A Stitch At A Time

   In September I seized the opportunity to take a tablecloth from a pile of things my brother-in-law was giving away. His wife (who passed away last year) had bought this tablecloth and only got a few stitches in it. Summer was winding down and I was looking for something to do this winter. I took it thinking it would take me all winter to do it.

   On October 1, I put the first stitches in it. I had not done any embroidery for a long time and enjoyed it so much I couldn't let it alone. I'm not writing a book this winter so I had lots of free time and kept stitching away. I put the last stitches in it this morning. I surprised myself by finishing it in one month and twenty-one days. I have no idea how many hours I have in it.

   I chose the colors to go with my kitchen. It is on the table now but covered with a piece of clear plastic to protect it from spills and stains. We've come a long ways from the days when I used a terry tablecloth because of the frequent spills! Can two old fogies be trusted to keep it clean?

center design

corner design

Led Captivity Captive

   I have read the Bible ever since I could read and memorized passages. I grew up with the King James Version and it is still my preferred version, although I do use other versions for study. Being so familiar with the KJV, I can read over words and phrases without stopping to think what it is really saying. 

   I was reading Ephesians 4 yesterday when the phrase "he led captivity captive" grabbed my attention. Ephesians 4:8 "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." 

   The verse is a quotation of Psalm 68:18. "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men." Clearly, this is a prophecy of the ascension of Jesus and coming of the Holy Spirit. But what do the words "he led captivity captive" mean? Maybe you already know and I am just exposing my ignorance. A little study revealed the meaning and I'll never read over it so lightly again.

   At the time when the Bible was written, great conquerors rode in their triumphal chariots with their captives led in chains on public display.  It is a phrase used in the Old Testament to signify a conquest over enemies, especially over such as formerly had led others captive.

    Jesus conquered the things that had conquered us---sin, the devil, and death. He triumphed over these on the cross; but the triumph was completed at his ascension, when he became Lord over all, and had the keys of death and hades put into his hands. 

   Today there are seventeen missionaries being held captive by violent gang members. If someone would go in and capture the captors, the hostages could go free. That's what Jesus did for us. He captured our captors and set us free from the power of sin and death. The captors are now in captivity.

Tarnished Silver

   We received a pair of silver candle holders for a wedding gift more than fifty years ago. I really liked them and had them on the coffee table for a long time. But, as it goes with silver, they became tarnished and no longer were attractive. I tried to clean them but the silver cleaner I had did not do the job so I put them away. I thought about them once in awhile but didn't remember where I had put them.

   In my fall cleaning this month I found the poor neglected pair of candle holders. Ignoring them had not solved the tarnish problem; they were more black than ever. This time I used a different cleaner and the tarnish disappeared like magic. With their shine restored, they resumed a place of honor on the coffee table. 

   The restoration of the tarnished silver is an illustration of what happens when the proper cleaning solution is applied to the soul. We are pure and innocent at birth. As we grow, human nature begins to appear and the tarnishing begins. The longer the problem is ignored, the worse it becomes. 

   We may resolve to reform and change our wrong behavior, but that does not solve the problem. Not until the blood of Jesus is applied will the tarnish of sin be removed and the heart and mind transformed. With the shine restored, we are useful and a glory to God.

   Knowing the nature of silver, the candle holders will need polishing regularly to maintain their shine. In the same way, human nature keeps cropping up after our initial cleansing. We need a spiritual maintenance program to maintain our shine. The polish is daily Bible reading and prayer. We need the Word of God in us to purify and cleanse the way we think, which in turn affects our actions and prevents tarnish.

   "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word" (Ephesians 5:25b-26.

Boys and Noise

   I remember a poem about boys that was in our church papers way back in the 1950s. My mother cut it out and taped it on the cupboard door in the kitchen because it perfectly described my brothers at that time. Years passed, and I often thought of that poem while I was raising boys. I could still quote the beginning and ending but my memory was foggy on the middle.
   Today I found the poem in a book compiled by Marjorie Ebersole titled Living in Sonshine. In the book, multiple writers shared stories and thoughts about their experiences in raising boys. 

  Here's the poem.

Boys and Noise

by Martha Schmucker

Boys screech and scream

To let off steam.

They laugh and sing

Till echoes ring.

They growl and roar

Behind the door. 

They holler and whoop,

Whistle and toot.

They cheer and chatter,

Clash and clatter.

They moan and mumble, 

Groan and grumble.

They yell and shout, 

Indoors and out.

But who would want boys

Without their noise. 

Happy Birthday Little One

    On Saturday we were privileged to join in celebrating Abigail's first birthday. It was a beautiful evening for a lawn party. The theme was bears and the color was pink. Of course! This was a party for a little girl who is sugar and spice and everything nice.

   The years of waiting for her are fading into a memory as we enjoyed watching her grow and develop in the past year. (Go back to my March 6, 2020, post on how she was brought to life.) She isn't walking without support yet but it won't be long. She has discovered the piano makes sounds and she can climb to the top of the stairs. 

    We are looking forward to watching her continue to grow and develop in the next year. I'm waiting to hear her say "grandma." Grandchildren are the greatest reward for old age!

Seasons

     I hear people saying, "Where did the summer go?" and wonder the same thing. With most of our usual summer activities held on schedule this year, the summer zipped by. We have only five more days until fall officially begins. But already the markets are filled with mums, pumpkins, and other things that silently shout fall is about to pounce on us.

  It's human nature to resist change. Though we might enjoy each season and appreciate a change once it's taken place, there's an undercurrent of anxiety that comes with the build up to the actual change. And though we've let go of the summer in a lot of ways by now, we can't help but hesitate to embrace the new season because we know what fall is leading up to.

   As the equinox creeps closer, the changes are barely noticeable and easy to ignore. It is easier to embrace the beginnings of fall while it is still summer, because we can safely enjoy fall without having to say goodbye to summer.  And then one day we look up and see fall is no longer approaching, it is here. We will flip the calendar to October and resign ourselves to the fact that the summer is over and gone. The change has come and we settle back to enjoy it.

 

The Many Different Seasons

There are many different seasons

In life that we go through,

Times of God's blessing and peace

And times of hardship too.

No matter what the season, 

We find that we are in, 

God is there to lead us on

And give us hope within.

And when the seasons of hardships

Have come into our lives,

We can be encouraged by God

For our hope is placed in Christ.

For we know it's only temporary

And will change as seasons do,

Though it feels like an eternity

And we wonder if we'll get through.

But God's rivers of mercy

Flow down from heaven above

To bring to us refreshment

And to touch us with His love.

So thank the Lord for the seasons,

As different as they are,

And for the growth that comes from it,

Bringing change within our hearts.

By M. S. Lowndes

To Vax or Not to Vax

   Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, so I was one of the first to qualify for a third shot of Moderna vaccine. I got it this morning. As we walked back to our car, Leroy had a brief conversation with the man parked next to us. He had a Trump/Pence sticker on his truck and was quick to let his opinions be known. He said if we would elect the right people next time we wouldn't have all this nonsense. I fail to see how electing the right person would cure a disease.

   The heated debates we were forced to endure all last year did not end after the election but continue on with the issues of wearing masks and getting vaccines. Each side is convinced they are right. I got so tired of things some people persisted in posting on Facebook that I unfollowed them. 

    I chose to get the vaccine and don't object to wearing a mask. That is my choice. Those who choose differently can do so. Posting things objecting to vaccines and masks only tells me what their opinion is and does not change mine. Some of the conspiracy theories are downright ridiculous. A friend of mine said Biden wants to kill off all the old people with the shots. I think she forgot Biden is one of the old people himself. One lady told me she doesn't think Covid is worse than any other disease. If someone in her family died from it I think she might reconsider.

    The more conservative people, and especially those with Amish background, are skeptical of modern medicine and favor natural remedies. That is their prerogative. But with an autoimmune disease like RA, natural remedies will not relieve the symptoms. When every joint is swollen and it hurts to move, the extreme pain can quickly convince a person to be willing to swallow pills that relieve the symptoms. 

    To Vax or not to Vax is a personal choice. Make your choice and let everyone else make theirs.  A wise man said, "In necessary things unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity."