Shadows, Shelves, and the Sovereignty of God

Book #4 is a favorite classic of mine, The Count of Monte Christo, by Alexandre Dumas. I read it about ten years ago, and decided it was high time to read it again - and would be a lot of fun to listen to on an audiobook... which it absolutely was. 

At its core, it is actually based on terrible themes of hatred and revenge. But something I noticed this time was that Edmond Dantes was a passionate and intentional man, for better or worse - as horrible as his revenge was on his enemies, he was all the more generous in his love and care for his friends. Also, I noticed that he gave credit to God for the good and bad things that happened to him and to others. As much as he planned and orchestrated the ruin or honor of the other characters, he trusted that God would accomplish his own will in all of it. Maybe there is some beautiful and praiseworthy truth there afterall...

While listening, I cross-stitched... a lot more work than it might look like. I filled in the white "shadow" behind the words and added the bottom shelf. Most exciting of all, I've completed 1/6 of the picture - woohoo! Time to move the frame over and complete the top third! 

While I was adding the shadows, I felt a little confusion... they weren't always positioned where I thought they should be, and I was tempted to add in stitches here and there to make it look the way I thought it should. But I ultimately decided to trust that the person who designed the pattern knew what they were doing... and I'm glad I did, because well, they did.

And it reminded me of my relationship with God - how all too often his plan doesn't make sense to me, and I find myself trying to "reason" with him about how my plans are much better... ridiculous, I know. My daily walk with him is like a constant course in learning to fully trust him - with reviews, pop quizzes, and ever-increasing challenges. I've found that trust is much easier if I steadfastly hold on to the truth of his sovereignty - that He ALWAYS knows that He is doing and His plan is ALWAYS the best.

So many...

Book #3 is another "beast" that I finally conquered during this project: City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York, by Tyler Anbinder. It is about 770 pages of nonfiction historical content, and it's as heavy (mentally and physically) as an 11th grade textbook. But man, my life is richer because of it!

In the profession/calling that I find myself, this information was incredibly relevant and helpful to me. I loved learning about who has come to the shores of America in each decade since the 1600s, why they came, how they were received, how they affected the course of our country's history, and how their choices caused their descendants to be woven into the fabric of our nation. It was important for me to get a bigger picture view on immigration policies and trends, so I could gain a healthier perspective of the time in history in which I live and work. For anyone who is interested in the current refugee crisis and political decisions about immigration in America (whether you are knowledgeable about it, or not - or think you are because you watch the news), I highly recommend this book.

As I have been stitching the first two words of my cross-stitch pattern, I feel the weight of their significance. It's taken a lot of thread to stitch them, and a lot of time. As each letter has come into focus, I've thought more and more of the effects of the creativity of the God who made us all unique and wonderful, the effects of the curse of sin on our world, and the effects of the redeeming love of Christ.

So many people...
So many colors...
So many flavors...
So many accents...
So many languages...
So many cultural nuances...
So many styles of clothing...
Intricate and complex,
Fascinating and rich,
Beautiful and diverse!

But also -

So many corrupt governments...
So many horrendous disasters...
So many broken communities...
So many inhumane actions...
So many war-torn nations...
So many joys destroyed...
So many lives taken...
Lost and lonely,
Fearful and heartbroken,
Foreign and unfamiliar.

And yet -

So many steps taken...
So many miles crossed...
So many children saved...
So many families healed...
So many dreams reimagined...
So many new possibilities opened up...
So many opportunities found to love and be loved...
Brave and determined,
Resourceful and resilient,
Hopeful and strong!

- "So Many"
c.l. chandler

Thoughts on Needle Threaders and Thimbles

I'm really blessed to have some thoughtful and creative friends, who also happen to read this blog! One of those friends read this post, in which I made a comment about my hand tremors and the challenge of threading needles. So, she bought and introduced me to this handy little gadget:

On one end is a flat metal loop that easily fits through the eye of a needle, but the loop is also wide enough to easily thread. So, you slip it through the eye, then thread the loop, then pull it back through the eye, and voila! The needle is threaded quickly without any fuss or bother. It has dramatically decreased my wasted time and frustration! You may also notice that there is a tiny razor on the other end, which I have found to be very handy in efficiently snipping loose ends. So now the needle threader is one of my favorite tools.

The second audio book I read was Peter Pan. Unlike War and Peace, this one is a lifelong favorite of mine that I have read a dozen times. It's a book that I think children enjoy, but adults can deeply appreciate.

While we're on the subject of sewing instruments, I smile as I remember one of my favorite scenes: Peter and Wendy's "kiss." There is a bit of a language/cultural barrier in the nursery after Wendy sews Peter's shadow back on him (the only natural thing to do), and when Peter holds out his hand to receive Wendy's kiss, she gives him a thimble. In return, Peter chivalrously gives her a "kiss" as well - an acorn button from his shirt. Wendy threads it on a chain and wears it around her neck to keep it close to her heart. Later in the story, Peter's "kiss" actually saves her life... in that classic, timeless way of the very best fairy tales.

And why does this lead me to worship? Because I know God loves to take our smallest tokens and use them in the biggest ways. Our paper flowers, our thimbles, our pasted valentines that are our pitiful and best attempts at expressing our love and thanks - these are more precious to him than diamonds. Our choice to get out of bed and live for him today, our small step forward of faith and obedience, our simple effort to be kind and caring to others - this is the stuff of legends, in the hands of our great God. And the little pieces of our broken hearts and dreams - these are the raw materials he uses to display his hope, power, and glory.

Just as an acorn button stopped an arrow from piercing Wendy's heart, so also can God take our prayer of commitment and our cry of praise... and draw a lost and dying world into his family and his kingdom.

War and Peace and geometric patterns

I've been trying to get through the classic historical novel, War and Peace, for months. Why? Because I love to intellectually torture myself, of course! And because I crave knowledge - I love to learn and I hate feeling like I don't know important things. War and Peace is one of those books that I think everyone knows of but few have actually read or know what it's about, and I want to be counted among the few. Not because I love war stories (I don't) or am a sucker for ridiculously complex Russian names (I'm not), but because if a book has lived as long as this one has and is still considered one of the greats, I want to know why.

It's a little over 1,200 pages of combined historical commentary and fictional plot, set in 1805-1815, during the Napoleon era. I read the majority of it on my Kindle (Kindles are wonderful for reading hefty books), but decided to download an audio version for the last 20%. Thus, I finished reading W&P while simultaneously beginning my cross-stitch project.  I love multi-tasking!

While my cross-stitch pattern is large, it is not too complicated. Books, as you might already know, have a general geometric shape to them, all straight edges and right angles. There's not a lot so far in the way of shading and blending of colors. So it's been a relaxing and refreshing start. Don't they look nice?

I'll admit that there was quite a bit in the book that I didn't really understand. There was a lot of high philosophy that was over my head, and it was hard to keep all the characters straight. But I'm ok with that because I grasped one significant take-away: Napoleon was not as amazing as we like to think. In fact, none of the political and military commanders of this tumultuous corner of history were incredibly vital to the course of human events. Before you think me dark and cynical, let me explain.

Tolstoy went to long and great lengths in his story to show how foolish everyone was - leaders that tried their hardest to do what they thought would be the best thing, other leaders trying even harder to foil those plans for their own benefit... plans made, battles fought, schemes attempted, blah, blah, blah... And if any of them had been successful, much worse things would have happened than actually did. We often attribute good and bad things that happen in the world to people who seem to us powerful and fearless and clever and indestructible. But Tolstoy boiled it down to an age-old proverb:

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." - Proverbs 16:9 

When directed at selfish me and my plans, this doesn't feel like good news. But when I think of this truth in the perspective of our history and the scheme of eternity, it does bring great comfort and peace. Think back on different eras of history - the real-life evil villains who intended to wipe out whole ethnic groups or take over the world or erase God! How good it is to be reminded that they are not all powerful - THEY DID NOT WIN. None of their wicked schemes came as a surprise to God, and never once has God had to fret over "what to do, what to do!" He is the all-powerful one and establishes the paths and boundary lines for every stooge who thought they could usurp his authority, throne, and name.

The Psalms proclaim his might and power and majesty over and over... I love looking in the pages of Scripture and seeing this truth repeated like an anthem. But when I look up, when I look back, when I hear the stories from every generation, I see that anthem continue. God is the King of all Kings and will be forever and ever, Amen!

Introduction: So Many Books... So Little Time!

Because of my previous cross-stitch/worship-blog project, a friend gave me a very creative gift for my birthday (back in April): she gave me a cross-stitch project. But she didn't just go to the store and buy a packaged set - she actually printed out a pattern, bought the corresponding colors of floss, and bought a canvas! It's a pretty big (8in x 12in), and the image includes 18 colorful books on a bookshelf and the words "So Many Books, So Little Time." It is pretty special, because my friend knows I love cross-stitching AND books AND creative, thoughtful gifts.

I had a lot going on during the past few months and just didn't feel like I could commit to it yet, so I set it aside for the opportune moment... which I believe has finally arrived! I decided that instead of music, I would listen to audio books while I work on this project. Who knows? Maybe I'll get through 18 books in the time it takes me to complete it! But I will blog about the books I'm reading/listening to, and how they call me to worship... because YES, I do believe stories are a wonderful way to worship! 

Here we go!