Repurposed with Purpose

            Everyone loves a comeback. In this blog post we meditate on several important comebacks. The most important one is that Jesus came back from the dead, and won our salvation by defeating death. Thus we also, as Christ's followers, will overcome death and the grave.      To start us out, we discuss a comeback that many of us in Kentucky were thrilled by. I n 1998, the University of Kentucky's Men's Basketball Team was dubbed the "Comeback Cats." In their last three games of the NCAA  tournament, they overcome double digit deficits to beat the opposing team. They mastered the art of the comeback, and persevered to win the tournament.      The Cats 1998 season  showed me that the time to give up is never. At our house, I live with my own little comeback kitty. Two years ago, my 11 pound cat (number 132 in the picture), Gabe, was hit  by a car.  For several months his tongue stuck ...

         Today is a tough day. Alani, our repurposed with purpose dog, sadly passed away due to a behavioral/mental health issue. I find myself looking at a black-and-white collar and a black-and-white leash. Nevertheless, no black-and-white dog is filling the collar. It's empty.      Similarly, in A Christmas Carol,  the ghost of Christmas Present foresees an empty chair and a vacant crutch where Tiny Tim should be. Now, we know the story. Mr. Scrooge repents of his greed and callousness toward his fellow humans. What the ghost of Christmas Present sees does not become a reality for Scrooge's actions right the wrong done in the present. Thanks to Scrooge's generosity, the Cratchett family will now have enough money to care for Tiny Tim's medical needs. Hence he will not die in the foreseeable future.     More often than not, life, however, doesn't work like A   Christmas Carol . Our repentance can indeed shape the outcome of o...

     John 4 presents a curious picture. The disciples find Jesus talking to a woman at Jacob's well. John tells us that, " Just then his disciples returned  and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” (John 4:27).      The fact that Jesus is talking to a woman should give a pause. Proper Jewish men did not talk to strange women. My mother-in-law relates this story well.  As she was traveling to Israel on a plane in 2011, she found herself mistakenly in the seat of an Orthodox Jewish man.  This Orthodox Jewish man found himself in a conundrum.  He could not simply ask her to move. She was a strange woman.  He instead had to relay the fact that my mother-in-law accidentally took his seat to one of his female family members. She then relayed that information to my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law politely moved.     What Jesus did is actually wor...

      Today, I am working on a word search called "Create Your Visions." It's from a Bob Ross coloring and activity book for adults.  Some words in it are "inspire, creation, creativity, imagine, dream, vision." The term, "desire," is not, however, one of those words. Nevertheless, desire is at the heart of the creative process. We desire to inspire others. We want to create. Our dreams flow from our hearts.  So desire is the foundation for the creative process. The words, "inspire, dream, imagine, etc" follow from our internal desires.       As I thought about what it means to be a creative person, Psalm 37 came to mind. Psalm 37:4 is a call to dream and vision alongside God. The psalmist proclaims, "T ake delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."       In our culture, we often think that God does not want us to desire. Perhaps this misconception of God stems from the prevalence of Eastern phil...

     The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15, NIV      On August 31, 2022, our lives forever changed. We adopted our first puppy dog as a family. Our new pet was a scrawny, black-and-white Belgian Malinois mix from the local animal shelter. We prayed for God to send us the right one. Out of all of the dogs there, she was the one who came wagging her tail and licking our hands. Thus our adoption of Alani Shoemaker was complete. Now she has the privilege of being dressed up occasionally in costumes and winter coats. She's taken to festivals and even vacationed in the Great Smoky Mountains to receive her Bark Ranger badge. So is the life of a Shoemaker pet.           While I recognize that a blog on animals is a stretch for a repurposing blog dealing with crafts, there is ...

      This week my family and I had the privilege to celebrate my birthday with a one-day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains national park. The Smoky Mountains belong in my heart as the most sacred of places. The Cherokee knew they were unique and called them the Land of Blue Smoke.     This week the dogwood trees were in bloom. There is a well-known tale in the American South of the dogwood tree. The story goes that Jesus's cross was made from dogwood. The dogwood was the greatest of trees, but because it was used as Jesus's cross, it was cursed and blessed at the same time. It became spindly, yet the flower would become a cross symbol. There are four petals in a cross shape on the tree, and they are tinged with red, the character of blood. They are symbols of Jesus's cross and the shedding of his blood.     Now dogwood trees are not native to Israel, so it is doubtful that the actual cross of  Jesus was made from dogwood.   Yet the lege...

    Today's art is the traditional Navajo bone choker. As the name suggests, the beads in the choker are made from animal bones. Traditionally a master artisan would go out into nature and find the dry bones of an animal, especially those of a bird. Then he or she would shape those bones into beads, often dyeing them with plants. In our case, an unknown artisan probably harvested dry bones to make the beautiful choker you see today. It is an exquisite piece of art that reminds me of the spiritual realities that pervade my existence. Every time I wear it, I am reminded of when God remade something out of dry bones.      In Ezekial 37, God brings Ezekial into a valley of bones. These are the bones of long gone. They are dry without any flesh. Something catastrophic has happened; a battle has brought death, dying, and destruction. Whatever the case of the end, the death of a nation occurs. Enter God, the dramatic master artist. He tells Ezekial to speak to the bone...

                    March overflows with leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows. It's to this last thing to which I now turn. No Judeo/Christian symbol is as controversial as the rainbow. Its made deep roots in many cultures, including the American one. For many, it is a political symbol advocating the free expression of an unbiblical lifestyle. Even in a more innocuous way, for us Irish Americans, it's a symbol of our cultural heritage.   Nevertheless, it's more than a cultural or political symbol. Because of years of cultural co-opting, its biblical meaning has yet to be recovered. Here I argue three reasons why Christians should use the rainbow in our preaching, teaching, and worship. 1. God desires peace with all humankind                                    The book of Genesis tells us that God destroyed the w...

          Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes with Holy Saturday. Ash Wednesday happens tomorrow, February 22, 2023. During the service, we will remember that we are ashes. We came from the ground, and to the ground, we will return. All of us are mortal. Nevertheless, there is hope. That hope is found in Jesus Christ. St. Paul writes, "God raised Jesus from the dead, and if God’s Spirit is living in you, he will also give life to your bodies that die. God is the One who raised Christ from the dead, and he will give life through his Spirit that lives in you." Romans 8:11 — American Standard Version (ASV).       Thus we begin this penitential season with hope. We are assured that we have life everlasting with Christ Jesus our Lord, who chose to die on the cross for our sins. He assures us that by faith in him, we have this life (John 6:29).       The above craft came from  Nature-Inspired Easter Cross Craf...

      These two items perfectly model repurposing. Made of leftover yarn, beads, and buttons, they didn't cost me additional money to construct. Both were made on cardboard looms. The small prayer pocket is made on a 3 1/4 x 4 1/2 inch rectangle loom. The handbag was made on an 8 x 8 1/2 rectangle. Both were made using standard 4 yarn, with a few bulkier size 5 yarn stripes. I Inserted the toothpicks into the non-corrugated side of the cardboard. It stays better than the corrugated side without tape. You can also use the corrugated side of the cardboard if you tape up the edge with painters or masking tape.      I used Christine Anderson's tutorial to make my first woven bag. However, I adapted her sizes. See her tutorial at this link:  (10) Woven Pouch - YouTube .  Additionally, if you have tied on many pieces of yarn and have lots of knots sticking out, you can turn your yarn bag inside out before finishing it or attaching a braid for weari...

Circular weaving is an exciting and relatively easy project to complete. However, it does take a numerous set of components. Components: A large embroidery hoop. A large yarn needle. 4 or five various types of yarns, from large to small. Thin yarn in size four or three to warp the hoop. Scissors. Instructions: You will begin by warping the hoop. The warp is the space you will weave on. The strands that are woven over the warp are called the weft. The warp is produced by taking your yarn around the embroidery hoop. First, tie your string onto the inner ring of the embroidery hoop. This is best done by making a slip knot, but any simple knot should work. Then you will make a triangle by bringing your yarn over to the other side. Create your next triangle next to the one you first made, alternating from side to side. Once you have made about 21 triangles, you are ready to put the top of the embroidery hoop on. You do not have to make 21 triangles; you can use less. Although your weaving m...

Every year at this time, we face a problem. What do we do with last year's half-used Advent Candles? At the beginning of this Advent, we had three purple candles and no pink one. What happened to the pink one; I do not know.  This morning, snowed in and bored, the three purple candles shouted in unison to me, "repurpose us!" My response was, "but how?" "Make a candle, " they called. So I did. Remembering how to make a candle challenged me. One attempt to melt a bowl of candles in another bowl of hot water jogged my memory. I decided to microwave them. The peace coffee cup served as my mold. I recorded the process for you all below.      How to Make Old Candles into New Ones                                                               ...

Tonight is the first night of Hannukah.  Hannukah is known by many names. It is referred to as the festival of the Dedication of the Temple in the scriptures (John 10:22). It's more commonly known as the Festival of Lights. In 164 BCE, Judah Maccabee, the priest, restored worship in the temple in Jerusalem. The Greeks placed false idols and even sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the altar. These actions desecrated the Temple. Yet, as the Maccabees took over Israel from the Greeks, they reinstituted true worship of God.   On that first night, there was only enough oil to keep the Menorah burning for one night. Yet God did a miracle, and the oil lasted for eight nights.  Thus, because Judah Maccabee was a strong military leader, Hannukah, became associated with the Messiah. The Messiah is God's leader who would liberate his people from oppression and set the world right. We Christians know that this Messiah is Jesus Christ. John 1:1-5 tells us that he is the light of the wor...

          Advent and Christmas are the seasons of gift-giving. As we make the Yarn Wrapped Gift Boxes, we recall God's greatest gift, his Son. Although it's hard to wrap our minds around it, the Eternal Son of God chose to become human for our sake (John 1:1-14). Thus he was born Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus didn't despise our humanity but decided to be born of a virgin (Phillippians 2:6-7). He is entirely God and fully human. We celebrate the incarnational mystery of God becoming a man because without the incarnation, there is no salvation from our sins. Without Jesus taking our human form, there is no crucifixion or resurrection. There is no Easter if there is no Christmas first.     Every time we wrap or unwrap a present and create a gift, we recall the gift of Jesus. The Father sent his Son into the world (John 3:17), and the Son chose to be here. Without the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, we would be lost in our sins, broken and undone. We wou...

     This is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season in which Christians look forward to the second coming of Christ at the time of his first coming. We look forward to the day when Christ will redeem us personally and make the world new (Romans 8). We hope for his second coming. The first candle we light, therefore, is the hope candle. It reminds us to put our hope in Lord.  Psalm 130:5 says, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope.               Although not a traditional Advent symbol, the heart reminds us we can hope in the Lord because his love is unfailing. It's true at all times. "But God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.            Maybe you are looking for hope this advent season. Trust in God's love for you. His word says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Christ ...

     Art is important. It shouldn't be at the periphery of our lives. It should be closer to the center. Creating either fine or folk art is akin to worship. The scriptures show us that God utilized textile art to dwell with his people. Beautiful textiles housed God's presence in Israel's first center of worship, the tabernacle. Exodus 36:8-19 describes the excellent fabrics created by skilled workers for the tabernacle. Curtains were made of fine linens with colorful yarns. Textile artists carefully sewed golden cherubim into some of the curtains, while the outer tent which covered the tabernacle was made of fine goat's hair. God gives people artistic talents to use for his glory.      When you make something out of textile, take a deep breath. Imagine your prayers going up to God, giving him adoration and glory. The prophet Samuel tells us that worship is obedience to God (1 Samuel 15:22). Making textiles can be a central part of your obedience to Go...

    I said, "I do," over eleven years ago. Many ups and many downs followed. There were many lean times.  Today, I'm writing for those just beginning their married lives.     Many of us get married with the idea of making our marriage perfect. Let me say that most sober-minded individuals do not believe that everything will be perfect, yet we want to strive to make it so. I realized early into my marriage that my idea of perfect was not my husband's idea of perfect. We are different persons with different personalities and different life histories.  The key to overcoming conflicts that arise from different views of perfection comes from growing together and admitting when we are wrong.     The home you share together can be a source of oneness, but it can also be a source of conflict, especially if you and your mate are not on the same page when decorating. What is relaxing or energizing for you might not be energizing for your husband/wife. ...

     This is not your average wall-hanging tree. Those of us growing up in the 1990s remember them all too well. In fact, this one was no exception. Destined for the trash can, the heroine saved it from certain death. That is how I wished the story read. I did rescue it, but over the cries of family members who wanted no more junk brought into the house.      First of all, I removed approximately 15 gold boxes and bows. The bows are classy, so I saved them for another project. Then I removed all the red berries and pine cones. The pine cones were also gold. Then, I had to ask, what will I do to update this tree? Make it modern by throwing it back to the 1950s.     Mid-century modern takes its name from the 1950s and 1960s. It was popular during the mid-20th century. It features bright colors and clean lines and totally disregards convention. In some ways, this interior design movement is analogous to modern art.  But most importantly, my kitc...

            November usually begins with the falling of leaves and acorns to the ground. For those of us living in the American South, the falling of leaves and acorns is usually quickly followed by the mowing up of those leaves and acorns. The squirrels barely get a chance to take a bite. So what do you do with the acorns you're going to mow up in a few days? Repurpose them, of course! You could do this in a lot of ways. You could turn them into a garland. You could pick them up and put them in a squirrel or bird feeder. Or you could turn them into coffee table art. The internet is ablaze with beautifully painted acorns.       Many people paint intricate designs on them. In contrast, some people simply paint them bird's egg blue. Whatever you decide to do with them, they can brighten your day. I have a simple gold leaf plate that they now adorn. The dish was made by Betty, but I have seen many similar ones. You may have a squirrel ...