This post today will be dedicated to describing why my blog is called the PatchWorks. It used to be labeled "Truth Conquers". But, when I think about it, that label was attached, for lack of anything better to call it.

The PatchWorks is the name for a vision of a PatchWork Quilt that was given to me by Our Lord. And, He has been developing it over the last 4 or 5 years. On a very basic level the Quilt is a metaphor for the incredible diversity of Heaven. On Earth that diversity is represented by the tribes and cultures that God created. God loves Diversity! He loves the differences of His Children. Think about it, what do you see when you imagine Heaven? Lots of different people and colors and cultural beauty.

Unfortuneately, the history of mankind is more reflective of the fear of diversity that has resulted in an unbroken tragedy of warfare and injustice between all cultures since the beginning of recorded history. Thus, historical research, cultural and worship style validity, artistic expression along the themes of restoration, reconciliation, indigenous theological concepts, are all valid themes for discussion or expression. And, is by no means is an exclusive list, as I imagine I have left out a great deal.

This blog will be devoted to illustrating the PatchWorks in life as reflected by our Lord's Prayer, "Here on Earth as it is in Heaven". The PatchWorks is a place where all the various Remnants will come together in Love, to complement each other in the process of becoming that Unified Quilt of comfort. To explore the validity of the various "Patches" and what it means to bring those Patches/Remnants together into that Quilt; what unifies the various Patches.

As Faith epitimized in the person of Melchezidek is evident in 90% of all indigenous culutres. This concept brings validity to many primal cultural expressions of worship of the Creator. So that validity is not something to be questioned in my opinion and I will explore this to some extent as I move forward.

My one hope is that I can be "itentionally" positive and guided by the concept of inclusive grace. This can only be done if empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is extremely easy to discover what is wrong with any culture. It is the process of finding points of excellence that can be shared or borrowed that we become the Patchwork Quilt that God is making us into. The colorful comforter, the birthing blanket of excellence, the prophetic mantle of healing, this is a picture of the unified tribes of heaven.

What follows is an Artistic picture of the Quilt in short story format. It is a story called Patches:

Patches

Maggie, a very talented seamstress, woke early and was struggling to go back to sleep. Trying to get comfortable, thoughts about life and lack of business ran rampant through her mind. "Lord," Maggie prayed. "How will I ever pay my bills? All I know is sewing, I wouldn't know what else to do."

Resigned to being awake, Maggie sat up and stared at the blinds, the grey lines growing lighter as the sun began it's slow pounce on the day. Then another light appeared, growing slowly until it became evident that there was someone in the room. There stood a man, or what looked like a man, radiating warmth and light. His smile was joyful, causing Maggie to smile back.

"Your prayers are being answered", he announced. "You have a new assignment, or a sewing job if you care to think of it that way." Sitting down on the end of the bed, he held out a small stack of patches. "The Lord has chosen you to sew these patches into a quilt. More are coming. Be confident as He has confidence in you." With that he stood up, smiled,and was gone.

Her alarm clock showing 6:37 a.m., Maggie crawled out of the sheets, sat in the middle of her bed and picked up the patches. Each one was different and was neatly stacked, one upon the other. They were all sizes, and made of all kinds of fabrics, and as she sat back and placed the pile on her lap, a wonderful fragrance arose from them.

As Maggie lifted the first patch to look closely at the pattern, she found herself standing outside at a place she had visited a long time ago as a college student. She was at the Mountain of Patrick, the Croach Patrick in Ireland. She could smell the earth and the grass, and the land itself seemed to be moving under her feet. It was intoxicating! But when she put down the patch, she was suddenly back on her bed.

Intrigued, Maggie picked up the next patch and was standing on a beach, somewhere warm and humid, with the gentle fragrance of flowers highlighting a small thatched church. Next, she was standing in a Hopi Pueblo looking out over a ceremonial Kiva, a heat mirage distorting the canyon below. Then she was standing on the steps of a mist-enshrouded pagoda, looking over a mountain-side terrace layered with rice fields, the coolness of the air causing goose bumps to rise on her skin.

Back on her bed, pushing aside her many questions about the patches, Maggie quickly dressed, made a cup of tea and sat down at her sewing machine; the desire to create had taken over. As she sewed, each patch evoked images in Maggie's mind of a myriad of sacred places. She knew in her heart which patch went where and which thread would hold it in it's perfect place. A passion rose up within her as she began to see God's heart for each of these specific locatiosns. Each patch representing a tribe or tongue, and their redemptive colors, patterns, and purposes.

Maggie worked carefully using different colors and thicknesses of thread to connect the patches. At various moments the doorbell would announce a messenger bringing another fragrant package of patches. Each messenger carried a joyful presence, and an encouraging word. Late on the second day, the last messenger brought a large package of batting. The material seemed like a blend of very high quality silk and cotton, but it was softer and lighter, feeling like a caress against her skin.

After three intense days, Maggie finished the quilting. Her home was flooded with ancient aromas, the essence of thousands of lands and forgotten cultures. The quilt was beautiful, thick, and very large. She drew it around herself and was instantly filled with peace.

As Maggie rested in the quilt, the first messenger once again quietly appeared, kneeling before her. He reached out and touched the quilt saying, "This is the mantle of the Spirit of Unity. It is a picture of the Bride, a birthing blanket for creative miracles. Your destiny is to share this quilt and bring the impartation of unity to the Bride." Then he was gone, leaving Maggie to wonder about God's purpose in picking her to sew the Quilt.

Suddenly, Maggie's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell, and there stood an old customer with an armload of work.