Negatives

 

I have been feeling depressed lately due to some events in my life. It was a struggle to find a Brainy Quote that fit this post subject. Depressions are almost always the result of negatives in our lives. For those who grew up with an abundance of negatives in their lives it can be a struggle to deal with them or maybe not. For me it can sometimes be a struggle. I know I will come through this because the strength I feel is not my own but that of faith. These posts are an attempt to help others see that life is what it is and we must live through our negatives and turn them to positives. How do you do that? Take my last post as a hint. Every day is a miracle in its entirety. Next month I turn 80. This puts me in a live moment by moment mode. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. To miss today's miracles would be to possibly lose them forever. To love or care for someone or not tell them would be risking them never knowing. My DW and I tell each other every day "I love you." The moment, Good or bad, is a reminder of the fragile nature of our existence on this earth and in this life. We are given the choice to hold our Lord's hand and walk with Him or to deny His existence. How sad that so many think the Lord does not exist and that there is nothing to look forward to when our life ends here on earth. My heart aches for those struggling today and those who feel there is no hope. (Matthew 11:28  "Come to me all who labor and are over burdened and I will give you rest") The rest that is promised does not mean we will not have to live our lives in the moment. It does mean we are assured of rest at the end of our struggle. It is a promise of what follows our life on this earth.

 Today's image is from Coloring for Adults. I was unable to find this image again but there are TONS of images to keep you busily searching for hours with almost any subject you want.

The Copic colors are:

Very simple. Love this pallet once in awhile. Still technical yet simple enough that it can be quickly done.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you well and safe. Remember to always "Love The Details."

Your comments are much appreciated. They are a blessing to me.

Miracles

 

It is hard to live this way today as I am sure it was in Jesus's day. The Romans were not known as a kind and loving people. If anything the were cruel and sadistic rulers. Much of the world today is anything but forgiving. There is a lot of hatred, jealousy, deceit and avarice the world over, including this country. Many are the individuals whom Jesus says see but are blind, hear but are deaf. There are many references to these individuals in scripture. One of the shortcomings of these individuals is the inability to see the miracle of existence. If you appreciate that, then all of existence is a miracle. If you look around and everything is a miracle that meets your gaze you understand. From the smallest particle of dust to the largest reaches of the universe to that which is unseen is all a miracle. It doesn't matter if science explains it or not. It is still a miracle. The wonder begins with our coming into being and seeing, hearing and touching the miracle of being here and alive. To not feel this way is to miss so much of the wonder of our lives.

The image today is from Clearlyvintage.com, a free vintage site. (This site is not accessible. It is up for sale) It is titled "Christmas-tree Lane". This took some time to do. In fact I did it twice because the first time it was a mess when it was almost finished. Getting the snow to sparkle was a problem. I used a water color with fine glitter in it but it was opaque when it dried. I switched to Wink of Stella solve that.

Since the site is currently not accessible I am including this original download for anyone who wishes to try coloring it. You will find that it is not even in all dimensions so I left a slight border around it.

This is my finished version of the scene. I think it turned out fairly well. The Wink of Stella clear pen was perfect for getting the sparkle to show and still see the colors underneath to show through. 
 The Copic Colors are;

The Wink of Stella pen is in the upper left corner.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to always "Love The Details." Commenting is still open to all who visit.

Luke 12:34

 

Luke 12:34 "For wherever your heart is, that is where your treasure is as well." What is your treasure? Where is your heart? There are many answers to that question but only one matters. Go back to Luke 12:12-34 and read it. The important things in life are not things that can be stored away in earthen vessels for another time. Earthen vessels are not forever. Your body is an earthen vessel  and will return to the earth it was created from. All things of this earth and this universe will not last forever. Things that can be touched, seen, sensed are not permanent but transient. Pleasures of this world are fleeting at best. The treasures we store up are those our creator sees as worthy. None of those things are stored here on earth but in heaven. 

This image was a challenge to do because of the fine detail and the fact that it is a garden scene with LOTS of plants and flowers. Couple that with the fact the image is a 4"x6" print and eye strain becomes a reality. This was 2 days in the making and 48 colors used. I hope you like it.

The Copic colors are:

I know, that's a lot of colors. A flower garden without lots of color is not a garden. The array of fragrances in a garden like this would be mind blowing not to mention the amount of color. It is somewhat like a botanical garden. 

That is it for this week. May our good Lord watch over you and keep you safe. Remember to always "Love The Details."

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Dry Bones Brought back to life

 

What does this bible reading say to you? Why does God ask Ezekiel if the bones can live?  God is testing Ezekiel's faith. (Ezekiel 37:1-3) The WORD of YahWeh is the word of life. Just because something has no life does not mean it cannot be brought back to life. This has a meaning far greater than just bringing life to dry bones. (Ezekiel 37:4-11) Not just the bones were given life, but the living matter that clothed them were restored to them and life breathed back into them creating a massive army. (Ezekiel 37:12-14) By doing this YahWeh declared His word and will was supreme for all to see. This example extends to more than just the valley of bones. How many bones are in your valleys? How many things in your life have you thought dead and not revivable. Some may be just that because they are not right for you but some may be because you were not ready for them. Hope is not abandonment of dreams and dreams are not necessarily dead because they were not granted. The statement in verse 11 speaks of this lost hope. YahWeh answers this in verses 12-14. Jesus speaks of this when 'He says ask and you will receive knock and the door will be opened.' (Luke 11:9, Matthew 7:7) Do not set the rules or conditions in your asking and you are more likely to see the perfect granting of your prayer that far exceeds what you expect. What is dead YahWeh can breathe life into no matter what it is. It only takes faith and a belief in our Lord. Ezekiel believed and spoke what the Lord told him to speak. The bones not only rose up but were clothed in flesh and blood. The breath of life was restored to them when His words were spoken by a mere man per His command. Is it possible that this can happen? I would rather ask how much more is possible when we obey the wishes of our Lord. Even in this day miracles are granted the faithful. Healings and wondrous things are still happening every day. We do not always take note of them but they are happening just the same.

Sorry I am late in getting this post out. It has been crazy here with everything slowed down by the heat and humidity. Here is another door project from my huge store of images. Again, no idea where it came from but it was a challenge to color.

The Copic colors are;

There were a few more colors than you would think to make this image pop. this was several hours worth of work. Turned out nice.

That will do it for this week. May the good Lord keep you well and protect you in the coming week. Remember to always "Love The Details." God Bless. (If you leave a comment, I would love to return the kindness but Since Blogger insists on messing with the programming I will not be able to do so unless you change your comment section from embedded to floating in your setup.)

Time Flies

If you were to destroy the belief in immortality in mankind, not only love but every living force on which the continuation of all life in the world depended, would dry up at once.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

     It would seem time flies with greater speed as we age. It also seems to slow everything else to the point where we get less done compared to what we once accomplished. I know my days are a mess when tasks are scheduled and are not completed. “But I used to get that done and then some! Now I can’t even finish it.” Sound familiar? What I am finding is that no matter how hard I try it makes little difference in the outcome. A sad result is it has the effect of distracting us from doing those things that are important to our spiritual well being. If this does not cause you to reconsider priorities in your life, it should. How can we do spiritual things with all of the ‘important’ things needed to get done in each day? Simple! Start off each day by thanking the Lord you even have the day to live and enjoy. Give all of it to Him to guide and teach us how we should live it, what is important, what is not important and the peace of mind and spirit when we finish what we can as He guides us. Set aside time during the day for personal prayer. I personally talk to the Lord all day long. If time during the day is not possible then make sure a few minutes at the end of the day are reserved for prayer. The more you make Him a part of your personal life and an intricate part of your everyday life the more automatic everything mentioned will be, not something you will even think about but is just done without hesitation. The majority of my life has been on again, off again. The constant has been the daily talking with the Lord. Everything is dependent on Jesus, Yahweh, and The Holy Spirit. Our lives are in his hands. Communication with Him is a blessing not a forced action. Much of the experiences in our lives have more meaning when He is a part of the life we live. What would not make sense or would be seen as negative becomes positive. I don’t know about you but I sure need more positives in this crazy world we live in. 

The image I am sharing today has been gathering computer dust for some time. I don't know where it came from but I love doors, windows and gardens, so, here it is.

The Copic colors are:

Have a great day and may the good Lord keep you safe and well. Remember to always "Love The Details."