Message Quilts: Quilts that Speak

We are learning at Shore Vineyard Church, South Toms River, NJ, about love and honor, the concept of seeing people as God sees them and recognizing their potential to be amazing when God finishes his transformation in them.  I had the opportunity at church one day to see that sort of honor in progress right before my eyes.

A little girl started climbing on the edge of the stairs by the railing where she could fall and get hurt.  Her mother might have yelled, “Get down before you hurt yourself!”  Instead she said to the girl, “Come off the stairs.  You are not acting like yourself.  That’s not who you are, climbing where you know you’re not supposed to be.”  The mother took her daughter by the hand and called her back to her identity.

That’s how God calls us back when we go astray, too.  If we lie, he doesn’t call us liars.  He reminds us who the “father of lies” is, and who our Father is.  “That’s not who you are, little one”, he says.  “You’re my child.”  Then we have the opportunity to say, “You’re right, Daddy.  Forgive me.  I forgot for a moment who I am.” And that counts for however we stray from who God made us to be, whether it’s a lapse back into addiction, lying, unbelief, anger, bitterness, pornography, etc.   

We learn from the Father how to call back to identity people inside and outside of the Kingdom.  Jesus called the dishonest tax collector, Zaccheus down from the tree and told him he was going to Zaccheus’ house for lunch that day.  “Me?” Zaccheus must have thought.  “He wants to hang out with me?” Jesus identified Zaccheus as a man who wanted intimacy with God, and a man whose intimacy God also wanted.  There was no more room for thievery in Zaccheus, the God lover.  Right away Zaccheus promised to pay back four times what he had stolen from the people through unjust tax collection. 

In keeping with the call to love and honor, I invite you in the Ocean County, NJ area to join me in making “quilts that speak”.  Instead of making quilts that are just your favorite colors or pictures, we are asking some different questions.  How can I prophesy over my grandson, daughter, mother, with this quilt?  What is it that God wants to say about this person?

Does God see my grandson as a knight in his Kingdom?  Then I will put knights in shining armor in his quilt.  Does God see my daughter as a princess, daughter of the King of Kings?  Then I will use fabrics with crowns and tiaras.  It doesn’t matter if my grandson is not acting like a knight at the moment, not particularly chivalrous or bold.  If I ask God what he sees in him, and God says “knight”, then I will agree with God and call forth a knight.  If my daughter is going through the rebellious teenage years, but God says “princess”, there will be crowns and jewels befitting the princess she is called to be.

Quilting class currently meets on Tuesday evenings, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at my home in Forked River, NJ.  If you are interested in learning to make “quilts that speak”, please contact me for more information.

I Promise you a Star!

I was remembering a time when Juliana used to come to quilting class at my house, the day I put her on the spot.  She had just finished sewing her blocks and rows together to complete her very first miniature quilt, a lovely patchwork star.  She was delighted how the star appeared when the blocks were all sewn together.

Then I put her on the spot.  “Julie,” I asked.  “Did you believe me when I told you that all these pieces would end up forming a star?”

Juliana is a very truthful young girl, so she paused for a moment before answering me.  “I kinda believed you, but it’s easier when you can see it.  Now I can see it.”

There was a lesson here for the girls in sewing class, and for their teacher.  It was okay that Juliana was not that sure about what I told her, that all those squares and triangles would turn into a star.  After all, she didn’t know me well enough to believe that my words would always be true and reliable.  

Jesus tells us things sometimes, and we can’t see at all how they’re real or true.  But we can trust him that if he says it is so, one day we will see it, too.  We can trust him because we know who he is.  We know he never misleads us, never lies about anything. 

It’s okay to question what others say, even your quilting teacher, but know this:  You can always rely on what Jesus says.  You will see the star.

Underwater at Shore House of Prayer?!?

I spent some time swimming during our recent training session at the Shore House of Prayer.  

No, Shore Vineyard has not (yet) installed a pool.  Let me explain.  Our instructor, Sue was teaching a session on “soaking” or contemplative prayer.  She explained that soaking is resting in God’s presence, choosing to enter into a place of intimacy with the Lord with no prayer agenda on our minds.  Sue instructed our group to “quiet yourself down; fix your eyes on Jesus, think about him; tune into the flow of the Holy Spirit; and receive what he has for you, words or pictures, etc.”  As the soothing instrumental music began, I found a piece of floor at the back of the room, lay down on my stomach, face to the floor and asked the Holy Spirit to come and be with me. 

Sue let us know that as we rested in God’s presence she would be coming around the room and praying over some of us.  When she came and knelt beside me and touched my arm I felt like I dropped into the water and went under.  Now you may not know this about me, (although God obviously does), but when I get the chance to go swimming, my favorite thing is to swim completely underwater for as long as possible, until I have to come to the surface and take a breath.  What a delight to be there in God’s presence, swimming underwater as I love to do, feeling the cool water all around me.  I didn’t want to come up for air, but then I realized I didn’t have to.  I found I could stay immersed and could breathe under water!

Knowing that the soaking time was only 20 minutes or so I began to dread when I would have to get out of the water.  I hate leaving the buoyancy of the water after swimming, feeling the weight of my wet body dragging me down as I climb out.  But as if God read my thoughts I heard him say “You never have to come out”.  I could stay immersed in his presence and walk around that way.  I smiled as I pictured myself walking out of the House of Prayer, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the church carpet. 

How good of God to give this swimmer an underwater experience in his presence.  He’s so personal like that, I bet he would speak to you in a special way, too.  Maybe your favorite place is a garden, or gazing at a star-filled sky, or lying on the beach listening to the waves.  Come and hang out in his presence and let him show you what’s on his heart for you.