Repurposed with Purpose

     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...