六日のドアを開くと親切な環境に入ります。
「お互いに親切にし、心の優しい人になり、神がキリストにおいてあなたがたを赦してくださったように、互いに赦し合いなさい。」ーーーエペソ4:32
Open the 6th door and enter a kind environment.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”—Ephesians 4:32
五日のドアの中は寛容が待っています。
「愛は寛容であり、愛は新設のです。」ーーー１コリント13:4
Within the 5th door waits patience.
“Love is patient, love is kind.”—1 Corinthians 13:4
四日のドアを開くと光が出てきます。
「すべての人を照らすそのまことの光が世に来ようとしていた。」ーーーヨハネ1:9
Open the 4th door and light comes out!
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”—John 1:9
三日のドアを開くと平安の握手が見えて来ます。
「何も思い煩わないで、あらゆるばあいに、感謝をもってささげる祈りと願いによって、あなたがたの願い事を神に知っていただきなさい。そうすれば、人のすべての考えにまさる神の平安が、あなたがたの心と思いをキリスト・イエスにあって守ってくれます。」ーーーピリピ4:6,7
Open the 3rd door and we see a handshake of peace about to happen.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6,7
二日のドアの裏は喜び。
「あなたがたを、つまずかないように守ることができ、傷のない者として、大きな喜びをもって栄光の御前に立たせることのできる方に、すなわち、私たちの救い主である唯一の神に、栄光、尊厳、支配、権威が、私たちの主イエス・キリストを通して、永遠の先にも、今も、また世々限りなくありますように。アーメン。」－－－ユダ24,25節
Behind the 2nd door we discover joy.
“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.”—Jude 24, 25 (NIV)
約束通り、毎日一つのドアを開きます。一日のドアを開くと愛が見えて来ます！
「神は愛です。愛のうちにいる者は神のうちにおり、神もその人のうちにおられます。」ーーー１ヨハネ4:16b
As promised I open one door everyday. Opening the first door reveals love!
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him”—1 John 4:16b (NIV)
I present my Magnum Opus. (It took about 200 hours over a period of 3 months to complete.) I set out to make a Christmas card and ended up with an Advent calendar.
This is the advent calendar in its basic state before the views behind the doors are installed from a separate sheet of hidden words. (The mechanics of door 21 are different leaving the word visible in this basic state.)
The idea for the calendar came from my work teaching English to a variety of students.
Students complain of poor vocabulary,
May I proclaim some heart vocabulary,
Let one word a day, heard in your heart,
Enrich all you say, and straighten your way.
Starting on 1st December, I hope to add one post a day as each door is opened to reveal a hidden word. Enjoy and be enriched!
detail from Apple for Calendar 2014 ・ カレンダー「りんご」より
I love apples. They are beautiful on the outside. They are tasty on the inside. An apple tree with lots of big, juicy apples is a delight.
私はりんごが大好きです。見た目はきれい、味は最高。りんごが一杯付いている木は喜ばしいです。
detail from Apple for Calendar 2014 ・ カレンダー「りんご」より
We are like apple trees in that we bear fruit. What kind of fruit depends on what we do.
私たちはりんごの木のように実を結びます。やることは実の種類を決めます。
Do we live in darkness? 暗やみの中に住んでいますか。
detail from Prayer (2010) 「いのり」より
Do we hate anyone? 誰かを憎んでいますか。
detail from Prayer (2010) 「いのり」より
Do we err?…. 誤っていますか。
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness….The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.”
「実を結ばない暗やみののわざに仲間入りしないで。。。。光の結ぶ実は、あらゆる善意と正義と真実なのです。」
from Ephesians 5 エペソ５章より
Prayer (2010) いのり
This design for a Christmas card is based on St Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace. このデザインは『フランシスコの平和の祈り』に基づいています。
If we have darkness we need light. If we have hatred we need love. If we have error we need truth…
暗やみには光、憎しみのために愛、誤りには真実が必要です。。。
The fruit of the light results in peace. 光の実の結果は平和です。
The next post should be on 11th January 2014. I’m hoping for a multimedia event involving a Canadian relative. Have a fruitful 2014!
次のブログは今月１１日です。カナダの親せきと関係しているマルチ・メディアを報告したい。 ２０１４年に豊かにみを結ぶように！
I have finally managed to add a craft book sample to “Galleries”. It is very much a work in progress. Today it seems the very forces of hell have opposed me. I took me eight hours to convert a Word file into a jpeg file. My daughter took eight seconds to suggest the very method I eventually used. Tonight, WordPress is responding very slowly so I have taken about eight minutes to type this paragraph. They just thanked me for downloading a new version. I have yet to thank them.
Post-script
In fairness to WordPress I think I’ve discovered the slowness has a lot to do with my choice of browser: now I realise Google Chrome allows much faster editing than Internet Explorer.
Next week, on 16th November I hope to refine the craft book and report on further progress.
Christmas Prayer (2009)
In the last few years prayer has moved to the forefront of my designs — prayer for light and so much more in a darkened world. Some of the cards do appear dark, so the true light can be seen clearly — echoes of Isaiah 9:1,2.
This room completes (for now) the suite “Christmas Cards” in “Galleries”.
Next week on Saturday, 9th November, I hope to introduce one of two exciting projects. The first is my new craft book and the second is a collaboration in sight and sound with an exciting Canadian uncle (actually the grandson of my great-grandfather on my father’s side).