heaven – Prayers and Paintbrushes

Thankful and Grateful

I am thankful for you. Yes, for you! Writing and painting are both solitary undertakings and I cannot do this with any expectations of result. So I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to those who have followed me on this journey and let you know how much your encouragement means to me. Your presence in this moment means a lot to me. May the Lord truly bless you.

We are in a season of thanksgiving and yet the reality of giving thanks gets lost in the recipes, the cooking, the parties, and the Event itself. I would like to get very personal and share public and heartfelt praises to our Lord who allowed me to know, love and trust Him. SO many don’t even believe He exists, let alone that He cares deeply about what they care about. I am humbled that You allowed me to not only know You, but to love and trust You. I realize this is a truly invaluable gift, and I am eternally grateful. I thank You, Lord, for my life. I had many years that were very painful, yet even in the most difficult of trials, You were always as close as a prayer. I am now in a season of great joy and blessing. We know from Ecclesiastes that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven. I THANK YOU, LORD for Your presence in my life — for my husband, our family, our church, and our many beloved friends. We are blessed beyond measure.

Sarah Young in her wonderful book, “Jesus Calling,” says “Hallelujahs” are the language of Heaven. What a beautiful song a Hallelujah can be as the angels of heaven sing along! 🎶. I invite you to be still in this moment. Find your hallelujah and sing it to Your Heavenly Father – even if you are unsure of the words. He knows your heart.

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25,26

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

My husband and I were so fortunate to spend two weeks in Colorado last month. We had a wonderful time walking, touring and bike-riding all over beautiful, charming Breckenridge for one week, then driving south through Salida (very fun and pretty) to Pagosa Springs. From there we took a touring bus to the old mining town of Silverton. There we boarded and rode the wonderful Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway back to Durango. I had never taken this trip before and it was more than I had ever imagined! Even the sounds were thrilling – listening to the clickety-clack of the heavy train over the rails, the haunting call of the train whistle, the sounds of the Animas River below. My husband, who loves me almost as much as he loves his camera, hung out the back of the train and took amazing photographs – this being one of them. So I had to paint this as a gift for him. But you can have it as well on my website by clicking on the All Aboard link above.

We don’t always get to GO some place to escape from everyday life. It was a blessing for us to have this precious time away seeing new things and having new experiences. And we are grateful! Most of the time we continue hammering on with our everyday jobs, regardless what they are. Whether we stay or wherever we go, ‘there we are’ — We cannot escape ourselves and often, we drag the worries and burdens along with us. And, in case we forget them for a few minutes, we turn on the TV or pick up the phone, and there they are again.

So, today I share wiith you a beautiful place and a different landscape. I invite you to listen to the echo of the train whistle, hear the metallic sounds of the train riding the rails, enjoy the soothing sound of the rushing river below and realize this too is part of our world – beauty and peace. Let’s celebrate the beauty all around and turn off the cacophony of dissenting voices and differing opinions for just a little bit.

Shut your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, SEEK GOD~ Reach out to Him and grab onto His robe. Maybe you can find no words – and that is okay! “Be still and know that I AM God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.” Psalm 46:10. If you are struggling with your present, with your future – or your past; if you are uncertain of where you are going and how you will get there – take a step of faith and TRUST JESUS, who came to purchase our ticket complete with a passport to Heaven.

The stamps on our passport read:

Paid in Full. Name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

For God SO LOVED the world that He sent His only Son so that whoever would believe in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. John 3:16, 17

It is not what you have done or even could do that matters. What matters is what Jesus has done for you – and His gift which cost Him everything, is a free gift. RECEIVE IT with gratitude and repentence. And you will start on a new destination.\

All Aboard✨

WHAT MATTERS MOST?

My friends, husband and I went to hear a powerful speaker all the way from Israel yesterday. It was fascinating to me that most of what he said as he was sharing the amazing history of this tiny nation, came straight out of the Old Testament: a lot of words from Ezekial, from the Psalms, from Isaiah. And then he’d pop back into the New: John, Romans, Revelation. And it was all as current as today’s news. Understandably, today’s news is hard to come by as impartial truth~ But when we find the real truth, the reality is startling. I invite you to “Behold Israel. ” The NEWS section may truly be news to you!

In listening to all that was said yesterday and processing the truth that God has let us know what was going to happen – and has happened – and what will happen in the days ahead, we see a Big Picture that we mostly ignore in our daily lives. God has spoken to us so we would listen to Him and TRUST HIM. He IS who He says He is (“I AM WHO I AM”) It is important to consider the message He has left for us. He has given us a roadmap of what lies ahead.

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭46:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have an opportunity to really think what that means for us – God really wants us to TRUST His words! He wants us to search Him out. As we do that, we are brought to a place where we have to evaluate what really matters in this life. We have become terribly divided and even the people who make up the church have fallen prey to that tactics of the dark side – division and separation. Jesus said the greatest commandment is that we love one another, not that we fight over who is right.

So my plan today is to look up. To consider what God most wants of me. How can I be a blessing and extend hope where so many feel hopeless. I paint watercolors, for goodness sake – I’m not a preacher~ But he asks us to be a light to the world. So my effort this morning is to shine light where you are this day; to encourage you to seek Him out! He sent His Son to make things right for us if we would only believe – and receive His gifts of forgiveness, grace, and redemption. . . Which will open to us the gates of Heaven.