Weaving: a Parable

The material that is chosen by the weaver has no say in where or how it will be used. Will it be woven in a simple over-under pattern or will it be used for something more noticeable? How will it look with the other threads? What will the finished design look like?

The thread is not called to make these decisions. They are the business of the weaver. All the thread is called to do is to be available and responsive to the weaver's will.

No thread or other treasure selected by the weaver could ever guess how the weaver will work them all together into a fine and unique fabric. But the weaver, the one who controls the loom, the color selection, the tension on the thread, the size of the fabric -- He knows. Yes, He knows. He is the Master Weaver, incorporating all the experiences of our lives into a design more recognizable to Himself than to us. All He asks is that we be available and responsive to His will.

Steve and Sue Robinson

Three or four years ago I came across an announcement about a new support group for parents of special needs kids and called the first person on the contact list. Her name was Sue Robinson; she told me she had recently retired from the school district as a school psychologist and had joined with other women from her church to form this group. She answered all my questions and we chatted far afield for about 45 minutes. Then one of us mentioned Seattle Pacific University. “Oh, did you go there?” “Yes, back while it was still a college!” “So did I. When were you there?” “I was a transfer student in 1969. I lived in the dorm for a year and then got married,” said Sue. “That's when I was there! I lived in Marston that year. How about you?” You guessed it – Sue and I were on the same floor!

The more we talked the more we remembered. Then she said, “I think you attended my wedding!” I was a bit hazy about that detail, but later she looked at her guest book and found my name.

That was the summer of 1970. After summer jobs ended, four of us piled into a VW bug and set off for a week. One of our stops was Steve and Susie’s wedding in Vista, California.

Just a couple of weeks ago I found a small Disneyland bag with more evidence that I had attended their wedding – a tiny dove, a small gold paper bell, and a barely recognizable frosting flower, my souvenirs from their wedding cake! (What was I thinking??)

Married now almost 40 years, Steve and Sue have always been helpers. Their working years were dedicated to helping through education and law enforcement. They also like adventure. Two years ago they were set to take a trip around the US in their motor home, but went to California instead, where they could help Sue’s mom through a transition period of her life. They contacted a Christian camp not far from her mom’s and learned that they could park their trailer on the grounds and volunteer their time working with another group of people in transition – men and women in a Christian drug and alcohol rehab, where they've been for the past two years. At last they'll take that cross-country trip in March.

They don't fool me when they say the'll be home in June, though. I suspect that along the way they will find some very worthy project to pour their lives into and will roll up their sleeves and volunteer for a time. I may have to settle for an occasional e-mail from a very dear friend who keeps coming popping up in my life.

Space Camp

Jonathan Schmidt, now 15, won a writing contest sponsored by the local IGA market and got to spend a week at NASA Space Camp in 2006. I invited him to write an article about that experience.

“Jonathan, someone is on the phone for you…” called my mother from the kitchen. I walked briskly across the concrete floor of the makeshift house that we were living in and answered the phone.

“Hello?” I said into the phone receiver, wondering who it was.

“Hi, I am calling from the IGA and you have just won the space camp writing contest.”

“REALLY!! That is awesome!!”

And so started my preparation for space camp, one whole week where I would be experiencing what it would be like to be an astronaut. Although the trip was not till August I was quite excited about flying to Alabama and even about just winning something in a contest! The rest of the year seemed to fly by until it was T-10 days. I gathered my stuff, prepared my books, and then the day came when I was to liftoff on my way to Huntsville, Alabama.

After many hugs and I Love Yous from my parents I set off with the group of other contest winners to our waiting room. At first I didn’t seem to fit in and the plane ride there was pretty lonely. After we got there we were initiated into the program, given our space suits and sent to unpack in our dorms. With the little space that was in the dorm room our stuff spilled out over the floor and soon it looked like my room in there.

The whole week was a blur of information, memories, and fun activities that I did with my new friend Daniel. During the day we would buy sodas, learn a bunch of stuff, go to some more parts of the camp and eat tater tots for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At night we would get into our bunks and use the flashes on our disposable cameras to blind each other while telling stories. The humidity and heat made it so that I only had to sleep in my blue space suit and so I kept it on all week and by the end was so comfortable in it that I didn’t want to take it off.

I learned many things but probably not as many as I could have because I concentrated more on having fun and exploring than learning information. I did learn about the Apollo missions and where Apollo 13 went wrong. They had a huge museum on different space missions, things such as the different probes that first traveled space.

Finally it was time to go and as we boarded the plane home I lovingly remembered my first out of state trip and still from this day look back on those fun filled days and think of the tater tots that I enjoyed.

Snow on the Mountain

Looking for a great party meal that is fun and easy? It's best in winter (as the name suggests) and would be a hit for a New Years gathering. It makes a simple potluck if each of your guests brings an item or two from the recipe.

Here are the ingredients we use for Snow on the Mountain, but I'll leave the amounts up to you, depending upon the size of your crowd. We substituted frozen green peas for the green onions. (We called them snow peas!)

Snow on the Mountain

White rice, cooked

Curry chicken

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Chopped green onions

Chinese noodles

Black olives, sliced

Shredded cheddar cheese

Chunk pineapple, drained

Slivered almonds

Flaked coconut

Cook chicken (we boil a whole chicken and use part of the meat as well as the stock for the curry chicken); follow the recipe below for curry chicken. Make a big pot of white rice (sticky rice works best for this). Assemble ingredients, a bowl for each item, and line them up in the order listed above. To create your mountain, make a base of rice on your plate. Then, one by one, add the other ingredients until you have a lovely and tasty mountain. (The coconut is the snow.)

Curry Chicken for 16

large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth

4 Tbs curry powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp thyme

12 whole cloves

4+ Tbs cornstarch

1 c cold water or broth

4 c chicken meat, cut it bite sized pieces

Fry the onions and garlic in oil. Add the broth and the seasonings. Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat then mix up the thickener by dissolving the cornstarch in cold water or broth. Add the thickener, stirring briskly, until mixture is smooth. (If you don't stir it rapidly enough you will end up with lumps of cornstarch.) Return to heat until it comes to a boil, and let it boil for one minute -- stirring the whole time. Add in the chicken just before you serve.

Photo by Joe Dyer

The Christ Candle

"This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his Son, his one and only Son.

And this is why:

so that no one need be destroyed;

by believing in him,

anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son

merely to point an accusing finger,

telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help,

to put the world right again.

Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted;

anyone who refuses to trust him

has long since been under the death sentence

without knowing it.

And why?

Because of that person's failure

to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God

when introduced to him."

"A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy.

I came so they can have real and eternal life,

more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

"In this godless world

you will continue to experience difficulties.

But take heart!

I've conquered the world."

(John 3:16-18; 10:10; 16:33. The Message)

Hallelujah!

As I stood in front of the egg cooler at Haggen the other day, trying to make my choice, the strains of The Hallelujah Chorus began. I loaded up on eggs and continued with my shopping, smiling and singing along (quietly, of course). "...And He shall reign forever and ever...King of Kings, and Lord of Lords...Hallelujah!"

Here are three renditions of The Hallelujah Chorus. Choose the one that best suits your style, or listen to them all. Sing along if you like. Rejoice! "For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!"

He Came

Celebrating the birth of Jesus, and wishing you a blessed Christmas.