December 18, 2014 Gift

Gifts come in many forms and none is greater than Love.

 observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Lk 2:23). New York: Doubleday.

I am the first born of my siblings. I am dedicated to the Lord. He is my refuge, my shield and my sword. His gifts have been many. Though I am not rich, I count my wealth in those who are counted among our friends.

Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and bear with me because this will be a somewhat long post.

It has been over 2 months since my last post. At that time there were some decisions to be made. One of them was to put blogging on hold to take care of personal needs and family needs. In that time there have been many things happening, most of which have been taken care of. Some things still need to be addressed. Jill, my DW, had cataract surgery in October and November. Her risk was higher than normal because she was legally blind without her glasses. She is now 20/20 in both eyes and the surgeon was surprised at how well everything turned out. Her eye doctor was elated and told her it makes him happy to see her results were so good. We know the Lord had a lot to do with that and we praised Him all of the way. There was a lot more going on before all of this but that is for another day.

Several of you were very supportive during a difficult and trying time and I would like to acknowledge that support at this time. Jill and I have been pretty much home bound lately and you have made our days on several occasions with personal emails and cards of encouragement. Thanking you personally has already been done but there are several individuals that have left us honored and humbled. It is very much appreciated and for that I would like to thank you publicly. I know it is not expected but your gift of giving and caring is so special to both of us. 

Mary H has been a blessing in many ways. Early on Mary was an encouragement to both of us. I know she was busy at some of those times but she still paused to encourage us both to do whatever was needed. Thank you Mary. You have been a very special and endearing angel for your gift to us.

Darnell is someone most of you probably know. As busy as she has been, she still found time to email us and send cards of encouragement to Jill. She is a dynamo extraordinaire. With all of your own goings on it is special that you thought of Jill and I and reached out both online and with cards. I think it only appropriate that I share your Christmas card as well.

Bibiana is very special to Jill and I. She is from Columbia, South America now residing in California. She has a heart of gold that is as big as all out doors. She is one of those people who amazes me in more ways than I can express. She has a You Tube site for her tutorials, a French blog, a Latino blog and is on several design teams. Yes, she speaks several languages. To say she is busy is an understatement. With all of this going on, and then some, she still found time to email us and show she cares. I would like to share the Christmas card from Bibiana. As you can see she is talented and then some.

These little gifts were included. 

 

The gift for each of us is so special and endearing to us. 

Em Fairley is an assistant pastor and someone I hold dear. Her kindness and compassion is what makes her very special. What a joy it must be to attend her church. Thank you so much for your card. It is beautiful and will be among my treasures.

I have not had much chance to talk to Em yet but hope to do so in the new year. Thank you for being so special. 

It is not possible to give a shout out to all of those that have shared with Jill and I in this post but I will be giving more shout outs in the future. There are so many special and talented people that have come into our lives. For now, Thank you for understanding.

It is time for an update to the painting. There has been a big improvement since you last saw it. There are a few more days invested all told. I am not sure how many but I would not be far off if I said it was at least 60 to 70 hours off and on. That is a little over an hour a day. Not much considering it is 2.5 months since I last posted. Here is the Update. First the colors Used.

Most of the colors were used by themselves so that when I go back to mixing them I have a better idea what may be running out. Most are finished as stand alone colors. I am sure I missed a spot here and there but they will be done when Most everything is done. Now the painting.

 It does not look like it but there is a LOT left to do. Most of the big stuff is done. Most of the small detail is not visible until enlarged. Very few of the mixed colors have been touched yet. 17 of the colors that need to be mixed are untouched. That should give you an idea  of the work left to do.

I do hope everyone is well and I pray for everyone each night after bible reading. It is hoped that all is well with everyone and all are healthy and ready for the coming celebration of Christ's birth. It is the beginning of the greatest gift we have ever received. May you all be blessed with all that matters in life, health, happiness and love. Of course that includes some of the other fineries and extras as well. GOD bless and remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.

                     

October 26, 2014 Birthday Wishes

Birthdays are looked forward to when we are young but as we age the allure fades.

Isn't it funny how when we are young we look so much forward to a birthday. The presents, the parties, the fun and all that goes with it to make a birthday special. As we age all that changes. Oh, it is still there through our teens and early 20s. But from there the allure fades as do the parties and celebrations. It would seem life takes over and dulls all of those things. But every so often a spark and a light shines on that special day. For whatever reason, friends get together and celebrate that day that is special to an individual. We tend to forget that without that special day the celebration would not exist. Therefore it should be a very special time.

  This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Ps 118:24). New York: Doubleday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHIRLEY

 This will be shown at Maria's Rieslingmama for Shirley B's Birthday bash. 

I am not used to creating specialized cards. As a general rule I do not have a lot of supplies that support that. So I had to get a little bit creative with this one. I am pleased with the results. As you can see, at first glance it is not traditional.

The imaged I used is from T AC which is no longer in business. It was colored with copics. That in itself is a shame because they had very nice images. The background paper is from the once upon a time Mat Stack. The ribbon and pin are from my stash. The doily trim is from Basic Gray, LLC and A white doily trim sticker from my stash. 

I could not find a sentiment I liked so I made my own in Word and printed it on a light blue card stock from my stash. I hope this is suitable for a birthday card. I am pleased with the way it turned out. I certainly hope you like it Shirley. 

Remember, always LOVE THE DETAILS.

October 23, 2014 The Gift of Giving

The gift of giving is presentation from the heart, transitioned through the Soul.

In recent months the journey in my life has taken some twists and turns that have brought to light the gift of giving and just how awesome and humbling it is. Truth and sincerity seen through eyes that are pure and devoted reaching out to offer self without any expectancy of return. Knowing that a piece of ones self is given and accepted with humility and thankfulness is awesome and at the same time humbling. It is proven in an act of kindness, a physical gift and especially presence in time of need. It often requires nothing more than that, your presence.

When my mother passed away I was standing at the door greeting those who were coming to pay their respects. A couple came through the door, one in a wheel chair and the other pushing her. I totally came unglued on seeing them. Her health was failing and her husband and family tried to talk her out of coming but she insisted on being there. I greeted her with tears in my eyes and she said I just had to be here and smiled. It wasn't too many months later she herself was called home to our father in heaven. It was a lesson never forgotten. That was almost 14 years ago. It was truly a gift from the heart and soul.     

Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.

---

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Ps 23:6). New York: Doubleday.

This post will be a fairly short one. I recently received the package from Maria. It was a very pleasant surprise. There were a lot of oo's and ah's when the package was opened with all the goodies in there. I just had to take some photos and share them with you. Here is a picture of all the things that were in the package.

I must say I was not expecting this. But it certainly came at a time when it is very much appreciated. Thank you Maria.

I'm going to try to post a very special card on Sunday. Until then, remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.

October 13, 2044 What Is In A Name

Inspiration can come from almost anywhere and often comes from surprising places. Since There was ZERO inspiration for this post, I decided to find out what the name James means. Surprising enough, James is a derivative of Jacob and Jacob means Supplant. In short, James does not mean anything on its own. That's a bummer. Being a derivative of Jacob, it means the same as Jacob. Jacob in Hebrew means "to take by the heal or supplant." This means: 

1) to supercede (another) especially by force or treachery.

That doesn't sound so nice does it? It certainly is not me.

2) To take the place of and serve as a substitute for, especially by reason of superior excellence or power.

Now that is more like it. LOL. That still is not me. There is another word that means basically the same thing but sounds much nicer. Successor.This means:


: a person who has a job, position, or title after someone else : someone who succeeds another person

Why all of the hoopla over a name? I couldn't think of anything else to write about. Since I was bored I just thought everyone else should be bored too. LOL. Actually there is a purpose behind this. Here are two biblical excerpts to explain my thoughts.

James 2:55  Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who were poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

---

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Jas 2:5). New York: Doubleday.

How about that! I have my own book. Who says James has no meaning. LOL. Actually it is one of the books that I like the most. No, not because it has my name, but there are a lot of practical bits of wisdom therein.

Mt 7:7  ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.'

---

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Mt 7:7–8). New York: Doubleday.

Now that I have your attention there is a new winners badge from Bibiana's Throwback Thursday challenge blog on my side bar. I was the second winner of her badge and a stencil. Thank you Bibiana. It is a great honor. Bibiana runs this challenge every other Thursday. It runs for two weeks at a time. I think it is great fun and if you would like to try, visit her blog. The challenge rules are halfway down the page.


I was originally going to put some eclipse pictures on here but the pictures are terrible. We had clouds interfering and I couldn't get totality due to trees. Sorry. A typical day for me right now. LOL

I have been working on the painting that I started some weeks ago. Since things had been so crazy around here I've been doing this painting at night. That of course means spending less time than I would like on it, however, I have gotten quite a bit done. Before we get to that, here are the colors used, both on their own and blended to get the extra colors needed. 

This meant spending many hours, evening mostly, to get something done. There are 11 colors here but at least 17 colors were used. Like I said before, This is not your grandfather's paint by numbers. This painting would not be attempted without a magnifier to see the small detail. Now for the painting.

There is a huge amount of small stuff in the landscape. There are decent sized areas to be done in the sky and sea but all else is magnifier work. The light house is close to done. There are still areas that need to be blended in the sky and one or two other areas. (SHH. I need to correct a few small boo boos too. Nothing major though. Nope! Not telling where they are. Just trying to be honest about it.)

The nice thing about the natural world is you do not need to worry about some things being messed up or not being exactly right. Nature, landscapes in particular, is fun to do for that reason. 

I will apologize now for the next few months. I will be very spotty in visiting your blogs to see your work and comment. There will be little time to spare between now and the end of December because of commitments in my life. Living has its ways of creating that kind of detour. I will respond and visit all who take the time to visit and comment. I will also accept any prayer requests and include them in my book of prayer requests. That is an absolute nightly thing for me. It is never skipped or set aside. Prayer requests are never shared unless requested to do so. For that kind of request there is a network of prayer warriors that can be called on. You can contact me for any requests here:

penholder562 at gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by and remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.

September 30, 2014 Gone but Present

Believe in prayer. Prayer is believing.

 My last post was on prayer. There is much more to prayer that we never hear about. Do you know why I believe in prayer? It is for the same reason you should. When you pray you become a believer in the most personal way. Yes, you can believe without ever praying but when you pray you are laying yourself out before the Lord and saying "I am in your care and those I am praying for I am trusting to your care". There is nothing else you can offer that would be of value to God. Many have not given thought to why praying is so important and at the same time personal before God. How can prayer be dismissed out of hand that way? I often hear about fearing God and, in fact, I was brought up to FEAR God. YOU CAN NOT LOVE WHEN YOU ARE LIVING IN FEAR. God gave us Jesus and he gave His life so that we could believe in God and have our fear removed from us. Fear means we still have Him on the cross. Praying does not excuse us from life but it makes it possible for us to communicate that we are in His hands and, whatever His plans, we know His hand is in ours and we need not fear. That is why this canvas I am working on is so special. THE LIGHTHOUSE. The light that guides ships to the safety of the port. Again removing the fear and replacing it with trust and ultimately with love. Prayer is our home port. A refuge from all that the world is able to throw at us. The 23rd psalm is what prayer brings us to. How is your prayer life today? Do you fear the Lord or feel the LOVE of the Lord? We were created to Love the Lord not to fear Him. Fear is for those who do not believe. Talk to Him and feel His love fill you up. Prayer is our communion with Him.It is the greatest form of worship.

If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we persevere, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. If we are faithless, he is faithful still, for he cannot disown his own self.

2 Timothy 2:11–14

---

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (2 Ti 2:11–13). New York: Doubleday.

I have two projects to share with you today. First is a CAS card I made. It is a tent style card.

I did not finish the inside of the card this time to allow a note to be hand written. 

The dove                -  Sizzix #659126 die set
The glitter die cut  -  Spellbinders "Fantastic Flourish Thee  Die Set
Sentiment               -  Sweet n' Sassy "The Future" set
Card stock is from my stash. All gluing was done with Sookwang 1/4" and 1/8" tape. 

I am going to break with my no challenge tradition and enter this card at: 


Word art Wendnesday

The second project is something I made some 40 years ago. It sits in the hallway to our bedroom. It is a reminder of the Lord no longer being on the cross. 

 The nails are there but he is not. Hold out your hand and He will take it and be your guide. 


Blessings and remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.