Circling Grace and Beauty - photo art

Flowers and petals from our yard - words from Ann Voskamp here

Beauty and grace...

Grace is beautiful...

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower,hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.

William Blake

"Forever is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson

Joining with other creatives at "In the Studio" 

Give Thanks to the Lord - His Love Endures Forever...

More flowers from our yard this spring, pulled apart petal by petal for this arrangement. To me, the circle represents eternity...and thus the words:

Give thanks to the Lord,

For He is good,

His love endures forever...

(found in several Psalms)

Processed with "Tea Time" and "Grunged up Frame" - both at softlight blend mode and both are from the MiniMay collelction...

 

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Bringing in the Early Harvest...{Finding Sanctuary, Part 26}

A reminder that the harvest can be full of beautiful variety...

It is no coincidence - I am learning - of this counting of 40 Days of Preparation leading towards Passover + 50 days of counting, leading to the day of Pentecost (which marks the early harvest). These have been days of identifying and  releasing an old habit(s) that resulted in heart turbulence and of developing and strengthening a new one(s) that would keep our hearts in peace, regardless of life pressures, emotional triggers and other life circumstances...



The origins of Pentecost connect with the harvest cycles of the Promised Land, of the early wheat harvest being brought in and thanksgiving being made for the harvest...the wheat came to maturity 50 days after the barley crop (at First Fruits).  But the very FIRST Pentecost, just as the FIRST Passover, is intimately related to the Israelites' release from bondage in Egypt...50 days is the length of time it took for Israel to travel from Egypt to Mount Sinai:

from a land where they served harsh taskmasters 

to the place where God lovingly claimed them as His own people; 

from a place of crisis to a place of covenant; 

from work to worship;

from slavery to sanctuary;

 

Their journey wasn't totally clear to them, the old ways of Egypt sometimes looked more attractive than the new life of freedom...it took effort to leave the old and figure out the new...the journey was filled with challenges and risks, new enemies and new problems...they needed new sources of sustenance - to satisfy their thirst and their hunger, they were pursuing freedom and the promise of a resting place...

a sanctuary...

 And like the Israelites, we now have walked our own 50 day journey: through new challenges and tests till we find that place of renewed covenant, the place of worship filled wonder,  a place of rest for our weary souls...leaving behind old bondages and walking into freedom....our hearts finding more and more room for His Presence as old habits unravel...

finding new sources, better sources, of satisfying soul thirst and spirit hunger - being filled afresh with His Holy Spirit...

and we experience our own personal Pentecost again and again...

Other posts in the Finding Sanctuary Series here:

Tranquility...

Blossoms from our yard this spring...we came across a pink bluebonnet!
The image was processed in photoshop and holds a layer of Kim Klassen's texture "Clarity".

Back to Texture Tuesday...

Simple Devotion...

A simple faith is to be desired...

It can be summed up in one word -

Jesus.

And that is all we need.

Discovering all we can about 

His person

His work

His desires

will take us an

Eternity.

I can think of no better way to live it...

Back to Texture Tuesday...

When you need help after your heart has been stoned...{Finding Sanctuary - Part 25}

I know it has been quite a few days since I last posted in the "Finding Sanctuary" series...



I just wasn't prepared for the next test I was given,  my heart struggled to remain at peace; abiding at the altar of the Lord, in the midst of this storm.


I was reminded of the old nursery rhyme "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me..."





The image in my mind during this storm was of a heart, and small stones - representing the words being slung around - slamming against the heart...


The nursery rhyme isn't the truth...


When I saw this image of hands cupping rocks, it struck me of how we cup in our hands the things we hold dear - and if we hold our own opinions, our own perception of truth, unfiltered through the lens of how Jesus sees - as more valuable than another's heart...then these unfiltered opinions and perceptions cause our words and actions to become like these stones...

a look in our eyes,

the tone of our voice,

the words we choose...

are they stones?
Or
are they life?

Image source

When a stone hits your heart (and the heart of someone you love)...what will come out of the brokenness?

The words to the left say "Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first..." -
me - in other words, find your place of Sanctuary...

Scripture prayers to stabilize the mind...

"Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8

"He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

me - the last part of Psalm 46:10 so ministered to me...as if He was proclaiming His sovereignty - over the situation, over my feelings, over offenses...and promising that by His design He would receive much glory...

I am beginning to see when we have found sanctuary in the Shelter of the Lord - we can "become a sanctuary" for someone else...a safe place to make mistakes, a shelter in their storm, a place of calm, even if their turbulence is directed at and swirling around us...because my sanctuary doesn't depend on circumstances, but on the Lord's Participating Presence in each moment of my life...

If you would like to answer this question with some sort of creativity, you can download a sketch of cupped hands here... 

Draw or collage what you WANT to have in your hands...share in the comments below if you want!




Related posts from others 

My friend, Jodene Shaw wrote about a similar thing this very week...

And please check out Ann Voskamp's post from May 8, 2013 here

All the Finding Sanctuary posts at the button below

Floating on a Cloud of Possibility...

A picture of sweet tweener's orchid that she got for her birthday - a "Birthday Bloom"

 Processed with Kim Klassen's texture "Clarity" at 'darker color' blend mode plus a few more tweaks...

Font is Windsong...

Back to Texture Tuesday...

Sparrow and Feathers Watercolors and words...

2013 is my year to dabble with watercolors...here are some "playtimes" - using my favorite little birds and working on feathers...

Sweet Sparrow - Watercolors on coffee splattered paper.

Checking how they look together...

blue feather + Psalm 91:4 card

Frame size is 5 x 7 inches

This feather is painted on coffee painted and splattered paper

The edges are torn and it is in the same style 5 x 7 inch frame

I'm still playing with "do I want to try realistic" vs. feathers with a doodled quality...for the feathers I have been enjoying letting the colors flow together and mix, creating their own effect...I am happy with how the little sparrow turned out...I am ready to go and paint different poses for this little fellow.  Watercolor nests sound good to, don't you think?  And there are so many good scriptures to include!  They'll be in the etsy shop later today!

Linking up with the new Sneak Peek Party at IBelieveInLove - and now called "In The Studio"

Our only future...

 

Collected while on a walk around our place on Friday..

processed with Kim Klassen's texture "Cherish" on colorburn blend mode (above)

and with the same texture on multiply mode (below)

I think I like the lightness of the colorburn mode...

Back to Texture Tuesday at Kim's place

Chalkboard Art for Mother's (Or Any) Day + Free Tags Download...

I love word search puzzles! And Mother's Day seemed to be the perfect time to continue with another chalkboard themed digital piece which includes a puzzle of many of the words we think of when we think of "Mom"...

What your digital download will look like (minus the watermark)...click here to purchase

You can circle just the words you want...

Here is every word possible - think of this image as an answer key...

Bird tags for Mother's Day - download for free here

Mother's Day love tags - the bottom row holds ample room for your own heart doodles or whatever you may want to write + one blank for your own sentiments...download for free here

More chalkboard art for you!  Enjoy the tags by printing them on any printer.  The word search print  is sized 12 inches by 12 inches - perfect for a scrapbook or a scrapbook frame, with lots of room for personal embellishment and framing...the print portion is sized so that you can also print it on an 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper...

Consider using card stock for all the prints...and enjoy!

Quiet waters...

Another image of the dock from our sewing retreat...

Processed with kk-Sunkissed on Colorburn blend mode at 50% opacity and a Lomo-fi action I got in the original BL class...

Click here to go back to Texture Tuesday

Sneak Peek - Watercolor Feathers and Stacked Journaling...

Playing with watercolors...

My goal this year was to work with them - sweet tweener joined me and made some very cool feathers, too!

It is still the feather, sparrow, nest theme that has stayed in my mind for the past 1+ years...

And I was searching the scripture for all the "shadow of Your wings" verses -

Trying out a lettering technique called "Stacked Journaling" - it needs more work...

More stacked journaling practice - I'm finding what I like best..still more work needed...and a couple feather sketches...

Joining with lots of sweet creatives at StudioJRU...

Receiving the New in Place of the Old...{Finding Sanctuary - Part 24}

Sweet Tweener and I went on a sewing retreat at a lakeside campground last fall...*sigh*...one evening the light and lake were perfect for photographs.

Rest and peace and quietness are the first words I think of when my mind turns to "Sanctuary".  Shelter is a swift fourth!  So it is natural for me to look across still waters and think of being in the Lord's Presence -

of sensing - 

the magnitude

the stability

the infinite embrace

that is Him...

Walking to the end of this dock, surrounded by the calm evening waters - I turned back to see the "bridge" that had ushered me out to this place, and that held me safe and sheltered in the immense expanse of it all...

This bridge, this dock, leading out into the largeness of God, is what we are doing with building the new habits in "Finding Sanctuary".  Once found, we need to be in it, in the midst of it.  We need - sometimes - to build this bridge out - ourselves, yet in partnership with Him...He desires that our character be formed and strengthened for it holds a promise for the life to come.

This past week, once again, another opportunity to see the quality of the new habit, this resting place at His altar - where sanctuary is experienced, lived, purified in the forge of testing...

I had to process some deep, long-lived anger - the kind that has flesh and righteous indignation all tangled together in a knotted mess...and I had/was able to share what was at the root of it all with the person who was the source of the wounds for many years now, and the resulting damaged trust and near loss of all hope of ever having the sort of relationship that family members should have...and again, I can tell there has been progress - I know that I am through all the pain that this person has caused in the past.  I know this because I actually have new thoughts in the same place where the pain was.  It is like a miracle that I had no part in...except to be responsible to process my emotion till the issue was resolved within myself...it was only then that the peace and love of the Holy Spirit could flow into that place of my heart!  And He did!  I am liberated from the bondage of that old anger!  I am eager to converse with this person once again; I desire to be in relationship...so different from where my heart has been in regards to this person.  Of course, trust has to be earned back, and in reality, what will happen from here on out is that a new relationship will develop with the same person - but not based on the past and fears of being hurt again (tho' the possibility will always be there because we are imperfect humans, after all!).   {psst - just so you know, this is NOT about my husband!!!}

This is the place where many in the Christian realm will say "Oh, you finally forgave him/her." 

No, forgiveness happened a long time ago...an act of obedience; an act of my will.

Forgiveness may influence my emotions, and my emotions may influence my desire to forgive; but processing wounds and emotional pain is a separate issue from forgiveness.  Don't allow confused Christians to tell you otherwise!  Jesus forgave all of mankind on that cross, yet He cannot be in relationship with a person unless reconciliation has occurred -  

So, how is your counting going?  What have your ups and downs been like during this long stretch?

You might enjoy reading more about building good habits here:  The Second Key to Good Habits: Motivation.

Find all the "Finding Sanctuary" posts here: 

Sneak Peek - Sweet Tweener's Poetry and First Photoshop Art...

Sweet tweener's poetry submission for the 4H project fair today

Sharing Sweet Tweener's art - there is a total of 8 different projects that she is taking to the little show today...so, of course, we were working hard on finishing them all up and getting them ready for display...

I am very proud of her works!

Joining with other creatives at StudioJRU here

We Need Times of...Refreshing...{Finding Sanctuary - Part 23}

When we need times of rest; of refreshing - sometimes we feel so guilty...living in this world of hurry and "super mom" or "super wife" or "super Christian" or "super (fill in the blank)".  These are the times we especially need to "build our nest at the altar"...

But sometimes rest is exactly what Jesus is calling us to -

Rest helps us develop those new habits we are in the midst of the "long haul" of implementing (according to scientific research) ...

Rest allows us to reflect...

• on what is working, and
• on what is not...

Do you know that rest - refreshing - and repentance ...are all related?  Take a quick tour through
Acts 3:19, Isaiah 30:15, Jeremiah 31:25 (times of refreshing because we have walked through the fire or have endured times of scorching.)  Oh, I would give you more, but it is always so much better when the Holy Spirit speaks to you!

The repentance connects to our new habit development in the sense that "repentance" carries the connotation of "turning around" - a turning from a direction that isn't beneficial/profitable to our eternal lives to a direction that is...a direction in which Jesus is walking right beside us in; a direction He has invited us into...

This past week I had the opportunity to experience another event that might have pushed me into flashes of anger a couple of months ago...it was very refreshing to find that I am able to respond from a place of strength and calm and peace - while being firm!  Sometimes God allows us to be tested to see where our hearts are...I am grateful to know there has been progress!

How about you?  Have you found some progress?

Find the related posts by clicking here:

They Looked Towards the Light...

Still thinking about all the reality that came from that first Resurrection morning...

and meditating on the words of John 1:1-15 

Some in the crowds 

noticed a brilliant light...

and turning their weary heads,

their parched hearts,

beheld the wonder..

and they too were transfigured -

enveloped in its golden glory...

© Cindy Fort

Taken last August near our house...
Processed with an iris blur in CS6
a B&W layer in softlight mode
1 layer of kk-warmwhisper in softlight mode and 50% opacity
1 layer of kk-naturally in softlight mode and 50% opacity
Font is Pristina

Back to Texture Tuesday

Texting God...{so funny I had to share}

I just thought this was so funny - because, I really did find it on pinterest!!!

5 Gifts...

I titled the picture "5 Gifts" because each item represents something I treasure and we all need to live our lives:

the feather - our gifts and talents that we have been given, launching us out into the world...
spoon full of seed - faith and provision {found in Jesus}
egg - hope and new beginnings
tree {on the stone} - growth, and especially growth founded on the solid rock of Christ
nest - relationships and a place to call home...

Join other creatives at StudioJRU and Sneak Peek Friday

To Texture Tuesday

The Season of Our Liberation...{Finding Sanctuary - Part 22}

Layers of winged potential...

I just found out that this season in the Jewish Calendar is called "The Season of Our Liberation"....
starting at the first of Nissan and continuing through the Feast of Pentecost...which in Jewish heritage marks the month of the Exodus from Egypt and extends to the point in time when God brought the children of Israel to receive the revelation of Him and His ways at Mount Sinai...and of course we know Pentecost was the day the Holy Spirit was poured out onto all flesh - the One who gives the revelation of God and His Word in our hearts...

Wow...
there is something about that phrase -
"the season of our liberation" -
that has really captured me! 

In the series of "Finding Sanctuary", the goal was to find roots of issues that might be robbing us of the peace that we are promised by the Holy Spirit - another way to say the same thing could be "to find liberation from habits that have enslaved us"...

And that the Feast of First Fruits (Resurrection Sunday) has another name "The Beginning of the Harvest"...

In First Fruits, a sheaf of barley, the first grain to ripen, was waved to signal the beginning of the 49 day countdown to the Feast of Pentecost...which is the time of the early wheat harvest...

So, I am thinking that the work we have already done is like that sheaf of ripened barley, and we can celebrate what we have already accomplished (i.e., wave it)...and the counting of the omer correlates with the time needed to create and fully develop a new habit - the "season of liberation" being a period of time that is virtually the same as research has shown is the optimal period for new habits...the time needed to go from slave mentality to a mentality of freedom...

The journey in the wilderness was a time of drawing close to God, of experiencing Him as the Providor, Protector, and Friend...a restoration of Garden fellowship in the midst of the desert, because anywhere, anytime, we are in God's Presence it is as if we are in the Garden again...

I pray this period of time is an experience of God's Presence in a way that is deeper, more tender and more personal than you have had before...

Consider counting this time, this creating of a new habit, by placing an object in a jar for each passing day - a stone, a bean, a paper heart (what was the item that represented the exchange for you?  Use that!)  A little celebration, one day closer to the harvest of liberation.  An exercise exercising the spirit man!

Find some time to read this article this week - a wonderful encouragement...

Other posts that might be related:

Cycles of Worship - Part 1
Making Lent Linger

Celebrate! He is Risen!

download free here

 

Blessed Resurrection Sunday to you all!