Worship into the Week- No Other Name

 

 Worship into the Week-

Acts 4:1-12

Peter and John Before the Council

"And there is salvation in no one else, 

for there is no other name under heaven  

given among men by which we must be saved."

So many voices speaking against and with hatred.

So many accusatory voices and eyes that wanted harm.

So many heard and believed- about five thousand.

And Peter filled with the Holy Spirit spoke to them.

The stone that the builders rejected 

had become the cornerstone.

This Jesus that was crucified, 

whom God raised form the dead,

brings salvation to all.

There is no other name above Jesus.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Ministry Graphics 

vcy-graphics-only-april-2024

Visual Church Year Printable

worship-into-the-week-april-2024

Magazine Cut outs

Distress Ink

Colored Pencils

Spring View

 

Just marking the journey of spring time

 in our yard in Virginia.

Vibrant colors and mixups of 

amazing jewels in God's creation.

Spring is the march of new life in the world. 

What a beautiful story of God's creation.

Praise and thanksgiving to our God for 

giving us such a blessing for our time here on earth.

Until we gain the gift of heavenly joy 

with beauty beyond description, we are assured of 

His touch in this temporal world.

Worship into the Week- By Faith

 Worship into the Week

 Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico

Acts 3: 11-21

Utterly astounded.

The people couldn't believe 

the healing of the lame beggar.

Peter grabbed this opportunity to speak to the people

 that the power to do this healing was by the name of Jesus.

Solomon's porch, so called from a tradition that it was a relic 

of Solomon's temple left standing after the destruction of Jerusalem 

by the Babylonians. (1 Kings 7:6.)

 The word "porch" is in the New Testament

 the rendering of the Greek word: por'-ti-ko- Stoa, 

meaning a portico or veranda.

When we visit the Temple Mount on our trips to Israel,

we can be close to this area.

This lame beggar was someone they had known for a long time.

Now he stood before them healed.

They were witnesses to this miracle.

Just like the disciples were witnesses of the alive again Jesus.

Peter asks them to repent and turn back 

that their sins would be blotted out.

This would bring a time of refreshment 

from the presence of the Lord.

What have I forgotten that I have been 

eye witness to in my life?

Time to take a bit of inventory 

about what I have seen and heard.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

vcy-graphics-only-april-2024

Worship into the Week Printable

worship-into-the-week-april-2024

Magazine Cutouts

Distress Ink

Colored Pencils

Resurrection Tulips

 

About 2 months ago I found a large container

of dirt in the carport storage room.

At first I didn't know what it was from,

 and then I remembered a beautiful tulip gift last spring.

Unfortunately, I also remembered that I was going

 to plant the bulbs last fall.

That didn't happen.

So I know that bulbs need a time of cold storage

 or cold in the ground to bloom.

So, I decided to do the experiment of pulling

 them out and setting them in the sun 

and began to water them.

Nothing for a couple of weeks.

  Then I begin to see green sprouts emerging.

I kept watering the container and large buds appeared.

We were gone the first part of this week for a conference

 and came back to these gorgeous large blooms. 

What had seemed dead was certainly alive now.

Such an appropriate story for this Easter season.

I had almost thrown the container out 

since it looked like there was no life.

What a wonderful reminder of what our own life 

looks like when we are separated 

from the life of the Son

 and being feed by Living Water.

Worship into the Week- Great Grace

 

Worship into the Week

Acts 4: 32-35

Great Grace

What a wonderful term- great grace.

Great in abundance.

Great because it is good.

Great in the generosity.

Given to all.

They had everything in common.

There was not a needy person among them.

One heart and soul.

With great power they gave their testimony

 of the Resurrection.

What an amazing time in the world.

Yet, we have that very same Resurrection story.

We too, can share those very same 

life changing words.

We too, have been given that very same

 power in our baptism.

Let us Pray for Boldness to Tell the Story of a 

Risen Savior.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Printable

Worship Graphics

Worship into the Week Printable

worship-into-the-week-april-2024 

Distress Ink

Magazine Cutouts

Colored Pencils

Postage Stamp

Easter Roundup 2024

 

He is Risen!   He is risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

Eastertide Greetings to you!

The Grandloves in a rare photo.

 It took no adults to get them to be together 

 (and still) for a photo.

Think this is a first.

This was a split second later.

This is real life right here.

Only little Lainey stays her sweet self yet.

Some sweet family photos.

We watched the celebration from Virginia this year

 as Papa was healing from a hip replacement.

Gigi sent an Easter Story Bingo game.

It worked perfectly to play while 

daddy Easter Bunny hid eggs outside.

Easter baskets- what fun!

And even Peeps!

Holy Week fun included dying Easter eggs.

They are big enough now to have their 

own ideas about decorating!

And plenty of drama to go with the fun.

A fun part of the week together in Michigan

 included going to a U of Michigan baseball game

 to see Uncle Dan with the team.

Plenty of game time in the week 

and learning new things.

What a blessing to celebrate together 

and know the reason for our hope.

The Resurrection of Jesus changes everything.

We view the whole world through

 that Easter window view.

Prayer of Lament

 

A Prayer of Lament

We have been experimenting with prayers of lament

 in our Visual Faith Community.

Here is the final prayer on a 4 b y 6 blank index card.

We give the direction to write out the beginning of a prayer.

After about 3 minutes we then turn the page

 and begin writing over the prayer.

Three more minutes and then turn the card again.

Then more writing for three minutes.

It is pretty illegible.

We then cover the prayer with magazine cutouts.

( these were made with punches and Sizzix die cuts)

 Purchased die cuts could be used, 

or images from greeting cards.

The writing could also be covered with a colored marker.

 Cutting images from junk mail can work also.

They were added with glue stick adhesive.

The prayer was then "redeemed" 

and finished with words of hope, praise or comfort

 from the book of Psalms.

 This has been a meaningful way to sit 

in a lament posture with the Lord. 

(there are 50 Lament Psalms so he knows about these)

Keeping it on an "O" ring with 

other Visual Prayer resources.

I have blank index cards ready to go

 for another time of Lament with the Lord.

He hears our prayers.

I am so very thankful.

Calendar Journaling- March 2024

 

Calendar Devotional Journaling March 2024

using the Common Book from Visual Faith Ministry.

VFM-books

4 colored pencils.

Devotional is New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.

Started a Word Log for the month of words 

that are part of

my meditation time.

A few are:

Confidently

Everlasting

Dwell

Steadfast

Ultimate

Glorious.

Always interesting to look how God

 is fitting this in with the other things

 He is up to in a month's time.

He is not hurried.

Lenten Pathway Journey 2024

 

I have been doing a calendar journal 

for Lent since 2011.

I am pretty sure I had not planned on 

this being a lasting practice.

Most of my Visual Faith Journey has been a surprise.

 My track record of "keeping up" or "staying with"

  things was not too good in the past.

Until- I found something or a process that worked for ME.

That has made all the difference.

I downloaded the readings and the calendar from 

Visual Faith Ministry.  Here:

/lenten-pathway-2024

I added it right into my Common Book-

 so that it was in the spot that made sense for me. 

Same principle of 4 colored pencils 

and a devotional reading.

Then a word or a phrase take away added to the calendar.

That became the story of Lent 2024.

Totally doable, grace-filled and reliable as a practice.

 Giving thanks for this tool and resource for the journey.

Worship into the Week- Blessed Easter

 

Easter SunRise 

Exodus 15:1-11

The Old Testament story becomes fulfilled when Christ 

conquered the grave. 

The Song of Moses in the Exodus with the people of Israel

 sang of the strength of the LORD.

v. 11"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? 

Who is like you, majestic in holiness, 

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"

All heavens resounded at this 

glorious event and all of our future days have changed.

Our God is Still Glorious-- doing wonderful deeds.

Easter Day

Isaiah 25:6-9

God has swallowed up death forever.

You have done wonderful things.

"and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces."

"let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation"

For Christ is alive.

He is Risen! 

He is Risen indeed!

Alleluia.

Worship into the Week- Good Friday

 

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the time?

A Man of Sorrows.

The Lamb- the Son of God.

The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. 

Isaiah 53:5

Worship into the Week- 

It is Finished

Isaiah 52:13-53:13

Pierced.

Transgressions.

Crushed.

Iniquities.

Upon Him.

Chastisement.

Wounds.

PEACE.

WE ARE HEALED.

Supplies:

Visual Church Printable

vcy-graphics-only-march-2024

Worship into the Week

worship-into-the-week-march-2024

Magazine Cut outs

Distress Ink

Colored Pencils

Worship into the Week- Maundy Thursday

Worship into the Week

The Covenant Confirmed

Exodus 24:3-11

The Exodus story and the personal relationship 

that Moses had with God is certainly amazing

 to think about in Lent.

The seeing of the God of Israel.

They beheld God.

They ate and drank with God.

Like a normal everyday thing to do.

There is the blood of the covenant 

and the call to obedience.

We, as wayward, wandering people do not obey.

But, our reconciliation has been won by Jesus 

and the New Covenant is fulfilled 

with the Blood of the Covenant.

We are redeemed by the Lamb of God.

 Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

vcy-graphics-only-march-2024

Worship into the Week Printable

worship-into-the-week-march-2024

John 1:36 Sally Beck

john-1-36-by-sally-beck

Colored pencils

Distress ink

Magazine Cutouts

Watercolors

Washi Tape

Worship into the Week- Hosanna!

 

Worship into the Week-

The Coming King of Zion

Zechariah 9:9-12

This reading is often used for Palm Sunday connections. 

This post Exile text is a prophecy of hope  for the return of a triumphant but humble king who returns to Jerusalem.When the Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BCE, there was the destruction of the temple. Then, as the people returned 70 years later, they had high hopes for restoration of both Kingdom and power. Well, that didn't happen as next there was the Persians, then the Greeks and then the Romans who came to rule.  The people had been under the rule of enslavement for so long. They needed hope restored.

When we think of Jesus and Palm Sunday, we know that he chose the donkey to fulfill the Scriptures.  He could have chosen the war horse, but that wasn't the symbol of his kingship. He knew of the violence that awaited him, but his arrival displayed only peaceful entry.

As we begin this Holy Week, we too approach with a peaceful start that moves to a violent end.

 Lord, open my heart to all that you want me to see and listen to this Holy Week. Help me to pay attention. Amen.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

vcy-graphics-only-march-2024

Worship into the Printable

worship-into-the-week-march-2024

Enduring Word Bible

Colored pencils

Distress Ink

Magazine Cut outs

Family Time Loving

A recent event in Ann Arbor, Michigan 

with the Visual Faith® Ministry Team allowed me

 to share some time 

with both a sister and 2 daughters.

I got to visit daughter Laura in her high school art room.

What a fun place to hang out.

Sister Teresa had fun seeing where her niece

 challenges High School Art Students in Saline, MI.

Aunt Teresa and Laura

So much fun to be together.

We also stopped in to see daughter Jessica

 in her First Grade Classroom.

The littles find their own entertainment pretty quickly.

Or else they are up to "no good".

Hard to grab the 4 together.

So it is fun when we are slimey,

or doing puzzles together.

(or taking it apart)

Getting ready for a car rumble,

reading books together,

or getting ready to catch leprechauns

It is just too short when our time is together.

What a fun age.

Giving thanks for such a loving family.