Worshipful

Beautiful! So creative and worshipful.

 

wor·ship·ful

[ˈwərSHəpfəl]

ADJECTIVE

 

1. feeling or showing reverence and adoration:

   "her voice was full of worshipful admiration"

My painting to represent 2016!

My painting to represent 2016!

  "I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground." Isaiah 41:18
"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:18
Have an amazing New Year!

Spider Webs: Making Invisible Traps Visible

I was watering my garden this morning. The sun was shining, the insects were buzzing and fluttering all around. It was so pretty out, but I kept hitting invisible snares: icky spider webs. This late in the summer the spiders are really coming out- they are everywhere! I got a big one crawling on my leg when I was mowing last evening- ick.. . . ! And the casualties are evident, mummified mason bees stuck in webs scattered about. As I hit another lead wire web between my shrubs and my rose buses and wondered what was attached to it; the Lord spoke to my heart. I sprayed all around me with the midst setting of my hose, and suddenly what was invisible, or barely discernible, became completely visible. The water outlined the webs so brightly in the sun.

"to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. . . ." Ephesians 5:26

"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:14

This short but meaningful experience was a reminder that if we stay close to Jesus, letting him wash us with the water of His Word, and drinking the fresh Water of communion with Him, He will highlight the traps in our path. What was invisible becomes visible and we can avoid traps that would ensnare us and lead us in the wrong direction.

Mind be Renewed!

"Do not conform 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." Romans 12:2 NIV

Science is confirming what the Bible teaches us. Negative thoughts hurt our mind. I painted this painting thinking of trees and ocean, life, and thoughts. God showed me, and many other people who have viewed it that it represents our thoughts being renewed in His glory and presence. The tree-like design are the dendrites in our brains that grow or shrink depending on our choices and environment. When we have positive thoughts our dendrites can look like healthy lush trees.

"They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." Psalms 1:3 NLT

When we have negative thoughts like hatred, unforgiveness, ungratefulness, etc. . The dendrites in our brain can wither and look like dead trees.  We need Christ's presences day to day to renew our minds and bring life, creativity, and joy! Be filled with joy and peace as you seek the Lord and His creativity and life abundant.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 ESV

See the painting and some of my other artwork here. 

What Was Jesus' Name?

Lately I have heard many people refer to Jesus by His Hebrew name, Yeshua. I wanted to do some digging about why we call Him Jesus in Christian tradition. I am not an expert by any means, but I am going to do a little digging from the New Testament.
I looked up Matthew 1:1 in the Hebrew Lexicon (see link here ). Matthew 1:1 is simply "This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:". Jesus the Messiah in this verse is "Iesous  (ee-ay-sooce) Christos" in the Greek. Hmm.... Iesous sounds a lot like Jesus! I want to look up more. In Luke 1:31 we read of the angel Gabriel announcing the name Mary should call her son. The name that is written in the Greek is Iesous. Interesting!
Now I want to know, what does Paul and James call Our Lord in the New Testament?
Romans 1 starts out with "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. . ." Christ Jesus in this verse is "iēsou christou" translated, iēsou: "the Anointed One, Messiah, Christ". And christou is translated "Jesus or Joshua, the name of the Messiah, also three other Israelites". (See here ). Now I want to look at what James the brother of Jesus called Him. Surely if anyone knew His true name it would be his own brother right? James 1:1 is written: "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings." In this verse,  "Lord Jesus Christ" is "kuriou iēsou christou". Kuriou is translated: "Lord or master."
I am convinced by just this little bit of study that Jesus is a valid and true name for our Lord based on the Greek writings in the New Testament.


"Acension" by Chelsea Carbonell

This is mostly for my benefit as I have read some confusing things posted by people on Facebook and also implied in other ways about His wonderful Name. Its true, God has given Himself many names in scripture and it is obvious to me just by a few minutes of research that "Jesus" is a translation of the Greek word Iesous used prolifically in the New Testament. Even if we don't have His name exactly the way He says it in heaven, He still hears us and answers when we call on Him!

A Light Has Come

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV

When you look and see darkness all around, even
thick darkness, look up and trust in this promise.
It is then that the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
His glory will even appear over you.

See another translation:
Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
 and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isaiah 60:1-2 ASV

I believe wherever we go, if we are filled with Jesus,
His light and glory can shine through us and even be
seen on us. People who need hope, who need help,
who are wallowing in gross, thick darkness, are
brought into our path.
Choose to shine, draw close to
Christ, He will heal people through you.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."
 Matthew 5:14 NIV

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27

God Provides More then Enough!

I love God's character. He is not a just enough, or almost enough, kind of God. He is over the top, flowing over, more then what we ask for. He surprises us. When we are going through a time of trial, struggle, or not enough, we need to hang on and trust Him. Let our heart depend on Him more fully to develop our faith, trust, and character. His promises are always true; more true then what we are experiencing. More true then what we see with our eyes. Trust the Lord, and watch Him do more with your life and your family then what you could have imagined. I know He has done that for me in so many ways and He is continuing to do that. I believe and put my trust in Him no matter what is going on in the world.

"Come to Me" Painting by Chelsea Carbonell

Contact me on Etsy.com for information about prints of this painting.

"The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil."Joel 2:24 NIV
"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26 NIV
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." 2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 NIV
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 NLT

Search the Bible at Biblos.com

Imprisoned in Iran

I was amazed watching the story Dan Baumann, a missionary who was on a tourist trip to Iran when he was arrested with a friend while trying to leave the country. He was beaten, tortured, and repeatedly interrogated. He came to the place of complete despair in the prison cell and tried to kill himself. In that place of hopelessness, he had a face to face vision with Jesus. After this Dan regains hope and forgives his prison guards and even be-friends the one who beat him the most! The end of the story is so amazing and inspiring. I won't give it all away- go see it here.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:25
"Imprisoned in Iran" story can be found here on CBN news in video and written format.

Guide Me in Your Truth and Teach Me

Reading and listening to current news is enough to put anyone's emotions and head into a tailspin. What if? What is happening? Why? I can't believe that would happen, or how can anyone be so cruel, or greedy, or fill in the blank. God highlighted Psalm 25 to me a couple weeks ago and I have been meditating on the depth of promise and truth.

"No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse, teach me your paths; guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:3-5 NIV

God this is my prayer, please show me your truth. Protect us, your are our God and I choose to trust you with my life. I choose to trust you with my family. I want my hope to be in you all day long and not to be afraid or focused on what is in this temporal world. Make my focus on the eternal not on what is passing away. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Just a Couple of Reasons We Choose to Not Celebrate Halloween

Halloween is a celebration of darkness, death, and fear. It has a long history in occult practices and it is plain to see how it is connected by the decorations that come out.
‘All those who hate Me love death.’ (Proverbs 8:36)
With my children I choose to celebrate life.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." words of Christ in John 10:10.
I believe in following God's Word every day of the year and bringing my children up in the fullness of it, without exceptions for cultural practices that don't line up.
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8.
This verse says that we should not focus ourselves or our children on darkness, death, evil, scary and occult things. But whatever is good and lovely. My children dread Halloween decorations. In our neighborhood they tend to be particularly ghastly. Bloody heads hanging on hooks, rotting figures in cages and the like. This is disturbing to my little children and rightly so. I don't wish for them to be desensitized to what is cruel and inhumane.
Halloween is centered on fear. Scripture says in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Again in 1 John 4:18 it says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
I have heard it taught that fear is the opposite of faith. Interesting thought.
I choose to focus on the light of Christ and not on darkness.

Read about some orgins of Halloween symbols here. There is much information on the subject and this is just one page I happened upon with good information.

His Hallelujah Lasts Forever

Psalm 111:10 in the Message Bible says, "The good life begins in the fear of God- Do that and you'll know the blessings of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever." In the Amplified Bible the last part of the verse says, ""A good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever."
What does this look like? As my mind was exploring this verse I imagined all of history, people's voices intertwining in the heavens. The picture was voices going up all the praise meeting together in a great flow, a great river of sound and praise, every "Hallelujah", every "Praise you Lord" coming up together never fading, a constant reverberation in the heavens. Every praise literally lasting forever, a great swell of adoration; coming to crescendos as chosen times in history. The dedication of Solomon's temple, the birth of Christ, the Resurrection of our Savior, being just a few but also the greatest. Imagine every praise, starting with Adam, King David's Psalms, Deborah, Moses' Mother when he was saved from the Nile, the small sounds of a joyful child, the singing of choirs, the voice of Jesus Christ on Earth, reverberating forever in the heavens, eternal. The words of saints throughout history, many names, lives, and faces forgotten by all on earth going on forever in the ears of our Lord. The "thank you God" of George Washington, the prayers of my 6 year old son, the dying breath of an old woman meeting her Lord, and the "Amen Jesus" of my one year old. The promise of Psalm 111 is that every praise of the righteous endures, resonates, forever; for the rest of eternity. Praise the Lord!  

Confirmations: The Extravagant Love of God

Last week during prayer meeting at church I kept getting the feeling I was supposed to read part of Isaiah 54 over one of the woman there. I felt compelled for half of the meeting, so at the end I did it. I  said the whole chapter was for her but this one part I needed to read over her as a blessing. With tears in her eyes she said that God had pointed her towards that scripture and she had just read it that very morning! Later the same day I checked my email and the Daily Grace Inspiration from Joseph Prince Ministries was on Isaiah 54 too! Wow.
Now this isn't a new chapter to me. I often will write Isaiah 54:13 in baby shower cards. "All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of your children." The whole chapter is so beautiful and poetic. It shows the heart of God in such a extravagant way. His love is amazing, personal, and bountiful. He has compassion on those that suffer, and has a great future even for those who feel unloved or unlovable. Read it here Isaiah 54.

We are the Branches

This is a passage I have had in my heart since I was a child. I had to memorize it in school and always thought the metaphor was interesting and beautiful. Last night I saw it in a new light.

The Vine and the Branches

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:1-9 (New International Version)

Last night as a crawled into bed I read it again and it seems to me I had new eyes. I have never seen it like this before. I pictured in my mind Jesus as a huge vine with so many branches. Each one of us is a branch when we accept the Lord as our Savior. God the Father has His clippers though. He wants His vine to be fruitful- He is a skilled and good gardener! I want to be part of His garden. I don't want to be the branch that gets snipped off! I want to be covered with sweet fruit. I want to further His Kingdom, to spread His love and light, to be a spring that turns desert and wasteland into a fruitful garden. How do I do this? How do I do this when I am surrounded by this world? When I am tired, when I have so much to do, when all my children are crying and demanding all at once. Jesus said it. "Remain in Me." "Apart from me you can do nothing." Apart from His grace I can do nothing of eternal value. Fix me to you forever dear God and Savior.

At the Foot of the Cross

One of the songs that has touched me so much is "At the Foot of the Cross" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk7_SBxYSZs ) by Kathryn Scott. It is so beautiful and described the Christian life so perfectly. It is the prayer of heart.
Yesterday I read a article in a Home School Enrichment magazine titled "Homeschooling at the Foot of the Cross". The author described how she was frustrated during the day with teaching her son, and them both getting frustrated. God brought that article in my life at the right time. My oldest son and I were so frustrated with each other yesterday, he covered his ears and wouldn't listen to me! In the article the frustrated mom confided in her friend who advised her to bring every lesson into prayer with her son. So I pray "Lord please help me to teach this to my son and help my son to understand it. Help us to be filled with your love even in our lessons." Being at the foot of the cross all day in the moment of hardship. Not just s quick prayer in the morning. Teaching your children at home is refining because you are forced to teach things that aren't always easy. I have to deal your your child's behaviors and attitudes all day, and correct and train him in the ways of the Lord. Lord help me and give me grace. I will stay at the foot of the cross.

God speaks in 1 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
In my weakness, when I submit to Him, I am strong. His strength, not mine! (1Cor. 12:10)

Oh Lord wash me at the cross. Wash away anything that is not of you.

To look up verses in the Bible go to www.Biblegateway.com