Friday, July 31, 2015

Bible Marginalia- WHATEVER

Bible Marginalia Series- #117

Still in John.
The first miracle of Jesus in Cana.
Seems like maybe Jesus
 and his mom were on different
 wavelengths here about protocol.
Jesus says,
 "Woman, what does this have to do with me? 
My hour has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, 
"Do whatever he tells you."
Perhaps she sensed 
something about to change.
 She acknowledged her own confidence
 in her Son and approval
 of his independent action
 as she instructed the servants
 to follow His instructions.
I think her words also speak right into my life-
Do whatever He tells you.


Supplies:
Scrapbooking paper
Whatever Stamp and Ink
Butterfly mini stamp
Colored pencils
Tim Holtz Chit Chat words
Alpha stickers
Remarks Accent Stickers
Fine point Sharpie pen

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Set Free

Bible Marginalia Series- #116

John 8:32
 Jesus is talking to the Jews
 who believed him.
"If you abide in my word, 
you are truly my disciples, 
and you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free."

Lord, I pray that you set me free
 from blind trust in religious traditions.
 Let my faith in you and the spiritual freedom 
that comes from your gift of grace meet my days.
Free me from works righteousness,
 performance excellence,
doubt, and crippling pride. 
 Let me breathe the air of FREE. Amen.



Supplies:
 Scrapbook paper
 Alpha letters
 Die Cuts
  Tim Holtz ChitChat words

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Words of eternal Life

Bible Marginalia Series #115

Following right after the Bread of Life portion is 
a conversation with Jesus 
and his grumbling disciples.
Reminds me that "attitude"-
 even about faith things,
 is not a new concept.
It is often easy for me to challenge
 what I don't understand.
Or what doesn't make sense
 with my limited perspective.
Jesus doesn't pull any punches here 
and tells those gathered
 "that no one can come to me
 unless it is granted him by the Father."


Even Jesus had hard days in ministry.
 After this conversation 
"many of his disciples turned back 
and no longer walked with him."
Jesus asks his disciples-
 "Do you want to go away as well?"
We can usually count on Peter.
Peter says- " Lord, to whom shall we go?
 You have the words of eternal life. 
And we have believed
 and have come to know
 that you are the Holy One of God."

 This is what this two page section
 looks like in my Journaling Bible.
Sometimes I like creating both pages 
with a similar color scheme.
Think that goes back to years
 of scrapbooking layouts.
 This blue paint covers a bit
 more than I like-
 but can still see the words if needed.
 ( Gold Alpha stickers are hard to photograph)
These phrases have drifted
 into my thinking over the past three days.
 I love that about Bible Journaling-
it becomes an imprint in my mind of His WORD.

Supplies:
Alpha stickers
 Small Alphas- $1 Bin Target
Die Cuts
Tim Holz- Chitchat bitty words
Fine point Sharpie pen
 Folk Art Pearl Acrylic paint-Blue Taffeta

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Bread of Life

Bible Marginalia Series- #114
John 6
The Food of eternal life--
Jesus is the bread of life.
Jesus hanging out in Capernaum.
The people just wanted to be near Him.
 They were seeking Him.
But, they were having such
 a challenging time
 figuring it all out.
Jesus said-
"Whoever comes to ME-
 shall not hunger,
 and whoever believes 
in me shall never thirst."
And the Jews grumbled about Him.
Trying to make the simple complicated.
Jesus said these things in the synagogue,
as he taught in Capernaum.
 And He made it all simple. 


I AM the Bread of LIFE.

Supplies-
Graph paper add-in---
(helped with ghosting from previous page)
 Cross Washi tape- Wal- Mart
Alpha stickers
Flower Stamp 
Die-cut flowers
 Colored pencils 
Fine-point Sharpie- non-bleeding

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Give Thanks and remember


Bible Marginalia Series- #113

Finishing up in 1 Chronicles Chapter 16
This is connected to the last posting in Chronicles.
  The work in this Chapter
 started about 6 months ago.
 This margin reflects David's Song of Thanks 
when the ark of God 
was set inside the tent that David
 had pitched for it,
Prayer time was spent in a doodle
 around the rub-on words.

Sometime I find that the work
 is "in progress,"
 and that is OK.

 Verse 15......
  I was struck by the number of verbs
 in God's command to David.
Remember. Sing. Tell.
Declare. Ascribe. Worship. 
Tremble. Give Thanks.
Because HIS LOVE 
ENDURES FOREVER.

Think that is our daily To- Do list.
 Sounds like our Lord is expecting
 a bit more than a one-hour Sunday time slot.
I always need to repent
 and regroup and begin again.

Chapter 16 then ends with this post-

The margin pages here were done
 with experiments in using 
"easy to use" or "adapt" materials
 for Bible Journaling. 
The Give thanks is a rub on
 in the Scrapbooking archives.
  Wanted to see how it worked
 to use graph paper
 to do the writing sideways in the margin.

Both are simple and effective margin tools.

 Supplies:
Bible verse Stamp and ink
 Graph paper
 Rub-on
Fine point Sharpie non-bleeding pens- Black and Purple
 Colored pencils

Friday, July 24, 2015

Michigan Adventure

We had set aside this past week for family time. 
It worked out that middle daughter
 and family were moving into a new house.
So... vacation time would be TOGETHER.
 Moving in. Ypsilanti, Michigan.
This keeps our streak in place -
moving at least one daughter
 every summer for the last 13 straight years.


New digs for the Schus.


Mr. Explorer.
Stroller Findings. Wiggle Sprinkler.
Computer Geek. Ice Cream!


Football. Down the Slide.
In the Swing. Cuddle time.


Selfies and Stills.


Out and About.


Ann Arbor Arts Fair
Chillin'. Doorbells.
Giggles. Biking in the Triathlon.
Time with Uncle Dan and Aunt Jess.


Worn out. Where's my hat?
Play with me in my little tent.


Feasting on surf and turf.
 Celebrating.
And we GIVE THANKS.































































Thursday, July 23, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Everlasting to Everlasting




Bible Marginalia Series - #112
1 Chronicles 16

From everlasting to everlasting.

 There was amazing worship time
 before the ark-
 with trumpets and cymbals
 for sacred song.
verse 43-
 "Then all the people departed each to his house, 
and David went home to bless his household."

What if that was our response to worship time? 
 To go home to bless all in our household?

On a cooler July morning in Virginia
 headed to my favorite spot in the yard.
 The sanctuary at the picnic table.
My green view.



Layers, contrast and textures.
Depth.
 Dependance and Mingling.
 Intertwining.

That is what I am learning about
 in Bible Marginalia.
 Journaling the journey in His Word.
Seeing how His Word adds to my earthly life-
 as I already live my eternal life.

Supplies:
 Few dashes of Tim Holtz Distress Ink- Mowed Lawn
Faber Castell Gelatos- Yellow and Gold
Washi tape
Millenium Zig Memory pens- various sizes
Colored pencils
Bible Highlighters- for Section Headings

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Oh Obadiah!

Bible Journaling Series #111

The Day of the Lord is Near-
Obadiah- the shortest book in the Bible.

Theme here-
 That we find our Hope
 in being His People 
when the restoration 
of all things COMES.

Used a banner-bunting stamp
 that I found on a great resell
 "2nd Chances" table
 at this store in High Point, NC in May.
ink paint stamp


Wrote some of the main points
 around the banner burning.

This holds the prophecy of living
 in a self-serving manner.
Place ourselves under God's authority.
Subject our appetites to His purposes.



Obadiah - worshipper of Yahweh.
This page has the "bleed-through"
 of the stamping on the above page.
Decided to use the same style 
and write the notes around the bunting.
This book tells the judgment upon Edom.


Do not think yourselves greater than you are.
Pride goes before destruction.

Simple outlay of instruction.
Challenging to live with pride in check.
Much to pray about personally and as a nation.

I  enjoy looking at a whole book
 of the Bible at a time.
Obadiah is a great place
 to start with the 2 pages.


Supplies:
Stampin' Up Ink-
Bunting stamp
Colored pencils
VersaCraft- Chiffon- Water-based Pigment Ink
(Did not bleed through 
and was able to use other colors
 on the back of the page)
Fine-point Sharpie non-bleeding pen

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Blooming at the library

Walked in to pick up a library book.
Bright flower heads greet along the sidewalk.

This library branch will undergo an update soon.
Probably won't keep much
  of the perennial beds intact in the process.

Always hard to see beautiful things go away.
My comforting thought will be that the 
future flower adornments will be even lovelier.
Reminds me of the challenging
 and daunting upheaval
 that soul pruning makes in our lives.
We so LOVE to hang on to the present good- 
even at times to hang on
 for dear life to the known present.
Our Lord says to us--"Trust Me, 
I have something even better."

And I pray:
Lord, allow me to move through my days
 with the ability to seek the Good
 that you have in store for me.
On days where there is a lot of tearing up,
 dividing and tossing out of pieces of my life-
let me rest assured that you
 meet me in the new place. 
I give thanks that the very best in life
often comes right after a challenging
stretch of heart renovation.
What grace- that my Lord travels all the way
WITH ME. 


Monday, July 13, 2015

VRSLY updates


Time to catch up with some
 of my favorite VRSLY photos.

A brick wall in Chelsea Michigan


our front yard and flag waving



the view from the back yard


a bit of Florida coast


a lakeview shot from daughter Jessica
Firefly Lake, Wisconsin

Sea of Galilee
 from Mount of Beatitudes- Israel


California Coast

And with a click on the VRSLY app-
 a photo becomes a visual of Grace
full of Blessing

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Bible Marginalia- Seek Good


Bible Marginalia Series- #110

Today my heart is heavy.
Right before I was going to hit publish
 on this post I saw the news on FB
 that Bible Journaler and designer Heidi Swapp 
lost one of her sons.
For this section in Amos I had used 
some of the hearts and butterflies 
that come in one of her packets
 of embellishments.
I sat down and reread the words.

SEEK GOOD....
so
THE LORD,
the GOD of hosts shall be with you.

I almost deleted the post.  
Then I read back over it
 and saw that in some ways this post
 is a prayer for the SWAPP family.
 For the heart of a momma 
who has sought the LORD.
For a family in deep loss.
To KNOW- that the LORD, 
the GOD of HOSTS
shall be with them ALL. 

 As I looked at the page,
 I saw the heart filled with LOVE.
  The butterflies ascending-
Reminders of ETERNAL LIFE.
 NEW lIFE

Nothing on this earthly journey matters 
other than the relationships we hold dear.
And we are often reminded that our
 children are ours for AWHILE.
  To Heidi Swapp and her family-
 we hold you in our prayers.
This post is to bring light to honor
 the way that you have touched many lives.
And today- across the miles-
 we hold you close in our hearts.
 as we lift you all to the Heavenly Father. 
May His Grace surround you 
with His abundance-
 beyond our man understanding.


Supplies:
 Heidi Swapp embellishments
Shell and Aqua acrylics- Target
 Bible verse sticker
 Pink Washi tape

Friday, July 10, 2015

Bible Marginalia-Freedom in Christ

Bible Marginalia Series- #109

A 4th of July page done this past week.
Looking at Freedom in Christ in Galatians 5:1.
Because Christ has set us free.
Therefore- STAND FIRM.
And do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Poignant thought in conversations this past week.
How do we move forward in freedom?

What practices are edifying
 that do not let us slip back
 into practices that lessen people? 
That is really the essence of the red, 
white and blue of the American flag.

More of the experiment with acrylic paints.
 The red paint is the Target paint
 that I am trying out.
The blue was a bargain bin paint at Michael's.
Folk art- the blue paint- I have used
 for years for crafting.
Didn't like the FOLK ART so much in my Bible.
It dried before I could get a very thin spread,
 and the shimmer didn't help for reading the words.
 An IG follower said that I could take water now
 and lessen some of the blue.
 Might be chicken to try that for fear
 of making a bigger mess.
Though this page may not be in a
 "favorite" category,
 it highlights red and white and blue
 for a celebration day.


With stickers and Alpha letters-
 it falls into the EASY To Do list.
But, remember- THIS Journaling Bible
 is an experiment in processes.
 Some work well-
 and others may NOT.
It is OK to have a page fail.
 It is OK to like part of the page,
 and not the WHOLE PAGE.
( I love the White dots on the back lettering.)
Listen to what is happening in your heart 
as you work in the margins.
 He speaks in the middle of the mess.

Supplies:
Ladybug Red Satin-
 Hand Made Modern Paint- Target
Fold Art Acrylic Paint Pearl Blue Taffeta
Flag and Heart Stickers- Stickopotamus- Michael's
Uni Signo White Pen
 Alpha Letters- Dollar Bins Target
 Fine point Sharpie- non- Bleeding pen
 Regular Black Sharpie marker
 Colored Pencils

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Bible Marginalia- When Hope Becomes a Tree of Life

Bible Marginalia Series- #108

Well, I finally joined in the acrylic paint 
cheer section.
I saw a FB post about
 the new line of paints at Target.
So was planning to use a clear sticker 
for this verse in Proverbs.
So many things to ponder here.
 Can easily do a margin for each couplet.



But I loved looking at the health
 and wellness of hope.
It can be life altering to be without HOPE.
It can be life altering to have HOPE.
A TREE OF LIFE.
Lots of images there.
But, I don't really draw trees.
So... paint, and paint.
Bright paint.
It was easy to spread 
with the old credit card method.
I used a dab on a paper plate -
about the size of the TIP of my little finger.
Dipped the credit card edge 
in and simply swiped it over the page.

I like how sheer the paint is.
My personal preference
 is to still see the words underneath the paint.
 Lesson learned:
don't forget to put a "save sheet" 
(piece of scrap paper)
 underneath the page to protect the edge
 of the Bible from extra dabs of paint.


Colors of paint on this page
 were Shell and Leaf.
They were $1.99 each.
  The display was very picked over, 
and the store was wiped out in some colors.
(Is everyone in Northern Virginia
 doing Bible Journaling and getting these paints?)
I purchased the SATIN paint in these colors.
I added a few images of a
 simple flower stamp in blue.
The paint dried very quickly 
and this was a very simple margin (page) addition.
More time to read and reflect.
Skill level for this:  BEGINNER- EASY.

Was happy with the BACK side of this page- 
very little bleed-through or shadow images.
All in all- pleased with the paint experiment.
Think I will try this out for 
more Bible prayer time this week.

Supplies:
Hand- Made Modern acrylic paint
(Target Craft Section)
Bible verse sticker
(Ancient stash)
Flower stamp
(Michael's Deal Bins)
Dye Ink Pad- Marine
(Recollections brand- old stash)