Seeds of Life

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

John 12:24  

The story of this painting starts from the beginning.....in the book of beginnings.  The setting was a garden, the garden called Paradise.  There was, in that garden, a seed of promise that was given shortly after the "Great Divide", the time when the sin of God's firstborn brought a disastrous separation between a holy God and the man and woman that He loved so much. 

It was at this time that God pronounced curses and a promise in these words that He spoke to the Adversary of man;

" And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; 
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15


The biggest teardrop shape you see in this  painting represents the seed, or the offspring, of Adam.  It was a seed of promise.  The promise of the seed was that somewhere down line in Adam's family tree, there would be a Seed that would crush the enemy of all mankind.  This was a promise renewed by God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to King David.

Within the large seed is pictured Jesus, the Seed of that ancient promise, the one whose very name, in Hebrew, Yeshua, means "The LORD's Salvation".  He would be the one who would save His people from their sins.  He would take the curse of Adam upon Himself, and in so doing He would reverse the curse.  He would conquer the enemy.  He would brings seeds of Hope.

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Galatians 3:29 
 

How ironic that in order for this Promised Seed to impart Life, He must endure death!  It is the lesson of the seed.  If you look carefully at the texture in the painting, you will see that there is a difference in the texture above the wavy  horizon line and the surface below it.  On the lower portion of the painting, I added sand to the paint.  It is just one more representation to show the division between Life and Death.  Above the ground represents Life, while below the ground represents Death.   

 

The Son of Man took the curse of humanity upon Himself, when He was crucified upon the cross.  He then, was buried in the heart of the earth where He rested like a seed that "sleeps" under the ground.  Then, after three days and three nights, according to prophecy, Jesus sprung forth from the tomb, like a seed that burst forth from the ground.  Death gave way to Life.  
  

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."  
1 Corinthians 15:20

 A life for Life.  The Firstborn over all creation, gave His perfect life to restore the fallen firstborn man to Life forevermore.  As a seed produces many seeds through its "death and resurrection", so too, Christ became the Firstfruits of many who would be raised to eternal Life after dying with Christ to their fleshly, fallen, Adamic natures.

Pictured in Christ is a seed, representing all believers who are rooted and established in Christ.  Not just Adam, but all Adam's seed, who are in Christ through faith, will rise again to new Life.  The seed of Yeshua, "The LORD's Salvation", is multiplying to produce a great and bountiful harvest!  
 

 

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 

he is a new creation; 

old things have passed away; 

behold, all things have become new." 

 2 Corinthians 5:17 

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."  1 Peter 1:23  

Inspired by:  The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards

Unleavened Living

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, 

just as you are in fact unleavened. 

1 Corinthians 5:7

I recently marked the completion of my first Feast of Unleavened Bread.  For seven days, I had committed to refrain from eating anything that included yeast or leaven.  Now I am free once again, to eat bread!   Seriously though, I was very happy to make this "sacrifice", although I will say that I did get a little creative in order to make it through.  After all.....it is supposed to be a feast! 

I discovered in my studies, that the day prior to the Feast of Unleavened Bread was designated as both Preparation Day and Passover Day.  On this day the Israelites would have been busily preparing their homes for the high holy day ahead, by removing the last traces of leaven.  They would have been mindful of the story of the Great Exodus from Egypt, as they made preparations for roast lamb and the rest of their Passover dinner, which included bitter herbs and the bread of haste, matzah (unleavened bread).   To my surprise, I found that the Passover dinner would actually coincide with the first day of Unleavened Bread, which began at sundown.  

 

 " But he was pierced for our transgressions"  

 Isaiah 53:5

For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  
Therefore let us celebrate the feast, 

not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, 

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:8

I was convicted to observe this celebration, because it was a practice of Jesus himself, who followed God's instruction, given to Moses: 

Leviticus 23:6.  "Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread", 

also in verse 14, "It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places."  

The biblical feasts days are typically thought of as Jewish feasts, because the Jews have been the main observers of these appointed days.  However, the feasts are actually called by God Himself, "my appointed feasts,  the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the LORD's appointed feasts. 

 Since the biblical feast days are clearly, very important to God, and since they were practiced by Rabbi Yeshua, who taught His disciples by His example, I decided that I would make a point to value and celebrate these special days.  I'm not Jewish, and this hasn't been part of my tradition in the past, but I do think that these holy days are not obsolete.  I have found far too much value in them.  I know that my observance of these appointed times is time well spent in loving and pleasing my King, who deserves to be 

loved in the way He wants to be loved.  It's my belief that it is time for the church to resurrect the practice of the holy days that were celebrated in the early congregations.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, 

and when he had given thanks, 

he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,  

“Take and eat; this is my body.”  

Matthew 26:26

So, I take hold of biblical days and His appointed feasts, while at the same time weeding through the traditions and doctrines of men, and I proceed with caution in things that God has not ordained.  I believe that one Reformation was not enough.  Reformation in the church and in our individual lives, is something that should take place every time we are convicted of where we don't line up with the Word.   

The purging of pride, by examination of false thoughts, and unbiblical practices, is truly the heart of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  While pride puffs up like air-filled bread, and false teachings are invasive like leaven, humility and truth are like incorruptible, unleavened bread.  All of the symbolism of the week points to this concept of reformation.  

Yeshua, "the LORD's Salvation", was the incarnation of the pure, true Word of God.  He followed every jot and tittle of the Word.  He obeyed everything His Father directed.  He didn't add or subtract from truth in anything He did or said.  There was nothing of corruption in His thoughts or deeds.  His life was a true interpretation of the Word.  Born in Bethlehem, "The House of Bread", Yeshua was the perfect example of unleavened living.  May you and I gratefully accept the Savior's sacrificial offer of Himself to us:

"I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; 
if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. 
Furthermore, the bread that I will give is my own flesh; 
and I will give it for the life of the world.”  
John 6:51

*Pictures by Kevin Brown 2013

Not a Pretty Picture

Last night, I served a Seder meal.  It was my first time ever.  I had decided I wanted to take part in this meal, rather than just to read about it. I wanted to experience some of the same traditions that Jesus, himself, would have experienced.  I wanted to follow in his footsteps.  A couple of times I was even surprised to feel tears in my eyes, as I pieced together, in my mind, the parallels of this meal with the sacrifice of the unblemished Lamb of God.  

It was also my first time preparing lamb, but it was delicious!  Along with lamb, I served the other traditional trimmings for a Passover meal such as wine or grape juice, the charoset to remember the mortar the Israelites used in their brick making, and the horseradish, which depicts the bitterness of slavery.  We dipped our parsley in the saltwater to remember tears that the Israelites cried to God in their bondage as slaves in Egypt.  We ate unleavened bread to remember the hurried way in which the meal was prepared and eaten, as the "prisoners" prepared for their escape.  

It wasn't a perfect leisurely meal, as one son was gone and one had to leave early and, and my husband said he didn't like lamb, but we talked about the symbolism of the meal and read a couple of passages about Passover. 

 When dinner was all cleaned up, I went outside and was so blessed to see a full moon - the same full moon that led the Israelites out of Egypt, and the same full moon that shone on the night that Christ was buried in the tomb, the moon that marks the LORD's appointed feasts.  The full moon was then, and is now, a symbol of deliverance!  Just as the Israelites needed to be rescued from bondage, so too, do we find ourselves enslaved in the bondage of sin and addictions.  We too, stand in need of the LORD's saving grace. 

Passover reminds me that the perfect, sinless Lamb of God took my place on the cross.  He took the pain and the rejection that belonged to me.  He died so that I can live.  The blood of Passover lambs on the doorpost of each family home protected the Isrealites from experiencing the death of the firstborns, just as the Lamb's blood on my heart saves me from certain Death. 

 In my collage, I painted the dripping red on the sides and top of the canvas.  I let paint drip like blood would have dripped from the doorposts.  Such a messy process....and yet I love the paradox of realizing that His blood is what makes us clean!  I found a flyer for a blood drive, and I added parts of that to my design, thinking of Christ as the Ultimate Blood Donor. I created matzah with paper mache, piercing it and scoring it, as I remembered the sufferings of my Savior.  It's not a pretty picture, or even a good design, but what I experienced and expressed in this piece is that this mocked and beaten "King of the Jews" is the King of My Heart.  I owe him my everything.

  

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, 

King of the Universe,
who brings forth the living bread from heaven. 

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, 

King of the Universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.  

(....to rise again!!!)

Last night's Passover celebration was also the beginning of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread.  That's why we ate the flat-bread last night.  I'm not forcing this on my family, so bread is in my house, I'm just not eating it.  As this is the first day that Christ would be resting in the tomb, I am thinking of how symbolic this all is.  The One born in Bethlehem (House of Bread) was himself without the yeast of sin or any adulterations to the purity of the Word.  The Bread of Life from heaven, was laid to rest in the heart of the earth, but although he tasted death, his body did not see decay.  Because there was no leaven in Him, he would keep without spoiling.....like matzah!  



PS.  One more tidbit.  Last night I decided to change my clothes before dinner.  I wanted to dress up a little bit for the occasion.  When my husband saw me, he asked me if I was going somewhere.  I said that I wasn't. He wondered why I was wearing shoes, instead of my usual slippers.  I thought later about what an appropriate impression I had made.  Just as on the first Passover, the Israelites ate their meal in a hurry, wearing their traveling clothes, because they were ready and set to go, I too, looked like I was getting ready to go.  I guess my "costume" was just right.

The Lamb

 "Look, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!" 

- John the Immerser, John 1:29

Today, Aviv 10 on the Hebrew calendar, I am honoring the Lamb of God.  I am commemorating the prophetic day so long ago, when Israelite families, still slaves in Egypt, took little lambs to live with them as pets!  For four days, these unblemished, male, year-old lambs or goats, dwelt with families to receive special attention and care.  I wonder what it was like to have these bleating, fuzzy creatures living with them?  Was it annoying and messy and noisy?  Were the lambs sweet and scared and shy?  I'm sure the children loved the lambs!  I can imagine the excitement that such a novelty would bring.  Undoubtedly, a special attachment was formed by some, even in such a short amount of time.

And then came the fourth day, the afternoon when all attachments ended.  Throughout the Israelite community, the little lambs or goats were slaughtered as children looked on.  I wonder how the daddies felt?   They let the blood and collected it from the limp and lifeless little bodies.  The life was in the blood.  The blood became a saving signal as it was painted on the door frame of each family home.  One innocent life was given.  Other lives were spared.

   The scent of roasting lambs filled the community, along with bittersweet thoughts of life and death.  All around, busy women prepared the symbolic bitter herbs and the bread made in haste, without yeast.  Families gathered for dinner, but not with the usual sitting and savoring.  They were standing, dressed in their traveling clothes, eating hurriedly of this significant meal that the LORD had commanded.

They had been warned of what was coming.  They knew to remain inside.  They knew that they were safe, that they were protected by the blood, the blood of the lamb.  And yet, I expect that they harbored some reverent fear.  They knew that Death would be passing right over their heads.  They knew that some would die, and some would live.  

It was then as it is now.  It is the blood of the Lamb that saves.  Jesus, the Messiah, has become our Passover lamb.  It was his blood that was shed on the cross as he was punished for sin in our place.  An innocent and sinless life was given so that sinners could be spared.  Each of us must choose to come under the blood of the Lamb in order to be saved.  It is His blood that is painted across the door frames of our hearts when we believe, when we choose to follow Him.  The Angel of Death will "pass over" each one of us sooner or later. The question is, "Will we choose Life or Death?"  Will we follow our Shepherd or go our own way?

In fulfillment of prophecy, over 2,000 years ago today, the Lamb of God came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  The people shouted, "Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!"  The crowds were so excited, it would seem that they understood that this Jesus was the promised one, who would save his people from their sins.  They waved palm branches and laid robes on the road for Jesus' donkey to walk on.  But the people thought that Jesus had come to reign as a victorious king, they didn't know that he had come to die as a lamb.  But it was the 10th of Aviv
.....Lamb Selection Day.
It was the day that a perfect male lamb was chosen
as the sacrifice for sin.
 

Paintings are from the "Little Lambs" room I painted at my church; the other design is a card I made with my son when he was little.  The poem has been a favorite of mine since high school, when I had the assignment of writing it out and illustrating it.

"Lazy Susan" Memories

 I had recently started thinking about how nice it would be to have a lazy susan for my dining room table.  I've already had one for a number of years on my kitchen table and have loved the convenience of it, so I thought, "Why not have that same convenience at my dining room table as well?".

The great thing about a lazy susan is that it holds all the essentials for dining at the table, and it's decorative at the same time.  We've got our napkins, salt, pepper grinder, sugar, vitamins, and toothpicks, all right there.  Plus it holds a centerpiece, and even a little bit of kid art.

When I started my search for the dining room's turntable, I didn't find what I wanted.  My dining room table isn't very wide and most of the lazy susans were too big, or they didn't fit my style or my price range.  I figured I might have to get a little creative.

At Joanne's Fabric Store I ran across a hexagonal tray in the clearance section.  I thought it just might work with a turntable base.  I searched for the base parts, but in the end, my mom gave me just what I wanted.  It was a simple Sterlite turntable, the kind that are used for organizing in the cupboard.  She found it at the thrift store where she volunteers, and picked it up for only $1.50!  Thanks Mom!

I brushed the sides of the tray in a rustic manner with white paint, because I wanted to brighten it up a bit.  Then, I sanded off the edges and corners of the tray to give it a distressed look.  When dry, I sealed the paint with a matte sealer.  I painted the sides of the turntable base with white spray paint.  Then, I glued the base to the bottom of the tray with Plumber's Glue.  (It's what my dad suggested and let me borrow).  Thanks Dad! 

I gotta say that I think the new lazy susan is perfectly suited for our dining room table.  No more napkins just slapped on the table (by my guys who don't take the time with the details of table setting), and no more "Can someone please go get the salt?" during dinner.  It's all right there, and it looks cute.

For me, these lazy susans are also tied to special memories of sitting around Grandpa and Grandma's table in Washington.  Because visits to their house were scarcely once a year, time spent with them was incredibly precious.  My grandparents had a lazy susan on their dining able, which sat in front of their big picture window that framed the most beautiful view of their big yard and gardens, the fields behind them, and Mt. Baker in the distance.

The focal point of Grandma's lazy susan was a fat chicken-shaped pitcher that she used as a napkin holder.  Circling it was the sugar dispenser (that now sits on my kitchen turntable), their vitamins and a crystal glass with differently patterned spoons that Grandma had collected at yard sales.  I remember trying to pick out the spoon I would use by what matched my mood.  There was a tiny crock for toothpicks, a salt shaker, and a pepper grinder with a little plate under it for catching the mess that a pepper grinder inevitably leaves. 

I adored my Grandma and thought she was very clever to have such a convenient system.  I also admired how pretty she made everything look.  I have vivid memories of food that we ate around that table, because some was grown in their own garden, and because it was beautifully presented and served with love.  Meals around Grandpa and Grandma's table were treasured by me and my family.....perhaps this is why my mom, my sister and I all have lazy susans on our tables!

We are blessed by our "lazy susan" memories.

My Reformed Denim

 "Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, 

he is a new creation - the old has passed;  

look, what has come is fresh and new!"

There's just something about denim....don't you agree?  It is just so comfortable, casual, and practical, and yet you can dress it up to go almost anywhere.  Faded or dark, with holes or without, in various shades and textures, I love denim!  I've got a denim stash - not just in my closet to wear, but in a storage trunk ready to use.  I collect discarded denim for projects, as just one more way that I recycle.  And did I mention, it's free?

Awhile back, I created a quilt that all started because I had wanted to include some denim squares that were cut from old jeans.  The jeans I had used were ones that my husband and boys had worn.  Having these denim squares in my quilt, represented my family, because of the fact that we do a lot of living in jeans.   

One morning, as I was in the process of assembling the quilt,  a song spoke to my heart about the symbolism of the denim squares.  It's a song that has stuck with me ever since.  The song in my head was a verse from an old hymn.
   

Just As I Am, Without One Plea

Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was she'd for me

And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

From this song, I have come to think of the denim I use in projects in a broader sense.  The story I see is that each and every one of us is like worn and discarded jeans.  We are imperfect and ready to be tossed out.  We don't deserve a second chance.  Our nature is such that we cannot do good.  We fall short of perfection no matter how hard we try. 

Praise be to God, there is One who redeems and rescues us from the pit of destruction, from the consequences of what we deserve.  When we come to God just as we are, without any plea, but in repentance and faith in the shed blood Jesus for our sins, we find rescue.  We get re-made.  Like denim reformed into a decorative or useful article, we are given new life. 

A couple of projects that I have made with denim, are tote bags.  I enjoy the look of combining the contrasting shades, textures and colors.  I also made a denim purse with a little ruffled skirt I found in a thrift store.   I lined it, sewed the bottom closed, added straps, velcro closure and an interchangeable ribbon.

I plan on making many more new projects with old jeans. The possibilities of what can be made with these discards are endless, just as there is no end to the possibilities of what our Creator can do with you and me.  The Lord our God is the ultimate master designer, and we can trust that He has good and perfect plans for our future.

Let's put our ourselves 

in His creative hands!

A Sign on my Hand

"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand"

Deuteronomy 6:8

It was my acquisition from the white-elephant gift exchange.  The white porcelain hand with the broken-off finger.  From the get-go, I looked at it and saw the possibilities.  To my taste, it was too white, too plain, and too lifeless, like a blank canvas, just waiting.  I considered how to cover it.  Burlap?  Meaningful words torn from magazines?  Words that spoke of things that I enjoyed or aspired to be?  Patterns or pictures?  I didn't decide right away.  I let my mind mull over the options.

Finally, I set my heart upon my final choice.  I didn't just want this hand to represent fluttering fancies.  I wanted this hand to portray something deeper and more profound.  That's why I settled on scripture.  Timeless truth.  Ultimate meaning.  The Word of God, not the word of man.


 With pages of a worn-out Bible, I tore out portions of scripture, literally binding the commandments of God to the lifeless hand with glue medium.  As I worked through the process, I realized that these words were not only meaningful, they spoke of what I aspired to be and to do.  The living words of scripture brought pictures to my mind, and through the words I also saw beautiful patterns emerging,  patterns of life well-lived when lived in accordance with the teachings of God.

Jesus taught that the greatest command in all the Bible was the commandment to love God with all one's heart, soul and mind.  In other words, God wants nothing less than total dedication.  This kind of love, sets us apart from the world, making us holy instruments, useful for His purposes.

 By doing what pleases Him, we wear His truths on  our lives. This is how we bind on God's instructions  as signs - on our hands and heads.  I discovered as I worked on this project, that I want to look like this hand.  I want to be a living letter for people to read.  I want the Word of God to be read on me, on my heart and on my hands, by what I think and do and say.....by how I love.

In the palm of the hand, I applied a stamped piece that reads, "handmade with love".  It has a double meaning in my mind.  The stamp is one I have used on tags for things I have made, so it speaks of the things I have made by hand with love and joy.  But I too, have been handmade with love.  I too, am the created.  I am a masterpiece of the Creator!  To be sure, I am a creation in  progress.....but I thank God that His stamp of love is on my life.

His Word is in my heart
.....and on my hand.

Do Not Forget The LORD!