Have You Ever Wonered

The Amazing Thing about Scripture is that it Is Timeless. It is accurate and relevant more than 2000 years after it was written.

There are times when reading the scriptures and the gospels that I stop and ask why is that happening this way. Has This ever happened to you. There are some things that the scholars are trying to explain but find it difficult if not impossible to explain and prove. Others are relatively simple to explain. Much of the new testament is fairly cut and dried, or is it? The star of Bethlehem is a mystery and probably will always be so. There are many theories and suppositions as to what it could have been, none of which are proven or universally accepted.

For me there are many questions. Two of them are:

1. Why did Herod send troops to kill children from 2 years of age and younger if Jesus was in swaddling clothes?

2. Why is there no record of the deed in historical records?

Interesting enough the answer can be had by knowing the conditions and times that Jesus lived in. First of all is the slowness of transportation at the time, mostly by foot or camel.Until the wise men traveled to Israel, stopped and queried Herod of the birth of Jesus, found Jesus and left Israel without returning to tell Herod what they found and the time it took Herod to realized they would not return, it is most likely that the better part of two years had passed. Jesus could have been more than a year old when the slaughter of the children took place. As to why the deed is not in any records, Bethlehem was only a small village at the time comprising only a thousand or so inhabitants. unlike today, this was not an uncommon occurrence in ancient mid eastern civilization. The deed would not necessarily have been taken note of for a small settlement such as Bethlehem in historical records. 

What is my point? Knowing some of the history and living conditions at the time of Jesus brings the reality of the life of Christ into vivid focus and brings better understanding of some of the things Jesus and the others mentioned in the bible said and did. It is not a lessening of the reality of Christ but an enrichment of it. It creates a feeling of being there. It gives an understanding of the conditions and what the purpose of the actions and words were at the time. For me it is astounding that to this day the words of Christ and God are still very much alive. By understanding the reality of the living conditions then it becomes even more wondrous.

After the holidays I need to find out who is still blogging and who is no longer following. At that time I will once again start giving shout outs. Tank you for your patience.

I have two Christmas cards to share with you today. I do not remember whom they were sent to but I know they have been received. They are both created from Stamps Happen stamp company. Sorry I could not find these stamps for sale anywhere so no link is provided. The Company owning the rights is Custom Rubber Stamp Company. Many of the stamps are discontinued.

The Copics used: C2,Y11, Y28, BG18, Y02, E000, E43

The image was fussy cut fastened with Sookwang tape. The halo was tricky. I left a small strip of card stock to connect the images and used a razor knife to cut it off after it was fastened to the card face and silver halo. The silver and the gold for the halo and star were scraps from my stash. The Noel was created in Word, cut out and attached with Sookwang tape. The card face was also scrap from my stash.

The next card does not have a Copic list with it. It was about the time I first started to note the colors used ( Several years ago ). This image is called Angel of Light. Again there is no Image for sale to refer to and is more than likely discontinued.

This was one of the harder images to color because of the fine detail. It was fussy cut and fastened to the card stock with, what else, Sookwang tape. Smile. The Stars and snowflake are Starform glitter stickers. I didn't have a star to use as the star of Bethlehem so a snowflake stick was use to represent it. 

A delicate gold "Stamponit" sticker was used at  the fold inside the card for a little extra interest. Not very fancy but effective.

That is it for today. I appreciate your stopping by to visit. Have a SAFE Happy New Year. Remember to always Love the Details. See you in 2016. (BOY THAT FEELS STRANGE)
    

In Time For Christmas

Hope comes in many ways but all give joy to the Spirit and a belief in the possibilities of the future. 

These past two months have been a trial by fire in many ways. The loss of my computer. The aggravation of restoring everything that was lost (Yes I religiously back everything up every day), Reloading all of the programs that were on it and dealing with the companies involved and the registrations. That followed with a loss of telephone service and the DSL that was carried over that same line and dealing with a telephone company that for the most part has become insensitive to customer service is disheartening and frustrating. I was beginning to think I was supposed to just give it all up and get off the net. Through the anger, frustration and hopelessness there is the knowledge that Christ has come and defeated our advisary. In this season of remembrance and joy of His birth and the grace he brings to us with forgiveness, He has triumphed and we are the recipients of that gift. I hear of the struggles and trials all around me. There is great strength in humility and steadfast belief in Christ for all who believe in His word and His example. It all began on the day of His birth and carried on for 2000 years. 

I have been given a ministry of prayer. There are several hundred in the "One Day At A Time" prayer book and they are prayed for every day. I have also been given a blog to witness and encourage others with. Both are part and parcel of His work. That includes the art and cards that you stop by to see. It has been expressed that the blog is different in many ways. All I can say is Thank You Lord. It is His work, not mine. It is an honor to be back and share as well as encourage those who visit this humble endeavor. 

Today I would like to share two cards received. One is an old birthday card from my sister and brother-in-law. It is one of those cards that sing when you open it. 

I considered including the sound file from the inside of the card but it is annoying if it plays too long so it is not included.

The sound byte is a LOOOOONNGG single high note. ANNOYING) I thought it was worth a chuckle or two to show the inside and comment. 

The next card was just received from Em Fairly from Creative EM. 

Thank you Em. You did a beautiful job with the card. My photo is a bit on the yellow side but, in person it is perfect.

That will be it until the cards I created and sent out get to their recipients. Thank you for being patient with me and thank you for your visits. I will be trying to visit as many of you as possible in the next day or two. If I do not get to you, have an exceptionally Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and remember to always Love The Details.




   

Down Again

Just got back online again. Our telephone service has been out since Monday and our internet is intermittent. The internet was out part of today. When I realized it was back I jumped on to let everyone know I will be back to comment and post when it is restored permanently. Thank you for your patience.

Love, Hugs and Blessings to all of you.
Jim

Is It Real

True religion is real living: living with one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.

An Einstein Quote From www.simpletoremember.com

I love astronomy as many of you already know. The inconceivable vastness our environment is a sobering realization. There are things that will never be known to us. Science may try to unravel the mysteries of "why" and "how" but for every answer there are many more questions that come to the fore. The farthest regions of space can never be seen and every time the smallest of the small is realized something smaller is found. The complete answers will never be known. THAT is the beauty of our Lord. Religion is not something exclusive to any sect or teaching but life itself. The whole of the word of God is a teaching on how to live and the rewards of that journey when we acknowledge the truth found in them. It brings pure humility to know some one so great can create on scales we will never comprehend. The season coming up, Christmas, has many things that defy explanation. Angels, and the Holy Spirit are some things that vex science to this day. Immaculate conception? How is that possible? Hearing voices and no one physically there? Mary must have eaten something that did not agree with her or she was inebriated when those voices came to her to tell her of the Christ child to come! It must have been a coincidence when Joseph was told about Mary, right? Angels and the Holy spirit are VERY real for me and many like me. My doubts were wiped away many years ago. What about you? Do you celebrate Christmas as a holy time or is your Christmas just for the presents? If you are going to celebrate the season then celebrate the only gifts that matter, the birth of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. They bring the gift of forgiveness for all who believe. With them come the healing of mind body and spirit. I assure you these gifts are real.

I have been without a computer for awhile as my old workhorse died. It has been giving me fits for some time. I am now back on line and have come to discover that several of those that I was following have stopped posting and some have even left the blogging scene. Until I figure out how is still around I will not be doing shout outs.

Today I would like to share two "House Mouse" images that I colored.  The first is called "Mice Leaf Riding.

The Copic colors used are:

The second image is called "Mice Warm Dreams"

The Copic colors used are:

E41,RV00, E45, E41, E44, C2, C1, C0, C00, C4, B06, B05, B32, B00, Y00, R05

For now, that is my offering. As I get caught up I will post more. I will also visit those of you who are still posting. Thank you one and all who have been so patient with me.
Remember to always Love The Details. 

I almost forgot!!! My internet connection has been very spotty lately. One more thing to slow things down. Fun isn't it? 
                

Back Again

Hello everyone. Both Jill and I have been having computer problems. Neither of us have been able to post or comment. I lost my computer some days ago and am busy just getting up and running. I will be back and post in a week or so. I have been trying to tackle both Her and my computers at the same time. She is back to being able to do most things. Her frustrations are much less but mine are not. I am in process of getting everything back on and working on a new computer. I am still waiting on some hardware I need since the new computer does not have all of the things needed to be truly up and running. Thank you for understanding.

Love Hugs and Blessings to you all.
Jim 

Compassion

     What would I say that would mean anything if I had not first begun to live the very words I am speaking? ãcopyrighted

From my book of poetry, prose and reflection.  

In recent months there have been many things that have happened to cause reflection on this phrase. Life is more than just a series of happenings and situations. All too often if it does not conform to what we want or expect we pass it off as unimportant or inconsequential. Everything in life has a purpose. Nothing is without a cause and effect. Dropping a stone in a pond has a ripple effect on the water. Living and breathing has the effect of changing the course of everyone around you and in fact the whole of the world. When we come into the lives of others that life is forever altered and will never be the same again. There is a ripple that goes from one to another and another and another until it has had an affect on every person in this world. It is always amazing to have someone come back and express that you have changed their life or given them strength or hope where there was doubt or despair. In the prayer ministry there are many lessons to be learned. Not a day goes by that Something isn't experienced. Everyone on my prayer list is important. Everyone's need is felt. Every need is prayed for. Every answered prayer, every joy, every sorrow and especially every loss is felt. Our lives are forever linked in the spiritual awareness of everyone being special. God is not partial to one over another. All are equal in receiving His care, love and His correction. He constantly calls to all His creation to Him. His compassion is greater than all of ours put together.  

This post is also a celebration of the changing of the seasons. We have had our first frost and the trees have begun to change in earnest. I have a card to share but that will be for the next post. Right now I would like to share some of the color in my area. We have not had a color display in this area like this for some years.

This first tree is a neighbors Cedar. I don't know the exact genus but it is Fascinating.

I do believe it has always looked that way. Not sure if was trimmed or not. Just love the way it looks.

Again, a neighbor's tree. It is a brilliant red orange.

These three trees are at a school I used for my vantage point. It is the highest locally that I could walk to, about 2.5 to 3 miles away.

Th following images are what I took from my "high perch".

I am sure some of you are experiencing even more color than this. I love the color but I am not happy with what will soon follow. Winter!!!!

I hope you were not bored too much. I will have a card to share and maybe some art work of some kind. Until then, remember to Love The Detail.


          

Fear

Aaron Paquette painting: Ready For Ceremony aaronpaquette.net
Blog: http://www.aaronpaquette.net/?page_id=440
After researching and finding the image to be a painting for sale it has been removed to keep from copyright and intellectual rights infringements. I have included the page where the painting, Compassion Warrior, can be found so you can appreciate the artist and his work.

Quote from the above mentioned painting:

"I won't fight You,

But I will get educated

Honour the old ways

And walk the good path

I won't fight you, but I WILL

overcome your fear with deep

compassion.

I AM A WARRIOR

The native Americans are very spiritual. The words on the painting mentioned above are appropriate for many reasons. It is usually caused by the unknown but sometimes by the known. Being a Christian does not alleviate fear but at the very least should temper our resolve to stand up to it. We are believers of the the unseen and the mysteries of our God.  Jesus said to him: "You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." (The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Jn 20:29). New York: Doubleday.) These words have imprinted themselves on my very being. Many of those around us have questioned and even turned their face away from the God that created us for no more than the inability to touch some material object or the inability to physically hear a voice talking to them. I for one would find it frightening to hear a voice booming from apparently nowhere. What makes our God so amazing and real is His ability to talk to us through His spirit to our spirit. It is often mistaken for our own thoughts or conscience when it is the soft voice of the spirit guiding our way along the path we travel in life. Why a warrior? The fact that voice is heard and recognized at all creates the willingness to respond to it and face the unknown. To do that without compassion would be impossible for most, including me. Deep compassion will overcome any fear even unto death. A warrior does not hesitate to give all. This blog exists because of that small voice. Talking about God openly is scary when you are basically shy and retiring. It has also lead to a prayer ministry. Commitment? Very definitely. Worth it? Only God can ultimately answer that but personally YES. Are you a warrior? If you believe in Jesus and God then you are a warrior in some capacity.  If you are insulted for bearing Christ’s name, blessed are you, for on you rests the Spirit of God,   the Spirit of glory. (The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (1 Pe 4:14). New York: Doubleday.) There is nothing special about me other than a willingness to step out and declare the word and to pray for every soul no matter their belief. I am a WARRIOR. 

It is time now for getting out the spotlight and shining some light on some very special people. All of YOU. You may not be following me but that does not mean I am not following you to some extent. I do apologize for not commenting much of late. Several things have taken up most of my time preparing for scheduled things coming up. There is still much to do but they are coming to the point where I can visit more often. I will visit anyone who comments no matter what the schedule here might be and comment on your blog.

Judy (aka Princess Judy). Yep, you read that right. Says so on her blog name so it is right. Judy is a very talented and funny blogger who loves cats. Her Kitties even moderate for her when she is busy. Quite entertaining. If you visit and are not smiling when you leave it's your fault not hers. Be sure to drop a comment before you leave.

Dawn. I follow Dawn on ODBD and love her designs and the way she uses them in card making. Her choice of colors is often striking. Her coloring is beautiful as you will see. Love her cards. Leave a comment before you leave. She appreciates it.

Charlene. (Char) Char does some pretty and unique cards that I enjoy visiting to see. Visit often and maybe follow her if you like what you see. She has a 1 year old granddaughter that is her pride and joy. I am sure you will see a few of the pictures from time to time. Char loves when you leave comments.

I had a birthday recently and would like to share two cards I received. The first one is from my dear wife Jill. These cards are always special.

I am just a bit biased because it is from Jill but can you blame me? Thank you sweetheart. Love the card.

The next card is from a special friend, Em from Creative EM. Love the scene she chose to do the card with. Excellent coloring too.

Thank you so very much Em. The card is beautiful.

That is it for today. I will try to visit whomever I can in the near future. Thanks for visiting and remember to always LOVE THE DETAILS.


   

Just a Quick Post

Today was a solemn memorial to the tragedy of 9-11. It was a day of tribute to the brave as well as a day of remembrance of the innocent victims. For this reason this will be a very short post with little rhetoric, no shout outs, just a card and the images used. 

The stencil I used is a new and unused 12" X 12" size. After tracing it I reduced it to card size, slightly over 4" X 5". 

The image was trimmed and mounted on a piece of paper from my stash that was left over. Those were mounted on a piece of burgandy card stock, also from my stash. Six gems from Crystal Stickers were added, three in the upper left and three in the lower right corners. This is the result. 

Copic Colors

Eyes: E44, E13, T7

Hair: W7, W5, W3, W1, Black 0.05 Multiliner

Skin & Lips: E000, E00, E01, E21, E53, RV00

Feathers: 100, BG57, BG02, Lt Gray 0.05 Multiliner 

Leather: E35, E39

Flowers: V09, V15, BV02, E42, Y17, G17, G03, G05

Head Band: R46, E04

The inside of the card is a Native American Prayer. I am not sure where the feather is from but this particular one may have been from a happy package. Sorry I put things like this in a general baggie since my storage space is very limited.

I also created a negative image of the tracing that I think is really cool. I would like to enter this in Darnell's Challenge. (There is a typo in the sentiment that I will correct later.Word should be world.)

NBUS Challenge

That is it. Hope you like the results. Remember..to..Love The Details.

Living Life

Living life is a journey extraordinaire through time and eternity. - A quote from my book

The journey through life takes untold twists and turns. In some ways it is good we cannot plot a path that is without any trials or pit falls, broken promises, disappointments or any other downside to the journey. Without them there would be no way to recognize the joys and pleasures we encounter. Surprises would not be known if all were smooth and even. Our joy would not be great if our sorrows were not deep. All things have a price that requires us to experience the opposites of everything in life, to know the depth of their experience. Sometimes we tell ourselves we can avoid those hard times. Often it is only avoiding what will inevitably be. Sometimes we dive into something because it is what we want and not what would be. What our lives are can only be controlled in part but we can live each day and be thankful we have it at all. Life not savored for the moment is not lived fully. Living for dreams we do not have, in fact may never have, is folly. The most wonderful times are the moments lived as they occur. They are precious. They will not come again in exactly the same way ever again.

Before we can begin the journey we must recognize that Jesus knocked first and invited you to join him and share your journey with him. If you accept, all you need to do is knock and he will answer, ask and you will receive. (New International Version. (1984). (Mt 7:7–8). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.) It is not a guarantee of no hard knocks but a promise of life to its fullest.

It is time for a few of the people I follow. I have been lax in visiting of late but I want to recognize a few of those that I do visit when I can. Please leave a little love with a comment if you visit.

Annette is from Sweden and quite an excellent card creator. Her coloring is exceptional and her cards are very artistic and well done. Be sure to look at her previous cards to get some idea of how talented she is. Her skills are considerable.

Valerie is an artist in every sense of the word. Many of her pieces are her own work, not just stamps or stencils. To top that off she is also a very good photographer. I enjoy seeing all of her work and sharing. I think you will as well.

Janis is a cat lover from the western U.S. She has a good sense of humor and is a great card creator. She is out where all of the fires are right now and I am sure she will appreciate a visit and a whole bunch of encouragement. You will like seeing her cards and her photography.

All I can say at this time is Hooraaay. The painting is DONE.  I gave up trying to keep track of the hours this thing took. NO I will not be promising to finish another one of these. The detail in this is not readily apparent in the finished work but most of it was done through a magnifying glass. Here it is in all of its weary completeness.

            
Here are a few close up views of the detail work. The fine work is not as visible as I would like since some of the colors were so close to matching they gave me fits.

             

The canvas is 20" X 16". That makes some of the detail on it VERY small. Straight lines at my age are very difficult so there aren't many to be found. LOL. Was it worth it? You decide.

One more thing to share. Jill and I passed our 52nd wedding anniversary the end of last month. This is what I gave her as a rememberance.

This is the saying:

The tree has a carving in it. Here it is.

I hope you enjoyed your visit. My days are full and so is my heart. Your are all ever in my heart and in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much for your visit and my God bless you all.

Remember to always Love The Details.

An Old Smoked Wine Skin

Kaph
 

 ^{I shall wear myself out for your salvation, for your word is my hope. My eyes, too, are worn out waiting for your promise, when will you have pity on me? For I am like a smoked wine skin, but I do not forget four will.}

 The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Ps 119:81–83). New York: Doubleday.

 ^{Note: Bottles made of animal skin were often hung in tents and other places where they were subject to the deteriorating action of the smoke from cook and camp fires. In some cases, skins of wine were deliberately hung in the smoke to give the wine a peculiar flavor. When skin bottles were long exposed to smoke, they became black, hard and shriveled - good for nothing. That is the sense of the figure of speech in our text verse.}

Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible (p. 325). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.

Curious kind of statement to be made by the psalmist. It is most assuredly how many feel while waiting on the Lord. It is however an accurate assessment. We are not a patient people, especially when trials are upon us. The apostles understood this and exhibited restraint and patience in the face of hardships most of us can only imagine. They set aside their personal wants and desires to follow the Lord and do His will. What seems an eternity to us in this walk is inconsequential when the vastness of eternity is taken into account. There are even times when we feel like the wine skin and wonder what is next or when our prayer will be answered. I can attest to prayers not being answered for 50 or 60 years and even never. It can also be seen that prayer is answered on the spot. The apostles didn't just stand around and wait but did as the Lord willed. They took nothing for granted and obeyed all of the commandments to the letter as best they could. They understood the importance of not being static in serving the Lord. Each apostle served the Lord in whatever way they were called to do. They also understood that good works alone were not going to get them through the gates of heaven.That is not to say they are not noticed. Idle hands and minds are soon set to no good. The Lord did not come to replace the commandments but to shine a light on them and be a guide for us in them. Therein is the secret to His work and following Him.

I would like to include a little note here about the Shout Out section I present each week. I have not been able to access the maintenance page for my readers list for the past month or so. I know some of the blogs are not being used any more so if you visit and the posts are a year old or are inaccessible, please let me know and I will make note of it. If you are able to access them and like what you see be sure to leave some love for the artist. Comments are an encouragement worth its weight in gold.

Sheila is a diverse card creator in the subjects she covers. Her cards are from the simple to the fairly complex. I think you will find her style and interests enjoyable. Stop by her blog and give a look. I am sure she would be delighted to have you comment.

Jane is a very talented artist. Her coloring will cause you to pause and take a second and even a third look. If you scroll down and look at some of the work she does I think you will definitely follow her. This is one of those places I drool over when I visit. I leave a comment and clean up after myself. LOL. 

John is a very talented card maker. He is a bit sporadic with his posts but they are always worth the visit. His cards are extraordinary in that they are masculine without being overdone. If you are looking for ideas for masculine cards, he will most certainly provide that. 

I would like to share 3 images that were colored a few years ago. The first two are of butterflies and the third of a Victorian Lady. All three are from Digital Tuesday. Enjoy!!!

    

Sorry I didn't write down the colors used for this image. 

I hope you liked what you saw and read in the post today. There is no air conditioning in my office space only a fan. The air conditioners are for our bedroom and living room. It has been very oppressive in our area with temperatures in the low to upper 90's and humidity high enough to make it very uncomfortable. I will try to visit a few of you as I work my way through the list. I will eventually get to everyone. 

Remember that Jesus is in charge and to always Love The Details.