Anatomy of a crisis - 8 things you can do when disaster finds where you live...strength series #9

I love the hope contained in this part of Scripture...faced with an incredible blow, David and his warriors have just wept until they had no strength left (imagine - the mightiest army that you can think of, one that God is showing Himself mighty and that He is with them as they fight - being overcome with such intense emotion...).

Loss and brokenness abounds in a fallen world.  One can move from awesome victory to an emotional blow that sends us to our knees in despair in a matter of hours; minutes; even seconds...consider:

- The families of the commuter jet just shot down this past week...
- The couple mourning their baby who lived only a couple of hours, and the only photos they have to
   remember her by show a constellation of tubes and medical equipment...
- Children neglected by addicted parents...
- Teenagers running away from abuse, only to find more...
- Older people on a fixed income unable to rally in a faltering economy....
- Men and women trying to live and carve a life of blessing when their own past would have
   determined a life full of curses....
- And even if our lives have been relatively good, blessed, redeemed - we have been touched with the
   pain that has wracked others, and if we are walking with our Savior (who has been touched with all
   the pain that humans have experienced) we share the burden with our brothers and sisters around
   the world.

And when the emotional tidal wave is spent - we need help to know what to do next.

David shows us what is the only reasonable next step:

before he was king, 

before he had brought the ark of the Presence of God to the city of Zion,

before the nation of Israel knew he was a hero...
while he was an outcast,
while he was living in the "in between" place,

but while he was developing the character that resulted in God declaring
he was "a man after My own heart" - 

 he strengthens himself in the Lord.

The word "strengthen" here means "to become strong".  It isn't that the person was already strong, and flexed those great muscles.  We know David was in a place of great weakness...and he became strong again because he did something that no one else in camp was doing...he tied himself fast, bound himself strongly to Jehovah Elohim.   

When he was tied in knots with emotion, 

he tied himself to the Creator of the universe.  

David was persistent, held fast, earnest, constant, confirmed, established, and recovered his strength as he girded himself with what he knew of God.  Did this exchange take place in an instant, or over a period of hours, even a day?  We do not know.  But we do know that Elohim is the name of God in its plural form, so we know David focused on attributes and aspects of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit until his soul was settled, until he could rest in the provision of God that would meet his present need, until He knew God was still with him.  He reminded himself of all the promises, all the power, all the plans that he knew was true from his relationship with God, and as God's strength flowed into him, he recovered his senses, finally regaining the ability to inquire and to hear Him on what his next action might be...(verses 7-8).  The rest of the story shows God's intervention in bringing back his family and the families of all the men.  {Truly in the ranks of a really great action-adventure + a little romance novel}.

So how does this tying to God happen in our own lives?

1.  We must have a relationship with Him, and

2.  Recognize that He deeply desires a relationship with us.  When we believe this, we begin to view Him through a filter of His unconditional love, which can eradicate false images that might keep us at a distance from Him and His help for us.

3.  It helps to know some of the general promises of God.  Here are a few to get you started:
     - Jeremiah 29:11
     - Romans 8:1, 31-39
     - Deuteronomy 31:6
     - Jeremiah 31:3
     - Zephaniah 3:17
     - 1 Corinthians 10:13
     - John 14:15-18

4.  Remind yourself of personal prayers He has answered, or the answered prayers of people you
    know or fellow church members (if applicable).  Meditate on James 5:17.

5.  Remind yourself of stories in the Bible in which God showed Himself strong for His people...

6.  Sing/listen to songs of praise and worship - David was a worshipper from before the time he was anointed to be king.  I believe it is safe to say that he had a habit of worship.  The music you need may or may not be what is playing on contemporary Christian radio stations, but the qualitites that mark the worship that is warfare usually a) focuses on God and His character,b) is based on Scripture, and c) contains a message of hope.  Gateway Worship and Hillsong are two church/music ministries that are current and always fall into this category.

7.  Practice listening prayer.  Don't just pour your heart out (though that may need to be the first portion of your prayer!) but quiet your soul and listen for the voice of the Spirit.  Meditate on Psalm 131, it is only 3, yet powerful, verses long...write down what you hear...

8.  Finally, and perhaps the most difficult, is take action on what He tells you to do...whatever it is.  This will most certainly stretch and grow your faith.  It will give you a testimony to share His faithfulness with others.  It will assure you of His love for you as you walk with Him to address what has happened.

Have you been strengthened in the Lord before?

Are you in an experience requiring that you strengthen yourself in the Lord currently?

Leave a comment, let me know - I would love to help in praying for you...

Be My Strength and My Song...strength series #8

I am really liking how all the colors pop and blend together + I found this wonderful music brush (get a similar free one here) in my collection that placed notes riotously over the page...

This series about the Lord giving us His strength and resulting threads of connection have revealed some interesting relationships:

...His strength is connected to our joy...

...relying on our own strength results in bondage to the flesh and wilderness experiences...

...admitting weaknesses, examining vulnerabilities (not denying them) - takes true courage...

...Humility leads us to His strength...

I look forward to sharing these discoveries at the end of this series!

Wait on Him...Strength Series #7

This verse is a foundational verse for my husband and I...I love how the eagle's wings look!

The Strength of His People - He is enough...#6 in the strength series

From Psalm 28:8 - it made me ask, "Who are you trusting for strength?"

Does He ask me to develop my strength, or to rest in His?  Perhaps both?

But perhaps developing MY strength doesn't mean doing some sort of spiritual workout (I've tried that - it is a hopeless place!)  The internal "task masters" are never satisfied; yet I must find a way to "master", to overcome, them.  A person's true strength grows in direct proportion to his reliance on the Lord.  I need to continually decrease my trust in the "arm of the flesh" in order that there is more space for the "arm of the Lord" in my life!

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  Isaiah 53:1

In every situation, Jesus is enough. I can agree with the task masters, I am never enough...but He is!

When I gain His perspective, I trust that His way, His power, His nature - is enough.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." 

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

His grace is freely given, available to all...it is really a matter of receiving it and learning to walk in it daily...that is how He becomes the strength of His people!

Strength and Joy are Found in His Dwelling Place...strength series #5

This statement really does cause a "Selah" moment!

Warrior Heart....#4 in the "strength" series

The Lord is My Strength...#1, #2 and #3 in the strength series

 A little work I did this weekend...
I've been doing a study on the strength of the Lord and all its facets...I am loving what I am finding!
The art work is really on pure white backgrounds - (Blogger must have some automatic feature that changes the color ever so slightly so that it doesn't blend into the background... )

Sojourning #10...we are meant to reign!

We are sojourners here, but we aren't meant to live as mere sight seers.  We have a purpose in this land...and the land has a purpose in us.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands...Psalm 19:1

Even the sky is a beacon; a reminder that this life is a time of preparation for that which is to come...

It is here that we learn to choose good over evil, blessing over cursing, life over death (1).  It is a daily habit we must acquire...the ability to come up against situations, and choose to see His hand, His purpose in it.  Whether it is to teach us to look beyond the surface of circumstances; to love those who act in loveless, challenging ways, or to make our souls pliable in order that they may be fashioned in His image - every encounter becomes an opportunity to allow His purposes a place of expression.  

These are the marks of a righteous judge, one that can faithfully oversee the affairs of his king, the character carved into the hearts of His royal sons and daughters.

And because this world is the place of all these tests - this land of sojourning has its purpose in us...

The trick is to not let this land - the troubles as well as the blessings - rob us of our vision, the truth that we are meant to reign in life; the life here as well as the life to come.  This time here, our lives here, are meant to be lived as a training ground - not as the final destination (2).

We are meant to reign...

We need only to look to the sky to know that this is so...

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? 

He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. 

Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:26 NIV

  (1) see Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
   (2) 1 Timothy 4:8

Soujourning #9...some have forgotten...

 I have been reading in the ancient texts...reviewing the story of how I came to be here; how my ancestors got here...

Processed with an iris blur and Kim Klassen's texture "heartfelt" at soft light blend mode.

Each of us came from one family, formed by the Creator Himself and "becoming" when He breathed His life into them {1}.  We all bear His image; we are all connected. 

However, it seems that some have forgotten from Whom they came; that there is a beautiful, perfect home prepared and waiting for them{2}.  They live for themselves, they deny their Creator (and therefore a very important piece of themselves, as the Creator made us with a "homing beacon" that is designed to draw us toward Him and His ways{3})  And in this, others are hurt, wounded, by the words, deeds and desires of those who have forgotten.  

To be honest, sometimes I forget too, but only for a moment.  

But the damage I can inflict on another feels the same to them as the kind of damage inflicted by those with permanent amnesia...and I am bruised and crushed as well.

I think He knew this would happen, the amnesia brought on from being away from home so long and with it, a neglecting of the writings He left for us...

I say that, because I found these words as I read in a certain passage {4}...

and my heart was greatly comforted:

He is gentle with those who are bruised and crushed,

He sees the small and insignificant,

He takes them by the hand;

He leads them into His unconditional love..

He’ll steadily and firmly set things right.

He won’t tire out and quit. 
He won’t be stopped.

****************

  He who created the cosmos, 
stretched out the skies,

    laid out the earth and all that grows from it,

Who breathes life into earth’s people,

   He makes them alive with His own life...

*************

He says: 

"I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way,

    who can’t see where they’re going.

I’ll be a personal guide to them,

    directing them through unknown country.

I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take,

    make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.

These are the things I’ll be doing for them—

    sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.”

 And then, my heart grew excited, because He had made this declaration:

“I am God. I have called you to live right and well.

    I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.

I have set you among my people to bind them to me,

    and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,

To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:

    opening blind eyes,

    releasing prisoners from dungeons,

    emptying the dark prisons.

I am God. That’s my name."

Even though wounded, even though flawed, He is still with me and giving His life to me, keeping me eternally safe and enabling me to show others the way while we are still sojourning here...

 

 Joining with other lovelies here...

  

{1} from Genesis 2

{2} John 14:2

{3}  Ecclesiastes 3:11

{4} The Message Bible:  parts of Isaiah 42

Soujourning #8...Spring is a gentle reminder ~

Spring brings gentle reminders to always have hope...

 

That God once loved a garden we learn in Holy writ.
And seeing gardens in the Spring I well can credit it.
~Winifred Mary Letts

How wonderful yellow is - 

it stands for the sun...

~Vincent van Gogh 

Spring is like a promise - He won't be gone forever - even the earth practices bursting forth for His return - new life is here, already here, in this place so far from home... and I can partake of it...

Joining with the Texture Tuesday bunch here... 

Sojourning #7...Surely the lines have fallen in pleasant places for me...

He has made my time of sojourn so delightful...birds that sing in the mornings as I sip a cup of rich, dark coffee...lace, the light of the rising sun, simple wooden chairs slid up to a table ready for abundance -

Surely these things are pleasant reflections of my eternal home?  At least the bird song and coffee...
 

Processed with a Gaussian Blur layer (masked away from the handle and bird a little) and Kim Klassen's 0605 texture at soft-light.

My heart pours out to Him:

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Psalm 37:5-6

 And to my fellow sojourners I say:

Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart...

Psalm 37:3-4 

Other beauty here...

Sojourning #6 - collected memories

Processed with 2 layers of Kim's waterfront 7 - magic

The beauty we see in nature on this earth calls to a place in my heart -
Every created thing bears the stamp of the Creator.
Perhaps that is why we feel closer to God when we are in nature...we are surrounded by the evidence of His Presence, His love, His attention to detail...

I feel His embrace, and I know I am remembered.

And I gather these remembrances, to remind me of this feeling, this truth...to remind me of home...

Linking with the Texture Tuesday bunch here...

Sojourning #5...for the love of home...

As surely as the sun rises, He will appear, He will come to us. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  From faith to faith, from strength to strength, from glory to glory...we eagerly await His coming...

Based on Hosea 6:3, 1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 84:7, Romans 1:17

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, 

will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:20-21 NIV

Other creative photographs here...

Sojourning #4...more than enough room...

Processed to look like an old, tattered postcard, looked at often, as one would if they were far from home...

There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.... 

When everything is ready, I will come and get you, 

so that you will always be with me where I am...

John 14:2-3NLT

These were words spoken by Jesus to comfort His followers close to His crucifixion...

He was leaving them behind, citizens of another world being left in this one as aliens and sojourners.  They would face adversity, persecution, ostracization, beatings, imprisonment, execution...

But they had the hope that He wouldn't leave them forever - He would come back - and there would be room...

more than enough room, 

for them, 

their families, 

their friends, 

and all who wanted a new life. 

Thank you Lord for making all the room needed and for drawing all those who come...

Sojourning #3...quiet...

I always think of "soft" and "quiet" together...

Textured with one layer of Kim Klassen's "chaos" set to soft light blend mode.

...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: 

You should mind your own business 

and work with your hands...  

so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders 

and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 

I Thessalonians 4:11 NIV

As sojourners we are to aim towards living a quiet life, and work with our hands - I love that these two instructions point in the direction of creativity!  And in living quietly and purposefully, outsiders will respect us - and perhaps ask how they too can be citizens of our country...

More "quiet" beauty at the Texture Tuesday link up here... 

Sojourning #2 ...enjoyment...

A rare pink bluebonnet from our yard last spring...textures with Kim's 0703 at color burn blend mode and reduced to 25% opacity.  The type font is called "Petra"

I am a sojourner here on this earth (Philippians 3:20).

And it is amazing to me that, even though I am no longer "of this world" but still in it, the things in it were made for my enjoyment...

What a loving God, that before I became a citizen of His world, He created the beauty in this one for me to enjoy, and perhaps to wonder about just how much more incredible my permanent home will be...

And if He created all this beauty for me to enjoy, how it must please Him when I do take. time. to. stop. and. enjoy. it...

no frantic trying to please Him, to work at gaining what I already have (His love),
no worrying that He might withdraw it from me,
no missing the delicate intricacies of living life here because I am constantly preparing for the move "home"...

This must be why He told the Children of Israel to plant gardens and settle down, "make themselves at home", when they went into captivity in Babylon...even tho' they were no longer in their homeland, they were still in the hands of God - and could still have joy in their lives...

And here, back here in this century, this year, this moment of time - I am free in this land that is not my final home...and I can love:

warm days and cool nights

frogs singing across the field every evening

morning songbirds

wind in the oak's strong branches

the scolding chatter of the squirrel who lives above the garage

the anticipation of this year's wild flowers

a cat's purr

the smell of spring

the comfort of a worn quilt on the porch swing when it is just a tad too cool 

the way of a family

how we love one another...

Joining with other wonderful photographers at Texture Tuesday here

Sojourning #1...You know the way...

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of being at a retreat center which had a reproduction village from ancient Israel built - it is called "Capernaum".  Of course I took pictures!  And you will be seeing many of the shots during this season of Lent...

 

...and you know the way to the place where I am going...John 14:4

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.     John 14:1-3 NIV

The theme the Lord is leading me towards for my personal Lenten explorations comes from the idea that we are simply sojourners in this world, citizens of another.  And so for this first installment, I chose an image of looking through an archway in the town of "Capernaum", towards a live oak tree...

 almost as if I am looking through a corridor from one world to the next, and the oak is the Tree of Life in the center of Paradise...

"Soon," the Spirit says.  "Soon, we will be together." 


Joining with the Texture Tuesday link up here... 

My image is processed with a vibrance adjustment and one layer of Kim's "rest" from her February trio set to "color burn" blend mode and opacity adjusted to 48%. 

My word for the year - "Finish"

Hearing my word for 2014 really happened during the regular time frame...during the month of January...it is just now that I seem to have time to write about it...

Picture source

The word whispered around the back portions of my mind - I wasn't sure if it was just my need to accomplish cleaning off my desk in my office/art studio, or gaining some sort of organization after 6 months of seeming chaotic life...(my desk is still piled, but project after project is moving off...FINISHED!)

"FINISH"!

It is a triumphant call - He calls me to "finish" because He declared "It is finished"...Everything is settled...

He will perfect that which concerns me -

He has given us everything I need for life and Godliness -

His gift and calling is irrevocable -

I looked at places where the word shows up in Scripture, and found three that leaped out to me:

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:4 NIV

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.  2 Corinthians 8:11 NIV

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.   Acts 20:24 NIV

Picture source

 The very day I decided that the word dancing around my mind had the emphasis of the Spirit with it, this article was delivered to my inbox:

There is an "It is Finished" sound in the kingdom. Are we releasing it? 

This excerpt captures the tone of what I was hearing:  

The governmental power of 'NOW Sound" is that we know He is King, it is finished, and Father is governing through the release of the sound of His sons and we are releasing what He is revealing, right here, right NOW! 

When I read about worship, I automatically include the act of creating any art, honoring Him by releasing the creativity He has placed within us, in the context of worship...


He is saying:

Finish the race I have set before you...
I have released you into the fullness of your passions and calling!

Finish the creative explosions released within you...
Release the creativity I have placed within you to the sphere of your influence!

Finish through perseverance...
Maturity and completeness come only through the daily practice of reaching towards Me, seeking to reflect Me to the world...in all you do, keep going, experimenting, exploring, wondering, making, moving, ministering, revealing...

I hear Him cheering me on...
What will He accomplish in this coming year?  I cannot wait as I consider all the ideas, half formed, some almost complete...finished!

Blessed first day of the week...

Image source - the owners contacted me and encouraged me to use their images!

The way of the life of stillness...

More fog pictures from around our place...

nothing invites us to stillness,

to a place of quiet reflection,

as a blanket of fog tucking us in to our favorite places...

Processed with Kim Klassen's rest_magic texture - I liked how it made the picture look so aged.

Dadisho was a leader and writer of the Church in the East from the 5th century...

Joining with the rest of the Texture Tuesday bunch here...

My prayer: "Establish the work of his hands..."

The prompt over at Texture Tuesday today is "light", so I am recycling an older photo because of how the light was coming in through the window - you might have seen it before, as I believe I did this during the first "Beyond Layers" class that Kim hosted...

Processed with Kim's "Revolution" texture and a lot of fixing of the photo below!

The "before" photo:

Well, I was so excited about taking the picture that I didn't even look at the floor that needed sweeping!  And FYI, the window sill got a coat of paint after this picture too!

John Keats for Valentine's Day...a free download -

Who better than Keats can turn a phrase for love?  For today's Texture Tuesday, the theme of which is "love", I further blurred one of the fog images that I have had so many opportunities to take lately! 

Click here if you wish to download for your personal use only (Image size is 5"x5").

Click here for more inspiration from other Texture Tuesday link ups...

New collages in the works - Sneak Peek...

Hoping to have this one and two others in this series finished this weekend...

the brown novel is from 1891 - that is so amazing to me!

Fog - beautifing the existing beauties...

We've had many foggy days lately - but this particular day was last spring because the bluebonnets were blooming - and then this perfect quote inspired the poem...I do love the fog!

Fog 

A holy hush descends,

even nature whispers...

not wishing to disturb 

the majesty, kneeled to earth, 

bequeathing a crown of awe 

to mortals.

Cindy Fort - copyright 2014

Joining with other creative photos here...

Monday...

Include Him in your planning first thing...

  

Apart from Him, you can do nothing | Christian Photographs | Crossmap Christian Backgrounds and Christian Wallpaper

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}

"Trust" - an angel on reclaimed box...

New art assemblage/mixed media piece!

I truly do not know why this is the "Angel of Trust"...

Perhaps it is her gentle demeanor and expression -

Perhaps it is the fact that she has taken off and is holding her halo
(sweet tweener's idea), making her appear that she isn't "too holy" to be approachable -

Perhaps it is the quiet confidence that she seems to portray.


But we all need to learn to trust.  It is the first task of a baby, to learn, to trust, that his or her physical and love needs will be met, and sometimes even before the baby knows the need has arisen!  And I want to always have that sort of trust with my heavenly Parent!

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 NIV

She is available to purchase here (in the gallery shop).
(plus images of the interior)

"Ice Blossoms"

Playing around with some images I took last year (just a couple of months ago!) when sleet was forecast for our area in Texas.  As I hurried home, I was surprised by the breathtaking scenes of water droplets that had frozen on the tips of the branches of our trees!  It truly looked like they were all bejeweled!  In the one above, the branch looked like a kanji symbol to me, so I went that direction with the words.  I simply used a gaussein blur in the background and masked the branch so it wasn't blurred.  Below are some more of the photos - "raw".  I think I will further explore what I might be able to create with them, but for today I am simply sharing for your enjoyment...

The temperature was such that the rain was freezing on the branches but melting on the ground... incredible result!

Joining with other creatives at Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday here...

Everlasting, purity and Snow Falling on Cedars quote

As I was working on this picture, I was really thinking about two words - everlasting (because of the cedar) and purity (from the icy snow).  I knew these thoughts could be found in the Scripture...and the quote seemed to capture the longing of a person who desires the renewal, the quiet, the purity invoked by the peace new fallen snow.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.  Jeremiah 31:33

Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
  Isaiah 1:18

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow. ... Psalm 51:7 

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  Deuteronomy 33:27

 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear
him, and his righteousness with their children's children ... Psalm 103:17

Joining with the lovely creatives at Texture Tuesday

A Merry Christmas Message - from God's heart to yours...

Emmanuel.  God with us.  Always. 
You are never alone, for He is here...

Jesus was born -
with everything He needed to live a holy life, to defeat Satan, to bring salvation, to bring healing

        - to His people.

A precious newborn boy contained all the power needed to change the world.
A tiny baby was the greatest threat to the enemy's plan that the world would ever see...

So - remember...
No matter what you are feeling today -
No matter where you are today -
No matter how long you have been a Christ follower -
                                                          - a day
                                                          - a minute
                                                          - a year
                                                          - a lifetime

You are more than a conqueror; Who is in you is greater than who is in the world.  You have all you need - to do what you must do and to be what you must be...

 ...because...

the power present in Jesus at His birth is also in you, at work to fulfill His purpose for you.

Take heart.

Breathe Him in.

Be at peace.

 

What I've been working on since we've been offline -

We went for a nature walk on Wednesday, before the storm and cold weather came in...

and the ice made a nice backdrop for the collection! 

The bluish tint comes from the ice, and I thought it made a nice natural touch...

Sun bleached acorns, cedar berries, oak leaf - digital painting

mistletoe, sun-bleached acorns with insect drilled holes, oak leaves

cedar branch with berries, sun-bleached acorns with insect drilled holes, mistle toe, flaming sumac pod

cedar branch with berries, mistle toe, sun-bleached acorns with insect drilled holes, wooly lambs ear, flaming sumac pod, loose berries from cedar and flaming sumac

sun bleached acorns with insect drilled holes and cedar berries

digital painting of oak leaves

Add caption

Still here and a couple of Christmas Freebies...{repost}

December is always full, Christmas, Thanksgiving has just passed, and two important family birthdays - and for the past 30 years even more so - ever since our youngest son was born on December 17th!  So we have been busy...I am continuing on with the "Wilderness" posts, but for the moment I am giving myself "permission" to practice sanctuary, contemplation and gentleness as we have prepared and celebrated and now more preparations!

But I wanted to pull these freebies from the past into the present so you could enjoy them once again...

 

Click here for all variations and downloads of the above image...

Click here to get these tags in high resolution