Prayer Art

New Beginnings and Old Art

Wow! What a great week this has been! 

Welcome, Fellow Traveler. Let me tell you about my fantastic week:

• We didn't get too much ice last Monday, but we still got the day off work.
• Work on our ramp started.
• We had Parent/Teacher Conferences at work, and so we got Friday off, too.
• The bathroom remodel is complete. Done. Finished.
• The ramp got to the point where we were able to move my mother-in-law in with us! Welcome, Gram!
• I've passed the mid-point in the online grief course that I'm teaching. I have over 70 members!
• And...I learned how to make a video! (Thus proving that you CAN teach old dogs new tricks!)

We've spent February here at 13Prayers talking about prayer resources and the prayer art cards that I make and use now. Last week we saw Diane Marra's prayer cards, too. As a grand finale to this month on prayer, I made this short video that lets you take a quick flip through my art journal that primarily focuses on spending time with God.

As I worked on these pages, my thoughts turned to my Heavenly Father, and I invariably ended up in worship and prayer. I love that I can take these quotes and turn them into time with God and end up with a visual reminder of our time together.

And I love that I can now share that time with you! This is my Prayer Art Journal 1.

Next month (March) is traditionally under watch for the whole lion/lamb thing. What WILL the weather be? Well, we're going to look closer at the lion/lamb thing in a different way. Please join us for an exciting study.

Prayer: Precious Father, thank you for the blessings of this week! Your love for me just leaves me speechless. Thank you for mentors who encourage me to leave my comfort zone and learn new skills. Your faithfulness to provide just what I need - just when I need it - is something I know I can ALWAYS count on. Be with us as we have this new beginning. In Jesus' name.

Who Knew What I've Been Missing?!

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Have you ever had the experience where you were doing something and didn't realize that other people were out there doing the same thing?

I've had a lot of that lately.

I'm not saying that I think I'm full of all these new ideas or anything. In fact, the opposite is true. I'm just surprised that I've been here in my little secluded corner of the world and I've actually accidentally hooked into some really cool stuff that's been out there for a while - and I'd been missing out here in Smalltown America.

#1: FaithArt Journaling. This is a real thing. It's not just ME finding scriptures and Faith quotes and writing them out in fancy lettering. It's a thing. Other people do it. And it even has a name. Who knew?

#2. People are listening to God, and He gives them a word to focus on for the year. I'm telling you I feel like I've been living under a rock! I assure you I didn't just get the Internet last week. As I was doing my daily Bible study last year, I noticed a crazy number of scriptures that used the word "Honor" showing up in my studies. After prayer and more study, I accepted this as a word from God and spent the remainder of the year working to see that He received Honor above all else.

This year, He very clearly asked me if He could be Enough for me. It's a humbling question. I will strive to make Him my Enough daily. He has something amazing to teach me in this area, in this year. I want to be open and watching for it. I'm using it as my Logos365 word on His Kingdom Come. See the link on the right.

#logos365












Oh! I almost forgot: Happy January! Here's my January calendar page. I did get those calendars done...



Prayer: Beloved Father, Thank you for loving me ENOUGH to want me. To care for me. To want what's best for me - which means YOU WANT TO BE MY ENOUGH. Forgive me for waiting so long to see it. Your patience with me is amazing! I am so blessed!! In Jesus' name.

Happy New Year. Join the fun!

Blessings, Fellow Traveler!

As we get set to begin the new year, I want to invite you to join in a 52 week Bible Study at His Kingdom Come called Take Me Deeper. There will be a monthly focus and weekly Bible Studies. I'm so excited for this to begin!

We start January 2, so there is still time to sign up.

Click here for the His Kingdom Come website.

I've got my journal ready...I'll be posting my weekly responses here - starting tomorrow!

#tmd2015


And don't forget that my Good Grief course begins January 23. There is more information under the Good Grief tab above.









Prayer: Dearest Father, Thank you for Your blessings throughout 2014. You were faithfully at my side through the 6 surgeries this Spring. You provided Daughter with a job/career she loves. You protected my family during their house fire. You restored my mother's independence. You blessed us in a myriad of small ways each and every day. I pray that You make 2015 an unforgettable year filled with blessings that are so amazing that the source - YOU - will be evident to everyone who sees. In Your Son's precious name.

Appointment Update

Blessings, Fellow Traveler!

God is Enough.

I must report mixed feelings over the past few days. It has been tough to spend Christmas alone. It's engrained in me that this is a family time. But God has been here with me. In fact, He is faithful to always be with us. All we have to do is show up.

Get Up

I was looking at quotes on Pinterest and found this one:

              Fall 7 times. Get up 8.

I like that. Almost.

Under my own steam, I fail. I falter. I stumble. I have to get up and try again. But I accomplish more if - before I get up - I stop and pray.

I mean, I'm on my knees already. And my efforts will ALWAYS be more effective if I apply God's strength and don't rely totally on my own.

This is a page in my new Good Grief Journal for the course I'm starting in January. Colored pencils and a pic I found on Google images credited to tomstuart.org.

So, today's "Lesson Learned" is:
Pray. Then get up - again. The work isn't done.

Dearest Father, Thank you for being a source of amazing strength that is there for the asking. Thump the back of my head and remind me to plug in BEFORE I get up. May you always get the glory. Amen.

Bible Study Relieves Stress

Okay, Fellow Traveler, it shouldn't be a big leap that doing a Bible study on a regular basis would be a stress reliever. But, duh. It's been a crazy week with MIL's fire and such, and there are only so many hours in the day. So, there have been several days where I don't get to my Advent Bible study until 10:30 pm.

But, I've worked hard TO GET TO IT. And it's made all the difference. I posted Days 1 and 2 here. Guess my art work isn't your typical "Christmas-y" type of thing. But that's not where God led me during my art time with Him. I'd thrown around several ideas on how I wanted to do the study and record it in a new art journal, but when the time came...

I didn't have a plan. [gasp] 
I just jumped in and went for it. [double gasp]

Promises Fulfilled

Blessings, Fellow Traveler:

So, the dust has settled. 

--Perhaps I should say, "The SOOT has settled." My mother-in-law's house is burned beyond our ability to repair. No people injured. Two pets lost. Most contents unrecoverable, but some things did survive. All that remains is to regroup.

Advent Update

No pictures of the advent progress today, but I will get some up this week. The weekend was very arty for me. I now have angels on Mom's advent calendar - the basic scrapbook paper shapes anyway. Yes, a different angel for each day. Next I'll paint their hair. Then I can move from the table and start the outlining, doodling, embellishing... Remind me why I decided to do this...

Because of Christ Jesus I am...

I also finished 3 more backgrounds for the 2015 calendar I'm making, and did a challenge page in my art journal:
 I used watercolor pencils in my Dylusions Journal and finished with my waterbrush. I don't usually do pages this quickly, but the prompt really spoke to me.

We had a great service in church this morning, and now I've got a dozen ideas for pages and such swirling in my head. There is not enough time in the day! 

Hubby and I also got a special word from a church member: his - he will see the doors that have been closed come open because he has FAVOR from God; mine - I have a destiny that will be fulfilled; I was almost destroyed but I have come through.

Wow! I have come through a bunch of stuff, and that was the message today: coming through the storm & that God has a destination for us.

Prayer: Beloved Jesus, because of You, I am alive, saved, loved, free, healed. I am a child of the King, forgiven, made clean and heaven-bound. I am at peace. I am whole. There is no other who can offer so much to one so unworthy! Help me to live each day in full appreciation of the marvelous gift Father God gave us - YOU!

Scripture Art Journaling

I've been working on Scripture Art Journaling in Psalms. This is from Ps. 40:2 - He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.