Take Me Deeper - Feb. Week 1

If you haven't checked out the Take Me Deeper Bible Study on His Kingdom Come, you need to sign up! #tmd2015

Our focus for the month is Love.

The first week's lesson is God's Love. I have never had a problem believing that God loves people - other people. I just never thought He could love me.

My page centers around a "blackboard" of comments. These are a combination of MY thoughts and actual comments from family - those who were supposed to love me. Sadly, I didn't have room to include them all.

Take Me Deeper - Weeks 4 and 5

With the launch of my grief course last week, I'm a bit behind in posting for Take Me Deeper.

Week 4's topic was Transform Faithfully. I focused on the 2 concepts of His Faithfulness and My Faith

 Great is Thy Faithfulness.

My pastor's definition of faith caused me to dig deeper. Fearless and unashamed? Okay. I get that. But "Aggressive" isn't a word I normally associate with faith. I think maybe this is the type of faith that enables you to pray for the BIG things. It's the "saying THANK YOU, GOD, before I physically see the answer" kind of believing. It's the stepping out and not just sitting back, waiting for things to happen kind of believing. #tmd2015









Week 5 was Purposeful Transformation

We are in a partnership with God in the transformation process. He will absolutely do His part without fail. It is up to us to do our part, too.

I drew a girl with a wilted plant. The plant leaves represent some of the parts of me that require God's input: Prayer, Ministry and Bible Study. I have begun the work in these areas, but I need God's help to grow them. So I gave her a broken watering can and a rain cloud. She's looking up expectantly - waiting for God to make good on His promises.

Jesus, bring the rain!

 Prayer: Precious Father, I praise You for Your faithfulness. Help me to have BIG faith, even in the small things. Make me accountable for my part of our work together, for I know You are ready to go to work on my behalf. Bring the rain, Jesus! Help me grow!

Take Me Deeper Week 3

Transform Submissively:

The Scripture:

2 Cor. 3:18-"And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect His glory even more."

Lessons Learned:

Moses wore a veil to hide the glory he'd received from spending time so close to God. NOW is the time for the veil to come off. We spend time with God, and He wants the world to see. We reflect His glory-whether the world is ready to see it now or not.

SHINE ON!

Behind the Art:

I used kitchen foil for a border to remind me to be a mirror that reflects His glory. In the lower left, I put a clay heart in the Master Potter's hands. All the pieces of my heart belong there.

The horse in the bottom right is a reminder that submission doesn't mean weakness or "doormat-ness." The horse submits to its Master. It uses its strength and skill to do the Master's bidding. The BEST horse is the one who wants to PLEASE the Master and is devoted to Him. They have spent time together and have a special bond.

My Process:

This is Week 3 of the Take Me Deeper study from His Kingdom Come. If you haven't signed up to join us there, you should!    #tmd2015    #week3tmd

I gessoed the pages and put down at layer of gelatos. The stencil on the right is where I used a baby wipe to remove the gelato base and then sprayed with Dylusions white.

Prayer: Dearest Father, Remind me to place ALL the pieces of my heart into your gentle hands. Help me to SHINE ON in your name and reflecting YOUR glory. In Jesus' name.

     ****FREE CLASS ON GRIEF starting Friday, January 23*****
Go to Good Grief for more information.

Take Me Deeper Week 2

I'm learning so much with our January study on Transformation at His Kingdom Come! If you haven't stopped by to see, please do so here.

Our 2nd week's study is on being Vulnerable.

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 

For me, the key question from the study was:

"Like Paul, will spiritual growth - growing deeper in our relationship with Christ – be enough of a prize for you to risk being vulnerable, so that in your weakness, Christ’s power may rest on you?"

Will I risk being vulnerable - risk being able to be hurt - to grow deeper? 

This became my focus for my journal page. I used Google to find a heart that looked like it had been armor-plated. The original image was entirely covered with "metal."

Then I searched for a zipper image and layered the two. I added paint over the "exposed" portion to indicate vulnerability. 

I added the heart to a background of  book paper and one of my favorite stencils. These are Apple Barrel acrylic paints - my new favorite trio: Kiwi, Key West & Tropic Orange.


I put "My grace is enough" in the top right corner. God gave me this verse late last year as my focus verse - before I got involved with HKC and TMD. I love how God works.

I want access to His power.
Daily.
Therefore, I must open myself up.

But here's the lesson: If I will open my heart, God has a more tender surface on which to write.

Bam!

Prayer: Dear Father, Open my heart to you. Give me a fearless openness so that You can mold me and use me for Your kingdom.
 

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.

Take Me Deeper - Week 1

I'm so excited to be part of His Kingdom Come's Take Me Deeper project. Fifty-two weeks of Bible study and art. And it all starts today!

The focus for January is Transform.
Here is my canvas for the month. I used black thread to make a mess of a seed and green embroidery thread for the "transform" stem that grows through the cross. I used a heart punch and gelli-printed dictionary pages as flower petals. I used the hymn "I Surrender All" as background fodder.

My thinking here was that I'm such a mess, but my transformation is possible only through the work of the cross.That my mess of a life can end up blossoming into love - through the cross.


#tmd2015




I've picked a word for 2015. For Logos365. Well, God gave me a word - Enough. As in: God is my Enough. Here is my spread in my journal:


#logos365







And this week's lesson is: Transform Willingly. I used a Google image of Earth and punched out the heart. Acrylic paint with a Dylusions stamp background. The cross is watercolor with ink dripped. I used leftover gelli-printed dictionary pages from the flower above to punch out the hearts.

This is my testimony. I was focused on the world. To the point that I lost all hope. Then someone showed me the cross and the hope available through Jesus Christ. Again, the cross creates the transformation. From worldly heart to willing heart. It ends with worship. Sacrifice is true worship. (Romans 12:1-2)
I hope you will join us at his-kingdom-come.com for this amazing study. I've included a link on the right.

Prayer: Dear Father, Thank You for Your work through the cross that provides to me the chance to transform into something/someone that You can use. Today I willingly offer my whole heart to You. For Your work. You are my Enough.

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.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Christmas Blessings, Fellow Travelers!

The season that celebrates my beloved Jesus' birth is my favorite time of year. I want to surround myself with family and just...love them.

So this is the wrong time of year for the flu.

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.

Being Deliberate in Faith

As one year rushes to an end, it is my habit to begin preparations for the next. (I am, by the way, the Empress of Planning.) I am determined to become more deliberate with my faith. So I'm toying with various ways to do that. I've located several online groups that may prove helpful:
1. His Kingdom Come
   This group has a WEEKLY Bible study planned called Take Me Deeper.
   They also have a "One Word" program called Logos365 - a YEAR-LONG focus.
2. Documented Faith
    There is to be a focus word each MONTH.