Sweeter Green

2011-08-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

I made a shawl as a companion piece to the Chosen One essay. I only have a camera-phone camera right now, and I'm still learning how to get decent pictures out of it. Here are the best shots I've got for now:

True color.

Overview

In action

Lace detail

The Chosen One

2011-07-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

I wrote this essay because I was given the challenge to compare and contrast an element from the Harry Potter story with another story that I loved. The redemption theme in literature is one of my favorite things to look for, so the original story of God's redemption of man was the first thing to come to mind.

Once upon a time, a boy was born into a world filled with evil. He grew up among people who didn’t understand him, and who disapproved of him because he was different from them. He was the Chosen One, the only one who could rid the world of the evil that plagued it.

And when the time came for him to face the evil one, he realized that the only way he could save the world forever was not merely to kill the evil one, but that he would have to die as well. He would have to offer himself as a willing victim, a sacrifice. Only then would the power of the evil one over those he loved be broken. And so the Chosen One bravely went, not to kill, but to die.

The evil one took his chance. He slew the Chosen One, and with shouts of victory and derision, displayed his triumph to the people.

Those who loved him, who needed him, watched in despair. He was the Chosen One. He was the only one who could save them. And now, he was dead. All hope was lost. But even in the face of certain defeat, they would not surrender to the evil one. Confused, crushed, and despondent, they mourned.

The evil one had his moment. In wicked glee, he celebrated over his vanquished foe.

And then, the Chosen One conquered death itself. He came back to his people, alive and strong. He had broken the evil one’s power over them forever, and now it was time to defeat the evil one himself. With fear in his heart, the evil one tried again to fight, but this time he was doomed to fail. The Chosen One prevailed, and evil was crushed forever. The sun rose over a world renewed in hope.

All was well.

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Cor. 15.26
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Cor. 15.54

The Chosen One is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He is Aslan, the Son of the Great Emperor beyond the Sea. He is Frodo, the Ring-Bearer. He is King Arthur, or Neo, or Taran Wanderer, or Anakin Skywalker. He lives in a hundred incarnations of brave knights, stalwart adventurers, and charming princes.

This story is threaded throughout our human cultures and experiences because it was written before the world began. In eternity past, God the Father planned this story in its truest form – the redemption of mankind through Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Chosen One, the Son of God.

Jesus died to break the power of evil over the people he loved. He rose from the dead, proving he had succeeded.

But unlike most of the fictional heroes, who made their sacrifices with the support of beloved family or loyal friends, Jesus suffered alone, forsaken even by God.

And through his sacrifice, he has rescued all who believe in him from the power of sin and secured a promised eternity with him.

And so for us too, all is well.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

All's Grace

2011-03-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you know this part of my story. I wrote that almost a year ago. I was overwhelmed by the responses I received – support, encouragement, stories of how God used my words to help others. I thought I was settled, I’d found God’s peace, and nothing could change that.

Less than two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. And five days after that, I lost my baby.

My heart shattered. I grieved hard, and I waited. I longed for the peace I’d felt before. I struggled through my days, waiting for things to get better. I trusted that if God worked that miracle once, he could work it again. At the beginning of the summer, my cat died. At the end of the summer, my husband and I lost our jobs. And I didn’t get pregnant.

God provided for us. We started new jobs, got a new cat, adjusting slowly to the changes. I started writing some. I cried a lot. I tried hard to enjoy my life and my Savior.

In November, I had some good talks with a close friend, and I stumbled on Ann Voskamp’s blog. (I'm still reading her book, One Thousand Gifts). I started counting God's gifts to me. (so many!) The Lord used the words of Psalm 27 to plant new hope in my heart:

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

I started to understand that everything was good, everything was grace. Not just the beautiful things. Not even especially the beautiful things. I’m starting to see the vital necessity of giving thanks not only in baffling, ugly, agonizing circumstances, but for them. I’m thankful for this year. I’m thankful for the bringing low. I’m thankful for the pain that brings me again and again to the feet of the Savior. I’m thankful for my precious baby's soul in heaven. I’m thankful for God’s intense compassion (Ps 56:8)

Through all this time, God has been gradually healing my heart in his daily deluge of grace, renewing my confidence in his perfect love, his awesome sovereignty, my safety in the palm of his hand. I have no tidy ending to this story – it continues to unfold each day. But I can say with absolute confidence that God is always good. I am learning again – and I’m sure not for the last time – to savor the grace with which he fills every moment.

Why I Haven't Written Lately

2011-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve said a lot of things when people have asked. I'm not ready right now... I'm just taking some time... But honestly, the real reason is just that I’m afraid.

I’m afraid that my writing a blog is selfish, and that you will see more of me than Christ, and that the 'me' you will see is ugly. I'm afraid I'll waste your time. (That’s kind of the big one.)
I’m afraid that my life is not eventful enough, and that I don’t have enough vision, plan, or motivation to be at all consistent. Or interesting. Or helpful. (This is also pretty huge.)
I’m afraid that I want to do this for all the wrong reasons.
I’m afraid that I might not really want to do this at all.
I’m afraid of being vulnerable, and afraid that the line between vulnerability and selfish exhibition is too blurry.

I think that’s all. Oh, and one more: I’m afraid that all of the things I’ve listed as problems are true about this post as well.

But God is doing big things in my life, filling it with his gifts. And I want to share them, to be vulnerable, and to feel myself more a part of the sweet community of God’s family. So I’m going to be brave, admit I don’t have all the answers, and post this (and hopefully more) anyway.

Have you every asked yourself these questions? How do you deal with these kinds of fears?

Introducing: Nolan

2010-10-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

We found Nolan in the middle of a 6-lane road. He was a tiny kitten, terrified, dashing between the cars, and it took a Hummer to stop the traffic and several people to corner him against a car and catch him. His paws were burned from the hot asphalt, and when Daniel took him and handed him to me, he collapsed in my hands, panting. So we took him home.

We didn't intend to keep him, but we lost our hearts pretty quickly.

Now he's all grown up. He's curious and bold and intelligent - and he trusts us absolutely.

And he's the most beautiful cat I've ever seen.

Fingerless Gloves

2010-10-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

I knit my first pair of fingerless gloves last month, and now fingerless gloves are one of my favorite projects! They just fly off the needles. Here are some of my most recent creations:

These three are all from the same pattern, in custom colors for a dear friend. I have these gloves for sale in my Etsy shop. (Free shipping for my blog readers :)

These gloves are knit with super-soft cotton yarn. I love the color!

When I was visiting my family last month, my mom bought me my first skein of self-striping yarn. This was therapy knitting at its best - just knit two, purl two, round and round for inches and inches! Lol!

I have several more projects on the needles - it will be Christmas time soon! Do you work on Christmas gifts early or wait until the last minute?

Peace

2010-10-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised. I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.
Psalm 119:65-68

God has been teaching me a lot this week about trusting him to keep his promises for me. It's been a week full of adjusting to changes: Daniel has a new work schedule, I had a lot of extra work this week, and we're now sharing our home with an awesome new roommate, Mally, who's here from Canada for a few months. Change has always been difficult for me, but it's a great reminder of God's never-changing love. He's given me renewed peace and joy in my circumstances, and I'm so thankful. Praise him for his permanent, powerful love!

Introducing: Daniel

2010-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is my husband.

God brought us together in our junior year in college (I'll tell you that story some other time), and we just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in August.

It's really hard to sum up your best friend in a few words! He's the most gentle person I've ever known. We've been through some difficult circumstances together, but I've never once seen him angry.

He makes me feel whole and complete, not by understanding me perfectly, but by helping me understand how to live for God instead of myself.

He can make me laugh faster than anyone else can, and he actually thinks I'm hilarious too. (The first time he laughed at something I said, on our second date, I was so shocked! It was an accidental pun, and I wasn't used to people thinking I was funny. Now I love making him laugh.) He's logical and organized and generous. And he loves to tweak things (like his chocolate milk recipe) until they're perfect.

He's my other half.

Odds and Ends

2010-10-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

I recently finished these cabled fingerless gloves for my step-grandmother's birthday. (I love her). The yarn is made of red, yellow, green, and black fibers; I think it's amazing how lovely and complex the color is from a distance.

Speaking of colors, I collected some of the yarn options for my Etsy items and tried to take a picture to show the colors. Some of them look fairly accurate (yellow, orange, red), and others are way off (blues and green)... any advice from all you wonderful photographers?

I normally wouldn't want a moth this close to my yarn (hehe), but this one is so lovely. And yes, I have been playing with the macro focus option on my camera!

And finally, this is Anjali and me, enjoying yesterday.

This is My Father's World

2010-09-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
wich is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
- e. e. cummings

I couldn't get this poem out of my head today. I spent most of the morning outside with my three little friends (we hang out together several times a week), rejoicing and being glad in the day God made.

(Psalm 118:24)

Introducing: Me (Kind of)

2010-09-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

I was going to write something about myself, because I actually don't know a lot of you personally, and I thought we should be properly introduced. But then I realized that most people, when properly introduced, really only get a name (Emily) and maybe place of residence (just north of Nashville) or profession (wife/teacher/nanny/knitter). And the rest comes as a relationship develops. That's how it's supposed to work, I think - and the rest you come to know eventually, if you keep communicating.

Besides, you find out more about people by listening to them talk about other things than about themselves.

And, ultimately, I don't want this blog to be about me; maybe just about things from my point of view: my piece of God's great story. I want to introduce you to the people in my life, show you the things I love and admire, and share how God works out his plan for me.

And the Winner Is...

2010-09-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Amy at Amyschmamey on winning my first giveaway!

Walking by Faith, Not Sight

2010-09-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today was the most restful day I've had in a long time. After a long week, it was good to worship with God's people and enjoy the cooler weather this afternoon. We sang this hymn this morning in church, and it sums up a lot of what God has been teaching me lately: that God's promises for me are true, even if my circumstances seem to indicate otherwise.

God never moves without purpose or plan

When trying His servant and molding a man.

Give thanks to the Lord though your testing seems long;

In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;

So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.

I bowed to the will of the Master that day;

Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;

God strengthens His children and purges in love.

My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;

Through purging more fruit I will bear.

O Rejoice in the LORD

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take,

For when I am tried

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold.

-Ron Hamilton

My Backyard: Oak Haven

2010-09-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

We've lived in Tennessee a little over a year now. It's been a wonderful adventure, and the Lord has blessed us and challenged us in ways we never imagined when we decided to move. We lived in a small apartment in the city before we moved here; now this is our backyard.

In just a year, this oak tree has seen a lot of me. I've read and knit under it, cried and rejoiced under it, prayed and sang under it; we hung the swing in March and lots of friends and family have enjoyed it; we buried our sweet cat Oscar beneath it in June; and now I'm trying to get a decent picture of it to be translated into a banner for my Etsy Shop, whose name it inspired.

Tennessee is starting to feel a little more like home.

Mercy Verity Candles: My First Giveaway!

2010-09-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Recently, my dear friend Lisa gave me several of her amazing soy-wax candles! She let me choose from her extensive selection of yummy fragrances, and I've been enjoying them in my home ever since. They burn for hours longer than traditional candles, and I love the way they make my house smell wonderful!

Mercy Verity Candles are made from soy wax, lead-free cotton wicks, and 100% pure premium fragrance oils. You'll be impressed by their quality and beauty.

So today I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving away one of Lisa's candles in the Macintosh Apple scent!

To enter, head on over to Lisa's website (www.mercyveritycandles.com) and look around! Leave a comment back here, letting me know which scent you'd like to try. Make sure you leave your email address!

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each), you can:

Follow my blog through Blogger.
Follow me on Twitter (SweeterGreen).
Read Lisa's sweet testimony of how the Lord led her to start Mercy Verity Candles.
Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to include @sweetergreen).
Post about this giveaway on Facebook.

Giveaway will end on Sunday, September 28 at midnight CST. A winner will be randomly selected on Monday, September 29.

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

2010-09-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree

His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
I missed of all but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.

I'm weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
Under the shadow I will be
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.

This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.

-Anonymous

Knitting!

2010-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a knitter.

I have at least five projects going on at all times, I keep extra yarn and needles in my purse, and I can't sit still very easily without knitting in my hands. I knit while I read, wait in line, watch movies, ride in the car (while Dan drives... or at red lights), and while I'm on the phone. I'm on Ravelry more than Facebook.

I've been praying about selling my knitting for a while now, and the Lord has recently opened up several opportunities for me to get started.

This weekend my wonderful dad flew me out to visit the family. I spent lots of time catching up with my parents and hanging out with all the siblings still at home. And my youngest sister Heather modeled a few of my creations. She did a brilliant job (obviously).

So today I finally listed my first items on my Etsy Shop, Oak Haven Knitwear.

Check it out: Oak Haven Knitwear.

I'm offering free shipping to anyone who mentions Sweeter Green.

I keep knitting, so I'm sure I'll have more listings soon.

(Thanks again, Heather!)

Awe

2010-09-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord;
      myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
      What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
      He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!
      Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
      You are entirely faithful.
- Psalm 89:5-8

And he's my Father.

Introducing: Marilee

2010-09-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

She's a Manx, a cat with just a stub instead of a tail, and a squarish shape, a tiny nose, and large eyes.
She's always serious, even in her play.
She walks like a crab. And you can always hear her breathing.
She seems to know if you're feeling sad or lonely, and comforts not by being there for you, but by making you feel she needs you to be there for her.

She's an exquisite little gift, and I love her hard.

Morning Glories

2010-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my family used to visit my great-aunts (Beatrice and Marjorie) at their old property on Cape Cod. The place was really lovely - wild roses growing up a wrought-iron railing, raspberry bushes, pine trees and sweet little flower beds with pansies - and only once, I saw a single blue morning glory in a tangle of green vines.

I have a notoriously brown thumb, but morning glories seem to grow without any help at all, and so I've had some at almost every place I've been since then. There were even some growing wild outside the church on my wedding day.

This year I have a veritable jungle of morning glories in my backyard: a daily delight.

Sweeter Green

2010-09-04T18:07:00.001-07:00

We don’t always get what we want. My idea of where I would be in life at by now does not line up exactly with the actual life that God has chosen for me. The success of our plans and ambitions is in God’s hands, not ours, and our future does not belong to us, but to God.

But he’s given us the present, and with it, millions of little pleasures for us to enjoy, millions of little things for us to love; he has scattered tiny reflections of his glory and beauty in everything we experience. And it’s our job, not to wish and dream and hope and plan for our ideal vision of the future, nor to lament the fact that things didn’t turn out like we’d planned, but to grasp, and savor, and love the life that he’s given us now.

And God has given us himself. Every experience we have is richer and more beautiful because of our relationship with God. The fact is that he chooses us, redeems us, loves us, forgives us, listens to us, rejoices over us, and that every circumstance in each day is doled out to us in love and for our good. And then, he experiences these things with us, changing, creating, guiding, helping, supporting, comforting, inspiring, strengthening, encouraging, working alongside us and in us and through us; this truth lends every experience a beauty and grace and joy that it never could have apart from Christ.

So the facts of where I’m not in life – what I don’t have, what I didn’t accomplish – are nothing in comparison to the truth of where God has placed me. Those dreams are a lie and have nothing to do with God’s great reality.

So here I am, typing, eating leftover soup, and seeing the beauty in the cloudless sky, the breeze, the prospect of rest this afternoon, worship and fellowship at church tomorrow, and hard work and play in the week to come… and my greatest satisfaction and fulfillment is in just loving all those things as hard as I can, as gifts lavished on me from my most beautiful Creator and Redeemer.

Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen;
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.