Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 8 (Monday)

Encouragement Post #8: (Monday) How are YOU doing? What has God been teaching YOU in this present situation? For me, I think more than anything He is teaching me that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No matter how everything around me changes, He does not. No matter how I have failed Him, He continues to love me... HIS mercies are new every morning, every hour, every second. And His faithfulness is beyond our ability to comprehend it. The One who is all righteousness and complete justice is also completely merciful. So I am "chewing on that" for the next little while. Would you take refuge with me under the shadow of His great wings?

Lamentations 3:21-25 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."

Psalm 36:5-7 "Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 7 (Sunday)

Encouragement Post #7: (Sunday) How encouraging that even through all the forced separation, the church is finding creative ways to "assemble together" as we are commanded in Hebrews 10. I have seen so many today who gathered together, virtually. I pray that you are finding ways to stay connected to your spiritual family in the quarantine. This virus has not surprised our Lord, and he has gone before us. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." How wonderful is it that we have the gift of technology to keep us connected during this present trial? He knows exactly what we need.

Lord, we acknowledge our need for You… for Your forgiveness for our sin, for Your mercy in our stumbling, for Your love to soothe the wounded places in our souls, for Your provision in our inadequacy, for Your protection over us as Your children. Thank You for being Immanuel, the God who is with us!

Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."
Romans 8:25 & 27 "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."

Immanuel
by Mike Card

A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing undiminished Deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
And hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality

Chorus
Immanuel, Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us, Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold, your light has come

Chorus

So what shall be your answer
Oh will you here the call
Of Him who did not spare His Son
But gave Him for us all
On earth there is no power
There is no depth or height
That could ever separate us
From the love of God in Christ

Repeat Chorus

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 6 (Saturday)

Encouragement Post #6: (Saturday) Even though we are physically separated for the most part, this is the time for the church to find a way to unify. If you aren't feeling this yet, at some point you will: We aren't meant to live in isolation (yes, I am talking to the introverts in the bunch, too). We are meant to live in community, and this means finding ways to love each other well while doing the whole "social distancing" thing. How encouraging that Jesus prayed for us in the hours before He went to the cross that we would be one even as He and the Father are one. When we as His church are one, then the world will believe that He was sent by the Father (John 17:21). I pray that the Lord would reveal to each one of us who are His just what He would have us do, as we creatively look for ways to come together in His name and love one another in a time of severe social restraints.

John 17:13-21 "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."

Encouragement Post – Coronavirus Distancing Day 5 (Friday)

Encouragement Post #5: Today (Friday) I am lifting my eyes to the One in Whom I have entirely set my hope. Would you join me in calling out to Him? (I know, :) you probably already have been.) He has given us so many great and precious promises, but He also tells us that we do not have because we do not ask or that we ask and do not have because we have asked with wrong motives so that we can spend it on our own pleasures (James 4:2-3). So today, I am coming in humility to say, "Lord, I lift my eyes to you and know that help can only come from You." When the burden seems heavy, the questions are many, the stresses seem greater... I will say with the songwriter Edward Mote, "When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand." That is true and real peace.

Psalm 121
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever."

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 4 (Thursday)

Encouragement Post #4: THIS is what we've been training for!! When
times are good, we stay in the Word and gather up all the wisdom, truth,
and hope we can, so that when our worlds are shaken we will be ready.
This is the time when we prove our faith (1 Peter 1:7).

Trouble is a promise with a capital "T" ...straight from the mouth of Jesus. Only today have I realized just how poignant this passage from John 16:29-33 really is, "His disciples said, 'Now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.' Jesus answered them, 'Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.'"

HE HAS already won the victory (1 Cor. 15:57, 1 John 5:4). Stand firm; let nothing move you (1 Cor. 15:58). Let the word dwell [live, take up residence] in you (Col. 3:16). Be filled [and be being filled] with His Spirit [the Ultimate Encourager] (Eph. 5:18, Luke 11:13).

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 3 (Wednesday)

Encouragement Post #3: Let's have BIG FAITH! He IS ABLE! Matthew
8:24-27 "And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the
boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And
they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are
perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little
faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became
perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
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He Will Hold Me Fast
by Keith & Kristyn Getty

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast
He'll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last
Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast
Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast
Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast
'Til our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so
For my Savior loves me so
He will hold me fast

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 2 (Tuesday)

Encouragement Post #2: If you ever wonder if God has a plan, just listen to this newly released song from the Gettys, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Matt Merker, and Jordan Kauflin, which was written before this current storm hit.

"encourage" - to draw alongside someone else and give or infuse into them some of your courage.
"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3:13

AND... YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT HOW THIS SONG CAME TO BE WRITTEN HERE: https://youtu.be/nLoMST0X2lM

Encouragement Post - Coronavirus Distancing Day 1 (Monday)

"encourage" - to draw alongside someone else and give or infuse into them some of your courage.

"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3:13

Let's encourage one another... I hope this song will be an encouragement to you!

A very full holiday season…

All the wayyyyy back in November, I wrote a post (in my head) about all my preparations for Thanksgiving…. now that the train has traveled all the way down the tracks to May, I think it is high time I posted something here.  In the interest of wanting this to sort of be as much of a journal as a blog, I am going to fill in with some posts about what has gone on since.

November started out with me trying a new project.  I am not much of a decorator, but I love TRYING to do things myself.  I have a set of antique cherry Chippendale dining room chairs that were given to me, along with a dining table, when we moved into our current house thirteen years ago.  The fabric on them, while a lovely color and not terribly worn, was stained in several places where I could not get the stains out.  They were desperately in need of new fabric. I knew this would require disassembling the chair bottoms and completely redoing even the spring coils on the underside of the chairs, as they had slid out of place.  In case you’ve never seen this, the above pic is what it looks like underneath a spring coiled dining room chair seat.

All of the fabric underneath the springs had dry-rotted, so it was no longer supporting the weight of a person, and badly needed to be replaced.  This required removing the old – which had been tightly stapled together and then nailed to the chairs with about 40 gazillion nails – and adding the new.  Removing the old was quite the task, and adding the new took nearly every bit of strength this old woman had.  After crawling around on the floor, pulling, then stapling, then pulling, then stapling, and repeating that until all strips were tightly criss-crossed underneath and the springs firmly in place, it was time to put the padding over the top and to staple the fabric on. 

I purchased a lovely damask fabric in golds and greens which I had kept for about 6 months with no “round tuits.” After cutting the fabric to fit the chair, I took staple gun in hand and went at it with just about all the strength I could muster.  Once I had the fabric securely on, I then stapled a layer of dark cover fabric on the underside to cover the unfinished places.  Lastly, I glued on the trim.  And the above photo is the result.

I absolutely love the fabric on these chairs;

I really enjoyed doing this myself, but I have to admit that I really overdid it trying to get this done in two days and injured my back in the process. They were, however, all ready for Thanksgiving which I held at my home for both sides of the family, including my brother- and sister-in-law and their family.

Of course, I got busy and forgot to get photos once the guests arrived.  But, at least I remember how I decorated the tables.  I was lucky enough to find these lovely cloth napkins in fall colors from Christmas Tree Shoppes four for $2!  What a steal.  The tablecloth was $3.  So, for under $10 I had cloth napkins for everyone. Not only did I feel like my house looked so lovely, but the fellowship was just wonderful…  so much so that I am still looking back fondly on the day and being thankful! 

My latest commissioned works

These are a few of my most recent commissioned pieces.

Antebellum Historical Home

This is a historical home in a rural area not too far from our city.  It is an antebellum home that I was asked to draw as a gift for the owner by his daughter.  I absolutely love the architecture and character of this home, with the gingerbread detailing around the porch and long windows across the front. I love doing historical homes, especially ones that I know have been around hundreds of years.

And here it is (below) hung in the home of the happy new owner. 

Lovely Brick Architecture

This was a commission as a gift for my client’s parents.  I love the architecture of this home.  Drawing all those bricks can be a little tedious, but I really do enjoy it.  I know that it would drive some artists crazy, but it’s the architectural details that I just love about these pieces.

For One of My Bridesmaids

One of my sweet friends from college, who was a bridesmaid in our wedding 30 years ago, wanted to surprise her husband with a drawing of the house they have lived and raised their three girls in for close to 20 years.  What a joy to do that for her.

It’s such a privilege to get to be a part of these types of gift giving and surprises in honor of special events in people’s lives.  I am so thankful the Lord has allowed me to do something I love doing so much..