Amen.

Love your iphone (or ipod touch, your smart phone, or whatever your technology of choice is) like I do?  Then read this...

Beware: The Bible Is About to Threaten Your Smartphone Focus - Desiring God

www.desiringgod.org

I admit I am very distracted by my iphone.  And my computer, and my kindle, but especially by my iphone... and have I have been really bothered by that.  But this is a brilliantly simple strategy!  

I love finding practical information (on my iphone) I can actually use!  Now I'm off to spend some time on my Bible app to review yesterday's sermon topic...

Do you juggle?

It gets tiring to keep all of my balls up in the air, so I let my "art/work" ball fall to the ground for a while this spring.  I was secretly hoping no one would notice, but you did.  Thanks to the gentle admonition from several friends and readers to "get going!", I'm ready to get back at it again.   

While I've been gone I happily discovered that my daughter is a budding track star.  I knew she was fast, but I didn't realize she was fast enough to win races and set a record.  Awesome!

I've also been busy with the usual home and garden things (I expanded my vegetable and herb gardens), and visiting and helping my parents as much as I can, as well as trying to help a friend who is going through a hard time.  I'm glad I can be available to them.

And, thanks to my husband, I now have another ball to keep in the air - fitness, of all things.  In March, the company he works for sponsored a 12 week "Body for Life" program involving very healthy eating, and 6 days a week of serious exercise, and we signed up. Getting up at 5 am for cardio or weight lifting was a grind!  But we struggled through, and I am so thankful to feel strong and fit once again.  I haven't been in shape since my college days - and I cringe to tell you how long ago that was.

The most important "ball" in my life is my faith, and thankfully as I occasionally drop one or two of my other balls, that one has stayed with me.  I might have mentioned earlier this year that I am memorizing "chunks" of scripture - for the incredible spiritual benefits, and also as exercise to keep my mind as fit as possible as I age (Alzheimer's is common in my family).  So far I've got the first 11 verses of 2 Peter 1 under my belt, I'm almost done with Psalm 139, and am still struggling with Isaiah 53.  I'm finding memorization takes a lot of work when one is in their mid forties, but what a sense of blessing/accomplishment it is when I finally get it. 

Back to work!

A different kind of exercise...

It's a quiet Saturday around here and after an extended time away from my Elizabeth's Flowers and leaf petals work (other than filling orders as they came in) I'm happy to pick up from where I left off.

I absolutely love the beginning of the New Year.  I'm not that into "ringing in" the new year, but I love the opportunity to pause and reflect on where I've been, and where I'm headed.  This year I took an extra long time in doing this, and just now finished evaluating how I did with the goals I made last year, and what I want to focus on for the new year. 

Because my mom has Alzheimer's (as did her mom) one of my foremost goals is to exercise  my brain as well as my body.  So not only am I going to keep on getting my regular dose of Sudoku, I am also doing the Revive our Hearts scripture memory program.  Memorizing was always a breeze for me in school, but I've been shocked to see how much repetition it takes for me to memorize now that I'm in my mid-forties. Yikes! But, I'm getting a ton out of doing this so far, and greatly recommend it.  Spiritual growth and brain exercise all in one shot - that's hard to beat. And, it's time well spent.

Faith via iGoogle

A few weeks ago I blogged about "Faith via ipod", and today it's iGoogle's turn. As you probably know, igoogle is a customizable personal web "home page." With iGoogle, users can select amazing themes for their Google homepages, as well as tons of different "gadgets" ranging from news items, calendars, "to-do" lists, daily comics, and on and on. The list almost seems endless.

My favorite igoogle toy at the moment is the "Verse-a-Week-Memorization" gadget. My kids are encouraged to memorize Bible verses each week in Sunday school, and when they asked me what verses I'd been memorizing I felt a bit hypocritical, since I had yet to really work that into my schedule.

But now with this gadget it's become a breeze. I can choose which verse to memorize, and each day a portion of the verse disappears. Every time I'm at my home page, which on most days is many, many times throughout the day, I can quickly glance at my verse. By the end of each week, the entire verse is hidden, and I have memorized it. My screen shot is a bit blurry, but you can see my verse box in the upper left hand corner, with a number of words already hidden.

Of course, the key to retaining what we memorize is to review what we've committed to memory of a regular basis. What I need now is for some brilliant web geek to come up with a gadget to help me keep track of and review all the verses I've memorized!

Faith via ipod

ABC News is looking for people who turn to new, often abbreviated means, as a way to keep religion in their fast-paced lives. In an online survey, they want want us to tell them how we stay connected to our faith in the digital era.

So I told them. And as I did, I was shocked at how central my ipod touch is to my realm of faith.

In the morning I get up early to read my Bible before everyone else gets up, and chaos reigns. I read the Daily Bible which is the Bible in chronological order, but if I want to look up something specific, I find it fastest and easiest to use the ESV Bible I've downloaded on my ipod. When I'm done reading, I might review some verses I'm memorizing which I keep track of in my ipod Notes application. Next, I check my email from my ipod, where I receive daily descriptions of some Christian podcasts I like (Revive Our Hearts, Midday Connection, etc) and if they sound interesting I will download the podcasts from itunes, and listen to them on my ipod when I have time.

The kids like to listen to K love on the radio, and if there is a song we really like (and if I have any money left in my itunes account) I can quickly grab my ipod and download the song into itunes. Our collection of Christian songs has grown really large, but I don't mind spending money on something that can help reinforce their faith.

On Sundays I often miss the sermon, since I'm in charge of Children's Church during our service. So, I download my pastor's sermons, and if I am going to be driving up to see my parents that week (4 hour round trip) I may also see if John Piper, Mike Bullmore, or C.J Mahaney have any interesting new sermons. I love that these are all free!

I also love blogs written by people of faith, and spend many free moments (maybe too many) reading them on Google Reader from my ipod.

It is amazing to me how many faith building tools are available to an average person like me/us here in America. How blessed we are...but along with all of this comes responsibility:

"...from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

If you are interested in taking the online faith survey, you can do so here.

My focus word for 2009...

Discipline. (yawn) It's not too exciting, is it? But when I look back on where I've been, where I've ended up, and what I could have achieved, I've realized that this one element is key - not just in my art life, but in every single area of my life.

Friends who know me well will be amused, because discipline has never been a strength of mine. I prefer to base my actions on whatever I feel like doing at the moment. I love being flexible and spontaneous, not rigid and calculated. Being a "stay at home mom" has been like winning the lottery for me, because no one tells me what or when to do anything, I plan my days according to whatever I feel like doing.

But, this freedom has its downfalls, and God has been kindly pointing out some glaring deficiencies in my life over the past year, all of which involve my having great difficulty saying "no" to myself, and yes to something that would be a wiser, or more unselfish use of my time.

The most glaring area of my life that lacks discipline involves my use of time - especially in relation to the Internet. I love, love, love, checking my email. I love reading blogs, too many blogs. I love checking out CNN, USA today, Fox News, the Weather Channel, Lifehacker, ebay, MSNBC...the list could go on and on (and some days it does). I need to wrestle with myself and come up with a workable way to be more disciplined in my use of the internet - the amount of time I could free up would be huge.

I really love myself, and love giving myself whatever I want at the moment. Another snack? Sure. A free afternoon? No problem, you can fill that order and do the laundry tomorrow. That growing pile of bookwork? It can wait, and besides it's so boring so go ahead and ignore it another week or so...

Basically I divide my life up into these five areas: spiritual (my relationship with God), family, home(and garden), others (church, friends, etc), Elizabeth's Flowers (my art and online businesses). Each of these areas would benefit greatly from me saying "no" to myself, and my whims, and "yes" to whatever would help me achieve my goals in these areas.

I do foresee one major problem with my quest to become more disciplined. What will motivate me enough to override my long ingrained natural tendencies? The newness of the challenge might for awhile...but what about during the long haul? Do I even have a chance at becoming more disciplined consistently? Knowing me, and my track record, my answer would have to be no. Not in and of myself. I don't have enough "will power". But, while reading a blog this morning (there I go again), I came across the answer. I need to love someone else more than me. I'm going to give this a try.

Hope for uncertain times

I know. It's Christmas, and we are filled with joy and anticipation, as we get ready to celebrate our Savior's birth with family and friends. Rightly so! But despite the specialness of this season, aren't we all are a bit unsettled, as we try in vain to block out all the dire economic news?

My family is blessed.
My husband still has his job, for the moment, but continued layoffs are expected. God has been good to my Elizabeth's Flower's and leaf petals endeavors, but my income won't come close to supporting our family should my husband lose his job. So, although we are fine, and I am thankful, in moments of quiet I can detect uneasiness deep inside.

Last week Revive our Hearts had an awesome series called "Hope for uncertain times" that I found to be completely reassuring. I needed to be reminded that these unsettling times are not catching God off guard - He loves us just has much as He always does, and is working things out according to His plan, as He always does. And, most importantly, even if things do get difficult, anything that makes us need God is a blessing.

You can listen to the first program of the series here. There is also a helpful "Hope for uncertain times" brochure you can download for free, a gold mine of wisdom and comfort.

You frame it Friday

Wow! I just realized that my previous blog entry was my 200th post! I am amazed. I wish I would have realized that and celebrated in some way! I will have to keep closer track, and be sure to recognize the next big milestone.

This week's unframed pressed flower art creation is called "Golden Flowers." An online friend pointed out that I seem to be stuck on yellow flowers lately. I think I am drawn to the warmth and joyfulness of yellow - yellow seems hopeful, optimistic, and always joyful - like a celebration.

I've been using a Franklin Covy Planner for years, a small compact binder with my calender, daily and monthly "to-do" lists, yearly goals, etc. I can also fill out a small card called a "Weekly Compass," with the key goals I want to focus on. I use it as a "monthly compass" instead, and usually come up with a key word that I want to focus on for the month. In the past, I've focused on kindness, timeliness, humor, reverence, etc.

This month I'm focusing hard on joy...which seems especially appropriate given that this is the month we remember the incredible gift of God Himself coming to be with us. Psalm 8, which I am attempting to memorize says:

"...what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?."

Yes, who are we, really, that we've been given such a gift?
The more I think about this, the more joyfully amazed I am.

From far away...

Here's a shout out to blogging friend Tim Challies, who is blogging with his son this week from the Dominican Republic, by invitation from Compassion International.

They will be experiencing how the children of that area live, and what Compassion International is doing in an effort to make an impact in their difficult lives. Tim's son Nick, is also blogging about the trip, from an 8 year old's perspective.

This should prove to be an interesting read, and I imagine their insights will help us get into a thanks giving frame of mind, when we consider how blessed we are in our country.

You frame it Friday

I don't usually feature scripture pictures two weeks in a row, but I guess it's been on my mind lately.

I love oak leaves. One of the first framed pictures I ever made was just a single dark oak leaf mounted on a large piece of my handmade paper, and framed with out a mat. It was simple, but dramatic. I haven't sat down to think about why I like them so much, but I seem to detect a sense of strength, and dependability - maybe because oak trees are so enduring.

After I made this be still and know picture, I made another one to give to my Dad. He has accumulated many worries, and I'm hoping he'll take this message to heart because, after all, it really is a great message.

You frame it Friday "One of a Kind"

During my teen years, when I had a rebellious, angry heart, I once encountered some one who tried to tell me that I was "one of a kind," and specially made by a God who loved me. At the time, I couldn't have been more unimpressed ... or so I thought. Not long after that, by the grace of God I did come to believe.

Psalm 139 is an amazing psalm that reminds us that we are uniquely created, and that we have a God who is totally aware of exactly who we are, what we are doing, and what we are thinking - even before we do. I love the part where is says, "you hem me in-behind and before..." That leaves little room for doubt that He is a God who is near, and who cares.

House cleaning

Let's clean up some loose ends today.

First of all, I've received a number of emails from people interested in purchasing Perfect Paper Adhesive, one of the sealants I use primarily for my pressed flower cards, but they've been unable to find it on my website. Others are having trouble finding the web page showing my un-framed pressed flower art.
All for good reason - it has been hard to find these items...but I have finally revamped the navigation on the Elizabeth's Flowers website and now each of those has it's own link on the left side of every page.

Also, I've received inquiries regarding when the regular Microfleur will be back in stock. Actually, it's been back in stock for some time, but it may look like it is still out of stock unless you hit the refresh button, and then the "out of stock" message will disappear. I'm not sure why that is - I think it has something to do with "cookies".

I apologize for such a boring post! This fall, I will be redoing elizabeths-flowers.com with a fresh new template, so it will be much more professional looking, and, thankfully, much easier to navigate. By the way, I am looking for a graphic artist to update my logo with a fresh new look as well. Please email me if you're interested.

And, one last thing. I thought I'd let you know that Midday Connection is airing the "Women of Moderation" series again. Basically it's a Bible study that can teach you how to be "moderate" not only in regards to food, but in other areas of your life as well.

When I went through it last Spring, I found the principals I learned valuable in helping me to learn to say "no" to myself, not only in regards to my tendency to indulge myself with too many Krunchers, cookies, large portions, etc, but I also learned to say no to myself when I was tempted to spend too much time surfing on the net, buying something I didn't need, or not making the time to exercise. Being "moderate" is definitely a process, and I have my share of slips, but if I look hard at my life I can certainly see progress. I really recommend it, and it's a great study to do with a friend.

Thursday already?

It has been a busy week of swimming lessons, extra kids (there are a number of kids hanging around here that aren't mine, but they seem to think they are), and Vacation Bible School. Once again I claimed to be too busy to be in charge of the crafts again this year, but my pleas went unheeded.

Thankfully, it's been an unexpected blessing to participate in my church's VBS this year. Because my church is really small, we were sent a number of "missionaries," and this year we have a number of Hmong teenagers from a church in Milwaukee helping us out. They seem to enjoy the rural feel of our church, and the kids are loving their enthusiasm. I'm enjoying learning about their culture and hearing their unique perspective about their faith.

I want to say a special "thanks" to Tim Challies who listed me as a "Proverbs 31 Woman" on his blog last week. If you've ever read Proverbs 31, starting at verse 10, you'll realize that the woman in that chapter is beyond amazing. She does it all. And then some. When I read that chapter I get tired. Then, I feel hopeless.. until I get to the subtle clue at the second to last verse: "a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Fear, (as in reverence), faith in the Lord, following the Lord... I've been learning that this is what is needed to be the kind of woman I should be. It's a tall order, but not too tall for Him.

This is my Father's world...

Summer is underway here in Wisconsin. The kids are out of school, and we are busy with swimming lessons, getting together with friends, and gearing up for Vacation Bible School. In between I keep pressing flowers, etc.

But one thing that really strikes me about this summer so far, is that it is so stunning. We've had lots of storms - way too many, unfortunately for so many in the mid west, but the towering majestic thunderheads we've seen have stopped me in my tracks. And everything is just so GREEN, a sparkling, emerald green, which makes the colors of the flowers seem more vivid than ever.

I've been wanting to try this, and now seems like a really good time. Below is a You tube video of my favorite hymn, sung by one of my recent favorite artists, Fernando Ortega. I don't know the person who put the video together, and unfortunately it's pretty grainy, but the words are awesome.

You frame it Friday

Let the heavens rejoice,
let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
1 Chronicles 16:31

I had a good friend who reminded me of this verse a year ago or so when I was worrying about a string of heartbreaking disasters in the news - kind of like it has been lately.

This picture features two delicate Queen Anne's Lace flowers mounted on a small (3 x 4") piece of handmade paper, with 1 Chronicles 16:31 written in the artsy "cilantro" font beneath it.
This piece is perfect for a standard 8 x 10" frame and an 8 x 10 mat with the usual 5 x 7" opening. The flowers have been sealed with a UV resistant polymer for protection.

I am so glad that despite everything that is going on, the Lord reigns.

happy monday

I'm busy cleaning up the aftermath from a rummage/plant sale we had over the weekend, and then I need to fill a number of recent orders. I don't have a picture to share with you today, but, I'd like to share a verse from a hymn I just came across:

"There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.

~Isaac Watts, 1715

There's not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known...I love that! And I believe that. So much of this beautiful world makes His glories known.

The rest of this hymn can be found here.

You can do more than you think...

Thinking about the tragedy in Burma makes things like making pressed flower pictures, gardening, and cleaning my house seem very insignificant.

Other than give money and hope to God that it somehow gets to where it needs to go, there's nothing we can do - except one huge, powerful thing. We can pray. Here's a link to a brief but useful article from the Desiring God blog about how to pray for those in Burma who are impacted by the Cyclone, and even those of us who aren't.

World Vision and Christian Freedom International are two organizations that have already penetrated Burma despite the military junta's best efforts, and they are in a position to begin providing help immediately. In addition to giving money, don't forget to pray for the efforts and safety of those involved in providing aid.

spring storms and tender leaves

My "work space" is in a corner of our refinished basement. Despite being in the basement, it's a fairly bright and cheery area, and I have everything I need close at hand.

Last Friday afternoon was unusually warm, windy, and humid and several waves of thunderstorms were forecast. Instead of working in my usual space, I gathered up my card making materials and set up at the kitchen table upstairs, so that I could watch the thunderstorms rolling in.

It was a treat to see the bright green budding leaves on the trees across the cornfield silhouetted against the churning angry black skies. What a contrast between the delicate newness of tender leaves, and the unbridled power of the heavens.

"For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care."
(Psalm 95:3-7)

The Creative Call

It's been a difficult week - my Mom who is dealing with Alzheimer's seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I have art orders to complete with next to no motivation.

I happened to catch part of Midday Connection on Moody Radio yesterday afternoon, and I was amazed at how the program seemed to be perfectly timed.

Janice Elsheimer, author of a book called ""The Creative Call: An Artist's Response to the Way of the Spirit" was the guest. Her main message is that creativity is a pathway to personal and spiritual growth - we actually develop our creativity as we enter a closer relationship with your creator.

Because God Himself is the Creator, according to Elsheimer, as we engage in the act of creating (a gift from the Creator via the Holy Spirit) we actually have the opportunity to connect with God on a unique level, drawing us closer to Him. I admit this sounds lofty, but it certainly is worth looking at. He helps us create, and we have the opportunity to be drawn closer to Him.

One thing the author said that really caught me off guard is her suggestion that we pray over our medium, whatever that might be - our hands, mind, words, body etc., because that ushers the Holy Spirit into the process. I'm embarrassed to say that it never even occurred to me to pray about my art. A few years ago a customer/friend challenged me to make praying for each of my customers my "ministry", but I haven't prayed about my art while doing my art.
I'll try that.

If you'd like to hear the "Creative Call" program you can listen to it here.

"Waiting Flowers"

I know I showed you a scan of this picture two weeks ago, but here it is framed.

I looked long and hard at this picture, trying to figure out what to call it. It finally occurred to me that these flowers look like they are trying to see what's ahead - they're waiting for something...anticipating something.

I love this verse: "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you, and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

I'm so amazed that every morning (and whenever I want through out the day) I can go and lay out all my requests, concerns, and frustrations out before Him.... to the God of the entire universe - and He actually listens! And, He actually acts on our behalf, if our sights are set on Him (Romans 8:28). If you really think about that, it is absolutely mind boggling, and incredibly humbling all at the same time.