My Dad's Devotions - #6

Dial-a-Devotion #6 - 16 Oct 1969

Acts 13: 47

Matthew 5:16

Our Lord said to his disciples, “I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Men are searching now, as they have never searched before, for the true meaning of life, for the true religion that will be the salvation of the world. It is for you and I, who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to show the world that He can provide for men and women that inner peace which they so desperately need in these troubled times. For there is no political system, no drug that clouds the mind, no form of human activity, that can give to every person on this earth the enduring peace that come from a total trust in God’s grace and forgiveness.

You may ask, “What can I do, to show God’s grace to the world?”

And the answer is very simple. You can furnish one Christian life. You can furnish a life to happy in the Lord, so faithful to every duty, so ready for service that the church, the body of Christ here on earth, will be the stronger for your being in it. You can reflect the light of God’s goodness and glory in all your activities, on everyone you meet, through every waking hour. And you will give a measure of that peace, which all men desire, to all those around you. For the Lord said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

I'm Still Stitching ~ Why I'm Not Sharing My Work

You may have noticed that I have shared very little crazy quilting lately.  This is not the type of post that I ever thought I would need to write, but after reading Sue Bleiweiss' post the other day, I felt that I needed to speak up about something that has recently happened to me.  

Please read Sue's post here: https://suebleiweiss.blog/2017/04/02/inspiration-vs-copying/ She has kindly given me her written permission to link to it from my blog.  She said all this much more eloquently than I.

I have freely shared my work, written about what I'm working on, the materials I have used, why I have used them, about why I have made the design choices that I have.  Many of you have found this inspirational and in turn, your blogs,  posts and e-mails about your work have inspired me.

Recently, I learned that my work was not being used as inspiration, but being copied almost exactly by a few individuals.  In each of the situations, I learned of it after the work had been completed and shared with others.  I was told that I shouldn't be offended, that it was the highest form of flattery.

But the reality is that I don't feel flattered, instead I feel rather violated by the blatant/flagrant copying of my work.  It has made me uneasy to share so freely.

Copying someone else's work without permission isn't flattery.  It is stealing.  It is a copyright violation and it is illegal.

I'm still stitching, but just not sharing right now.



p.s. at the bottom os Sue's post, there are several links about the issue of copyright in the arts if you would like further information.  The one from Lost Quilt is especially helpful as it's written in plain English.