"Sainte-Chapelle, Nouvel Esprit" (Feed Your Soul for Lent #1)

"La Sainte-Chapelle, Nouvel Esprit"

La Sainte-Chapelle
The holy chapel, medieval reliquary
Where pilgrims honored holy fragments.
In my eyes it is the glory of Paris
Not for ancient remnants, now gone 
But for the soaring stained glass
With shimmering stories of the Word
Cut into fragments of centuries old colors
Today's fresh light streaming through.

A holy chapel I want to be
With the Holy Spirit, le Saint-Esprit
Living and giving life within me
The stories of the Word, translucent
Illuminated by the Light of the World
A radiant sanctuary of the sacred
Miraculously inside this fragile temple
Holy chapel, new spirit
Sainte chapelle, nouvel esprit.























I recorded this piece, along with several others, at a classical concert in Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in October 2016. "Chaconne" calls to my mind the drama of the passion and compassion of Christ on the cross. 

You can find more music, photos and links here: La Sainte-Chapelle, the Glory of Paris.

  
Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

It is a traditional season of fasting from physical distractions. That should give us an increased focus for feasting on what feeds our souls.

I'd like to spend Lent sharing goodies to nurture the spirit: music, art, nature photography, poetry, inspiring article links. 

Along this theme of saints of the spirit, this came across my Facebook feed today. Saint Fred is an article in Atlantic Monthly about Mr. Rogers, the beloved children's TV personality and ordained Presbyterian minister who passed away on this day in 2003.

I am still pinching myself that I had this amazing opportunity to visit Switzerland and Paris with my daughter Joanna, who was presenting at a mental health conference in Geneva. I only wish I had more money to travel!  I realize that I neglected to send all of my Europe photo posts to this blog's subscribers last fall. Here are the links. 

Switzerland

• Off to Europe!
• Our First Afternoon in Geneve
• On the Shores of Lake Geneva
• All Around Geneve, All by Myself
• Sweet Sunday Morning in Geneve
• Saint-Pierre Cathedral
• Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
• On Our Way to the Swiss Alps
• O Little Town of Lauterbrunnen 
• Mürren and Gimmelwald by Cable Car
• Staubbachfall in Lauterbrunnen
• Foggy Days in Lauterbrunnen
• Trümmelbachfalle, Ten Waterfalls in a Big Swiss Cave
• St. Beatus Caves at Lake Thun in Switzerland
• An Evening in Bern

Paris 

• Eiffel Tower and Seine River Cruise
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• La Sainte-Chapelle, the Glory of Paris
• A Little Louvre Love
• Musee d'Orsay in Paris
• Arc de Triomphe and a Late Night Dinner in Paris 
• Basilique de Sacré-Cœur in Paris
• Palace of Versailles
• Gardens of Versailles in Autumn

Day by Day - and Good Friday

“Day by Day”

Richard Chichester

(1197-1253)

Thanks be to thee,

Lord Jesus Christ,

for all the benefits

which thou hast won for us,

for all the pains and insults

which thou hast borne for us.

O most merciful Redeemer,

Friend and Brother,

may we know thee more clearly,

love thee more dearly,

and follow thee more nearly,

day by day.

It  is  Good  Friday  today,  when  we  remember  what  Jesus  did  for  us  on  the  cross.  Please  take  a  few  extra  moments  with me  to  reflect  on  these  classic  masterpieces  and  poems,  as  well  as  my  essay  on  the   cross: Holy Week: Good Friday

I also invite you to visit my Holy Week and Easter page.

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Weekend Gratitude: Easter Egg Hunt, Yard Sales, Homeless Outreach

Dear friends,

What a busy weekend!  I guess you could say it started on Friday, but you can read about that here: Mom's Chauffeur and Courier Service (A Little Encouragement)

On Saturday morning, I took my two youngest daughters to the annual Easter egg hunt celebration in Baldwin Park.  






Our congregation, Lake Baldwin Church, always has a snow cone booth and inflatable slide there as a way to get to know people in the community.  

Snow cone booth

Educational stuff from the yard sales

We decided not to stay long after the egg hunt part of it, and instead spent the time visiting five different yard/rummage sales on the way home.  At one sale, the lady said we could take anything we could fit in a grocery bag for 2 bucks.  We took her up on it, especially with books and stuff for my two little grandsons, craft supplies for the homeless outreach, even some little porcelain bunnies to add to my springtime village.  At other sales, we found silk flowers to use for table decorations for the outreach.  I was quite happy by the time we got home, but my feet weren't.  I had a bunch of school prep to do on Saturday afternoon and evening, too.

The big event on Sunday was the monthly homeless outreach.  My daughter who leads the ministry wasn't there because she is 8 months pregnant and couldn't stand outside in the heat that long.  However, three of of my other younger kids (ages 8, 13, and 14)

came with me to serve.  It is such a joy to have them participate! This is a highlight of each month for me. We had several dozen folks come for a spaghetti dinner (a ton of food donated from another ministry's event!), and we passed out a bunch of toiletry "love bags", Gospel of John booklets, and information sheets on where to go or call for help in that vicinity.   Some of the people who come live in the nearby woods. One of the men was looking for a sleeping bag, but unfortunately we didn't have any available yesterday since we gave them all out when it was colder.

One of the ladies set up a craft table where kids could make little Easter gardens.  I love her heart to serve the children each month!  Most of them live in the motel where we hold the outreach, and I know it can't be easy to be crammed into a small room with a whole family for weeks on end.  Here are two more links to my posts about homeless outreach...

• 13 Ways to Help People Who Are Homeless
• Homeless in the Suburbs

There was a lot more going on during the weekend, but that's the big stuff, anyway.  I still have a lot to do on my "work from home" day today, but some of it is just going to have to wait since my feet hurt more than ever now.

Abigail, Virginia (that's me!),
and Molly (our pastor's wife)
at the Baldwin Park Easter shindig

The big thing I'm looking forward to tonight is a going away party for my friend Abigail, who is moving to Japan with her husband and two sons this month.  Boo hoo that she is leaving, though!  I've only known her less than a year, but I instantly knew she was a kindred spirit and that has proved to be so true.  I love the ladies in our Monday night Bible study, and I'm so glad I started going a couple of months ago.  I'll have to go grocery shopping in a little bit, because I signed up to bring a main dish tonight!  

Other recent links for you?  Sure!  I've been on a roll with some quick posts the past few days...

• ​Moving on from Broken - My Church and Life Transition Story (this is cross-posted at No Longer Quivering)​
• Saving Money and Adding Variety with Used Curriculum
• ​
  I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Strength in Hymn)
• ​​
  "God the Artist" by Dag Hammarskjӧld

Have a terrific week!  Take a peek at my Holy Week and Easter link page for some great ideas and inspiration.

And oh!  I can't leave you without this hilarious video of a string quartet. These four ladies are amazingly talented! This is a must see!  I can't seem to imbed the video, but here's the link: Salut Salon "Wettstreit zu viert"

Grace and peace, 
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Happy Holy Week

Dear friends,

Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.  I have written a lot of articles in recent years, many filled with art, music, and poetry.  You can find an updated list them on my Easter links page, but here is what I have so far.

May God fill you with joy, hope, peace, grace, and most of all love this season,

Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

• Weekend Gratitude: A Little Lenten Liturgy

• "At the Cross" by Living Waters A Capella from Yale

• Easter Paradoxes & Poems
• Easter Dinner Menu
• Two Trifles: Chocolate Strawberry and Caramel Apple
• Easter Card Outreach and the Jesus Game
• Holy Week: Palm Sunday!
• Holy Week: The Thief on the Cross
• Holy Week and "A Hymn for All the World" by Josh Bales
• Holy Week: Good Friday (includes the essay, "Is the Cross a Way of Life for You?")
• Holy Week: The Resurrection and Doubting Thomas
• Holy Week
• Holy Week: The Throne Room of Grace
• Easter Poetry & Art
• Easy Spring Decorating on a Dime

Springtime in My Front Hallway

Dear friends,

It's springtime!

Many years ago, my Aunt Nancy kindly gave our family a porcelain bunny village which we set out nearly every year.  My favorite piece is the church, of course!

This year, the bunny village has a place of honor on the tall cabinet in our front hallway.

We often receive hand-me-down clothes from friends and neighbors, and we always try to pass along what we can't use.  But I got tired of seeing plastic bags of clothes to be given away just plopped down in the hallway.  I bought a brown fabric hamper (with a sturdy wire frame) at Walmart, covered it with a right-sized board, added a vintage lace cloth, and topped it with a silk rose bouquet.  Decorative and useful at the same time!  

On the low table in the hallway, I put a bowl of lemons on a vintage lace doily.  They're actually plastic, but you can't tell that by looking at them.  I bought the whole bag of them for $1.49 at Salvation Army.  I'm still missing a few of them since my grandsons got a hold of them!

I just moved this plaque from the bathroom today.  I have been tweaking our bathrooms lately, as you can see here: 

Decorating and Organizing Bathroom Areas on a Budget

This framed print is next to our door, an appropriate place since it reads: "Lord, rest your hand upon this door and bless this house forevermore."

That's all for my front hallway today, but you can see previous posts featuring it here: 

• The Impulsive Decorator's Room Redo #1: The Front Hallway
• Easy Spring Decorating on a Dime

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Weekend Gratitude: A Little Lenten Liturgy

The first Sunday in Lent: 

two crosses, 

one draped in rough burlap and royal purple,

the other rising from a crown of thorns.

Two crosses.

He died for us on one: 

"For the joy set before him he endured the cross."

He calls us to the other: 

"Take up your cross and follow me."

~*~*~

Yes, it's the first Sunday in Lent, and for some odd reason, the tech guys have not showed up for the service with the sound system or the overhead projector that we use in the middle school auditorium. The worship pastor hurries a few miles away to the church office to run off song sheets.  This is old style for those of us who have been in church for decades.  No microphones, no amplifiers, so we all move to the front rows and -- unplugged -- worship God, who is power enough.  The liturgy, fortunately, is printed in the bulletin: responsive readings, prayers, notes to ponder later.  The traditional mixes with the contemporary, but all are timeless words, eternal words, everlasting praise.

~*~*~

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Blessed be God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and blessed be his kingdom, now and forever! (Psalm 103:1-5)

"Kindness"

Chris Tomlin

Open up the skies of mercy

Rain down the cleansing flood

Healing waters rise around us

Hear our cries, Lord, let them rise

It's your kindness lord

That leads us to repentance

Your favor Lord, is our desire

It's your beauty Lord

That makes us stand in silence

Your love, Your love

Is better than life.

We can feel Your mercy falling

You are turning our hearts back again

Hear our praises rise to heaven

Draw us near, Lord, meet us here.

You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" is is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:15-17)

Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”  (Matthew 8:23-27)

~*~*~

During the season of Lent, we prepare our hearts for the remembrance and celebration of our Savior's passion, death, and resurrection.  It is a time for reflection, repentance, and renewal.  It is a time for mercy and healing.  It is a time of looking to the One who soothed the angry sea and can bring peace to our chaotic lives.

May the

Lord calm 

your soul,

comfort you with his love,

create in you a new spirit,

crown you with salvation,

call you to 

take up your 

cross, and

commission

you with his

 compassion.

Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

You can read my first Lent post here: Dry Souls, Muddy Wells, Living Water and Lent (Advocating for the Vulnerable #10)

I took the photo of the crosses at Lake Baldwin Church with my iPod on Sunday morning and then edited it with Picasa.  It will be my submission to the Sweet Shot Tuesday photo project tomorrow morning.  You can see my current photo collection here: Sweet Shot 2013.   

I will also link to the following blogs this week...

Raising Homemakers

Wise Woman

Whole-Hearted Home

Walking Redeemed

Still Saturday

The Sunday Community

Scripture and a Snapshot

Holy Week: The Resurrection and Doubting Thomas

Dear friends,

Happy Easter to you! 

"Saint Thomas Putting his Finger on Christ's Wound" by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

This morning in church, introducing his sermon with this Caravaggio masterpiece, our pastor Mike Tilley told the story of doubting Thomas. He was the disciple who wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to the others on the day he was resurrected. Even though the others told him about it, Thomas said he wouldn't believe it until he saw it for himself, until he could feel the wounds on Christ's body. Jesus appeared again about a week later, suddenly in a locked room. Nothing could keep him out! The thing is that Jesus didn't chew out Thomas for doubting.  He greeted him with "Peace be with you!" and invited him to see and touch the wounds so he could fully believe.  And when Thomas saw him, he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" I think he got it right that time.  Thomas understood his relationship with God personally and he also responded with a heart of surrender, acknowledging Jesus as his Lord.

Mike encouraged the doubters among us to freely come to God with our honest questions. There is more than one kind of doubter.


Some aren't sure that there is even a God, or that Jesus is God. I remember, as I once wrote in a poem, "looking for a skylight in the floor of my upside down world." I not only didn't believe in God, but I was mad at Christians for trying to tell me about him. I was quite some doubter. Maybe you are, too. There is nothing wrong with exploring the historical evidence to find out if what the Bible says is true and asking God if he is really real. Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel, both solid skeptics, dared to do this -- and ended up convinced of the claims of Christianity. McDowell later wrote the books Evidence that Demands a Verdict, More than a Carpenter, Don't Check Your Brains at the Door and many others. Strobel penned The Case for Christ, The Case for the Creator, The Case for Easter, and more.

Other doubters, also like me, have served God for years, even decades. I've been a Christian for 35 years as of this July. I have read the Bible all the way through multiple times, memorized large portions of it, read hundreds of Christian books, gone to church nearly every week, served on missions and evangelism teams, taught Sunday School, home schooled my 10 kids, written Christian books/e-magazines/blogs, and talked about God to groups of people more times than I can remember. Do I have all the answers by now? Not by a long shot! I have my own perplexing questions about God, too. There are times that I just don't understand what he is doing or why. There are times when I am angry at God and wonder if he is really a loving Father after all. Is he really good? Is he really just? Will the burdens ever lift? How badly will I mess up, and will he be able to fix it when I do? Does he really have it all under control? Will it really come out all right in the end? With all of the varieties of Christian teachings out there, some of them at odds with one another, how do I know what to believe and how to behave? And how do I take what I know in my mind and make sure that is seeps all the way into my heart, too, so I can trust him? Lord, have mercy!

Fortunately, God is big enough to handle angst, confusion, and cynicism. And it helps to know that devout Christians throughout the centuries have faced the same doubts and spiritual insecurities. It is just reality until we get to Heaven and see him face to face. For now, it's better to be honest, wrestle the doubts, and ask the hard questions, even while knowing it's not all going to come clear until eternity. For me, it helps to read the Bible and pray, even when it is hard to sense God's presence. Another thing that is an immense encouragement is to read and hear the testimonies of other believers about how God has been faithful and real in their lives during the most difficult times. And oddly enough, getting out there, putting one foot in front of the other, and serving him the best I know how somehow draws me even closer to him. I don't always know just what I'm doing when I start out, but seeing God work through me -- in spite of me -- is something of a miracle to behold.

I am thankful, too, that the good folks of Lake Baldwin Church welcomed me in when I was feeling more than a bit lost in transition last year. It's been a safe place for me to be just me. Even a few simple hugs and kind words from my sweet sisters-in-Christ there gave me a powerful boost toward more faith this morning. God might not be moving in spectacular ways, but I think he's at least whispering tenderly in my ears.

Peace be with you!

Virginia Knowles


http://www.virginiaknowles.blogspot.com/


P.S. If you haven't read my other Easter posts this week, you can click here: Holy Week.

Holy Week: The Throne Room of Grace

The Throne Room of Grace

Dear friends,

Today is Saturday of Holy Week, wedged in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, so I'd like to share with you something that happened after the crucifixion but before the resurrection. I attempted to symbolize it in my 1982 painting "The Throne Room of Grace."  

I will have to give you a little background. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle and later the temple, had a Most Holy Place blocked by a veil, a heavy curtain from floor to ceiling. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and he could only do this once a year on Yom Kippur, the sacred Day of Atonement. There he would offer a solemn sacrifice for the sins of the people. The Old Testament also foretold a messiah -- the Son of God -- who would be sacrificed for the sins of the people. Hundreds of years later, in fulfillment of the prophecies, Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. He was both the High Priest and the Sacrifice Lamb. When he died, the curtain in the temple miraculously tore in two, symbolizing open access to the presence of God in the Most Holy Place for those who believe in the sacrifice. Now we too can enter into the Throne Room of Grace -- every day! Isn't God kind?

You don't see God's throne in my painting; the man, who could be anyone, is on his way in through the heavy ripped curtain of the Temple into the Most Holy Place. I couldn't figure out a way to adequately depict the Glory of God, so I left it to the viewer's imagination what they would see further down the path of the Cross that the man is walking.

Picture with me this scene: You enter The Most Holy Place, the Throne Room of God, and bow before the Glorious King. Then after he embraces you and places a comforting hand on your head, he hands you this beautifully wrapped package. Inside are his gifts of Mercy and Grace. They aren’t generic brand either! They are specifically designed for your particular needs that very day. Whatever your problem is, there is the solution. Whatever your grief, there is a unique balm of comfort. What’s even better, his door is open whenever you choose to visit, and he has a different care package for you every time you come. All of these benefits can be yours if you trust in sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins.

Many years ago, while thinking on these truths, this little song came to me...


"Who Is There Like Unto Thee?"

by Virginia Knowles


Who is there like unto Thee, O Lord,
To Thy name give glory!
Full of compassion, righteousness and truth,
Full of strength and power, and clothed in majesty!
And yet on the cross, you were willing to bleed,
And you met us there, in our time of need.
And now at your Throne Room, we may boldly enter in,
To receive grace and mercy again and again!


And then there is the old hymn... 

"Before the Throne of God Above"
by Charitie Bancroft, 1863

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.


Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Here is a beautiful modern rendition, arranged by my friend Vikki Cook.  It gives me the chills just to listen to it.  (If you are reading this by e-mail or through Google Reader or Facebook, you may have to click on the original blog post and scroll down .)



For those who would like some more of the Biblical background of the veil and the Most Holy Place...

“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy." Exodus 26:31-33



"Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).... But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." From Hebrews 9

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com