Blessed Are The Forgiven

Really worked hard this day in one of our stores but it's ok coz I really enjoy every minute of my responsibility.  Despite of the cold-biting weather and a little snow I managed to accomplish all my tasks for the day.  I got to read and reflect of the reading only after I was able to prepare our dinner.  Speaking of which, starting this day I will only eat vegetables for dinner with egg and mini slices of fish and little portion of fruit.  I don't normally eat dinner coz it bloats me when I eat at night then stomach ache.  But as I grow older I need to eat something at least before 6pm.

Anyway, going back to my bible reading this day, the verse that I got was from Psalms 32: 1-2 and it says "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin in the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit."

 I love the butterfly and here's a closer look:

 If you are wondering how I did the main background, I simply played with strips of masking tape and painted the no masking tape area with acrylic paints.  I then took one of my favorite stencil and used a black craft spray paint.  Simple as that!

Thank You Lord!

What a snowy and cold-biting winter day!  It has been snowing 2 days in a row now and I don't know if I will survive going to work tomorrow (ha! ha!)  I have to look at it on a bright side so I will not be affected by the weather.  There is so much to thank for that a snowy cold-biting day is not an excuse to be depressed or sad.  Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given us this day =)

I am thankful that we are not sick especially our dog Kasper and my son Joseph.
I am thankful that I don't have to cook dinner this night because our son is craving for pizza.  Hubby will buy pizza later, yummy!
I am thankful that I have enough free time this day to read your words ... understand ... and express through art.
I am thankful that it is just snowing and no strong wind that oftentimes it comes with an eerie sound.
I am thankful that our home this day is filled with silence and at the same time laughter.
I am thankful that I bumped into a very sweet Thai friend at the grocery store and showed me the right flat noodles to buy and teach me the trick in cooking it.
I am thankful that both of my craft rooms are in a mess right now coz it means my mojo is back and that you give me strength and a little time to do arts and crafts.
I am thankful that you gave me an idea on how and what to do with all the photos at my hard drive and as well as hard copies in the drawer.

But most of all I am thankful Lord that inspite of my almost a year of absence at Facebook, my dear friends and relatives do still remember me.

Bless me more O Lord tomorrow coz I claim those unclaimed blessings in your warehouse, Amen.

 Today's reading that I received is Psalm 30: 11-12 and it says:
"You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  Oh Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever."

See, that's the reason why I am so thankful not just today but everyday.

I spray painted the main background with bright colors before adhering clippets from magazines.  As for the Thank You word and the label I used my cricut =)

The Lord's Eye Is Upon the Good and Evil

I really try my best to read and understand the Bible everyday but I doubt if I can express it in art journaling everyday.  Anyway, the reading I got this day is from the book of Peter.

1 Peter 3: 12 -13

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?"

Do You Have These FRUITS In Your Life?

I forgot to post my reflections yesterday coz a lot was going on at home and had to do multi-tasking ... as usual.  Yesterday's reading that I got was from GALATIANS 5: 22-23.  It speaks of what our heart and soul should have and should be.  If we plant these fruits we will certainly gain the Kingdom of God and harvest the love of God.  Simple fruits to read but definitely difficult to put into practice.  Let's go over one-by-one:

The FRUIT of the Spirit is: (not in order)

• LOVE -  I have no problem with this aspect coz literally I love everyone.  It is easy for me to love a fellowman and accept who he/she is and what he7she has not.  If we talk about love in a relationship, oh I have been hurt few times but it was easy for me to move on and just laugh about the past.

• JOY - To give joy every minute of the day ... no matter what you are doing is simply being in the presence of God.   There was a short period in my life here in Sweden that I lost the joy almost 100%.  I have no strength to go to work eventhough I only work every other day (working days) and for 3 hours.  I just want to be a SAHM once again so to speak.  After 3 days I had to beg God to remove such emptiness and He heard my plea.  I, once again was back to my normal giving joy in everything I see and in everything I do.  How I did it?  I simply asked GOD every single day "Bless Me Father for I claim the blessings you have for me."

Here are few quotes of Joy to help you:

      Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God. -Robert Schuller

Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. -Henri Nouwen

Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness. -Tolstoy

Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it. -Kevyn Aucoin

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. -Helen Keller 

• PEACE - Can I honestly say that I have peace in my heart and that I spread peace to the people around me?  For years now I have peace in my heart and when I have peace inside me I spread peace.  I guess it goes hand in hand =)

• PATIENCE -  Ah this fruit I struggle from time to time but not in a magnitude level.  I easily get to realize my emotion so take a deep breath then slowly breathe in ... breathe out.  I admire my hubby coz he is a very patient person and with that being said he is my inspiration =)

• GOODNESS -  hhhmmmm yeah people around here says I have a very good heart but deep inside me I struggle sometimes coz there are situations that I have to ask God to help me and He never fails me.  At the end of the day I did good coz I was good.

• KINDNESS - Now this is confusing!  To clarify as I have learned from one lesson, kindness and goodness are so closely related that sometimes it is not easy to distinguish between them. A kind person is also a good person; a good person is by nature a kind person. Both of these characteristics stem from love. Someone has said that patience is suffering love; kindness is compassionate love; and goodness is ministering love. 
  These characteristics which are produced in us by the Holy Spirit have to do with our relationships to others. We usually think of kindness as an expression of love from one person to another, and of goodness as a quality of being pure.

• FAITHFULNESS -  as written in John 14:15  faithfulness is very simple, it says "“If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  I personally struggle on Commandment 4 : "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  I cannot keep the sabbath day holy coz it is my day to go to the grocery.  I took leave in the catholic church here which I have discusses with the priest a long time ago and he gave me his approval BUT I promised him that as soon as my son can be left alone at home, I will be attending the Sunday mass again.  The mass time here is very very limited options so once in a while I visit the church after or before work instead.

• GENTLENESS - it is a "power under control" fruit from the Holy Spirit.  If we look and listen around we truly live in a "blame game" society where oftentimes what we do and how we act are never our own fault situation.  Our temperament and how we deal with people are always somedbody else's fault.  Why?  Because the following excuses exist : It's Not my fault.  It's in my genes.  I inherited it from my mother or father.  I was pushed too far.  or That's the way they were, too.

          Oh boy the word control is one of the hardest to practice in life.  Reviewing my life, have I 
          been gentle all my life especially in difficult circumstances?  Ah, the answer is NOT ALL
          TIMES.   This is one fruit that I need to plant deeply in my heart!

• SELF-CONTROL - ah oh well I have expressed this aspect from my January 08 art journal.  

1 Peter 5: 10-11 (The Promise)

As I was reading again the verse of the Bible from yesterday, I couldn't help but smile when I saw the next verses and it says:

"And the God of all grace who called you His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I truly believe that as long as I depend on Him, He will restore my spirit =)

God must truly love all of us!!!!  Do you feel His love right now?  I do!

Pull The Brake, NOW!

That is literally the translation of the title in my art journal yesterday.  I started reading the Bible once again but this time I express what I feel on what I have read.  Yesterday the reading was 1Peter 5: 8-9 and oh my golly I was struck by the lightning indeed!

The message :

• Be self-controlled and alert
• Resist the Devil
• You are not alone

Honestly on a day to day basis temptations surrounds me especially when I go around the main city.  How many bags do I really need?  Duh!  I am ashamed to say that I have 176 bags in different colors and in different brands.  I have given away a lot and I am proud of that plus with my chin up I can  say that it has been over 6 months now that I haven't bought any bags.  How many craft materials do I need just to create a project?  Geez!  Hubby says my main craft room is like a store but the truth is it is not ... hhhmmm ah ok maybe a little.  My other craft room is also filled with items and most from my 2 craft rooms the materials and tools I truly haven't tried - now that's a shame!!!!  Oh but since yesterday I reviewed what I have and decided to prioritize in using when I do arts and crafts.  I started NOT buying items which I know I have but honestly I just couldn't resist tools that will help me in my crafting.  Such vices and few more drowns me and I thank God that HE is helping me day to day and that I am NOT alone.  So it is not only me suffering in resisting temptations .... somewhere out there a soul like me is clinging to God's arms.

How about you?  Resisting a lot of temptations?