Taking time for me... in Alaska

Hello,
I want to thank all of you that left such encouraging words and thoughts on my husbands passing. Even though I might not have written all of you, I want you to know how much I appreciate you.
Thank you...
I am settling into somewhat of a routine and the house is starting to feel comfortable. I have been blessed with beautiful, thoughtful, and loving family and friends that have shown me so much love.

My family, celebrating my mother's 90th birthday this fall.

They have not only been here for me but have worked hard to help me get the house ready to sell in the spring. We've been painting and repairing, you know those projects that keep getting put to the back burner. 
A larger project was a new roof and repairs, cleaning the basement which filled a 20 yd. dumpster and cleaning the attic.

 Painting and ceiling repair

I like the end result, I think the warm grey was perfect for this light filled room.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me as you may know if you have followed this blog... I have a lot of stuff!  It hasn't been that many years since I had the shop and I still have a garage full, but I am slowly sifting and will be selling everything. My plan is to go into something very small that is easy upkeep, as I want to go into ministry full time. I have a call to the mission field on my life and I want to follow my dream that I feel is my destiny in my Kingdom walk.

Haiti 

With all that, I got the opportunity to travel with some very dear friends to Alaska, a little girl time is good for the soul. 
I had not been there before but my friend Nancy has been there many times, her daughter went to school there. 
So we were blessed to see Alaska through her eyes. 
Such a beautiful place. 

Just a sample of Alaska through my lens...

Over the Mountains...
Over the Sea...
Here you come running, my lover to me.
When I feel the cold of winter and this cloak of sadness, 
I need you.
All the evil things that shake me, all the words that break me, 
I need you.
Over the Mountains... 
Over the Sea... 
Here you come running, my lover to me.
Do not hide me from your presence, pull me from these shadows,
I need you.
Beauty, wrap your arms around me, sing your song of kindness,
I need you.
Over the Mountains,
Over the Sea,
Here you come running, my lover to me.
All through the valleys, through the dark of night, here you come running to hold me 'til its light. 
Hold me 'til its light... I'll come running, come running, come running, come running back to you...
(Song of Solomon by Jesus Culture)

Blessings,
Rebecca

Labor of Love

Labor Day 2015

Hello... and happy labor day, today we celebrate rest. Most of us need it. I hope you are taking this day to eat, play and refresh yourselves with family and friends.

I have taken a long rest from this blog, much longer than I intended, like so many Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc, has lured us away from our once beloved blog. I applaud those who have stayed faithful. 

Labor day marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. I forge forward into this new season with expectations of a better one. The summer winds brought about much change and sadness for our family. My loving husband went to be with his savior unexpectedly and quickly in June.  I praise God he did not suffer and the Lord honored Keith by taking him sweetly just as the man he was. He died of a heart attack, as we sat on our patio talking over the days events... one of his last words were, 
"this is a perfect day".
Keith was a man of integrity and grace, he honored me with praise and encouragement. He was always my launching pad, whatever hair brained scheme I hatched he was always there to encourage and finance... even though many times it was at a loss for him. We were married in 1990 and he loved me and embraced my 6 children as though they were his. He was a gift from God and he restored our family. Never being married before and coming from a family of 3 boys he forged new territory with 5 daughters and a son. He handled those early days with much laughter and amusement by shaking his head and saying, "girls are just so weird".  Eventually he got the hang of it and became Grandpa to eight loving grandchildren and they became the light of his life.
 He lived life well and I hope never to forget the ring of his laughter in the air. 
I did not intend this post to be a eulogy for my husband but I did want to tell you how I was so blessed and continue to be. 

I am working past the grief and now I am trying to carve out a new life and routine with myself. It is strange how everything seems different, the house is larger, the street is lonelier, my sitting chair no longer makes sense and the kitchen table has ceased to serve up food. The familiar is gone, what I once did depended on another from what I ate, to where I sat, to when I came home. For the very first time in my life I have no one else to consider. And yet...
It is well with my soul. 
I lean on my first love, my kinsman redeemer, my friend, my husband, my savior, my king. This labor day I reminded of the verse in Hebrews... There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, He also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest...
There is sometimes a struggle or labor to rest in God, these days I chose to trust and rest in His peace that passes all understanding. 
I trust Him... and as I do He shows Himself strong. There is in me a  strong hope and expectation of a new day, a new adventure that God has for me...
Wishing you a most blessed labor day.
Blessings
Rebecca

Community

Hello!

Good to be here... it's been too long.

Thank you for allowing me to pop in and out of your world at times. I wish it could be more consistent but that isn't my life right now. Thank you for allowing me this indulgence.

 I am so happy to be doing what I love to do and that is creating.

I am so happy to be able to get up each morning and walk down the path to my studio and work with my hands. I am thankful for the gift that God has given me. A gift that still needs to be honed, developed, molded, shaped and nurtured. I am not always happy with the result of the hand that holds the brush but it gives me opportunity to grow... it gives me opportunity to fail, it gives me freedom. It allows my weakness for God's strength to grow.

The source of my creativity is the overflow of my heart. It is my relationship with God, for He has my heart. 

The language of art speaks to the imagination, it speaks to that bridge inside us between the heart and mind. Imagination is what enables us to think with the heart and feel with the mind. 

God speaks to us in pictures, Jesus spoke in parabolic language... He speaks to the imagination.

 Brennan Manning said, "If God is speaking, then nothing else matters but to listen!"

A community of artists is needed to create a safe place, a Christ centered community. 

The definition of community is: cum with; moenia, (fortifications)

a place with protective walls.

The Renaissance period was the greatest period of creativity which was a result of community. Community forms respect and trust... learning from one another in a safe place. It encourages and builds up. Art should not and cannot happen in a void. Apprenticeship reminds us that creativity does not occur in a vacuum, it requires a community. Passing on experience there by art grows and develops.

Windows in this area need to be opened and let the fresh air sweep away the stale dusty attitudes of ownership and originality. The sweet air of nurturing and sharing. 

The author of Scribbling in the Sand Micheal Card, said what has been on my heart for so long now.

Remember that only God can imagine and make something out of nothing. In this sense, he is the only one who deserves the title Creator. 

We are merely creative. That is we can only imagine and make something out of something else... something that has already been imagined and made, whether in the creation itself or from the work of creative people.

Not one person... I don't care how talented they are has an original thought or piece of art. Somewhere along the way you were influenced by someone! 

This means, I do not consider my work as much original as individual...

Your work will always be out of what you have somehow come across and into what others will eventually come across.

 The best artists begin by being influenced and end up influencing. 

Yes, I am saying borrow art...and grow from the borrowing. If you find an idea here... borrow it!  It is not mine to clutch and hold tightly to anyway...

I am challenging us to embrace "Community" the school of thought, to be a limitless person to others.

Community calls creativity forth. The need for kindness, beauty, and truth all cry out for the creative fingerprints in each of us with various creative gifts...

 To edify, instead of tear down, to influence instead of accuse, to nurture instead of exclude... and just maybe we will stretch others more than our art...

Blessings,

Rebecca 

The Gift

Hello,

March is such a special month in our family because we celebrate a number of birthdays. But there is one birthday in March that is very special to me, this week I celebrate the 43rd birthday of my only son, James.

 Forty three years ago, I was a very young mother of a rambunctious three year old and a nursing three month old. My husband and I had a cute little house in the suburbs of Mpls. and he worked the night shift. I was a busy stay at home mom, raising our family and active in my fathers church. 

At my 6 week check up after the birth of my second daughter Kerri, the doctor told me about a new birth control he thought I should try called an IUD. He said nothing else about this device other then, "I would be a good candidate for it because birth control pills didn't agree with me". At the time I did not know it sloughed off the fertilized egg, at the time I did not know what questions to ask, at the time one did not question the advice of your doctor, it was a different time and I was a naive twenty year old. And so with much pain he inserted the IUD, it took me almost a week to be able to function normally and at the time I did not know that this was not normal. 

As I mentioned, I was nursing Kerri and by her third month I was having trouble keeping my milk up and I was feeling tired and nauseated.  I remembered the doctor telling me if the IUD slipped out of place I could have pregnancy like symptoms, so I made an appointment while dreading the pain I might have to go through again.
As I lay on the table waiting for the doctor to return, I wasn't prepared for what he was about to tell me, "everything looks good, the IUD is in place but... you are pregnant". I started to cry. "We cannot remove the IUD or the baby will abort, but don't worry the IUD will just float along side the baby and it will come out with the afterbirth".
 As I got into the car where my mother was waiting to pick me up, I burst into another flood of tears and told her the news. She looked at me and without a blink she said, "Well, the way I see it you have two choices... you can cry and feel sorry for yourself and make this pregnancy hard on you and the baby or you can accept this baby as a gift and start thanking the Lord for it now. 
There in the car, at that moment I chose to thank God for my new gift.

Me pregnant in my eighth month holding Kerri.

 I am not going to tell you the next few months were easy, I was tired and had morning sickness while trying to keep up with a three year old and a new baby. During that time my husband got laid off his job, we sold our house and moved to a farm farther north, which is another story in itself. The house was later condemned because of rats and we moved again before the end of my pregnancy... but I am getting off my story. 

Around my sixth month, I was having what I thought were Braxton Hicks pains, it was slight and I ignored it thinking nothing of it. During this time we were having a series of meetings at our church with a visiting speaker, who was well known for his prophetic gift. We were a Charismatic church believing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. During one of the services the speaker called me up to the front of the church and told me the Lord had a word for me, to this day I wished I could have recorded the prophecy. What I do  remember is vivid, he said that I carried a son and the Lord has His hand on him, he will be blessed. That the Lord has set him apart for His glory and He will be used by the Lord. The Lord has a work for him.

I carried my baby full term without anymore problems. I gave birth to a healthy seven pound, 19" boy named James after his father, the Hebrew name means, One who follows.
After James was taken away by the nurses, the doctor was having trouble finding the IUD. I was aware that there was a problem and we joked about the baby not handing him the IUD... I was not a fan of the anesthetic at the time, so I had a natural childbirth without anything. I was Aware. Not finding the IUD he scheduled me for a D and C the next morning and I signed the papers. 
I woke up from the D and C with great pain in my abdomen and also a large incision. The head of obstetrics came in and explained to me exactly what they found. The IUD was initially inserted wrong and perforated my cervix, thus my pregnancy... it never worked (a relief for me after finding out how it functioned). But it also tore a hole in the uterine wall, traveled through it and eventually lodged in my intestines. I carried this baby full term with a hole in my uterus. The doctor was quite excited over all this, he said they also found my appendix swollen twice it's size and removed it (hmmm a two for, I thought).
 He went on to give me the statistics of this birth and the healthy condition of the baby and ended by saying... he was a miracle baby.

 For the next 5 days, I met doctors from various floors of the hospital coming down to examine "the miracle baby". They all said the same thing concerning his condition, he was one of the healthiest babies they have seen, in all aspects and especially in his muscle tone without taking in the circumstances in which he was born. God was true to His word.
The pre and post natal care, hospital bill and surgery was all taken care of by my attending physician. No, I did not sue, Yes, I had a case but does one bring allegations for an unwanted pregnancy against someone... when that pregnancy is from the hand of God... not this person nor my husband.

I later had three more beautiful baby girls, each one a blessing and all my five daughters a story for another time. 

James my only son blessed by God in health throughout his life with hardly even colds or flu, favored with a successful career and above all a generous heart now celebrates his 43rd birthday.
 One of the greatest joys of my heart and a blessing to my soul.
Happy Birthday to my son, my gift and my blessing. 

Sometimes life gives you a challenge that you didn't ask for or you thought was not wanted or needed. At the time it seemed to look like a mountain of a burden.
 In my life, I believe all things come from God or is allowed by God, I am His child. Whatever comes my way He has already  prepared a way for me, when I seek Him first. He only has good things for me, just as a loving father has for his child, even though sometimes we do not understand the gifts. Even though we do not perceive them as gifts but trials or mountains or insurmountable problems.
 And we know that all things work together for good, for those that love God and are called according to His purpose. 
Romans 8:28
I wonder if while sitting in that car 43 years ago listening to my mother's words and the choice I had before me... what if I had chosen not to be thankful, what if I had chosen to just go with my selfish feelings and let the circumstances of what I thought them to be overwhelm me... I wonder if the outcome would have been the same.
In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you. 1Thess. 5:18  
 I believe our choices allow God to work and we see His glory in our lives the more we choose to just trust him.
We all have choices, sometimes we don't always make the right ones and I am the first in line for bad choices but I believe God's grace is sufficient for those also. And as we become more aware of our choices and choose to be thankful and trust Him, the more we will see the hand of God clearly.
Today if you are facing a mountain you seem to think is impassable I encourage you to give it over to God, start thanking Him for the gift that He has in this challenge. Trust Him, He will not fail you.
Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation, neither shadow cast by turning. James 1:17

Blessings,
Rebecca

Winter Windows

Hello

As I sit here by the fireplace warm and relaxed as I've done many nights this winter listening to the wind and snow outside my window, I think of those that are not so blessed.

I have just returned from South Dakota, where winds sweep the prairie and leave frosted images in the windows of my mind.

Driving from Chicago to the Black Hills of South Dakota gives me time to settle in with my thoughts and tune them to the same frequency of the Holy Spirit... to listen and hear that still small voice inside... to see with the eyes of my heart to what God is revealing to my spirit.
To see the stark beauty that the miles reveal. 

I know my mission... to love, support, encourage and bring warmth to those that God blesses me with.

This cold extreme winter has brought more hardship to the Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation, they run low on basic needs... and warmth is a luxury. Wood and propane have been exhausted and there is still a long winter ahead.
 I bring so little...

But my God is a God that multiplies and He blesses the effort. 

He is my increase and my portion. In Him I trust.

He loves the Lakota and has sent such beautiful people to love them through Him. They are there to bring His love to a forgotten people... forgotten in many minds but not in the mind of God. 

Jehovah-Shammah, The Lord is There... Ever Present.

KC Willis is faithful and dedicated to the Lakota people and follows the heart of God. 

Please follow her journey and help when you can.

Beauty through winter windows...

If you love me, feed my sheep... John 21:17

Blessings,

Rebecca

May Your New Year be filled with...

GRACE

With the beginning of each new year we all tend to look back at the year ending and evaluate the sum of it. 

Focusing on what we didn't accomplish and making a resolution to change, with our new list posted on the refrigerator we again set ourselves up for failure.

 Not that lists are bad but when we turn it into the law or the ten commandments of 2014 we are doomed to fail.

 Now there are individuals out there that are naturally disciplined and do very well with lists, I however am not one of them. Those of us who are not so inclined tend to beat ourselves up and try to do better... and those that are naturally organized with lists tend to look at those that aren't and shake their heads, wondering how we get anything done.

 Not understanding that the list is there, it is just in our head, and the priorities on the list change from moment to moment.

No matter if you are a list maker or a list avoid-er, I would like to challenge you and myself for the new year with a one word list,

 GRACE... 

an unmerited gift or favour, goodwill, forgiveness that is not deserved.

The law only brings condemnation, whenever we put ourselves under the should's and should not's we eventually will fall short of our expectations. 

GRACE never looks back, it always goes forward.

Phil. 3:13     No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus has called us.

GRACE forgives.

This year I am going to practice GRACE on me. If I practice grace for myself with encouraging self talk instead of criticizing myself, maybe I then can pass it on to others.

 Practice makes perfect. What I practice I become.

 I first have to give myself slack before I can give it to others. When I am hard on myself, I am hard on others.

To start the day with grace means to start with the word. 

I start my day with a cup of coffee with the Lord and my bible. It sets my day.

I also have my alarm set throughout the day to stop and pray. Not that I don't usually have an ongoing conversation with my Lord but the alarm reminds me to stop, sit and be still.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain strength; they will mount up with wing like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

The result of GRACE is a thankful heart.

Along with grace comes thankfulness. To live in a grateful attitude brings joy. In order to live in a grateful attitude you need to see the small things in life. 

I started a gratitude journal last year to help me notice the everyday things we tend to skip over. In order to notice the moment to moment things around me, I had to slow down. By keeping a journal it taught me not only to see things in the moment but to become more aware of my surroundings. I don't know how many times I walk to the car with my head down and head swimming with what I need to get done. 

Stop. Look up, breathe in the air and see the bird singing or the snowflakes floating down... In that moment be thankful.  

Search for God. You have to be looking to see a "Glory Moment".

Know who you are because of God's GRACE.

Decree and Declare each day who you really are if you are 

In Christ:

I am complete in Christ.  Colo. 2:9

I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:14

I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1

I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances. Romans 8:28

I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.  Romans 8:31

I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. Phil. 1:6

I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. 2 Tim. 1:7

With so much coming at us in a day through the computer, television and radio... be wise.  Watch and be selective what you listen to.  Music goes right to the soul... sing   sing   sing!

I put my praise music on in the studio and I sing with the angels (which I am sure use earplugs). I also use that time to listen to past scripture teachings or books on audio.

Phil. 4:8    Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things.

Bible Verses for the New Year

Philippians 4:13 

 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

2 Corinthians 5:17
 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Psalm 20:4 
 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Lamentations 3:22-24
 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

Psalm 51:10
 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Jeremiah 29:11
 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.

Proverbs 16:3 
 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 19:21
 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Romans 12:1-2 
 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1 Chronicles 16:34
 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 23:6 
 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Proverbs 3:5-6 
 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Romans 8:28
 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

1 Peter 3:15
 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold unswerving to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Finally, I want to thank you for the grace you have shown me here on my blog.

 I have been putting my efforts into other avenues this past year and I appreciate those of you who still visit now and then. I will try and be here more often in 2014. 

Wishing you a New Year filled with the promise we have in Him.

Blessings

Rebecca