of Israel…No one could have guessed that the young man picking stones out of the brook was doing the most significant work of the day…David kneeling, unhurried and calm, opened up another option:  God, God’s ways, God’s salvation.   — Eugene H. Peterson, God’s Message for Each Day, 11/4

We mostly spend [our] lives conjugating three verbs:  to Want, to Have, to Do.  Craving, clutching, and fussing on the material, political, social, emotional, intellectual — even on the religious plane, we are kept in perpetual unrest:  forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance except so far as they are transcended by and included in the fundamental verb, to Be:  and that Being, not wanting, having and doing, is the essence of life.         — Evelyn Underhill