These Days;

Life has been busy the past few weeks. We had our annual staff retreat two weeks ago and this past week I attended a four day conference about ministry leaders and burn-out led by Terry Wardle. My head is swimming from all I have taken in. I need to go slow in the coming days and weeks and digest it all. Throughout the conference I sensed that God had led to to the right place. A place where answers begin. I've been operating from a place of being worn-out and it has brought out some unhealthy attitudes and old defense mechanisms. It's time for a change.

I came across a quote in the book we're reading for our staff book study, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton. It's on the art journal page below: "It's not about fixing, it's about letting go." This quote had been running through my mind continually since I read it. I keep trying to fix things instead of letting go of them and letting God fix them. This is the place where change has to start. And so the journey continues...

The Song Stuck in My Head These Days

Lately, this song by The David Crowder Band has been stuck in my head, so I put a bit of it in my art journal.

How He Loves

He is jealous for me, 
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, 
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, 
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, 
And I realise just how beautiful You are, 
And how great Your affections are for me.

Oh how he loves, 
Yeah, He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize, 
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, 
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, 
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, 
I don't have time to maintain these regrets, 
When I think about, the way... 

Oh, how He loves us oh, 
Oh how He loves us, 
How He loves us all
How He loves

Yeah, He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh how He loves.
Oh what love

Yeah, He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us, 
Oh! how He loves us so.

Restoration

Restoration. Transformation. Renewal. Renovation. It's all about change. Heart change. Soul change. Life change. It's a constant throughout life. The season right now is such a wonderful visual example of change. The gray, barren landscape changes each day as flowers bloom and leaves appear and the world becomes a green and colorful place once again. As difficult as it is at times, I actually like change. It's uncomfortable. It's a journey into the previously unknown. But passing years and a faithful God have shown time and time again that change generally brings about something better, something more authentic, something new and more colorful. Change often feels like winter ~ dark, cold, barren, but just around the corner is a fresh, new, colorful season. I'm art journaling as I go.

My Nest, My Heart, My Soul, My House

Back in March (see this post http://mewithmyheadintheclouds.blogspot.com/2013/03/heart-journey.html) I journaled and blogged about the many paths of my journey that are converging. This continues to happen to me and it feels like God is speaking to me and leading me to a place that has the potential to bring healing. Where God leads will always bring healing. I say "potential" because I must be willing to follow where He leads me and to let what He has for me transform me.

What continues to converge?I continue to read Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart". Our current staff book study is an excellent book by Ruth Haley Barton called "Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership". In the online art journaling course I am working through, Soul Restoration, the metaphor for our soul is a house. This month's theme for "The Art Journaler" community is nest. What God is showing me through all of this is that I have allowed the state of my heart and soul to become cluttered and messy by not paying attention to some areas. To continue the metaphor, I've swept some things under the rug rather than fully dealing with the mess. The above things are all serving to open my eyes to see the state of my house/nest.

I love God's humor and that He knows us so well. Using metaphors such as house and nest resonate with me and draw me in to what He wants to show me. I have always loved houses, even as a very young girl I was drawn to architecture. Restoring old houses and decorating have been life long hobbies of mine. I have also been fascinated by birds for most of my life. so these themes of house and nest serve to nurture me rather than push me away, and enable me to hear God.

Right now it seems safer to continue to speak of this journey through the use of these metaphors, but I want to continue to blog about them and share my art journaling. It seems to be a part of the journey; a part of the healing.

As usual, to feed my love of making books, I have made a little book to collect parts of this journey...actually two books (cuz two is better than one, right?).

Restoration Altered Book Journal

Journey Art Journal Binder