Seek His Wisdom

These two journal entries really go hand in hand, though I didn't create them at the same time. In Job 28:12-19, it describes in perfect visual imagery that the Lord's wisdom is certainly more precious than any jewels or gemstones. One thing I always want to strive for is to walk in His wisdom. As long as I seek His wisdom first and not try to do everything on my own, or my way, I will walk in His blessing.

In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel goes to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and asks them to help him pray for wisdom to help interpret the king Nabuchadnezzar's dream so that they may live. The focal point of my entry is the section of scripture that Daniel spends praising the Lord for giving him wisdom and thanking him. Even as I seek the Lord for wisdom in all things--I want to always praise and thank Him with equal passion and gratitude. God is faithful and He always looks out for the good of His children. When you seek after His wisdom, you will surely find it. Then, be sure to thank Him for it when you do.

The Key to Perfect Peace

Did you know that the thoughts that you have are powerful? Thoughts you have about yourself, about others, about life...Isaiah 26:3 says, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." By fixing our thoughts on God, we allow His peace to come on us. It isn't always easy, especially when life is hard and we are going through struggles, but the more that we do that--focus our minds on God's goodness, on His love--the easier it will be to do that during those valley moments in our life.

I'm continuing to use my watercolors and Aqua Painter brushes and am really having a great time using this medium in my journal Bible.

Have a beautiful week--keep your thoughts on the good things, the positive, on God.

The Fight Within

Our Pastor just concluded a mini-series titled "The Fight Within." He explains: "The Fight Within" is about yielding and overcoming...yielding to the Holy Spirit as He leads your spiritual being and overcoming every opposition that holds you back from following through and doing what you know to do.

This Romans 7 passage has long since been a favorite of mine. How many times do we find ourselves struggling on the inside--knowing what is right and wanting desperately to do so, but instead we do the opposite? It can be a continuous battle for many. Isn't it encouraging to know that Christ can deliver us from that inner fight and help us to overcome the opposition that tries to get in our way!

Pursue a Heart of Integrity

"Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle. The people you rub shoulders with everyday need that kind of challenge. Not prudish. Not preachy. Just Cracker Jack clean living. Just honest to goodness, bone-deep, non-hypocritical integrity." -Chuck Swindoll

May we always strive to pursue a life with a heart of integrity.

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength

"It takes intentional change and obedience in the Spirit to learn to live in joy." Holly Gerth in "You're Going to Be Okay" This quote resonated with me the first time I read it. Sometimes joy requires action. We must fight for joy. We must remember that strength comes THROUGH joy, not after it. In other words, joy provides strength. It IS a choice. I choose JOY, don't you? What better way to live than with a joyous heart? May Nehemiah 8:10 be a reminder of that for you this week or the next time you are struggling to find joy amidst a storm of struggle.

My Hope Is In the Lord

It's been a year since I started Bible Journaling. What an awesome creative outlet it has been for me! I have really enjoyed this type of artful worship, and I can see that it is becoming more common.

I purchased a new set of water colors yesterday and had to try them out immediately. In this time when so many people are afraid for the future of our nation and the world, I rest in knowing that my hope comes from the Lord alone. Psalm 33:20-22 is an awesome reminder of that. Just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly--with freedom to fly away, we have freedom in Christ knowing that He is our help and our shield when darkness tries to surround us.

Be encouraged, friend! And may you find hope in the Lord alone.

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)

My Soul Finds Rest

Painting with acrylic paints has become a new favorite for me for Bible Journaling. The layout/design for this page was inspired by this post on Instagram, but I focused on Psalm 62:1-2, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will never be shaken." Such a great reminder when your mind is unsettled. He is always with you, and you can rest in knowing He will take care of all of your needs.

Be Still and Wait

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." Psalm 37:7....this scripture has always been hard for me, mostly because I struggle with patience a lot. We live in a world that demands immediate answers and attention, and as a person I'm not different. But through the years, over and over again, it's in the times where the Lord tells me to be still and wait that the outcome always comes out better than I could ever imagine.

I was reviewing some old journal notes today and came across this scripture and the following passage that I had included with it (a blurb from the She Reads Truth daily devotional): "It's easy to forget God is in total control. We serve a God who fulfills His promises, and it is His delight to reveal Himself amidst a swirl of troubles. He calls us to be still and wait patiently, and in His goodness, even gifts us with the faith to do so. Even before the floodwaters swell over our head, He has already prepared a safe passage." I knew immediately that I wanted it to be today's journal entry.

I used this journal entry from my Pinterest board for inspiration, though since her post was just an Instagram photo I had no instructions on how she created the page, so I just stepped out and tried to recreate it on my own. I stamped the image using my "Blended Bloom" stamp in black StaZon ink, followed by adding the journaling with my Micron 01 black pen. For the color, I mixed hot pink acrylic craft paint with some water to dilute it down and used my Aqua Painter brush to do a water coloring technique. For the lighter pink, I mixed hot pink and white acrylic craft paint and then mixed in some water to dilute it further. Be sure to put a piece of wax paper behind your page before you paint to keep it from bleeding through. As you can see, the back side of the page looks brand new with nothing coming through!

The acrylic painting medium is becoming a fast favorite of mine. I love the vibrant color it gives. I look forward to doing more with paints in the future. It's not so scary--give it a try!

A New Creation

I've been wanting to try acrylic paint in my Bible journal since I first began, but I'll be honest, this medium scared me to death. If you mess up, you can't come back from that--it's a commitment. Well, let me say it was way easier than I thought it would be! Rest easy, I promise. A friend recommended that I buy the cheapest acrylic paint they make, so that's just what I did. She noted that the cheaper paints don't bleed through the pages like some of the quality, thicker paints do. I used the keycard technique, where you dab the edge of a hotel keycard (or credit card/gift card) and run it along the page. This creates a very thin layer that you can still see through.

I then added smaller sections of pink, yellow, and green for highlights on the turquoise. Before I painted, I put a layer of wax paper underneath the page to protect any leaking through but nothing even soaked through! Amazing!

You can use a heat tool to set the paint if you have any thick spots, but I didn't really need it. The paint dried super quick. I had a paper towel on hand to help also, but really only used it to clean off the key card between colors.

Lastly, I used black stickers for the lettering and stamped my butterfly stamps using StaZon ink. This stamp set is the Papillon Potpourri from Stampin' Up!.

He is Risen!

I knew I wanted to do an Easter journal entry and I went several directions before I finally landed here--focusing on the cross and the fact that Christ arose rather than the crucifixion itself. I used my pastel oil chalks for this design. I'm starting to get comfortable with them, though the blending of the sunrise took me a while before I was happy with it. It's hard to cover up mistakes (or opportunities as I call them!) using this medium, but I managed. :)

I'm so thankful for what this journal entry represents in my life! Happy Easter everyone!

East to the West

Pastor Steve used Psalm 103:12 in his message Sunday and when I originally heard the scripture, I thought about doing a journal entry using a compass ("As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.") My mind wandered over the past couple of days, and when I finally sat down to journal the scripture I changed my mind and decided to use a globe instead of the compass.

This was my first experience with oil pastels. It was quite fun and I really enjoyed using this medium instead of the colored pencils for this entry. I always start my entry with a pencil outline, which was no different for this one.

I then started with my lightest green oil pastel and made marks over the images and used an applicator to blend the color into the image. After the lightest green, I added a darker green and blended, and continued doing this until I was happy with the coloring. Then I moved to the blues for the water. I outlined the globe and the continents with a black colored pencil, and used my trusty Micron 08 for the lettering.

Power in the Name of Jesus

This past Sunday we sang "No Other Name" in our worship set list. This journal entry was something I created that was inspired by that song and the many names of Jesus. The "Jesus" name was created by watching Zenspirations.

How Deep, Wide, High, Long

Kari Jobe is one of my favorite worship artists. We sing many of her songs in our worship at church. This past Sunday we sang "Only Your Love" which is based on the scripture Ephesians 3:18-19--"...together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know his love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Every time I hear or sing this song, when we sing the bridge "How deep, how wide, how long, how high" I imagine in my mind a river flowing down from the mountains that grows and grows. So, when I pulled this scripture up in my journal bible this week, this image is what I have in my mind when I sing about Christ's love for us.

No Weapon Formed Against You

This week has been a real struggle in regards to sickness. Everyday someone close to me was asking for prayer for one type of illness or another. It was one of those "when it rains it pours" surreal moments. I created this journal entry several days ago, and because I've been redoing my home office (more on that later), my computer has been inaccessible so I'm just now getting around to posting it. However, this scripture has been one that I've been standing on for all of my loved ones battling sickness in one form or another this week. If you're in the midst of a struggle or a burdensome week, use this scripture of faith to help encourage you.

Whom Shall I Fear?

Pastor Steve preached about overcoming fear and used Psalm 27 as his scripture text. We sing a worship song at our church called "The Everlasting" that was written from this chapter as well. It's always been such a powerful reminder to me that I have nothing to fear when I trust in the Lord. This journal entry was inspired from this scripture, "The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Engraved on His Palm

I have always loved the Scripture "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." because it shows me just how much I mean to God. It's an awesome reminder that He cares about me...little ole me.

Confess and Purify

Mike and I took a few days off and traveled to Texas this past weekend. Stayed with some friends the first night in Houston and then went on to Austin for a night. We relaxed and enjoyed our time away. It's always nice to get a refresher.

A scripture that I memorized as a child: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And today's inspiration for my latest Bible Journal entry. It was a part of my daily devotion before I left for Texas and this idea was swimming around in my mind over my trip. I decided to let it marinade a bit before getting started. When we got back from Texas, I was ready to begin this page.