Wednesday, October 08, 2014

WOYWW: The ONE THING!

 Before I started painting, this is how my desk looked like.
A few days ago my sisters and I looked through my mom's
fancy jewelry and divided it amongst ourselves. 
(My mother died in February, and
we are looking though her things sloooowly)
Anyway, she has a lot of stuff, and I was thinking of 
making new jewelry out of those that I couldn't wear.
Some are tarnished and some are plastic, so I thought
I could make some artsy earrings and bracelets
and if they are nice enough, I can give some to my sisters.
And that is what that book about 
jewelry projects is doing on my desk.

Notice the bottles?
I still have my bad cough which is my
souvenir from Seoul, and after
a week of antibiotics,
I decided to try some herbal remedies-
honey, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and 
ground ginger.
Ever tried that? Maybe you have some suggestions
to get rid of this pesky cough!!!!!

 "Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1

Being Jews, it was almost certain 
that the disciples knew how to pray. 
Jews were supposed to pray three times a day, like David. 
They had the morning prayers, 
 afternoon prayers and evening prayers. 
This custom was supposedly introduced 
by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 
so they had a long tradition of prayer. 
But they were prescribed prayers. 
In the morning you recited a blessing upon waking up, 
another one upon taking your bath, 
another blessing while putting on your clothes, etc.

So why did the disciple ask Jesus to teach them to pray? 
Why would anyone ask another to teach them to pray? 
Because perhaps they saw 
 something they wanted for themselves. 
They saw that when Jesus prayed, His prayer was effective. 
It gave Him power, He received wisdom, instruction. 
He had purpose, meaning, vision. 
I'm thinking the disciple was asking 
to learn more formula prayers, 
more prescribed prayers, for they knew nothing else. 

Instead they got a radical prayer, 
a prayer which gave them permission 
to call God, "Abba", daddy, papa. 
It was unheard of! 
So really, what Jesus was teaching was 
that God wanted a close, 
intimate relationship with His children. 
Something beyond the ken of the Jews 
who did not even dare spell out God's name or pronounce it!

Thank you Lord for showing us the Father's heart, 
a heart full of love and tender mercies! 
Indeed what are we that You should desire 
to have fellowship with us! 
We do not deserve it, but You love us nonetheless! 

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious 
and worried about many things.  
There is need of only one thing. 
Mary has chosen the better part and 
it will not be taken from her." 
Luke 10:41-42

What is the ONE THING? 
I guess we can come up with different answers, 
but I think it is having a relationship with Jesus. 
That is how to be a Mary in a Martha world. 
Martha's world is full of deadlines, an avalanche of email, 
a never ending series of to-dos and want-to-dos. 
The world of today is maddeningly kinetic, 
a breeding ground of distraction, 
and it's hard to find the time to 
nurture our most important relationship. 
Commandment number ONE is to love The Lord 
with all our heart, soul and strength, with everything in us! 
That's the ONE thing, that's number ONE! 

15 comments:

  1. It is that time of year when everyone has a cough may you get well soon and that sounds like a great home remedy I usually just enjoy the honey and drink lots of hot teas and coffees to keep warm Get well soon
    Happy WOYWW hugs Nikki My Space

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your paintings are always so beautiful and inspiring. #2

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know what you mean about moving through things slowly. I have boxes and boxes to go through and I have not opened a single one.

    The process of grieving a loss and adjusting to life afterwards takes time.

    I love your beautiful artwork and your wonderful post on prayer!

    I just read an inspiring book by Max Lucado on prayer (review is recent if you want to check it out) that your post reminded me of. He says the only "class" the disciples asked for from Jesus was one on prayer. I never thought of it like that!

    Anyway, have a wonderful week and thanks for being such a blessing as always!

    Create Witt Joy #6
    http://create-with-joy.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. tried to post 3 times now so if multiple show up I am sorry! Hope you get to feeling better soon. Thanks for sharing and have a great week. Vickie #25

    ReplyDelete
  5. I do hope you are feeling better soon, I so love your art and popping in here to say hi and see what you are up too.

    Happy WOYWW
    Hugs Eliza, Yoda & Flat Susan #12

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your work Patsy! I think you're very talented! zsuzsa @ InkyDinkyDoodle #22

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hope you feel better soon. Lovely post. Sorry for the loss of your mother.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Patsy as always you have your finger on the pulse of the 21st century woman, and it seems to be the issues for woman of all times - slowing down finding balance, sitting at his feet to draw in the Love and grace we so desperately need, thank you for your beautiful andt and post!
    Ginny # 61, have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Patsy - sorry you're still fighting the pesky cough, and hope it clears quickly. A great idea to recycle Mum's jewelry - do show what you come up with. I love the picture of the woman alone, praying. So serene and peaceful. Have a great week, Chris # 23

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sorry you are unwell. I love your inspiration and the words for guidance. Peg 44

    ReplyDelete
  11. I do hope (and pray) that you will feel better soon.
    What a good idea to immortalize some of your mum's jewelry in craft projects. That in itself will be a healing process.
    Thank you for the lovely pictures and your writing on 'prayer'. I am a 'prayer warrior' myself and consider it a privilege that we have access to our father like this. We can talk to Him and ask Him anything. I wouldn't dream of doing anything, or taking any decision without praying about it.
    Thank you for letting me peep over your shoulder.
    Have a good week.
    Lisca#35

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely idea to use some of your mum's jewellery to incorporate into new creations. As usual, your artwork is beautiful. Just having a break in between getting things ready for my sale for Saturday. Thanks for sharing. Hope that you have a lovely crafting week to come. Hazel, WOYWW #47 x

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a wonderful post, Patsy. The message at the end was definitely for me - I've been having a frustrating time lately with so much that has to be done, and not enough energy left for what I WANT to do - art!! I do hope you feel better soon. Bridget Larsen (No. 1 in this week's WOYWW) has posted on her blog about a wonderful cold remedy that she has made. Something dellicious to take every day to keep those pesky germs away!!

    Your art work is sooo beautiful this week... "Teach us to pray" - so lovely, and what a beautiful background, too. Thank you for sharing your faith, and always a lovely message, every week. You are a real blessing.

    Happy belated WOYWW,
    Shoshi #32

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sweet memories in your Mothers jewellery that will become something else for a sister. I suggest anointing your throat with olive oil and praying the prayer of faith for healing. Blessings Carole

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm sure those jewelry pieces will be precious to you and your sisters. What a wonderful way to have a keepsake of your mother.

    I agree it is very hard to be a Mary in a Martha world. I struggle with this daily. I've been listening to a commentary series as I go about my daily tasks that really helps me to study and ponder God's Word. Thank you for this keen reminder about what is truly important.

    Blessings,
    Deborah

    ReplyDelete

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