New Original In The Shop

“Lakeside Blue Hour, Dusk”

Inspired by a secret getaway place of mine.

Tucked away, where very few even know, is a dreamy lake spot, complete with floating dock. It is minutes from my home, and open to the public. (Hence, I keep its location a top secret.) I go there to sketch and unwind and exhale and dream. I go there at all times of the day, but my favorite by far is just after sundown, during that summertime “blue hour”.

18x24” original, rendered in acrylic, conte, charcoal, and soft pastel, signed in my “signature” soft gold. This painting, and its luscious print (I truly wish you could see both, side by side!) are available here in my shop.

A big thank you to each of my collectors. The fact that you allow me to be one of your family’s artist-makers is never lost on me. It is a wonder and a privilege, with every original and print sold.

Reframe, For A Full-Circle Blessing

My abstract art piece entitled “Full Circle”:

Things have happened over the past week and weekend, that have brought important parts of my life “full circle”. I will write more about what happened later.

First, I want to touch on why it happened. I want to talk about why these “full circle” moments were even possible. They were made possible because they were given space to take place - because long ago I chose to never make a big decision with an unwell soul. Rather, I stayed my course, resisting “change for the sake of change”.

The Spirit had given me a certain perspective. It was up to me to then choose it. I obeyed it.

Perspective frames the whole story we are telling ourselves about ourselves and about others closest to us. Perspective is the lever that either moves mountains, or the catapult that crushes what would otherwise have been possibility.

Perspective is a choice. It is a function of the heart, and it guides the whole of the art that is our life.

Some time back, in what seems like another lifetime, though not that long ago, the Preacher had a conversation with a couple who were making big decisions from an unwell soul. He tried valiantly to offer another perspective, and to convince them to choose it. Instead, the husband replied in smooth, measured, cool tones, “Well. You always said someone’s perspective is their reality. My perspective is my reality”, basically using my husband’s own words against him. (The Pharisees did this to Jesus all the time.)

Immediately, I felt such pain for them. Because I heard Holy Spirit say, “They have chosen.” I knew, right then, this person’s perspective would in fact become their reality. It did not have to be so. We are given a gift called “repentance”. And it simply means we are always invited to choose a better story. Another perspective.

Reframe!

Oh, reframe!

My New Creative Writing and Art Course Goes Live Today

My next course, my third in collaboration with Jeanne Oliver’s creative network, is titled:

Playing With Fire: Poetry and Paint As Kindling

To celebrate the launch, I designed a new offering, and it is up and available, in my shop, RIGHT NOW.

The image of the point of an arrow becoming the nib of a pen…it came to me in a flash last year, and quite simply, I was never the same.

I was inspired by the ultimate badass poet: King David in the Bible. I was also deeply impacted by the movement and momentum created in my life over the entire year 2018, when I took up journaling as if my life depended on it. I wrote down every word I heard the Lord say to me! (No exaggeration.)

It. was. game-changing.

And He proved every word true…all the way down to things I wrote down and dated, noting to myself that I sensed the Lord telling me it would come to pass “within the year”…and one year to the day later (June 28, 2019, in case anyone is curious) it was deeply, clearly brought to pass.

Take your words and make them arrows that you use to target your big, beautiful outcome. Let my new class (and maybe this shirt) remind and motivate you.

Mercy In The Middle

“LORD, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Renew your work “in the middle” of the years. “In the middle” of the years make it known. In wrath, you remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2

Mercy:

Compassion and

forbearance willingly

shown towards an

offender

All of earth-time is middle-time.

Human history is a hyphen in the text of eternity. It is a mere incident in the context of a God who exists outside of time. Kings and countries are like the mist of an Appalachian mountain: dropping in at dawning, and gone in a glance.

Current events on this world’s stage are like today’s palette of pigments. They exist for this time, for this painting, and will dry up and be scraped away to make a place for the next color story.

I, however, am the daughter of both time and of forever. My time-bound-life began in a gasping second, and will end the same way. My forever-free-life began from the moment of my regeneration. I don’t know how it happened, this miracle that was the awakening of my spirit inside this middle-space. All I know, is at the mere mention of the name of Jesus, my eternal spirit awoke to begin exploration of my life as His idea. My life, as an object of His affection! My very being, as a vessel of His mercy poured out day by day, offense after offense. And oh, how I have offended.

Yet it is my destiny to be loved more than galaxies of stars.

Everything He has ever done for anyone at any time, He is willing to do it again for me.

Every deed He has ever performed to become The Famous One, He is willing to do it again, to show Himself strong on behalf of my generation.

I’ve heard it said that every testimony and every “Amen” is just another way of saying, “We know You will do it again, God!”

Do it again, Papa! Do it again!

Right here, in my middle. In the middle.

May My Life Be A “Gift Economy”

I used to be wary of copycats. Not anymore.

I had someone in my life who, no matter what experience or opinion I shared, would often say, “Oh, I am the same way.” (She wasn’t.). “Oh, we are so alike.” (We weren’t.) I would sometimes say something off-the-wall, just to see if it worked. It always did. She so very much agreed, and had even thought of __________ a long time ago.

Next, I was actually asked what my bra cup size was. Two weeks later, the same person had a breast augmentation. You guessed it.

I just needed for you to have context, when I say that I used to be wary of copycats.

Here is what I have learned: they can impersonate your purpose, they can copycat your calling. They can even parrot your process. It’s done every day, here on this here “internet”. No matter. If you do your process authentically and out loud, they will always be anywhere from a day to a week to a year behind you.

You wear it, then they can buy it. You say it, then they can echo. A lot more people might hear the echo instead of your voice, but who is the echo and who is the voice will never be hard to determine. Who is the original and who is the photocopy will always be as easily identified as checking the dates on social media posts. They may even attempt to plagiarize your story, word for word, but at best they will be a weak paraphrase.

See, what no one can have is your soul.

You can’t have what brings me pain. You can’t have what brings me pleasure. You can’t own where I have failed, and thus you cannot buy success that isn’t yours.

My creative flame is eternal, because Jesus.

I will be carrying out the plans of God for my life all the way into eternity. I am rich in grace, I am always working at something new, I am wealthy enough to be scandalously generous of spirit, I have blessing and hope and purpose to spare.

I no longer am wary of copycats. I am glad to help anyone whose fire has dwindled so starkly that she feels the need to troll my digital footprint for a plan. She can hold her candle to my flame anytime she wants.

No scarcity here. Not anymore.