Brave

The dictionary defines bravery as being ready to face and endure danger or pain; to show courage.
Courage is 'the ability to do something that frightens one.'

Often we think of bravery as fearlessness, but this isn't correct.

Being brave isn't about not feeling fear. It is about doing something even though we fear it.

Bravery is about overcoming fear by facing it even if it will be painful or dangerous.

Bravery is about not letting fear stop you.

How are you going to be brave today?

Circus

The new art journaling.ning challenge was 'circus' so here is my contribution. The background is actually a bright orange. This looks more red than it is in reality.

The theme made me think about how my life is a bit of a circus sometimes - I feel like the ringmaster, organising lots of things, but also like a juggler, keeping everything up in the air and hoping not to drop any of the balls.

Which circus performer are you?

Parables book - progressing

Did some finishing touches to pages in my parables book today. Lots of these were most of the way there but I hadn't quite finished or photographed them. 

parable of the labourers

the lost sheep

the wedding banquet

the unforgiving servant

the pearl of great price

the prodigal son

the treasure in the field

Ice cream colours

For the Ice Cream Inspiration Summer of Color challenge - week 3

OK, I'm coming a bit late to the party, but have noticed this challenge on Gumnut's blog, hopped over to Kristin's blog where it originates from, and I couldn't resist the colours as I have recently added a raspberry pink and a purple to my collection of acrylic inks.

So here is my 'baseball nut' journal page creation.

Come down!

We all have times where we withdraw.

We may need time to heal or time to rest. We may be in pain.

We may be feeling completely anti-social.

Whatever the reason, there comes a time when we need to come out of our isolation. A time to face the world again.

Hopefully stronger than before, rested, and ready for a new challenge.

Are there places in your life where you need to come down?

The moment of truth

And so it comes along.

The moment of truth.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there has been a definite direction in my journal pages over the last few months. When I look back over them the flow is downright scary!

It has all been about new things starting, doors opening, diving in, not letting fear get in the way, shining as I should etc..

I was looking at the background on this page and feeling that the words of focus needed to be 'the moment of truth' when my husband phoned. He said the Gideons wanted me to give my testimony at one of their meetings.

AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!

Yes, this is the fear that God has been wanting to smash in me. Public speaking. Now, I've had an inkling that this is what He was talking to me about, but when it becomes concrete it is downright scary.

So, the moment of truth. Do I trust that God is dealing with my fear and go ahead? Or do I chicken out, find some excuse, and wait for a different chance further down the road?



I am pleased to tell you that I took the plunge and accepted the invitation. I have five mins to give my testimony at a pastor appreciation dinner in August...

Fear

Fear.

How large does it loom in your life?

The thing to remember about fear is that it throws a long shadow. We manage to let it grow to enormous proportions in our imagination.

But let me tell you something...

If you drag fear fully into the light - so that it is lit from all directions - it doesn't throw a shadow at all. You can look at it as it really is. You'll find that it isn't as big as you thought it was.

When you look at fear in the light of God, it's brought down to size.

An open door...

Yay! A photo that actually shows the colour on the page. This isn't a red gone wrong but an actual magenta-ish pink. The colour is something left over from my daughter's project and I couldn't bear to just throw it away so slapped it on to this page.

An open door.

Invitation or trepidation?

A chance to do something new. Something different. Possibly scary.

Will you step through and take up the challenge?

Or walk on by and miss what could be a wonderful opportunity?

Dive right in

You know how it is - the water is cold and you don't want to go in, really. You enter tentatively, inhaling involuntarily as the cold water climbs higher, each set of nerves being stimulated in turn by the low temperature. (Remember, I'm English, so I know what I'm talking about when I talk about cold seas, even though I'm living in these warm - haha! it's winter here - Australian climes at the moment.) Eventually your body gets used to it and it starts to feel OK.

Of course, there are some things we are called to do where there is no choice - it's dive right in at the
deep end or do nothing.

So what are you like when faced with something new? Do you immerse yourself slowly, getting each part of you used to the new temperature, as it were? Or are you one of those people who just dives right in, getting the shock over and done with quickly?

I have to admit, sometimes I need a push...

Handbag!

Yes! My own handbag is finally done. So here is a pic for those who are interested.

Shine!

For a while now I have been wrestling with God. I know, I know - He's bigger than me and He will always win in the end. But sometimes we need time to come to terms with things and the Lord knows that and allows us to wriggle.

Sometimes we wrestle because there is something He wants us to do that we worry we will fail at.

But sometimes it is success that we are wary of.

Remember, you are unique. If you don't shine with all that you have you are short-changing the world. There are times when God pushes us to do things we are not at all comfortable with because He knows what a difference they will make both to us and to those around us. He wants us to be all He made us to be. So next time He asks you to do something you balk at, remember that it's all right to wrestle and wriggle for a bit... as long as you shine in the end.

A new venture

A few months ago my husband found a saddlery shop that sells skins. He came home with some pig leather for me to bind books with. I had great fun with it and aired the idea that I would like to make my own handbag.

Well, since then I have made a bag for my daughter, a roo leather one for my husband (see photos below),  but haven't made my own yet. But I did buy the leather for it yesterday so that's my project for this week.

It was fun to try something new. I have designed and made my own clothes, but never worked with leather, so I was really pleased with how this turned out.

The small things

When things are tough, the small things can mean so much. I love to sit at my desk each morning and watch the flocks of rosellas and lorikeets fly over. They are like speeding, chirping rainbows and always make me smile.

When big things crowd in, sometimes we forget the small things. What are the small mercies and things you have to be thankful for?

Weekly Rations

I have a vast collection of postcards, lots of them picked up for free. This one that shows the front of a British ration book for 1943-44 made me think about what art rations I would use during a week. I used the colours and sections of text and gave them an arty twist.

What makes up your weekly rations?

Clinging

I love this photo. I took it during a walk in the gardens of Wakehurst Place in the south of England. This tree is literally growing on a rock, clinging on. The roots are wrapped around and there is no soil under it.

It's a bit like how I feel at the moment.

It's a time of change and inner upheaval that I haven't quite got my head around yet. So I'm just clinging to the rock because there is nothing else I can do.

And it's the safest place to be.