Idea: A Plan for Action; Design

 

"I have ideas I haven't thought of yet"

 

God spoke to Moses: “See what I’ve done; I’ve personally chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him skill and know-how and expertise in every kind of craft to create designs and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to cut and set gemstones; to carve wood—

he’s an all-around craftsman.

(Exodus 31:1-3 The Message)

 

 

Moses told the Israelites, “See, God has selected Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He’s filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and know-how for making all sorts of things, to design and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to carve stones and set them; to carve wood, working in every kind of skilled craft. And he’s also made him a teacher, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He’s gifted them with the know-how needed for carving, designing, weaving, and embroidering in blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, and in fine linen. They can make anything and design anything.”

(Exodus 35:30-35 The Message)

 

 

 

I dare you to think about your God-created self. Look at all the wonderful ways He uniquely gifted you. And He fills us with His very Spirit, when we surrender our hearts, minds, souls and very beings to His love and salvation, demonstrated in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

 

And then He gives us work to do. To creatively use our skills, strengths and "know-hows" to serve and encourage others to "live out their God-created identities, generously and graciously, just like God lives towards us!" (Matthew 5:48 The Message)

 

God is on the move over here. He created me as an "ideas generator." And the ideas are flowing. He has opened a door for me to put one of my ideas into action. I want to inspire others to discover their God-created selves and express their creative desires.

Today, when I discovered that one meaning of an idea is "a plan of action," I smiled. God doesn't just give us ideas to dream about, He gives us ideas to live out!

 

I have found collage and art journaling to be a fun, safe place to discover truths about myself and to dream about God's design for my life.

And apparently, He is also making me a teacher. I will be teaching a collage workshop in July at a local art gallery. God dared me, and so here I go!

Please pray for me. I will  be sure to tell you more as the adventure unfolds. Next step: website and the unveiling of the awesome name and tagline God gave me for this "dream."

 

 

What plan of action has God inspired you to take this week?

 



Thrilling Guest Thursday: Jeanie Kelley

Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in.

(Matthew 7:7-8 The Message)

 

Please welcome my journaling and writing friend, Jeanie Kelley. Jeanie has a blog where she shares insights from life and the Bible studies that she enjoys online with Melissa Taylor and her Online Bible Studies.

 

Here's a recent post from Jeanie, where she shares about her cats and perservering prayer in Cats Alive and Begging:

 

Who does not love an animal especially a cat? In our marriage, we have had a total of four cats and they can do all the craziest things to make a person stop and think. What brings to my mind is how a cat can beg so sympathetically and eat the crumbs off the floor just like a dog. In a way, our cats are like dogs. They have quirks that make them act like a dog. Take for instance, when we have sat down to a meal. We see that the cats have came to call looking for that proverbial morsel on the floor. They lick them up and are waiting enthusiastically for more. It is kind of like Oliver Twist by Dickens where he says to the cook,”Please sir,I want some more.” That is what seems is happening with our fine feline friends. They keep saying I want some more.

Click here to read more . . .

 

 

And now introducing, Jeannie's current furried friends . . .  read more about them here.





Lupas



Tilq

Potential: Expressing Possibiiity

 

 

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

(Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message)

 

 

"Living deep in God's "good" ness, I will seek to travel with others toward peace and deep joy while diligently tending to my own garden." (Juniper Gillian)

 

 

 

 

This week as I have been contemplating potential, exciting things have been expressing themselves in my soul. I cannot explain how the good news grows from a seedling of faith into a full blooming flower of joy. I have been on a journey with Jesus as my central love, sometimes ardent, sometimes wavering for more than four decades now. He never ceases to surprise me with joy and hope and peace and things sprouting and flourishing in my soul that I don't even remember being planted there.

 

Over the last twelve years, I have been dreaming about what I want to be when I "grow up." When our boys were in high school, my husband and I spent three days with a couple to look at our lives, to see where we had been and where we were going. Here is the statement, which I wrote about my personal significance in the summer of 2005:

 

Personal Significance is…

 

Minimum of a two year college degree

Written and published at least one book

Created and maintained a website for spiritual encouragement

 

In many ways, God has exceeded the desires of my heart. In December 2011, I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in English and we self-published a book of devotions, titled Defining Moments: Overflowing with Living Words. And since 2008, I have maintained this blog, Nourishment for the Soul: A Place to Feed on Words.

 

This journey has proved to me the value of writing down our dreams, capturing them in a visual medium and sharing them with others. Through learning to lean close into God's goodness everyday, He is leading me in ways I never thought possible.

 

And now, He is opening doors for me to experience more impossibilities. By the end of the summer, I plan to have a website that hosts the blog, promotes creative soul workshops and potentially the unveiling of spiritual adventures. Please pray for me as I branch out and take steps of faith to bring this possibility into actuality.

 

For now, I'm going to keep the name of this enterprise a surprise to unveil with the website. So stay tuned!

 

(Many others besides, Don and Sherie Zimmer, who we met with in 2005, have been influential in this dream becoming a reality including my husband, who defies enough superlatives to ever express my true heart towards him, our two sons who have grown up into renaissance men, my mom, who gave me life and confidence, my sisters, Juniper Gillian, Michelle and Dani, who love me and cheer me on, my Magnificent Friends (you know who you are),  my journaling friends and mentors, Lynn D. Morrissey and Mary Ann Kuechler, my writing friends and journaling friends (hugs) and my friend and life coach, Tracy Flori! And now I feel like I'm at the Oscars and I just know I've forgotten to thank someone...I am thankful for all the friends and teachers over the years who formed who I am today. Dreams take a lot of work and support and I so appreciate God bringing each one of you into my life.)

 

May God enable each of us to express our possibilities (and impossibilities) in order to create space for His goodness to flourish as we each, "Live out our God-created identities, living generously and graciously toward one another, as God lives toward us!" (Matthew 5:48 The Message)

 



When's the last time you recalled the good news alongside the goodness of God?

 

 

Linking up with...