Jesus Christ in the snow patterns

Jesus Christ in the snow patterns

It was 1962, I was the little nine year-old who moved into the house behind Bob and Mildred Farrell. I was an only child who had moved for the first time from her home in Lakeland to Sebring, leaving grandparents and cousins behind. Bob and Mildred would provide the security and stability which I needed—they indeed left their handprints on my heart. Bob and Mildred never had children, and they had retired and moved to Sebring from Ohio after Bob had been paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident. They seemed delighted with me, the inquisitive, curious little girl who started a conversation with Mildred while she watered her periwinkles by the chain-link fence that separated our backyards. I had never seen periwinkles before and Mildred had bunches and bunches of them growing along her fence.

I became a regular at Bob and Mildred's, after school, and on weekends. They always welcomed me and seemed excited to see me. We would sit and talk, or just sit, without having to say or do anything for hours. The most fascinating thing I remember from Bob and Mildred’s home I saw on my first visit to their house—it was what appeared to be a photo, with a title below it which read, "Jesus Christ in the Snow Patterns." Mildred took the framed photo off the wall and read me the story printed on the back..."This photograph was taken by a Chinese photographer who was riding home one day through the snow. According to the story, his soul was deeply troubled. He felt strangely compelled to take a photograph of the melting snow forming pools of water and revealing here and there the black earth. Curious to know the outcome of the incident, he developed the film at once upon returning to his home. Out from the black and white areas of the snow scene, a face appeared, full of tenderness and love--the face of Jesus Christ. He became a Christian as a result of the experience."

Bob and Mildred believed—Jesus Christ was their Savior and their Lord, they loved Him, and they knew He loved them, even though they had been to several faith healing services and were told "they didn't have enough faith" for Bob to be healed of his paralysis. “Jesus Christ in the Snow Patterns” served as a constant reminder to them of the presence of Jesus Christ in their lives, even in the perplexities and turmoil of life, we can suddenly become conscious of His Presence. Even this week, when I opened the door to go to work, and the brilliant rays of the morning sunrise came bursting through our neighbor’s tree, directly into my eyes, I paused, amazed at the beauty, I moved slightly to the right and I couldn’t see the sun’s rays, moved slightly to the left and I couldn’t see the sun’s rays, but as I returned to the center point, for what seemed to be several minutes, those rays shown straight into the eyes of my heart, and I suddenly became conscious of His Presence.

Bob and Mildred had a powerful influence on my life. They were always so glad to see me, smiled, hugged me, and seemed to just enjoy my presence. I didn’t have to perform, or be something I was not. They just enjoyed my company. They taught me that “just being” with friends was enough. They taught me to appreciate little things, like periwinkles growing along a chain-link fence.

periwinkles

 Now, every time I see wildflower periwinkles growing in unexpected places, I smile, and remember Bob and Mildred, and powerful influence that their faith, and their acceptance of me—not my performance, but just me—had on my self-concept, my growth and development. I wonder—in what ways might I encourage and accept those around me, the way Bob and Mildred encouraged and accepted me? How about you...your thoughts?

Jordan River Baptism

It is 8:30 a.m. on a cool Monday morning in March 2000.

The sun is shining brightly through the trees surrounding the Jordan River baptismal site called Yardenit.

As my bare feet step into the chilly water, I am immediately aware of the Presence of the Divine. It was here, in this water, this same water, that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ placed His Perfect Spirit Feet shod with flesh. He was baptized, and immediately coming up out of the water, as He looked up to this same sun, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him, and His Father's Voice came out of the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, and in You I am well-pleased."
I see the bright sun shining through the trees above me, I feel its warmth on my face, and as I am baptized in the chilly Jordan River, I experience once again the cleansing feeling of being buried with Christ in baptism, and raised to walk in a new way of life. A re-commitment of my life to the One and Only Son of God, Who loved me so much that He took my sin upon Himself, nailed to that Cross, I come to Him again. I bow before Him, and look up to His thorn-pierced brow, and feel His Blood flow over those thorns to cover my heart, giving me His Robe of Righteousness to wear.

From this day forward, I am a bond-servant to Jesus Christ. I am willing to be willing to surrender to You, Your Plan, Your Hope, Your Future for me. I will go where You want me to go, I will do what You want me to do, by the power of Your Holy Spirit Who dwells in the innermost part of me, taking authority over my soul--the seat of my emotions, and my body--my fleshly desires and appetites.

This is the only place in the Scriptures where the Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--appear all-at-once is here...Mark 1:9-11 “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."

(All photos taken at the Jordan River Baptismal Site Yardenit in March 2000)




At the entrance of the site there is a ceramic wall with Armenian tiles created and designed by the artist Hagop Antreassian from the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem. The written Scripture verses are from Mark 1:9-11 describing the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, by John the Baptist.

Because He Lives

the empty tomb



the last five seconds of the movie, The Passion of The Christ




the resurrected Christ standing up and walking out of the empty tomb, with nail-scarred hands



Jesus Christ wins, He conquers death, He walks out of the empty tomb

He knows the end from the beginning

He began with the end in mind

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27)

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me...Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:6, 19)

Nothing satisfies my mind, my heart, and the deepest longings of my soul like Jesus does. He is not only the way, the truth, and the life; he is personal to me. He is my way, and my truth, and my life--just as he can be for anyone who reaches out to him..."He is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:27)

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, Just because He lives!
(Because He Lives by William J. Gaither, 1971)















(all photos taken at The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, Israel, March 2000)

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee




5:30 a.m. beside the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, Israel

It is 5:30 a.m., still dark as I settle down on the rocks beside the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias, Israel, on a cool Monday morning in March, 2000. I turn on my video camera and set it down on the rock beside me to record the sunrise and then I steady my 35mm camera for this first still shot of the pink glow beginning to peak over the eastern hills.



5:40 a.m. beside the Sea of Galilee

Then it hits me...He was here, He walked here, He may have sat on this very same rock on that early morning after His resurrection as He prepared a breakfast of fish and bread on a fire for His disciples. Right here. I am in awe. His Spirit Feet shod with flesh left footprints in this sand.

He is here now, with me. Emmanuel, God with us. His Spirit dwells in the innermost part of me, taking authority over my soul, the seat of my emotions, and my body, my fleshly desires and appetites. El Shaddai, my all-sufficient Heavenly Father, my Abba Daddy, speaking to me through His Word from Jeremiah 1:5, "Beth, before you were born, I knew you."

6:00 a.m. beside the Sea of Galilee

The video camera on the rock beside me hums, and I begin to sing, "My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine, for Thee all the follies of sin I resign, My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou"... and then suddenly, at the exact moment when the first golden round edge of the sun peeks over the distant hills, my voice can be faintly heard on the video recording singing the closing words of the hymn..."If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now."

Milk Drop Coronet

"Milk Drop Coronet" photo by Harold Edgerton

Quicker Than a Wink

I was the new kid in third grade at Woodlawn Elementary in Sebring, Florida, 1962. As an only child, I always felt alone, now even more so. The teacher said I was identified as “special” and would be “pulled-out” of my regular class once a week to go to a “special” class under the stage in the cafetorium to research anything that was interesting to me. “Special,” it fit, it felt good, I had been chosen, selected for something special, just like when I had been adopted, chosen, wanted, loved. Walking down the steps into the slightly darker, musky-smelling room under the stage, I picked up a book on photography. Turning the pages slowly, in awe at the wonder of this new world, suddenly there it was, the “Milk Drop Coronet” photograph by Harold Edgerton, an unseen world of objects in motion, capturing that which is ordinarily invisible to the human eye...yet it was real.

“Pretend you are “little Beth” and describe what it’s like to be you.” It was November 23, 2007, the counselor was helping me learn that “feelings are neutral” and how to let my feelings come to the surface, writing in my journal about how special “little Beth” felt in that room under the stage. Just a few weeks later, December 21, 2007, my family and I are visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. We walk through the central aisle, looking ahead, then suddenly, I turn my head to the right and from the corner of my eye, catch a glimpse of a photograph displayed in a darkened alcove. At first, I keep moving straight ahead, but something stopped me in my tracks and turned me around to go back and take a closer look. Back to the darkened alcove, back to the darkened room below the stage, back to my childhood. It was the memory which had just come to the surface in my counseling, the “Milk Drop Coronet” photograph by Harold Edgerton, framed and lighted, and on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was the same photograph I had only seen once before, and yet I had drawn a sketch of it in my journal just a month before this.

excerpt from my journal Nov. 23, 2007

I took out my cell phone and snapped a picture of this “Milk Drop Coronet,” and even now it is what I see every time I pick up my cell phone, saved as the background on my phone. The symbolism was unmistakable to me, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has been with me all along—when I was knit together in my birthmother’s womb, when I was chosen, adopted, by loving Christian parents, when I walked down those steps and first saw the “Milk Drop Coronet” in 1962, when I turned to look at the darkened alcove to snap a picture of the “Milk Drop Coronet” in 2007, today and everyday into the future. He is with me, He is intimately involved in the tiniest details of my past, my present, and my future. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees. A wider view, a broader perspective, a new day, a new way of looking at things, of allowing all the feelings to surface.

Because of Christ, I am not alone, He is with me, invisible to the human eye, yet “quicker than a wink,” in the blink of an eye, what was unseen is seen, in that other realm, that other dimension, just beyond the veil, visible in the heavenlies. He sees me, He knows me, He knew me, before He knit me together in my birthmother’s womb, I was planned, I am eternally significant. He knew that before I saw the photograph of the "Milk Drop Coronet" for the first time in 1962 that it would come to the surface with feeling in November 2007 and I would turn aside to take a closer look in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2007…I am known, I was planned, I am significant, I have hope for the future.

From Ephesians Chapter One, I know and believe that in Christ, I am blessed with every spiritual blessing, accepted in the beloved Son of God, adopted as a child of the King, chosen before the foundation of the world, redeemed by His blood, forgiven by His grace and mercy, and loved with an everlasting love. In Christ, we are known, we are planned, and we have hope for the future...

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Lord Jesus, Thank You for this encouraging Truth from Your Word, that in Christ, we are who You say we are. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, that we are justified on the basis of Your finished work on the Cross. Thank You that, right now, we are under the completely sufficient imputed righteousness of Christ. Because we have placed our trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed by Your precious blood. The threat of failure, judgment, and condemnation has been removed. Knowing that God’s love for us and approval of us will never be determined by our performance is the most encouraging promise to which we cling—what great things You have done! We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on Ephesians Chapter 1 …pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians Chapter 1 …pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians Chapter 1…pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.

How I Came To Be--Expect A Mystery



Ellis Island Interior

Ellis Island Exterior

 In many ways, it’s still a mystery…how I came to be. During a visit to Ellis Island's American Family Immigration History Center, I was delightfully surprised to be able to locate and obtain an authentic copy of the ship manifest page from the ship, Princess Irene, which brought my maternal birth grandparents, Olympio and Vincenza from their home in Scontrone, Italy, through the port of departure in Naples to Ellis Island on August 30, 1906.

Just seeing their two names listed one underneath the other on the ship manifest page gave the mystery such a tangible basis in reality. She was only 16 years old, he was just 24, and they were on their way to live with cousins in Chicago.

What compels a 16 year old girl to board a ship in Italy, facing days on the ocean in most likely uncomfortable, even dangerous, conditions for a destination yet unknown to her?

Somehow she and her fiancé, Olympio, were so motivated to start a new life in a new country that they left their home in Scontrone, Italy, and traveled to New York City, eventually settling in Chicago. They married and had a daughter, Lydia, in 1911.

How I Came To Be

  

Olympio

Vincenza

Lydia

Lydia & Vincenza on Mother's Day 1953

I met my birthmother, Lydia, in 1983, when I was 30 years old, and Lydia was 72. Lydia explained to me the circumstances of my conception, birth, and adoption. During a Memorial Day holiday get-away weekend with a gentleman in 1952, Lydia, at age 41, became pregnant with me. When she realized she was pregnant, she told the gentleman with whom she had spent the weekend and he was unwilling to help her. Her mother, Vincenza, did not want her daughter, a single mother at age 41, to disgrace her family with an illegitimate child, so Lydia left Chicago to live with a relative in Miami, Florida. In October, around the time of Columbus Day, she went to a back-alley abortionist to abort me, but when the abortionist examined her and realized she was over four months pregnant, he told her the abortion might kill her, and he refused to do it. Lydia made arrangements with the Salvation Army hospital in Jacksonville to give me up for adoption. On Friday the 13th she gave birth to me, and signed the papers giving me up for adoption on Valentine’s Day 1953.

Plans to Give Me Hope and a Future



Beth, July 1953

I was adopted a few months later by loving Christian parents. I grew up in church, active in Sunday School and missions organizations. I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at the age of 10, and was baptized by immersion following my salvation. I married Jack Miller on Mother’s Day 1973 and finished my bachelor’s degree in education in 1975, and my master’s degree in education in 1977. Our daughter, Tracy, was born in 1979, and our son, Jason, was born in 1991. After serving in various teaching and supervisory positions, I was selected as the state consultant for gifted education programs by the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee, and other leadership roles, now serving as a ministry assistant at Lakes Church, my home church.

Every Moment Was Laid Out Before a Single Day Had Passed

During an awe-inspiring trip to Israel in March 2000, I was baptized in the Jordan River as a recommitment of my faith. I grow closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every day through prayer, worship, and the study of His Word. I believe there are no “accidents” and every conception and every birth is part of God’s Sovereign Plan. I rest and find comfort in these life verses: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:13-16) 

 

My prayer, the desire of my heart is, “Lord, I want to delight in you! Center my heart in knowing you more and loving you more day by day. Help me to discover that there is fullness of joy in your presence and to take great delight in my relationship with you. May my heart desire you above everything else.” It’s been many years since I first began to pray this prayer in March 2000 after returning from my trip to Israel in which I walked beside the Sea of Galilee and on the Mount of Olives, to all the historical sites in Jerusalem, Capernaum, and Bethlehem. During this time in my study of the Scriptures, I came to a place in my life where I wanted, more than anything else, to love God more. I began to pray, “Lord, I want to delight in you!” God is so inconceivably good. He’s not looking for perfection. He already saw it in Christ. He’s looking for affection. That’s why every lasting change will invariably be a change of heart. He’ll even supply the heart, if we’ll ask him.



My daily prayer continues to this day, “Lord Jesus, give me a heart which yearns for Your Presence, a yearning for You that draws me over and over into Your Presence, a yearning that makes only a few days without time in prayer and Your Word seem like an eternity. Give me a heart which is motivated first and foremost by a desire for You, not for what You can do for me, but a yearning for Your Presence. Give me a heart that wants You more than anything else You could give, to love You and know You more than anything in life. Give me a heart that takes what You have made known to me and makes You re-known to everyone else, a heart that makes Your name and renown the desire of my heart. Give me a heart to feel Your Holy Spirit woo me once again to the place where I meet You. In the simplicity of my prayer time, give me a heart to be suddenly confronted by the majesty of my Redeemer—the One Who is responsible for any good in me. Lord, each morning, give me a heart that seeks Your forgiveness for past sins, and welcomes Your fresh mercies which fall like manna from Heaven, and once again move my heart. I surrender all. Morning after morning.”



My daily relationship with our living Lord Jesus reinforces my belief in the sovereignty of God, that nothing comes into my life that is not filtered through God's hands of love. I believe there are no “accidents.” I believe God planned who my birth parents would be and who my Mom and Dad would be, and both influences, plus His, are needed to help me become all that He created me to be. I believe that God sees the end from the beginning. He knows me intimately, He knit me together in my mother's womb, one day I will see Him face-to-face and I will know as I am known...until then, I will expect a mystery. It is His plan that’s important, not my desire.



I didn't bring myself into this world, and I can’t take myself into heaven. I really don’t know what is best for me or for those I love. I ask God to make me sensitive to the reality that He is in control, and that He is using this--even this--to conform me to the image of His Son. I want that most of all. I train my mind to acknowledge God’s hand in whatever it is I'm living with. I practice words like, “I don’t know,” “I will trust,” “I can’t explain,” “I release it all,” because God is sovereign. He is the beginning, He will be the ending, and in between, by His grace, He lets us be part of His perfect plan, for His glory and for our good. In the meantime, I will expect a mystery.



Beth & Lydia in Chicago, July 1983