Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Creative "stay", Winter art retreat, Resting and Keeping on!

Hi there lovelies,

Just a quick post today. I have been updating the design of my blog again...streamlining it some more so that it has a professional appearance. Hope you like what you see here.



Like any artist, I am going through some kind of creative stay. I refuse to call it a block because I have enough creative ideas flowing and that's the problem. Don't know if you can relate? Too many ideas and too little time. So while waiting for all the ideas to settle and form one great big idea that I can actually work with, I took some time off. My internet connection was offline as well and I just took it as a sign to rest. 



During this time of "rest" and waiting on God to show me what and where and when...(maybe still waiting on Him), my sister sent me a devotional.


I am sharing it here with a link to the author's site:
HEBREWS 4:3
For we who have believed do enter that rest… 
Naturally speaking, when we rest, we don’t work. So what does working out of rest mean? Well, let me explain by sharing with you what the Lord had taught me.

Many years ago, when I first started preaching, I would prepare diligently for all my sermons. I fine-tuned my points and made sure that everything was in place. I would think to myself, “Man, I am going to share this...and that…”

But when I preached, I would forget to mention certain points. Because of that, I would get angry with myself. I would tell myself, “That was such a good point. Why didn’t I remember to share it?”

Then, God began to speak to me. He said, “Son, your preaching is not out of rest. It is out of your memory.” What He said next changed my life, not just in the area of preaching, but also in every other area, and I pray that it will bless you too. He said, “Prepare everything you need to. But when you stand in front of the people, whatever you need to say, I will give to you.”

Yes, there must be prepared, whether it is your sermon or sales presentation. I am not telling you to be lazy and just do nothing. You need to prepare, but don’t depend on your preparation. Just trust God and tell yourself that whatever you forget, God wants it forgotten. And whatever you didn’t plan to say but said, it is because God wanted it said. Don’t be stressed out and lose your rest by thinking, “I must know everything! I must remember everything and do everything I have prepared!”

No, believe God and be at rest. When the time comes, whatever you need to know, there and then, God will let you know. Whatever you don’t need to know, you don’t need to know. And don’t worry about what you didn’t say—believe that God didn’t want it said.

My friend, when you live life like that—trusting God and resting in His love for you-you become cool and collected. And when you are peaceful and at rest in Him, what you do prospers!

Joseph Prince devotional





In the meantime, I have been working on marketing our Art Retreat on the 19th of July 2014. You can find more details about this on our Happy Go Artsy Blog



On a more personal note:
I have also been reading the posts of a very special lady and would like to share her work with you. Her name is Ann Voskamp and I truly feel like we are kindred spirits. I really believe what she believes and her writing inspires me to keep going daily, trusting God for my dreams and my future. It doesn't really matter if I am a great big success or not, as long as God's purpose in my life is fulfilled. I hope you are blessed by me sharing her blog with you. I am also following the incourage.me website on facebook and the writings and inspirations of all these artists and fellow Christian ladies just helps me stay on track at the moment. It is like all over the planet God is bringing like-minded women together through creative inspirational writing and art for one purpose: to help us stay focused on Him and His kingdom. Let's not lose sight of Him while trying to survive and thrive in this life. There is more awaiting us!

Today my sister shared this song with me. A new release by James Blunt. I am an instant fan. I just believe that we should be able to communicate to each other how important our loved ones are to us. The song indicates that this person's loved one is not perfect but still very much important and loved. We need each other. It doesn't matter if we are family or friends, but we need each other. Let's verbalize it some more today. Tell someone close to you what they mean to you on a daily basis.  Relationships won't change and grow unless we choose to work at it daily. Something I have been struggling with is the fact that not everyone I try to love, will love me back. What do I do with that? What does God want me to do with that? I am the creative emotional sort but I am also very real about life and relationships. I am also a communicator. At one point recently I decided after various experiences to choose to move on when I experience rejection and not to try and try and try again. But as a Christian, I have come to realize that God may want me to move on in some circumstances and not to move on in others. I need the wisdom to know when I have an assignment to "stay on" no matter what the other person does. I think sometimes we underestimate the power of God in and through us. Do not give up on that person that weighs so heavily on your heart. Keep on keeping on.

Who you are and how you respond naturally to people may be the very thing God uses to jump-start them to action or to bring change in their attitudes. Sometimes I feel discouraged because my mere personality challenges people to the point that they would rather not connect with me. See pride gets in the way, shame and guilt get in the way and stubbornness also. We don't want to be challenged that we may not know it all or that our attitudes need adjustment. I am constantly reminded that I need God. The older I become, the more I realize just how much I need Him. I am highly sensitive to my environment and the emotions of others. I see and experience things other people just don't see or understand. It can make life very difficult. But I also know that I am made for a purpose. Others may not embrace that purpose or understand it, but the more I embrace my own purpose, stick to it, be courageous in living it out daily and in all circumstances, the more God can work in and through me. I always believe when you say you are humble you lose your humility in that very moment, but to be able to bow your knee before God and say that you need Him every moment, may just bring you closer to it. To realize that you can keep your heart open to Him, you also will be able to keep it open to those who cannot, will not, or never will choose to love you back. Hope that makes sense to you.


So enjoy the video and remember that Love overcomes all things, cover all things and endures all things.