Saturday, February 23, 2013

Pray Big

PRAY BIG

thinking alot about these words

and ABUNDANTLY-

a very great quantity- 
considered to be MORE THAN ENOUGH
great wealth





The grace of our Lord was poured out 
on me abundantly, along with the
 faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.


About putting a BIG GOD in small boxes
when He wants to give me Abundant Grace

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Faith Hope and Love


 Last week I was invited to a friend's house for lunch.

When driving there I was thinking about how special the gift
 is to invite someone into your home.

LET them into your life.  Flaws. Dust. And all. 
 At least that is the way I have begun to see what hospitality
 REALLY IS......
 It is not about the perfection of how we live, 
but the offering of the wholeness of WELCOME.
It is preparing my heart to be vulnerable.
To be willing to give something of myself.
It is an offering.

My friend Bonnie 
 (whoops, now you know)
  is incredibly talented and a delightful hostess.
 Yummy soup
Warm Kitchen
Tasty salad

And catching up
Girl stuff
Parent stuff
Life stuff
Heart stuff
And as time came to depart she handed me a gift bag. 
She said, "You inspired this. 
I learned how to do some of these techniques 
at church at the Keep the Faith Event."
Creating visual faith reminders.
Telling the story.

Faith Hope and Love
Mixed Media Canvas






Sunday, February 17, 2013

Create Joy


French New Testament- 1848

Moving a few things around the house--really don't remember where I got this
 very old New Testament- cover gone.

small Create Joy sign 
from my friend Michele

Been thinking alot of how Joy comes and goes in our lives- 
 sometimes it is whisked away and "nothing we do"
 replaces it or pulls in back within us.

In the realm of heavenly choices I have a God who can only build up - 
create.
Because of His Goodness- any time there is destruction. it is with the ultimate purpose
of "building up" or making stronger or causing us to turn back to Him.

His very nature does not allow him to belittle, lessen or diminish us. 
 He is Wholly GOOD.

So, in my day to day transformation process of becoming Christ-like-
 that He is in charge of directing in my life--
He is Creating...
He has opened the door to JOY every day.

My daily mantra in moving forward is this very essence.
  What will be my open mindset?
  Create or Destroy? 
 Build up or Tear Down?
 Each and every reaction, response and word of the day....

Saturday, February 16, 2013

In Quietness


a sunset this week- February 2013
Springfield, VA






Lenten thoughts from today's reading in 
Jesus Calling- by Sarah Young

for those a little under the weather this weekend-


"Thank me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still.

Quietness and trust enhance your awareness 
of My Presence with you.
Do not despise these simple ways of serving Me. 
 Although you feel cut off from the activity of the world,
 your quiet trust makes a powerful statement
 in spiritual realms. 
My Strength and Power
 show themselves most effective in weakness."

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Evelyn Seidel's Valentines

Part of the treasure- Evelyn's Valentines



On a cold Winter weekend of early 1980,
 I attended a sale in Kendallville, Indiana. 
Auctions were my thing back then and I loved the hunt and the bidding
 and the thrill of "the find". 
And now some 33 years later I write the story
 of the box of Valentines found and purchased that day.

It is a silver box.....oblong and a bit shiny. 
 Nobody paid any attention to it pre-auction. 
I had not spotted it during the "look-see" 
or I would have already known the treasure. 
 So as it came up for bid-
 I went top dollar at $5.00- sight unseen.


Buyer Number 34  and total- $5.00
article- Valentines

Early on I made a note inside the lid
 of the box as part of the story

Layers and Layers of Valentines


A few a bit ragged but mostly pristine condition




Some made in Germany
standup die cuts
delicate and yet sturdy enough for the test of time


I saw one very similar to this one on Etsy a month ago
 and it sold for over $500.
my jaw dropped.......don't tell my hubby.
Looks like the same style and decade


Many like these have moving or hinged parts

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Birthday Blooms



Ah yes-  a birthday today--
 another year of blessings...

Been watching some blooming stories around the house--
Not a small feat to get the bulbs to bloom-

My friend, Lee, has the touch.

 In many Christmas years there is a gift of a bulb in dirt
 and a promise of a bloom.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Lenten Journey Beginnings




The past two years I have used Lenten calendars provided by my friend Sybil MacBeth to focus my Lenten readings and thoughts for each day.....

The small squares have been doable, finite and add to a visual picture of my Lenten Journey...
Here is what the past two years have looked like:







Sybil has graciously provided some more calendar choices at:

prayingincolor.com/lenten-calendar-templates-2013
They can be downloaded and printed from this site.

A pathway version

Hexagon




2013 Lenten calendar
Still deciding what my Lenten Journey will look like.
  Should I try something else beside the calendar format?

This year I will be using the Devotional- 

Good News for All of God's People-




written by Michelle DeRusha- 
a member of Southwood Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
It is a beautifully illustrated Lenten book of devotions.

 It can be downloaded and printed from this site:
michellederusha.com/2013-lent-devotional/

May your Lenten Journey be Blessed.

Let me know if you choose to join
 this Lenten visual journey.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Heart Receptivity


In this month of heart talk I hear:

God quietly whisper- "Be Mine"

As some of the readings I am doing right now--
 seem to connect in unusual ways--- 
always a God Surprise when that happens.

 Never anything that I could ever master to connect myself.

Reading in Devotional Classics compiled by Richard Foster
 in the works of E. Stanley Jones-  about Receptivity and Response.

looking at Col 2:6-7

 "As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
 so live in him, rooted and built up in him an established by faith."


received- receptivity
so live-  activity
rooted-  receptivity
built up by him- activity

There is a rhythm to this
 back and forth
living.



Hearts are made ready by LOVE
Eveyln Underhill speaks about how these fruits of the Spirit - 
joy and peace come into our lives-- not by our own striving-- 
but when we mind more about God than we do about ourselves...
not a small feat in our ego- centric world.



So my life is meant to give Him Glory- 
to bring Him praise.

Underhill states-
 "My objective is unearthly delight in God's action
(in my life and in the world)
 and the privilege of being caught up
 into God's action- whatever the cost may be."

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Heart Tugs

  

An old candy box gently stores
 the Valentines from years ago-

probably 1967-1969.
February and all that meant in
 upper elementary grades in a Lutheran School.

so heart strings and vintage hankies
and assorted trinkets join to
adorn the tree
 with the
heart and verse cutouts

and there were eleven of us in my class
 7 girls and 4 boys and the odds
 were not in our favor on Valentine's Day.

and 3 of the boys 
had the last name
Meyer- 
and I was at least distantly related to them

 and the other was Myers



and I gently place favorite and special ones 
in the tree branches dripping with red

and the story goes---
  there was this "older" boy who moved in from the city-
 DH- John was a student those days in that school 
 and I have Valentines from every other boy in the school
 except HIM.

and he has given reasons and forged stories
  but none the less-

NOT ONE VALENTINE

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Vintage Valentine's



It is February and I can finally
 not feel guilty about the hearts
 and things around the house...  
never mind there are a few snow people in the village
 and some favorite Christmas ornaments and lights up.. 
 January calls for those kinds of things and- 
hey it is legit now that Feb is here to say--

It is just a mixed up world and I LOVE IT!!

Will share some great old Valentine postcards- mostly dating from 
about 1906-1912

got that at least a century vibe going on...