take that!

Christ boldly proclaimed that He has “authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Luke 5:24). Therefore, we must become extremely proactive against the enemy’s accusations and tactics of guilt and condemnation in order to fight the good fight of faith.

“Let God plunder the enemy by bringing so much good from the bad that Satan will regret ever taking me [or you] to the wildness of sin.  What divine vengeance occurs when we let God use our past failures to humble us, to refine us, and to use us all the more effectively!” – Praying God’s Word, Beth Moore

Let’s not sit in the unlocked prison cell.  Christ came to pardon, deliver us, and set us free!  Today, I want to be a fierce woman of faith in Jesus’ name!

flannel shirts & the art of listening

One of the things God has been opening my eyes to more and more lately is the concept of truly listening. I think learning more about how to listen has the potential to revolutionize our relationships.  I think it’s something that takes patience, time, God’s grace, and lots of practice.  I’m not claiming to be an expert on this one, but I do want to learn how to relate to people in a better way.

When someone we know comes to us and honestly shares a challenging situation, I think sometimes we can easily rush and quickly offer a ‘scripture verse fix’ or immediately want to pray with them for ‘breakthrough.’  I’m not downplaying this in any way, but I think the key is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s timing.

What if the person hurting just needs you to be there?  What if they just need to know they’re not alone?  What if they just need you to understand?  If there isn’t a level of trust and sincerity, is that Bible verse really going to ‘soak in’ and resonate with that person?  In some cases, I think it could be more effective to pray that verse over them when they come to mind in your own personal prayer time.  In other cases, it may be totally appropriate to share God’s Word or offer to pray with them.  Again though, I think it’s all about timing and being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I think the art of listening takes flexibility. It’s not forceful, it’s not intruding, it’s not offensive, it’s not selfish.  The best kind of listening is bathed in just plain love. It’s caring, it’s understanding, it’s patient.

Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us when we come across someone who just really needs a loving, listening ear. Let’s allow Him to be the one that speaks.  I don’t ever want to ‘assume’ the role of the Holy Spirit.  I just want to be a vessel that is sensitive to Him and can aid in His healing process.  Ultimately, the Lord is the only One who can heal.

On a side note, I discovered that guys’ flannel shirts are like the best things ever.  My friend from Fuller let me borrow one, and I realized how cozy they are!  I bought one of my own today in the mens’ clothing section at Target and I am so in love haha.  They’re great to sleep in or just throw on when you’re at home.  I highly recommend them!

Have a wonderful night.  Let’s keep in step with the Spirit day by day and allow Him to be our Leader.

all about the heart.

So, I’m getting ready to move out of my sweet little apartment in Pittsburgh.  It was the best ‘first place’ any girl could ever hope for.  I’m continuing to sort through many papers in my closets, notebooks, etc.  I found these notes I took from one of my all-time favorite books ever: “The Heart of the Artist” by Rory Noland.  It’s a book about worship & creative arts ministry.  Here are just a few of my favorite thoughts:

“Instead of pretense, there is authenticity – we need to be real onstage.  Instead of working hard to whip up confidence, we need to be humble.  Ministry demands that we allow the Holy Spirit to own the stage.”

“Contrary to the old adage, we don’t practice to make perfect.  We practice to enable artistic expression on the deepest levels.”

“To forget yourself equals the best possible performance.”

“Lose yourself to your calling.”

“The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” – 1 Thess. 5:24

lift up your cup! part II

One of my good friends sent me this ‘devotional thought’ the other day.  I’m really loving the imagery of the cup.  Check it out:

“When we hold firm our cups of life, fully acknowledging their sorrows and joys, we will also be able to lift our cups in human solidarity.  Lifting our cups means that we are not ashamed of what we are living, and this gesture encourages others to befriend their truths as we are trying to befriend ours.  By lifting up our cups and saying to each other, “to life” or “to your health,” we proclaim that we are willing to look truthfully at our lives together.  Thus, we can become a community of people encouraging one another to fully drink the cups that have been given to us in the conviction that they [filled also with God's love] will lead us to true fulfillment.”

Solidarity – union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests; community.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

you. are. beautiful.

Sometimes I think we need a gentle reminder to realize how God truly sees us.  He doesn’t see all the imperfections that we tend to focus on.  This is how God thinks of you, ladies:

“All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” – Song of Songs 4:7

Beautiful – Bethany Dillon

You make me beautiful, You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart and I am amazed
I love to hear You say who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love and beautiful

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.  For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” – Isaiah 61:10

ready… set… JUMP!

So just a few entries ago I blogged about my new experiences with art & graphic design at the Art Institute.  This is such a long story that I can tell you later, but I’m discerning that this is not what God wants me to do right now.  I still love art, design, and everything, but I don’t think this school and program are right for me.

I truly want God’s will to be done in my life… I think we all do.  There’s no better place to be than in the center of His plan and design for our lives. My re-affirmed lesson learned is that when we choose to finally jump, step out in faith, and take action, God moves and directs our paths. He desires to make Himself known and to lead His people forward into the fullness He has for their lives.

Maybe you need to send your resume to that place you’ve always wanted to work for, or maybe you’ve always wanted to go back to school for something as I thought.  As you knock and cover your steps in prayer, God will lead you and direct you forward.

As we trust God to lead, it puts the burden and control in His hands… a very safe place for sometimes risky decisions!

“You see that his [Abraham] faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” – James 2:22

an artist’s epiphany

So I don’t think I’ve written about this yet, but God has been leading me into a new season over the past couple of months.  Just last week, I began classes at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for digital design (graphic design).  It a one-year program in the evenings.  Right now, I go to class at night for just two nights a week.

The two classes I am taking right now are “Fundamentals of Design” and “Typography” (the study of fonts).  I absolutely love the Design class that meets on Monday evenings.  Last week, I received a supply kit from the bookstore full of pens, pencils, sketchpads, rulers, etc.  It was seriously like Christmas all over again.

So last night we had a project that was due at the beginning of class.  We were supposed to experiment with lines and draw different designs in 4 different quadrants.  The goal was to be aware of positive/negative space and to make sure that all 4 quadrants were cohesive.

When I went to class, the teacher told us that we were going to “critique” one another’s work.  I was a little hesitant at first, but then she went on to explain why we were doing this.  She said that we are trying to make one another better and help us understand what a good design is, etc.  She then went on to say that critiquing is different than criticism.

When we look at a piece of art or design, we naturally offer our subjective opinion about the piece.  One person may absolutely love what you did, and another person may not and have a different opinion.  That’s just the basic nature of art.

But last night, when the teacher showed us each project, we each offered suggestions and pointed out the things we liked about the art.  If there was something that didn’t “flow” or work quite well, we offered the suggestions in a straightforward yet optimistic way.  The goal was to help us understand how to make the piece its absolute best. I really loved hearing what everyone had to say.  I learned so much!

I don’t know if this all makes sense to you, but it really changed my whole perspective about art, relationships, etc.  Good stuff indeed.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – proverbs 27:17

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” – ephesians 4:15

a day I’ll never forget…

 

We love you Punxsy Phil!  And I love you, best art sister!

too cute

Here is a picture of my co-worker Mark’s grandchildren… Jacob & Kate.  I think they are two of the cutest kids ever!

> I love pistachios.