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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

WOYWW: Like a Child

I am starting a new picture 
on my Bible for Mathew 11:25.
As you can see, I traced the picture on the right
directly on to my Bible page with carbon paper.
Here I am painting the flesh parts of the little girl and mother.


 I am using a darker flesh color to shade.

 And here, I am outlining with a dark brown pencil
to give definition to the painting.

 "You have hidden these things from the wise...
and revealed them to the childlike." Matthew 11:25

My husband Luigi is very popular with children. 
When kids see him, they run to him, 
eager to play, wanting to be hugged tight. 
What is it about children that delighted God? 
Jesus said in Luke 18:6, "Let the children come to me, 
do not stop them from approaching me 
for the Kingdom belongs to such as these." 
If only we could be more like little children 
and run to Him who loves us!
Sometimes we hide from Him because we feel guilty, 
or because we disagreed with something we read in the Bible, 
or because we think we have all the time in the world. God can wait.
But children, they don't like waiting, do they? 
Perhaps that's why God wants us to be like kids. 
Children are eager. They are persistent. 
They are teachable. 
They are waiting to be amazed, they want to be amazed. 
When was the last time we were amazed at what God has done? 
When was the last time we read 
something in the Bible and our heart leapt? 
If we are more childlike, less dependent on our own thinking, 
God will reveal the treasures in His Kingdom that 
He hides from those who are wise in their own eyes! 
Lord, may I be like a child, dependent on You! 
Eager to be fed from the Master's hand!



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy  
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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Do not Fear!



 "Take care that you remain tranquil and do not fear." Isaiah 7:4


Almost everyone fears something. Take the most powerful person in the world, the richest, the most beautiful, the most intelligent, and there's one or more fears lurking around them somewhere. There's the fear of being wrong, of death, of rejection, of failure, of being laughed at, of abandonment, of lack, etc etc. The trouble with fear is it keeps us from God's best. 

Here in this passage, God tells King Ahaz through Isaiah that he should not fear the two neighboring kingdoms threatening to invade his country, but Ahaz trembles. Many kingdoms try to invade our peace. Just yesterday, my son left for Turkey with a friend. They are going to attend World Youth Day in Poland, but before that, they will go see some  of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Germany. If I allow thoughts of what CAN happen while they are away to enter my head like a runaway crazy dog, I will never be able to let my son go and grow up and experience what God has in store for him. We have to CHOOSE to trust God. We have to choose to trust God through cancer, through Isis threats, through losing a job, through any "kingdom" that wants to invade our home, our family, our neighborhood, or country. God is enough if we keep our eyes on Him. If we are able to keep our eyes on God through anything, we can be more than conquerors! 
 
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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Not Too Mysterious!


"For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you." Dt. 30:11


The book of Deuteronomy is known as the crown jewel of the Pentateuch, the 5 books of God's Law, where He lays down clearly what He expects of us.  The teachings were given by God to Moses who wrote them down. Although there are portions of the Bible difficult to understand, the verses in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy shows us that God desired that we understand His laws so that He could bless us. He gives us a glimpse of His sense of humor when He says, "My commandments are not in heaven that you should ask who will get it there. It's not beyond the sea! It is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it!" 

It seemed as if when His people still could not get it, when they still inexplicably continuously turned away from Him and chose other gods, He sent His Son Jesus, to speak as a man speaks, and act as a man acts. If God's law was very near to us during Moses' time, how much more so now that Jesus came to deliver His message more clearly? 

Lord, may I not miss any part of Your message! You did everything, including sacrificing Your Son, so that we could understand and obey You, and all that, just so You could bless us! May we savor Your Word, plant it in our hearts, and follow Your way! 
 
 

 
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Saturday, July 09, 2016

Send Me!



 "Here I am," I said, "send me!" Isaiah 6:8







 

Am I brave enough to say to God, "Send me!"? Not at all! When I knew God wanted me to go and preach in QC Jail, I cried as if someone died. Eventually I went, and the ministry still goes on even if I do not go anymore. At first Isaiah the great prophet was unwilling to be "sent" claiming he was a man of unclean lips. But after a seraphim touched his lips with an ember from the altar, Isaiah answered God's call and became a great prophet.

Today, July 9, we honor 120 martyrs from China. Their age ranges from 9-72 years. These priests, cathechists, parents, and young kids gave their lives in service of Christ between 1649-1930. 


Saint Augustine Zhao Rong had been a respected highly-ranked Chinese soldier when he witnessed the beheading of French Bishop John Taurun Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society in 1815. Augustine was soon baptized and became a Diocesan priest because he was so impressed with the Bishop's faith, boldness and inner strength. In the short time that he was a priest, he led many young people to the faith. One of them, 18 year old Chi Zhuzi, was flayed alive in front of him. The captors had cut off Chi Zhuzi's right arm hoping Augustine would renounce his faith. Instead Chi Zhuzi bravely cried out, "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood, will tell you I am a Christian!" Today there are many unknown martyrs in China. 

Lord, may You strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters in China. And Lord, give us the boldness to obey You even when we are surrounded by unbelievers. May we be bold enough to say, "Here I am, Lord! Send me!"
 
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Friday, July 08, 2016

Baggage named Guilt


"...you have collapsed through your guilt." Hosea 14:1

Guilt is like a heavy suitcase we carry around with us that we don't need.
We've got everything we need in our handbag,
but we drag this loaded baggage around usually
because we have expectations about ourselves.
Either we did something or we neglected to do something.
Sometimes we feel guilty even if we didn't do or say anything!
Guilt is a very complicated emotion.
It would take a psychiatrist to explain it
and even then I doubt if we would understand the whys and wherefores. 

One thing I believe- guilt is something our enemy delights in.
He loves it if we wallow in it because then it diminishes us, debilitates us, paralyzes us.
Yes we can collapse under the weight of guilt.
But another thing I believe is if we meditate on God's word and get His mind,
we will realize that God never wants us to feel guilty.
There is no condemnation in Christ. (Romans 8:1)
Whatever happened in the past,
we can leave that baggage behind after putting right anything that needs repairing. 

Lord, thank You for teaching us how to live well.
May I have the fullness of life You came to give me!  
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Thursday, July 07, 2016

Wish Peace!


"As you enter a house, wish it peace." Matthew 10:12

What a great attitude to have! Every time we visit someone, we go to office, we go to school, or any building, village, or country, we bring peace with us instead of negative vibes. In another Bible translation, it says that we should bless the house.


 
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Wednesday, July 06, 2016

WOYWW: Ever Fresh, Ever New!

I've been cleaning and organizing
for several days now,
and lest you think I've been 
highly successful,
here is a picture of my floor.


 My son Josh said, "Mom! I thought
you were cleaning!
How come it's more messy now?!!"
But all crafters know that's just 
par for the course!
 "Break up for yourselves a new field." Hosea 10:12

A plow is an implement used in a field to cut in, 
break up soil and cut furrows into the ground 
in preparation for sowing. 
The upper layer of soil is turned over and a fresh fertile layer 
full of nutrients is brought to the top. 

 A farmer does this several times 
and we too should take time to till the soil of our hearts 
now and again so that new seeds can be planted. 
It's not good to allow weeds to grow, and the soil to harden. 
Plowing breaks up the weed roots and 
disrupts the weeds from growing. 
We know how fast weeds can grow! 

Lord, may I never be complacent 
and allow weeds of discontent, envy, 
or unforgiveness to take root. 
May my heart be ever fresh, ever new 
for You to plant good seeds in it! 



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy  
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Monday, July 04, 2016

Love Heals


"If only I can touch His cloak." Matthew 9:21

Jesus was always walking and I have no doubt that there were 
many more occasions that people tried to touch the tassels on His cloak. 
In the 9th chapter of Matthew, a woman who had been 
hemorrhaging for 12 years came up behind him. 
Although she was trying to be inconspicuous, Jesus turned around, 
saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." 
And she was healed.

Love heals. Love combined with faith always heals. 
One thing I like about Facebook is we are given 
many opportunities to pray for each other. 
We may live in different continents, 
but we can reach out to each other in prayer. 
When someone asks for prayer, I try to pray right then and there. 
And the wonderful thing is, 
I have seen answers to prayer proclaimed on Facebook as well. 
Jesus' cloak covers both the one who prays and the one who receives prayer. 
We are One in His healing Spirit. 
Let us not be afraid to reach out across the miles to pray for one another. 
When we do that, we are able to touch His cloak in love and healing. 
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Sunday, July 03, 2016

Citizens of Heaven!


"Rejoice that your names are inscribed in heaven." Luke 10:20

There are many things that give us joy. With my brother in law, he delights in traveling. A friend of mine loves to concoct pastries in the kitchen and all her friends are thrilled when they are invited to taste it. Indeed many love to eat and the proof is in all the new and favorite restaurants to choose from. You can see the myriads of things that occupy our hearts when we look through our Facebook and Instagram posts.

When the disciples returned from their journey, they excitedly told stories and reported to Him their triumphs. But Jesus sort of said to them, "Hold on, hold on! Among all these things that excite and thrill you, among all of it, rejoice that YOUR NAMES ARE INSCRIBED IN HEAVEN." Indeed do we ever get thrilled thinking that our names are registered as citizens of heaven? I do not remember this in the course of my day, but I should! It would change the way I think, the way I see things, the way I feel! I would go around suffused with gratitude! Lord, may I always remember that I am a citizen of Your Kingdom and that I should act  and think like one!   


 
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Saturday, July 02, 2016

Bursting with New Life!


"Nobody sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old garment..." Matthew 9:16

Imagine if you had a new dress, and it got torn. Would you get any old cloth to mend it? Jesus is teaching the disciples that He came to bring a new way of life, a new way of thinking. It's not a rejection of what God has already done, but an embracing of ALL He has in store for us. 

Many people have been telling us that they like the new papemelroti, the new products and designs, the updated look of the shops. One of the reasons for that newness is my niece Elyse joined us. She graduated from UP Fine Arts with a magna cum laude, and she is bursting with new ideas and a new vision for our stores. Imagine if we old "fogeys" rejected those bright young concepts? We would be caught in a rut!!! 

Lord, may we embrace everything YOU came to bring us. May we continue to discover more and more of how You see, how You love, how You want to usher us into Your Kingdom which is ever pristine and always bursting with new life! 
 
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Friday, July 01, 2016

Paint Party Friday: Follow Me!


"Follow me." Matthew 9:9

Jesus saw Matthew the tax collector sitting
at the customs post and He said, "Follow me."
Tax collectors were the most despised people in Jesus' day.
They collaborated with the Romans and were considered traitors.
Today, here in the Philippines, the Bureau of Internal Revenue
is considered one of the most corrupt.
We have a problem with the BIR and one of the agents said,
"It's so easy for your problem to go away!",
insinuating that if we gave him grease money, he would help us!

It was amazing that Jesus would choose Matthew!
He must have known that this man was a sinner!
And it was precisely for that reason that Jesus picked him out of the crowd
and made him part of the chosen Twelve!
Jesus told the protesting Pharisees,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do."
The Pharisees did not realize that they were 'sick' too!
All they wanted to do was observe Jesus and criticize Him,
and catch Him doing wrong.

Lord, may I not be like the Pharisees.
May I realize that I need You!
Thank You that in Your mercy and grace,
You allow me to be part of Your team, the Chosen ones!
May I follow You and learn from You!

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patsy

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