Tag: painting
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The Gift of Patience: Joy in Waiting
This is a tree from the neighborhood of my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It’s seen me as a young girl riding bikes with my best friend and playing on its playground. It’s watched me as a teen and young adult through multiple romantic relationships and for many years as a full grown woman. What I’ve…
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The Gift of Joy: Finally Finding Freedom
How would you describe joy? Like a field of wildflowers on a bright summer day—vibrant and warm; free. If you asked me this question a month ago, this is probably how I would respond. God’s been speaking to me lately. He’s been speaking to me through pain, through waiting, through uncertainty, through trials, and tribulations.…
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The Gift of the Storm: Remembering Who God is
The storm reminds us that life is often chaotic, dark, and completely unpredictable. The storm tests our faith and pushes us deeper into God (or our idols). The storm reveals our inadequacies, our fears, our weaknesses, and all the things we seek comfort in—our addictions, distractions. The storm can bend us so far we nearly…
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The Gift of Defiant Joy
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5) In my dining room, hangs a beautiful tapestry—a darkened forest illuminated by a bold and defiant light shining through the trees, a light that refuses to obey the darkness. Defiance is the refusal to obey someone or something. Have you…
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The Gift of Forgetting
Some kids at work and I recently did some painting together. Their joy was so contagious. I noticed something in the middle of our project, something I believe made their experience even more enjoyable than my own—their ability to forget. When I told them we were painting that day, I watched each of their little…
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The Gift of My Angel
It was one of those days I just needed someone, someone who had been away for far too long—Ms. Angel, a dear coworker, a dear friend who broke her wing and had taken two months to recover. She would finally be returning by the end of that week, but Friday just couldn’t come soon enough.…
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The Gift of a Heart-Shaped Rock
Today I just wanted to share a little something with you—my weird hobby. When I tell people I collect rocks, they often respond with “Rocks? What kind of rocks?” It’s not the type of rock that makes it special; it’s the place it was found in, the memories associated with it. When I take my…
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The Gift of a Faith-Filled Morning
It all comes down to faith, doesn’t it? I wasn’t sure what God would have me write about, paint about that day, but I had faith He would show me. As I sat down that morning to read the last chapter of the book of Samuel, I soon realized faith was the very thing God…
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The Gift of Such a Time as This
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14) I believe we were all meant for the…
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The Gift of God’s Fingerprint
I added a song to my worship playlist recently, and I’m loving it! “Fingerprints” by Abi Bennett. You gave Your life; now I am fully alive. You spoke Your truth and tore down all my walls. My life has the fingerprints of Christ. Be magnified through me. The lyrics to this song inspired me to…
