Preparing for Lent

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Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday is quickly approaching. The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and doing penance. During the week before Lent, historically, Christians were expected to go to confession in preparation for the penitential season of turning to God. Growing up in the Dutch area of Pennsylvania, Shrove Tuesday was much anticipated because it was "donut day". For this sweets lover this was the best! There are many other traditions surrounding this day. The popular celebratory aspect of the day developed long before the Protestant Reformation, was associated with releasing high spirits before the somber season of Lent. From what I understand many of these of this are associated with food...like in my current hometown where people gather at churches for "pancake day" feasts. 


Preparing for this year's Lent makes me think of not a last hurrah of sugar treats but of the things that we take for granted and for the many things that we have in our lives that are not truly necessary for living. As I write we are experiencing our second major snowstorm in Pittsburgh since Saturday. Many people are without power so their homes are cold and grocery stores are reporting that staples such as milk have been sold out. I know I take my food and shelter for granted and learning of so many neighbors without has caused me to think about this. Additionally this weekend my family welcomed our oldest home from his first mission trip to Haiti. He tells us of the joy for the Lord the Haitians have and are able to express while they don't have so many of the things we consider to be necessary for living. Both of these situations are making me wonder how to approach Lent this year. Granted we will probably continue my childhood tradition of having donuts on Shrove Tuesday, but I will also be thinking of how to approach the mystery of Lent. How do we experience this season properly so we are prepared for the joy of transformation from dying and rising, the joy of Easter?


*Carrot Top Studio stoles for Lent can be found here. It's not too late to order--we ship Priority mail (2-3 business days).

Lord's Prayer Banners

It's good not to neglect my background as a teacher so I always enjoy jumping back into the classroom for brief stints. Last night our church started a four week workshop for third and fourth grade students that focuses on the Lord's Prayer. Each night the children will rotate through a lesson on prayer, a drama station, and the art room. In the art room we're making worship banners! The goal is to have a different color represent each phrase of the Lord's prayer. So the children broke into small groups and brainstormed color associations. Some of their interesting comments included:

• "our Father" should be the color of silver or gold...because those are the best and that's what our Father is.
• it was also suggested that "our Father" be the entire colors of the rainbow because "God is everything."
• "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" should be light blue because being forgiven would be peaceful like this color.
• "lead us not into temptation"...several groups declared purple to be the perfect color for temptation. Interesting.
• "but deliver us from evil"....the color red was chosen as 'evil' by every one of the groups.
• "Amen"....should be bold like a bright yellow-because if you're going to say it you should mean it!

Children can be such great thinkers. I suspect that I will be learning much from their perspective as the weeks go by. 

Stay tuned for details of how the banners turn out!

*the above image in this post is from a Carrot Top Studio workshop several years ago....children focused on symbols of faith through a series of exercises and we created banners based on their insight.


Update...The banners are done! They hung in worship on Sunday and the children were so proud of their work and they made a great visual statement/connection.

What's New?

They're not really "new" but they seem to be getting "new" uses...what are we talking about? Our stole blanks!

At left is our confirmation stole blank. Of course we get excited about their use at the culmination of confirmation as a symbol in worship, but we also are also thrilled about alternative uses. One creative client ordered this short stole blank to embellish on her own. Why a short stole? She is a labyrinth leader and the length was perfect for the movement she does in her ministry. 


At right you can see or "Design-a-stole" blank that is sold with fabric markers and a set of suggestions for embellishment. Clients have used this stole in the same way people use signature quilts to capture on-site memories on a special day. Additionally one client bought this stole for an ordination service where she knew a lot of children would be in attendance. While the message during worship was being delivered she slyly took the children out of the sanctuary to embellish this stole. When it was time to ordain the candidate the stole was used as a symbol of this new pastor's ministry to children as it was placed around his neck. And a new favorite story...yesterday a client purchased this stole with the hint that she was "up to" something that had to do with the Super Bowl. Hmmmm.....now that will make for an interesting worship moment!


So we encourage you to "think outside the box" as the favorite catch phrase says. And, if you have an idea but aren't sure if it will work contact us and we'll help you problem solve!

An Excuse to Eat M & M's

For many Protestant church traditions, the season of Epiphany extends from January 6th until Ash Wednesday. We love the following visual reminder of the season because it involves chocolate!

"As you hold some M & M candies in your hand and turn them, you will see.  The M becomes a W, an E, and then a 3.  They tell the Christmas story, it’s one I’m sure you’ll know. It took place in a stable, a long, long time ago.  The E is for the East, where the star shone so bright, The M is for the Manger, where Baby Jesus slept that night. The 3 is for the Wise Men, bearing gifts, they say they came.  W is for Worship, Hallelujah, Praise His Name!

So as you eat these candies, share them with a friend.  Remember the meaning of Christmas through Epiphany, it’s a Love story that never ends."

**This saying is not original to us. Author unknown.

A Peek Inside Our Studio

The word studio, defined as an artist's workroom, often can conjure up grand and romantic thoughts of where an artist works. Carrot Top Studio is not grand, it is not filled with floor to ceiling windows, it is not situated in the middle of an artist commune where we sit around drinking coffee all day while solving the worlds problems. Carrot Top Studio IS a relatively small but efficient place. It is a place that I love to go to most every day. Because there is no storefront for this online business I open a little of my world to you--

I hand pieced this English wave quilt many years ago and it cheerfully greets me as I enter the studio each day. It's far from perfect by quilt world standards but it was one of my first large projects as a quilter, I saw it through to the end (quilters have many UFO's or unfinished objects) and the red makes me smile.

I work best surrounded by order, so my supplies tend to be lined up. I've also learned that I tend to only use what I can see so most items are out in the open to visually stimulate the creative process.

A place for everything and everything in it's place! Am I a product of my Montessori nursery school?

This is the station that is the power behind the online store, email communication with our global clientèle, web design, accounting, inventory and much more. How did we ever survive without our computers?

The sewing station...thread lined up by color, buttons organized in vintage garage sale finds, thread scraps saved in a jar for the birds to use in the nests come spring, a fabric plant (what else would our plants be made of?), and a great magnifying light...these are our elements for success!

Fabric cut out and in the que for creation into stoles for pastors, priests, clergy, ministers and wedding officiants.

This is the design wall where we hang work in progress so we can pause and reflect on pieces as they're in the creation stage...job tickets line the edge so we can stay focused on the work that needs to be done. You can see from what's currently on the design wall that I'm playing with dark colors. This is not my norm and I'm loving that!

The painting table....obviously well used! We love hand painting fabric and the pigment often soaks through onto the table. Fun!

Ahhh...yes....this is the exercise equipment that is strategically placed to remind myself to USE IT. Hmmm...is that dust I see?

Epiphany

Tomorrow we celebrate Epiphany. Another Christmas season draws to a close. The rhythm of the seasons and special days repeat each church year so we don't forget and we can continue to learn from the story. I love Epiphany's message of the Good News being for everyone. The feast of Epiphany originated in the Eastern Church. It was celebrated as early as the third century, even before Christmas was part of the liturgical calendar. For early Christians the celebration was a feast. Here are a few additional suggestions for celebration:

• party as you un-decorate in the church or at home. My family keeps a package wrapped for "baby Jesus" under our tree. Each year we add a note describing something specific we've given in Jesus' honor. We run the gammet from charitable donations to trying to treat our bodies more like temples with a better attitude toward exercise. This year I've saved the present to open after we take the ornaments off the Christmas tree. It's great to open the box and see how we've grown in our giving as our faith has deepened and our years have increased.
• share a meal with your family and discuss what was meaningful and what was not over last twelve days. I always find these conversations revealing...this year my teenage children did not want to travel over the holidays but when we reflected on highlights one that we all agreed on was a moment we shared with a mentally challenged cousin that we saw on our travels. She exhibited a moment of sheer joy when she greeted us.
• decorate and devour a "kings cake". This is traditionally a cake with a trinket baked inside it. Whoever gets the piece with the trinket reigns as king or queen of the feast and gets to order everyone else around. The kids love this tradition. How about making it safer and replace the trinket with something that can be digested--like a large strawberry?
• as we feast we can also think and discuss the gifts we might focus on in the year ahead that will help us to bring the Good News to everyone. I'm all for making sure our light shines!

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Of course we are still in the midst of Advent but in preparation of Christmas and the twelve days beyond that we call the season of Christmas we are sharing this Christmas message now. 


The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children with secular origins. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Christian Faith. So based on a little research we've compiled the following that might make you think differently the next time you hear this tune:


The First Day of Christmas:
One partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ. Celebrate His birthday!


The Second Day of Christmas:
Two turtles doves are the Old and New Testament together that tell the story of God to the world.


The Third Day of Christmas:
Three french hens stand for faith, hope and love. (1Cor. 13:13)


The Fourth Day of Christmas:
Four calling birds are the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Proclaim the Good News!


The Fifth Day of Christmas:
Five golden rings recall the first five books of the Old Testament--the Torah. These give us the history of God's grace.


The Sixth Day of Christmas:
Six geese-a-laying stands for the six days of creation. (Genesis 1)


The Seventh Day of Christmas:
Seven swans-a-swimming remind us of the seven gifts of the Spirit--prophesy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, compassion. (Romans 12:6-8)


The Eighth Day of Christmas:
Eight maids-a-milking can help us think of the eight Beatitudes. (Matthew 5:3-10)


The Ninth Day of Christmas
Nine ladies dancing reminds us of the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)


The Tenth Day of Christmas
Ten Lords-a-leaping stands for the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)


The Eleventh Day of Christmas
Eleven pipers piping are the faithful eleven disciples.


The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Twelve drummers drumming is symbolic of the twelve points in the Apostles Creed.


Blessings for the remainder of your Advent and Merry Christmas!

Why Are There So Many Religous Paintings?

For hundreds of years the art of painting in Europe really only existed as a function of the Christian religon, which played a dominant role in society. The Church commissioned and used paintings to spread its message. Books were extremely rare and many people did not know how to read. So, most people learned about the scriptures through paintings. Even then it was well understood  that a picture touches emotions more directly than speech and impresses itself more on the memory.

This is The Visitation by Dieric Bouts the Elder painted in 1445. It is a perfect example of "church art" with an Advent theme of Mary and Elizabeth. 

• what title would you give this work?
• what do the colors remind you of?
• are there any visual metaphors in the artwork?
• would you like to meet these people?
• what does the art tell you about the subjects? Is this truth or myth based on the Biblical telling of the story?
• what does this art mean to you?

Tips For Engaging Children in Art in Sunday School-Part Two

This week we continue our look at how to incorporate art appreciation into a Sunday School curriculum to enhance children's understanding and life application of the scriptures. Here are three more ideas:

• Don't avoid the scary, the painful or the sad. You can create a safe, loving environment to explore these themes and their hopeful alternatives. Discuss what you see in the art and then explore alternatives through conversation, drawing or acting.
• Use art to connect a family's story to the story of God. When looking at images of families play the "I wonder" game so children can wonder what the different characters might have been thinking or wanting to do next.This is a great one for the season of Advent when images of a family in art can be related to the stories of Jesus and his family.
• Let the art suggest different ways to pray. For example, show a film clip (yet another form of art!) of a great dance scene and relate it to David dancing for joy for God and then create your own dance for joy. Or another Advent themed idea is to focus on waiting and watching. Look at Salvador Dali's Girl Standing at the Window as shown in this post. Ask the children if they ever stand at a window and daydream. Have the children draw the window they stand at and what it is they wait and watch for. Relate this to talking to God through the window (praying).

If you've never incorporated master works of art into your curriculum you should try it....with your enthusiasm for this experience the children will deepen their understanding of God and their relationship with one another.

Tips For Engaging Children in Art in Sunday School-Part One

Not everyone can take their Sunday School classes to an art museum but that's no excuse not to integrate art into the children's spiritual development and education. Libraries and bookstores offer a larger variety than ever of books with art and the computer opens the door to an endless plethora of resources. Once you've found a resource to integrate into what you're teaching here are a view tips on how to engage the children in being active learners:

1. Use the artwork to tell the story of God from the scriptures. Read the story from scripture then have the children look at the artwork and retell the story identifying elements from the Word.
2. Encourage the children to identify with the story the picture is telling. For example ask them if have they ever felt like the main figure in the artwork, discuss what they would do next if they were part of the artwork's scene, or can the children mimic the postures of the characters in the art to get in touch with their feelings?
3. Encourage playfulness and surprise. Chose an artwork that is unique in it's technique or presentation. Discuss the art methods that artist might have used. Have the children experiment with similar techniques....such as bold colors, certain components out of proportion to create emphasis, or exaggerated facial expressions.

With the American holiday of Thanksgiving approaching here is an artwork by Peter McKay that some of the above techniques could be applied to. It could be matched to a Psalm of thanksgiving such as #138.

This blog series will continue with Advent images. Stay tuned!

Giving Thanks

Here in the states I'm in countdown mode to our celebration of Thanksgiving. Admittedly I'm thankful for my sweet tooth and I'm thinking about what new twist I might put on the pumpkin pie this year....should I consider a praline crust, a meringue top or maybe be extra adventurous with a pumpkin cheesecake? If I could take a breath and focus on why we gather for this meal I might want to instead think about being thankful for the gift of this world. This year I'd like to focus on the elements of nature. The plants of the earth are a blessing. The mysteries of life giving water and it's symbolism at baptism should be remembered. Fire gives us light, warmth and life (the sun)...it is unsafe and valuable at the same time. And last but not least we should consider the wind. It is energy and movement and a reminder of the Spirit's strokes. May we all be able to mark our times of thanksgiving with creativity.


Our thanksgiving stole is being offered as a special on eBay this week. Bid on it here.

Advent Rituals

In the studio we're putting our last touches on our new Advent stoles and have noticed a bit of buying frenzy....the season is fast upon us.  To top this reality off my sister called yesterday to pick my brain for resources for family activities for her school website. When thinking about what's been important and meaningful to our family over the years I can't escape thoughts of the Advent wreath. Each year to help us with our waiting for the the celebration of remembering Christ's birth and preparing our hearts for his return we gather on Sunday evenings around our Advent wreath. We follow this tradition from my own childhood. Our homemade wreath is often a bit "rustic" and consists simply of evergreens and purple candles. We read scripture, discuss a topic focused on the reading and offer up family prayer. There is much symbolism in this ritual. Of course the circle reminds us of God's never ending love, the evergreens reinforce this fact and the candles help us to count the days and increase the light as we go. Ultimately we light a pure white candle on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus Christ the light of the world. The time before Christmas can be a constant struggle between what the world tells us we should be doing (buying, baking, attending parties, etc.) and how the waiting might better be focused. I like what Gertrud Mueller Nelson says in her book To Dance with God, "Waiting could use a fresh look. The discipline of delayed gratification--not celebrating Christmas until the twenty-fourth of December--and the hope filled rituals of our Advent preparations will give new value to the waiting periods in our lives." This year I'm wondering how we enter Advent as people pregnant and waiting. Any ideas?

The pictured Advent stole with evergreens and gold cross can be found on our website here.

Simple Symbols

I have warm and fuzzy memories of a trip that my husband and I took to Paris early in our married years. Recently I was reminded of the time we spent in the Musee Picasso while on that trip. Prior to the visit I had always been intrigued by Picasso's art. The museum experience heightened my understanding of the mindset and process that Picasso took to evolve his work over the years to the very simple sometimes childlike forms that it became. In many ways the final result of his stroking of the paintbrush or modeling of the sculpture became a symbol. This makes me think of how in our faith the simple symbol is held as such an important connection for us as we worship God. For example, during Communion, bread and wine are things that we all can relate to. They are simple symbols that are very real to us. These symbols matter, and therefore they draw us closer to the religious experience. There is no denying that there is mystery in our faith but the symbols help our consciousness as best as they can. As you plan for worship this week what are the symbols that will help make the connection?

Like the symbols on this stole detail? 

See the stole and read about the symbols on our website. 

All Saints Day

We've made three batches of cupcakes in my household in the last five days. What's all the fuss? We celebrated my husband's birthday (who declares he's now counting backwards) with carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing, we tried a recipe for cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes from a new cookbook and we couldn't resist the seasonal cupcake mix in the grocery store with the cute sprinkles for the cake batter and icing. 

All this sweetness has made me think of the upcoming All Saints Day celebration. According to some sources, the idea for All Saints' Day goes back to the fourth century when the Greek Christians kept a festival on the first Sunday after Pentecost in honor of all martyrs and saints. Other sources say that a commemoration of “All Martyrs” began to be celebrated as early as 270 CE. Pope Gregory IV made All Saints' Day an authorized holiday in 837 CE. It is speculated that the chosen date for the event, November 1, may have been an attempt to supplant the pagan Festival of the Dead. 

Putting the history of this day aside for a moment today we can focus on the fact that God declares everyone who has been baptized and believes the promise of the gospel to be justified, holy, and blameless.  The communion of saints therefore includes both those still living on earth and those who have died in the faith and are now living in heaven. Therefore, All Saints' Day is a very special festival, one that should enrich the worship lives of all who observe it. It is a day to recall the faithful men and women of both Testaments of the Bible and praise God for their examples. However, we also remember the saints of the less distant past.  Many congregations memorialize those parishioners who were called to be with the Lord in the past year. Finally, on this day we can glorify God not just for the faithfulness of the saints, but most of all for His faithfulness to the saints.

Signs and symbols that are traditionally used for All Saints Day include, ringing of bells, signing hymns about the saints (like For All the Saints), children dressing in costume of a favorite saint and lighting candles. This year I'm thinking of a special dinner to celebrate all the past and present saints that have touched my life....a great exercise to help my family focus on the attributes we admire and would like to personally strive for. I think this also may be an excuse to try another cupcake recipe out of my new cookbook! Sweet!

New Stole Designs

Carrot Top Studio creates handcrafted, unique ministry stoles in limited editions. When we're trying out a new idea this might mean "trying" the new design on just one stole. These stoles are often offered on eBay at bargain prices with auctions ending each Thursday night. Otherwise our edition series are typically 4-10 stoles of one design. When the series sells out it is occasionally repeated but more often than not we tweak the design or move on to another idea within the same category. The studio is now four and a half years old and we're grateful that our artistic juices still flow and we can't find enough time to design and stitch up all the ideas that float around our minds!

This week we've added two new designs to our collection. Pictured on the left is a stole suggested by one of our clients that is working with couples of mixed faith (Messianic Jew and Christian). It can be found here on the website. We love hearing your ideas and often work on special commissions but if we think it's something that other's within the ministry community might also be looking for we'll gladly add it to our collection. Additionally the stole on the right can be found here on the website. We thought of Communion when we saw this luscious grape vine fabric but this stole also speaks to the fruitfulness of a Christian life and would be appropriate at many different types of worship services.

You've been kind enough to spend a moment with us on this blog so we'll share a secret...these two new designs will debut at a great price on eBay tonight with closings next Thursday. The Messianic stole is item #150382435776 and the grapevine stole is item #150382432296. We appreciate your ideas, support and continued patronage!

Book Review

This week I've read Barbara Brown Taylor's An Altar in the World. The subtitle of this book is "A Geography of Faith" (isn't that intriguing?) and this work focuses on encountering God beyond church walls. For years I have consciouslyendeavored to not be just a Sunday morning Christian. I'm not professing to be an expert by any means, just someone who sees Sunday morning worship in a church sanctuary as a mere bit of what we're called to. 


The Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" has always spoken to me. Therefore I think the chapter titles of simple practices such as waking up, walking, paying attention, getting lost, and carrying water immediately pulled me into this read. I especially enjoyed the chapter on keeping the Sabbath that is entitled "The Practice of Saying No." A decade ago I had the pleasure of attending a national church women's conference where I attended a workshop on this subject. Realizing that I'd never really thought about the commandment about keeping the Sabbath was quite an awakening. On some Sunday's a do much better than others with making a 24 hour intentional connection to God by resting. In Taylor's chapter about this practice I laughed out loud when I read that it's polite in China to respond to "How are you?" with "Busy like crazy, but what else is new? And you?" I pondered her notion that the tradition of kicking back and relaxing on Sunday in America started to fall by the wayside when professional football began to be televised. And, I reflected on my own current practices after reading Taylors commentary of theologian Karl Barth's writing, "A being is free only when it can determine and limit its activity." This chapter extended my thinking and reinforced that I need to keep working on living in God.


An Altar in the World has caused me to pause and think. I'm glad I stumbled upon this title. I'm off to go see if I can, as Taylor suggests, see Holy in every component of my day today.

It's a White Out!

The college football team I follow often declares a home game to be a white out. The power of color is demonstrated in the stadium as the 80,000+ fans make an impressive, coordinated statement all in white shirts. We of course see the color white in our churches. Here are a  few things we know about the color white:

• White in scripture is connected with purity, joy and righteousness.
• It is the liturgical color for Christmas and Easter.
• In Roman times the giving of white stone symbolised acquittal from crime and innocence. Thus those who overcome sin are purified and cleansed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• White is mentioned in scripture. Such as: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

Additionally, white stoles are one of the two most sold colors at Carrot Top Studio. A pastor once told me that their white stoles were more often replaced than other stole because they were bound to get dirty. We recommend spot cleaning stoles that can get wet with a gentle cleanser like clear shampoo. 

Because we're thinking about WHITE we're having our own celebration with a "white out" on eBay. See our bargain selections here.

The Color Green

What would it be like if God hadn't gifted creation with color? Today I'm thinking about the color green for several reasons. First I'm working on a new tree of life ministry stole. It will debut on eBay with our other specials later this week. Secondly, I find it interesting that the colour green in scripture comes from several Hebrew words: 'yereq' meaning green or green thing; 'yaraq' meaning green herbs, vegetables or garden greens; 'lach' meaning green or moist, fresh or new in the sense of plants ; 'abiyb' meaning green ears of corn; 'ra‘anan' meaning green and flourishing; 'eb' meaning fresh green or green shoots; 'ratob' meaning green, moist juicy fresh; ' yarowq' meaning green thing. So many meanings....and the artist in me thinks of so many different shades of green! These words translated as green have a connection with green flourishing plant life of one species or another. Lastly this brings me to the thought of spending time in nature as being very restful and bringing tranquillity and peace of mind. Like when David wrote of God, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake." Psalm 23:2-3 So we can see a connection in the Bible between green pasture and the spiritually restorative nature of God's word. I've joined a new small group that is built around a meditation based on scripture followed by a group walk where the passage can be discussed as much or as little as we feel inspired to do while enjoying the natural environment and the calming effect this provides. This morning when we walked I marveled at the deep greens in the woods starting to change to the royal colors of fall and when we passed the cows in the pasture several people actually commented on the calming feeling of seeing them. I'm signing off remaining thankful for the color green and it's many associations.

Testing Again!

If I create a post will it really show up on Facebook? Have been trying to figure this one out all day! Why can't I figure this one out?

Baptism Symbolism

Sunday in worship the baptismal font wasn't where it usually is. I suspect it had been moved the previous day due to a wedding ceremony that took place in the sanctuary. When it has been moved like this I miss seeing the reminder of baptism, then the communion table, then the cross that hangs in our chancel as visual reminders, that all work together, of the sacraments of our faith. Baptismal fonts have intrigued me since I was asked several years ago to talk about some images of fonts throughout the ages. As always when I research a topic I learned a lot. For example, here is the ancient baptismal basin which was actually behind the apse of the Basilica of St. Vitalis. Its shape is beautiful and the mosaic details are amazing.

Symbolically the baptistry was situated close to the western poral on the north side. Interestingly this was the direction from which the pagen peoples who were called to faith came. Moreover, the old missal stipluated that the deacon should face west to proclaim the Good News.

Large above-ground cruciform fonts are still being constructed in churches today. There are often steps on opposite interior sides. One is for entrance into the pool and the other for exit. This movement of entering the water and then moving forward to exit while leaving our sins behind buried in the water makes me think of Romans 6: 4…"We are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

My church does not baptize through immersion therefore we use a movable font instead of a large basin. Regardless of how large the water container, whether the water used came from the River Jordon or not or the setting for the baptism we can rejoice in the symbolism of the use of water. Jesus spoke of water as the symbol of a new rejuvenated spiritual life. I am thankful for new spiritual life and for the symbolic reminder of this gift!

Baptism stoles with symbols of water, the Trinity, shells and more can be found here.

Test

If I create a post will it really show up on Facebook? Have been trying to figure this one out all day! Ugh!

Community

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting our son and daughter's golf team at our home for a pasta dinner after they had a match. I've always questioned these events because after a full day of school and a multi-hour long match, I didn't understand the need to gather for dinner also....extending the day so long makes it hard to have time for and focus on homework. After our dinner (oh, my these kids eat a lot!) I formulated a new opinion. These eighteen, 14-18 year olds sat together, shared the food that was served family style, and talked, laughed and advised each other about their golf games, high school classes, relationships and their futures beyond high school. Not necessarily within each other's social circles, these teens regardlessly exhibited a real sense of community. This morning while doing the final clean up and enjoying a leftover brownie with my coffee (don't ask how early it was!) it was this sense of community that remained with me as the warm and fuzzy feeling from the evening prior. I'm proud of these teens and it reminds me of why we as Christians are called together in community. We need each other!

The first worship banners I ever worked on were done in community. A team of artists and seamstresses gathered together to pray about, generate ideas for and then complete eight sets of worship banners for our church sanctuary. This project is what led to the development of Carrot Top Studio. I had never taken on a task quite like worship banners and for the project to be successful it really needed the community of a group.

The first Christians in the New Testament were a great example of community as they quickly learned to gather together for worship.It's awesome that gathering together is a precursor to the Kingdom of God that is to come. In today's fast paced world may we not forget to take time to come together as community.

Creation Cleaner

The Labor Day weekend is past. Even though the days are still warm, this is symbolic of nature's seasonal movement from summer to fall. The children are back in school. I miss them and their friend's trapsing through the studio while I work. So it's up to my studio dog, Abby "the Labby" to keep me company while I sew, design, sew, market, sew, and sew some more! Abby often comes out of the marathon sewing sessions the victim of stray threads landing on her as caught in this photo.

The seasons may be changing outside my window but the church continues to mark Ordinary Time. How do you honor this? In worship I see the green paraments and ministry stoles. I hear messages encouraging me to grow in my faith. I sing old favorites like "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." Beyond worship how do we honor Ordinary Time? Abby and I love working through our days in the studio but we also enjoy the daily break of a walk through the neighborhood. We marvel at the ordinary....the shadows the trees make on the grass, the sounds of a child laughing in the distance, the birds holding court while sitting on the wires up above. We also use our walking time to help keep this creation cleaner. Taking a bag on our walks to pick up trash is an easy way to help keep God's creation cleaner. This is such an easy task for all ages to get in the habit of. You can even teach your little ones to join in this activity! Thinking about "creation cleanup" reminds me of the day my son, then seven years old, took our habit of litter patrol maybe a little too seriously. His teacher called to tell me that he arrived at school with beer bottles in his backpack (she'd discoverd them from the stench that was oozing from his locker.) She thankfully knew us well enough to understand my son's explanation of "caring for creation" on his way to the bus stop and the need to save the bottles for the recycling bin when he got home. But, she did highly recommend that he not continue to bring empty beer bottles to school! So, outside of worship I encourage you to take time to enjoy the ordinary (that is really extra-ordinary) and pitch in to help keep our creation cleaner...but tell your kids to not to pick the beer bottles up on the way to school!

Confirmation Stole Blank Special Offer

Are you curious about our confirmation stole blanks (seen at left) but don't want to commit without seeing the product? To help your decision during the month of September we're offering the purchase of a single stole blank ($11) with complimentary shipping. When ordering a single stole blank we'll include a short feedback page for you to send us to see what you think. We believe in the use of the confirmation stoles with youth to help them understand their spiritual gifts, their call to service, and the use of the visual in worship. With your feedback we'll be able to offer the best product possible for your ministry!

Read more about confirmation stoles and place your order here at www.CarrotTopStudio.com.

New Stole Designs

We're thrilled to have added several new stole designs to our online store! Visitationstoles and stoles for the confessional are shorter than our norm and can be found here. This is a new category for us and we'd love to hear your needs and ideas for this product line. The blue healing stole celebrates oil and the Old and New Testament references to its use. More about this stole can be found here. Lastly we always love working with batik fabric and this one is a beauty! It's description is on the Carrot Top Studio website here. We hope you'll enjoy and maybe be able to use one of these new designs.

Speaking of new....on a personal note I get to send my youngest child off to her first day of high school tomorrow. Our oldest will start his senior year. Having two children in high school embracing lifes challenges and seeking how God is to use them during the school year will probably provide not too many dull moments in our house! Blessing to all of you that are in similar situations as we transition into a new season.

More Memories

I'm still sorting through and scanning the photos that I've been dumping into a box for way too many years (see post below). I came across pictures from the Presbyterian Women's Conferences I attended in Louisville. The banners were always so inspiring in the large convention hall venue. I had no idea at that time that I was being called to start Carrot Top Studio but I believe seeds for the business were planted there. The below were commercially made but they made a great impact.

Then it was fun to find a photo of the first set of banners I made with a team from my home church. None of us had ever taken on a project like this but we were fueled by our worship commission that had a vision for adding liturgical color and symbols to our sanctuary.

Thankfully I have learned to take better images over the years! Although the photo doesn't show it, these banners are royal purple and several shades of gold. The donkey, manger and rainbow tell the story of God's promises and are used during Advent. Back to digging through the photos.....

Memories

I'm in the process of taking my family photos, that have been piled in boxes for too many years, and scanning them into the computer for safe keeping. So many pictures and so many memories! This project that is long overdue. It is an enjoyable process for me, yet will take much time and perseverance.

This project is making me think of all the Biblical verses that refer to remembering the past. For example, "Praise the Lord, my soul, and never forget all the good He has done." (Psalm 103:2) and "Worship Him faithfully with your whole heart; keep in mind the great things He has done among you." (1 Samuel 12:24). Whenever a loved one passes I draw upon these verses. I am thankful for the healing gift of "remembering" that God allows us.

Along these lines I was struck by a visual in a worship space I had the opportunity to visit this summer. This community is a fairly new one. The church building is not very old. The hall that leads into the worship space is lined with a memory of the prayers from the beginnings of this faith community and their plans to plant a church. The wall is lined with stones that have prayers written on them...prayers for the people that were to come together, the plans God had for them, and the spread of His love and mission within the community. I have to recall this scripture whenever I think of this lovely worship space visual, "Each of you must pick up one stone...We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to You?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordon River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel." (Joshua 4:5-7). I am passionate about worshiping in places outside of my norm and the stone wall in this church will be a lovely memory for me and a reminder that we still carry out the words of Joshua in so many ways.

Back to my family memories...I'll leave you with a "beauty" of a photo I unearthed of my mother and I that is proof of why Carrot Top Studio got it's name!

Book Review

I'm preparing for an adult Sunday School seminar at my home congregation. The topic is "A Protestant Look at Mary". Within this four week series in December I will be teaching one that will focus on representations of Mary in Protestant and Early Christian art. The goal is to get behond taking out with the creche at Christmas and then packing her ack int he closet in January. November and December are often Carrot Top Studio's busiest months so I'm trying to prepare now. One of the tools I'm using is the book Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary by Miri Rubin. It is very interesting to take time to discover how Mary, who is scarcely mentioned in the Gospels, became one of the most prominent religous figures in world culture. I'm learning from Rubin who draws upon an extraordinarily wide range of sources--including music,poetry, theology, art, scripture and miracle tales. Stay tuned as I draw deeper into this intriguing subject matter....I'm wondering how I will learn to be more like Mary through this investigation!?