refreshment ahead

I am heading to the lake today with my precious, precious friends. These women have been a part of my life for about 15 plus years.  I am abundantly blessed by their friendship.

May you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Blessings and hugs!

Abiding Monday - yeah, I know, it's Tuesday :)

There are several blogs that I visit that a warning pops up on my screen informing me that the blog has malware on it. (not to be confused with maleware) :) 

Malware is short for malicious software, it is software designed to secretly access a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The pop up screen mentions the blogs contain elements from the site rpc.blogrolling.com which appear to host malware. 

 I do not know what that site is, but I am afraid to view the blogs.  I'll try to find more information on it.

Reading from Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.


"Pour all of your energy into trusting Me. It is through trust that you stay connected to Me, aware of My Presence. Every step on your life-journey can be a step of faith. Baby steps of trust are simple for you; you can take them with almost unconscious ease. Giant steps are another matter altogether; leaping across chasms in semi-darkness, scaling cliffs of uncertainty, trudging through the valley of the shadow of death. These feats require sheer concentration, as well as utter commitment to Me.


Each of My children is a unique blend of temperament, giftedness, and life experiences. Something that is a baby step for you may be a giant step for another person, and vice versa. Only I know the difficulty or ease of each segment of your journey.  Beware of trying to impress others by acting as if your giant steps are only baby ones. Do not judge others who hesitate, in trembling fear, before an act that would be easy for you. If each of My children would seek to please Me above all else, fear of others' judgement would vanish, as would attempts to impress others. Focus your attention on the path just ahead of you and on the One who never leaves your side."

Psalm 23:4; Matthew 7:1-2; Proverbs 29:25

I have a precious friend who is a gifted teacher.  She lives her life at a pace that makes me dizzy.  But there was a time that I envied her.  I felt small and unproductive in her shadow.  But God has made this truth real to me.  He has made us all different, and has a different path for each of us. This truth set me free from yearning to be like someone else, and free to be who God created me to be.  It has also given me grace for others.  In setting them free from what I think they should and should not be doing.

"Focus your attention on the path just ahead of you and on the One who never leaves your side."

Blessings!

My sweet daughter-in-law

I did not get a good picture of Brooke at Sean's birthday party, but I wanted you to meet her, she is one of my kiddos too.

Interview with Jenifer Hutchins - JoyfulArts Studio

I wanted to let you know that my interview with Jeniffer Hutchins, yes the one I mentioned would be posted on August 27 is posted today.  I had the month wrong. :)  

birthday boy

My precious grandson was two Saturday.  The above photo just cracks me up.  Looks like he has just finished eating the most amazing thing ever!!!!   For me it would have to have been chocolate!!!!!

Meg made it home safe and sound. Thank you for your prayers.  It was good having her home for a few days.  She headed back to KY this morning.  It was hard watching her drive off, but knowing how much she loves collage makes it a bit easier. This is Meg and Seth - Seth is Sean's daddy.  Oh, he and his wife Brooke are expecting another in May.  My second grandchild!!  I love that our family is growing.

Here is Brian, Meg and Seth.  These two photos are not the clearest, but I wanted you to meet all my kiddos!!

journal pages

A few more journal spreads in my large moleskine.  I don't know why I do spreads instead of single pages.
I wonder if it is because I usually work in smaller journals and need the added room.  I don't in this larger one, and I am thinking I might find one page enough.  I think I will try it and see how I like it.  You never know unless you try something.

After I took the photo of the first journal spread I immediately thought superman colors!!!  I find it interesting how my journal pages evolve.  I began just adding color and then that square piece with the cutlery on it because the colors were nice with the background. Then I started thinking about food, and then I was reminded of a passage from last weeks sermon.

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God.  He's the best meal you'll ever eat."

Mt. 5:6 The Message  

Then I looked up passages about the bread of life...hmmm...the superman colors work here!!

I don't think any of these are completely finished.  I like to leave room to come back and add more journaling, doodling and stuff to them.   

My precious daughter comes home tonight.  She is on the road as I type this.  She has a long drive so if you read this before 11pm tonight prayers for travel mercies are appreciated.  

Blessings

Abiding Monday

Yesterday I began to go through again (since I did not finish it) a book I have had for years.  Even if I had finished it, it is one of those books that is good to read again and again.  What's the title you ask?? :)  Well I am going to tell you even if you do not ask.  But first I want say that our church is doing a series titles "Yoked".  Yesterday's guest pastor spoke on Silence. He read Matthew 11:27-30 in The Message.


Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of the Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."


"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."  


Here is what jumps out at me:

intimacies
ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen
get away with me and you will recover your life
learn the unforced rhythms of grace
I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you
you'll learn to live freely and lightly

Oh do these precious grace filled words call to me, Jesus calls to me.

Before the sermon I had the opportunity to share with my church family how I use visual journaling in my journey with God.  How it has helped me listen.  What a joy to share something that has made such a big impact on my life.

Okay, so back to the book I mentioned.  Spiritual Classics - selected readings on twelve spiritual disciplines edited by Richard Foster and Emile Griffin.

The introduction says,


"The transformation in us is God's work.  It is a work of grace.  That deeply transformative grace comes to us not through our own doing but as pure gift. 


And yet something is demanded from us:  the free gift of ourselves, our submission, our willingness to change, our assent to God's grace.  In the end our yes is what's required.  In our words and in our own way, we need to say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."  We need to say, "Be it done to me according to your will."


One more thing to remember:  spiritual formation is ongoing.  We need not be impatient; we need take no measurements. As we build a history with God, others may notice from time to time the good ways that God is working with us.  The effects of such spiritual formation will be observed, not in terms of abrupt changes, but as a continuous flow." 

Yes, speak Lord, your servant is listening.

Blessings!

work in progress

I am also taking LK Ludwig's class, Point and Shoot Journaling. 

These pages are using the backgrounds from the previous post with a few 

ideas from the class. See previous post for links to her blog and workshops.

The first page I covered the red with gesso. These are not completed, I have not even 

attached the photos yet, just playing around with images to use.  I think I really like these. 

This is fun, and I am excited about using photos in my journal pages.

Blessings.

something new

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I signed up for a few of LK Ludwig's classes. 

 The above painted pages are from her Printed, Patterned, Painted Journal Class.

Her classes are on sale right now, so go check them out.  

dressing for fall

the weather is cooling

the evenings and early mornings are glorious

time to get dressed for the coming fall

listening to the sound of acorns falling

enjoying each other's company and a game of backgammon

looking forward to my favorite time of year

Blessings!

Journaling workshop

My church's first visual journaling workshop!!  Can I tell you how wonderful it was?  Over twenty precious women attended.  The time just flew by.  There seems never enough time to get everything in.  What a joy it was to see these women taking the time to slow down and create.  I had one busy mom ask if I ever felt guilty taking the time to do this.  I told her to not listen to those voices, this is an important thing she is doing.  Though I stressed "playing" in their journals, this is so much more.  Those of us that journal know this do we not??  My friend Wendy (who is in my ongoing Saturday journaling group) gave a beautiful testimony about her journey with visual journaling.  Thank you Wendy!!

What a learning experience this was for me!!  It was so much more work than I expected.  I have learned to begin preparing far in advance is much better than waiting till a few weeks before it begins.  Though I knew what I was going to do, I left the busy work of pulling everything together till the last week.  I will not do that again.  

Okay, take a look at the last picture I posted.  Isn't it precious?  Becky (on the left, who is a part of my Saturday group too) came with her mother and grandmother.  Her grandmother used to work in watercolor.  Becky's mom Carol, said to me, "I tried for weeks to get someone to stay with Mom so I could come to this with Becky.  But God had other plans.  I am so glad I brought her, this gives us something to do together."

I am going organized and clean my studio today (again). It seems like I am doing that often.  How can it get so messy I ask you?????  :)

Blessings!

my interview with Tim Jones of Worship on Purpose

Here is the link to my interview with Tim Jones at Worship on Purpose.

Thanks for taking a peek.  I really enjoyed speaking to Tim.  Reading the interview was a blessing to me.  Sometimes in the living of our lives we miss the bigger picture. "Hearing" the words as I read it helped me really see the changes that have been happening in me.  The changes that God is bringing about in me. 

Thank you Jesus!!

Blessings! 

Abiding Monday

There is an old Rosebush that grows on an old fence that surrounds our garden. It produces the prettiest red wild roses.   It needs pruning to keep from overtaking the fence.  We have not done so this year and it got pretty big.   My son mows our yard and it kept getting in the way of his mowing, and the little branches seemed to grab him as he went by.   Seth does a great job mowing, but neither he nor we for that matter know much about pruning.  He asked if he could cut it back some, we said of course.  It did not look too bad, but several days later I stood looking at a brown mess.  My heart sank and thought for sure we lost the bush.  No so!  I looked at it yesterday and saw that it was again green, and it had several blooms on the branches. 

As I stood looking at it I was reminded that it recovered quickly because its root system was strong and deep.  Even with the lack of rain we have had it still flourished.  Not only did it recover, it blossomed.  I thought about my own root system.   How deep do my roots grow??  What or who are they planted in?? 

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord for he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit.”   (Jeremiah 17: 7-8)

God says that if my roots are planted deep in him, that even when the trials and storms come I will stand.  Though I may not like the trials and storms I do not have to fear them, and I do not have to be anxious in a year of drought.

It comes back to my trust level again. 

How much do I really trust the God who loves me and desires to offer his best to me even when his best looks mighty strange to me?

Blessings and hugs!

Saturday journaling

Hope

My Saturday journaling group met yesterday. I cannot seem to remember to take pictures while they are here!!

I worked on this and worked on this.  Many layers I did not like, but I am totally pleased with this final layer. 

I wonder what my final layer will look like.  I pray I do not waste the things that God allows in my life to complete it.  Many layers have been ugly, and I am sure there will be more. But He uses them all to create the final layer, the best layer!!

Blessings and hugs!!

finally, a little paint on my hands

This is the first spread in my large - 8.25 X 11.75  Moleskine journal.  I like the size quite a bit.  

living life

I got home Wednesday evening. I was happy to care for my precious grandson while my son and daughter were in Hawaii.  Their first extended trip away from Sean. He is so precious.  I would get him from his nap and hug him and say, "Mina loves Sean, Mina loves Sean."  He would hug me back and say, "Sean loves Mina, Sean loves Mina."  Just melts my heart!  As I said I was happy to care for him, but I am thankful to be home.  It's a lot of work caring for a little one. He will be two this month. I forgot how active they are, and how much they talk!!!  I have come away with various songs. Did you know that every letter makes a sound and the a says AH!! :)

I woke up yesterday with a migraine, so today I have that migraine hangover that you migraine sufferers know all about. Today I hope to get some paint on my hands. It's been weeks since I have painted anything. Way too long.

May you all have a wonderful weekend. It's cooling off a bit here, mornings and evenings are quite pleasant.  And the sound of the acorns hitting this old tin roof is a welcome sound indeed.