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.

Becoming

Life is a test of our ability to adjust to the good that we must see and perform so that we might become what we never thought we could be. - A thought from my book

Getting a post together has been difficult of late. I have started walking again and that is usually in the morning when it is cooler. That is when a large portion of the writing took place for the posts. My evenings are my scripture study and prayer times. My days are a combination of taking care of whatever needs to be done and, because Jill wants to walk, more walking. Other things have also taken up the time that would normally have been used for the post prep time. This has posed a problem. The business of life is a forever and automatic must. The walking has been a commitment for several years. Health and weight loss are the prime purpose, 209 lbs to the now 178 lbs. ( In the 2 years the walking had stopped the weight was up to 190 lbs again). The blog and the messages for them is the most recent commitment but this is also one of the more important ones. This was not the one chosen by me but by the Lord. It helps to put into words the encouragement and thoughts to make us think and ponder the things we are to see and become in this life in preparation for the life we are eventually going home to. Why bother if it is so much hassle? Because it is being obedient and it is a reminder for me as well as those who actually read the message. I have noticed many who have burned out doing posts and quit altogether. Others are taking "breaks" from blogging for many reasons. For me, preparation for writing these posts is not easy. Prayer, meditation and study are the rule, not the exception. They must reflect the life we are to lead and the process of becoming who the Lord would have us be. It is ever ongoing. It only ends when we are called home to be with our Lord.

 I am going to try to visit everyone on my list of favorites in the next few days to comment and see what you have been up to, or not, for the past few weeks and months. None of you are forgotten or far from my thoughts. 

It is time once again to say thank you to those of you that have become a part of so many lives through your creative efforts. These shout outs are my way of saying thank you for bringing the joy of your art to us all. If you visit these artists, be sure to leave some love behind in the form of a comment.

 Anja is from Germany. Her artwork is extraordinary. I am often amazed at the beauty and detail of her work. It is not always traditional but always beautifully eye opening. If you want a real treat stop by her blog and be prepared to be jealous.

 Annie is a mixed media artist with great talent. She is always innovating her media and mixing her images into amazing cards and art work. I never know what to expect when visiting Annie. It is nice to know there is a surprise waiting.
 
Aneta is from Iceland. She loves working in pastels and often creates shabby and vintage, two of my favorite styles. her cards are usually very feminine and extraordinary. If you like these styles you will love visiting her blog.
 
I came upstairs the other day and found a little bit of humor sitting on my keyboard from Jill. I thought I would share it with all of you.

It is from cafepress. Someone sent it to her and she shared it with me. Great sticker fun. I hope she isn't trying to tell me something. LOL.

Before we call it a day I would like to share a card I got from Em from Creative Em for father's day.

Thank you Em. It was kind and thoughtful of you to send such a beautiful card. 


That will do it for this time around. I do not want to be MIA as much as I have been. As I said, I will be trying to go down my list and visit everyone on it. I will also try to do a post once every other week or as close as possible to that. You are all so much appreciated. Thank you again and remember to Love The Details.

Obedience

Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Jn 12:25–26). New York: Doubleday.

There are times in our walk when we find the going a slow, sluggish drudgery. It is interesting to note that we have holidays for events, people or things we wish to remember or honor. Most of the truly important ones are to honor those who had dedicated themselves to the welfare of others and paid with their lives. Others are for those that have spent their lives caring for us and guiding us in our life on earth. Our mothers and fathers, whether by birth or by some other means, are an important part of who we have become. It is only proper that they are honored. There are failings in life that we can only blame ourselves for. Honoring those we care for means becoming blind to those times in their lives where there were failures. The question that arises then is, "What about my failures?" It is much harder to confront our failures than someone else's. How do you deal with it. Periodically I pull back from everyone and everything and assess where I am and where I am going. I come before God and place everything before Him and ask "What am I here for? Am I going in the right direction and what do  you have for me to do?" I know many of the things in life that have been failures but also recognize that the failures are also an opportunity to learn. Those that have gone before are lessons and we will become the lesson in turn. As fame, wealth and personal greed becomes more important than caring about others, crime and the attention to self grows and God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are abandoned. It becomes especially important that the Christian live in a heroic manner as the disciples and the apostles did. If there were heroes it has to be them. After all, they gave their lives willingly for Christ and us. They were not looking for martyrdom but they were dedicated. They are our example to follow and to learn from.

Now it is time to say thank you to a few of those that make it such a pleasure to be a blogger. Those that are following my blog and those I am following even though they are not following me. If you visit please be sure to leave a bit of love behind in the form of a comment.


Angie at I would rather be Stamping is a Christian that really would rather be stamping. Once you visit her blog you will understand why the blog name. Her cards are very well done and always a delight to drool over.

Kecia at Stamping Deets is a first grade reading teacher and a Good card artist. She has a refreshing style all her own. I thoroughly enjoy stopping by and seeing what she has created. They are always clean but not always simple. I would say that is a different style wouldn't you? stop b y her blog and have a look for yourself.

Jan at Cards by Jan a Christian who lives on a farm in Canada. It is always a pleasure to stop by her blog and see what she created. She is talented at card making and enjoys sharing her creations. Be sure to stop by and see what she has done.

 The image for today is from Serendipity called 431LUM Violets Large.

 These are the Copics used to color the image.

Last week we had an experience that I think is a thank the Lord in more ways than one. I was talking to a dear blogger friend in my upstairs craft and office when I heard a cracking sound and immediately knew a tree limb was about to fall somewhere. That somewhere was directly over out rear dining area skylight. I gritted my teeth and listened as the cracking got louder and the ensuing bump and thud shook the house. Jill was already coming up the stairs asking if I was alright. I excused myself from my Skype conversation and looked out the upstairs back window to see a huge tree limb had fallen. The limb was a good 8 to 10 inches in diameter and possibly 20 feet long. It not only missed the skylight but also missed the roof. Here are some pictures of it.

The limb broke off is center of the picture.

Notice the tree trunk. It is at least 4 feet in diameter.

 Can't believe it missed both the roof and the skylight.         

The stub is between the two leaves at bottom right. The view is straight up through the skylight in the dining room.

A magnified view directly straight up from the dining room through the skylight. The limb had to move 15 feet toward the back of the yard to totally miss the roof and the skylight. I told Jill I would liked to have seen the angel that pushed that limb that far to miss the house so completely. By the way there was no wind when this happened so the wind was not what moved the limb that far. Thank you Lord for protecting us and the house. AMEN.

That is it for this post. Thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share God's wonders with you. Remember to always LOVE THE DETAILS and praise Jesus for everything.