Wednesday, February 11, 2015

WOYWW: So Much Blessing!

 Here is my table, just as I left it last night.
I am preparing for Art in the Park,
an annual art fair.

And here is my planner. 
I used to have small, utilitarian planners
with no drawings, just boring writing.
Then my brother Robert gifted me with this planner
and I decided to prettify it!
See my other pages here!

 "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, except of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and of blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Gen. 2:16-17, Amplified Bible
I don't think we can imagine the beauty, the lushness, the fragrance of the trees and plants in the Garden of Eden. According to the boundaries in the Bible, the Garden was probably just a few hundred square miles in what is now war-torn Iraq. It was full of good food for the first man and woman. But God always from the beginning has given us free will, the choice to obey or not to obey. And like many of us today, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the one tree forbidden!

 I think of our lives today. So much blessing surrounds us. Food on our table, a roof over our heads. People we love and who love us. There is so much favor available to us if we choose to obey God. But many of us choose to disobey. To choose the one thing forbidden. And that is why there is so much death all around. Death of marriages, of relationships, abortion, war, pollution, corruption, etc.
But just as God clothed Adam and Eve (Gen.3:21), He still gives us another chance. We can be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus if we accept this precious gift from God's hand.

 "God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy." Genesis 2:3

It is important to note that God blessed the 7th day, and declared it holy, sanctified, hallowed. When something is holy, it is set apart, dedicated or consecrated to God. We are NOT the ones to make it holy by our actions. We are supposed to KEEP it holy.

Eric Liddell, a Scottish athlete, immortalized in the film "Chariots of Fire", was determined to keep Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, holy. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, he refused to run in his best event, the mens 100 meters, because the heat was held on a Sunday. So he chose to compete in the 400 meters even if after practicing for this for several months prior to the Olympics, his time was not good enough. 

Before he ran the 400 meters, an American Team masseuse ran up to him to give him a piece of paper with a bible verse- "Those who honor me, I will honor." 1 Samuel 2:23. Eric Liddell won the 400 meters, and broke the world record.

Indeed, if we keep the 7th day holy, by refraining from work, going to church and worshiping Him with others as Isaiah 16:23 and Lev. 23:3 proposes, and helping others, God will see that we honor Him and put Him first. And His promise to us if we do this? He will honor us! 




Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:



Blessings!
Patsy



21 comments:

  1. Your planner is gorgeous! Have a good week Helen #1

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  2. Yes, Patsy. God NEVER intended us, as His beautiful creation, to know the horrors of war, hatred, death, etc. He intended us to know and enjoy Him! A simple choice to eat of the wrong fruit had such disastrous results.
    Take care. God bless.
    Margaret #6

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  3. Not only the planner that captivates me..the painted bible page too - double inspiration for you!

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  4. Hi Patsy happy WOYWW. Lovely artwork have a great week RobynO#12

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  5. Hi Patsy. So lovely seeing you call by today. Thanks for your lovely comments. I'm a real perfectionist when it comes to sewing for my paying customers but had a lot of pleasure sewing for my family and Shell and her husband really loved the finished result so that is worth everything.
    Your artwork, as always, is stunning. Have a great week.
    Hugs,
    Annie x # 16

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  6. Brilliant idea for a planner! I am such a bore with both my diary and planners ..... maybe I will make my own planner for next year!
    Have a blessed week
    Christine
    Bishopsmate #47

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  7. Yes, God's grace is immense. It's really humbling that He should bless us so much.
    I like your planner. I think we would call that a desk diary. I like the way you decorate and personalize your Bible. You probably follow Shana's blog too.
    Have a blessed week,
    Lisca#38

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  8. I popped over to have a look at your other gorgeous pages. You've really inspired me. I may have to start keeping one of these when I go back to school - I might just stick at it if I use it the way you use yours!

    Carmen x #46

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  9. I love that you create art in your bible! I'd have to get a new bible if I tried that. Love your creativity. Visiting from Testimony Tuesday

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  10. Hi Patsy! Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment on my blog. I do admire your artwork - your book art is simply amazing! You do faces and figures so well! Happy WOYWW! zsuzsa @ InkyDinkyDoodle #27

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  11. Wow! I never thought of incorporating art right into one's Bible! It looks gorgeous :).

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  12. I love art fairs, and your planner is awesome. Happy WOYWW! Sandy Leigh #48

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  13. Anonymous6:18 AM

    Love the prettified planner, and the way you are creating your bible.
    Thanks for sharing, and happy WOYWW!
    Catiecuddles aka Catherine #32

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  14. Thank you for sharing your beautiful art and this encouraging message.
    Blessing hugs,
    Teresa

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  15. You are so right, Patsy. I don't think people realize the importance of observing a true day of rest and reflection on God. It's like SO many things we take for granted, and misuse or misappropriate in some way. God is so good for sending us his servants to remind us, and thank you for continuing to do His good work. God bless you, my friend.
    Karen
    Word Art Wednesday

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  16. Love your planner!

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  17. Such a beautiful project. I love every page and how much detail and love you put into your work.

    Thank you for sharing with us this week at Word Art Wednesday

    Have a blessed day!
    Heather

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  18. I always enjoy your beautiful art and words!

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  19. Love your journal pages, did you draw and paint those pages? Amazing work!
    Hugs, Neet 28 (late again I know)

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  20. Beautiful! Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.

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  21. It's been EONS since I've participated in WOYWW. I really miss all you wonderful ladies over there. (Maybe tomorrow I'll pop in) Anyhoo…. I digress! I really really want to begin this style journaling. I even joined HKC. But I have no clue what I'm doing. I've been researching journaling Bibles, but the because I don't understand the bible itself, Art Journaling interpretations proves very difficult for me. I think your bible journaling is really beautiful!!! I do follow a site called "PrayMoreNovenas.com" and a site "littleflower.org" (Little Flower is all about St. Therese of Lisieux, she is my favorite saint) and I really want to incorporate a level of spiritual journaling into my life, so I am going to use the daily emails I get from these sites as prompts to try and develop a spiritual journal. For me this will be the biggest challenge in Art/Art Journaling since I started on this journey of learning.

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