Shores of His Grace

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, return hastily, O my beloved,  and be like a gazelle or a young hart as you cover the mountains which seperate us"

Song Of Sol

Imagine that you have just committed a sin, and you are standing at the edge of the ocean. You cast that sin out into the ocean and watch it bob out to sea.....satan would have you believe that you are casting that sin out into the eternal wretchedness of all of your past sins, that it is just one more in the pile. Imagine that sin being a soda can...in this reality...it never breaks down and never goes away. It is bobbing along, with all of your other sins. Sometimes, it will wash back up on the shores of your heart, and it will stab you with guilt and remorse, as you remember the sin. Once the damage is inflicted, it floats back out to the sea of wretchedness. The tides bring in other sins that awaken the sense of guilt and dread. Satan would have you NEVER forget the past sins, He is the accuser of the brethren...he will remind you and pull those sins out of the sea of wretchedness, to torment you, if you let him.

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But, here is the reality. You stand on the shores of God's grace, mercy and love. You see the sin, recognize it and repent from it, and cast it off into the ocean of God's love...it is erased for all eternity, through His blood. Our God takes those sins and they disappear into the great expanse of His grace! The only thing that is lapping onto the shores of your heart is God's love, forgiveness and mercy.

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If satan is beating you up with the day you have had, with things you have done in the past, with old junk....stand on the shores of God's love today, apologize, and cast the sins into His grace. Change your ways at the shoreline and choose to make different choices. If you have already cast that sin into the waves of God's grace....satan is just beating you up...because God doesn't even remember that sin...if you are clean before the Father - then you are clean. Silence the attack of the enemy...get yourself back to the shoreline of His grace - and see the expanse of the crystal blue waters...see the expanse of God's love for you and His forgiveness. It is FINISHED, when you cast it into His expanse.....silence the enemy with truth!!

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1John 1:9

If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

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If you find yourself being beat up, recite the truth- the scriptures above, out loud------ and silence the voice of the enemy!  He holds His hand out to YOU and asks that you would enter into a Symphony of His grace today....

Unspeakable Joy Conference, March 5th- See You There!

I Am Not Creative!!!!!

I do many workshops and work many retreats.  I, invariably, hear - at EVERY event I work: "I am not creative", "I can't draw a stick figure".  I hear it again and again, in all areas of the country and the world. I AM NOT CREATIVE.

I look at the greatest attacks on the children of God and realize that our enemy is concentrating a lot on the creative minds, and hearts of His children.

Why such a full frontal assault on the creative? This past weekend I was with two other artists as we pondered and thought through our role at Encouragement Cafe, 91.3 Joy FM.  We spoke of the Tower of Babel and how God intersected human pride and scattered us through language.

And then it hit.

Color is a universal language.  It speaks to everyone, without words.  Beauty speaks and it requires no translator.  It is the universal language- of course, the enemy would want to shut it down.  Shut down the creative and you shut down a language that intersects the darkness, through color and light. Remember that black is devoid of color, white embraces all of the colors. Shut down the creative and you shut down the use of light and color as it pierces into the darkness.

John 1:4-6: "The Word gave life to everything that was created and His life brought LIGHT to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it."

So, today, I whisper into your heart - that you serve a creative God - you were made to be creative. Rise up creative Army of the Most High and take a stand against the darkness. Beauty Matters- speak the language of color, shatter the darkness,  and salt your world with His love. 

Pick*me*up Painting Parties

A Journaling Birthday Party

I was asked to share my love of journaling with a group of ladies, as a birthday party, for a special birthday girl!  After snacks and treats,  I shared some techniques, did some praying, showed some examples,  and released everyone to play with the supplies.  What a great way to usher in a new year - in the throes of creativity!!!
Want to have a birthday party - child, tween or adult?  Message me for details!!!

Painting parties as a fundraiser!

Contact Praise HeART to organize your own fundraiser!

Art on the Misssion Field

In Romania we served the elderly, through Elder Orphan Care. Imagine your parents out on the street, through a cold European winter. Imagine the frostbite settling in and the feeling going out of their limbs.  Imagine the sleepiness that takes over the senses.  Now, if you would join me in imagining the rats that feed on such victims, nibbling on frozen limbs through the long hours of the night. Imagine your parents and grandparents waking up to the horror of seeing their limbs frozen and gnawed on and the horror as their legs are amputated.   There is a man in Romania who was watching TV one night in Dumbravya, Romania.  The news caster spoke of two elderly that had frozen to death on the streets of Oradea. He had a choice.  He could have turned the channel, turned off the TV and “said a prayer” – or- he could act.  He chose to act. He hit the streets and found elderly and took them into his home. He rescued, and continues to rescue, the elderly and frail from the streets.  At this point, he is serving 161 elderly and frail through the countryside villages in Romania.   We get to partner with him when we go to Romania and encourage him. He is the one that lives there and lives with the everyday demands of rescue.  We are a small respite that wishes to encourage and partner with him.  If you are interested you can learn more about “Elder Orphan Care” on Fb,  https://www.facebook.com/ElderOrphanCare?fref=ts

In the months of preparation of our trip, we prayed into what our focus would be.  In the past we have brought eyeglasses so that – literally – the blind could see.  This did not feel like the focus of the trip. Through prayer we kept landing on “art” and “shoes”.  With 160 elderly, of all different physical and cognitive capabilities- I had no idea how to roll out an art aspect! The Lord provided answers in little steps.  First, we purchased watercolor kits, inexpensive watercolors, and cheap brushes.  With a sharpie marker, I printed out 160 different Romanian words: Jesus loves  me and Praise the Lord!. I had an art bag packed and ready to go, not sure how it would play out and if it would be received well.  These were children’s watercolor kits- would I be insulting?  Would they “go for it”?
I was there with one purpose and one passion, because BEAUTY MATTERS.  Beauty pierces through the darkness and brings hope.  A single rose is a protest against the violence, poverty, disease that is all around it. Color is the presence of LIGHT, in dancing hues.  Blackness is not a color – it is void of color.  To bring color into the soul is to bring LIGHT into the darkness. 

Let me take you to the moving moments when the art bag was opened and color was released out into the world. There were gnarled hands, incapacitated from a stroke.  There were trembling hands that shook. There were those that couldn’t even sit up in bed.  Protests against the light were many – in the words of our translator: “We will not take no for an answer!” The paints were given out and we all stood and sat by each bedside. Sometimes we gathered in the garden, and other times we gathered in the lobby of their homes. Either way, paintbrushes were put into gnarled hands and encouraging words were spoken.  Men with big hands, that had worked their whole lives- dwarfed the little paintbrushes- engulfing the tool of light so that it was almost not visible.  And……they….painted.

Smiles played on their lips and sparkles could be seen in their eyes.  It was if they had INGESTED the color, they were radiating out this message of life and light and color.  We all wept to see the transformation that a simple pan of watercolors could bring.

One man, Rudolph, spoke gibberish constantly.  He has been waiting for his mother to come and get him for years. We put the watercolors in front of him and he continued to babble and gesture wildly.  One member of our team, took his hand and placed it around the brush.  At the darkness often does, it protests against incoming light.  He gestured,  his eyes told the story that he believed he couldn’t do it. With patience, each stroke was laid on with the help of a team mate. His breathing slowed, his focus sharpened.  She let go of his hand.  HE continued on. He took a deeeeep, deeeep breath, almost breathing in the light and the color into his soul and continued on in silence- finishing the entire painting by himself.

And we wept to see the beauty find victory over the darkness.

One man couldn’t do it, though we tried and tried to convince him. Another member of the team sat by his bed and did it for him, while he watched in fascination. One might say that the beauty failed him, that beauty couldn’t pierce through his darkness. When we all left his room, a member of the team stayed behind and caught a picture of him, holding the little painting before him, soaking in the color and the light- as beauty pierced into the darkness and shattered the night of the soul.

And we wept for the goodness of beauty and a God that works in such an intimate way.