The Weaver

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

THE WEAVER
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Written by B.M. Franklin (1882-1965)

My life is just a weaving
Between my Lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaves so skillfully.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And explain the reasons why-

The dark threads are as needful,
In The Weaver’s skillful hands
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

Change: Its about THE DANCE

He cradles us and delights in our trust. He sings over us songs of deliverance and friendship and the dance. He invites us to invite others into the dance that will never end but reflects His sufficiency in each new stanza. Our partners may change faces but it is really Him in each refrain. But must we change? I am happiest with THIS SONG! I know this one best but I feel the change is at the door and it feels like death not new beginnings. Am I allowed to grieve? Must I celebrate? Must I dance? “Yes, my beloved, dance!” You smile as only you can, a smile that comes from a broken heart that carries our griefs and bares our sorrow to free us to love and receive love without borders. “Yes, DANCE!” You laugh, “But let Me lead!”

Change: Its about THE DANCE

Glory in the garage: finding the light in the strangest places

Walking out to the parking garage after work I almost had my breath taken away by the beauty of the setting sun flooding the space. There was no hiding from the sun and everything cold and familiar was transformed into jaw dropping, breathtaking beauty. Come, see if you don’t agree then marvel and ponder: what changed the mundane into a miracle?

The answer, of course, is that nothing changed inside the garage except the time of day. God says He makes all things beautiful in His time. Do you want to be beautiful? Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to show you who He really is. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door shall be opened. Ask and it shall be given. God says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, plans for your welfare and not calamity.

Then you will call upon Me and I will listen to you and you will seek Me and find Me when you look for Me with all your heart.

What inspires you? How about the Code of the West? How about Art?

I visited the museum and firehouse in Franktown, Colorado, with my daughter and her children. The first thing that caught my eye was the Code of the West hanging in the entry just inside the front door. I thought it worth passing on.

The firemen at the station became the glue to transform a motto into a real hero. These guys totally threw themselves into sharing their tools and adventures with our little band.

I can’t help but think the Code of the West tugs at each of our hearts. It sets the bar high for honor and faithfulness and endurance and giving promises and commitments that require personal sacrifice and a hero’s heart. Don’t we want to be all that? Don’t we want to see the ones we love most to have the heart of a lion that will risk heaven and hell for our safety? That’s what Jesus did for us. And that is the bar my grandfather aspired to when he fell in love with my grandmother. Here I share with you his heart in a precious letter he wrote to his beloved O so many years ago. Enjoy and be inspired!

Update on Fly fishing: oil dedicated to Dwight

Dwight is a dear friend recently diagnosed with cancer. I want to gift him with words and reminders of things that are precious to him–things that fill his heart with peace and joy and hope. Dwight and his wife, Jan are avid fly fishermen. I googled images of fly fishing and was captured by this early morning one shrouded in mountain fog. The picture did not have the amber tones my camera picked up and I added a verse to it on power point but decided to attach it to the back of my canvas in a card instead at the suggestion of my daughter. What do you think?

It’s been a long, hard journey for Dwight. He’s had chemo, radiation, a feeding tube and near death hospitalized for aspiration. It’s been a privilege to participate in Dwight’s recovery and, as a nurse, facilitate his rehab efforts. Now he is on the other side, praise God! Dwight’s PET scan showed no evidence of cancer in his entire body! Next stop: feeding tube out! Woohoo!!!

So, about the painting, the neatest and sweetest pay I could ever receive was when Dwight said he would visualize my painting every time he was in the radiation tube receiving treatment. It brought him peace and encouragement. Thank you Jesus!

Dwight had the painting framed and displays it in his living room on a cool easel. Here it is!

Cute beyond words: Aren’t grandkid so great?!!!

Between crawling and standing the entertainment is huge.

What a tremendous gift and blessing! I pray for them to remember how much I love them. I pray these lambs find my God early and know, like me that He is a good Shepherd. May they know when they stumble, and we all do, that God is merciful, forgiving, faithful, strong, complete and not needing or wanting our pain or indulgences. May they journey in hope and joy and fearless confidence in faith knowing God has a plan for their lives and He always has their backs.

Look up! God wants you to thrive!

http://bible.com/1/rom11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Throughout the book of Eccleciastes written by King Solomon, the wisest man on earth historically, whom God blessed beyond imagination with wealth and power and influence the Preacher, himself, says everything is vanity or useless. There is nothing new under the sun. In this book Solomon talks from experience for his resources and ability to experiment with ways to find happiness were inexhaustible. He becomes cynical and dismal for, apart from God in the search for happiness, life does have no meaning. But throughout this classroom with Solomon the Preacher he peppers a little light that being content and working hard and remembering God is the solution to discontent and unhappiness. “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth while the evil days come not or the years draw nigh when you say you have no pleasure in them.” While you are still able — mind and body functioning well–look up above the circumstances that grip your heart and throw you into confusion and despair.

My daughter bought me a small wall hanging that said “I bought you a kite so you would look up.”
I guess she was trying to tell me something. Sometimes, for some more often than others, we need to be reminded to look up. We hate to hurt and not have answers but sometimes pain forces us to stop and consider our direction and choices in life and to cause us to reach out to God for help. In Jeremiah 33:3 God says call unto me and I will show you great and mighty things. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not calamity.” Jesus said in John 10:10 He came to bring us abundant life. God wants us to thrive.

There are those days:who says the dentist isn’t fun?

Yikes! Honestly I was a good sport but in my mind I had to fight off a panic attack. I salivate like a saint bernard and my jaws were never meant to open that wide. With all that, I feel like I can’t swallow enough and am near drowning on my back with both of the dentist’s hands in my mouth. Top that off with a nerve that refuses to numb despite repeated shots and you have a drilling torture chamber. His final words were “Just hang in there. I’ll be done soon.” This nighmare took 2 hours and 20 minutes of my precious time off. Boohoo! Sigh. But on the bright side, because I knew I was going to be a hot mess I minimized the misery by telling the dentist I needed a bite block to rest my jaws and I wanted to hold the suction so I wouldnt feel like I was drowning. This is what they brought out: an “isolight” that comes with a silicone bite guard so I can swallow, a flange that shields the back of my mouth from the shrapnel when he drills, built in suction and a light. I was not in dental heaven but it was a definite upgrade from hell to purgatory.

http://bible.com/8/luk1.4