After You Press the “RESET Button” - What Happens Next…

Hello everyone!

Last week I made a video about being in “The Days of Awe” and how to take advantage of these days, (which are part of the New Year in the Jewish Calendar) to reset our own dreams, goals and vision. 

(You can watch it here - or click the photo to go to youtube...be gentle, this is my first ever video) 

In that video I promised I would share my own journaling – and here it is!

A little background:

I have been hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in my heart, encouraging me to “get serious” about my online presence for a some time now.  The teenager is getting more independent, her schooling day changing and allows for me more time to focus on other things.  One season is transitioning into the next!  The Holy Spirit brought one of Sandi Krakowski’s classes to my inbox – and her business sense has come at the perfect time. 

So, what did my “reset” reveal?

(Not necessarily in order of priority!)

One
Over the spring and summer months, I have seemed to be saying the same things, over and over,  to my clients, and I was getting the idea that I might need to make a teaching available for them, one that could be easily accessed for the online world.  After all, if I am saying the same thing to so many people in my “in person” life, how many more outside of my neighborhood may need the same message?   I believe the Lord wants me to share this – so I will begin working towards an “in a box” class for this issue.  Join me in praying for a name?

Two
When I was full time in counseling, I longed for the churches I was affiliated with to have Bible Studies and groups that I could send my clients into to get the in-depth, targeted spiritual help they needed AT THAT VERY MOMENT, so that we could spend our counseling session more on the issues than simple life and communication skills.  I had even developed an entire 2 year program (at 1 class per week) that would take a potential client through the basics – my goal was to start training people to run the classes/Bible Studies/Groups myself.  That goal got put “on a shelf” (homeschooling makes it really challenging to be available in a professional way for hurting people!)  I am going to resurrect this two year program and put it into an online format.  Excited?  Interested?  What would you want to have in such a program?  Let me know!

  

My journal - Twinkle H20 play -

Three
I have two books cooking in my heart!  This is really scary/vulnerable to step out and say this publicly.  That inner critic that says "who are you to be so presumptuous to think you should write a book that anyone would want to read" guffaws around in my brain at times.  But yet I KNOW I am not a presumptuous sort of person; and if God has placed these things in my heart, then it will please Him to use my gifts.  Time to write!

Four
I need to devote 15 to 25 hours a week on business – a lot of this time online and writing articles.  Art needs to be done as well, but not during this focused time.

  
Five
Don’t neglect the Essential Oils business (He just confirmed this again this afternoon!)  I believe the Lord really wants people to be physically healthy, and using therapeutic grade essential oils is a simple and powerful way to help our bodies natural ability to fight disease, viruses and bacteria, and environmental toxins.
  
Six 
 Create one Christian themed healing art directive a week.  I have some things on the website already, and this goal will insure there is a strong body of online knowledge for His children who need to heal emotionally and spirituall.  Looking forward to this!  Let me know what you want to address first!)

  
Seven
He audibly said “Don’t change the name.” Ok, that is a topic in the class, but I didn’t know it when He said this!
 

With a little more embellishment

Eight
I keep hearing, in my spirit, “Arise!”  Arise, Jerusalem!  Arise, sleeping bride!  May God arise!  Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me…!  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you!  Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song!  When I hear things like this in my heart, I tend to take it for intercession for the church at large, intercession for others.  But He whispered this, “YOU are part of my church; speak this over YOU!” Oh my, what those words did to me!  What receiving those words are doing in my heart!

And look at this!  Eight points to my “reset” time…the number of “new beginnings” – I think He is having fun with this!

I have another step – one that will be our artistic prompt to carry us through the next Feast days of Succot, The Feast of Tabernacles.  I’ll be back with that on Thursday!  In reality, this is the first Healing Art Directive.

Shalom,

Cindy

Getting lost in inspiration...and how to find your way back!

At my machine this morning - I find it interesting how the color of the fabric is reflected in the metal of the machine

Recently I heard a question asked:

How do you strike the balance of finding inspiration every day without getting lost in it?

I can identify with this!  I think every creative can...getting lost in inspiration is probably the opposite of the stuckness of the "blank page".

For me, Pinterest is a wonderful organizational tool, but just how many tutorials on painting a triad tree in watercolor do I really need?  What is needed is to get into the studio and put water and paint on paper and use just one tutorial to get started - any one of us learns more by doing rather than just being a perpetual student.  And actually, the feeling/need/idea to keep learning may just be a stall tactic to keep from risking or avoid failing.  It will keep one from finding his/her "own voice" creatively.  And who we truly are, who we were created to be, and the things God wants to express through us remain inside - unexpressed and ungifted to the world.

Since we also learn by doing, we are still being a student, but in a way that will ultimately allow us to move in the direction God is leading...and that is what we all want anyway!

I like the following ideas.  I know these sorts of helps encourage me be more mindful of time passing (some adapted and expanded from here):

1.  "Create before you consume".
2.  Don't confuse inspiration with getting things done.
3.  Stack your inspiration stash...make a stack of your creativity inspiration, then browse the stack
     for a few minutes before bed, or during a time of rest during the day.  Think about setting the timer
     for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 20 minutes to avoid getting "stuck" in the inspiration mode.

     Ideas for "stacks"*:
                            magazines
                            "how to" books
                            recipe books (doesn't everyone read cookbooks to relax?)
                            devotional books/Bible Studies (I get so much inspiration by reading other people's
                                                                                 insights - their words that create a picture)
                             the "stack" can even be integrated into the creative decor of the room in which you
                                                                                 choose to place it.

             *how to "stack" digital products:                           
                           grab a URL of something you want to search out more and put it in a list of "Needs
                           further exploration" on Evernote, on a special Pinterest board, or even in an email
                           that you mail to yourself.  You can also paste the URL in a document on your
                           desktop.

How is your inspirational stack looking?  I know mine is a little more tamed now...
Now, is it back to the stack or the studio? {Smiling}

2012 Goals Lists Review - Find You...

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/12/find-your-thing-and-do-that-thing/

The web is full of New Years goals ideas AND I subscribe to several sites, and of course,  goal setting is on everyone's minds! 

Here are several places if you would like guidance in your review of 2011 and preparation for 2012:


5 steps to Making New Year's Resolutions... at A Holy Experience

Goals for accessing your homeschooling adventure at the midway point...at Simple Homeschool

20 Questions for reflecting on your 2011...at incourage.me

Give Yourself a New Year's Planning Retreat...at Keeper of the Home

All containing wonderful "how-tos" and ideas and questions to help one focus...even tho' somewhat overwhelming...


Here is a simplified list...

What are you most proud of

What excited you this year?

What joyful things happened?

How did you stretch yourself?

How did you step out of your comfort zone?

What have you learned?

Did you take any “falls” that you learned from?

What did you enjoy doing that you want to do more of in the coming year?

What do you need to stop doing, to let go of?

But the ONE goal,
reflection,
resolution,
focus -
that has already been leading and guiding my preparations for 2012 is the....

Direct leading of the Lord!

Every year since 1986 (the year I fully surrendered my life to Him - tho' I was already a Christian) He has shared with me the area He wanted to work in for the coming year - as soon as I find my list that I have  kept I will share it with you!  I usually start to "hear" the lesson sometime in December, with the leading confirmed by the end of January...

It seems similar to the "My One Word" movement that I see around the internet, but it is so much better since it is directed by the One who knows my heart and soul best of all...

This year...was different.  I knew my next year's leading by August!  Yes, August!  And it hasn't changed, only gotten stronger...2012 is built from the 2011 leading - "Celebrate" - as well as linked to all before, but it was as if He couldn't wait to move me into the next one...in fact, this might be the LAST one, as it could define the rest of our journey together...(yes, it really could!)...

The word/leading/life defining lesson of 2012 and beyond is..........

Contemplate

And the words, lessons, phrases, conversation drifting through my spirit and soul don't necessarily fit in with any of the guided questions and exercises I included above...they seem to be unstructured, unbound, unable to be totally experienced in one mere year, or even lifetime...the only limit being what we (the Lord and I) discover while my hand is grasped in His...

This is the one thing I do...

walking with God - 

always imperfectly - 

often failing - 

sometimes successfully - 

always trying tho'

and I will share...