Homegrown Hospitality

Be The Change, Part Two

Working on changing the world with my art is a test of my patience.  When I started, I constantly wanted to skip past the first steps to get to the next. I wanted to do the fun stuff, not the labor intensive stuff (which consisted of Mod Podge and dictionary paper!)

Note to Self: I must lay down a solid foundation before taking the next step. 

It seemed that each time I thought I was finished, there was another spot that needed fixing, needed coverage, needed my attention. It was the longest process of changing the world and it tested my endurance.

Note To Self:  Stay focused on the task at hand. Don't always looks for the easy way out, a short cut or telling  myself  "I will finish it later"  Just keep going. 

Remember my "If you love something you lose the fear" post from last week ? Well, here is another example of walking the walk.  Once the foundation is down, it is time to take the next step, which can be scary, especially if you have spent alot of time forming that foundation.  That "scary" is just the devil sitting on your shoulder telling you that you might mess it up....

go for it.

Note to Self: I must have a little faith in myself and complete faith in God.  Use the skills and abilities that I was given by HIM to change the world.  That is exactly why I was given those gifts and really, it is my responsibility to use them. 

Another Note to Self: Once I rely on faith, it will carry me  far and I can confidently flick that little devil off of my shoulder with excessive force.

Now building and planting is the next step, which I am currently in the process of doing.  Another test of patience and endurance because I have a vision of what my world is going to look like BUT  I can not rush it.  Again. my steps are guided and I am confident so I know that whatever the outcome is, it will be okay.

To be continued.

Whoops.

I am weeks deep into a very intentional study on a book called Replenish by Lance Witt.  The book is written about spiritual leadership & soul health, well and burnout (and everything else in between) in regards to church leadership & ministry.  

As we get to the last few chapters, we are recognizing that the second 1/2 of the book really applies just as easily to life (and not just church leadership) and I may be quoting this book for awhile because as much as I have learned without the book, I am recognizing more truths as I get through the book...

I have slightly re-written the passage from page 94 changing the "we" to "I" and I have a hunch you  will totally get it:

Sound familiar or ring a bell?

SIMPLY COMPLICATED.

This was 100% me several years ago and sometimes, because of the crazy world of judgement, culture, opinions and random yuck we live in, well and really because Adam ate the apple (and blamed it on Eve) those tendencies try to rear its ugly self into my life..more often than I like.  

whoops.

Thanks, Adam.

fail.

human, duh.

It happens...

Way to go Eve.

When the whirling dervishness creeps up, I am able to recognize the symptoms because I have been there, done that.  I had to feel the fail to learn from it.

Note To Self:  Trying to do everything for everyone all the time instead of living for an audience of one is not a good idea.

Just sayin.

Flowers Grow From...

seeds and I know that I mentioned I would not quote the book "The Seed" anymore, but I made some paper flowers using "the markers" and attached them to a big manila tag and, well, wrote out a quote from the book on the tag and I just knew that if I showed you the flowers, you would probably want to know what was written around them, so I decided I would just tell you up front that I quoted the book again. (wow that was a lot of information in one sentence)

The quote reads "During the growth process you will experience events that help you soar to new heights but you will also face adversity and challenges that strengthen your roots." The Seed Page 101

I love the "soaring to new heights" part of the quote. The thing is, in order to "soar" we must sometimes feel sore.

DANG IT!

Growing pains and suffering are neccessary to strengthen our roots and we must endure the pain, the hardships, the troubles and the difficulties.  

"Don't quit in the hard times, pray all the harder." Romans 12:12

It is just hard when we are in those times to remember that there is a reason and a greater purpose for our pain but expect blessings.  They will come and then we can share with others what it feels like "To Soar"

"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" Romans 5:3-4

It's a promise.

Mother's Day

When Lori asked me to do a doodle for Mother's Day, I waited, thought about it, drew out a few and threw out a few.  Then I asked her for a verse that she had on her heart and just at about the same time she responded,  I was rumaging through my bag for markers and came across a doodle that I had done a while back but had not finished.

I went back to read her response, took another look at the doodle and knew that it was the right one.  

Just like the different flowers above, we as mothers, no, as women, were created by God and have a reason.

We are all at different stages & different seasons, may have different lifestyles, different beliefs, some of us are still buds, some of us are in full bloom, but regardless of where we are, what we look like or what stage of life we are in, we must all remember not to compare or envy but gather around each other, lift each other up, support each other, celebrate one another...and most importantly, pray for one another.

That is one of the most valueable gifts we can give each other.

I encourage you to head over to Internet Devotions this morning to take a look at the post that goes along with the doodle and take some time to pray for one another.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Out of My Hands

I had about 7 minutes.

I was in between a big airplane and a small one.  

Going from two pilots, a full crew and complimentary drinks twice in the flight to Snoopy flying a plane, one crew member and an aisle between seats that was to narrow to have a service cart go up and down when I got the call...

and another and another and another..and then a text, and another..and another.

I started to feel my knees buckle and for a brief 100th of a second thought "turn around and go home" even though it was a very minor "issue"..very minor.   For a twelve year old that doesn't like when his momma goes away from home, the minor issue probably seemed HUGE and because when I was twelve and I did not like when my momma went away, I knew what he was feeling.

DEEP BREATH...

Outside the window, Snoopy was up on a ladder starting to spin the propellers on the plane to get the engine started when the call came over the intercom bullhorn that it was time to board....

Me being me, being a mom that is now across the country from home, has a phone vibrating in her pocket and is watching snoopy wipe the dew off of the plane window that is the size of a small fish aquarium, I had to pull up my boot straps, take a deep breath, walk out onto the runway to climb that ladder to get to the plane and just get to my seat all-the-while trying to ignore the buzzing of the vibrating phone...shoot..I needed to turn off my phone so snoopy could fly the damn plane (sorry for the language).

I got to my seat, buckled in, shut my eyes and prayed it away.

PRAYED THROUGH IT and GAVE IT AWAY.

Moral and lesson of the story = There was nothing I could do, but exactly what I did which was all I could do.

Let it go and let GOD have it.  It was out of my hands..and into His, like a hot potato.

whew.

Little did I know that the above story would be exactly what I needed to go through to be able to turn it into art for the prompt that Courtney was going to send me..

Always know that something you are going through is for a reason. You have to "Go through it to grow though it", challenges lead to growth whether you are 12 or 40 something, and as the book "The Seed" quotes on page 98:

Give it to God...HE can handle it...and get going on what you are supposed to be doing.

Right Now.

Before I starting this post this morning or even knew what I was going to write about, I read Mel's newest blog post (and I suggest that after you are done here, you hightail it over there to be lulled by her amazing writing....) then I opened up "The Seed" to this highligted excerpt (remember, I told you I highlighted most of the book...) and knew what I was going to write about.

Don't miss what is all around you right now....because of the muck, the mess and the fear. Please open your eyes...

It was dark when I arrived in PA on Thursday night and this is the first thing I saw Friday morning as opened the curtains from my room in Pennsylvania.

Maybe you will understand it, or maybe you won't...but it made me gasp, I think my heart skipped a beat..and I KNEW I was right where I was supposed to be and had I buckled in fear, I would have missed this sight.  The dark sky, the bright barn, the rusted roof....the green life all around....Do not miss the life all around you right now.

A Rewards Program

A little reminder...

Amazing things come in all shapes and sizes...

sometimes as simple as rocks in the shape of hearts when I feel like my physical heart is working overtime and questioning my body "Um...why, what in the world and where are we going???"

sometimes in the form of a clothesline of long-johns, handkerchiefs and socks when my spiritual heart starts to beat with calmness and peace because of the visions of beautiful green country roads that are pulsing with life, abundance and simplicity

and sometimes at the moment the falling sun meets the rising moon, when you not only feel but are the farthest away from home, but you feel like you are exactly right where you are supposed to be....

The rewards are amazing and are availble to you right now.

It is simple, no written application necessary and no little card to attach to your keychain...

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" Matthew 7:7 NIV

Do Something & Pass It On

Today, I am giving you a new doodle to color and hopefully inspiring you to give something to someone else, kinda like a "Do Something" and "Pass It On" challenge.

 Dream...big dreams

Create..something

Love..one another

Believe..in yourself

Practice..good deeds

Give yourself 20 minutes to color and think about the things above WITHOUT thinking you should be:

1. unloading the dishwasher
2. folding the clothes
3. sweeping the floors
4. cleaning the bathroom
5. ________________

Taking 20 minutes (more or less) of quiet, being still, or in this case, coloring.  It will relax you a little and add a little JOY to your soul...and reboot you, and if you are a mom, a girl, a lady, etc.....I know you could use a little reboot...

then..."Do Something" like 

1. Pass on the doodle to someone else to color and inspire someone else 
2. Bake some cookies and deliver them to your local firefighters and/or police
3. Take your shopping cart all the way back up to the front of the store instead of leaving in- between cars
4. Go to Jessie's Facebook page to "Like" it (PLEASE!)
5. Take your neighbors dog for a walk
6. Offer to make or take dinner to someone

and you will find that 

"There is more happiness in giving than in receiving" Acts 20:35

Directions on how to print this doodle out because Typepad will NOT cooperate with me therefore making this an example of being "Simply Complicated" (dang it!!!):

1. Right click on doodle above
2. "Save Picture As" (save it to your computer)
3. Either insert it into a "Word Document" and print it or simply "Print" it as a picture.

Insert: Purpose

Yesterday on my way to the post office, a new sign caught my eye. I drove by the building that is the new home to the "Joy Factory", the Jessie Rees Foundation. I can NOT imagine being a mom that would be putting up a sign on a building in honor of my child, but that is exactly what a family in our community, a family in our church is faced with and is doing..and has vowed to keep their precious Jessie's dream alive.

INSERT Purpose.

I am on team NEGU..

NEGUstands for Never Ever Give Up and is something we have really started living by in our little home sweet home.  It was what Jessie did in the 10 month she fought...and ultimately lost.  It is her story, the will of a 12 year old girl that taught us to NEVER EVER GIVE UP and will continue to be a force in our house.

KEY WORD: House

So what in the world can I possibly do to help besides pray? 

I can paint and I can run.

(NOT a the same time, duh!)

What can YOU do?

1. You can Join Team Negu and help spread the word
2. You could simply "like" Jessie's FB page (they are trying to get to 200,000 likes by April 8th, which would have been Jessie's 13th birthday)
3. You could sponsor me and Team NEGU for the 1/2 Marathon by clicking that little red scrolling box up there in the right corner because I am training and will run that race for her and for all of those little love bugs that are fighting with that DAMN cancer (excuse my language).
4. You could go to Ebay and bid on this new 12x12 canvas that I just finished last night:
   

I am auctioning this handpainted 12x12 Mixed Media canvas that reads "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15.  All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Jessie Rees Foundation.

GOD gave me the skills and abilities to paint, doodle...and run so that is what I'm doing...in between laundry, carpool and painting base boards...you know, stuff like that.

So..what are you waiting for???? I just listed the canvas on EBAY...as an auction..for 5 days and I sure hope that I did it right...

Happy Friday!

Works of HEart

I have been creating "Works of HEart" on canvas, paper & wood, even blank journals, for several months knowing the specific purpose for the work but not knowing how, where or even better "what" I was going to do with them all. 

I just kept creating and doing what I was to be doing...and stacking them high.

Yesterday, on a whim, I took my stack and "displayed" them just to see what I had.  At one point, Jack even stopped to ask "Mom, what are you doing???" and I just answered..."Just Playing" (but what I was playing was "Art Show")

so this morning, I get an email from my best pal Staci at Grove's asking if I wanted to bring asome of my orginals to Grove's....

for a little Art Show during my classes.

Of course she asked me that...

and of course I want to...

and of course HE knew...

because THAT IS HOW GOD WORKS.

For months, I have been working on a new purposeful way of teaching, teaching techniques to make things like in the photos above. My new "hands on" (not online) class is designed to teach you how to create art from HEart (which sounds confusing)

BUT, some of you do not want to take a class, some of you do not want to learn another technique and some of you do not want to take another online class...so, I am going to start (slowly) offering my "Works of HEart Art" starting with a little Stephanie Ackerman Designs Art Show at Grove's at the end of April.

For more information on my classes and for the Art Show, please visit the Grove's website at http://www.grovesoffice.com/Home.html