Wisdom

Dear Friends,

One of the marvelous gifts God promises to those who ask is WISDOM. King Solomon, overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility  of governing God's holy people, asked for wisdom to guide them. The Almighty Jehovah was impressed.

"Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?"

God said to Solomon, "Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honour, or the lives of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honour, such as none of the kings before you have possessed nor those who will come after you."

(2 Chronicles 1:10-12)

I don't have a nation to govern, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities that I do have. It was a special thing that God told King Solomon to ask him for anything, but the Lord is always ready to give wisdom to us whenever we ask for it.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

What touched my heart about this verse is that God does not find fault with me for needing wisdom. We are often in positions (parents, teachers, bosses, etc.) where others expect us to have all the answers, but God never does. He is  always ready to impart his divine wisdom to whoever asks for it.

Thank you for visiting today. Now here is a piece of wisdom for you. I hope you will hold it close to your heart.

You are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

He Draws Me

Hello Friends,

A couple of weeks ago the bible art challenge at Rebekah R. Jones was based on Jeremiah 31:3.

The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness."

I had fun with the words "drawn you with loving kindness" by drawing a figure and printing "loving kindness" many times inside of it. (Actually I used a paper doll stencil for my figure)

I used recycled box-board for my album page. I had a few pieces prepared ahead of time. When I complete several, I will bind them together. For now, I like the freedom of being able to work on one page at a time. Here are two of my prepared pages.

And here is my completed "Draw Me" page.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I appreciate you dropping by and your comments warm my heart.

Always remember: You are beautiful and you are loved with an everlasting love.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - Creation

Hello Friends,

This week's image is more detailed than what I usually offer. I also have three new Word Art scriptures to go with it. I hope you can find a use for these in your art or crafting. These are all in PNG formats.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Art Reflection - Dove in Chalks

Hello Friends,

This week's art reflection is a drawing I did in chalks on July 3, 2008. I drew it during a time of personal worship and meditation. I actually cut out the original drawing and pasted it to a painting background in my old sketchbook. At that time I also added the words, "Let Your Fire Fall" along the tail feathers.

Thank you for dropping by. I appreciate your visit and I hope you will know today that you are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Isaiah 60

Hello Friends,

Last night a mission team called "10 White Trucks" came to our little island to collect gifts for Israel.

Imagine my surprise and delight when the key speaker opened to Isaiah 60 and started reading. Tuesday I started a two-page layout based on Isaiah 60, quoting verse 2. I finished the 2nd page of the layout shortly before leaving for the meeting last night.

I started by scribbling and finger-blending charcoal all over my page and then using a stencil and kneadable eraser to lift off colour for the moon. I got the idea from Lindsay Weirich, The Frugal Crafter. If you are interested, the tutorial is HERE. I fixed it with hairspray and then took it for a walk, along with my chalk pastels. In an open field near my house I added some clay red, golden yellow, black and a bit of cherry red. I brought some white Gesso along, which I delicately dabbed with a dry sea sponge as highlights for the moon. This is my interpretation of the blood moon which is due to appear over Israel on September 28. I think we may be able to see it too.

After fixing the chalk layer with hair spray and printing the first half of Isaiah 60:2, I covered most of the facing page with black chalk pastel. I created a 'horizon line' in yellow and a kind of blob at the center. My photo was taking at an angle so the horizon line looks crooked, but it really isn't.

I fixed this chalk layer and came back later to see what I could make of it. A lion seemed to be crouching and peering down so that is what I tried to bring out with acrylic paints. I added other rainbow-like colours to represent God's Promises.

Then I added the second half of Isaiah 60:2, also with white gel pen. The tiny stick figures (people) were done with white acrylic paint.

And here is the complete 2nd page of my layout.

May the Lion of Judah arise over Israel to breathe upon them and bless them!

 Thank you for visiting my blog today. I appreciate you stopping by and your comments warm my heart.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

PS - You are beautiful and you are loved.

Sunday's Art Reflection - Prisma Pencils

Hello Friends,

Back for another look at some of my early art. This was done in May of 2008 with Prisma pencils. I pasted the page into my book and framed it with smears of acrylic paint.

Holy Spirit, the third person of the Divine Trinity, is often referred to as male. It is easy to ascribe gender to the Father and the Son. But I wonder when we refer to all the Persons of the Trinity as male if we forget that God is Spirit. He is neither male nor female, but he has attributes of both.

^{Genesis 1: 27 says:} God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.

Wonderful, mysterious Holy Spirit comes in different forms - like the dove that alighted upon Jesus when he arose from the waters of baptism in the Jordan. And sometimes in a female persona.

My friend often refers to the third person of the Trinity as "Precious Holy Spirit". I like that. Holy God desires deep companionship with us and will most often come in a way that helps us to trust and feel secure. No matter in what form, he/she will always honour Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

I made this word art of the scripture that I hand-wrote on this page. I hope you can use it in your own faith art.

Whatever your beliefs, God wants you to know that

You are beautiful and you are loved.

 
Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - Pretty Heart

Hello Friends,

Today's little blessing was given on my other blog - Tickell Expressions - a few months ago. If you follow that blog regularly you probably already have it.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

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You are beautiful

Just popping in today to tell you that 

you are beautiful and you are loved.

Sunday's Little Blessing - Prayer for First Nations

Hello Friends,

I have been posting weekly free images (and/or sentiments) on my other blog, Tickell Expressions, for several months now. This week I decided to do likewise here. The images on "A Closer Walk" will usually be the same as offered on Tickell Expressions and I will likewise post them on Sundays. 

Today's little blessing was drawn as a prayer for the First Nations people of North America. I believe in honoring the great people who first cared for this land and praying for their divine destiny to be called forth. I think Song of Solomon 2:14 reflects God's heart for them.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

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Sunday's Art Reflection - Hands

Hello Friends,

I hope you are enjoying this journey of looking back at some of my first attempts at art. Today's art reflection was done in 2008 at a home group meeting.

I was thinking back to 1995 when I was reading Deuteronomy. Chapter 13, verse 17 stood out for me. Sometimes the Lord will speak a personal message through a verse that is out of context. That is no way to study the bible and the 'message' should be tested against other scripture.

The verse is: "Nothing of that unclean thing shall stick to thy hand."

At the time I was training in personal prayer ministry. Some well-meaning Christians were telling me things like, "Be careful when you pray for someone. The demons might jump off that person onto you." I didn't think that lined up with scripture; certainly not with the way Jesus did ministry; but it bothered me nonetheless as these people were mature Christians and seemed quite knowledgeable.

The verse in Deuteronomy was the assurance I needed from the Lord that kept me from giving in to fear.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I am so glad you came here. Here is God's message to you today:

You are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - New to You

Hello Friends,

Recently this blog was added to the "Ambassadors Blogs" page at His Kingdom Come so members could come by to pick up my free Sunday images. The only thing is I offer my images on my other blog - Tickell Expressions. I was going to correct the mistake, but then I thought, why not post my images on both blogs? So that is what I am going to do.

Along with my "Sunday's Art Reflection" there will be a "Sunday's Little Blessing" post every week. In the meantime, here are the images I have given away in the last few weeks, in case you missed any. I do give away other word art or image files on occasion. If you don't want to miss a post, you can e-mail subscribe to one or both blogs.

Here are your free images. I would love to see anything you create with these. I have a Tickell Expressions FaceBook page where you can post your creations or you can just put a link to your project in the comments and I will pop over for a look.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Scripture Word Art for Big Crown image is here.

Participate in the Divine Nature

Hello Friends,

This week's bible study for the Take Me Deeper group at His Kingdom Come is 2 Peter 1:3-4.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (NIV)

Talk about power-packed sentences! My little brain can only process, really process, a tidbit at a time. I honed in on "so that ... you may participate in the divine nature". How cool is that! I can have the nature of God. I can participate in things HE wants to do. If HE wants to heal, my yielded hands can heal. If HE wants to encourage, my yielded mind can be filled with HIS thoughts and poured out through my mouth. If HE weeps over a person or situation, my yielded heart can weep with those who mourn. I actually get to do God-stuff in this weak human form. I don't know about you, but that makes me want to do the Snoopy dance. Instead I drew this little dancing girl in my bible.

Galatians 5:16-17 (The Passion Translation) puts it like this:

"As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. For your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit's intense cravings hinder your old self-life from dominating you! The Holy Spirit is the ONLY ONE who defeats the cravings of your natural life. So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit."

 

The more I yield to Holy Spirit, the more I am filled with God's divine nature and able to participate in the wonderful works of His Kingdom. It's not about trying to do better. It's not about beating myself up for being weak. All I have to do is tip back my head and drink of His Glory. The Holy Spirit's INTENSE CRAVINGS within me are greater than the cravings of my self-life. So then, being continually filled is vital. I still have to choose to do right, but the more yielded I am to precious Holy Spirit, the easier that becomes.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope I have inspired you in some way. Whether anything I have said to this point speaks to you, please hear this:

You are beautiful and you are loved. You really and truly are.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Take Me Deeper - Gratitude & Peace

Hello Friends,

I belong to a wonderful community of creative Christians at His Kingdom Come. One of the groups I joined is called Take Me Deeper. Each week there is a new study and each month a different theme. August's theme was "Gratitude". A side theme was "the Peace of God".

For August Week Four I followed the extra study scriptures given. At each stop I made a little art in my bible. I will share a few of them here.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 really inspired me. It says, "Do not put out the Spirit's fire."

Verses 23-24 were equally inspiring: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

I love that - "The one who calls you is faithful and HE will do it."

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I am so glad you came. If you are a regular here you know how I always end my posts, but I hope you never tire of hearing:

You are beautiful and you are loved. You really and truly are.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Cross is Wisdom and Power

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. (Is. 29:14)

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the fooolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NIV)

Sometimes there is nothing to add. Here is a bit of art I did in my bible over the above scriptures.

Thanks for dropping by. May you experience the love of God in your life today and may you know that you are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Art Reflection - Promises

Hello Friends,

Today's art reflection is a painting I did in May of 2008. It represents the promises of God, particularly those given to women who deeply desired to have a child. We have several examples of miracle pregnancies of women in the bible.

Abraham and Sarah were promised a son that was not born until they were 100 and 90 years old, respectively.

Isaac (their son) and his wife Rebekah also had trouble conceiving. Isaac prayed and the Lord blessed them with twins. They were married for 20 years before this happened. Isaac was 60.

Isaac's son Jacob was not able to have a child with his favourite wife Rachel. By God's mercy she was finally able to give birth to Joseph and later to Benjamin.

Then there was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who went on to have five more children after she gave birth to the famous prophet.

The wife of Manoah was met by an angel and told that she would have a son. By the following year she held baby Samson in her arms.

The widow that built a room for Elisha was also barren and had given up hope of ever having a child. When the prophet asked what he could do for her, she dared not even ask, she had so little faith. But she too was able to have a child. That child later died from an accident and the prophet, by the power of God, raised him from the dead.

Elizabeth, cousin to Mary the mother of Jesus, conceived and gave birth to John the Baptist even though she and her husband were too old to have children. The angel Gabriel said of this, "For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)

Are you a follower of Jesus? Has he made promises to you in the past, perhaps so long ago that you think he has forgotten? Does it now look impossible for those promises to come to past? Halleluiah! Not only is nothing impossible for God, he LOVES to do things that we call impossible. The more impossible the fulfillment of your promise seems, the closer you are to seeing it happen. REJOICE! If God truly said it, then he will most certainly do it.

Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, he wants you to know this today:

You are beautiful and you are loved. You really, truly are.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

PS - You can find a free faith art image and sentiment set on my other blog, Tickell Expressions.

Feel It

You are beautiful and you are loved.

Can ya feel it?

New Song by Toby Mac

Hidden

Hello Friends,

Recently a big-name in Christian circles came to our city for a conference. During one of the sessions he asked people to stand who wanted prayer. He barely touched my hand, saying one or two words as he continued to walk by. At that moment I had a vision. My eyes were closed and the picture was in my mind, but it was very clear and stayed with me. There was a wall of angel (not plural) hiding me.

I have often felt obscure and insignificant. Just when I start to believe there is a destiny on my life, and maybe that visiting prophet will confirm it, I seem to become even more invisible. I did my best to draw the vision in my bible and the only interpretation I was received was that I was hidden. I don't know why I should be hidden. I have asked and I have tried to speculate about it. My only answer is the most satisfying and the only one I really need. It is the strong sense of love and peace I felt as I rested in the vision.

My Father is merciful and kind. He loves me and so he hides me. If that makes me invisible, if that makes me obscure or overlooked in the eyes of others, if I am never called out by visiting prophets and my name is never gilded on the spine of a book, let it be even as He wills

"And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen," (1 Corinthians 12:23)

Thank you for visiting my blog and allowing me to share my heart with you today. My prayer for you is that you would know the love of the Father; that you would know that

You are Beautiful and You are Loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa
  

The Parable of Two Pigeons

Hello Friends,

Some of you know that I started caring for rescued pigeons 2-3 months ago. They are mostly from my own neighbourhood. They have been nesting in a bus stop shelter and babies have been tumbling out of the nest before they are fully feathered and able to eat on their own. Most had injuries, including our first rescued pigeon who had a broken leg.

When the first two pigeons were ready to be released, my husband built a shelter for them and mounted it at the back of our garage. He made a removable cage section so the pigeons would acclimate to the shelter and remember where to come back for food, water and a safe place to get out of the weather. We opened the cage section on August 13th, two days after placing them in the outdoor shelter. Gimpy (broken leg) flew into the trees, but Grace went straight to the ground. She could not fly.

An unexpected storm blew in during their first night in the shelter and we figured Grace must have thrashed in fear and bruised or sprained her wing, as it drooped slightly to her side. Once Gimpy realized her situation, he stayed close by whenever Grace was on the ground. He even let himself be a decoy when some crows came around, flying right into their line of sight to deter them from discovering his mate. That was when we changed his name to Love.

Terry built a ramp for Grace so she could get back to the shelter without our assistance. Love started touring the neighbourhood but always returned to check on Grace. Recently he flew up to her on the ramp and flapped his wings as though encouraging her to give flying another try. Part of her problem was that she no longer believed she could fly.

Love paying a visit to Grace

Today I went outside and was thrilled to find two pigeons sitting on my rooftop - Love and Grace. Grace had rediscovered her wings and was flying the skies with her mate.

Tonight, during our family worship time, I felt the Lord telling me that these two pigeons are a parable.

God extends to me his UNLIMITED GRACE as I heal from past wounds and learn to let go of my fears, insecurities and doubt. He knows that I will eventually learn to fly and he never gives up on me. And though it seems like he is gone sometimes, he is always watching over me. God is LOVE and LOVE NEVER FAILS. (1 Cor.13:8)

Here is a video I took of Love and Grace on my rooftop.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope you have been inspired or even a little entertained. Most of all, I hope that you will receive this very special message to you from God:

You are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa