Bold as a Lion

Oil pastels have quickly become my favorite medium for Bible journaling. The richness of the color makes the images come to life. It's taken me a few entries to get my groove on the best tool to use for blending, and quite honestly I think I favor the good ole fashioned Q-tip the most.

For today's entry, I used Proverbs 28:1 as the basis for my drawing: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." I've known since I got my journal Bible that I wanted to do an entry with a lion. There are so many wonderful passages that talk about lions, but this one was a favorite of mine for this image.

Rest.

For Mother's Day, we had a guest speaker at church. She talked about something that I struggle with a LOT: the busyness of life, and how we are constantly on call and never take time to rest. Rest is a word that has been ingrained in our lives as a dirty word--a curse word, if you will...so much so that if we try to do it, we are made to feel guilty. Our society has turned us into 24/7/365 working machines, never shutting off for a break. Even when we are taking a break, we are thinking of all of the things we should be doing and before you know it you are going at it again 90 to nothing.

Rest is something we all need. It's okay to rest and not feel guilty....there, I said it. I don't have to feel bad about not replying to your email at 11:00 at night, or answering your phone call when I'm trying to have dinner with my family. All of those things will still be there tomorrow. Taking a Sabbath, or a rest, is not only necessary for your body to stay healthy, but it's also scriptural.

It's okay, mother-of-three, to leave the dishes in the sink long enough for you to play with your children 30 minutes before tucking them in at night. It's okay, businessman, to enjoy dinner with your wife without checking in with the office. It's okay, teenager, to actually watch the entire movie without picking up your phone to see how many comments you have on Instagram. It's okay for you to rest. God will balance you out. If you don't take time to rest, He will force you to.

I Surrender

Last week's worship service inspired today's journal entry. I knew immediately I wanted to have a silhouette and a sunset and this was the end result. It has been so refreshing to have another creative outlet through artful worship. I hope that my Bible journal entries inspire you to look at Scripture in a new and refreshing way or to find other creative ways to build your relationship with Jesus.

For today's entry, I did a pencil outline of the silhouette and the "I Surrender," then used my Stampin' Up! ink pads and sponges to sponge the color. I punched a circle into some card stock for the sun and sponged it first, then added the other color after. After sponging the entire page, I went back over the pencil outline with my trusty Micron 08 pen. Before I sponged the page, I masked off the scripture for the page so it would stand out from the color on the page.

Last week's worship set list included:

Praise Goes On (Elevation Worship)

Fill This Place (Red Rocks Worship)

I Surrender (Hillsong)

I Will Exalt (Bethel)

Happy Spring

Spring has arrived, one of my favorite times of year! Flowers are blooming, the weather is gorgeous, the sunshine lasts longer...this month's Paper Pumpkin project was this adorable spring wreath. Paper Pumpkin is a monthly craft project kit that you can subscribe to for less than $20 per month (that includes tax/shipping!). Each month, you get a different craft project with all of the necessary materials (except regular adhesive) to assemble the project. These projects are designed with the busy crafter in mind and should take less than 30 minutes to complete. Super simple, and you're left with something adorable! :) New to crafting? No worries! You can feel confident with Paper Pumpkin using the detailed (simple) instructions to complete the project!

For more information about Paper Pumpkin, or to start your monthly subscription, visit the Paper Pumpkin website and just put in my name (Amy Watson) when it asks for your Demonstrator. :)