Welcome to my home:
a place to rest,
a place to revive,
a place to pray.

Most often when my mom tries to give me something that she has found in her attic...

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I kindly refuse. I have enough stuff!!

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However, yesterday, when I went for a visit, she had a container full of her grandmother's embroidery waiting for me. I have always loved the intricacy of any kind of needlework. I've never done it myself, but l am a true appreciator of the labor that goes into every stitch on each design.

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I came home with the container and thoroughly enjoyed laying out some of my great grandmother's work.

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And then this morning, in God's perfect timing, as he does so often, my daily Bible app spoke into this very thing...

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Guess who else loves embroidery? GOD DOES!

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He tells Moses this when giving building instructions about the temple:

"You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework." Exodus 26:36

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There are other verses in the following chapters that speak of more embroidery within the temple and on the priest's clothing. Isn't that awesome? Embroidery is a God-thing! I slowly realized that I love needlework because... I am made in his image!

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I was also reminded of this truth:

Today, WE are God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16). He dwells with us and in us! Every day he is intentional with his beauty and his love, stitching together an intricate thought-through design. We are his personal handiwork, spanning a lifetime of patient day-in-and-day-out weaving, full of the brightness of his glory as we submit to his detailed plan.

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As he persistently works, he smiles, he laughs, he sheds a tear, he weeps, he hums, he sings, he shouts, he fights for, he triumphs, and he steadfastly loves. He never slumbers; he never sleeps.

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Be encouraged with the painstaking process. He knows what he is doing. He is fully engaged with every stitch within the fabric of your being...for glory and beauty (Ex. 28:40).

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And there is no doubt, that just as I am delighted by my great grandmother's exquisite labor of love that is now resting on my coffee table, and EVEN MORE SO...

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God is delighted with you.

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I've started a new habit.

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In the early morning, when I let my black lab outside, I now walk out with him. For a few moments, I stand on my patio, and look up into the dark sky. This blanket of blackness serves as a backdrop to all kinds of artistry in which the grand Painter uses to speak to me, and I to him. Sometimes the tapestry is full of stars--"Spectacular!" Sometimes it's only the moon--"Brilliant!" And sometimes it's nothing; the fog barricades it all from view.

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The other morning the sky was moonlit, but barely. A layer of fog was traveling by, causing the moon to be there and then, not there. There, and then, not there. Visible and then invisible. Of course, you and I both know the moon was always present, even when it seemed absent.

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Sometimes I need reminding of this in my walk with God. There are times I have complete clarity--body, mind, and spirit. I know what path to take and I feel God's pleasure in it. But then, there are other times when I see nothing, and even feel nothing. (I tend to battle this type of feeling in January and into February.) In this foggy time, is God present or absent?

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God's man Job, shows us how to wrestle with this very thing:

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Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Job 23:8-10

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Notice Job declares both his feeling, "He is not here" and also the truth, "He is working."

Again, he feels this, "I do not see him" BUT at the same time, he declares this, "He knows the way that I take."

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In other words, he might say, "God, you seem absent, but I know you are present! I will put my hope in you!" And these are the very words my soul declared to the Intentional Artist the other morning underneath his foggy-painted moon.

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So friend, remember this...no matter what you feel and don't feel, see and don't see...

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God is present. God is working. God is refining. And God is good.

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Christmas is upon us, and we're all getting ready for...what? Is there a purpose behind this preparation? Across America, and the world, has Christmas become just another reason to throw a seasonal party?

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I asked this very question to myself as I hung my wreath on my own front door. Why the wreath? Does this circular object have meaning, or is it just "pretty" and "fitting" at Christmas? And along with that, why the greenery and red ribbons that wrap around so many door frames, staircases, and mantles? I love the festive look, but is that it? When I asked these heart-questions, the Lord gently reminded me of a passage of Scripture:

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Each household is to take a lamb...your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old...the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts..." Exodus 12:3,5-7

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When my mind settled on these verses, the crimson red ribbons that accompany the evergreen boughs at Christmas became much more than mere traditional decor found on the shelf at Michael's. I suddenly felt a beautiful connection to the Israelites of old. Their Savior is my Savior. I have a Protector over my household as well. He has come, and He lives within. The greenery with red ribbon reminds me to bow my heart in humbled worship.

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Here's another thought: Could the circular wreath we hang on our doors represent God's matchless love that is complete because of the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son? In your mind's eye, trace your finger around a wreath from top, to bottom, to top while reading these all too familiar words:

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

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He came from heaven to earth to be with us, in order to bring us to heaven to be with him. The wreath proclaims eternal life all because of Immanuel!

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So as the world celebrates, does the world know why? When you look at your wreath and the greenery at your door or on your mantle, celebrate your Savior. May the red ribbon remind you of His crimson blood shed for you and your household! Rejoice! His entry into the world has purchased your entry into heaven. This is what the world needs to know. Yes, may our homes and our hearts and our voices sing together, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!"

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