Use your heart, use your eyes,
Look for meaning between my lines,
If you know me then you know the answer,
If you have me figured out, go on and give it a gander.
Have a cookie while you think…
for into your brain, the answer might sink.
Give over your worries
Cast off your fears
and let go of yesterdays
for they are no longer changeable…
Receive today as such a gift
Live it like you’ll never see it again
Love it like you could lose it
and hope for a beautiful tomorrow…
Trade your worries
your sorrows
and all of your fears,
for a hope and a bright future…
He who is so much more than you can ever imagine
Will fulfill his promise to us, in us, and for us…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
I realize that I’ve said this before but WP really should try harder with some of these prompts! I mean, come on…. why can’t they give us a little more direction, than simply saying “artist”? How can I even break my list down into reasonably smaller lists, in order to pick my favorite in that category? See my problem? The struggle is real, my friends!
I have so many lists of my favorite things, I could rival Julie Andrews from the Sound of Music! She was able to sing her favorites into one beautiful song… just one! Are you kidding me?!
Why just last night, I watched the most amazing videos of this young woman who can make complete reenactments of differing scenes from CGI movies, like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and similar movies. She was so bright, I thought. Her husband was too!
In the same evening, I also watched music videos from past episodes of The Voice… such talented voices, oh my goodness!
I once toured the Bellagio Hotel, down in Vegas. Their entire lobby ceiling was covered with Chihuly Glass. Good lord, that man’s talented!
There’s nothing I enjoy more, than touring different art museums, historical sites, and the like, just to view the differing talents gifted for our enjoyment, and pleasure.
The definition of artist is as follows, according to Google…
An artist is a person who creates art, using skill and imagination in mediums like painting, sculpture, music, or writing. The term also applies to skilled performers, such as actors and musicians, and more broadly to anyone who is exceptionally skilled or expert in a particular area, like a “scam artist”.
Key aspects of the definition:
Skilled Performer: The term can refer to public performers in the performing arts, like a trapeze artist or a jazz artist.
Exceptional Skill: It describes someone who is very good at something, demonstrating exceptional skill, such as a “strikeout artist” or a “scam artist”.
Subjectivity: What constitutes art and who can be called an artist is often a subjective matter, with definitions ranging from professional endeavors to passionate hobbies.
Broad Application: The word can apply to a wide range of artistic disciplines, including visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography), performing arts (music, dance, acting), and other creative fields like storytelling.
Why did I go to all the trouble of sharing the entire page of information, you might be asking yourselves? Well, to be honest, I got super excited when I saw the last part of the definition… the part about Broad Application… you guys, we’re all in here! We’re all artists, and I have Google for my proof! See? There at the very end, it says “storytelling”. That’s us!
I spend hours each day, visiting all of your different sites, reading your art, and appreciating the gift God has bestowed on so many of you! You guys are absolutely Supercalafragelisticexpialidotious!
And, I’ve got Google to back me up on that!
su·per·ca·li·fra·gil·is·tic·ex·pi·a·li·do·cious
/ˌso͞opərˌkaləˌfrajəˌlistikˌekspēˌaləˈdōSHəs/
adjective: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; adjective: supercalifragilistic
While you let that sink in, I’ve left some cookies to keep you company…
From then until now
there remains no difference
between those of the past
and we today
For in any place on our path
we are them
and they are we
the woman at the well
or David the King
denial like Peter
faith like Ruth
doubt like Moses… and the anger, too
Highs and lows
pain and joy
from death to life
He came for them
and for me and you
God is as faithful to us, today
as He was for them so long ago
He is timeless and unchanging…
there is no difference!
What you see on the outside isn’t quite what I look like on the inside. While time marches on, offering no free rides or even discount coupons for the journey, this body of mine has seen its battles… some only small skirmishes, while others were devastating battles, leaving costly scars.
On the outside, many of my scars have faded into wrinkles and laugh lines, to be forgotten, or simply overlooked by those that I encounter… but, there they remain, none the less.
On the inside, however, who I am is far different from what many are allowed to view. I am still that wild, and indestructible creation that my heavenly Father created with painstaking detail.
I was created in the image of God, which is nothing less than beautiful!
I am a warrior for God… me!
A life begun in wickedness and shame, transformed into that which reflects Grace, Redemption, and so, so much mercy!
You know, I’m glad for all my scars, as they remind me of where I came from, and all the lessons learned from the journey.
I believe that when we give all our hurts over to God, those bruises and scars transform into armor! Not just any armor, though, but the armor of God! Etched within all those scars will be found verse after verse of eternal truths, put there by the very hand of God.
Now, it is He that flows through my veins…
Made of Iron, made of wood
Some have fallen, while others withstood
Some can be burned, or break free from their moorings
While others hold strong, given plenty of shoring
Bridges offer travel, from one side to the other
providing a way, helping one reach his brother
These connections need work, in putting them together
They provide safe passage, even if there’s foul weather
If a bridge is destroyed in the depth of a storm
The gap that it leaves, is where heartache is born
We must tend our bridges, making sure they stay standing
holding firm to the ground, over waves life keeps handing
If your bridge falls apart, breaking away from the dirt
Get down on your knees, and confess all your hurt
Even if your bridge broke free in the storm
God can build a new bridge, fully shaped in His form…
Love is Free (2024)
If love is not love until you give it away,
and church isn’t church if the people don’t pray,
Why do folks withhold their hearts from the hurting each day,
and the houses of worship are all made of clay?
Giving something for free is no longer worth sharing,
when those it is meant for don’t seem to be caring…
We wander around only thinking of ourselves,
That cup of living water simply sits on our shelves…
Hearts and minds run for shelter, cowering in fear
Ignorant of learning from the wisdom they hear…
Traveling the earth in a self-centered bubble
Trying to make sense of a world deep in trouble…
It seems pointless, at times, to share the gift of love
when no one responds until push comes to shove…
If love is not love until we give it away,
Try offering it to another at least once a day!
If the church begins acting the way that it’s supposed to,
perhaps God’s restorative power would finally show through!
By the Sea…
I think I would live by the sea, if ever I could
Waking up to sounds of the ocean, would feel good…
Drinking tea on my deck, the sun warming my face
It would ever so peaceful, existing in that place…
Each and every dawn, could seem like new beginnings
I’d thank God for everything I have
Far more precious than any lottery winnings…
Yes, I know I’d live by the sea, if ever I possibly could
I’d build castles in the sand like a child
Honestly, I think everyone should!
I’d bake cookies in my kitchen, leaving all my windows open
Bringing hungry neighbors by for treats
At least that’s what I’d be hoping!
For certain, I know that I’d live by the sea, if ever I got the chance
I’d sail the seas with my savior
from dawn til dusk
So, I guess company should call in advance!
I found an old post from last spring that I thought rather fitting, if you twist the daily prompt’s meaning just a smidge…
This was one of my ‘Investigating Truths’ episodes, but it seemed fitting, somehow.
For as long as I can remember, I have made sense of myself and this world in two realms of thought. One realm of thought is in the actual and physical sense. What we see, do, talk about, eat and feel are things in the here and now. The second realm of thought is what I think of as my storybook, or cartoon version, if you will. Let’s call this part the “Behind the Scenes of My Truths,” the adventure version.
What follows is written in storybook version…….
I am wild from the top of my head all the way down to my toes! It is all that I can seem to remember of myself. My journeying, or running if I am being truthful, has always found me far out in the desert. For as long as I can remember, there has been a path worn, from one hidden oasis to another, by my very own feet. I have hidden them well, though, so most that wander by are unaware of my presence.
As the years of my life rolled forward, I found that there was One who had been following my footprints, always leaving little packages of love for me. On one of my journeys along the outskirts of the Cities of Souls, I came to realize that the One whom I had sensed, was in fact my True Father! It was both joyful and difficult to become aware of Him.
I stayed…
Before I knew it, time seemed to have sped forward in my journey, by a great many years! I discovered that I had settled down right inside the walls … building relationships with others, and trying to live and do things the way all of the others thought was right.
My Father showed me the gifts given to me, but instead of being at peace, I became fearful…
I believed that I was losing myself, and would simply become a nothing, moving along by habit!
So this wild child ran!!!
I fled into the desert with as much speed as possible, for my feet had become softened over the years spent within the walls built by man. Many times I fell, stumbling over rocks and debris that had been left on my paths. Had it really been that long? I was not sure if the way had become obstructed or if I had simply forgotten my exact path. Many seasons were spent wandering, clearing out my old and unused paths.
Time rolled on…
Oh, I would come near the outskirts, just close enough to remember what I left behind. The intensity of my pain and fear, along with the guilt over my failure, drove me away again and again…
My last act of running into the desert, or defiance as I see it, nearly cost me my very life, but that is for another time. For now, I leave you with this thought…I am still that wild child inside, but my Father has been revealing to me the graceful Phoenix that He is rising up from the ashes of her truths…
You didn’t think I would forget your cookies, did you?
Journey With Me! 