why is this a thing?

14 “You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 
16 Let your light so shine before men, 
that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
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​The passion for creating has always been a significant driving force in my life. I could never have a career with a purpose outside of physically making something. This led me into the culinary world, chasing a degree and the title of sous chef. Still never enough, my mind never stopped. My free time was spent writing or baking or designing. The need to create, build, develop is an insatiable drive inside of me.
At first, I saw the endless movement as striving in my own strength, an endless push outside of God’s design for my life.
 
Until it hit me –
 Isn’t it cool that our God is the ultimate Creator?

While man can often overlook or distort the arts, we have a beautiful and patient God who paints the evening skies, molds the earth’s ever-changing seascape. This God breathed His very breath into our clay-sculpted bodies and thought it was good.
 
When the Lord puts a passion in our hearts, I rarely find that it’s just for us.
Matthew 5 is pretty clear about how Jesus feels about His kids displaying their “good works” for the sake of His glory!
Even King Solomon, the man known for his wisdom, has something to say about what we do with our hands:

If you are uniquely gifted in your work,
you will rise and be promoted.
You won’t be held back –
you’ll stand before kings!
-Proverbs 22:29

This is Seeds for Sparrows:
Raw Emily and Jesus moments displayed out in the open!
 
Backstory

In February 2020 I was sitting in our prayer room, intently focused on the Lord. I felt the story in Luke 5 bubble up in me.
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On one occasion, Jesus was preaching to the crowds on the shore of Lake Galilee. There was a vast multitude of people pushing to get close to Jesus to hear the word of God. He noticed two fishing boats at the water’s edge, with the fishermen nearby, rinsing their nets. Jesus climbed into the boat belonging to Simon Peter and asked him, “Let me use your boat. Push it off a short distance away from the shore so I can speak to the crowds.” Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished, he said to Peter, “Now row out to deep water to cast your nets and you will have a great catch.” “Master,” Peter replied, “we’ve just come back from fishing all night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you insist, we’ll go out again and let down our nets because of your word.” When they pulled up their nets, they were shocked to see a huge catch of fish, so much that their nets were ready to burst!
Luke 5:1-6
​

“Cast the net again.”
 
Yes, Lord! But… what do You even mean by that?!
 
Before I could spend time seeking answers, the pandemic hit our nation.
It took me until August for the shock of the shutdown to wear off so that I could come back to this question.
 
Show me how to build my net!
 
I immediately felt the name Seeds for Sparrows come out of me like it was launched from a trebuchet!
Still, Emily has to be Emily and ask approximately one million and five questions, beginning with:
 
But, what does this even mean, Lord?!
 
After asking Google, I found that sparrows are an incredibly underrated bird. Although seen as common because they’re always just, there, they have an important job to do. Through their foraging for food, they spread precious seeds that propagate plant growth. (animals.mom.com)
 
So, this blog is my “net” and my “sparrow”.

I’ve tried many other endeavors in the arts and in the working world, but mostly all have been my ideas. But in this instance, His voice was loud and clear.

“Launch out into the deep and let out your nets for a catch.”
Luke 5:4

​Into the deep, I go.
Into His deep.
 
It’s not going to be entirely professional or politically correct, nor will it always make sense to every reader. Quite frankly, I’m okay with that because that’s me.
 
This is Seeds for Sparrows.
This is my journey into the depths of knowing Him!