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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

WOYWW: Smell the Flowers!

Wednesdays come around pretty quickly
here in my craft room!
And this is what I have on my desk 
this morning...two fans! 
It is summer here in the Philippines
and it is sooo hot!

I cleared up what I was working on
last night, to make room for this.

I am painting Saint Matthias.
He is not that well known,
at least to me!

But in the first book of Acts,
Peter said that they had to choose 
someone to replace Judas Iscariot.
"...it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us
the whole time...
become with us a WITNESS
to His resurrection."

Saint Matthias was chosen by lots,
and it is his feast day today.

The funny thing is according to tradition,
today is seen as the luckiest day
and a good day to buy lottery tickets!

But God's ways are different from 
the world's ways!
Saint Matthias was probably beheaded
or stoned, or both, as was the lot of 
most of Jesus' disciples.
They were witnesses to His resurrection,
His miracles, His teachings.
They believed in Him enough 
to follow Him to the end!
Yes, Matthias was "lucky"
in a whole other sense!

"My home is within you."

Psalm 87:7

There is no place we can go this summer 
where God is not present.

I remember when I was young 
and we went  to Australia. 
I felt guilty spending so 
much money when there were so many 
hungry people in the world.
That morning I prayed about where
God would want me to go
and I felt He wanted me 
to be surrounded by His creation.
"Go and smell the flowers." 


My mom and I visited the 
Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne
and we arrived just in time 
for the free tour.
As the guide pointed out the beautiful
plants, flowers and trees, 
I felt God's love surround me.
Then the guide said, 
"Smell the flowers."
I bent down and I distinctly remember
to this day, the palpable feeling
that God was telling me,
"You are in the right place at the right time."

How wonderful to know that we 
can never leave God behind,
even if we reject Him, or His presence!
Whatever we do, wherever we are,
we can look for Him. And we will find Him.
That is His promise.
He lives within us. 
His Spirit is what gives us life!
We are soooo blessed, sooo "lucky"!




Blessings!
Patsy



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19 comments:

  1. Nikki9:06 AM

    Beautiful paintings as always :) Happy WOYWW hugs Nikki
    My Desk Here

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  2. my cup of tea9:22 AM

    So BEAUTIFUL! You have such a talent! Happy WOYWW!
    donna

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  3. Bridget Larsen1:46 PM

    Ihear ya about the heat, I just moved to a tropical state of ours and I was wilting. Hope the weather cools down for you, it has cooled down for us thank goodness
    Bridget #4

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  4. Carole3:25 PM

    when I saw two fans I figured it was some kind of hot. beautiful work Patsy. I love seeing the stages. The background is terrific too! Be well Carole #44

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  5. Neil3:29 PM

    Hi
    It's been a while I know, since I last managed to link up but I'm back now and just popping my head round the door to say hello!

    Thanks for sharing your creative space and I hope you have a good week too.

    Neil #10

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  6. Chrysalis8:55 PM

    What lovely paintings, Patsy - I especially like the Matthias one. I'm just waiting for my Bible Study friends to arrive, so it was lovely to read your post just now. Have a great week, Chris # 23

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  7. Winnie9:01 PM

    Wow Patsy! Just amazing! I love his image and the amazing background. Thanks for sharing the story behind him. My Patron Saint (Winifred) was also beheaded. Mom used to tell me the story when I was young as I always go by Winnie and she wanted me to know the importance of my name.Thanks for the visit today! Winnie#57

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  8. Unknown9:22 PM

    Patsy, Your desk seems quite bare, have the fans blown things off. I laugh when I have to use a fan, everything I forgot to weight down goes flying. This is a wonderful piece as is your devotion. Thank you for dropping in to visit us at Word Art Wednesday today with this beautiful art. Blessings, Carole

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  9. Unknown10:05 PM

    Patsy, your works never fail to inspire me! I LOVE that Psalm. Keep those fans going - we crafters do best if we're at the right temperature! Yes, I think you're right about not attempting my gardening - I think it will be a scenario where I'm standing there giving hubby directions! Hugs! Happy WOYWW! Sandy Leigh #68

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  10. Belinda Basson11:22 PM

    Thanks for the visit earlier. Can't believe you need 2 fans...we are going into winter and getting our stash of wood ready for the fire. Though we don't get snow...it still gets COLD! Lovely painting as usual on your desk. #28

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  11. Christine11:33 PM

    Wonderful portrait of St Matthias. Thank goodness for fans! we are just getting into the hot weather here so ours will be 'on view' soon.
    I received your beautiful purses this morning - lovely surprise as I had forgotten about them. They are absolutely beautiful and I feel honoured to be chosen to receive them. I will use the silk one tomorrow when I travel down to Watford, near London.
    Thank you so much again.
    xx

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  12. Shoshi12:52 AM

    I so enjoyed reading this post, Patsy, and watching St. Matthias gradually emerging from his beautiful background! What a lovely picture, and I loved what you wrote, too. I feel very much that we are in the right place at the right time - we are so happily settled in our new home and it's good to know we can keep a proper eye on Mum instead of at long distance! I hope you are managing to keep cool. I feel for you - I can't stand the heat!!

    Thanks for your visit and your nice comment. Yes, it's great working with recycled materials and it gives me a great sense of satisfaction. As for the teabags, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer before anything exciting happens there - too many other more urgent projects to see to first!

    Happy WOYWW,
    Shoshi #34

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  13. Anonymous2:59 AM

    Love that there is no place we can go where He is not present! Thanks for linking up to Testimony Tuesday!

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  14. My name is Cindy3:49 AM

    This is gorgeous! A lovely post too Patsy, we should all take time to smell the flowers!! Happy WOYWW Cindy #45

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  15. Lunch Lady Jan4:32 AM

    I think that painting must be one of the best you've done! I love the way you see the figure emerge from the background...very clever indeed :-)
    Hugs, LLJ 22 xx

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  16. Irene Rafael5:45 AM

    It was wonderful seeing your creative process, Patsy. Lovely outcome.
    Irene #95

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  17. Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA5:47 AM

    Amen to the Lord's presence in our lives. I really like your St. Matthias, even though I'm not that familiar with him. Blessings!

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  18. April9:00 AM

    Your artwork is lovely as always. April #75

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  19. Gospel Gurl10:49 AM

    Patsy, I am so glad I found your blog. You are a gifted painter and the story I will never forget. "Go smell the flowers." What a beautiful reminder of the presence of God. Many blessing on your life and your gifts as they are offered to Him. <><...cathyzpeek.com

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I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy