Update

I am a terrible blogger! I'm sorry for the lack of updates, I use every spare moment to paint and come up with new designs. In an effort to balance my life a bit better, I will be closing my shop for the month of June & July, taking a limited number of orders in Aug. My youngest will start full day kindergarten in the fall and the boys will be going into 2nd & 4th grade next year.

I have a ton of house projects to start as well.
Below are a couple of ideas I have for the boys room Source :pottery barn kids

Holiday Collection

Come November I will only be taking custom orders on holiday items, which will include new frames and adorable custom ornaments. I'm already in full swing with lots of Christmas orders. Depending on how busy I get my shop may close after the 1st week of December!
The good news? Right now, ornaments are Buy 2 Receive 1 Free- that works out to $10 per ornament, regular price is $14.99! Take advantage of the discount now, this offer stands for one more week. The best part, they are completely custom, change colors, add a new design, the ideas are endless

Destiny

“When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task. . . . He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.”
Viktor Frankl.

I hope one day, I can look back on these days and have this same attitude.
God is good, His goodness overflows even more as we suffer. His presence is felt in a way like never before. He sustains us and provides hope each day. I am so thankful to be in the grip of His grace.

Seven Thoughts on Suffering

Geoff Ashley Writings 2009-12-04

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

John 9:1-3

Man has historically been desperate to determine the why behind suffering. We want to analyze and categorize events into nice and neat designations of precise cause and effect. “This is happening because of _____” or “so that _______.” Perhaps we think that we can manipulate and control our future lives, protecting ourselves from certain undesired effects by avoiding particular causes.

This was the thinking behind the question of John 9. A man is blind (effect). It was naturally assumed that personal sin must have been the cause. But whose was it? His own? His parents? Grandparents? Kids?

Obviously someone did something wrong. Bad things don’t happen to “good” people.

Notice Christ’s response. The man was born blind so that God would be glorified. Can you feel the weight of that? Here was a man who had suffered for decades in order that at this particular moment Christ might display His mercy and magnify His grace.

Anyone familiar with the Old Testament should recognize this refrain. It is very similar to the problem that is dealt with in the book of Job. The Sabeans steal the oxen and the donkeys and strike down the servants. Fire falls from heaven and burns the sheep and the servants. Chaldeans raid, take the camels, and destroy the servants. Wind blows across the wilderness and topples the wall of the house in which his seven sons and three daughters were feasting. Loathsome sores break out on his body, his friends reject him, the young mock him, and his wife implores him to curse God. Surely Job was suffered.

His friends are convinced that they have insight into the situation. Certainly, they say, Job had sinned against God. Surely he was suffering the effects of his own transgression. His friends implored him to admit his sin, to repent, and be restored.

How does God deal with the answer regarding Job’s suffering? If you are not sure, I highly encourage you to go read Job 38-42. Rather than saying, “you see Job, this is exactly what I was doing in this,” God speaks of His sovereignty and power and wisdom and creativity. That does not exactly fit into our clean cause and effect categories. After reading the book we cannot point to a particular sin of Job and we cannot merely blame it on Satan. It is not that simple.

We will all suffer. This is the deserved lot of humanity in this age. We would thus do well to develop a theology of suffering before the dark night comes. You do not wait until you are choking to learn the Heimlich and neither should you wait until you are in the throes of tragedy before learning the reason behind, and the response to, suffering. I have included seven of my own thoughts that I find helpful as well as links to a few highly recommended resources.

Seven Thoughts on Suffering:

1. God is entirely sovereign over absolutely all suffering. He works “all things” according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Even if Satan’s hand is behind your suffering (as it was in Job’s case), God’s hand is still involved (notice that God recommends Job and places boundaries on Satan’s ability to inflict harm). It is not either/or. See Does God Ordain Evil? by Matt Chandler for more on God’s sovereignty over and use of evil to accomplish His good and holy desires.
2. All things exist for the glory of God and thus in some way God is glorified even in our suffering. Reread John 9 or the account of Lazarus in John 11 where Jesus intentionally delays His arrival so that Lazarus would die. Notice that the text says that this was motivated by His love and desire for His beloved to see God’s glory. It is better to suffer and see the glory of God than to continue in ignorant bliss.
3. All suffering is a result of sin’s origin with Adam’s first transgression. His sin has fractured all creation, but it will be restored one day (Romans 8:18-25). Therefore we can confidently say that tragedies are a result of sin, but as in John 9, we cannot look at the individuals afflicted and necessarily conclude that it was their direct sin, which precipitated the disaster (see Luke 13:1-5).
4. Suffering will work to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). J.I. Packer—“Still He seeks the fellowship of His people and sends them both sorrows and joys to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself.”
   
5. The proper response to suffering is faith and even joy. Rather than anxiousness, we should be growing in trust (I believe this will be the message this weekend at The Village). Rather than despair, we should be growing in joy (Romans 5:3-5). Trust that this is God’s good hand upon us and that He is a generous Father. All of His works toward His children are good. See this excellent and yet challenging article on Piper’s thoughts after he was diagnosed with cancer on how to not waste it.
6. All suffering is covered by the suffering of Christ. He was called one who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3) and He is able to help and sympathize with us in our suffering because of His own (Hebrews 2:5-18).
7. Soon and very soon there is coming a day free from suffering for those who have trusted and rejoiced in Christ. Believe this…hope in it…rest in it.

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Recommended Resource:

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Though he slay me, I will hope in him…

Job 13:15

Moments

When I first started blogging I had intended it to be a means of communication for a number of reasons. My reasons have changed.
Over the past few months I've struggled with some health issues none of which I could ever imagined. I've been stopped in my tracks. Daily chores, running a house hold, and even painting have become difficult tasks. Most days require a fighting spirit and some days I just don't have much of one.
Amazingly God is still in control. He knows each day before I rise, he knows every breathe, every tear and joy He carries us through each struggle.
My husband and I are watching a series of videos (can't remember the name)
The speaker talks about these difficult times that life brings us basically warning us that these struggles will come and we need to be prepared and cling to the cross of Jesus.
Life isn't about us, it is simple about God. He gets the glory.

Are you prepared? Trouble is coming...maybe not today or even tomorrow, but someday.....do you have the faith?

Humbled

Tonight I humbly asked for prayer from the elders of our church. This has been a rough road over the last few months, I hope one day to share the details. As we called on God and cried out to Him I felt so humbled. I felt like a little child clinging to hope. After our time of prayer someone said you should feel "flattered" that God has chosen you to go through this experience. Honestly I never thought of it like that....."chosen". He knew I was going to experience this, He planned it perfectly, not to say that He wants us to suffer, but in suffering we are made stronger.
I love this verse.

Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Wow.....I'm still working on the "joy" part.

May you too, find a deep joy in all your trials.

Our pastor has a daily blog that walks through the Bible.
This mornings passage really spoke to me so I thought I'd post it.

Blessings


Why does God love us so much? Why does our Lord put up with all of our shenanigans? Why? Why? Why? God is merciful and full of grace—praise His name!
Joel 2:12-13 (MSG)
12 But there's also this, it's not too late— God's personal Message!— "Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"
13 Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.
It is not too late. Here we are in the bottom of the ninth, two outs and a full count, but God says come on home. Come back to your maker and savior. The noose is around our necks and the trap door is about to open and God says just change and turn to me and I will catch you. Maybe someone is reading this today and they need to believe that God is still full of mercy and grace. Maybe, just maybe, you need to stop trusting yourself and put your faith and trust in the God who really loves you with an extravagant love. What is your soul craving? It is God who has made you and it is He who can fill you, and it is only Him who can fill you!! Come on home.

Paul was placed in the barracks for his own safety, Just as the Jewish leaders had killed Jesus, they wanted to kill the apostle Paul.
Acts 23:11 (MSG)
11 That night the Master appeared to Paul: "It's going to be all right. Everything is going to turn out for the best. You've been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now you're going to be my witness in Rome!"
Jesus was not through with His servant Paul. There was a day that Paul was done, but today was not that day. God used Paul’s nephew to help Paul get out safely. Sometimes God uses angels and sometimes he uses our sister’s son who happened to be in the right place at the right time. If you are alive and I assume you are since you are reading this, then God is not finished with you either. Let God speak to your heart. Let God use you in your remaining time on this earth.

Free Paint

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Check it out here is the link.

https://www.glidden.com/promotions/free-paint-giveaway.do