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.

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.