I don’t know the season you’re facing today. When it’s not one thing, it’s another, right? Waiting. Despairing. Doubting. All the various kinds of suffering possible, and there are many. The gospel writers don’t skip around this reality: “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Cor. 1:5 ESV). We may not be able to sort out all the intricacies of God’s plans in our suffering, but we do know...
It’s been SO cold here in Virginia this last week, so today I’m dreaming of sun and Spring flowers as I sit under my sun lamp trying to make up for my lack of Vitamin D (and general sense of joy). Do you remember my first watercolor tutorial (you can find the first it HERE)? Today I had a lot of fun recording a second super simple watercolor tutorial video. There’s also a free printable template you can use with...
A few days after Christmas, my daughter put a leftover cinnamon roll in the microwave, set the timer for four minutes, and walked away. A few minutes later, as the cinnamon roll began to char, I hurried down the stairs after smelling smoke, and was shocked to see grey smoke billowing from the microwave. My son started coughing and crying in the next room. My husband rushed the noxious plate outside, and on a frigid 30 degree day, we...
Occasionally, Facebook will let me know that a friend has marked his or herself “safe” after an earthquake, a terrorist attack, or a hurricane. As we face a new year, can I encourage to mark yourself “safe” in all the ways that matter? Sometimes I face the new year with a bit of fear. Will God be there as He has been in the past? Sometimes I face it with some cynicism. God, you didn’t really fix...
Hello friends! Thank you so much for following along this past year! I am fully enjoying rest mode this month: we are putting together puzzles and watching Christmas movies, and have already had two snows! I am looking forward to another year of creating art and blog posts that encourage you and help you encourage and teach others in your life. My friend Jenny, at Be Thou My Vision Photography, took our Christmas pictures again this year, and I...
I can feel it even now. The busyness creeping in as my day planner pages run out: Christmas plays, parties, the gift lists I need to make, the pretty new wreath I imagine for my front door to let everyone know there’s joy inside. My brain begins to spin and it’s so tempting to absorb and manage every bit of information at my fingertips. This, combined with a tendency towards gloom in the winter months, is my recipe for...
