NEWSPAPER COLUMN ARCHIVES

• The Book of Hours

• Gethsemene

• What Kind of Sounds Reach God?

• God Writes in Rainbows

• "Everything"

• Forever Love

• Shrews

• Tear bottles and Tambourines

• Vultures on a Gazebo

• Triple Sifted

Book of Hours

The Book of Hours was the most popular book of the Middle Ages. These prayer books belonged primarily to the wealthy. Written by hand, and illuminated by noted artists, only nobility and the rich could afford them. Around the text, artists filled in with elaborate borders, colored miniatures and exquisite decorations. The Frick Fine Arts Library at the University of Pittsburgh contains a 15^th century Book of Hours. There are many fine photos of this book at their website.

     On July 8, 1999 , Christie’s Auction House in London sold a Book of Hours dating from the early 1500’s. Confiscated by the Nazis during World War II and recently recovered, the book included 67 full-page illustrations. Nothing of that magnitude had been offered on the open market. The sale price was over fourteen million dollars, a record for an illuminated book.

     The small handbooks were called Book of Hours because they encouraged hourly meditation and prayer and some sections are titled the Hours of the Cross and Hours of the Holy Spirit. They were produced in Europe , but were especially popular in France and Flanders . 

      Ages ago, town bells or church bells were used as signals within a community. If a need arose, the church bells could sound an alarm, or one tradition was to ring the bells on the hour reminding Christians to pray. Psalm 119:164 says, “Seven times a day, I praise you for your righteous laws.”

     Daniel’s prayer practices were daily. “He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem . Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God” ( 6:10 ).

     No one but God is truly aware of how often individuals speak with him. One of my favorite book titles about prayer is Don’t Just Stand There: Pray Something. Any prayer, no matter how inept in expression is better than no prayer. Occasionally an actor in a drama will say something like “Lord, I’m not used to talking to you, but if you’re listening . . ..” A one on one visit with God is a good prayer-start, a very good start.

     Perhaps you learned to pray many years ago or you may be a beginner. This week, when you notice an hour about to pass, may you be reminded that the Creator of time and prayer is looking out for you and longing to hear from you.

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Gethsemane 

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray” Matthew 26:36

Luke wrote that Jesus and his disciples regularly went to the Mount of Olives, a ridge running north and south of Jerusalem and that’s 200’ higher than the temple mound. The mountain received its name from the abundant olive groves. The word “gethsemane” is associated with the garden where Jesus prayed before his Crucifixion and where Judas betrayed him.

     In Hebrew, the word “gethsemane” means olive press. Olive trees were of great importance to Judea . Not only were olives eaten but the oil was used in lamps, as a preservative, and a lubricant for skin care.

     Ray Vander Laan explains the long-ago process for extracting olive oil. “Whole olives were put into a circular stone basin in which a millstone sat.” An animal harnessed to the millstone walked in a circle rolling the stone and breaking the olives. “The cracked olives were scooped into burlap bags,” then the bags were stacked under “a huge stone column—a gethsemane.”

     The enormous weight of the stone column pressed on the bags of olives forcing out the precious oil. The oil collected in a pit at the base of the gethsemane. Near an olive press, Jesus agonized in prayer before his Crucifixion. His burden was great and it pressed down on him in such a manner that even God’s Son asked excuse from his mission.

     Jesus knelt and prayed several times, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done . . .. and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly” and, weighed down, pressed upon, “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:42,44). That night, the enormity of the world’s sins bore down on him.

     Another fact about aging olive trees is when the trunk thickens the leaves cannot give the nourishment the trunk needs to survive. The tree is then cut back to a stump, and that’s when a new shoot will appear.

     Through Isaiah, God used this gardening example to say, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse . . .. The spirit of the LORD will rest on him” (11:1,2). The world never encountered anyone like this new green shoot, the Branch Jesus, who could give new life to a sinful world.

      Although God often used common sights like olive trees and gardening to express spiritual messages, there was nothing common about his Son. Isaiah further wrote about him, “Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (11:5). Wholehearted devotion to God and us characterized the Son of God who prayed near a place we call Gethsemane. 

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What Kind of Sounds Reach God?

     When you are reading or studying the Bible, do you have the same experience as me? What experience? Questions arise about God, the here-and-now and the hereafter.

     From my personal list of questions, some have remained unanswered or partially answered for years. Here are three: What sounds reach God? In God's court, what does wicked sound like? What pleasantries enter his gates?

     We know God hears. Early in Genesis, a disturbing sound resonated from the earth. By the 4^th chapter a murder occurred. Cain killed his brother Able, and God confronted Cain. "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." And I'm left wondering. What kind of notification soars to God when innocent blood is shed?

     In another place God used almost the same language. He contemplated destroying the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah . "I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me." In Isaiah 37:29 the Lord said to his enemies, " . . . your insolence has reached my ears."

     In Noah’s time, because the "the earth was corrupt and filled with violence" the earth was destroyed by flood. Plenty of violence is still around, and God must be getting an ear full of unholy sounds. Now on a brighter note, good sounds also land at heaven's gates.

      A repeated theme in scripture is that prayer reaches God and he responds with forgiveness, a blessing, an answer, calm or peace, whatever his wisdom deems appropriate. David wrote, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their trouble."

     One day Jesus stopped noise contamination and then good sounds were heard. First, he cleansed the temple of animal sellers, and brought a charge against them. "My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."

     With the profiteers gone, the blind and lame came to Jesus and he healed them. Jesus restored the temple as a merciful hospital, a place for thanksgiving. Then the small children in the area began acting like kids. Shouting and singing! The religious leaders wanted to shush them.

      But Jesus silenced the grouchy adults by quoting a psalm, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise."

     Questions still abound for me, but I have learned this: praise and thanksgiving rising from homes, prairies, mountains and seas could make a difference, a difference in heaven's noise pollution.

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GOD WRITES IN RAINBOWS

     Early one morning my husband left for work, but in moments the door flew open and David walked in the house. Taking my hand, he led me into the back yard. There, arched above the horizon, was a dazzling double rainbow. Thanks to my sensitive husband, God's handwork inspired both our days.

     I researched the phenomena of cloud bows, halos, glories and rainbows. All are generated by light sources and water. The explanations were fascinating, but I'm still intrigued by God's original account of the rainbow. After the devastating flood in Noah's day, God made a covenant with him and every generation to follow, including us. God promised not to destroy the whole earth by a cataclysmic flood again. "I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign . . .. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth" (Genesis 9:16).  

    Sun and rain must be present for a natural rainbow to occur, and no two people see a rainbow alike unless in a photograph, because of the different positions of the observers. Rainbows can be almost close enough to touch or many miles away, depending on where the raindrops are.

     Author Donald Ahrens in his text Meteorology Today describes rainbows as "one of the most spectacular light shows observed on earth." The traditional rainbow is sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors and diverted to the eye of the observer by water droplets. Some may not have noticed when they see a rainbow the sun is always at their backs.

      The colorful, personal-care message God sent to Noah and his clan must have comforted this isolated family. His family had lost most earthly contacts and possessions, and they probably needed to see a promise of no worldwide flood ever again. But God made the promise to 21^st century people too.

     There is daily rainfall on the earth, and if the sun is shining the potential exists for rainbows. Most rainfall occurs over the oceans with few eyewitnesses. The next time God fractures light through water and you are surprised by splashy color in the clouds, remember this truth.

When the rainbow appears, it is sky-writing, a message from God. He is looking at it, too. He's reminding you of his goodness, and you are on his mind.

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Everything 

      October, November and December are rich with opportunities to relive or create family traditions. Juanita Gibson’s family, from Montgomery County , Texas has a tradition that evolved over the years.

     Their rite began years ago. When a family member started to leave a relative’s presence, someone expressed sentiments such as: “Bye . . . Be careful . . . I love you.” Finally, the blessing phrases were strung into one long sentence. Even visitors were extended this benediction, and the custom became embedded.

     One day Nita entertained guests in her home, and her son Larry, who was about eight, was leaving the house. He wanted to tell his mom he loved her and good-bye, but was embarrassed to verbalize his feelings in front of his mom’s friends. She said, “He looked me straight in the eyes. We connected, and he said, ‘Everything.’ I knew exactly what he meant. Our family’s good-bye phrases were wrapped up in that one word.” The Gibson family adopted “Everything” as their sayonara.

     To this day, Nita speaks the parting blessing to family and friends and in written messages signs off with “Everything” – from emailing a granddaughter in Germany to snail mailing a grandson-in-law in Iraq .

     Customs strengthen family bonds. Remember barren Hannah from the Old Testament? She prayed for a son and promised God if given a child he would serve at the tabernacle, their place of worship. God granted her request, and after weaning her firstborn son Samuel, she took him to live at Shiloh , explaining to the old priest Eli, “For this child I prayed.”

     Samuel’s age may have been as young as three years. Although, Hannah lived in Ramah, less than 15 miles away, she probably didn’t see Samuel too often. However, she established a tradition, a connection to the growing family.

     Each year, Hannah sewed a special robe for her beloved Samuel. When the family went to Shiloh to worship, she presented it to him. We don’t know if ceremony accompanied this presentation, or if it was a private communing between mother and son, but the hand made, yearly gift must have helped bond this dedicated boy to his mother, father and siblings.

     Family traditions are important. Continue old ones or create new ones. Have a blessed day, and from the Gibsons and me -- “Everything.”

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FOREVER LOVE

“So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” Genesis 29:20

     In a tattered box at a garage sale, they lay, waiting to reveal century old secrets. Thumbing through a stack of miscellaneous items, I found two yellowed letters. Postmarked on November 17 and 18^th, 1908, two-cent stamps provided passage from South Fairlee, Vermont to Bradford, Vermont.

     Later at home, I read the correspondence from “Ed” to “Miss Abbie B. Avery.” In Ed’s exquisite penmanship, his salutations were, “To My One True Love” and “My Dearest One.” I pieced portions of their romance together.

    Their affection was concealed from friends and families. In one letter, Ed addressed Abbie’s fears that the postmaster would become suspicious about their frequent letters.

    Ed said not to “worry,” that before long they could announce their love to the world. Abbie kept an engagement ring hidden, too. A bit large, it needed to be cut down by a jeweler.

    Mixed in with Ed’s romantic musings were notations about everyday life, his coon dog, chopping wood, and a job “examination in N. Y. on December 8^th 9 A. M.” He was hoping to land the job and fund their new household. If he didn’t, Ed had alternate plans.

     Ed informed Abbie about a “sad errand,” singing a solo at his friend Frank’s funeral. Frank’s widow once said about her marriage, “I should prefer to be with Frank in the wilderness than in a palace with any one else.”

     July is when I think more about courtship, romance, and marriage. My grandson Adam, age 4, has just learned about weddings and marriage. He’s been telling the family that one day he will marry a girl and “have true love.”

     True love. Our wedding anniversary is in July, this year the 37^th for David and me. We’ve been planning a weekend trip in our region of the country, but, typically, the weather is rather hot and humid.

     Maybe it ought to be against the law in south Texas to issue marriage licenses during July and August. Then later in life, anniversary celebrations would be in slightly cooler months. Odd, though, the weather wasn’t a factor in July of 1967 when we dove into matrimony.

     A favorite excerpt about weather and love comes from Ogden Nash’s Summer Serenade: “When shirt is wet and throat is dry, Look my darling, that’s July . . . Shall we postpone our love for weather: If we must melt, let’s melt together!”

      Perhaps Ed and Abbie married on a chilly day, near Christmas. In one closing he wrote, “I am enjoying life greatly . . . before long we shall both be happy . . . The hour of darkness approaches, and I will say good night, my love. Yours forever, Ed.”

      A forever love for Ed and Abbie. I hope it was so. I hope so for you, too.   

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Shrews

     Shrews. The small mammal variety deserves its reputation. I first learned of the word “shrew” from Shakespeare. In the film adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the tigress Katharina brought the full fury of woman to the screen.

     Webster’s definition limits the disposition to females: “a woman of violent temper and speech.” In the small mammal world, both genders of the shrew are highly active and violent.

     The shrew is a tiny mammal and was thought to be the smallest on earth until the recent discovery of the bumblebee bat. A large shrew weighs about three-quarters of an ounce. In the 2004 issue of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the species is described as having a “supercharged, hyperactive way of life fueled by one of the most extravagant metabolisms in nature.”

     One researcher sedated a shrew and measured its heart- rate. The small heart averaged 760 beats per minute! Hibernating is not in their vocabulary, and they sleep little. Voracious appetites drives them to hunt, kill, and consume.

     Humans have sighted the tiny shrews killing small rabbits and snakes, and the Blarina brevicauda has a poisonous bite that paralyzes its prey. Constantly searching for food, they will eat any kind of meat they can kill.

     Shrews are also known to fight, bite and devour each other. The shrew’s life is one of constant frenzy, and battle. If a shrew receives a dinner invitation from a neighboring shrew, surely he has to wonder if the motive is hospitality or need of a main course. One other characteristic of the shrew is their ability to fuss and make a scene.

Gerald Durell told of watching a shrew have a temper tantrum when a giant African snail didn’t succumb to the mammal’s first assault. “Screaming with frustration” the shrew attacked the second time and the snail doused the tiny mammal with a frothy substance. The shrew became “almost incoherent with rage.”

    Researchers cage shrews and have reported their shrieking and constant chattering. Rage is anger on a rampage, and unleashed anger is not so cute when exhibited in our companions.

     Paul said, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31,32).

    Shrewish behavior belongs to a lower class animal. Compassion and forgiveness should extend from hearts of the human species.

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Tear Bottles and Tambourines
 

      Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 
Romans 12:15

     “Here, let me put your tears in my little bottle.” As a child I shed tears over small hurts, and that’s when mom pulled an imaginary flask from her pocket and caught my tears.

     One by one she trapped them on her fingertips, putting them in her “bottle.” Later in life, I read David’s address to God. “Record my lament; put my tears in your wineskin – list my tears on your scroll” (Psalm 56:8).

     Also, I found that actual tear bottles, lacrymatories (lacrimatories) really exist. Legends mention tear bottles in stories of Egypt and Middle Eastern societies. In ancient Roman times, mourners filled small glass vials with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect.

     During the Victorian period of the 19th century, the grieving collected their tears in ornate bottles decorated with silver and pewter. When tears evaporated from the tightly corked bottles, official mourning periods ended.

     Lacrymatories are marketed today. Tear bottles, about two inches tall, are offered as symbols of friendship and love. During times of sadness, such as illness or bereavement, they are given to express loving concern. Also used to symbolize joyful tears, the containers are presented at rites of passage such as births, adoptions, weddings and baptisms.

     David was deep in enemy territory at the time he asked God to catch his tears. He reminded himself of God’s attentiveness to life’s peaks and swamps. Matthew Henry writes about David’s Comforter — that God knew all his “grievances and all his grief.”

     Recently a new widow said, “I cry every day.” Her mourning and her tears are fresh in God’s sight, not evaporating. Someone is weeping with her. God is not forgetful.

     Further, when joyful tears stream down faces, God knows how to throw parties. He kills fatted calves, furnishes new clothes, family rings, and breaks out tambourines. Music is heard.

     God’s servant-mothers catch sad tears on aprons, shoulders and in imaginary containers. During happy times, my mother also grabbed a broom for a dance partner and swirled around the kitchen.

     With friends and family we rejoice when a child enters the world; we mourn when a parent or spouse leaves this earth. In imitating God, followers are called to be tear bottles and tambourines.

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Triple Sifted
      “Here’s something Aunt Sis asked me to give you.” Dad handed me a
brown grocery sack. Before ever peeking inside, I knew there would be a small family treasure.

      On other occasions Aunt Margaret, affectionately known as Sis, sent a few of her cupboard relics to be my new keepsakes. My favorite, a baking pan with metal corners folded, was handcrafted in a blacksmith shop.

      Eager to discover this new offering, I opened the bag. Inside was a triple sifter. The tin appliance with two turquoise bands is labeled a “Foley, sift-chine, triple screen.”

      “I don’t believe this,” I told Dad. “Just last week, I tried a new recipe: Mary’s Oatmeal Cookies. The recipe called for triple sifting, but after making the cookies one time with my single sifter, I filed it under “too much trouble.”

     The triple sifter reminded me of Peter, also called Simon. Jesus said before his own arrest, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31,32).

      In the hand-farmed and -harvested agrarian culture, wheat sifters would be common sights to Peter. He knew the refining process involved a first sifting to get rid of straw, stones, hulls and other debris. After grinding on a millstone, another sifting separated flour.

     After Jesus’ pronouncement, Peter’s triple temptation occurred. Peter boasted he would never deny Christ, but within 24 hours he broke his promise three times. Temptations often arrive in plain brown wrappers, custom made they tantalize existing weaknesses.

     The most excellent response is to not give in, to resist. Second, if failure occurs, seek God’s grace very soon. Third, no matter how low a kernel falls, when the kernel dies to self, God ably lifts up from the threshing floor, blows away more chaff and makes useful again.

     Oswald Chambers wrote, “Satan does not tempt us to do wrong things, he tempts us in order to make us lose... the possibility of being of value to God...”

     Jesus lives forever and has a permanent priesthood. He is able to save completely “because he always lives to intercede” for his followers (Hebrews 7:25).

     Temptations arrive daily. The triple screener will sit on my kitchen counter as a reminder. Next time a single, double or triple sifter is used, it can aid in remembering that Jesus still intercedes for his children so when they’re sifted their “faith may not fail.”

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