PRAYING THROUGH THE HYMNS

MORNING QUIET TIME WORSHIP

I HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS AS I HAVE  BEEN DOING MY QUIET TIME BY PAINTING ON OLD HYMNS.  THE ONLY PROBLEM, ONCE YOU HAVE PAINTED, YOU CAN'T DO ANOTHER ORIGINAL BECAUSE YOU NEED MORE HYMN BOOKS.  I HAVE HAD FUN LOOKING IN GOODWILL FOR THEM. ONE FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL GAVE ME TWO OF HER PERSONAL OLD BOOKS.  THANK YOU BETTY!!!!

A "GOD STORY" FROM YESTERDAY CONCERNING THE HYMNAL PAINTINGS. 
I DECIDED TO TAKE THEM TO THE UPS STORE TO HAVE COPIES OF THEM MADE BEFORE I GAVE THEM AWAY.  I ALSO HAVE THEM REDUCED TO MAKE CARDS FROM THEM.  WHEN I WENT TO PICK UP THE COPIES, THE LADY WHO HAD DONE THE PRINTING ASKED IF I WERE THE ARTIST.  SHE PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THEY HAD BLESSED HER BECAUSE SHE IS A CANCER SURVIVOR (AS IS MY HUSBAND.)
THE MOST "GOD MOMENT" WAS THIS.....SHE HAS THE SAME CANCER MY DEAR FRIEND, JUDY SNELL ABOUT TO START CHEMO AND RADIATION WAR WITH!   SHE HAS ALL THE SAME DOCTORS JUDY HAS AND SHE WAS COMPLETELY HEALED FROM STAGE 4 CANCER SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY.  PRAISE THE LORD.

SO NOW, THIS IS WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE.  GOD PUT ON MY HEART MONTHS AGO TO START PAINTING ON THOSE HYMN PAGES.  HE SENT ME TO THE UPS STORE TO GET COPIES SO I COULD MAKE CARDS TO ENCOURAGE LOTS OF FRIENDS.  BUT MAINLY, HE WANTED MY PRECIOUS FRIEND TO BE ENCOURAGED BY A WOMAN WHO WAS HEALED AND IS PRAISING THE LORD EVERYDAY FOR HIS GREATNESS AND SO SHE COULD UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW MY FRIEND FEELS AND CAN MEET HER AND HELP HER WALK THROUGH THIS STRUGGLE.

GOD IS SO GOOD AND HIS WAYS ARE NOT MY WAYS.  HE GIVES US LITTLE NUDGES AND IT IS OUR BLESSING WHEN WE WALK IN FAITH AND FOLLOW HIS LEADING. 

I WOULD LOVE TO TEACH OTHERS HOW TO DO THESE LITTLE DRAWINGS.
HOW THIS WILL COME ABOUT, I DO NOT KNOW.
SURE DO NEED SOME MORE HYMNALS, BUT HE WILL PROVIDE.

JUDY SNEEL, JUDY KENOBBIE AND ME
BOTH OF MY JUDY'S FIGHTING CANCER

NOW, ON A HAPPIER NOTE, MY PRECIOUS KATE TURNED 6 YESTERDAY.
SHE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST BLESSINGS WE HAVE EVER RECEIVED.

PORTION OF THE PEACE

ONCE AGAIN IT HAS BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE I HAVE WRITTEN ON MY BLOG.

A BUSY SUMMER.  TWO TRIPS TO THE BEACH, A WONDERFUL TRIP TO ENCAMPMENT, WYOMING AND COLORADO WITH BOB TO VISIT A HIGHSCHOOL FRIEND, AND LOTS OF TIME WITH OUR PRECIOUS GRANDS AT HOME.

THAT IS A PORTION OF THE WHOLE OF SUMMER.  HEALTH ISSUES FOR BOB IS ANOTHER. 

AS I WAS PRAYING FOR MANY, MANY SWEET FRIENDS GOING THROUGH HARD CIRCUMSTANCES AND ILLNESSES, I GOT THIS LITTLE SCRIPTURE PICTURE IN MY MIND AND TRIED TO QUICKLY PROCESS IT ON PAPER.  CHILDLIKE, BUT IT EXPLAINS HOW I WAS FEELING TO ME!

PORTION IS A WORD THAT HAS BEEN SHOWING UP IN MY DEVOTIONALS AS I SEARCHED FOR HOPE AND PEACE.  SO, I GOT OUT THE DICTIONARY AND LOOKED UP THE DEFINITIONS OF SOME OF THESE WORDS.

AFTER READING THE DEFINITIONS OR THE WORDS PORTION, PIECE, WHOLE, PEACE....THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS!

GOD IS MY PORTION.  HE IS IN CHARGE OF MY WHOLE LIFE...EVERY SINGLE PORTION OF IT.  NOT A PIECE OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES NEED BE UNSETTLING FOR HE IS MY PEACE.

MY LITTLE DRAWING OF A PIE WITH A PIECE OF IT MISSING HAS MADE ME HUNGRY.
HUNGRY FOR MORE OF GOD'S PEACE AND PHYSICALLY HUNGRY.  OFF TO MAKE A PEACH PIE!!!!!

SABBATICAL HIGHLIGHT AND A GOD MOMENT TODAY

IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE WRITTEN ON MY BLOG.
WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH SOME HEALTH ISSUES.
I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING.
BOB WENT WITH A DEAR FRIEND ON A WEEK LONG CANOE TRIP AND I GOT TO GO TO THE BEACH!!!!!!!! 

MY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN BE STILL AND BE QUIET AND KNOW.

TODAY WAS AMAZING AS I WITNESSED THE LORD'S BLESSINGS IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.  THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY AFTERNOON STARTED LIKE THIS....
I WENT TO THE GOODWILL HERE TO GET SOME HYMN BOOKS TO DO LITTLE WATERCOLOR DRAWINGS FOR MY QUIET TIMES.  I PURCHASED TWO OF THE SAME HYMNAL, WONDERING WHY I GOT TWO OF THE EXACT SAME ONES.
THIS IS WHY!!!!!!

WHILE VISITING MY FAVORITE GIFT AND GARDEN SHOP, PICKETS, I MEET A DELIGHTFUL YOUNG ARTIST AND HER MOM WHILE VISITING WITH THE OWNER OF PICKETS, ANOTHER DELIGHTFUL LADY.  I FOUND OUT THE YOUNG 19 YEAR OLD GIRL WAS AN ARTIST TOO.  SHE WAS ON CRUCTHES.  I ASKED HER WHAT HAPPENED TO HER LEG.  SHE LEFT ME SPEECHLESS AS I FOUND OUT SHE HAD BEEN ONE OF THE SHOOTING VICTIMS AT THE AURORA THEATER.  I WAS ABLE TO GIVE HER THE HYMNAL I HAD PURCHASED....TWO COPIES.  GOD KNEW I WOULD GIVE IT TO HER FOR ENCOURAGEMENT AND FOR HER BEAUTIFUL ART WORK.  SHE IS EXTREMELY TALENTED.  I KNOW ONE DAY SHE WILL ILLUSTRATE A BOOK....PROBABLY A CHILDREN'S BOOK. 

SHE TOLD ME GOD HAD WORKED THIS TRAGEDY FOR GOOD IN HER LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS.  WOW!!!!!


BE STILL AND QUIET AND KNOW


SHE WAS MY "GOD MOMENT" TODAY AND SHE GAVE ME A HUGE DOSE OF HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT.  OUR GOD IS BIG.  HE WORKS ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM!!!!



 A FUN YARD ART AT PICKETS

I FOUND THIS CROSS ON THE BEACH DURING MY MORNING WALK

ALONG WITH THE SHELLS!!!!!

GROW IN GRACE AND TRUTH IN THE LIGHT

FINISHED UP THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR MY BIBLE STUDY TIME. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. GRACE FOR THE GOOD GIRL, LETTING GO OF THE TRY HARD LIFE BY EMILY P. FREEMAN I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE YARD TOO. WE HAVE AN AREA IN THE WAY BACK OF OUR YARD. IT HAS BECOME CONSUMED BY VINES AND BRIARS AND YUCK. AS I TRIED TO CLEAR IT OFF, I FOUND THE VINES WERE DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE GROUND AND SPREADING OUT OF CONTROL. I USED AN AXE, CLIPPERS AND LOTS OF MUSCLE POWER (HA! HA) I HAVE WORKED FOR TWO DAYS AND BARELY DONE A THING. WE CAN'T LET THESE ROOTS TAKE OVER AGAIN. OF COURSE, I FOUND MYSELF SEEING A SCRIPTURE PICTURE FROM THE BACK BREAKING EXPERIENCE. LIKE THE ROOTS GROWING AND SPREADING ALL OVER THE BACKYARD, COVERED BY LEAVES, UNSEEN, BUT SPREADING AND ATTACHING DEEP INTO THE GROUND...COVERING A LARGER AREA EACH DAY, MAKING A ONCE PRODUCTIVE, BEAUTIFUL AREA OF THE YARD UNPRODUCTIVE, UGLY AND UNACCESSABLE.....MY HEART CAN BE JUST LIKE THAT. I CAN TRY TO HIDE MY FEELINGS AND NOT DEAL WITH THEM. TRUTH CAN GET COVERED UP WITH DISCOURAGEMENT, FEAR, WRONG THINKING, NEGATIVITY. IT TAKES WORK, BUT UNCOVERING MY HEART AND EXPOSING IT TO THE WORD, THE LIGHT AND PULLING UP BITTER ROOTS IS MUCH EASIER IF DONE DAILY AND NOT LEFT UNTIL THE WORK IS MUCH HARDER!!!! WORK HARD. LITTLE BY LITTLE. WITH DILIGENCE AND SOME PAIN. TIRED MUSCELS FROM PULLING OUT ROOTS WILL EVENTUALLY MAKE MUSCLES STRONGER!!!! MY HEART IS A MUSCLE AND I WANT IT UNCOVERED BEFORE THE LORD. READY TO RECEIVE HIS LIGHT. TO GROW STRONGER IN GRACE AND TRUTH.

GETTING READY FOR A WONDERFUL WEEK-END WITH MY ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS. EACH OF US HAS INVITED A YOUNGER WOMAN WE WANT TO BE INTENTONAL WITH....TO ENCOURAGE AND SPEND TIME IN THE WORD AND PRAYER ON A REGULAR BASIS. TAKING PRECIOUS GINNY RICHARDSON WITH ME. CAN'T WAIT TO SPEND TIME WITH HER. SHE IS A MENTOR TO ME!!!!! PICTURES TO COME SOON.