Good news?

Good news for those of you who need a chance to catch up on listening to my audio novel, The Bee Singer Queen: I am taking a break from recording chapters, perhaps until after the holidays. For those who are eagerly awaiting chapter 16, I do apologize. I am dealing with a major shift in my household in order to make space for a third bedroom. That means I am relocating my office and craft space. Almost everything is in boxes and bins right now.

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter 15

Hello Friends,

Thank you for the nice comments some of you have left. I am so glad you are enjoying my audio novel and I certainly do appreciate you encouragement.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Here is Chapter 15:

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter 14

Hello Friends,

I have a short chapter for you today. I hope you enjoy it.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter 13

Hello Friends,

Thank you for your patience. We have been shifting things about in my household to make space for a guest room. My basement office (and craft space) is partially set up, but I had to take a laptop into my bedroom for recording because of the various noises down here. That meant downloading new software and then transferring the recorded files back to my main computer. I have had other projects on the go as well, but hopefully I can keep on track from here on out.

So without further delay, here is Chapter 13.

Hugs & smiles,
Teresa

Slight Delay

Hello Friends,

I must apologize for a slight delay in getting a new chapter of my novel published today. I will have it for you by tomorrow at the latest.

hugs & smiles,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Twelve

Hello Friends,

Today I have Chapter Twelve for you, where young Abella makes a secret friend. I hope you have been enjoying this story. If you have missed any chapters, you can find them on my You Tube channel. Just search "Teresa Arsenault" and find the playlist called "Tales of Ellmoria".

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Eleven

Hello Friends,

Today's chapter continues with young Abella as our protagonist and she discovers why there are no men in Veroven.

I hope you enjoy it.

hugs & smiles,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Ten

Hello Friends,

I am back with Chapter Ten of The Bee Singer Queen after taking a week off to deal with some family issues. Chapter Eleven will be on schedule this Thursday and Chapter Twelve next Tuesday. If you have missed any chapters you can get caught up on my You Tube channel. Simply type in "Teresa Arsenault" and search for the Playlist "Tales of Ellmoria".

Hugs & smiles,
Teresa

Bad Back & Delay

Hello Friends,

This is a quick post to let you  know I have to delay recording of my novel, The Bee Singer Queen. I strained my back this past weekend and can't sit up at my computer for any length of time. I hope you understand and I will try to get back on track next week.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Nine

Hello Friends,

I am so glad you are enjoying my audio novel, The Bee Singer Queen. I hope you like Chapter Nine, which is now live.

Hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Eight

Hello Friends,

A big thank you to all who have let me know you are listening to my audio book. I am so glad you are enjoying it. Please feel free to share the files with your friends on social media.

Here is Chapter Eight.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Seven

Hello Friends,

I would love to know how many are following my story. If you have not commented before, would you mind leaving a short note to let me know if you have been listening to my audio book? Thanks. I really appreciate it.

Without further delay, here is Chapter Seven. You can expect the next chapter on Tuesday.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Six

Hello Friends,

I apologize for the late post. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait for you. I will have Chapter seven available on Thursday or Friday, depending on what my schedule allows.

Thank you to those who have let me know that you are enjoying the story. That makes it all worthwhile for me.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Five

Hello Friends,

Here is Chapter Five, hot off the press. A big thank you to those of you who took the time to let me know you are enjoying the story.

hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Four

Hi Friends,

I sure hope you are enjoying my story. Here is Chapter Four. Chapter Five will be ready for you on Thursday.

hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Three

Hello Friends,

I hope you are enjoying my novel, "The Bee Singer Queen". Here is Chapter Three. You can expect Chapter Four, a brand new scene, next Tuesday.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter Two

Hello Friends,

Here, as promised, is Chapter Two of my novel, "The Bee Singer Queen", which is Book One in my fantasy series, "Tales of Ellmoria". I hope you are enjoying the story. Chapter Three will be available on Thursday.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Chapter One

Hello Friends,

Today I have Chapter One for you from my novel, The Bee Singer Queen. It is the first book in my fantasy fiction series, "Tales of Ellmoria". I published the prologue on Tuesday of this week. I hope you are enjoying the story and I would love to hear your feedback. Please share the You Tube video with your friends as well.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

The Bee Singer Queen - Audio Book

Hello Friends,

I have been figuring out how to create and convert audio files of my book, "The Bee Singer Queen". It is Book One of my fantasy series, "Tales of Ellmoria". I will publish them twice per week - Tuesdays and Thursdays, one chapter at a time. Here is the prologue:

Face #13

Hello Friends,

Sometimes I feel sad. Sometimes there is no particular reason for it. It just is.

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst." (Isaiah 41:17a)

Depression can feel like that - thirsty and parched; searching for something to take the sadness away. There are many cisterns from which to drink, but their satisfaction lasts only a moment.

"But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." (Isaiah 41:17b)

Often I try other things first, thinking I am too tired to REST at the feet of my Lord. I struggle with the misconception that I have to work to be with him. The truth is, Jesus is the easiest person to be with. He asks nothing of me and offers me everything.

"I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs." (Isaiah 41:18)

Sometimes I feel sad. But I don't have to stay there. I will take my cup of tea and sit with my Friend, letting his love, peace and joy wash over me.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

PS - This is Face #13 of the Face-off challenge at Praise Heart Creative Community.

My reference photo

Link-ups:
Paint Party Friday
Peabea's Scripture Blessing Link-up Party
Praise Heart Creative Community - Face-off Challenge

Face #12

Hello Friends,

I have been taking a bit of a break from blogging in order to re-examine and re-prioritize some things. Very soon I will have an exciting announcement that I hope you will like. For now, I thought I would pop in with another face for the Face-Off Challenge at PraiseHeart Creative Community. This is a mixed media piece done in one of my art journals. I will also be linking this to Paint Party Friday.

Thanks for stopping by. Check back soon for my big announcement.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing is on Hiatus

Hello Friends,

Currently my life is a little disorganized. I need to re-prioritize and get things back on track. For that reason, my blogging is taking a back seat. In particular, Sunday's Little Blessing image posts on going on hiatus.

Thank you for your understanding and for visiting my blog. I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Designated Space

Hello Friends,

I'm just popping in to share with you my little designated painting space. The biggest challenge is keeping that little work space clear to ... you know... work.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - Contemplative Mary

Hello Friends,

This week I have a Christmas image for you - a contemplative Mary. She was inspired by the Mark Lowry song, "Mary, Did You Know?" I have included it below.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

jpeg

png

 

Six Faces

Hello Friends,

Do you find that God especially likes to answer very specific prayers? Perhaps it is because our faith is activated when we can envision for what we are asking. The first time I saw this in action was nearly 40 years ago, when I asked for a rental house with a fenced in yard within a specific price range. I found exactly that, even though it seemed very unlikely at the time.

Recently I felt led to ask our church's sponsored missionary what his dream is for the children and young people at the orphanage he runs in Mozambique, Africa. He told me that these children are the first in many generations to have dreams for their futures, and not just hoping to survive. They want to be doctors, teachers, pilots and many other things.

Post secondary education is expensive in any country. Child sponsorship pays for basics only . Knowing that God seems to like specific prayers, I asked my friend how much it would cost to send six students to college for one year. He estimated about $20,000 so I have begun praying for that amount and for those six students. I don't know who they are and neither does my missionary friend. There are many more than six with ambitious dreams, but we are starting by praying for six.

Last night, during our family worship time, I drew these six faces in my journal. I started them with an Artist Cellar (Jane Davenport) profile stencil and did them with a blue NeoColor II water soluble pastel. I didn't have good natural light when I took that picture so the colours are way off. Sorry about that. It is also regular paper so blending was a challenge.

Will you join me in praying for them?

blessing hugs,
Teresa

PS - This is Face #11 in the 100 Faces challenge at Praise Heart Creative Community.

We Dance

Hello Friends,
I would like to share a journal entry with you from July 12, 2016.

We Dance

Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, you who have never been in labor. For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband," says the LORD. (Isaiah 54:1)

As I listened to the Stephanie Frizzel song, "We Dance", this morning I pictured a small girl, about 3 years old. The girl was dancing with Jesus. Sometimes he would pick her up. She would put her hands on his cheeks and they would smile at each other; sometimes they would giggle and he would spin her around.

Sometimes Jesus put the girl down and let her spin pirouettes. Often she would grab hold of Jesus' finger. Skipping and toddling around the room, she would take him with her. He smiled and let the tiny girl lead him. Instinctively, I knew that he would not let her go any place that was dangerous. He was happy to give her the freedom to make her own choices and to tag along as she explored.

Often, as Christians, we are afraid to explore different opportunities lest we step out of the will of God. We think that every little decision somehow affects our destiny and live in dread of screwing it all up.

We say things like, "Lord, should I go here or should I go there?" "Should I apply for this job or that job?"

These can be relevant questions and sometimes God will answer them. More often he wants us to explore various opportunities, all the while holding fast to his finger. In other words, he wants us to invite him along into our process and trust him for the outcome.

My husband and I had always wanted to adopt children, as well as to have our own. This desire developed (unknown to each other) during our teen years. In 1993 we decided to make this dream become a reality.

We went through the home study process, which held its own challenges and was not cheap. That took about a year.

Then for nearly three years we searched for a child or sibling group to adopt. We poured over albums filled with child profiles and went to Toronto twice for conferences where the profiles of adoptable children were displayed. Each time we applied for a child or sibling group we thought was a good fit for our family, someone else was chosen over us. There was never any explanation. Just the disappointment and pain of rejection.

Then the adoption worker for our location retired and was not replaced. There was no representative for us which meant we had no way to continue our search for a child to adopt.

In the summer of 2003 we received a call from our local child services office from someone who introduced herself as the new adoption worker. By this time, we had determined that God was steering us away from adopting, as every time (there was a private adoption opportunity as well that fell through) we had attempted, it failed.

By this time, Terry was no longer employed, we were in our late 40s and we did not know what the future held for us. The adoption worker said she would call back in a few months to see what our situation was.

Having our dream thrust back into our laps, after we had already laid it to rest, was unsettling; especially since we were no longer in a position where we would be eligible to adopt a child. Neither of us was employed, my health was not the best and we were, frankly, getting older.

We continued to ask the Lord for guidance about our future and in a few months we were sure he was leading us to sell our home and move from Ontario to Prince Edward Island. I was in the midst of packing when I got the call from the adoption worker. I had forgotten all about it by then.

Since moving to PEI my husband and I have been involved in ministries to children. In 2010 we pioneered a mid-week ministry in our church called Deeply for Kids. It began very small, as a group for children (aged 6-12) who desired a deeper relationship with God. Now it is a collection of ministries to families, from babies to grandparents, that meets on the same night and time.

Like the little girl in my vision, our exploration of adoption was a journey where Jesus let us take the lead while we held fast to his finger. He drew us back each time from the edge of where we were not to go. The process was painful, but necessary.

It developed in us the Spirit of Adoption which is in Papa God's own heart. It also left us painfully aware of our need to have children in our lives.

If we had adopted a child, that ache would have been temporarily alleviated. She would have grown up and probably left home by now. And we would again have this hollow in our hearts that God actually built into us.

We were always meant to adopt children - many children -- but we were intended to adopt them into our hearts rather than into our home.

We are already getting to see some of our beloved children grow up. As teenagers, some are now leading worship, going on mission trips and one is the right-hand man of the children's pastor, as he pushes towards his goal of becoming a children's pastor himself.

But it doesn't end there because each year we get a new batch of darlings to adopt into our hearts.

As painful as it was, I am glad for the years of frustration, disappointment and heart break that our adoption journey brought into our lives. It let us feel a little of the longing in our divine Papa's heart to gather all of his children into his heart and home. It is with that same longing -- that not one of them will be lost -- that we point them to him.

---

Sunday's Little Blessing - Alpaca

Hello Friends,

This week's free image is an alpaca. This one has just had a haircut. :)

Enjoy your Sunday!

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

JPEG

PNG

The Blessing

Hello Friends,

I have been following a bible journaling challenge to make art for one portion of scripture in each book of the bible. Today's scripture is Numbers 6:24-26, The Hebraic Blessing that the Lord commanded the priests to speak over the Israelites.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face upon you and give you peace."

This was God's heart for his people then and it is his heart for all of his followers today.

1) He wants to bless me. Bless: a thing conducive to welfare or happiness. The Lord wants me to be well and happy. Illness and depression are the opposites of what he desires for me.

2) The Lord wants to keep me. Keep: (Shamar) to guard, watch, protect, save, preserve, treasure. The Lord wants to protect me; he watches over me and treasures me.

3) The Lord make his face shine upon you. The Lord is happy; he is smiling when he looks at me. He is proud of the me that he created.

4) The Lord is gracious to me. Gracious: to show favour or kindness. The Lord wants to favour me. he gives me preferential kindness. I can expect good things in my life because the face of God is shining his favour upon me.

5) The Lord turns his face towards me. Papa God's attention is fully turned toward me. he is always watching over and waiting for me. He is not angry at me.

6) The Lord gives me peace. Peace: (Shalom) The Hebrew word is actually Shalom. Shalom is a state of wholeness, without deficiency. The Lord wants me to be whole in all ways - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The Lord gives me all the good things that I need. I lack for nothing.

I may not see the full evidence of all of these blessings in my life at present, but this is God's desire for me. This is what he wants me to understand. His intentions towards me are always to bless and never to harm. He loves me, he loves me, he loves me. And I love him back.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Blow the Trumpet

Hello Friends,

This week my son presented his dad with a Yemenite Shofar. This is something Terry has wanted for a very long time. When Terry asked Paul what the gift was for (early Christmas?), the reply was, "Because I love you..."

Leviticus 25:8-13 talks about the Year of the Jubilee, when all debts would be forgiven and all lost properties would be returned. It happens every 50 years, according to the Jewish calendar and this just happens to be a Jubilee year. On the Day of Atonement trumpets (shofars) are blown all over the land.

I used a picture of my Terry blowing his new shofar to create art in my bible.

Thank you for stopping by. I wish you many blessings on your day and the remainder of your week.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - Budgie

Hello Friends,

Today I have a digi of my little budgie, Chicken, who passed away earlier this year. She was a sweet little bird, packed full of personality. She loved to fly to a finger on command and nestle in for some snuggles. She gave sweet little birdie kisses, including making a loud kissy sound. I sure do miss her. I hope you enjoy using her image in your art.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

JPEG

PNG

Sunday's Little Blessing - Puppy

Hello Friends,

This week I another puppy for you, but this one is straight out of my imagination. I hope you like him.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

JPEG

PNG

A Day Like Exodus 23rd

Hello Friends,

There is a bible journaling group on Facebook called Visions of Scripture. Recently they started a challenge to do an art journal entry for each book of the bible. I already did something for Genesis. I chose chapter 23 of Exodus for the next book and I have a very special reason for doing so.

In 1995 I was walking in a local park where I used to live in Ontario, communing with the Lord. I suddenly felt compelled to take a particular path to an open field. In the field was an elderly man with a dog. I felt very strongly impressed that I should speak to him. Not knowing what to say, I remarked, "It's a beautiful day."

"There hasn't been a day like this since Exodus 23rd," the man replied.

Rather stunned by his reply, I headed back for my car. There I got out my bible and opened to Exodus 23. My eyes fell on verse 20: "See, I have sent my angel ahead to guard you along the way to the place I have prepared."

Some months later I had a dream of a seaside location. The same elderly man I had met in the park was in the dream.

In 2003, after 2-3 years of prompting and guiding by the Holy Spirit, my husband and I moved to Prince Edward Island. A few years after moving here, I came upon the exact seaside location I had seen in my dream.

I don't understand why it was so important that we moved to this beloved Island. We have a limited sphere of influence and are not well known. But I believe that every person has a divine destiny, whether it is to touch one life that will influence another that will influence thousands, only God knows.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Sunday's Little Blessing - Samson

Hello Friends,

This week I have a special blessing image for you. This is Samson at 4 months old. I used his Puppy Grad picture as a reference.

jpeg

png

Samson is a Great Pyrenees/Newfoundlander/Border Collie mix, with possibly some lab in him. Here is a more recent pic of Samson at 6 months old. Looks like I have a new dance partner.

Thanks for stopping by. I would love to see what you make with any of my images. I rarely have time to colour them up so it is really nice to see what my talented followers can do with them.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Face #9

Hello Friends,

The other day I was fooling around with an app on my IPad called Art Rage and I came up with this silly cartoon face. I decided to enter it into the Face Off challenge group at Praise Heart Creative Community. I am far away from my goal of 100 faces by this year's end, but at least I am doing some.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Scripture Cards

Hello Friends,

Last weekend I went to a conference at an Island church. A talented artist friend and myself brought some gifts for the participants. I made up over 30 scripture cards/bookmarks as my contribution. A few friends have asked me to explain how I make these so I took pics of my process.

I used box board for my bases. These are the covers for blister packs of prescription medication. I had a good stack of them. First I decoupage them with strips of light-weight papers and book pages.

I spread a light coat of Gesso over any areas not covered with papers or where the papers were slick and needed something to help grab onto the paint. Then I got out some various items, like bottle caps and sponges, for adding texture and interest.

I randomly added paint, watering some of it down and applying it with an eye dropper to make drips. I turned the pages or used a blow dryer to move the paint drips around. I used other items with the acrylic paints until I was happy with the results. I let some of the papers show through.

I used my guillotine cutter to divide the sheets into smaller sizes. Most of them were about 3x4 inches, but I made some larger or smaller. I applied stamps, glued pictures, scriptures and faith quotes to the fronts and backs of each piece, hole-punched them and attached handmade paper beads with twine. I managed to save one for myself and to show to you. It has a verse from my favourite Psalm on one side.

I hope this give you an indication of how to make these yourself. They make nice little gifts that people can tuck into a book or purse and I must say, they are rather addictive. I am already thinking about doing another batch. One thing you should know is that you have to allow drying time between layers so it is best to allow yourself 2-3 days to complete a batch. You can always speed your drying time up with a blow dryer though.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa

Challenges:
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Texture
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
The Outlawz Twisted Thursday - Anything Goes

The Real Me

Lately I have been studying a book by Matt Tommey called, "Unlocking the Heart of the Artist". In chapter six he talks about how each of us was created in God's image and when we conform to his image, we are most alive. As I contemplated that I had an epiphany moment.

Of course we are to emulate the characteristics of Christ, such as the fruits of the Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-Control (Gal. 5:22-23) - but we are not to become a bunch of robots or Jesus clones.

What I saw, in my mind's eye, was a glorious image of God, as though he were an infinitely-faceted diamond, with an infinite number of glittering surfaces - aspects of his inexhaustible character. In each one of those glittering, reflective surfaces was an image - complete in itself, yet only a tiny aspect of the gloriously infinite Divine Nature. And -- here it is -- in one of those marvelously beautiful surfaces, the image I saw was the one in which I was specifically created. I saw my sense of humour, my love for animals, my unique way of looking at things. It was all part of that tiny aspect of God's Nature - the specific aspect in which I was created. The more I conform to that specific aspect of the image of God, the more I become fully alive and fully me. Not a robot or even a Jesus clone, but ME. Not the me that demands my own way, but the me that submits to God and lets Holy Spirit shape me into the real ME - the one created in a specific image of the multi-faceted, glorious God.

 

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope I have inspired you to seek God so you can discover the Real, Beautiful, Divinely-natured You.

Blessing hugs,

Teresa

Wheelchair Section

Hello Friends,

On Resurrection Sunday (Easter) this year two wheelchairs parked in the rows in front of us, one behind the other, in the section of our church where our family normally sits. As with most churches, people tend to sit in the same general  areas every Sunday. These regulars to our church normally sit in another section. Directly in front of us a friend who suffers with hearing loss sat; also not where he usually sits. Then two rows behind us was a dear gentleman who lost his legs and most of both of his hands. None of these people usually sit in this section of the church and probably were there because of the Easter Sunday crowd. Still .... it got me to thinkin'....

What if our church had a wheel section, a place something like the pool at Bethesda (John 5), where whoever sat there would be healed? I like to pray crazy big prayers, so I asked the Lord if he would do that and I drew some pictures in my journal to help me remember it.

How about you? Do you ever pray crazy big prayers? God says that he will do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) so why not put that imagination to good use?

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa