One Picture

Through Pinterest this morning I ran across this picture:

{shaungroves.com}

 

It made my heart pause and then leap inside me. I love this verse. I dream about this verse. This verse gives passion and fuel to my life and ministry. I dream about the church here on earth reflecting this verse. As Jesus prayed, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". {Matthew 6:10}, I often pray that pictures I see in Scripture, such as this, may be realized in the here and now as they will be in heaven. This verse and pictures such as this make my heart long for racial reconciliation and for denominational lines to become blurry. It encourages me in working with families and children in low income situations. It gives me strength to push on in our ministry to public schools and their neighborhoods.

 

{classroomcollectivetumbler.com}

 

It also stirs in me to become more and more about promoting love of each other in the Body of Christ. Our unity and love for each other enables us to show the world the Incarnate Christ and helps draw people to HIM. "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given then the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one; I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." {John 17:20-23}

 

Oh, how I need to grow in love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

I love how art and Scripture come together for me and encourage me in my faith! All of this from viewing a picture on Pinterest! Let me leave you with one more:

 

{shaungroves.com}

 

And my favorite picture from camp last summer:

 

 

 



 



My Style

This month the theme for The Art Journaler Community (TAJ) is "I am an Artist". I finally got around to making an art journal page for the theme:

I've been wrestling since I read the theme with actually calling myself an artist. My husband had no problem calling me this and encouraged me to accept it. {Thanks honey!} I don''t struggle with calling myself creative or a hobbyist (if that's even a word). I guess I just think of artists as those who can draw and paint images even though I know it includes other categories such as photography and collage. So I took the plunge and said "I am an Artist" on my art journal page. It is now forever recorded in my art journal binder.

What I then wrestled with is what my own unique style is...my artistic voice. The problem is that I am eclectic in my taste and in what I am drawn to. I have always had multiple interests and I find that it is no different in art and hobbies. I love the artsy, messy, painterly collage style. But I am also drawn to the minimalist, clean, neat style. I love typography and fonts but also like hand lettering. I love making digital art and love making physical art on paper. I enjoy art journaling single pages and have got hooked on making travel journals. I enjoy making my own mini books and altering old books.
So I continue on my journey, make art, and search within for my own artistic voice. This morning I ran across a great quote on Pinterest that really spoke to me about this journey:

The quote is by Promise Tangeman, a graphic artist {promisetangemanblog.com} and the lettering was done by Lindsey Letters {lindseyletters.com}.

"Don't waste time looking for your style. The truth is you already have it, you may just need to create more in order to see it."

Love this! It fits with the "Be Who You Are" self-discovery journey I am on.

Ahhhhh....Vacation #2

Vacation #2: The time where she goes away for a week with her hubby and really relaxes...in a cottage by the lake,,,just the two of them. :)

This is my favorite week of the year. One whole week in a little cottage on Lake Erie. It's off-season so the beaches are empty and it's very, very quiet here. Just what I need after a very busy and draining summer.

Day 1, Monday, was forecasted to be the warmest day of the week so we took the ferry out to the islands.

It was a beautiful end-of-the-summer day on Middle Bass Island.

We went up to the top of Perry Monument to get a birdseye view of the islands and Lake Erie.

Today, day 2, is starting out rainy. It's a good day to chill out in the cottage and read and play with art! The pace of this vacation is perfect!

Summer Travel Journal & 30 Days of Lists

My trip to the Upper Peninsula was great. It is so beautiful! This week I completed some pages in my travel journal.

Pictured Rocks

 

 

It's time for me to get back into blogging and art journaling and other activities that fill my soul. It's been a different type of summer for me this year and I found I disconnected from a lot of the things that are good for me. Time to get back on track. The hubby and I have a refreshing week in a cottage on Lake Erie to look forward to in 2 weeks. I think THAT will help get me back on track!

This month I am participating in an online art journaling community called 30 Days of Lists. Each day a journaling prompt is provided featuring a type of list to create. I love making lists! I make them at home. I make them at work. I make them in my writing journal. Our first prompt today was to make a list of why we make lists.

 

Joining these art journaling communities and taking online classes are great ways to get my creative juices flowing.