thankful days

in these days of thanksgiving and abundance we are still faced with the lack of a job. it is interesting to be thankful and seeking. thankful and unsure. thankful and peaceful in the midst of the unknown. so i've decided to focus on the things i am sure of.

i am sure God loves me. John 3:16 "for God so loved the world He gave his only son for those who would believe in Him would not die but live forever with Him."

i am sure that God has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11-13 "for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. when you call on me and seek me with your whole heart, I will be found by you."

i am sure that i am of great value to God. Matthew 6:25-31 "why do you worry about the stuff of your life? the birds do nothing and yet God feeds them. why do you worry about clothes? the lilly of the field is just beautiful, God made them that way. How by worrying can you change anything? o you of little faith, don't be anxious. seek God and He will provide."

like the old hymn says..."for i know whom i have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which i've committed unto Him against that day." i have trusted Him with my soul, my life, my all...our livelihood is a small thing in comparison.

God knows our needs and He is faithful. of this I am sure.

peace.

btw...the scripture above is my language not an exact translation.

i'm discovering something....

no matter how old i get, i am still surprised by people. sometimes good, sometimes, not so much.

i need to learn to watch my words more carefully, to not be quite as trusting. a flippant comment, made in fun, not to be taken seriously--can be reported back with great intent to harm. too bad really....especially when you think you are on the same page...with people you trust.

oh well....my pollyanna self is just sad about it. don't worry my friends, it was none of you. no real harm done except to my rose colored glasses...i think the lense is definitely broken. ;-)

peace.

sneak preview

so for those ephemerites that read my blog, this will be a sneak peek. for everyone else, this was a challenge issued by my art group and due this wednesday. i kind of like how it turned out. it's a shadow box. hope it makes you smile.

peace.

Life is good

so it's been over a week since the news about jim's job. in that time, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. i've noticed a couple of things during this time.

people are amazed we are still happily married after 25 years. we've never seperated, never cheated, we've enjoyed our life together so far and feel very blessed. our lives are not perfect, but perfect was never our standard.

people also seem amazed that we are not stressed out about the job. we are truly at peace. yes, i'm sure. yes, i'm being honest. no, i'm not just being strong. God really is in control. we rest in that knowledge. we know he'll provide.

if you see my twitter, you'll see the thought for the day today. i really think it's a great cornerstone to build on. Perfectionism doesn't make you perfect, it just makes you feel inadequate.

i am only able because God makes me so. i am only strong because God is strong in me. i am only joyful because the joy of the Lord is my strength. if you are struggling, read His Word, hear his voice, let Him love you. and then rest in Him.

peace.

a new journey

the news came friday, jim's job no longer exists. in some ways it is good news, and in others ways quite a challenge.

he worked for great people, but the vision for what was to happen did not always seem to coexist. seemed to cause much frustration on both sides. i know i'm being generic, but i don't want to say anything that could be construed as negative. they really are terrific people and we enjoyed knowing them during jim's time with them.

so the journey to a new employment place begins. we trust God has a place and a plan for jim. we know that jeremiah 29:11-14 is truth. we'll rest there for now.

please pray and thanks for praying.

peace.

blue sky

at last year's Downtown Arts Festival I took this pic with my phone. It's a art piece, not a real tree and I love that they put a bird's nest in the tree. The sky was beautiful that day and a perfect backdrop to the colors of the tree.

enjoy!

the canvas is complete!

so it all started with a big white canvas. i painted the base colors and then released it to the ephemerites (www.ephemerites.com)and told them to create. No boundaries, no suggestions, no rules. i wanted it to represent this amazingly talented group of women and it does.

the picture doesn't do it justice but i hope you enjoy!

peace.

altered book

this project is part of the ephemerites round robin projects. first book like this i have altered. it had to be something personal. hope you enjoy!

peace.

one week down, one to go...

the really good news is, i have accomplished everything i wanted to before i left. the bad news is, i still have a week to go! oh well....

there are huge parts of the job i will miss:
...meeting people i would never meet otherwise...Renee Fleming, Art Garfunkel, Bebe Neuwirth, Pink Martini....at least most of them have been really nice and excellent to work with.
...the great people i work with at the phil. small team of dedicated, power-house people who are never going to be paid what they are worth, never going to be appreciated like they should be, and do it anyway to keep the music alive.
...and the special people i've met along the way. you know who you are.

i am excited about the new challenges to come and the growth opportunities they will provide. when i think that the average life span in africa is 43 and the median age is 16, how can i not have a driving force within me to fulfill God's purpose and go into all the world and introduce them to Jesus. they may never have another chance. today may be their last. or mine. or yours. Do you know my Jesus? He loves you and wants most of all for you to know Him too. that's all. just say yes Jesus.

peace.

change is good....

but that doesn't make it easy. i resigned my position with the Phil on friday, amidst tears, not just my own. it is good to be loved. now comes two weeks of intense, make sure all the bases are covered, try to prepare the way for the new person, work.

then on to my new position as director of communications for reaching souls international. i'm very excited about what they do and being able to spread the word about it.

so here goes.

peace.

Reaching Souls International

?????? got a hoopty!!

ok, so you know those moments you wish you had captured on film, phone, whatever....well yesterday i had one.

picture this in your mind. loud music playing (ok that was in my car, but still), and to my right this GHETTO red lincoln, low in the back and bouncing on every bump, silver detailing around all wheel wells, down the doors, across the trunk, decent wheels (no spinners though), windows rolled down....got it?

now look at the driver....young, male, maybe ethnic.....

WRONG!!!!

Granny got a hoopty!!! I almost died laughing! I went from stereotypical to you gotta be kiddin me in 2.5 seconds. Little white granny, dressed in her Sunday best, looking between the steering wheel and the dash, bouncing on every bump.

don't you just love surprises!! and a good, long giggle?

peace.

wow, time really does fly!

well, almost 2 months. end of season has come and gone, if you have never heard Time for Three, you must! They are fabulously talented and will be around for a long time. check them out time for three

anyway, we had a little vacation, the Oklahoma Aquarium is amazing! Had a little down time and now we're back in the swing. I'm heading to Denver next week for conference, so i'll try to post some pics this weekend and chat a little more.

peace.

dream house

ok, well not exactly...really, not ever BUT i drive past this old barn every saturday on my trek to dad land. it intrigues me. this old barn is not in use anymore but with every season there is something beautiful about the simplicity. right now it is surrounded by little purple weeds. i've seen it surrounded by water, snow, green wheat and just dirt. the challenge in taking the pic is that it's off the turnpike and there's no good place to pull over. so forgive the slight blur, this is a slow-down drive by.

sometimes, that just seems to be the way i see life. glimpses, quickly caught, enjoyed, catalogued and foundly remembered.

peace.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

peace!

so i'm not biting the apple....

because i decided a buyer in the hand was better than an entry fee out of the pocket! but if i were submitting, here's my piece. it's called alice's paradigm. click on it to read the texts.

peace.

I love getting birthday cards

and when you have artsy friends, they take a card to a whole new level. Here are some of the cards I received this year.



if you have never had a birthday card made especially for you, send me your birthday and address and you'll have one this year!!

peace.

automatic carwashes

i think that the drive through automatic car wash is a treasure. you go in one end with a filthy car and come out the other end with a shiny clean car. in between you are sprayed and spun and brushed and washed and even waxed(if you upgrade!).

so after all our recent weather, my black car was looking pretty grungy. this morning, i decided to take it through the carwash on my way to dad's house. so i did. jumped on the turnpike in my spiffy clean car and headed to el reno.

before i got 4 miles into the journey, it started sprinkling. then stopped. the sun came out. then it rained. my nice clean car stills looks better than it did, but the wet roads will soon change that.

so anyway, i've told you that to let you know what God showed me. do you know, when i run through the auto wash, it's only the outside of my car that gets clean? the inside still carries the dirt, trash, dog hair, uneaten french fries, etc. that was there when the car was dirty.

but with God, He goes for the full detail. He wants me clean through and through. He doesn't just wash my outside and send me on my merry way to get rained on so i have to come back. He starts on the inside and works His way out. He scrubs the carpet of my heart that has collected the dirt of sin and pain and whatever else. He cleans the dashboard of my mind that has had to much stuff set on it, spilled on it and not been dusted. He cleans around the buttons of my will, my emotion, my thoughts, my desires.... By the time He is done, i am water repellent and smelling fresh like Him. and He houses me in the garage of his love, grace, mercy, sacrifice and protection. AND His clean lasts forever...

may seem strange to you, but it spoke to me today. God spoke to me today.

peace.

ola senorita...

was all he said as he stood on the side of the road and allowed me to take his picture. digital camera-$200, day off- $NC, getting this pic-PRICELESS!!

by the way, the street i was on, WESTERN!! of course! ask ellen, my witness and photographer.

enjoy!

forgot to take a pic....

before i started, but the canvas came to me painted with the words on the bottom. my addition is the bottom left corner...she just looked like she was enjoying the good life....

ephemerites project one movin' on....

peace.

Que sera, sera

whatever will be, will be. seems kind of fatalistic but if you really think about it, if i truly believe God is in control and i truly believe that he has a plan for me, to prosper and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future, then que sera, sera should be my theme song.

don't get me wrong. i don't think i'm a bystander in my life with a whatever sign on my forehead. i know that God wants my full participation in this plan he has for me. i just want to be willing, ready and able to fully participate.

i want to be open to change, ready for assignments and willing to go the extra mile or two. i want to live my life with a capital L! no looking back, no compromise.

God is good all the time and que sera sera, i can't wait to see what will be!!

peace.