Hooking Stitches

Under-Dogs Do Have Their Day - 1 Samuel 17:50

1 Samuel 17:50 David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. (NLT)

So I was sitting in class yesterday - Sociology class - and I had the most jaw-dropping experience. It was jaw-dropping for several reasons, not the least of which was the extreme roller-coaster ride of emotions I spiraled through! Let me set the scene for you. Sociology is the study of society and how different groups of people interact due to their different perspectives in life. In that field of study, there was a man named Max Weber (pronounced Vey-ber) who lived during the turn of the 20th century. He was a sociologist who defined the terms power, prestige, and status. Weber defined "power" as, the chance that an individual in a society has to achieve his or her own will, even in the face of resistance from others.

Over the course of about 30 minutes, all of the examples that the students and the professor discussed for the category of "power" were men of great monetary wealth, i. e. the Bill Gates and Donald Trumps of the world. I became increasingly agitated and eventually I couldn't hold in my frustration any longer. I raised my hand and asked, "Does Weber mention in the text, or anywhere else, that great wealth is by no means a requirement for great power?"

Almost the entire room (about 50 out of 75 students), turned around, looked at me in the back of the class, and laughed out loud. I'm not talking about quiet snickers, either - I mean open-mouthed laughter. Here's where my agitation was ratcheted up several notches. I kept my eyes squarely on the professor and spoke above the guffaws saying, "The Women's Suffrage Movement did not succeed because someone was wealthy. The Civil Rights Movement did not succeed because someone was wealthy." And then, because the laughter kept on, I said, "The very University we are sitting in today was not de-segregated in 1959 because someone was wealthy!"

The laughter continued.

I agree, without question, that wealth makes things easier, in all respects - but we would be doing ourselves a grave disservice if we accepted the notion that a lack of green-backs equals a lack of power.

I felt both horror and pity for the young minds in that classroom. But I did not, in any way, feel shame or embarrassment for my comments. I pray that the students were able to consider the matter again later that day, or that they will in the days to come. They are under the impression that money is the only thing that moves people or instigates victory, and this could not be further from the truth.

Now, I know you don't read my blog for history lessons, so I'll set aside the long list of American history under-dogs that I have screaming in my head along with Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights. Instead, I want to point out for you today a few of the under-dogs in Christian history.

Let's consider Joseph. He was thrown into a well to die, sold into slavery, accused of a crime he didn't commit, thrown into prison, and finally, after years of injustice, God set him on a firm foundation. And don't forget that this whirl-wind journey started with his own brothers plotting to get rid of him! Hello, under-dog!?

How about Moses? He was a baby Hebrew boy who was cast into the river by his mother in hopes that he wouldn't be murdered by the Egyptian Pharaoh. He was adopted into the family of his enemy, he fled Egypt to be a lowly shepherd, and later he rose up to such a level of obedience to God that he led the Hebrew people out of slavery! Hello, under-dog!?

And how about little David? He's supposed to be serving food to his older brothers, and instead he ends up facing off with the giant Philistine, Goliath. David is wearing no armor, he has no sword, and he has no military training, yet in 1 Samuel 17:50 (NLT) we read of David's famous victory: "David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword."

Hello, under-dog.

We could go on and on, citing example after example. The Bible is a veritable treasure trove of under-dog victories. Zechariah and Elizabeth (the parents of John the Baptist), Mary and Joseph (Mother and Earthly father to our Savior), The life of Christ Himself is an under-dog story...and dare I include you and me in that list? Yes! You and me! Christians are under-dogs the world over, yet we prevail. We prevail because of our Champion, Jesus Christ, who already fought and won the war on our behalf.

So I may get laughed at, as I did in sociology class, and I may get overlooked, as we all sometimes do in this life, but I will continue to root for the under-dog because I know that He wins. Time and time again, the under-dog wins.

Thank You, Father, for giving me the courage to raise my hand in class and speak the truth: monetary wealth is not necessary for power. Lord, please guide me to be Your ambassador in this world, and shape me to do Your will, no matter who laughs. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Puppy Prayer Shawl?

At a recent Sunday service we blessed a big stack of prayer shawls for the church. Right afterwards, one of my Pastors came to me and said "What can you do for dogs?" :) Sadly, there's a sweet couple in our congregation who has a dog, a greyhound I believe, that has just been diagnosed with cancer.

I could have followed any old pattern for a doggie sweater and been done with it, but I wanted to see if I could create something that looked a whole lot like a real shawl. This is what I've come up with so far.

Both ends have a crocheted "draw string" tie: one to go around the dog's neck and one to go around the dog's belly. I'm not a dog owner myself, so this is a full-blown experiment...but I'm resting on the idea that even if it's completely wrong, the fact that I tried will make them laugh for a little while. :)

Leave the Judgment Up to Him - 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. (NLT)

There are many forms of judgment: the holy and just judgment of God, the ugly, misguided judgments we make about others, and then there's a third type of judgment - the kind that is, in my opinion, the sneakiest of all - self judgment. When we decide that we are better than others, we immediately set ourselves up for extreme pride, and God will make sure that we take a huge, stumbling fall from our self appointed peak. (See Proverbs 16:18). But what about when we decide that we are worse than all others?

As I've said many times, in many ways, I'm really hard on myself. In fact, that's one of the first things I needed to write about when I started my blog, Hooking Stitches. (You can read that first entry HERE.) I knew well that I needed to acknowledge my unhealthy habit of focusing on what's wrong with me rather than on what's right with God. Since then, I've made it a daily practice to call myself out on stuff, but to immediately seek relief, rescue, and rest for my concerns in the one place I know that there's trustworthy answers: the Word of God. Today is no different.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote about this very topic in a way that practically jumps off the page and smacks me in the forehead like an old V-8 commercial! According to the New Living Translation, Paul said, "I don't even trust my own judgment..." In the NIV, that same verse reads, "I do not even judge myself." And the Amplified Bible translates it like this: "I do not even put myself on trial and judge myself."

When I let loose on my self defeating thoughts and self degrading words, I'm doing exactly what Paul warns us not to do: I'm passing judgment on myself. This type of thinking leads to only one outcome: choices and actions to match. If we focus on "I'm no good," "I'm not worth the trouble," and "I'll never change," guess what will happen? No good, no success, and no change. We MUST leave the judgment up to God. And here's the kicker...are you ready to have your socks knocked clean off your toes? John 3:18 (NLT) There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him.

So what about those times when you're studying God's Word and you see your true nature, when you see your deepest sins reflected back at you? This happens to me all the time. The Bible is like a mirror. In it I see the One true God and my true self. At first, I have to admit it was almost terrifying. I was shocked by how much I was lacking and how much I needed to change. But as I continued to read and study, I saw that God's goodness overshadowed my wrongs; that God's grace washed away every single drop of my shortcomings.

I believe those times of study are when we grow the most. I believe those are the times when God is trying to show us the way to go; the way to turn. And most importantly, I believe those are the times of study when our faith is most challenged. Why? Because it's then that we are being asked to trust that His promises are true. He came to this world in flesh and He chose to take the path of our Savior. He promises to wash away every single thing you did wrong, do wrong today, and will do wrong tomorrow. He did it for you and He did it for me.

Don't be afraid to acknowledge your sin, but never let your focus settle there. God is so much greater than our wrongs. Nothing is too damaged for Him to repair. Nothing is too far gone for Him to pull back. Nothing is too hurt for Him to mend.

Thank You, Lord, for Paul's example of non-judgment. Please guide my thoughts, words, and actions so that my greatest focus is on You. Teach me to take notice of, acknowledge, and name my wrongs, then guide me to hand them all over to You to make them right again. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Bows Are Beautiful

If you happen to be making my Shells & Trellis hat pattern, consider adding a bow for an extra feminine touch! Just weave a complimentary ribbon in and out of the V stitches in the second to last row!

In the past couple weeks, I've made 10 of these for Halos of Hope, but then I found a few more rolls of colorful, fancy ribbon at the craft store...so I'm afraid that my new affinity for hat accents will cause a delay for the shipment I had planned today. I'm going to have to make 5 more hats! Terrible, I know (wink) but the chemo patients that Halos of Hope supports will be so pretty with a bow! :)

Want a sneak peak on my next hat project for Halos of Hope?

Here's a hint: It will all begin with the Super Bowl teams for 2010 - the New Orleans Saints & the Indianapolis Colts - and the box I mail away will have to be big enough to hold 32 hats!

What's your best guess? :)

***Update - Bingo! I'm setting out to make a hat for every team in the NFL! :) Won't you join me? There's an easy skull cap pattern right here! You can make it a roll brim hat just by adding rows!