Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Blessed Thanksgiving 2016 {Family Times}

This year we were blessed to have more of our family with us than usual. Our son and daughter-in-law were here from Washington state, our grandson and his wife from Kansas City, our daughter and her son from southwest Missouri. Our son’s daughter is serving as a missionary in another country; our daughter’s daughter had to work.
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After the company had all departed, we put up our Christmas trees.
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#Thanksgiving2016 #familytimeisthebesttime #soveryblessed

Monday, November 21, 2016

Thankful for Thanksgiving {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52Prompt46 Thanks

Prompt #46 for the Gratitude52 Art Journal Challenge is to illustrate your thankfulness for Thanksgiving. For so many reasons, I am thankful for this holiday.

I chose to revert to my days of using the art form of mixed media to create a page about Thanksgiving, using a copy of a hymn from a hymnal I have on hand.

Yes, Thanksgiving is all about WHO we are to thank, not so much about all the things we have (although we should be thankful for those things as well). So, I chose this hymn to use, even though it is not one I have ever sung, as far as I remember. I love the title, “In Thanksgiving, Let Us Praise Him.”

Thanksgiving has always meant time with family, for me. It is a time for feasting, and a time to be with family as we are all thankful together—thankful for God’s gift of His Son, and thankful that He gave us each other to family with!

This year, most of my family will gather at our home for our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. We will love our time together, missing those who cannot be here, but focusing our attention on our reasons for giving thanks.

(Maybe I’ll post a few pictures from our together time.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

#Gratitude52Journal #Gratitude52Community #G52Prompt46 #Thanksgiving #mixedmedia #artjournal #family

 

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Thankful for Courage {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52Prompt45

This is week 45/52 of the Gratitude52 Journal Challenge. I’m determined to do all 52, and I’m glad I’m not behind!! Only 7 more to go!

There are several people that are in my close family that I could put forth as wonderful examples of courage. So best not to get started with trying to name, or illustrate, any one of them, because there is not just one!

So, I opted for a general illustration of the word itself, accompanied by one of my favorite Scripture passages about courage.

(This style of art is inspired by K Dornacher)

#Gratitude52Journal #Gratitude52Community #G52Prompt45 #watercolor

Friday, November 18, 2016

Advent Bible Study {GraceNotes}

For my personal Bible Study time, I usually have several things going on simultaneously, and I draw from at least one of these on most days.
I am currently working in Beth Moore’s Entrusted. I do the Beth Moore studies independently, and it usually takes me a few months to work through from start to finish.
Entrusted
I always am blessed beyond measure by the Beth Moore studies, and I highly recommend them.
Additionally, I like to watch and listen to the videos of my son’s sermons as a resource for in-depth understanding of Scripture. I access these at his church web site, here.
In recent years, I have learned to enjoy doing a special Bible study for Advent. I have found one that I can highly recommend; it starts November 28, and I am excitedly looking forward to participating. The study is called “God With Us.” I have ordered the print book from Amazon, but by signing up on the Love God Greatly website, you can receive free access to the download of the study journal, as well as email posts during the four weeks of the study.
God With Us Advent Study
“Love God Greatly” is a non-profit organization, and they have ongoing Bible studies. You can read about their studies on their web site.
#Advent #AdventBibleStudy #GodWithUs #LoveGodGreatly #BethMoore #Entrusted #FirstBaptistChurchLongviewWA #MarkFord

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Thankful That He Holds My Future {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52Prompt44 Future Plans

I am plugging along, determined to finish the 52 weeks of Gratitude Journal art. This is Prompt #44/52, so I think I can make it. It is more challenging to create something every single week in a year, following the challenge “prompts,” than I thought it would be. Prompt #44 is to illustrate gratitude for “Future Plans.”

In this season of our lives, my husband and I try to stay flexible in planning the future. We talk a lot about where we want to be, where we want to go, how we want to get there, and so forth. But we want to stay open so that we can jump on it, if we think of something new and different than we had ever considered in all of our discussions. That’s one advantage of being retired and healthy (thank you, Lord)!

The one thing we DO know, and that never wavers, as we think about our Future Plans, is this:

We know that God knows the plans HE has for us.

And we know that those plans are good.

Those plans are awesome.

Those plans will make us prosper.

Those plans are to bring us hope.

Those plans will bring us a real FUTURE.

Hallelujah and Amen!

#Gratitude52Journal #GratitudeJournal #Gratitude52Community #journalsketch #Jeremiah29 #futureplans #G52Prompt44

Monday, November 7, 2016

Enjoying an Autumn Day

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Still experiencing a bit of what we used to call “Indian Summer” in Missouri. It’s cool enough to be comfortable and yet much warmer than usual at this time of year.

My hubby has been clearing areas of our five acres, and with the wind calm today, he burned a big brush pile. I kept him company for a while, after I put this new vegetable soup recipe in the crock pot to simmer for the day. 

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#FallisMyFavoriteSeason #CrockpotVegetableBeefSoup #BurningBrushPiles

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Thankful for Community {Gratitude52 Journal}

G52 Prompt 43 Community

Prompt #43 for the Gratitude52 Journal is to illustrate your gratitude for community. My first thought was my church community. That reminded me of the verse in Hebrews 10:25 that instructs us not to neglect meeting together.

G52 Prompt 43 Community

#BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #Gratitude52Journal #G52Prompt 43 #Gratitude52Community #gorjussstamps #watercolor #faithart #ScriptureArt

Friday, November 4, 2016

Catching Up

The events and happenings of life have made it difficult to post as regularly as usual. So, I’ll catch up with some art work today and hope to get back on track.

 G52 Prompt 42 The Great Physician

GratitudeJournal 52 Prompt #42 Thankful for Medical Professionals (for me, that’s The Great Physician)

Bible Art Eph 2-8 Grace

Ephesians 2:8 - It is by grace that my salvation is given to me, if I accept it by faith (it’s a faith decision). (Art here is inspired by K Dornacher.)

G52 Prompt 40 Laughter

GratitudeJournal Prompt #40 Laughter. According to Proverbs 17:22, laughter is good medicine!

#Gratitude52Journal #Gratitude52Community #SketchandPaint #BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #FaithArt