Take Me Deeper - week 5

Week 5 of the Take Me Deeper course over at His Kingdom Come. This week we are looking at transforming purposefully with Philippians 2:12-13.

Being purposeful means moving forward with determination and intention. It is about being actively engaged. But the verses also talk about it being God who is working in us. So if God is doing the work,  then my part must be to be available through obedience.

Purposefully. Determinedly. Intentionally.

You can't see it so well on the top photo, but the piece with the chevrons in the bottom right corner is actually a foiled piece of tape (see this post for how to do that). The photo below catches the shine better.

Second guessing...

Claudia reminded me in a recent post about a technique with petroleum jelly that I first read about in Surface Treatment Workshop by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson. The dark blue on this page was acrylic paint applied over the petroleum jelly and once the paint dried I scraped it off. The only thing with using the petroleum jelly is that it makes it difficult to write on afterwards, which is why the outlining on the white writing tails off.

It was one of those pages where I just kept going, even when I thought it was okay. Sometimes you just have to go beyond what you're happy with and cover up some of those bits you love. It gives a depth that isn't possible otherwise.

I think I like it :)

One bad apple...

Why is it that we allow negative comments or experiences to carry so much more weight than positive ones? We let the one bad apple sour the whole boxful rather than chucking it out at the beginning and salvaging and consuming the rest.

Out with the bad apple, I say!

Take Me Deeper - Week 4

Take Me Deeper week 4 - Hebrews 10:19-23, transforming faithfully.

The journal I made for this year-long course is made of gelli-printed papers put together with the tag and slot method. This means that the opposing pages are hardly ever harmonious. I'm finding this quite a challenge to overcome when working on spreads. The pages aren't turning out as something that I like (except for last week!) but then, it's the process that is important.

Each week I am having to transform the pages and try to pull them together. I am having to transform them towards what I want them to be. And some days that takes a lot of wrestling.

For me, transforming faithfully means turning up every day, day in, day out, with a heart that is ready, malleable, and obedient. I look back over the past few weeks of this study and see that the things I am picking up on are about being close, drawing near, pressing in to God. If I want God to change me, I have to get close enough to let Him.

Weather

The 2015 round robin/circle journal is starting to get going, but one participant has had to pull out because of an injury. I thought it would be nice if we sent her pages on her theme anyway, so here is my take on weather.

I've often talked about how I still find it difficult to correlate the weather outside with what I expect in my head at this time of year. To a northern hemisphere girl, January should be cold. As the song goes, Well the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. So while we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

The sun is blazing outside, but in my head it should be snowing. So here's my take on the weather.

5 minute pages

I've been having fun with pages done in 5 minutes. They have a completely different look to them. White space, for a start :)

The page above is what happened when a friend brought round some part-used sheets of sticky labels. I wanted to do something along the lines of a mosaic. By brayering on some acrylic inks and then cutting the labels up, I was able to do a paper mosaic that was harmonised in terms of colour without having to think too hard about the placement of each piece. After all, five minutes isn't very long.

The addition of a black line made me think about how we all stand alone and yet are all connected, too.

I think I'll be using some more labels soon...

The page above was done using a hand-cut stencil and some spray inks. Once the shapes were on the page they felt like balloons to me. I outlined each part of the fractured circle with a Copic marker and then with a black uni-ball pen. A few 'strings' and a thought and the page is done.

And here is a close-up of the labels. I like how the brayer makes the paint look almost like a glaze on ceramic tiles.

Take me Deeper - week 3

So, on to week 3 in the Take Me Deeper project over at the HKC community (see the button in the sidebar).

This week we are looking at 2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)

January is about transforming, and this week, transforming submissively.
Submission - yield to a greater authority or to the will of another.

The thing that pops out to me when I read the verse is 'with unveiled face'. This conjures up the image of lifting my face up to the sun and feeling the warmth. A good feeling. I think of how I can lift my face to God without anything between us - no mask - and feel the warmth of His love and acceptance.

And because of this love and acceptance I submit to His authority, knowing that when He transforms me, it will be for my own good.

How to flourish

I was just having fun playing with some new stencils I had cut, putting down colour and pattern with no real end in sight. The flower developed on one side of the page and a pattern on the other.

When I stood back I noticed the line dividing the space. There was a barrier between the two sides of the page. It made me think about what are the barriers that get in the way of my flourishing? (Flourish being my Logos365)

For a plant to flourish it needs sunlight, water, and food - trace minerals from the soil. But it needs these things within specific limits. Too much can be just as bad as not enough.

So I need to think about optimal levels for me to flourish, and how to remove any barriers to growth.

Just playing

I've been busy lately with writing a Faith Journalling 101 course and a children's story, so not so much journalling going on.

These tags have been hanging around on my desk and I have taken a few minutes every now and again to do things to them. It's a bit like working in a series, although looking at the photo, there seem to be two series here - the dark blue/purple ones and the pastel ones.

Take Me Deeper - Week 2

Take Me Deeper - Week 2 at HKC.

This week's verses are 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, and the idea is to think about transforming vulnerably.

The things that pop out to me are 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' and 'For when I am weak, then I am strong.'

Sufficient - as much as is required.
Vulnerable - able to be wounded.
Perfect - complete; having all the desired elements.

It is comforting to me to know that when I feel completely lacking, God is sufficient. He provides all that is needed. If He doesn't provide it, I don't need it.

When I am weak - vulnerable and open - then I AM is strong in me, because my own pride is set aside and I can see my need for Him. When I recognise my need for Him, I stop getting in the way and allow Him to have His way. Then I am transformed.