Santa Claus, Jesus and Being Shy

Funny name for a blog post but sometimes things just hit me different than everybody else.  Here is a perfect example.

Sunday our pastor preached an awesome sermon on Hebrews 4:14 -16 and 5:1-4. 

Here is the scripture, check it out:

4:14 Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptation, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God's gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed [to act] on behalf of men in things relating to God, so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with the spiritually ignorant and misguided, since he is also subject to human weakness; 3 and because of this [human weakness] he is required to offer sacrifices for sins, for himself as well as for the people. 4 And besides, one does not appropriate for himself the honor [of being high priest], but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.

                                                                                                        from the Amplified Bible

Okay, so the point that our Pastor made was that we should, and have every right, to approach Jesus with great confidence! He even gave a great impression of George Jefferson's confident strut. 

It was a great visual!  

Friends, that IS exactly how we should approach Jesus. 

So here is where my twisted part comes in... 

The whole time that he is telling us how we should be so confident in how we approach Jesus I am remembering how I would approach Santa Claus when I was a kid.  Maybe it was because we are just coming out of the Christmas season and possibly it was because I spent 12 hours on Saturday packing Christmas away.  Anyway, I was probably about 6 or 7 and so painfully shy and timid that I would stand in line and anxiously wait, but when it was finally my turn I would have to be coaxed and encouraged to step forward, knowing that if I didn't I wouldn't be able to tell him what I wanted.  I wouldn't get the Santa hug and it would be a whole year before I would have a chance again.  And yet, I was still too awestruck to move. 

Meanwhile, the kid behind me couldn't wait! He ran right around me and took a running leap into Santa's lap. Laughing and giggling and talking with Santa like they were old friends. I was mortified and even a little jealous.  He got the opportunity and the Santa hug.  Even at that young age, I fully understood embarrassment and hurt pride. Why was I such a baby?! 

Friends this is the problem with the "Santa Claus" Jesus. 

Pray to him when you want something. 

Pray to him when you feel good about where you are. 

Once I get my act together, then I'll go to church.

Everything is good now and my ducks are in a row, so I can approach Him. 

That's not how it works. 

We don't have to wait in line for our forgiveness.

We don't have to worry that the mercy or grace will ever run out.

We don't have to worry that we will miss our opportunity!

I am so grateful that we have the perfect High Priest that we can run to. He understands us and loves us before we even realize how much we need His love.

 Draw near to Him!

So then what?

HI!

I sure hope you are having a great week so far. 

I am!

I wanted to take a moment and thank my friend Charlene for the additional info and confirmation about my little plant.  It's called Elephant Food and it really does only need to be watered once every 3 weeks! Thanks Lady!

So, May 1st I started a new study on The Psalms.  I'm kind of doing it on my

own, but I'm also using the commentary from FB Meyer and finding it very helpful. 

I usually just do study groups so this is a little different for me. 

But here's the problem. I have already journaled several of the

pages in my Journaling Bible in the Book of Psalms. So then what are you supposed to do? 

Well, this is what I did. I got several Moleskine note books one

lined and the other blank. Of course, I decorated it.  That's how I roll.

So now if the page in my journal bible is already illustrated for the Psalm I'm studying,

I can supplement it with my Moleskine. 

Here's an example of how I do it.

This is my illustration for Psalm 1. 

I am giving an illustration of the versus 3-6.

What I am trying communicate is that (as a tree) when your source is plentiful and steady, 

your roots will be deep and strong.  Helping to withstand strong storms.  

If your roots are depending on scarce sources of nutrients your roots will

be shallow and wide. Prone to wondering. 

Knowing that my plentiful and steady source is God, his word and prayer, 

I want my faith roots to be growing deep and narrow.  

That's what I'm working on. 

Hello! 

Happy Friday to you!

I wanted to say something about bible journaling. 

I have already shared the why and how here.

Now, I want to talk about something else. 

Every time I chat with someone about my journaling, I always hear the same thing!

"But I'm not artsy." or "I could never learn to draw like you do."

And every time I hear that I say the same thing. "You don't have to

be able to draw." 

 I always mean it. 

While these are a few of my favorites, I didn't start out doing pages like these. 

Some of my first pages are very much "not pretty."

These are after some practice, and a lot of trial and error. And the truth of the matter is I have 

no art training, at all! Its just something that I discovered that I really enjoy. 

And obviously the more you practice the better you get.

But the reality is that, if you want to journal,  you have to start. And you need to start somewhere.

If I'm perfectly honest, I would tell you that I wish I didn't have those "experiment" pages in my 

bible. But then I wouldn't have spent that time with the Lord in his word and I truly believe that he has blessed my time that I spend in the bible. 

So let me show what I'm talking about.

Here are a few pages that I did using only my old scrapbook supplies. 

This page (which I love) is nothing but scrapbook paper, (cross) Stamp (the wood grain background) and stickers (crown, roses, and letters) 

This one has some simple lettering but the heart is a stamp, the parenthesis are scrapbook elements, and the black stripe with polkadots is washi tape. 

This one is the most simple one yet... a sticker and washi tape. 

I hope this helped to take some of the fear out of Bible Journaling.  Remember, we all want 

beautiful pages, but that isn't the reason that you start bible journaling. Its to study His word and life and to try to be more like Him.

Bible Journaling Part 2 .... The Tools

Okay! You asked for it.... 

This is my post about the tools that I prefer for bible journaling. 

Before we get started: I just want to make it clear, I'm not

an expert, artist or theologian. These are just some insights 

into what I have tried that has worked. And a lot of what you see

in my journaling are concepts that I got from bible studies. So don't be thinking that 

I'm so exceptionally smart. I'm just making notes so that I can remember later.

You should know that I have had some epic fails to, trust me! 

To name a few:

The brush pen - LOTS of people use it but I can't figure it out to save my life. 

Watercolor paints - Bleed  through and cause the paper to wrinkle beyond belief.  

(My bible is not like the newer journal bibles that have the onion paper. Mine

are much thinner.)

Micron and Sharpie - bleed through

So these are techniques that I have gone back to and 

like best. 

Let's get started, shall we?

Here is a recent entry from a study that we are doing in Philippians at my 

church on Sunday mornings. 

Adopting a Christ-Like Attitude means Serving, Sacrificing and Glorifying God. 

You'll note that I misspelled glorifying in my bible (sigh). Oh well, it happens. 

By the time that I noticed it, I was in the ink stage. (ugh!)

Note to self: there is no spell check on the page. 

So that's the finished product.

Let's step back and have a reality check. Okay, NO JUDGING!

This is actually what my craft table looks like in mid project.

I think I saw a pin on pinterist "I craft, therefore, I hoard."

It applies.

It's true, I like having all my stuff out and available. 

I also like a work lamp. It makes seeing the pencil marks much easier as well as doing shading.

Here are the my favs:

a soft lead pencil (alway draw as lightly as you can)

a polymer eraser (because it seriously removes all pencil marks)
a Uni-ball Signo 207 ultra micro pen
a Uni-ball Signo 207 micro pen
a ruler
And
a pencil sharpener

Lined paper is handy to use under the page to keep your writing straight.

I also like to use color pencils alot. For me the Prismacolor brand is best but 

Crayola works well too. I have tons of them in as many colors as I can find.

I recently purchased some watercolor pencils and a blender that 

I'm anxious to try. It's supposed to give you the look of watercolor

with the convenience of a color pencil. We'll see. 

Washi tape is also a very fun element to add your page.

So I'm a beginner and I'm looking forward to learning more techniques.

I hope this has been helpful for you.

Let me know if you want to see more bible journaling.

And of course leave me questions... I'll try to answer as best I can. 

Have a great week!

Bible Journaling Part 1 .... My How, What, When and Where

Okay.... this is going to be a long one. 

Get your tea, coffee or soda and get comfy!

If you follow me or check in once and awhile, you will notice that I share my bible journalling with you occasionally.  (If you go on to my Instagram page you can see all the pages that I have done. I have a button on my sidebar that can take you directly to my page.) 

In the few posts that I have shared, there have been quite a few questions regarding the bible that I use, and how and why I do the journalling that I do.  

So here is that promised post that explains it all.

What is bible journaling? 

Bible journaling is a method that has been around for a long time but has become very popular in the last year, predominantly by these 2 ladies Stephanie Ackerman who started the Documented Faith plan, and Shanna Noel who created the Illustrated Faith method.  Both of their web sites have tons of tutorials and inspiration. It really is just a way to meditate on God's word through art journaling.  

Why do I bible journal and how did I get started? 

I have ALWAYS had an affinity for bibles. I LOVE them. I HOARD them and ADMIRE other people's bibles.  I am the same way with  journals. LOVE them! The problem is that I never use them. I never journal in journal.  Same with my bibles. I take my bible to church and bible study, but the truth of the matter is I didn't really open it in between.  It bothered me, but not enough to do anything about it. 

Then last May I hosted a table at the Ladies Tea at our church and the speaker was Pam Kanaly. Her theme or topic was "Love Letters". She shared how the bible is a love letter from God to us. Then she showed her bible. It was huge. It was old. The gilding on the paper's edge was gone. The spine of the book was cracked and the leather cover had worn marks from being carried and the pages were crinkly from being searched and thumbed through. There were copious notes in the margins.  She went on to tell that there were tear stains that were circled and dated where she had prayed and cried over her children and loved ones. Scripture was highlighted, underlined and dated where she had prayed God's promises into her life.

It was amazing and beautiful. 

It made me want a lifetime bible like that. 

Then when I was working on my planner, I came across some bible journaling images on Pinterest and Instagram. I was more than intrigued.  I went on line and every Journaling Bible was sold out and on wait lists. Then I remembered that my husband had used a journaling bible for a little while a few years ago.  He had set it aside because he wasn't crazy about the translation. I asked him if I could have it. He said "of course" and that is how I ended up with the journaling bible that I have. 

I watched a bunch of you tube videos on lettering and I also watched the videos on Stephanie Ackerman's web site for journaling. They are wonderful and I learned a ton and am still learning a ton.

So that is how I got started.

What is a Journaling Bible?

Simple! It is a bible with wide margins for notes and journaling. Lifeway has a great selection as 

does Amazon.  Lifeway even has a fun little video. 

How I bible journal. 

Bible journaling is just as individual as any journal can be. You make it your own. The biggest thing that I would want to convey is that you are really focusing on God's word and not the art. You absolutely don't have to have any artistic ability to bible journal. Ask yourself: What is it that spoke to me? What do I want to remember? Is there an image that I think of when I read the passage?  It's the learning and taking it into your heart that matters. 

When I am at bible study or listening to a sermon I use my study bible and a note book 

like this. Sometimes my daily devotion is an inspiration for more study too.

I still highlight and write in the margins of my study bible, but I also take extensive notes. I think about big ideas and small details. I write it all down. Then I go home, I pray about it, I review my notes and then I go to my journaling bible open it to that same passage.

I then use another little notebook for rough drafts and design.  It's a messy process but this is what works for me.  I am way to tentative do a rough draft right on the bible page.

I then transpose it onto the bible page with pencil.

Then I go ever it all with ink and color. 

It ends up something like this. 

"Prayer does not equip us for great works. Prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers

Trust me! I'm not an artist. I never took any art classes in high school or college. If I can do this, you can do this! And I hope you do!

In my next Bible Journaling post I will show you my favorite tools that I use for journaling. 

BIBLE JOURNALING

Hey there!

Happy Sunday!

Just thought that I would pop in and show you some 

Bible Journaling that I did in Jonah.

I can't believe how often I have read the story of Jonah and the whale and missed the 

whole point! God wants everyone saved. YES! EVERYONE!

Whether we think they are qualified or not! 

That means that EVERYONE I see matters to Jesus!

I'll say it again...

YES! EVERYONE!

Jonah is little book with a lot to say! 

Bible Journal .... So I made a cover....

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you know that

I just got my sewing machine back from Mr Sew and Vac after

never having it serviced... in like 15 years.  I was so frustrated the last time I 

made any thing, I was ready to through it out a moving truck. 

But my friend Laura encouraged me to have it serviced before I 

threw in the towel completely.  That was almost a year ago.

I'm so glad that I listened to her.

I just got it back and decided that a nice afternoon project was in order.  Nothing big...

"Let's set ourself up for success" I said to myself. 

So I made a cover for my journal bible. 

Mind you, my hubby carried this for a couple of years before I confiscated

inherited it.  SO, it was in need of some extra LOVE. 

Here's the cover that I made. I'm pretty (really) happy with it. 

I have a tutorial here for some bible covers that I had made 

previously.  I also made a cover for a friend's NOOK... that post is here.

(just incase you want to see)

I added index tabs to the top of the bible. 

I added scrapbooking paper to the inside as it was starting to look 

a little tired. I also added extra book mark ribbon to match the paper.

I seriously couldn't wait to show it to you guys. 

I'm chuckling because when I showed it to my husband, he kind of

started laughing and said " You know, this is SO incredibly excessive?" 

I just smiled and said "I KNOW! Isn't it AWESOME?"  

I did an entry a few weeks ago from 1Samual 16: 7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

GOD sees our full potential! 

Meaning that in the right hands, something ordinary becomes EXTRA ordinary. 

 So, I'll leave you with that my peeps! 

Have an AWESOME week!