Community

The above quote above is amazing in many respects. Anne Frank knew her chances of being found and killed as a Jew during WWII were high and yet she still chose to see the beauty of the life around her. This was a girl that had everything to live for. She chose to see the bright side of life. (Philippians 2:5-8) “⁵ Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. ⁷ But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, ⁸ he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” I can't help but believe that the spiritual beliefs instilled by the Jewish community she came from had a great deal to do with that. A community cannot impart such a strong sense of faith and belief without a spiritual base. Why would I say that? Religion of and in itself is subject to the interpretation of the people governing the community and therefore it is also subject to the moral foundation of those same leaders. The Hebrews, before the destruction of their homeland by the Romans, were ruled over by the Pharisees and Seduces. The only thing they were interested in was money, position and control of the people. In short they were focused on self not the people. It was all based on strict adherence to the laws passed down through time. Jesus on the other hand was here to set them free from that control and to tell them about God our father and His desire for us. Religion alone is not something God wants for us. A Spiritual community is. This is a place where the spirit can grow and be set free. (Hebrews 3:13-14) "¹³ Every day, as long as this today lasts, keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the lure of sin, ¹⁴ because we have been granted a share with Christ only if we keep the grasp of our first confidence firm to the end." The spirit of Jesus and Yahweh are not the spirit of control but of freedom. Read scriptures and learn from them. Put aside the cares and troubles of this world. Let the full word of God come into your very being. This is where healing begins. It is the beginning of a spiritual walk and the knowledge and wisdom that God wants to impart to us. That freedom is the place where Christ and the community meld and become one. It is a place where love and caring for God and His people become all that matters.  This is what the spiritual life is. It can only happen in the community of brothers and sisters with the Holy Spirit. {Matt. 11:28; John 7:37; Acts 17:27; Hebrews 4:12; Rev. 21:6, 22:17. (All references are from the Jerusalem Bible and may be slightly different in your version)} 

This post I have two cards to share with you. The first is from Em. She included it with her anniversary card for August 31. This is for my birthday on the 15th of this month. It is a genuine work of art. The picture does not do justice to it. Thank you Em.

Somehow the background got washed out in the flash. I used a ring flash which usually eliminates shadows and enhances the image.

The next card is from my sister in Arizona. 

    
Since I my photo enhancing program stopped working with windows 10 I also lost my ability to correct and enhance images. The programs I am using now lack the feature set I need to do what is needed.

That is about it for this post. Remember to Always Love The Details.

What Now?

Last post was about what our purpose in life was. It was also mentioned how the ancient scribes saw the world they wrote about was different than the way we perceive it today. The main difference is how the ancient's language was understood. What I am finding is that for them words have usages not meanings. By that it means words are defined by how they are used not by a dictionary definition. Many words change meaning depending on the usage. I will not get into this beyond this. Our dictionaries are huge since almost every word has a defined use and meaning. It is why the bible we use today in many ways does not convey the complete meaning of the original Hebrew text. It is also partly why the words of the Lord are alive with meaning. 

My study and research has taken me on some unexpected paths. It is very revealing to understand how the ancients saw their world and understood what God was telling them. In our time and experience we fall short of understanding the original Hebrew's perception of their world. They were much more spiritual than we are today. Our world is based on religion instead of spirituality. The saints understood the spiritual way of life. Being spiritual is understanding that the body we occupy is only a vessel to grow in spiritually. How that spirit grows and matures is what matters. The body is not eternal but the spirit is. The body will return to the earth it was formed from but the spirit will be free from the body to join the Lord or be banished to Hell. Living the spiritual life is to live as our father in heaven teaches our spirit to live. We are spiritual babes not yet born. Our bodies are our cribs. Our bodies get worn and battered throughout our lives. The spirit within feels the pain and strain of a world that does not accept us. Our teacher is the word of God through Jesus Christ. Spirituality is learning to hear through the spirit the voice of Christ as He guides us on our way. It is the spirit within that is the "I Am" that is the you and I that is being born. In the spirit our path through this world is assured, not guaranteed to be without trial, but assured when the spirit within is hand in hand with our Lord Jesus. For me this world is but a stopover, a necessary port of call, on the path to heaven. I am still learning my spiritual place and how to hear the voice that guides me. I am stubborn, easily distracted and sinful. The spirit within is willing but the flesh is weak. The hand that is in my hand is the risen Christ Jesus. He is my spiritual guide. Make Him yours as well. 

Today I would like to share a mini journal that our dear friend Em of Creative EM sent Jill and I for our anniversary. There were two of them, each personalized with our names. Very clever and artistic. It is an honor.

Front

First page - First section

Last page - First section

First page - Second section

Each of the two sections have 9 pages, enough to record special events without any problem. Thank you Em. You are a gem and a special friend.

To all of the friends who visit, Thank You. Your visits are a treasure. Until next post, remember to always Love The Details.

what is my purpose?

Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken.Albert Camus
Have you ever wondered what your purpose is in life? There are many avenues to explore, few will get you anywhere. It is a question often asked by me throughout my life. I have tried everything I could think of and found little that brought solace to my soul. Everything should be dedicated to the Lord but still there was an empty place always left unfilled. If there is always an emptiness then what was I missing? What was I created for? I have written about that before on this blog but only partly answered that question. There probably is no complete answer that can be put into words. I am sure if we tried, this blog as well as all of the blogs out there could not contain the complete answer.

There are hints throughout the scriptures hiding in plain sight. The key is not how we see them but how the scribes used and understood what was written down. What we believe today is different from the beliefs then. The original bible language is difficult to translate for that reason. We have little that will convey the full meaning behind the written word. Why? Because the word of God is alive. Read a scripture and the next time you read it, it will have new meaning. Every time thereafter the meaning will be different, fuller. 


If we were to go back to the garden of Eden to find the original purpose for the creation of humankind we might be surprised what we find. God wanted to create us in His image. Read that again and understand what it says. God created us in His image. We were created to be the image of God on this earth. Not to be God but a reflection of Him. When He created us our mandate was to be the reflected image of "I AM" on earth. Not just in appearance but in holiness as well. Sin and free will caused us to be turned out of the garden of Eden. It did not change His desire for us to be a reflection of Him to others. We are sinners, which is not a reflection of Him. Jesus took that sinfulness on Himself and purified us making it possible to once again through repentance and humility to reflect the image of God in our lives. The purpose for our creation and our lives is to be a reflection of "I AM" to others. All things should be part of that purpose. Even the saints strove to be that reflection. Each achieved only in part that purpose. Flawed though we are we can still be a reflection of "I Am". 

This post has a brand new image that I colored. It is an image from color-my-dreams-coloring-book-women found here color-my-dreams-coloring-book-women. It took some time to color it so I hope you like it.

        
The facial coloring is a bit streaky due to one of the colors going dry. I learned some time ago not to try to correct it since too much ink will become glossy.
The Copic colors used are:

That is it for this post. Please always remember to Love The Details.

It is what it is

As life proceeds it appears to pick up its pace in an apparent need to get to its end.  

I would like to apologize for not getting back to those that have visited and personally thank you for stopping by to comment. All of the changes that Google is making have really messed up the way it works. I am still trying to get things working somewhat as they used to. It used to be that when I posted your comments, a notice was sent to my inbox in Google Mail. That no longer works. I have been trying to get it to do that again but nothing seems to work. Thank you again for your comments. They are what keep me motivated to continue. With all that is going on it is hard to create a post that is meaningful.

My thought on life at the top of the post is much the way it appears these days. Funny how when we are young we can't wait to get older to do all of the adult things. Then we become adults and are so busy with jobs, spouses and family we don't notice time passing by. Then we get older only to notice that time is speeding by so quickly that hours and days are a blur, making it hard to remember what day you  are in. The only thing that seems to slow things down somewhat is making ourselves still. It is at these times we can remember the cherished moments, the love, all that is important, all that has become who we are. All else is part of the blur we hardly remember or took notice of for that matter. It would be easy to discard all those blurred, hardly noticed things but they make up the majority of what made us who we are. Life may be a hectic blur, hard to get a clear picture of in our minds. If it has so much as touched the most insignificant part of our life, a port we never even noticed, it is a something that is also a part of the path we are currently on. It cannot be denied or ignored since it is a part of us. Christ is a part of this "hardly noticed" part of our lives. He is always there gently guiding our every action, our every move. (Colossians 3:12)(Psalm 25:4-5)

Today I would like to share some of my favorite images. These images are gorgeous even when they are not Colored, which makes them a challenge and a work of love.

    

The image above is my favorite

They are all from the first few weeks of this blog. They are special to me in many ways. The first two images are from an artist friend in Finland. Her talent is extraordinary as you can see. The last four are from Sugar Nelly. This kind of image is no longer being offered the last time I visited them.

That about wraps up this post. May God bless those of you who visit and comment. You are truly a blessing to me. I am still trying to get the comments to post to my gmail when I approve them but to no avail. I will still pop over to anyone's blog that comments to view you wonderful creations and comment. Remember to Love The Details.

Nothing Is Something

My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.Mitch Hedberg
Have you ever had your DNA tested? My daughter gave me a DNA test kit for Father’s Day. I often wondered when my ancestors came to this country and who the native American ancestor was. I went through the procedure of collecting my sample and sent it off. It was 3.5 weeks for it to be processed. Finally the day came and I was excited and nervous us at the same time. What greeted me was a total shock. It showed NO Irish or Scottish ancestry and NO Native American ancestry. Dumbfounded and in disbelief it took several days to get my bearings back. 

At this point what settled in was a determination to prove the report wrong. Why would my family say things that were not true. My younger sister had been researching and building a family tree. She didn’t have the answer so I began researching as well. Turns out my great grandmother was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1855. Both of her parents are natives of  Ireland. It is still unknown where the Native American is from but we are still researching it. Some branches are back into the 1500’s and could take some time.

The point is that throughout this time I had been resting in the Lord for answers. The feeling of having been stripped of my identity was held in check with prayer and a feeling of well being. He has promised He would be our protector and advocate no matter what. He has our backs at all times. What is assuring to me is that I am who I am and that is what is important. If we are stripped of our earthly identity it does not change the physical or spiritual "I am" that makes us who we are. Yes, it matters to me who my fore fathers were but it is more important to understand that we are in His hands and it matters to Him that we are His children and perfectly who we are right now.

I will add to this search as more is found. There are no crafts this time around. Thank you for your patience. Remember to always Love The Details.

Perfection

It would seem that mankind tends to strive for that which is perfect. Perfection in a fallen world is a nebulous dream at best. Perfection in a world of change is temporary. For us it is better to strive toward continuous improvement. Perfection does not exist in this life. What we often say is perfect is only true until the next new experience. 

Over the years I have watched individuals switch from one church to another, to another and to yet another in search of the perfect church. What they are searching for is a place they are comfortable, a place that is not threatening, a place that does not challenge them. There are a multitude of choices if that is what you are seeking. The problem is there are no "perfect" churches. The ministers and the congregation are often what makes the church dynamic, vibrant and alive. That does not mean it is perfect but it may be the place that suits where you are in this life. It does not mean it is right nor does it mean it is wrong.

I no longer search for perfection but rather for spiritual truth. It is a challenge to search for spiritual truth. It is where wisdom and knowledge are found. Not earthly wisdom and knowledge but that which God provides. It is the ultimate "AHA" moment. It takes us places that are hard to share with others since they are spiritual in nature, not devised by man. The visions or vistas of this word have no equal and thus no comparison to share what the spiritual reveals. Each individuals experience will be unique according to his own uniqueness. That is what makes it difficult to share the spiritual with others in a way that they can appreciate. Even as this is being written I am struggling to describe what, to me, is a very personal experience. 

Some years ago I created a box for the pastor of our Parish. He had said he had no place to store the plans for the church. I wanted to surprise him and by building a box to store those documents. The box I built was 32" X 32" X 32" with no screws or nails. The only screws were in the hinges to the lid. 

       Pope John Paul II Coat or Arms

Emblem of the Papacy

  Pope Benedict XVI Coat of Arms

(from top Left to Right)

VA - circa 1800

Church Naval Insignia circa 1800

Vatican Flag (center)

Holy Church circa 1800

Papal States Flag of Honor 2nd Class

It is hoped your days, weeks and months ahead are happy and prosperous. In this world nothing is written in stone that can be considered forever. Take each day as it is given to you and take none for granted. Bless the Lord for every second and thank Him for everything. Until the next time, remember, Love The Details.

Ask and You Shall Receive

     It sometimes seems a long lonely path we travel. The way is not always as we envision it. Though we pray often, asking for this or that, there is no change or answer that is obvious. The tendency is to say it is not being heard or we are not worthy to receive our request so we stop praying or asking. The scriptures say “knock and you shall receive” (Matthew 7:7-12). Some knock their whole lives and never see the door opened. It may have in fact opened and been granted but not in the manner in which you wanted it. In fact you may not have even recognized it. The way of God is not the way of man. Gifts from God are almost always given in such a way that what we need is provided in accordance with what He knows is good for us. God will not be manipulated by us. What we think is best for us is often not in consideration nor a part of His will for us. We often think of ourselves in full control of our own destiny through planning and hard work. What is not seen or considered is that our path almost always goes against His direction in our lives. If you stop and look at where you began and where you are now it is entirely possible you did not plan on being in the position in life you are currently in. Money, power, fame, fortune, top job, extreme intelligence are all things granted according to God’s Graces. No amount of manipulation will sway Him to provide what is not good for us. The good things in life, the things that will make us happiest without corrupting our souls is what is provided to us. There are other gifts provided and available the more closely we follow His leading.

     If this seems a departure from last month’s post it isn’t. If mankind accepted the life offered in believing in the God that brought us life in the sacrifice of His son this would be an altogether different world we live in. Unfortunately there are those that want to be in control no matter what the cost. That control is manifested in many ways. Even the Christian is subject to the blind control of others, that includes other Christians. Yes there is an insanity in much of it that is out of control, at least one that we can relate to. The answer? I can’t answer that for anyone but myself. Everyone is used differently by the Lord. For me it is to ask the Lord for all of the tools needed to be the example of the life He would have others see and recognize. Wisdom, knowledge, and all of the gifts of the Spirit that would be used to glorify Him. How much of that is being granted is not always obvious to me. Only those around me can answer that. It is better to be an example naturally, without premeditation. Only then can we be seen as Christians, not just followers but believers.

Today I would like to share a card sent to us from Darnell. Jill told me I should post it since I am the wine connoisseur in the family.

    

     I have several labels, wine and etc, and this is a class act to follow. Love the card. Being that it is a card wishing a happy anniversary and that the label is for an aged wine it is a very appropriate for the occasion. Thank you Darnell. We are honored.

I almost missed a very special card Jill gave to me. It was for our anniversary. 

     

     With all that has gone on in the past few months, all of the world and personal happenings, it is our closeness, love and compassion that has persevered. Time has tempered what we have and the dross has been removed until what is left is pure and eternal. Thank you for being you.

     That is all for this time around. God Bless and keep you all and remember to always Love The Details.

Hope In The Darkness

     I am sitting outside with my laptop trying to write about the life we try to live in the Lord our God. Given that since my last post we have experienced two destructive hurricanes and one of the worst terrorist tragedies in recent history, it would seem a difficult task. Add to that the many individuals we know and cherish who were affected by these events and the messege becomes difficult to come to grips with. The suffering and in some cases, the loss, creates a heaviness in our hearts that is hard to overcome. The natural disasters are hard enough to take but the recent event in Las Vegas is another matter. I find myself grieving for the loss of so many innocent lives. There is a disbelief of the total lack of compassion or restraint on the part of the shooter or total lack of conscience for the hundreds that have had their lives altered or destroyed. Even in the face of all of this there is a powerful example of what life is all about. Through each and every disaster and tragedy there come multitudes of tales of courage and selflessness. Stories of strangers helping stranger and some cases giving their life for another. In many cases there was no thought of what they were doing other than providing a need for another that was helpless. In some cases it was the selfless protection of another that cost them their lives. We are not talking about military people. These are ordinary citizens in most cases that were in the same danger as those they were helping. They ignored the danger to themselves and helped others. In the face of the evil of this world there are those that our Lord will touch, unbeknownst to the “heroes” being called forth, to react and step forward to be counted, not necessarily noticed. For every fenatic out there, if we look hard enough there will be many more that will be selfless when the need arises. It will never take away the pain or the horror but at least it gives hope that tomorrow can and will be better.
     In this broken world the only thing that can fix it is faith in Christ Jesus. To hope that man will find the morals, the sanity to overcome what has become a world of hate and irresponsibility is fantasy without God in the mix. Rhetoric is so much lip service in this day and age. Without Christ and God there is nothing but chaos and death. I pray that the Lord return to our lives and bring sanity and peace to this country and the world. Unity, understanding, forgiveness, compassion, love and an eye to someone other than ourselves are His way. It should be our way as well. May the good Lord bless and keep you all safe. May He bless you, forever holding you in His loving hands. Amen, Amen and Amen.

      Hopefully the next post will be more joyous. Until then here are two more cards. Both are from Em Fairley. They are late in being acknowledged. I hope You like both of these cards as much as I do. 

      

They are Gorgeous. The first is a birthday card. You know me well Em. Fabulous design. Can't express how much I love is card. Thank you.

This was for Jill and my 54th wedding anniversary. Jill and I love this card. I must be strange because I love lacy cards. These are special cards from a very special lady in our lives. Thank you.

     The Lord be with you all and keep you safe. Never forget to Love The Details. Until next post, God Bless.

The Human State

      Have you ever given any thought to what it means to be human? What is that really? Being human has been described in many ways some of which are good and some not so good. The full range of the human state is far too great to begin to explain in the space of this blog. It is questionable if a book or a library full of books could accomplish that feat. There are many libraries on this planet full of books explaining or trying to explain the human state and what it is to be human. If you could see my smile you would understand that there is another explanation coming.
     It is important to understand that what most people think of as our purpose on this planet is to live life to it's fullest, acquire all they can, love, procreate and be as happy as they can. That is the human vision of it all. To some degree that is part of the human condition and vision but it is only partly correct. First of all, it is not what we were created for. We were originally created as children of God and placed in a garden that provided all we could possibly want. Why? So God could have children to love and love Him back. What proof do I have of that? God so loves us He gave His only begotten Son that we may be forgiven our iniquities for all time. We have nothing God wants since all things are His to begin with. The human state is that we are born in darkness. The choice is ours to travel to the light of His love or remain in the darkness.
      A major portion of the travel toward the light is littered with dark spots impeding our progress. The dark spots are often the people who have chosen the material things they see as what makes them human. The original sin. Those material things are very tempting. That is not what we were created to pursue. The pleasure of what is finite is not the true human state. We were created to be an infinite creation but it is our choice to travel that path toward God. Our hearts are drawn to the light and the promise of eternal life. 

I would like to take a few moments to pray for all those who are affected by the hurricanes and earth quakes in the past weeks. May the good Lord be merciful and provide what is needed to recover from the destruction and loss. May He comfort and wrap His loving arms around those who lost loved ones in these tragedies. May those who have passed be granted entrance into Your house for eternity. Bless those giving of their time and money in response to those in need. Thank you Lord for hearing this prayer. AMEN and AMEN.

I have one card to share with you today (75th). Two of Jill and my friends, Kathie and Cheri had an early birthday party for me. Kat was going to be away this month and they wanted to be sure they celebrated it with us. It was a surprise to say the least.

This card is one created by Cheri and knowing the ladies it was a collaboration project. It is a step card. 

 
Here is the inside.

Very clever and very appreciated. Thank you both. You are both very special to both of us.

There are other cards to share but they will be spread  out over the next two posts. Until then be sure to pray for those affected by the hurricanes and earth quakes and remember to always Love The Details.

Healing and The Spirit

It takes move than a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/epictetus119454.html?src=t_health

     The above does not mean that what resides inside is not beautiful. What resides within is often far more beautiful that what is seen on the outside. 

     As many of you know, I am involved in a prayer ministry both on my own and with a prayer group. Prayers of all sorts go into my “One Day At A Time” prayer request book. It is a book acquired many years ago for the purpose of writing a journal. The title of it is apropos for the purpose it serves today. Once a name is entered into the book it is never canceled, erased, removed nor ignored. As long as I am able the book will be prayed over. As many of you have professed, problems never go away in this world. They are ever present and ongoing. This should tell you that being remembered in prayer should never be discarded. Prayer is lifted up each and every day for those in the book, It is rare that a day is missed or forgotten. The book even goes with me when we take a vacation. 
     Years ago someone said to me that if your body was not taken care of you could not go to heaven. Ridiculous! If that were the case then would heaven receive anyone? These bodies are conceived in a world that is passing away. They are part of it in every way. These bodies are also the place where the spirit that is us has come to reside. The spirit that is us will survive when the body returns to dust. I see it as a temporary dwelling much like an egg shell or cocoon where we can mature and grow to be what God intended us to be. The spirit should not be reliant on the container it is in but the container is reliant on the spirit within. We are spiritual beings in a mortal home to learn the will and ways of God in a way that will preserve that spirit eternally. (Psalm 42:1) Healing of the body is important for the mind but healing of the spirit is paramount to the life we live today and the life yet to come. Often when the spirit is healed the body is also healed. Sometimes it is the other way around but often both are involved. (Jn 7:37) We are passing through this dying world on our way to our spiritual eternal home. Growth of the spirit can bring peace in an embattled existence. Jesus is our example for that life. He has shown that the death of this body is not the end but the beginning. That does not mean taking your own life but living in the spirit until you are called home. This body can't go there but when the spirit arrives in the next life there will be a new, perfect body awaiting us. Do not let this world and this body discourage you from growing the spiritual person within. You are a spiritual being in a mortal body. 

The image I have chosen to share today is from Coloring for Adults. It was downloaded from Pinterest. I have searched for the image but cannot find it. Considering the shear volume of images on this site it is assumed to be there somewhere. At any rate, the face and hair are all I colored. A stunning image to say the least.             

Eyes: B0000  Skin: R0000  Hair: E42  Lips: R81

     The colors used were minimal but the results were anything but. I pray your days are bright, healthy and spirit filled. Remember to always Love The Details.