I hope you all had a marvelous
Christmas. Mine was wonderful. I will be back later this week to show
you what my DH and I made for his mom. In the meantime, here is a little
gift for you.
Today is the final day of Advent. Until this year I had only considered that it was Christmas Day. I had never gone on an Advent journey before. I didn't know what I was missing, but now that I do, I don't want to miss it again.
Zuda Gay Pease brought today's Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come. She shared some beautiful thoughts and a lovely art page. The song which inspired her is Jeremy Camp's version of "Joy to the World". I've pasted it below for you to enjoy too.
I did some simple paper crafting for the last page in my Advent journal. First I glued in a scrap of Christmas wrap and pasted a few other things on top. When I first put my Advent journal together, using old Christmas cards, I chose which card front would serve as the final page. It says, "Mission Accomplished".
Thank you for visiting my blog and letting me share my Avent journey with you. I pray that you will receive many good things this Christmas and in the New Year to come.
One more sleep to Christmas, kids! We opened our family gifts this morning, but I am scheduling this post so I don't yet know what I got. Tomorrow we are heading off to New Brunswick to visit my wonderful in-laws. I'm telling you, I hit the jackpot when I married into the Arsenault family.
Alicia Feaster did a fabulous job with today's Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come. The song chosen was one of my all-time favourites - O Holy Night. Just take a listen to Kari Jobe singing it.
I did an intuitive painting in my Advent journal. First I did a random background. Then I listened to the song (lots of times), worshiping along as I painted. The background suggested the scene to me. I remember hearing a quote from a sculptor once when someone asked him how he did his work. He said something like, "I carve away everything that isn't a ______." I sort of do the opposite with paint. I see the subject first in the background and then I try to make it more obvious, so others can see it too. I usually prefer to keep it somewhat abstract so it doesn't lose the ethereal quality I saw at the first.
On the right is a used card front; I didn't touch its beautiful picture. The left side is my art. I first carved out Mary and Baby Jesus. Then I added in the figure on his knees to represent where it says in the song, "Fall on your knees. Oh hear the angel voices." I thought the swirling wisps of white might be angels.
Thank you for visiting my blog today. I wish you a wonderful Christmas.
My, but we are getting close. I might be closer to Christmas morning than you. Since we are going to visit family on Friday, we are celebrating our Christmas at home tomorrow. The gifts are wrapped, the stockings are hung and I am getting excited for morning. Only one more sleep for me! :)
Valerie Sjodin brought the Advent devotional today at His Kingdom Come. She did some wonderful art in her bible and, as I reflected on the day's devotional, I was inspired to write a poem.
The dove and background were on the card front (I made my journal from used Christmas cards). I simply added my poem.
God
as the Son in flesh
you came
As Sacrificing Father
gave
Holy Spirit Mother
went
to hold your Son again
Obedient to death
you went
that earthbound children might
repent
Beyond all imagining
you sent
indwelling Spirit came
You came
You gave
You sent
We wait
for you will come again
I did a collage of paper scraps, a cut-out from a card, the number (compliments of Diane Marra, HKC) and a little vintage girl that I got from my friend Angela Hoynes of Crafting with Jack. I coloured her with water colour pencils, mostly Prima.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
Kathy Shaull wrote the Advent devotional today at His Kingdom Come. It was very powerful. I know the sweet baby of the Christmas story is the same person who endured the torture of the scrounge and the cross, but it pained me to think of it. It pained me even more to illustrate it in my art page, but I felt it was important to do so.
I used the baby Jesus image and sentiment set that I gave away on this blog yesterday.
Just four more sleeps, kids! I did a little shopping, wrapped some gifts and stuffed some stockings today. Usually I wait until Christmas Eve to do the stockings, but I wanted to get it out of the way.
Celebrating Advent with the beautiful devotionals at His Kingdom Come has made this build-up to Christmas so vibrant and alive for me. Mary Brack did the Advent study today so it seemed appropriate to make my backgrounds with the famous (at HKC) Mary Brack painted circles. I made the papers quite some time ago, but hadn't gotten around to using them until now.
I used an image from Nettie G's Digital Gems, word art by Decosse's Dynamite Doodles (Believe) and Tickell Expressions (stable). I will leave the TE word art file at the end of this post for any of my newer followers (within the last year).
I used my water colour pencils on the image.
In her devotional, Mary quotes the prophet Simeon on the day of Jesus' dedication in the temple. One line grabbed hold of me. I wrote it on inked die cuts on the facing page.
Thank you for visiting my blog today. I will leave you with my Christmas word art file now.
Christina Nelson brought the Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come today. The theme for Week 4 - the final week of Advent - is PEACE.
Many of the members at HKC have been writing the devotionals for this season of Advent. Their styles are diverse, their talents evident, but what impresses me most is the depth of passion for our Lord that each woman holds in her heart. This has truly been a rich experience for me.
Here is the page I did for Day 22 of Advent. The right side is a beautiful card front (I used old Christmas cards as the pages in my journal) and I did my little bit of art on the left.
I started by stenciling watermark ink through a die cut flower negative and embossing it with clear powder. Then I directly applied two colours of blue ink over the page. I wiped off the ink from the glossy embossed surfaces. I cut a bird shape out of a pretty scrap of paper and added two gold flowers, plus the number 22.
My final step was to write "Prince of Peace" around the circle of the flower. Then I added "in me" in the center of the flower.
Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Christmas blessings,
Teresa
PS - Be sure to pick up my free digital image today on my other post.
As my final "little blessing" posting before Christmas, I have drawn you a baby Jesus.
May you be wrapped in the warmth of family and, most of all, in the Saviour's love this holiday season.
Christmas blessngs,
Teresa
My December offer: Create a project using one of my
digis, let me feature it on my blog and FB pages (with a link to your
blog post) and you can request an image you would like me to draw.
Bernice Hopper brought the Advent devotional today at His Kingdom Come. The song which inspired her words and art was "A Strange Way to Save the World".
In the song Joseph struggles with his own feelings of weakness. But God loves to choose the weak things of this world and he is well aware of our weaknesses. In fact, Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus - our high priest, who constantly intercedes on our behalf - is intimately acquainted with the weak human condition.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message Translation):
"Now
that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready
access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a
priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness
and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up
to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the
help."
Bernice put the question out - "What can I do?" I asked the question of myself and sent it up as a prayer. Yesterday I found out that tragedy has struck someone else that I know. Another young life has been ripped away before his time. Other friends are facing serious illnesses, not knowing what the outcome will be for them. A young woman hit black ice and was killed instantly, leaving young children and a grieving husband behind. Another family tragically lost their dad and his widow struggles to make Christmas for her little children. There is so much sorrow all around, but what can I do?
My life is relatively free of troubles right now. My family members are safe and fairly healthy. We have presents under our tree and plan to visit extended family over Christmas. Happiness is mine. If I take time to identify with the sufferings of others, my happiness will be affected. Yes it will.
But I have something that is deeper than happiness. I have JOY. Happiness flies away at the first hint of a cold wind. Joy is not so easily dislodged. Joy settles deep into my bones and tells me that all will be well; we will weather this storm. And joy allows me to identify with the sorrows of others without fear.
What can I do? I can pray. I don't mean only fleeting prayers offered in quick moments, though they have value too. Because I have Joy deep on the inside of me, I can allow myself to be touched deeply by the sorrows of others. Then Jesus intercedes through me (Romans 8:26) with sounds and words that bypass my mind. There is a release of the sorrow as my prayers take wing. Then Joy is with me most assuredly, letting me know that my prayers have been heard.
And here is some very good news for you. Joy is available to you, no matter what you are facing in your life. Joy is unshakable. Joy can bear much sorrow, and joy does not shrink away from the sorrows of others, even in happy times. Joy has another name and that name is Jesus.
I am so pleased to show you a gorgeous card Carrie Sheridan made with my recent Christmas Mouse image.
You can see details of this beautiful creation at Carrie's blog: Carrie's Custom Cards.
My
December offer is that if you make something with one of my images and
let me feature it on my blog and FB page, you can put in a request for
an image you would like me to draw for you. Carrie has already put in
her request and so has NanaConnie. Who will be next?
Staci Lys Dunn Silva brought today's Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come. For her inspiration, she had this beautiful song, performed by Amy Grant.
Staci's words brought the words of the song to life even more for me, drawing me into Mary's dilemma. She couldn't understand why God would have chosen her. Many were wiser, many were stronger. Nothing set her apart, yet God himself had set her apart. She knew the task was too great for her. Her only hope was for God himself to breathe his heavenly life and strength into her.
I didn't really do any art in my Advent journal today; just a bit of gold tape, a sticker and these words:
Today Bernice Hopper brought the Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come. The song was, "Angels We Have Heard on High" and Bernice pointed out something I hadn't noticed before. The shepherds were actually singing with the angels. And how could they have resisted doing so, if you think about it?
Imagine a whole choir of angels singing, "Glory to God in the Highest!" The sky is all aflame with their glorious appearances and alight with a marvelous star. Their voices fill you with a gladness that makes you giddy from your head to your toes. The promise your people have awaited for thousands of years has been fulfilled and you are the first to hear about it. How could they NOT sing?
I used one of my own images for my Advent page today. I painted it with water colour pencils and gel pens. Then I glued it to my painted page.
Thanks for visiting my blog today. I hope you are experiencing the wonder of Advent in some way this year.
Back in October I was offered the great privilege of creating an advent art devotional for the community at His Kingdom Come. Music videos were given as inspiration for each advent post and I chose Michael Card's "Immanuel".
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son
and they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us." (Matthew
1:23 NLT)
(For my art journal page I transferred, with clear contact paper, a copy of an earlier painting to my (acrylic) painted background. The word Immanuel was done with stickers. I added highlights with white acrylic paint and the verse with a white gel pen. The bottom layer of my background bled through, creating a pinkish hue to the verse and highlights. I rather like it.)
Christmas time can accentuate grief because the expectation is that we should be happy and jolly. Ho ho hold it.
The truth is the first Christmas was a terribly frightening, stressful time for Mary and Joseph. Can you imagine being a very young woman (probably a teenager), never having been with a man and now you are about to give birth with only a man to attend you and not even a private room and a bed available? You are far from home at a time when you desperately want your mother. You are wracked with pain you have never imagined and being bounced around on the back of a donkey.
Mary was NOT feeling all happy jolly and Joseph must have felt desperately helpless. He probably felt like a complete failure, not only to his wife, but now he was letting down God's Son!
*******************************
Mary's cries pierced the night, too far gone to care about the embarrassment of drawing strangers' stares her way. A little girl scurried over on tiptoe, holding a lantern up so Joseph could see her face. She cast a worried glance at the groaning woman on the donkey and blinked up at him.
"Come with me," she said, gesturing with her small hand. Her tough little feet scampered over the craggy hill as the lantern light bounced along with her.
Joseph wondered if he should follow. It could be a trap to get them away from the crowds to where thieves could easily pounce on them. Just then Mary screamed, a deep grunting sound. Joseph turned just in time to catch her in his arms as she slid off the animal, clutching her belly and groaning loudly.
With one hand gripping the donkey's rope, and both arms encircling Mary, he ran up the hill. His toes dashed against stones often, with only the distant lantern light to guide him, but he kept himself from stumbling, lest he drop his precious burden. Finally he was at the mouth of a little cave where a cow rested on a bed of straw, chewing as she looked up at him with limpid brown eyes.
A stable? Would the Son of God be born in a stable? He was about to tell the little girl that this was unacceptable, but she was nowhere in sight. Where had she gone, and so fast? He wanted to find her, but Mary's fists were beating at his chest.
"Joseph!" she screamed. He laid her on the straw as she gave one final scream and then went limp. The night was still. Was Mary dead? Just then a muffled cry came from beneath her dampened skirt. Joseph reached under and a jolt of power shot through his body as his fingers contacted the warm, vibrant flesh of Mary's son. Awestruck, he pulled the infant to his chest, sobbing and shaking with joy unspeakable. At that same moment a glorious brilliance flooded the area, piercing every crack in the walls and ceiling of the cave. Mary sat up, coming directly under one of the shafts of pure light.
"My soul doth magnify the Lord!" she gasped and then threw her head back and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Joseph, trembling with joyous wonder, placed the infant in her arms and the glorious light washed over the little family.
Suddenly heavenly music streamed from the sky, as if each note trilled up and down those pure shafts of light. Notes that no human ear had ever heard gushed over them and the baby smiled.
*************************************
Michael Card, in his song, quotes Isaiah 9:2. Here are verses 1-2 in the New Living Translation:
"Nevertheless,
that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of
Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the
future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people
who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a
land of deep darkness, a light will shine."
Christmas is a time for joy, but it is also a time for sorrow. If you are in a time of rejoicing, the message of Christmas is for you. If you are in a time of sorrow, the message of Christmas is most especially for you. This time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. Look for His Light and let it flood over you. Even in the midst of sorrow you can be filled with the wonder of His Glorious Joy.
"I have told you this (Jesus said) so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:11 NIV)
May you experience the deep peace and joy that came into the Earth at the first Christmas. He lives today and His name is Immanuel.
Christmas blessings, Teresa
Since I didn't have my Advent journal ready when I prepared this post, I added a little art to it for Day 18 of Advent.
Today Mary Brack did the Advent devotional at His Kingdom Come. It was all about how Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins so that we could be restored to right relationship with Father God.
My journal layout was simple. My left page is Christmas envelope, with a tag (cut from another card) tucked inside. My right page is a beautiful card front with a few additions pasted on top. Don't mind that red tab on the top-left. That is just a clamp to hold the book open so I could take pictures.
Just because you are so very special,
I am going to give you an early Christmas present. There will be at
least one more coming this week, so make sure to subscribe by e-mail so
you don't miss a post.
I am posting my Advent pages - Days 15 & 16 - today. My back has been bothering me so I have not been able to work at my desk for very long. I guess I need to be more careful and take more breaks in the future. That is so hard for me to do.
Yesterday I taught a Sunday School class of Grades 2-3 children. We talked about Advent and I showed them my Advent journal. I told them I feel like I am getting a Christmas present every single day. And I do, especially with the inspiring devotionals presented over at His Kingdom Come. I hope you will check us out. It is free to join and you don't have to be an artist to feel at home there.
Here are my pages (recycled Christmas cards) for Days 15 & 16. For my background, I used a paper that I made over the weekend. I gave it as a digital file on my blogs yesterday (Sunday), as well as a new Christmas poem I wrote.
Advent Day 15
This was a stamp
Advent Day 16
A very pretty Christmas card front on the right
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying this wonderful season of Advent.
And here are a pair:
