I’ve been busy documenting

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If you are joining in from the Art to the Fifth or Documented Life Project group, I’m so happy to see you! Thank you to the lovely ladies of Art to the Fifth for giving me a spot light. It was totally a fun surprise to get the invitation and I’ve been waiting for this day for a several months now.

For those of you who don’t know…The Documented Life is a project I’ve been participating in since January. It is a way to make art, keep things documented and celebrate life all in one art journal. Be sure to click HERE for information. It is free to participate!!

As shown in my “artist spotlight” guest blog post, here are my challenge pages for this week and a little tid bit about my process.  It is totally funny to me that I was labeled an artist since I’m still very much a student and wanna be. But, it was still fun to share what I’ve been working on!

The challenge for The Documented Life Week  was: Use your favorite Bible verse on the page. Totally tailor made for me!! I tend to do this anyway on many of my art pages so this was fun. First I started with a blank page heavy enough in weight to add some finger paint. I laid out my pallet of colors–pinks and turquoise of course! I then went to town literally with my fingers to make these swirly flowers.

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The trick to add depth is to finger paint in a bit of white while the color is still wet. Be sure to continually wipe your fingers clean or you will get mud! I also took a grey Pitt Pen and added the shading. Easy peasy I tell ya!

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Next is my favorite part and something that I do often when I just need to fill a page and make it look artsy. With some black paint, some water and a thin script brush I hand lettered in the words of Hebrew 4:16 which has been my ministry verse for well over 5 years now! The best way to do this is water down the black paint and just keep it light and low key. You can see that my bristle broke away on some of the words but I don’t mind as I think it makes it look fun and artsy.

There you go…no biggie!

Hebrews 4:16 says,

Let us boldly and confidently approach the throne of grace where we can find help in our time of need. (paraphrased)

I love the visual here of the throne of our King Jesus. We have access to Him any time, any place with absolutely any thing. In all authority (He’s the KING!) Jesus lovingly hears are plea and our prayers and our concerns and works His will in His ultimate timing…for our benefit!

Don’t you love it?

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh…also…would love for you to join in on The Stone Collective! We are a community making much of Jesus via creativity. Click HERE for info.

stonecollective

Where to Start? Start Here the book!

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Have you ever taken time to evaluate what you believe? I mean really sit down and think about what you believe about God and why exactly you believe it? It’s easy to coast through and just go along for the ride with faith. Often times we just accept what we were taught as children or adopt the faith of our parents…for better or for worse.

Today I’m excited to share an excerpt from the book Start Here: Beginning A Relationship With Jesus by David Dwight and Nicole Unice. Nicole is an author buddy of mine and I love everything she puts in print. Together, David and Nicole wrote Start Here as a resource for new believers, long time belivers and ministry folks alike. This is a go to book to freshen up on where you stand or to pass along to someone who is just starting their journey with Jesus. Check out the excerpt below to get a feel of this great new book.

Start Here Book

 

IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP

In a good relationship, we’re trying to stay in touch with each other, trying to keep close. This means we’re seeking to share our thoughts and experiences because in close relationships, we share our whole lives. This is true of a relationship with God. If you read the Bible, you’ll find this theme throughout—that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that He created human beings to live in full, life-giving relationship with Him.

However, it seems whether it’s with other people or with God, we have ways of fouling up our relationships—by retreating into ourselves, behaving selfishly, hurting others. When this happens, we feel it. We know something is not right, and the relationship becomes distant. Over time, it can feel like there isn’t a relationship at all.

But if the relationship is important, we might seek to reconcile. One of the ways we do this is by asking good questions of each other, questions like, “How are you really doing?” and, “Can you help me understand?” Such questions have the goal of bringing two people closer together, closer to a shared perspective and understanding. People who are gifted in the art of relationships are often people who ask some of the best questions. Here’s where God is a pro.

THE FIRST QUESTION

Right at the beginning of the Bible, God demonstrated this aspect of His character through His relation- ship with Adam and Eve—a trusting, transparent, daily relationship. The example of their relationship suggests that when it comes to life with God, we’ve got nothing to hide and nothing to fear. In the third chapter of Genesis (the first book of the Bible), we read about Adam and Eve choosing to turn from God and live life apart from Him. When this happens, the relationship with God was broken—as happens in any close relationship when one party turns away. And when the relationship was broken, God came looking for Adam and Eve. He didn’t come to punish or shame them. He came looking to restore the relationship.The account suggests that God was saddened and hurt that the transparent relationship they had known no longer felt the same way:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8–9)

Think for a moment about the depth of this question: Where are you? It’s essentially a directional question with the intent to find someone, and in this instance, God wanted to find Adam and Eve for the purpose of reconciling. It’s the first time we see God taking an initial step to help restore the relationship that we people have broken. Since that time, He’s always been taking the first steps to restore this rela- tionship. And when you can sense God stirring in your life, you, too, are a person He’s seeking out, so that you might be able to know Him and live in a relationship with Him.

Where are you? may be a geographically related question—as in, “I’m home; where are you?” But where are you? can be deeper, too. It can be a question about your emotional state, your thoughts or feelings. It’s significant that this profoundly relational ques- tion is the first question God asks in the Bible. God is asking it because He wishes for the relationship to be restored and reconciled. It’s God’s first question, and it reveals His heart—that He deeply misses this relationship. If God were to ask you right now, “Where are you?” what might you say to Him?

***I would love to know your answer to when God asks, Where Are You? Of course he KNOWS where you are, but this act of asking gives us the opportunity to evaluate where we are emotionally, spiritually, mentally.

Thoughts? Leave a comment!

Be sure to check out Start Here: Beginning A Relationship With Jesus

About my friend Nicole:

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Nicole Unice is on the ministry staff at Hope Church and author of She’s Got Issues. She writes for Relevant Magazine, Leadership Journal, and Today’s Christian Woman and speaks nationwide for retreats and leadership events. Nicole and her husband Dave have three children.

Soul Care Series

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soul-care

I invite you today to come along with me on a journey. Put on your well worn shoes, the soles that have taken you down twisting and turning paths and explore the depths of your soul. As we journey on, let the well worn soles remind us where we have been, remind us of life that adds to or depletes our very soul. As we journey on, let God gently take your hand and lead you toward His everlasting love and healing. Let Him whisper into your soul with Truth and wisdom.

Won’t you come down the path of this Soul Care journey?

Soul…the depths of yourself. The inner being. Our individual essence. The deep spaces within. Created by God. Created for God.

Care…tending to the deep spaces with in. Nestling up to the Creator. Letting Him nurture your being for wellness, joy, peace.

We often seek out well-meaning gurus of the “soul” to lead us down paths of self searching and actualization. Many in the world us this term soul. For us, our journey is not first about self searching but to seek after the ever caring Creator of our essence…our soul. This series is a compilation of my own journey of soul care in Jesus. Take it or leave it…but know…He cares for your soul. He cares for your well-being. For when we live in the ultimate essence of who God made us to be we glorify Jesus Himself! With a soul serving and loving The Lord, we point His beautiful light toward the darkness within the hearts of others. His light heals. His Truth abounds. His beauty brings peace.

Today’s Soul Care Scripture:

The one who loves this life will lose it, and the one who despises it in this world will have life forevermore.Anyone who serves Me must follow My path; anyone who serves Me will want to be where I am, and he will be honored by the Father. (John 12:25-26 The Voice)

I moped around. I sat around. I felt sorry for myself. It was pitiful.

This was a year of my life where my soul felt empty. Newly married, not strong in my faith whatsoever and having just sent my husband off to war, I was empty. After attempting retail therapy and spending too much money, I wish I could say that I realized my deprevation. I did know that I needed some sort of encouragement so I turned to my ever wise, red-headed Aunt Midge in Texas.

Sarah, you just need to get out an help someone that has it harder than you. Find someone to serve. Find someone to bless. You will get over yourself that way! You will feel better and stop moping!

That did the trick and gave me the proverbial kick in the pants I needed to get my life back in gear. I wish I could say that I immediately turned to Jesus to fill my depleted soul, but this advice was a great start. Scripture tells us that when we serve others, we are serving Jesus.

Taking care of your soul often requires that we say “no” to activities especially when we are physically and spiritually worn out. More on this another day. On the flip side, our soul is invigorated when we follow the one who created our very soul. He created us in His image an innate need for His presence. Our soul is fulfilled when we seek out where God is, where He is working–then serve Him right THERE.

The Scripture in John 12 reminds me that my soul finds fullness when I loose my life in Jesus and gain His LIFE abundant. The greek word for life in this verse is Zoe–meaning “absolute fullness of life in Christ.”By serving Him, following Him down His path the depths of our very being finds where exactly it needs to be…where Jesus is.

Soul Care for everyday…

Go where He goes.

Listen to His voice.

Love who He loves.

Be honored by God Almighty. This is what we need to live in the fresh joy offered to us each day anew when we allow the caret taking of our soul to be handled by Jesus.