in the words of eugene peterson…

Flash floods of tears, torrents of them,

Erode cruel canyons, exposing

Long forgotten strata of life

Laid down in the peaceful decades:

A badlands beauty.  The same sun

That decorates each day with colors

From arroyos and mesas, also shows

Every old scar and cut of lament.

Weeping washes the wounds clean

And leaves them to heal, which always

Takes an age or two.  No pain

Is ugly in the past tense.  Under

The Mercy every hurt is a fossil

Link in the great chain of becoming.

Pick and shovel prayers often

Turn them up in valleys of death.

[Jesus said,] “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”

Matthew 5:4

st. paul’s song

ST. PAUL’S SONG
(I CORINTHIANS 13) BY PIERCE PETTIS
©1984, LET’S-HAVE-LUNCH MUSIC

IF I SPOKE IN TONGUES OF MEN
AND SPOKE IN TONGUES OF ANGELS
IF I COULD NOT SPEAK WITH LOVE I’D JUST BE CYMBALS CLANGING
EVERYONE WOULD HOLD THEIR EARS
THEY WOULDN’T KNOW HOW TO TAKE IT
AND NOT A SOUL WOULD WANT TO HEAR
A RACKET SO OUTRAGEOUS

IF I SPOKE IN PROPHECY
THE FATE OF MEN AND NATIONS
IF I KNEW THE MYSTERIES
AND THE SECRETS OF CREATION
AND HAD ALL THE FAITH I NEED
ENOUGH FOR MOUNTAIN MOVING
WITHOUT LOVE TO CARRY ME
OH, WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO ME

    LOVE IS KIND, IT SUFFERS LONG
    IT’S NEVER PROUD OR JEALOUS
    LOVE WILL NEVER DO YOU WRONG
    LOVE WILL NEVER FAIL US
    IT HOPES, BELIEVES, AND BEARS ALL THINGS
    IT’LL NEVER BE DEFEATED
    MORE THAN FAITH
    MORE THAN HOPE
    LOVE IS THE GREATEST
   
KNOWLEGE, PROPHECY WILL FADE
AND TONGUES WILL ALL FALL SILENT
BUT LOVE THAT LIVES IS HERE TO STAY
SOLID AND DEFIANT
THOUGH IT’S HARD TO SEE THESE THINGS
AS THROUGH A DARK GLASS STRAINING
WHEN WE’RE STANDING FACE TO FACE
THE TRUTH WON’T NEED EXPLAINING

AND THOUGH IT’S HARD TO SEE THESE THINGS
AS THROUGH A DARK GLASS STRAINING
WHEN WE’RE STANDING FACE TO FACE
THE TRUTH WON’T NEED EXPLAINING

the heights…

Psalm 18: 31-34

Who is my God, except for You, Lord? And who is my Rock except for my God? It is You, God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. You make my feet like the feet of a deer; You enable me to stand on the heights. You train my hands for battle.

renewed strength…

Isaiah 40:28-31
 28 Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.
 29 He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.
 30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;
 31 but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

holding onto…

Psalm 71

71:1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

7 I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
11 and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.

22 I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.

winter blu…

I didn’t mean for it to be this long in between posts, but so is life, I guess… As you can see, we’ve had snow, and it has definitely gotten cold enough to feel like a real winter finally.

My big winter change has been going back to full-time work after a 2 year hiatus of exploring and juggling some part-time jobs. I find it all extremely interesting…and see now more than ever that we really make our lives what they are – whether we are being intentional about it or not.

This is definitely not going to squash my crafting projects. In fact, I’ve got a big Crafting Day with friends lined up soon! But it does mean that I’m probably leaning more towards knitting these days as it’s easier to pull out than my sewing machine. (One of these days I will have a table designated solely for that little workhorse…oh, heavenly days. Sing it, Patty!)

So, for now, my blog must bear with me…

no other gods

i had picked up a book/biblestudy at the After Eve conference this past November. it’s funny – I remember a friend of ours mentioning that she was a part of a biblestudy about modern day idols last year, and what do ya know? this was the book that grew out of that small group of women, and she is mentioned and quoted in the book! funny how things come full circle.

anyways, kelly minter is the author. she also happens to be a singer, songwriter, speaker, etc., etc., etc. I got to work with her a little back when I was coordinating speakers for After Eve…but this is the first time that I actually get to enjoy some of her written work. You can read about it here, and I’ve also included a pic.

 The thing that struck me already in the intro was this: 

“The whole idea of false gods was a quick word, though anything but a quick fix. It marked the beginning of a life-changing process for me. A journey that required some tearing down of the things that were taking the place of God in my life. Not for the sake of destruction, however, but for the promise of the new, the strong, and the life-giving.”

…and that was it – I was hooked. this is too amazingly parellel to some things I’ve been focusing on the past months, this whole idea of “tearing down” and rebuilding…transformation into something new. ever since I studied Daniel chapter 4, about King Neb’s dream…”Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field.” Daniel 4:15 

And then, I came across this verse which so perfectly illustrates the promise of what is to come – after the “tearing down,” and yes, I find hope…

“For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail.” -Job 14:7

I am in awe, and my hope is renewed…and thus, my obsession with seemingly dead trees. ; )

new year’s tradition kept…

If I think back to all the New Year’s days growing up, the memory is not complete without my little Japanese grandmother in the kitchen making ozone soup (prounouced O-ZON-EE, not related to our atmosphere). I remember walking in to see Grandma and my great aunties sitting around the table with their little bowls of ozone, dipping their mochi in it with chopsticks. (Mochi-making is another New Year’s tradition…but that’s a whole other story that deserves a lot more pictures.) It will always be a warm memory for me…and a tradition that I hope to continue. Having my sisters and  sisters-in-law around me enjoying a hot bowl of ozone to ring in the New Year – what could be better?

So, having just visited my grandmother this past weekend, she sent me off with my little bag of homemade mochi, and some bamboo shoot leftover from our sukiyaki dinner the other night. All I had left to do is go to the market for some fresh chicken, taro root, napa cabbage, and lotus root (or renkon). Two Asian markets later, I had my ingredients and I was ready for New Year’s. (Just don’t ask me if my house is clean or if I’ve figured out how to make those sweet black beans yet – kuromame.)

Maybe it is a sign of age, but I approached this task with some sure intentions…to enjoy the process, remember the traditions, appreciate my family, cherish my growing-up memories…and not just rush through the preparation to the end result. I spent most of the day just taking my time, making the broth, preparing the vegetables, getting just the right balance of shoyu and sugar, adding a little sake! and mirin for good measure. I toasted my mochi, pulled out my Japanese china bowls, and served it up. Yep, Jeffry even ate it…and enjoyed it! Well, ok, he didn’t eat the mochi with it – I made a little rice for him on the side…but I was just thrilled that he enjoyed the ozone enough to have leftovers later.

It was a good day. Even though I may be far away from family, I took great comfort in knowing that somewhere else in the country, my grandmother was putting the same kind of care into making ozone for the family around her. And…I text messaged my brother and sisters to let them know that they were missing out on ozone by not spending their New Year’s with me! ; )

knitting needles find a home…

One of my dearest friends taught me how to knit a few months ago…little did I know it would be simply an introduction to my latest passion. But let’s not get me started on knitting…. ; )

For her birthday (which just so happens to be right near Christmas), I decided to make her something special…something etsy-ish, something lovingly handmade. I followed a very well written tutorial on Multicrafty and got in some good quality sewing time. And now I think I want to keep it for myself. ; )

I went ahead and put my own vintage needles in it so I could take a nice picture….but now it’s all wrapped up and under the tree waiting for her to open, waiting for her knitting needles to enjoy their new home. Here’s a peek….

old spools…

After years of serving as a candle holder or just sitting around in storage, I finally found the right job for this old spool I found hunting around the ‘buck hut’ at the White Elephant up in Essex, Massachusetts with my buddy, Melissa. Isn’t it perfect? In this case, the original function has turned out to be the best. ; ) I just need to figure out how to build a little stand for it to sit on in the living room…let me know if you have ideas!