sneak peek friday ~ august 31st

it is friday...

time for peeking into studios

and seeing what my friends are working on.

remember to visit jennifer and all our friends at studio jru to see what everyone is up to.

this week i finished a wip that has been sitting for months...

and did a quick piece as a reminder to myself...

light was not helpful to pic taking today

this one is going on a wall where i will see it daily.

what have you been up to this week?

please share!  

remember art is anything creative you do, wherever you do it.

armor - re-post with edits

Ephesians 6:10-18:   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 

There are desert times in our journey and yet Jesus is there.  In these places there is fear, doubt, anxiety snuggled up with hope, anticipation, and expectation.  These times can be so hard to pray that we need a sister to pray for us.  She reminds of the need to be armed for the spiritual battle happening in that unseen place that sucks the very life out of us.  In order to pray the armor I picture myself playing dress up and somehow the words come.

 

The belt of truth becomes my favorite western belt with the big horseshoe buckle the size of my fist that makes my pants droop, it is cracked and worn and smells of old leather. 

 

The breastplate of righteousness is fashioned from my tiger print vest that once was all the rage and is now tattered and moth eaten and smells like the darkest corner of my closet. 

 

The shoes which ready me for battle are my Piglet slippers which have traveled the country with me as I teach your children, they too are a little worn and smelly but full of joyful memories of epiphany moments.

 The shield of faith is the cover from my fire pit, covered with ash and dirt, the scent of smoke soaked in the memories of dear ones who have gathered around it with me to pray, play, and ponder.

 The helmet of salvation must truly be my San Francisco Giants cap now free from dust in the glory of victory and redemption of all the bad years (and crappy pitching, but that is another story).

 The sword, definitely the one from Star Wars because it makes a cool noise and surely will scare the devil away and while it is not mine today I can pretend it is.

 

Abba, there may not be many fancy prayer like words in this yet each picture reminds me of those gifts you have brought into my life.  Many coming with the reminder of the love with which you surround me.  

You call me to child like faith and it is in these gifts that come with a picture in my mind that I am able to look up again and see you smiling at me.  

You reach down and pull me in your arms and hold on tight.  I wrap my arms around your neck and hold on knowing this moment is brief as I become distracted, climb from your lap, and run outside where I pretend to be in control again.  I pray that when I grow up, I remember that these moments are eternal and mine to reach for.

Thank you daddy.  Amen.

 

this week's memory verse

join me over at #shereadstruth 

where we study, pray, and memorize together.

multitudes on mondays ~ august 27th

it is monday and time to share

those gifts i already have.

those given by the gift giver

i can lose sight of.

what are they gifts your are grateful for today?

share below or with ann and friends here.

600 laughing through the tears

601 tangible signs of da bear's love

602 joshua brayden beast's head in my lap when i am sad

603 communion in well loved places

604 smiles from sisters

605 fresh tomato pie

606 feeling peace fall down like a river

607 truth tellers

608 words that remind me why i must share painful parts of my story

609 blowing kisses to da baby on skype

610 salad lunches prepared with love

611 practical presents when it isn't my birthday

612 counting down days

613 warm water when muscles are sore

614 hearing a daddy share about unexpected time with his boy

615 stories of God's victory

616 the smell of fresh herbs

617 balcony people who hold my face in their hands in love

618 india inks

619 farmers who never give up

this weekend

may you take time to...

my first attempt at book spine poetry

this is harder than it looks!

sneak peek friday ~ august 24th

it is friday and time to peek

into the studio...

mine...

yours...

and our friends at studio jru...

where today cindy at 12 tribes 

teaches us how to do book spine poetry...

it is fascinating 

i can't wait to play with it!

last week was about untangling

the knots in my soul...

river walking with joshua brayden beast

helped me give the knots 

to the only One who can untangle them...

always faithful, He did

and then we played in the studio together...

my baby recently moved

and asked for something "sunflowerish"

for her new walls...

not the best picture

close up of one panel

she says it is what she had in her head...

i love when that happens.

and her baby has a big day soon

and this is for her new walls...

both were done using my new modeling paste and the one for da baby used a new (to me) project board.  love the modeling paste, not so sure about the board.

would love to hear what others use for mixed media work.

can't wait to see my girls in 19 days

(not that anyone is counting)

and play at the beach with them.

what have you been doing in your studio?

please share here or here...

there's enough for all of us

http://robertscottphotographyy.imagekind.com/

a friend shared this story:

"I sat outside this morning and was reading a book.  I was distracted though by the ugly squawking of birds...blue jays.  I had forgotten to fill the bird feeders for about a week and I filled them last night.  

There were several jays that were fighting over the food.  

THREE bird feeders were full to bursting.  There was one jay that a group of jays were trying to run off.  They went from branch to branch...squawking and fighting and chasing that one jay out of their territory.  And the whole time, the feeders sat full of food and empty of feeders. 

There was enough for all of them, but they were so busy chasing that one bird off they forgot to eat.  

I sat there and cried and shook my head.  There's enough for all of us!!!  It's there for all of us!!!!"

Yes...

                            grace...

                                           this is grace...

God's grace...

                     there is enough for all of us...

always...

            we need not chase others from it...

God's feeder is full (always) for each of us...

"I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth much more than birds?"  Matthew 6.25-26

may we let others come to God's feeder...

Amen and amen!!

steeping

i keep thinking i get it and mostly i do.  for others. 

  

as others share the potholes in their journey i am quick to remind of the need to be gentle.  to rest in the arms of the One who loves first.  to breathe when all else is overwhelming.  in.  out.  repeat.  just breathe.

so much harder to extend to myself.  in the midst of wrestling with things that wear me out physically, emotionally, and spiritually i expect to be able to maintain this crazy list of expectations written in my sky.

one of the places i go when i need to remember grace extends even to me is Matthew 6.  these words speak to my heart in a way i cannot explain.  they soothed me as a sweet one faced heart surgery, as i left all i knew to follow God to a very flat place and then to a holy mountain, when i doubted my ability love and to be loved, and once more today. 

the transliteration from The Message speaks to my heart and soul as i wrestle to accept a small portion of grace for myself today:

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

yes!  i need to steep myself in God…

like that tea sitting on the counter.  

steep…rest…knowing that as I do God is making me stronger, bolder, somehow better as I relax into re-remembering that God has this stuff. 

God is more than with me…before, behind, and all around me…

much like the water as the tea brews…

moving in and through and around allowing me to become better than when i am dry and sitting in a place away from grace.

i remember that for right now I can erase the list in the sky, breathe in, breathe out, repeat as I steep in the arms of the One that loves me first.

multitudes on monday ~ august 20th

it is monday...

time to remember those precious gifts

given by the gift giver...

some silly, some not, all a blessing.

remember to visit ann and friends at a holy experience to 

see their gifts...

620 a brother saying yes when saying no would have been easier

621 rainy days cuddling with joshua brayden beast

622 turtle pie to make tears become smiles

623 sharing said turtle pie with sisters

624 wise words from a mentor

625 understanding the journey of another without words

626 songs that make me dance again

Set Free - Christa Wells and Nicole Witt

627 seeing da baby wave to da ama

628 putting a picture in my heart to canvas

629 walks in the river that cleanse my soul

630 silly joshua brayden beast chasing fishies and bubbles

631 seeing long standing prayers answered in the best of ways

632 hearing a daddy cry tears of joy for the gift of more time

633 sharing my studio with da mama

634 unexpected naps

635 helmet grins

636 a picture in my head captured by a sister

637 words that still take my breath away

638 seeing the fruit of love

639 friends coming home

drink deeply

may this weekend be a time to drink deeply from the well of living water and may you be refreshed, renewed, and re-born.

sneak peek friday ~august 17th

this week was about untangling knots

so i could find time in the studio

i took joshua brayden beast to the river

to find inspiration 

along the way he chased bubbles

and fishies

i chased God

until i remembered i had already been found

walking in the water

seemed like a great idea

getting out?

not so much

i'm back in the studio again

working on a multi piece work for my daughter

inspired by sunflowers

i am using a new modeling paste

and falling in love

tho' the camera doesn't like it yet

so watch for pics next week

when it has some color

share your work...

i'd love to see it 

and so would the folks at studio jru!

new vision

tuesday's truth

multitudes on mondays ~ august 13th

these are some of the gifts i noticed this week 

that i already have...

those things that are priceless 

and cost no silver or gold.

what gifts have you been aware of this week?

visit ann & friends at A Holy Experience to see theirs and won't you share yours?

640 the feel of fall in the morning air

641 finding a real pig in a yard on a city street

642 being back on the water

643 looking up just in time to see the shooting star in the gap between the clouds

644 homemade ice cream prepared with love and freely shared

645 watching my bear step WAY outside of his comfort zone

647 sharing a summer meal with the family God has brought together

648 discovering most of us share the same struggles and can walk with one another through hard patches

649 a sister bravely sharing a very hard thing instead of looking away

650 messes in my cave that untangle the knots in my soul

651 wild hairdos on little ones

652 that half second delay of little voices praying in the words Jesus taught us

653 sharing Scripture in study and seeing others connect the dots

654 my dream book arriving in my mailbox

655 zinnias on my table

656 the jolt of holding my first ever passport in my hands and knowing I can go where God sends

657 watching Joshua Brayden Beast do all he can to avoid putting his paws on the wet grass during his morning constitutional

658 humor amidst mess ups

659 discovering how small the community of believers can be…in the best of all ways