Those Idols- Worship into the Week

Bible Marginalia-#245

 The Old Testament reading 
this past week in worship

 included the section-

 Isaiah 42:10-25.

 We sang a Steve Merkel song- in worship.

LORD, HAVE MERCY 

has these words:

 "I have built an altar 

where I've worshipped things of man.

I have taken journeys

 that have drawn me far from you."

 And I thought about that during worship, 

and when I got home, 

and into the week.

That is the simplicity of the plan-

just worship into the week.

Time to reflect, 

and respond, and

pray about how these words

 might reach into my week.

Supplies:

Envelope wrap

Washi take 

Fine-point non-bleeding Sharpie pen

 Colored pencils

Lenten Journaling

Sharing a bit of the Lenten journaling - 

along the way.

Never quite sure what to call it.

Devotions.

Prayer time.

 One word a day.

Focus.
Daily spiritual whitespace.

This year I had the challenge of

wanting to use 

3 different reading materials.

 Here is the calendar page for

Faithful Facts for Lent by Paul L. Maier.

Calendar design by Bev Wicher.

Here is the journey with Mercy, Passion and Joy

- with writings by C.S. Lewis.

Calendar design by Sybil MacBeth.

This is the journaling with 

LIVING- the Gospel Life -

 Daily Devotions for Christians on a Mission-
Find the resources Here:
creative communications

 Calendar page by Patricia Maier.

I keep the process simple and doable 

by choosing the 4 colored pencils

 for the whole calendar.

I keep the calendar and booklet
 and colored pencils in a page protector.

Keeping it together.

Transportable- 

to wherever in my day

 I can grab a few moments of quiet.

Sometimes I do all three- 

sometimes it is-

 one small space of margin.

All calendars can be found here:
DC Metro Bible Journaling
 in the Files section. 

Visual Faith- yes.
Visual Story-yes.
Visual Blessing-yes.
What a joy to be on this journey-
with OTHERS.

Tangle Prayer Cards

Tattered Angels has a product line of Tangle cards.

I had picked these up a while back

 at a Tuesday Morning.

Always a great spot to look for products

 that can become a simple prayer card.

For this prayer for Cork and Becky,

 I simply used the 4 by 6 card,

 and added watercolor. 

Then added the verse that we are praying

 over them at this time.

A blank card looks like this 

and the finished card on the right.

 Sharpie  permanent pens also work well.

Tattered Angel products are in Craft stores

 and here is a link on Amazon.
Tattered Tangles

The set above is the Mandala set

 which I have not been able to find.
 I purchased my card packets for $1.99 
and on Amazon they range up to $11.99 a pack-
 so a hunt for a deal is a must.

We will pray this verse over these dear folks-
a copy of the card is placed in our prayer journal.
Drawn to pray.....

Bible Marginalia- Blessed Among Nations

Bible Marginalia Series- #244

I always tend to stand in awe of Abraham.

A faith that stood in the face of great challenge.

Yes- with the human failings too,

 that will follow all of us in our earthly travels.

But, it is the get back up

 and move forward part

 that gives me encouragement.

Chosen by God to be a great nation-

 to bring blessing to many people.

Each of us have also been chosen

 to bring blessings to others.

We may not be in the "Abraham category".

But, in the small choices day in and day out,

 along the pathways of our days,

 and the people we meet,

we are called to BE A BLESSING.

Lord, may we be granted the strength

 and the courage to boldly 

pursue this basic but powerful task.

In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Supplies:

 Fine-point non-bleed Sharpie pen

Colored pencils

Washi tape

Creative Haven- Open Studio

So what happens at a 

Creative Haven Open Studio?

Well, a little bit of everything.

Some time working on margins

 in our Journaling Bibles.

Catching up on what's happening

 in the lives of our friends,

or new friends.

Trying out a new medium or technique.

Finding the just right washi tape,

 or seeing a new product like- envelope wraps.

Time to finish up some Journaling started earlier.

Or color in one that you just finished lettering.

Or practicing your lettering style for Easter cards

you are making to send.

Using old hymn pages 

to highlight your Lenten thoughts,

and making the dedication page for a new Bible.

Or an Easter canvas made - 

ready to display in the home.

Sometimes Creative Haven is just about 

SPACE- in the margins of our lives-

 to catch up with a friend,

 sit around a table and eat supper together,

 congratulate a soon-to-be mom,

or check out some Lenten devotionals.

Bring your own things to work on

or find it when you arrive.

Always something to learn and share

when we are gathered here.

Thanks to all who came!

Saint Patrick's Day

We often forget that today is a celebration, 

that is really about a Saint.
"When he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates 
from his home in Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland,
 looking after animals, where he lived for six years
 before escaping and returning to his family.
 After becoming a cleric,
 he returned to northern and western Ireland.
 In later life, he served as a bishop,
 but little is known about the places where he worked. 
By the seventh century, 
he had already come to be revered 
as the patron saint of Ireland." (Wikipedia)

The real St. Patrick may get a bit lost

 in the celebrations of the day.

Reading the connection of the green clover

 and the Trinity-

 helps us to pick out which of the symbols

 he would have used-  (three not four leaf clovers)

I visited Ireland in March 2000,

and kissed the Blarney Stone.

 One of my favorite places was Killarney-

serene and beautiful by the lake.

Thinking it is time to go back.

Visual Faith Creative Assembly- North Carolina

 We gathered at St Paul's Lutheran Church

 in Havelock, North Carolina on 

Saturday, March 11, 2017

 for a Visual Faith Creative Assembly.

 We began by taking a look at 

Proverbs 3: 1-6.

Words that stood out in our reading:

Remember, Keep, Bind, Write,

Seek, Find, Acknowledge, 

Show, Trust, 

Straight Paths and Walk in Confidence.

That sounds like a framework for 

Visual Faith endeavors.

Each spot at the table was ready for guests.

Megan Daub and Jean White 

were the organizers of this event.

They both shared a piece 

of their "visual faith story",

as well as special guests:

Peggy Thibodeau and

Belinda Bost.

 In the morning we talked about

 roadblocks to prayer and shared 

how to make prayer cards.

We talked about Visual Prayer

and our Lenten Journey.

Our gathering included men, 

women and children.

A catered lunch from Crabby Patty's
Crabby-Pattys

 In the afternoon Peggy shared a

 Watercoloring Demonstration

 for Bible Journaling after lunch.

She shared how images can start with tracing.

and gave some tips on page preps.

Belinda Bost encouraged us

 to share our faith story in our homes.

She then led us in a Make and Take- 

using playing cards.

 A ready note to bless another.

A resource table had books for purchase:
Writing in the Margins- Lisa Hickman
Pray and Color- Sybil MacBeth
Complete Guide to Bible Journaling- 
Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder
Illuminated Journaling- Jann Gray
These books serve as a basic how-to library
 for Visual Faith endeavors.

It was a colorful group

 that joined us for our gathering.

Fun thank you gifts for the organizers

 and presenters for our day.

Visual Faith Coach bags.

Find the canvas bags here:
harbor freight canvas-riggers-bag

We give thanks for all those who attended
 and helped to make this day such a blessing.
We look forward to hearing the stories 
of how more Visual Faith stories unfold.

 Giving thanks today-
 as this is the 900th post of Vintage Grace.

A Prayer- On Being....

 A friend recently sent me a portion of

 a podcast that she had listened to and I share it here.

"On Being" podcast. 

Padraig O Tuama,

 an Irish man talking about how he prays.

“Neither I, nor the poets I love,

 found the keys to the kingdom of prayer

 and we cannot force God

 to stumble over us where we sit.

 But, I know that it’s a good idea

 to sit anyway. 

So every morning I sit,

 I kneel, waiting, 

making friends with the habit of listening,

 hoping that I’m being listened to. 

There, I greet God in my own disorder. 

I say hello to my chaos, my unmade decisions,

 my unmade bed, my desire and my trouble.

 I say hello to distraction and privilege,

 I greet the day and I greet my beloved 

and bewildering Jesus.

 I recognize and greet my burdens,

 my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story.

 I greet my untold stories, my unfolding story,

 my unloved body, my own love, my own body.

 I greet the things I think will happen 

and I say hello to everything

 I do not know about the day.

 I greet my own small world

 and I hope that I can meet

 the bigger world that day. 

I greet my story and hope that I can forget

 my story during the day, 

and hope that I can hear some stories,

 and greet some surprising stories

 during the long day ahead.

 I greet God,

 and I greet the God 

who is more God than the God I greet.

  Hello to you all,

 I say, as the sun rises 

above the chimneys of North Belfast.

  Hello.”

Somehow- greeting God 

in my own disorder- strikes home.

 Perhaps too often I have a habit

 of making a Big God

 try to fit in my small world.

Lord, enlarge my world of listening,

help me to capture the stories of others,

that I may see YOU in the day to day 

of family, friends and neighbors. Amen.

Visual Faith Retreat at the Villages- Florida

Praying in Color:

Illustrating My Faith

Feb 24-25, 2017

we gathered at 

Amazing Grace Lutheran Church

at the Villages, Florida for a retreat event.

They had prepared for and prayed

 over this gathering.

The local newspaper had shared the story.

Things look a bit different in this part of Florida.

Amazing Grace Lutheran Church

 has four legged neighbors 

on two sides of their property.

I think there are more golf carts

 than cars in this area.

And I looked for the alligators.

There was great welcome 

and hospitality here in this place.

Preparations made to gather them in.
 112 participants for this event.

Visual Art graced the sanctuary

 and gathering area.

 Highlights:

A welcoming space,

supplies for each person in a 
handmade cloth bag tied with a bow,
 a well-done skit,

new friends, and great conversations.

A look at Sybil MacBeth's introduction to 

Praying in Color.

A simple way to use any piece

 of blank paper for prayer.

Visual prayer:

ways to slow down, 

pay attention and deal with distractions.

Graph paper for prayer time.

Simple shapes for teaching

 the petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
Graph paper prayer-
with our words.

Everyone received 

Sybil MacBeth's Pray and Color book.

Other resources were given as door prizes-
like Lisa Hickman's- Writing in the Margins.

Praying for our children and grandchildren-
 a way to bless others.
We talked about ways to use the product line
 of Joanne Fink for Visual Prayer. 

Journals from our Junk Mail.
Psalm Summaries with wine cork
 stamps and magazine cutouts.
Black ink tangles to make 
individual prayer cards-
 and keep them in a 
baseball card holder from Staples.

Gratitude Journals- One Thing a Day-
Day after Day.
Prayers by the Month and
Advent and Lent Visual Journeys.
Baptism and Confirmation Story books- 
ways to bless and conversation starters.
Tools to use in our own families.

A blessing to be with Arleen Bohlmann
 from the Southeastern District.
  Edith Walton - wife of LCMS Florida-Georgia 
District President Rev. Greg Walton
 joined us on Saturday.
And time to make a whole lot of new friends.

The women came in colorful attire to the 
Praying in Color Retreat.

Show and Tell tables
and 
Resources and supplies.

 Time to check things out
 and ask questions.

Pray about personal spiritual practices.

Bible Journaling was introduced.
Time to read, reflect and respond
in the margins of our Bibles.

Telling the story of the intersection
 of God's Word and our World.

Sharing the VRSLY app on the iPhone 

may have created a whole team of

Deployed Digital Missioners.

Time with a very special friend from
 Concordia College- 
Ann Arbor, Michigan days.
Cathy Driller trusted a friendship
 from 42 years ago 
and the nudges from the Holy Spirit 
to bring together 
a celebration of faith, 
prayer and spiritual formation.
A retreat covered in grace and connections-
 and we Give Thanks to the Lord.
And we can't WAIT
 to see what Kingdom fruit grows-
and to hear the STORIES.

And if you can't remember
 how to reach me to tell the story, 
or can't find the card you took,
 here you go.


 A VERY SPECIAL thank you to Thrivent 
for 2 ACTION GRANTS that blessed this gathering.

Some had asked for the link to the Youtube
 of the flip- through
 of the Gospel of John
 in my Journaling Bible- here it is-
The Gospel of John