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Showing posts with label woyww. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woyww. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

WOYWW: Treasure

Here is my messy desk this WOYWW  morning.
I was making backgrounds last night.
A lot of my backgrounds were too dark,
and I decided to stamp on it with white paint
to lighten it up.
Painting and stamping lift my spirits,
especially after all the sadness
of the past week with news about the 
violent Yolanda!

The Gospel reading today is from Luke 19:11-28.
It is about a rich man who left 
each of his 10 servants a gold coin each.
His instructions to them was that they should 
engage in trade with the money.

When he returned he asked for an accounting.
The first servant said he was able to 
earn 10 additional gold coins.
The master then said, "Well done!
You have been faithful in this small matter,
take charge of 10 cities!  

When it came to another servant,
the master was sorely disappointed for the
servant kept the coin in his handkerchief!
So the master took away the coin and gave it to 
the one with 10 coins!

I thought this parable was about talents
and perhaps it is.
But in the Word Among Us, the gold coin,
this treasure was compared to the good news.
"Each of us has a role in building the Kingdom,
and each of us has a unique way
that we are called to put our 'gold coin'
of the Gospel message to work.

In God's Kingdom, we grow our treasure
by giving it away.
Who are the friends in your life
who need the treasure that you have?"
Word Among Us

We need to shout with joy, 
clap our hearts, and praise God
for this treasure!

And we need to share it!
So many people are in pain right now.
Let us take the time to think of ways we 
can bring light and healing in to their lives.

Is there someone we need to pray for?
I have been praying for my mother
who was hospitalized.
I try to remember to pray at all times
and not lose heart.
Luke18:1

What a treasure to know that God is always 
listening and hears our every cry.
We may not understand why,
but if we trust Him,
we will not be disappointed!

Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.
I know it takes so much time and effort
to leave a comment
and I appreciate it soooo much!

This week,
Random.org chose
 #40, Jenny of  Big Family, Small Farm.
She has a big family of 9!
I wonder how she does it,
maybe she is superwoman
in disguise? :^))))



For my growing collection of 
prompts, inspirations, creative pursuits,
courageous artists and their art,
join me here!


Blessings!
Patsy

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

WOYWW: Intentionally Grateful!

I almost forgot to take a picture today!
I realize that my work space is getting smaller and smaller!
But I still get a painting done every single day!

Today I read in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Luke 
about 10 lepers. Jesus instructed them to go to the priests.
On the way, all 10 lepers were healed.
Only one returned to Jesus.

Jesus said, "Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?"

As I was thinking about this passage,
I thought about the survivors of the typhoon Haiyan
that ravaged 2/3 of my country.
Now that they lost their homes,
where do they seek shelter from the rain?
Where do they sleep?
Where do they get their food and water?
Where do they get their hope?

I do not want to be like the 9 lepers,
who did not even turn back 
and express their gratitude to God
for their healing.
They took it for granted.

I want to be like the one leper
who went back to Jesus,
fell at His feet and thanked Him.
I look back at my prayer journal,
and although I have a list of blessings,
I see days when I do not list even one.
I have to be more conscious, more awake,
more aware of what I have, of my blessings!

Scientific studies show 
that gratitude expressed and shared,
 restructures our brain,
physically remaps the connections in our brain,
and unlocks happiness and even, joy!
Digging up bad memories, hurts,
traumatic experiences, 
reinforces the negative and holds us back.
So let us be INTENTIONALLY grateful,
and let that gratefulness overflow
into blessing for others.

"Put on your apron..." Luke 17:8
Here Jesus tells us we are His servants,
and we should do what is our duty,
what we are obliged to do.
And what is it that we should do?
"What we do to the least of our brothers and sisters,
we do for Him." Matthew 25:40.
Perhaps the least of our brethren today 
are our hurting brothers and sisters
in the devastated areas of the Philippines!

Although what I can give is so meager
compared to the overwhelming, heartbreaking need,
I can trust that God will multiply what we give
as He did with the loaves and fishes the little boy
offered in Matthew 14.

Would you like to offer something
Jesus can multiply?
Visit CNN for a list of organizations
on the ground helping to provide the basic necessities.

Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.
I know it takes so much time and effort
to leave a comment
and I appreciate it soooo much!

This week,
Random.org chose
 #40, Jenny of  Big Family, Small Farm.
She has a big family of 9!
I wonder how she does it,
maybe she is superwoman
in disguise? :^))))



For my growing collection of 
prompts, inspirations, creative pursuits,
courageous artists and their art,
join me here!


Blessings!
Patsy

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Wednesday, November 06, 2013

WOYWW: Count the Cost!

Last night, I was experimenting with acrylic emulsion
to see if it was a cheaper alternative
to the silicone sealant I used for the project below.

Silicone is quite expensive
and I wanted to find something else
to make more Christmas ornaments
for my tree! Click on the picture if you 
want to make your own :^)

After I cleared my table and got a small area to work on,
I read from Luke 14:25-33.
"Which of you wishing to construct a tower 
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?"

If you have built a home, or anything
like a garage, or dog house,
I think there are always additional expenses
you did not foresee!

We started building our house because
my sister wanted to have a home already,
and we shared the lot.
I did not want her to have a house
that looked like half a house!
Towards the end I had to pray a lot
because I knew the money we had was not enough!

Would we just have a shell of a house?
Would we just use the ground floor?
My parents helped without my asking them!
My dad even got a carpenter
and managed the construction of all our cabinets!

I think when we say,
"Yes I will follow you, Jesus!"
we don't really know the cost.
When I joined my covenant community,
I did not realize how many meetings, retreats,
commitments I would have to attend.
But I said YES because I believed
God called me (that's a loooong story in itself).

But like my parents came through for me
when I needed the money for our house,
Jesus comes through for us
when we need Him!
We need to count the cost of following Jesus,
we take our commitments seriously,
but we can depend on Him
to be our partner!

"Rejoice in HOPE,
be PATIENT in affliction,
PERSEVERE in prayer." Romans 12:12

Whatever we are going through,
we have an inner source of hope,
of strength, of peace beyond understanding.
We have a partner, a shepherd, a guide,
a friend in Jesus!


Every week I choose one wonderful visitor
who leaves a comment
to receive an ATC from me.
I know it takes so much time and effort
to leave a comment
and I appreciate it soooo much!

This week,
Random.org chose
 #20, Sue Marazzo.
Visit her blog to see her
fabulous paintings and other
things to inspire you!


For my growing collection of 
prompts, inspirations, creative pursuits,
courageous artists and their art,
join me here!


Blessings!
Patsy
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