"Others May, You Cannot"

Today I am sharing a little pamphlet that I have kept tucked inside my Bible for years!  It is in the public domain, so please feel free to copy and print if it resonates with your spirit!....

Image Credit

I liked the image because it reminded me of a window in a monastery; which sort of really speaks to my word for this year of "Contemplate" ...

Sparrow practice...

 

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word:
freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

-Sir Winston Churchill

My single words:
fullness.  simplicity.  stretching.  joy.  stillness.  sanctuary.  shelter.  peace.  contentment.

Working on painting birds without sketching first,

enjoying my 36 days with the Lord,

Him calling together the thoughts taking wing,

them migrating to His voice...

Linking with Emily at :




Joining with Jennifer and other creatives...

Sneak Peak Friday - Birds and Bees and...

This is a 10" x 10" (finished and printed) image I created this week...
a response to all your kind comments of last Friday : )

 
The bees and thistle greens come from this site:
www.centricpropaganda.com.

I created the bee hive based on an image I found online.

I did a little digital painting to add a hint of color...

The image is clickable - I'm giving it to my Sneak Peek friends - *smile*.

More inspiration from all your sweet comments last week coming soon...been listening to God (check it out to see more playing with photoshop with the image I created), homeschooling, and keeping up with family responsibilities (well, and Pinterest!)...
 

Joining with Jennifer and other sweet creatives at:

Behold, A Son!

Today we take a look at the first of the 12 tribes of Israel, Reuben…

Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said,
“Because the Lord has seen my affliction…Genesis 29:32

Perhaps it is because time hasn’t slipped very far from the season of Advent, when the ancient prophecy is repeated “…Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 KJV, that makes me think of Jesus at Leah’s declaration…you see, Reuben means Behold, a son! in the Hebrew language.

My favorite Christmas sentiment - a small tract I have kept for years

It’s that word “Behold” that He uses to link the two for me…and I know I must find out more about this word…hinneh in Hebrew, pronounced hin-nay’. It is first found in Genesis, at the Creation, on the evening of the sixth day, when He looks at all He has made – including man – and declares it “very good”.  It is found 1326 times in the King James Bible.  It is a bidding to attend to what is being said; to look; to see.  There is a liveliness, a vivacity associated with the word…think of a young mother, delighted that the Lord has blessed her, and “showing off” her baby, when you read the name “Reuben”.  Imagine the Lord extending His figurative hand at all of Creation and with passion, even excitement, bidding us to actually, really see what He has done…and demonstrating the same delight and anticipation as He announces the plan for the coming of His Son.  He points specifically, gives detailed description, helps to direct our gaze, focuses our attention to what He has provided for us!

“Behold, a Son” to “Behold, His Son”…

and in this is the foundation, the beginning,

of His dealings with His people,

with those who embrace the Son,

with me…

it all begins with Jesus…

And God bids us to LOOK, to SEE, to FOCUS…

to behold Jesus…

and as we do so, we enter into worship, almost without effort,

because as we behold Him,

we receive a fresh revelation of Him…

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld (– to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate,  take a view of as when meeting with a person, to learn by looking, to see with the eyes, to perceive – )His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,  full of grace and truth.         John 1:14

 God looked across time, because He saw our affliction, 

sent His Son,

and cried out...

BEHOLD!

Tithing the year...

I posted this on the ministry website, but thought I would share it here, too...
I wish there were a way that the post would automatically publish in both places...maybe if I was more "techy" it would?  But, here is the body of what I wrote as well...no need to "click over" - smiles!

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

This is what He said, what He wanted for me at the first of this year,
was to give to Him the first of the year,
“…the tithe of time for this year“.

36 days! One tenth of 365…

I counted it – all the way to February 5th (or 6th).

 10 days in I know how easy it is to fail…

which is always the reason I must fall on grace.

 I NEED grace continually -
the walk of faith means walking in recognition of my constant need for Him,
returning to Him anew, every moment I find that I have strayed from His side…

And my creativity is to be His (I believe He guides this anyway); 

I am to attempt to share more of how these twelve tribes reflect His love and promises towards us….

36 days. 3 x 12. The numbers even tell a story – “3″ the Triune God 

and “12″ – the people who became the nation that displayed:

His worship,

His will,

His kindness,

His covenant,

His promises,

His redemption.

The nation which would bring the Messiah to the world…

I am part of that nation by faith ...

3 x 12 = the product of the Trinity's faithfulness in my life!
3 x 12 = the poem He is writing through me...

  It’s not too late…

 would you like to tithe the time with me?

Tomorrow begins the deeper reflection over these twelve tribes…

Today's Grace - Homeschoolers and future homeschoolers please read

Today

I am so grateful that the Lord was telling me

- during our homeschooling days of last fall -

that we would be finishing up "last fall's goals" 

at the end of January 2012...

He knows...

Trust Him...

Relax...

Have fun...

The ultimate goal is to please Him anyway, and He sees our lives, and knows...

Hear His Voice...

Trust His Vision..

even when it changes from what you thought was true when you began...

Blessings from me to you...

The Only Thing We Really Need...

If I am going to set a goal, if I am going to develop a new habit at the beginning of this new year, my year of "Contemplate"; shouldn't it be a goal that:

compliments His leadings for me - 

develops a habit that has value beyond what I might see -

is something that transcends what I might (in my human frailty) miss because I am focused 

on a weakness or a need or a want that may loom in importance in my fallen heart, but miss the mark of what He has for me?

Shouldn't it be a goal or habit that reaches beyond what I can do in my own strength?  That must tap into His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20)?  That releases in us something immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine?

 And couldn't this goal have eternal value, for "... physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 NIV)?

Out of all the voices clamoring for our attention in these days, how does anyone really know what the one thing they need is?  Just for fun, I typed "the one thing we need" into my google search window and got....

2,300,000,000 results!

(and I hadn't posted this yet, so add "one" to that number!) 

 

 "One thing" typed into my favorite online Bible program yielded only 6 results, with 4 being applicable to me today:

Psalm 62:11(NIV) One thing God has spoken,

Where is your quiet road taking you?

           two things have I heard:

           that you, O God, are strong,

           12and that you, O Lord, are loving...

Philippians 3:13(NAS) Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

John 9:25 (NIV) He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 

Psalm 27:4 (NAS) One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
         That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
         To behold the beauty of the LORD
         And to meditate in His temple. 

These are my true "goal-setting" questions:

What do these verses teach me about the one thing I desire?

What is the one thing God desires of me?

Is there one thing that satisfies the criteria listed above?

Which direction is He quietly leading in?

The Psalm 62 passage guides towards the "one thing" - 

there is one thing is that the Lord does...

He speaks!

and that leads to the  

one thing we really need:

 that is...

to hear Him!

  

That was His first desire in all of Creation, to share Himself with us, and when that sweet fellowship was severed in the fall, He came seeking and SPEAKING to restore what was lost...and our first mother and father heard!  And in His dealings with His creation ever since, He has reached out to us through speaking - and those we regard as heroes....h.e.a.r.d...

That one thing, that habit, that goal which facilitates my contemplation, that encompasses the enormity of Him, that has the ability to transcend my feebleness AND my misguided "strengths", that has a benefit for this life and the one to come ...

is developing my hearing ear for His constant, guiding, seeking, healing, restorative voice.

Ancient doors leading to new possibilities...

2 Are Better Than One + Monograms

I've been having fun with Photoshop during our holiday break, AND with my new 

"Flip Pal Portable Scanner"...to scan backgrounds, photos we have from before the digital age, 

and my art to make prints from...

I've always loved the silhouette images found in old children's books, and got inspired when I found some vector images online...so I opened up Photoshop again to play...the Scripture one above is what was playing in my mind at first, and then the monogram idea came as well, giving more versatility to the art work

What animal silhouette's do you like?

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...

Trip to Amarillo

We recently went to Amarillo to visit our son who lives there...

For some reason, there were so many interesting sights to see on the way home...

I started a list just so I could remember!  

Some funny:   

The Clarendon Outpost - we stopped there for gas, 

but it also had a full grill + 50s diner, 

gifts,

jewelry,

jerky, 

tiaras 

(YES there WERE Tiaras - be looking for those lady truck drivers wearing one!) ,

fabric you could buy "by the yard"

(for those ladies quilting on the road),

yarn, 

wheelchairs (that one I just don't know about...),

and good flavored coffee to buy "by the cup";

and finally - probably most importantly - 

hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream!

some I wanted to remember for art projects:

Live well...laugh much...love horses

Cowboy morning trailing company

some firsts:

a motocross track out in an open field with bikes leaping the mounds -

I could imagine the dads out there building the course for their kids...maybe even themselves!

I saw my first cotton field with cotton bursting forth from the ripe pods...

cotton bales

stubble in fields already picked

walking irrigation units...

some corny:

Happy Pumpkin Ponderosa

 some inspirational...

a pasture full of shorn sheep

Water into Wine collection - 

that one just makes me want to go back just to see what it is about!

Another Angel quote...

"Isn't it awesome that God gave us fingers?!?  

Fingers and not some giant thumb...or hooves...

and we can pick up ANYTHING!"

Words weaving in and out in my mind...

Wounds to Worship
Healing worship
Worship brings healing
Bring your wounds to Him in worship, and let worship heal your wounds...

Christmas could last all year long....

The day is winding down, 

contentment and peace are everywhere, 

stomachs are full and sweet teeth satisfied...

I even have had time to finish this piece!  

A vintage bowl filled with ornaments (sans hangars) 

and glittered pinecones that I used on our breakfast table this year.

Christmas was a bit edited at our house this year, and the entire family

embraced the ideas of this word art...

I think these words are good to practice for the coming year!

Perhaps I will play with other photos as well!

Merry Christmas Day, 

to each and every one of you...

I pray the blessing of His Presence 

continues to lead you into pathways of peace and joy

as each day unfolds its treasures...

In the Place of Presents + Lego Nativity - enjoying HIM this Christmas

A couple of treats to help you and your family enjoy and reflect on the meaning of Christmas...

A worship song "In the Place of Presents", written and performed by our former music/worship pastor...as he pursues God's full purpose for his life!


And who knew Legos could be so meaningful!

Christmas Word Art for all - free download

Sweet tweener and I have been having fun doing art together on the computer...

So in the spirit of giving and giving and giving....
we made these prints for you to down load.  The resolution is 300 dpi, so should produce a good quality print in any way you choose to download them...



Click here for this red print with embellishments

You can have your choice of red or green...

Embellished, or...


Click here for this green print with embellishments 

not embellished...

we are lovin' Photoshop!


Just click for this red and simple print

Click here for this simple green print.

We simply wish for you to enjoy these, and to embrace the simplicity that is found in Christ Jesus during these merry days of 

C
h
r
i
s
t
m
a
s!

            Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU
 

Another Angel quote...

"I fit just right on your lap" - said to Poppa tonight as they cuddled...

"sigh" - love such contentment, and it is one of those perfect, stay tucked in, cozy rainy evenings!

New Vintage Postcards...

I'm playing with Kim Klaussen in her "12 Days of Texture"...here are two photos taken during our one beautiful snowfall in 2010 and processed with her new textures...

I love how the textures made the images look like old vintage postcards...I think I will play with these and have something ready for presents for next year!

Lamp post - you can see this same area in my Autumn Lingering post!

Simply processed with a soft blue layer + layer mask, a layer of "Annabelle" at overlay and another layer of "Annabelle" set to multiply

Snowy Stairway

Very simply processed with one layer of "Lilly" set to overlay and another layer set to multiply!

Love the look - thank you Kim for sharing!

Answers...

I know He delights to give the answer before the request is on my (our!) lips...(Isaiah 65:24).  Still, I was tearful as I read the "Voice of the Lord" devotional in my inbox...

"The things you heard from me ...commit to faithful people, such as will be competent to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2)."

I had been getting confused, wondering if my leadings were just my own flesh, white-washed with Scripture and old quiet time learnings...

 When one has embraced being "on the sidelines", "on the back burner", really - simply "being" - it comes as a surprise to be being called out again, with a newer focus, a newer audience.  And where will it lead?  I do not know...I don't want to "commercialize" the Lord and His ways, but that cannot be the reason to not venture forth at all.  I have to come back to my old definition of success - "completed what He has asked, regardless of the response of others".  Sometimes it isn't the inner critic, but simply our groping along on the path He has given that causes us to doubt!

Somehow, this post of Jodi's really ministered...I believe that He was saying His image imprinted onto me was the source of the leading...there is still "me", but with the + Him.  My will and His rubbed together in this life I live...

Autumn lingering

Finally, pouring cold rain after the long hot draught - and the colors so rich, having remained day after day, unusual for a Texas fall, (which is normally perhaps 1 week long).  I raced out during a break in the sheeting rain, the sky still sprinkling, because I feared the color would be gone after the sure freeze of the night...

A canopy of reds and greens - autumn nodding its head towards Christmas?

Autumn's arms beckoned, loaded with color...

unwilling to release her treasures,

a rich surprise after the ravages of the scorching summer...

Entering the circle drive - plus photoshopped with "Fresco"...love the painting type look!

Nature had clung to life - had her fingers forgotten how to let go?

No! She was pausing, asking the Creator...

"May I stay here just a bit longer? 

I don't want to rush towards the time to come...

Let me linger here,

with You,

longer?"

The other side of the driveway - the county road is below

Just this - her wish -

whispered in my spirit...

"Stop."

"Look."

"Listen."

and I wanted to...

beyond the fairy garden

"Stop" - Be present in this moment

Right outside the front door

"Look" - Be aware. See what is right around you

Over the ridge and down the street

"Listen" - What do you hear?  Sounds without - thoughts within?

Beyond the garden - deer rest just below that hill, and come up to snack on my garden if I am not careful to put the "liquid fence" around it periodically!

"Stop."

"Look."

"Listen."

Linger long with the Lord...

Not holly, but the oaks are trying their best!

 No matter what the season...

Joining with Emily and other imperfects at Imperfect Prose

In Awe - Texture Tuesday Celebrate theme

The photo above is the true photo - somehow photobucket darkens the images...maybe I will try flickr next!

This is my sweet tweener in earlier days - 7 years ago! 

Mouse over the photo to see the original...

processed with: one layer of Kim Klaussen's Stamped Softly at 51% and a layer mask

one layer of KK's Look-up at 29%

and an oval layer mask of the background.

Text is Edwardian Script...

Joining with Kim and the community of photoshop enthusiasts...

A Psalm of Cinquains - X, Y, Z

Today marks the end of the journey through our English alphabet...and now that we are here, I have been inspired to gather these together in a booklet!  Still working on that, hopefully it will be ready to unveil after Thanksgiving...

"X"
Χριστός...
the Messiah...
Anointed One...anoint
me, bless me, cover me...please dwell
with me.

"Y"
Your Name
is the embrace
of who You are - and as
my soul considers, Your glory
fills me.

"Z"
Zion
God's Holy Hill
Here we gather to sing;
For Mount Horeb has been fulfilled
by Grace!

Just a note for your understanding this more fully....Mt. Horeb is another name for Mt. Sinai, where the law was given...
Mount Zion refers to the dwelling place of God, even tho' is is also part of the city of Jerusalem, especially when thinking of ancient Jerusalem and the part of Jerusalem called "The City of David".  Mount Zion is therefore associated with grace, and not the law...
Also, at one time I learned an acronym for grace: God's Riches At Christ's Expense...so perhaps now you know the fullness of where I went with this poem!


 I recently got inspired by David's work in writing Psalm 119...and at the same time had come across this instruction (from an old homeschool English book) for writing cinquains...I am sure it wasn't just a serendipitous coincidence!  So here I am, taking the 26 letters of the English alphabet and creating my own Psalm of Cinquain for my Lord...(one a week for imperfect prose, now upped to 2- or more!)

Joining with Emily and other imperfects at imperfect prose...

Here is the pattern for writing a cinquain: 
Line 1 - states the title.........................2 syllables
Line 2 - describes the title....................4 syllables
Line 3 - expresses an action ................6 syllables
Line 4 - expresses a feeling..................8 syllables
Line 5 - another word for the title.........2 syllables

Would you like to join me in writing your own?

Texture Tuesday + Sneak Peek Friday -All is Safely Gathered In

Thanksgiving Blessings to Everyone!

Mouse over to see the photo I worked from...

I have been missing the community get togethers I attended as a child, in the small towns of rural Iowa, where the churches would all combine and have one single, great Thanksgiving service on Wednesday night, to prepare our hearts rightly for the next day - with prayers, harvest hymns, and a short program of giving thanks to God for so. many. things. from the previous year's blessings...

The women would plan their baking and preparations around this service, for it was as important as the full table the following day - we would dress in our Sunday finery, the smell of apples cider and cinnamon in the air, the night temperature brisk enough for our breath to be seen...these memories have created their own "harvest home" in my heart!

This is another photo taken at our Pumpkin Patch field trip and processed using 2 layers of the texture "Phoebe" by Kim Klassen...each set to "softlight" at 50% opacity...the snip to the left shows my layers

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU for Sneak Peek Friday...

Joining with Kim and the community of photoshop enthusiasts...

"& sing" - Sneak Peek Friday

We were in church one Sunday morning when I began to see this face in my mind.  We were singing a praise song with this line: “awake my soul and sing”…and the rest just flowed.  I sketched it in the notebook I had brought to take notes in, and knew this would be the first watercolor face I would do…trying out the watercolor sketching techniques Jennifer O. and Junelle have been doing recently (both "Sneak Peek" friends in blogland)!

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU for Sneak Peek Friday...

A Psalm of Cinquains - U, V, and W

"U"
Under
the shadow of
His Wing we pause, finding
a place to rest, sanctuary,
His Peace.

"V"
You are
the Vine, I am
just a branch - grafted in,
nourished by pure Love, flowing with
true Life.

"W"
Worship
Him in Spirit
and in Truth - reality
meets belief - and we offer all
to Him.

I recently got inspired by David's work in writing Psalm 119...and at the same time had come across this instruction (from an old homeschool English book) for writing cinquains...I am sure it wasn't just a serendipitous coincidence!  So here I am, taking the 26 letters of the English alphabet and creating my own Psalm of Cinquain for my Lord...(one a week for imperfect prose, now upped to 2- or more!)

Joining with Emily and other imperfects at imperfect prose...

Here is the pattern for writing a cinquain: 
Line 1 - states the title.........................2 syllables
Line 2 - describes the title....................4 syllables
Line 3 - expresses an action ................6 syllables
Line 4 - expresses a feeling..................8 syllables
Line 5 - another word for the title.........2 syllables

Would you like to join me in writing your own?

Growing Old - Texture Tuesday - "Two"

This photo was taken on our field trip to the pumpkin patch in October - there were so many great rustic objects at the farm...these old chairs just grabbed my attention!  I'm not sure I am totally satisfied with the finished product, but it is time to start school for the day, and the sweet tweener needs the computer!

The texture I used is called "Shades of November".

Joining with the Texture Tuesday bunch...

She has a face, and wings...and a name...

Angel of Progress: holding fast to eternal hope while embracing the "what is"

She has been, and is, 

a "lady in waiting"

She is "becoming",

from this beginning...

She has more of me in her 

than I would care to admit...

she does have a face -

(where I would rather - sometimes - remain in the background, hidden...faceless).

I wonder why

I find it so hard 

to paint a wing, or a pair...

the desire for balance?

(continuing the learning that balance and perfect tend to be polar opposites).

I choose other projects

when one requires 

more time -
tosoak, to absorb, to ferment...

And perhaps the finished piece

may sparkle and flavor life

like water made into wine

by the Bridegroom Himself...

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU for Sneak Peek Friday...

Remember - 5 Minute Friday

One flash -
like lightning in the mind...

and snatches of images and thoughts (more like beliefs) from my life all traverse my mind...the sameness of these last homeschooling years, the teen years of the boys before that, their early childhood, and then a leap to mine, and the thought of shame, ground in, stamped into, deeply forming even my bones, my bones of soul and spirit...and I stop abruptly.

Here I wanted to write something profound and deeply moving and of course spiritually inspiring, and I end up at the depth of shame that my life once held, and even now, there are times when I know I haven't gotten the bone marrow transplant yet, even tho' the rest of the disease has been arrested and healed...

I debated (before I started) whether to write this or not...if people knew shame was such an issue - still - would they want my art? Would they want my words? Would they want my counsel? Perhaps not, not all, not the ones who are seeking a refreshing drink before they go on their way, but perhaps the ones who would pause, take their drink, and then stay by my shoulder to offer their own small meal of loaves and fishes, hoping along with myself that Jesus would again create the miracle of multiplying our offering to feed thousands....

After the 5:
I had a friend (remembering her!) who used to love to take words apart and play with how the individual words develop the meaning of the word just dissected...so "remember" would be "re - member"...to member again.  And I think that is what the miracle Jesus brings into healing our shame entails, to "member us again"...

• when "member" means parts of our body - He puts back and heals that which was damaged or even chopped off...as He healed a man's withered arm or a man's chopped off ear and even gave eyes/sight to one who never had any...He gives back parts of me that were withered, chopped off, or were never there due to the shame that became a part of me...

•  when "member" means I am part of a larger body - He places me back where I belong, in the midst of other believers...and helps me be risky as I join with others, as I begin to be used within a group, as my weakness becomes strength...

Joining with the 5 Minute Friday group:

A Psalm of Cinquains - R, S, and T

"R"
Return
and rest in Him...
then quietness and trust
become your strength - when you press in
to Him.

"S"
Jesus,
our Covenant
Maker; a blood treaty
with the power of eternity...
Savior!

"S"
Saved from
sin: the problem,
the penalty, the prac-
tice, and in the end, sin's presence...
by Him!
 
"T"
Teacher,
teach me to be:
salt and light, merciful,
humble, holy, moldable, true...
like You...


I recently got inspired by David's work in writing Psalm 119...and at the same time had come across this instruction (from an old homeschool English book) for writing cinquains...I am sure it wasn't just a serendipitous coincidence!  So here I am, taking the 26 letters of the English alphabet and creating my own Psalm of Cinquain for my Lord...(one a week for imperfect prose, now upped to 2- or more!)

Joining with Emily and other imperfects at imperfect prose...

Here is the pattern for writing a cinquain: 
Line 1 - states the title.........................2 syllables
Line 2 - describes the title....................4 syllables
Line 3 - expresses an action ................6 syllables
Line 4 - expresses a feeling..................8 syllables
Line 5 - another word for the title.........2 syllables

Would you like to join me in writing your own?

Texture Tuesday - Guardian I

With one layer (of many layers) using "and then some"...

I painted this (mouse over the image to see the original painting) during the summer, and afterward thought "I wish I had made that background a lighter, country blue"...thus the idea to play with photoshop and the background + other effects...

Joining with Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesdays...