The Future

 2 Peter 2:6, 1 John 3:2, Revelations 4:1

Have you ever wished for knowledge of the future? Have you ever proclaimed how wonderful it would be to know the future? Do you still feel that way? Do you know what you are asking for? Look at where you are now and consider that question again. Biblical individuals that were granted that wish/request found it a horrifying vision. Would you have wanted to know what you had to go through before it happened to arrive at this moment in your life? There are both good and bad possibilities as an answer to these questions. Where you start does not define where you end. It is the life you live that defines how that ending turns out. Knowing it beforehand changes nothing. We are not in control of it. If you chose a life outside of Christ you will not be finding a rainbow there that is permanent. (2 Peter 2:6) Following Christ and placing our life in His hands will provide a definite ending to this life. Whether it is the expected or not is still not up to us. (1 John 3:2) The future we live in is even more unsettled. Look around you. Do you like what you see? Does the future excite you with its possibilities? I am not a doom and gloom person but neither am I someone who will paint future possibilities as rosy and secure. Life does not work that way and this age we live in is rife with trial and strife. 1 John 3:2 states the only thing we can be sure of, we are His and we will be like Him when he returns. It is only important that we strive in the moment to be as patient and Christ like as our earthly life will permit. To not do so would invite a repeat of 2 Peter 2:6. Revelations 4:1 is the beginning of the revelation of the fate of humanity. It is a future that no one knows but all Christians long for, The coming of the Lord. I am content to wait on the Lord and that day. 

The image this week is one MDW has used many different versions of as far as coloring is concerned. It is fun doing these and the possibilities for coloring are only limited by the number of colors available.

I included the Copic colors in the image itself to eliminate photographing, adjusting and resizing two images instead of one. Hope you enjoyed this image. There are three more to come and two of them are quite different. 

That does it for this week. Please take care of yourself and remember to always "Love The Details." God Bless.

Silence

 Zephaniah 3:9 - Psalm 67:2-6,8

How ironic! A deposed dictator of yesteryear speaks words we should be listening to today but are silent over. What we are not proclaiming speaks louder than the silence around us as Christians. What does it say about us if we have lost our voice when it comes to proclaiming the word of God? We are in need of a full blown revival in this country. (John 12:44-50) The word of God is not silent even when it is not spoken but remains as judge over those who reject it. It is true that one person has a seemingly small influence in this world by themselves. Christ proved that wrong. One voice, in fact, is very powerful when it is based in the truth of God's word. Christianity, Christ's teachings, are base on the truth of God's words. We are coerced by this world to believe the word of God can be twisted to suit human desires and wants. We are expected to believe that these things are normal and that they are the majority in our society. That is not true. They believe they have no judge since they have silenced it. That is not true because God's word is not silenced. Judgement was not spared for Jerusalem when they rejected God's word. This world is, the nations are, this nation is headed in that same direction. Judgement! The silence of the Christian is not a place of safety just as speaking out is not a place of safety. The word of God is never silent nor is it complacent or dormant. We are called to return to the word and not only repent but to speak out lest it find reason to judge us. This nation needs to return to being based on family principles, on Christian principles, on God's word. Wealth, political power or military power are no substitute for the word of God. They all fail when put in the light of the word.

In the next few posts, four to be exact, I would like to share an image that my DW likes. Unfortunately I have had this image for some time and never have found where it originated from. It is titled "Old Victorian House." I have done a dozen or so variants of this image.

This image is "as is". The only thing added is the colored by on the front of the image. That does it for this post. I hope you are all well and safe. Remember to always "Love The Details." God Bless!

What I am Not

 Galatians 3:28

(Acts 8:1-9) Saul (Later renamed Paul) was a good example of a man that was changed and lived through spiritual adversity. It also shows how much God loves us and wants to use us to show His love for all of us no matter who we were before we are called. Unlike most of those called to be disciples, Saul (Paul) was well educated. He had to be humbled so he understood who Christ was. (Acts 9) He was now brought to a place where Christ could affect his rebirth and cause him to be a new creature, an apostle to the gentiles. This is an extreme example of the Holy Spirit causing the conversion from non-believer to believer. Hard hearts sometimes need this to see the truth. For some it happens subtly, more gently. I felt the calling when very young, too young to understand the meaning of being Christian. By the tweens (pre-teens) it was becoming clear that something was different. I answered an alter call in my early teens but still had no true idea what it meant to be Christian. Still living in the ways of the world the Lord said enough is enough and caused me to break both major bones in my calf and the socket of my foot. For three months while healing I read the bible from beginning to end since I was not allowed to walk on the cast. Much has happened since that time including being guided to do this blog. There are many things in our lives that we can look at and say "I can relate to that" as we read the bible. I am not a Paul who travels the world, converting souls over to the Christian way nor a minister or priest. It is enough to share what I have been given to give hope to those who are feeling alone or forgotten. Christ forgets no one and leaves no one behind. I know that first hand. Hardships and broken bones may just be a wakeup call telling us to stop, be still and listen to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit calling to you. God loves us and sometimes does miracles to cause us to listen to that whisper we are too busy to hear otherwise. Yes broken bones can be miracles when they cause us to return to the path and be still so we can become better Christians.

Today I would like to share a page from a coloring book, Creative Haven - Peacock Designs coloring book,  that I was given by a friend. I will be giving them this as a birthday present on their birthday. They are enamored with peacocks so this was done especially for them. 

The Copics used were:

The diamond in the upper left is Wink of Stella gold. That pretty much does it for this post. Thank you for stopping by and if you commented it is much appreciated. Remember to always "Love The Details." God Bless.

Believe

 John 6:22-29 

It can be difficult to understand the purpose behind some things we encounter in life. Sometimes they seem an insurmountable barrier to our understanding and forward progress. There are times when the solution seems to have multiple answers or in fact has multiple possibilities. Jesus often answered with vague answers we call parables. Other times He was very clear. If you have spent your life trying to find how God would use you the best thing you might do is to be still. The treasure you seek is most likely right in front of you. Read  John 6:22-29 and the answer Jesus has given to us all. We run around seeking the food that we put into our body but neglect the food that sustains our spirit. Why does this sound familiar? Why do we always wind up back where we started from? Because to follow Christ we must begin at the beginning. There are no short cuts, therefore we run in circles. Circles have no end point. Getting from here to there requires a straight line. A line of spiritual sight that feeds our spiritual need and waters the thirst within our spirit. The eucharist shared at the Christian services tells us what we must do but it is up to us to follow through. (1 Corinthians 11:24-34) Matthew, Mark and Luke (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20) tells us the last supper was the place the eucharist was first shared but Corinthians is where it is explained. It is not enough to partake in the last supper in remembrance but to do so with belief and repentance. That is the way our spiritual walk must be made. That is when we are fed and given living water that sustains us. It is a life process that we must follow throughout our week, not just on Sundays or on special holidays. In this way we become Christian examples not just Sunday church goers. 

Today I would like to share several stamped images my DW gave me to color from her stamping magazines to color. They are simple but they were fun to do. 

The colors are at the edges of the image for each image.  The Copic colors are:

For the leaf = G16, YG41

For the large & small flowers = YR65, RV09, BV34, V01

For the upper left flower = R12, R22, YR14, Y26

That will do it for this weeks post. May the Good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to always "Love The Details."