here's a rave - FRIENDS

I don't know what I would do without all my friends in my little art group. We are a diverse lot, go to different churches, have different painting styles, different economic groups, different ages, so many things about each of us is different than the other yet wonderfully unique. We come together every week and it is the best day of the week for each of us. Together we make a lovely completely unique painting. Recently six of each chose a different subject and they bought 6 ea 8x10" canvas'. Then each of us painted one sixth of six paintings. The six individual canvas' were then joined together and we each had a painting done by our friends. I'll post pictures of the finished paintings later but it was so much fun. It was a wonderful exercise in how 6 diverse styles and friends came together to create something wonderful and have fun.

Should you be judged by how you voted?

Do you feel you are being judged by who you voted for? I think so many people were mesmerized during the last election and did not correctly judge their candidate. They have now aligned themselves with the morals and actions of their chosen candidate and now they are being judged for that action. The times we live in do not lend themselves to a "live and let live" philosophy. We need to be actively involved in our own actions and the lives of of family and friends. You can't withdraw and only look out for yourself. I am continually saddened and discouraged by the attitudes and " foaming at the mouth" liberals who are going around saying, we shouldn't judge when that is exactly what they are doing. It is also their way of not having to listen to anything they don't agree with. I can still love these misguided friends and family members. Yet, I feel like they are condemning me because I cannot agree with their beliefs. They have not adopted the live and let live attitude they profess to believe in unless it pertains to them. They want me to let them be but they don't want to let me be in fact they want to impose their attitudes and beliefs on me. Should I have judged the political candidates? Yes, that is every one's responsibility. Should I judge you because you voted for someone who promotes abortion? I'm not sure, but I am sure that I will be closely watching you and I will not put any trust in you.

Love the person, not the sin.

Should practicing Homosexuals be allowed in church? The Lord calls this an abomination. It is a sin. Now, should we condemn the person caught in this sin? Should we just ignore the sin? Should sin be talked about from the pulpit?

As I look around me today I am bombarded with tv shows, radio programs, advertising, all of them saying it is okay and indeed normal to be homosexual. I watch Christians react in 2 different ways, one they adopt the liberal, live and let live attitude (we don't want to judge anyone) which is really just hiding their heads in the sand or they condemn and kick the individual who is caught in this perversion, which doesn't help those who want help. I've watched parents whose children have declared they are homosexual try to overcome their pain and confusion by saying, "this is genetic, they can't help it, it is okay". If it were truly a genetic condition would God have called it an abomination, would he have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? There is now a new attitude that if you believe that homosexuality is a sin that you are just a back woods hick. Wake up, don't let someone with a snobby attitude make you hide your head in the sand. Speak up and do it with the love of the Lord shinning out of you. Let them see the Lord loves them and will deliver them and that it can be done. Homosexuality is the hardest of all the sins to come out of and stay out of. They need love and a lot of help by people qualified to do so. If you know someone caught in this perversion seek out a program or counselor where they can get help.

As far as allowing an individual who is openly and actively participating in sin to attend church..I say only if they sincerely want help and to get out of that lifestyle should they be sitting in your church. And they should not be part of the leadership in any form as long as they are in sin. You are to love the person, not the sin.

We need to stand up and say it is not okay to live this way, we need to hear from the pulpit the truth of what God says about sin. Are you afraid to take a stand because you might hurt someones feelings, step on their rights? What about your rights? How about being able to send your children to school safe in the knowledge that someone is not going to be teaching them it is okay that Johnny has two mommies or two daddies. How about being able to watch tv again without censoring every program for nudity, language and homosexuality? How about being able to speak your mind and not be blasted by someone who is imposing their misguided values on you? How about our right to live in a nation that follows God, as our forefathers intended? How about your right to lovingly say, what you are doing is wrong let me help you?

Don't allow yourself to be brainwashed, sin is still sin and God is still on the throne! He expects you to stand up for that which is good and pure and holy. Pray for our nation to turn from evil that God may heal our land.

Here's a rave - Stories in Hand class by JessicaSprague.com and here's a wedding page I've digitally scrapped using techniques I've learned from Jessica.

Do we hold back because of fear?

Do you hold back sharing Jesus because of fear, embarrassment or persecution? I think that all the people who so adamantly insist you are judging them or being too critical are simply acting out of their own insecurity and sin and it is their way of getting you to shut up and not bring light into their lives. Yet, they are imposing upon you their views, lifestyles and sin. Why is it okay for them to behave this way and you are supposed to stand by silent. What they have done is bring darkness into your life because they made you stop sharing. Should we let people go to hell just so we won't have to put up with their confrontational behavior? Are you hiding behind an "I can't judge that person attitude?" I'm not saying judge the person, but judge the sin according to the Word. I'm also not saying wrestle someone to the ground and beat the sin out of them (although you might be tempted, giggle) I'm saying go to the Lord in prayer, ask Him what He wants you to do if anything about your fellow Christian who is about to step off of a cliff. Then do what you believe Him to be telling you to do. Sometimes, you will miss it but that is okay, we do miss it sometimes but the more you practice listening and doing what the Lord prompts you to do the less you will miss it. When you tell someone something you believe the Lord has put on your heart for them, they then need to take it to the Lord and wait on Him. There is great responsibility in the telling and in the receiving. I heard a bright and compassionate young man ask this question this week, "Are we distracted from our responsibilities during these times because we think Jesus is coming soon?" I think we are distracted and misdirected by a concentrated and subtle attack on our whole beings. I look around me and people are walking around like they are mesmerized. Wake up! Ask the Lord to open your eyes, pray for our land to turn from evil and return to righteousness, Claim your loved ones for the Lord. I for one will be waging war in the heavenlies for you and yours.

Judging or Standing up for what is right?

What is the difference between standing up for that which is good, righteous and Holy and judging someone? This is going to take several entries for me to get my thoughts down so here is the first one. First of all you are welcome to leave comments, however, make sure they are family rated and know that it is up to me if they will show or not. Also no anonymous comments will show, if you can't sign your name to it, don't say it! This is my blog.

I think it is my duty as a Christian to stand in public record for that which the bible says is good, and righteous and Holy. If I see you about to step off a cliff, should I adopt the attitude of, well that is your choice, I'd be judging you as stupid if I reach out and grab your arm to stop you. I think that I would be the stupid one to just let you fall. You may shake me off then turn around and still step out over the edge, falling to your death but, at least I said something. I didn't stand silently by afraid to speak up because I was going to get a lecture on "your rights". I'm sure by now you can tell I am not liberal nor do I subscribe to "letting everyone do their own thing" even when if it is only harming them. I think we've become a people afraid to stand up against a militant few and say to them, what you are doing is wrong, it is sinful, it is against God, you are harming yourself and others. It has become an imposition of some one's "rights" to share Jesus with them. Abortion is wrong, homosexuality is wrong, should I judge that person involved in those sins? No, I can still love that person, pray for them, share with them, yet still take a stand against the sin. I have some wonderful friends who have been caught up and some are still caught up in those very pitfalls. Their struggle is great and they know that I love them and pray for them but do not condone the sin. The good new is that God still loves them, Jesus weeps for them and intercedes for them and there is forgiveness for us all. We have become lethargic, caught up in what makes us feel good about ourselves and involved only in ourselves. We don't want to rock the boat, we want to hide like turtles in our shells and be left alone to do "our own thing", accountable to no one. I cannot allow the persuasive attitude of a few make me fear to draw a line in the sand and say, NO, I stand for that which is good and just and Holy, I stand for Jesus, I stand for the one true God. For today, ask yourself this, "Are you afraid to take a stand?" Because when you do, you will not be popular.

It's a sunshiney Day

The sun is shining the temperature brisk, I've read all my email, checked my sites and now I want to be out and about and not sitting at my computer so I guess that is it for today. This is a photo reference for a painting I'm working on. Bet you can't guess what it is of?

I had a great photo shoot with this little girl, she always knew where the camera was and posed naturally. The photos haven't even been edited and I'm excited about how many good ones there are! Now I can't say the same for her puppy Buster. There is only one good shot of him and this ain't it. Buster was channeling his inner lab the day we tried to take photo's of him. O to be a puppy! There was also a good photo shoot with my wonderful beautiful friend Marquette the day before but she won't allow me to post any pictures of her unless I want to experience painful consequences...LOL

When do you draw the line?

Over the weekend I was talking (complaining) about a person who is always so rude to me. I've over compensated trying to be a friend to this person. There just hasn't been any reason to like them yet I react to them by trying to get them to like me. It's hard for me to understand why this person reacts to me this way I have lots of good friends and they like my flawed, opinionated self. My friend that I was complaining to said something that really got me to thinking, he said, that this person if very defensive about everything they do. And that really hit me, yes they are defensive and insecure and are unable to see themselves as the talented, pretty person that they are. Does this excuse their rudeness? NO! This behavior puts them on the short list of having friends, real friends. Another of my dear friends, while we were commiserating about this other persons behavior, exclaimed, "they are our spiritual sandpaper! But, who is theirs?" I think it is true that there will always be someone in your life who is your "spiritual sandpaper" but where do you draw the line? When do you say, enough? Am I doing them a favor by letting them treat not just me but others this way? I'm going to do my best to be understanding yet speak up if the door is opened for me to do so. Will I blast this person... no, I will treat and talk to them the way I want to be treated and I will keep praying for them that they will have the heart to understand and the ears to hear.
Many thanks to the 2 friends who "Opened my eyes" by showing me that I wasn't imagining the behavior and another helping me see another reason for the behavior!

Takin' it Easy?

I really need some takin' it easy time, but it seems like only the dogs have that option around here. I want to know where are all the pictures I took of my art are! And where my leatherwood house web site went. All of them are gone and not I'm having to redo all my photos. so between those 2 large projects and worries I'm trying to take David's business paperless. Getting David to sit down long enought to tell me what Catagories to enter info in is like putting bamboo splinters under your fingernails. I've been sitting at my computers for days! and while sometimes I enjoy that, right now the weather is wonderful and I want to be outside. I do have some trips scheduled for later to take pictures and I hope to have something wonderful to post when I get back. Oops! now one of the printers is acting up... I'm really getting tired of having ink all over me. Enough venting for now.