Hi again!
I have a sweet online friend/artist, that asked if I could make these doodles available for use in a Bible.
Deirdre…here you go! ( I added a few more to fill up the page!) ❤
CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE PDF. Feel free to trace in your Bibles! If you post your beautiful work, please share my blog or Instagram account 😘 Thank you!
-sue
Hello!
I have been listening to Dr. Tony Evans latest podcast series entitled “Watch Your Mouth” If you’ve never heard Tony Evans preach, you’re in for a treat. I have mentioned him here before…he happens to be Priscilla Shirer’s Daddy:) The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
You can download his podcast app for free here.
These lessons are about our mouth.
“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing” We have the power to heal or destroy…to build up, or tear down.
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” -Proverbs 18:21
God simply spoke and the earth was created. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…The Word was God.
Words are important to God. They need to be valued and used with great care, always tempered by the Holy Spirit.
Many of us have experienced the explosive dynamite that can come from someone’s mouth. Words that have caused us harm; words that have changed the way we see ourselves, others, and even God.
“How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,these things ought not to be so.” James 3:5-10
”No human being can tame the tongue.” As it says above, man can tame many beasts, but not the tongue. When it is unleashed it has the power to “stain the whole body!” I am sure many of us have experienced this kind of damaging fire that was started by one “small” match.
We are careless with our words, and often take the responsibility of speech lightly. We throw out words so recklessly, without giving thought to the effect they have…the fires they start.
As we allow God to tame our tongues, we can choose to bring life to others.
I cannot do Tony’s teaching justice, so I encourage you to listen to his messages on “the Mouth.”
Below is a doodle that was sparked by this powerful message! (Dynamite in your dentures)
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE PDF
Tony uses the cow as an illustration in one of the other messages in this series…”he” (the cow) kept coming to my mind:)
Lord, help us practice the surrender required to give YOU the “reins” to tame our tongue…
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” -Ephesians 4:29
Equip us with self-control… to stop, and invite the Holy Spirit to direct our mouths.
Blessings,
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” (2 Peter 1:3) BUT, do we seek to fill our needs with the Lord’s provision or with the “world’s.”
It is hard to admit our deep tendency to seek our worth in the opinions of others rather than our Creator God. It is a practice repeated over and over throughout history. Isn’t this at the root of the “selfie stick?
Before the selfie stick, there were golden statues:)
There are so many daily habits rooted in self focus…many start out innocently enough, but become the things that rule our mind and our hearts. Inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us in “self examination will help keep us from being ineffective and unproductive.” -Oswald Chambers
Click here for Full devotional from Oswald Chambers
2 Peter sheds light on this process:
2 Peter 1:3-21
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“Making every effort to add faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, & love, does not come naturally within our human nature. WE MUST PRACTICE setting our selfie stick down (surrendering our will to the Lord’s) and then invite the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and change our hearts. It is a moment by moment surrender.
If it helps, keep a log of your practice. If we are more aware of our actions, we can be more intentional in our surrender which will increase our faith as we experience God’s provision in our life! It will become habit forming❤
We will see fruit. We will attain the very things we crave and can never gain with a selfie stick.
Click on the image below for a journal page to “track” your habits:)
Print off the above chart and use it to track and increase your daily (godly) habits. The numbers represent each day of the month. Check the boxes you have accomplished. When we have a little accountability, even with ourselves, it helps us maintain our focus:)
Click on the image below for a pdf of the doodle 101.
Much love,
This post comes from a night well spent with High School students & a loving Spirit filled Youth Pastor!
The current sermon series for our High School group (Tribes) is entitled…”THIS (Jesus) CHANGES EVERYTHING”
Last night, the subject was sin. Not something most people, ESPECIALLY teenagers, want to chat about.
Here is my take:
The root of sin doesn’t stem from a list of do’s and dont’s. It comes from an ATTITUDE (self focused) that leads to an ACTION that separates you from God and from relationships. It leads to feelings of guilt and shame, which leads to isolation …where the sin festers and grows.
Peter, our youth pastor shared that when we sin, we develop holes in our boat (faith) which cause us to sink. We need to plug up the holes in our leaky boat with truth. Here are the steps he shared to accomplish this:
-Fill yourself with God’s Word
-Hate Sin (we can only do this when we operate with the Holy Spirit’s direction)
-Repent (a lot) (turn away and change your direction)
-Be accountable to people who love you
-Be humble (admit you need the Lord and come under His authority)
We must ASK the Lord to align our hearts with His. When this happens our attitude changes. Our perspective goes beyond what our human eyes can see. God’s desires become our desires. Our job is to surrender…The Lord takes care of the rest!
Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:1 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
1 Peter 5:5 “And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
When we let sin in, and our boat (faith) develops holes, we are prone to sink down into shark infested waters. There the enemy waits to increase the size and number of our holes…until we drown.
Who is holding your life preserver? There is someone you love and trust who can be there, ready to throw you a line. We need one another. It’s the natural function of the Body of Christ. Instead of hiding in the darkness of shame and guilt, reach out (and up) for help! Bring your sin out into the light so that the truth causes it to lose it’s power over you.
Let’s be a life line for sinking boats and learn to reach for a life saver…in more ways than one:)
Hello!!!
We have now completed week 5 using the READ SCRIPTURE APP . See my previous post for more information on this if you are just now joining us!
(CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIOUS POST INTRO)
WEEK 5 includes Isaiah 52 – Hosea 10
Isaiah
a brief summary from this weeks reading
The end of chapter 51 describes Jerusalem and its people. Isaiah’s speaks of a period about two centuries after his own life. It is 65 years since Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city. The present inhabitants have only known rule by foreigners.
God will rescue Jerusalem (Chapter 52)
The Lord’s people come home from Babylon (Chapter 52)
The Lord’s Servant will suffer, but He will have victory (53)
The number of God’s people will increase vastly (54)
The Lord’s invitation:
“Come, all you who are desperate to drink. Here is water! Come, even if you have no money. Buy grain! You need no money. Eat all that you want. Come, buy wine and milk. It is all free” (55)
The Lord declares, ‘My plans are not your plans. Neither are your ways my ways. v9 As the sky is so much higher than the earth, so my ways are much higher than your ways. My plans are so much higher than your plans. v10 Rain and snow come down from the sky. But they do not go back again before they have watered the ground. That helps the ground to grow corn. And so the ground provides seed for people to sow and bread for them to eat. v11 So it is with the word that I speak. My word will not return to me without any result. My word will perform my plan. It will carry out my purpose.’ (55)
God’s people will include all nations (56)
God’s loyal people may suffer
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. (57:1,20
Wrong practice of religion/Right practice of religion, Holy Days (58)
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (59:1,2)
God’s Servant brings good news. (61)
The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. (65:1) NIV
Below is a video from the read scripture app. (these videos are so well done and bring scripture to life!)
Aren’t these videos awesome!
It is heartbreaking and convicting to understand that God’s righteous judgement was so slow in coming. Each time, He warns, each time He pleads with His people…
”I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found but no one was looking for me!”
Isaiah continues to relay God’s message of judgement, but it’s always tempered with HOPE!
(Without Righteous judgement there is no justice!)
The Hope was coming in the form of a Servant King. God’s plan to redeem His stubborn, prideful people.
The video above touched me so much.
The visual of this truth in “doodle form” came from what was captured in this clip.
Jesus sets aside His deity (coming down from the mountain / beside His Father) to bring an urgent message of GOOD NEWS. (Euangelion/ Greek for Good news!)
He steps into human flesh with the knowledge of his eventual betrayal, torture & death because He would rather DIE than be WITHOUT US.
Click on the images for the pdf files:)
Use the image below to trace in your Bible!
* I choose not to cover up text (God’s Word) when I journal. Occasionally it happens by accident, and when it does I re-write the text that was covered. (This happened with the word beautiful, above. Definitely not intentional!)
Hosea (1-10)
Hosea, brings this message good news to “life” through his own personal story. God allows us to see the struggle we have with sin, through Gomer. We can easily relate to the huge challenge Hosea faced.
Forgive the “unforgivable” the underserving… even when they turn away from you in betrayal.
This is a picture of God and His people! He gives us undeserved forgiveness. (Grace)
He doesn’t stop there!
He washes our dirty rags (sin) with the blood of the lamb. (Jesus) When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Father sees us clean! Righteous…Holy.
I had a conversation with my daughter about the challenge we have in reading and understanding the Old Testement. She reminded me of something Jennie Allen said:
”The Old Testement is written to show us we can’t do it ourselves!”
I’m so thankful that I am digging into the whole council of God. We need to know the WHOLE story to understand the message…it is all about LOVE…it is all about Christ:)
May this be a blessing to you as you spend time with the Lord!
Good day!
We have now completed week 4 using the READ SCRIPTURE APP . See my previous post for more information on this if you are just now joining us!
(CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIOUS POST INTRO)
WEEK 4 includes Isaiah 28-51.
Below is a brief Outline
A warning comes to receive the word attentively, “line upon line, precept upon precept” (Isaiah 28:9-14)
God will lay a new foundation with a strict measuring line (Isaiah 28:15-22)
Help is Not in Egypt (Isaiah 30-31)
The King (is coming) in His Beauty (Isaiah 32-33)
A king will right the wrongs (Isaiah 32:1-8).
Although in the nearer future Judah will undergo great suffering and loss, there is a time in the more distant future when a king will reign in a new Jerusalem that will never pass away. Those who dwell in this kingdom will be forgiven of their iniquity forever. Isaiah presents these facts.
Hezekiah‘s reign Isaiah (36-37)
(Isaiah 40-51) deliver a series of messages to Judah and the remnant of Israel. Isaiah looks into the next two centuries. He sees beyond the Babylonian captivity to the fall of Babylon, the rise of Persia, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and foresees…
-John the Baptist/ministry (Isaiah 40:3-5, Mark 1:1-5).
-Christ the Good Shepherd (Isaiah 40:9-11)
-Messiah, the chosen Servant of God (Isaiah 42:1-4).
-The Creator speaks of His glory (Isaiah 42:5-9).
In the last verse of chapter 44 Isaiah names a future king of Persia who would shepherd the remnant of God’s people and oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem. All this came to pass.
God tells all the remnant of Israel to listen and remember. He reiterates that he is their true God and that He will save them from Babylonian exile when he calls Cyrus from the east, Cyrus the man of God’s purpose. (Isaiah 46:3-13)
God reminds Israel that he has chosen Cyrus to rescue them from the Babylonians (Isaiah 48:14-16).
Isaiah 49- 51 Christ for the world, God ’s love for sinners, Awake and listen to Me!
It’s so hard for our human mind to comprehend the fullness of God’s Sovereignty and at the same time to grasp the depth of His love and provision for His people.
Like Thomas, we want to see up close, for ourselves. We want to feel it, touch it, experience it…we want proof! We certainly have proof, if we take the time to step outside of ourselves and look up!
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.” -Isaiah 40:26
In our sin nature, we a drawn to be self focused. We have a message playing in the background of our mind that says what’s in it for me? We act, with expectation of a return on our investment. (even though it’s hard to admit this to ourselves) We often do good, with the hope that the favor will be returned according to our expectations. This is a heart problem. Our motivation to serve will come from a place of gratitude and selflessness when we start believing who our God is, and who He has made us to be. Loving God and loving others will become a natural response that extends from experiencing His presence and provision. We have to practice using our PAUSE BUTTON, to look up & see.
This is what I chose to capture as a visual : a memorial of God’s truth. It was the focus of one of our class projects. (Both “galaxy images” done with watercolor)
I had a few boo-boos in the one above:( Ink splotch from my messy fingers to name one!)
When I teach journaling classes, my goal is to meet each person where they are by providing some options. We are each in a unique place on our spiritual journey. We each respond to the creative process within the framework of our individuality. Some art forms are not appealing at first, but God uses them to stretch us beyond what we think we are capable of! As an instructor, this is one of my greatest joys…watching someone be challenged, stepping forward through fear, to grow beyond what they would have hoped or imagined. This mimimicks our journey of faith! As we take one step out into faith, trusting our God to provide what we need, He meets us there in our obedience and we get to experience His presence! (And His provision) It usually doesn’t come the way we think it will:)
While some who are taking class are ready to jump into their Bible to record visuals, others are not. I don’t EVER want someone to leave a class feeling frustrated or defeated. Class begins with time spent discussing what God has revealed to us throughout the week in our study. We are INSPIRIED & ENCOURAGED as we each share God’s specific provision and revelation. This is where the art starts….in the heart…having personal experience with our Father.
I am constantly learning from others, as God works His miracles through the body…stretching us, refining us, sharpening us. I wish I had some pictures to share with you from the group. This week, there were some powerful lessons shared through the visuals of truth God revealed to each heart. Some images were detailed, some were plain and simple…both powerful, MEMORABLE, and life giving.
My pages will never be perfect, there will always be flaws…just like me. BUT, I know my God is not flawed. I know that He has a perfect love and a perfect plan for me because I HAVE seen Him up close and personal. He provides for me everyday, when I take the time to look up & listen!
Below was a second project option. It is something that can be down in the margin, and a good example of a design that uses simple shapes and lines. This one was done with acrylics.
(The inspiration for this piece came from something I saw on Pinterest several years ago. I went back to try and find it and could not! I apologize to that artist!)
Below are a few more powerful, prophetic verses found in Isaiah.
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me. -Isaiah 6:8
“They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” -Isaiah 11:9
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” -Isaiah 12:2
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson,they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;” -Isaiah 1:18,19
“They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.” -Isaiah 24:14-16
Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds—black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat—each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.” -Isaiah 28:24-26 (NLT)
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling.” -Isaiah 30:15
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” -Isaiah 40:8
“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.” -Isaiah 40:26
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” -Isaiah 40:31
”Draw near to the Lord and He will draw near to you!”
Blessings!
1Arthouse 
