Month: March 2019

Painting Celtic Knot Work with Gouache

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

This week I am taking a break from overtly spiritual reflections and have prepared a video highlighting how I work on one of my illuminated letters. I am working on a set of all 26 letters of the alphabet and this letter “A” is my first. The video shows how I paint Celtic knot work and it gives you a bit of background in what my tools and materials are for painting in this ancient style.

I hope you will come along and watch as I paint on my Celtic letter “A”.

You can find this and other tutorial videos on my YouTube channel  (Karyn Jeffrey- The Designing Woman   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_J6vhzsxkCeAkwXs7PqTQw  )

QUESTION: Have you every painted in watercolor? Opaque watercolor? (gouache) Ever wanted to?

 

Sunshine on My Shoulder

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

February here in my area was very cold and very snowy compared to nearly all previous recorded February weather. As a consequence, today, the first official day of spring, there are large expanses of snow on lawns and fields. Driveways and curbs suffer heaps of grubby, gravelly ice. All these sordid remains of the miseries of winter are fast fading under the onslaught of sunshine—relentless, lovely, blue-sky sunshine. The patter-drip of melted snow in the gutter downspout is background to the cheerful songs of juncos and robins in the throes of spring romance.

Sunshine is so delicious to the soul after so many weeks and months of grayness. I sit facing my big window soaking in the “shine.” I smile at the pleasure of the light and warmth of the sun and as I sit, rather like a turtle on a rock, my mind ranges over the similarity of the sun to Jesus. You may be puzzled at that comparison. Let me elaborate.

In the book of John we read that Jesus declared “I am the Light of the World.” Obviously He isn’t the sun we see in the sky, but rather His Light is truth and reality for all mankind.

Ponder this: the sun is an incredibly powerful element of creation. It pulses with unfathomable energy. Though it is 93 million miles from earth it wields influence in every corner of the globe, every hour of the day. It even displays its glory by sharing its light with the moon. That entrancing silvery light, cold and in the night, is the sun second hand!

As the sun warms the earth it stirs plants to grow, giving each green leaf and blade the energy it needs to grow and flourish. That energy and life makes possible the very air we breathe and provides what we need to nourish our bodies. The fundamentals of our very existence are right there in the light of the sun.

So it is with Jesus. As His Light is shed in our hearts we are made into new creations. We flourish and grow. He and His Word are the very spiritual air we breathe and bread we eat.

 

“Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, in whose had is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Job 12: 9-10

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’

                                                                                                                                                                                               “John 6:35

He lights our life with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides our footsteps and lights our way.

 

reading God’s Word is the way to soak in His True Light

Jesus is the most powerful light – eclipsing the sun. What joy to bask in His love and wisdom. What comfort to have Him as the One who shows me the way to live.

It is my hope and prayer that I would reflect His light just as the moon reflects the sun. The moon, even with its pale reflection of the sun, inspires wonder at its mysterious beauty. I hope that as I live for Jesus that His Light would shine through me so others see His beauty, mystery, and power.

QUESTION: Do you have the True Light of Jesus in your heart and Life? Are you reflecting His light to a dark world?

Faith- Really?!

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Faith is complicated. And simple. Many times I’ve heard phrases like, “just have faith” or “I’m a person of faith.”  What does the speaker (or the meme-maker) mean? I venture to guess that the first suggests that the speaker is exercising “positive thoughts” about some desired situation yet to be resolved. The second seems to say that she considers herself to be moral, upright and one who thinks about “spiritual” things with some regularity.

what is ‘FAITH’, really?

 

But the truth is that FAITH depends on what or to whom it is applied. I believe many people are not totally clear about just what ‘faith’ means.

Here is the main part of the definition I found on www.dictionary.com.

Noun

  • Confidence or trust in a person or thing:
  • Belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.
  • Belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.
  • A system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

Notice that the first definition requires confidence or trust of something or in someone. Let me give you an example.

I can stand staring at a chair and declare most emphatically “I have faith that chair will hold me if I sit on it.” But until I actually sit on the chair, my ‘faith’ is just words. Until my action matches my declaration, I don’t really have ‘faith’. The one who has true faith knows what he believes about the object of his faith and is willing to completely trust himself to that object with its implicit message: “I will support you”.

In the case of the chair, we need to know how it is made. We need to know it will be capable of holding us up if we sit in it. If it is made of flimsy material or the joints aren’t glued or screwed adequately it cannot hold us without collapsing. It cannot support us even if we say with vehemence and stern authority that we have faith in it. If the object of our faith is untrustworthy our faith is useless and downright dangerous.

It is the same with our need to know just what it is that will happen to us when we die and where we will spend eternity. Many people have a vague ‘faith’ that their good deeds will outweigh their bad actions. Others think “everybody goes to heaven” with ‘faith’ that God won’t send any one to hell or maybe there isn’t a real hell. Others avoid thinking about the subject altogether. The truth is that we all will die and we all will face the judgement of Almighty God. Where we spend eternity will be the result of what and who we trust.

Eternity is long and the afterlife is real. A real heaven and a real hell exist. There IS a God to whom we will bow and answer for our deeds. On that solemn Day of Judgement what will we say? Jesus says He is the Way to a right relationship with God, but how do we know Who and what is Jesus? Can we trust Him with our soul and eternal destiny? I urge you to read the Gospel of John (especially chapter 10) for a clear answer to that question.

Being a Christian says that I trust or believe specific things about Jesus Christ that will influence my life and my eternal destiny. What is it exactly that I believe and trust about Jesus?  Upon what is my ‘faith’ based?

The Apostle Paul succinctly states it in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:

“For I delivered to you, as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

God is perfect and holy, we have sinned and deserve His wrath as punishment. Jesus- God Himself- came to live among us as a real man.  He was crucified and God the Father laid all our sins on Him.  He died in our place under God’s wrath so we do not have to face that terrible judgement. He raised from the dead and lives forever so that we can have eternal life. His perfect life, His death in our place and His resurrection assure only those who believe in Him that they have been saved from their sin and will live forever. There is no other way to approach God and to be sure of our entrance into Heaven.

 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way narrow that leads to life…” Matthew 7:13-14.

God urges you to seek Him NOW while you are being moved to approach Him. You don’t know that you will have the next minute of life, let alone time enough to decide about what you believe. Once you are dead it will be too late.

So if I believe this about Jesus, how does faith act? It takes God’s Word, The Bible, seriously. It hears what God says and obeys what He has commanded. It believes the promises He has made. We obey Him when He says “have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3.  We believe Him when He declares “the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 7.  These are examples of exercising the faith we have been given by our gracious Heavenly Father.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9

QUESTION:  So do you just say you have ‘faith’ in Jesus without really being clear what it is that you trust and believe? Do you act on your faith? What does your faith show itself to be genuine?

What are the chances?

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

“What a coincidence!” “What are the chances?” So many times I’ve said or heard those surprised remarks when events have come together in ways that seem completely unlikely. Events that amaze us in this way make us think, consciously or not, that they have come about completely at random. My mental picture is of a galaxy-sized green felt gaming table with hands shaking a pair of dice, tossing them and “ta-dah: a pair of sixes!”

Is there really such a thing as “chance”?

But on serious reflection, my belief in God makes this silly picture utter nonsense. What I believe about
God makes and enormous difference in what I believe about how life unfolds. My beliefs shape what I think when I’m running late for an appointment and stalled a traffic light. It changes my vision of the timing of all the transactions and details needed to sell my house, find a new one and make a major move. My convictions about God and His character colors my response to this winter. It seems endless with more snow and cold that has stretched into March. “Where is spring?!”

When face with events that come together in very beneficial and unexpected ways I am turned again to contemplate my amazing Heavenly Father.

The Scriptures say “He has made everything that was made.” (John 1:3) He has named every star (Psalm 147:4) and knows every hair on my head (Matthew 10:30). Scripture declares that Jesus holds every molecule of the universe together “by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3) It says He has set the bounds of the seas (Proverbs 8:29), turns the hearts of men and women where He desires (Proverbs 16:9) raises up kings and puts others down. (Psalm 75:7).

God asks Job piercing questions that vividly show the limits of puny human powers in the face of the Almighty God. I am stopped cold by the force of the comparison of who I am in relation to this vast, inscrutable and almighty Being.

If God orchestrates the rise and fall of nations and kings, if He controls the wind the waves with just a word, if He holds back the ocean by His decree, why would I ever think that two events colliding in a surprising way in my life are “coincidence.”?

He created all things. He upholds all things. He has made me His child by His Son, Jesus’, merciful sacrifice in my place. So why would He leave the unfolding of my life to “chance”?

Is there really such a thing as “chance” in the face of the reality of our Almighty God? “Chance” is not chance even on the gaming tables of every casino in the world. God knows and directs those dice rolls, roulette spins and poker hands. He is using every human action, every weather event, every purpose and plan we make to accomplish His will.

what a contrast to believing “chance” rules the universe!

This knowledge give me tremendous peace. Faced with so many unexpected twists and turns in life, from small “where are my keys?!” moments to “I have cancer?!” shocks, God is there. He has planned and is ruling every detail. He is not a diabolical, cruel puppet-master, but as the good and gracious One who made me, loves me and loves the world He created. He has plans that will come to pass as He chooses. And every event will glorify Him and be for my good. (Romans 8:29)

QUESTION: What or who do you believe controls the events of life?

Do you rest in the living God who keeps and leads you every step toward eternity?

 

Here is a poem by one of my favorite poets: William Cowper, 1731-1800. It is from his series of poems called the “Olney Hymns.” Olney Hymns LXVIII

Satisfied- Not Stuffed – Not Starved

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

What can compare to the wonderful sensation of being satisfied at the end of a delicious meal? One is not still vaguely hungry, nor stuffed to painful misery. Satiety is that “goldilocks place” of being filled “just right.” It is tricky trying to balance our eating so that we hit that spot regularly.

Have you ever eaten at one of those “all-you-can-eat” buffets? I have and there is just something about all that alluring food that I am drawn to eat. And eat. And eat. When I finally come to my senses and push back from the table I am miserably stuffed. A grim pall comes over me as I remember how long this bloated, belly-bursting feeling will take to pass. Why did I do it? What was I thinking?

Or maybe you have had days that were so busy from the moment your feet hit the floor until late afternoon that you didn’t eat. You were so engrossed or entangled that you waited too long to eat. Now you are light-headed, ache-y stomached, raving hungry and grouchy. You are, in my daughter’s made up word, “hangry.” That dreadful place of low-blood sugar induced anger at little or nothing.

Comparison can be made to our spiritual lives. The Holy Scriptures are our necessary spiritual food.

We will starve without a regular diet of reading, hearing and meditating on them. It is difficult to get a good balance on the amount of Scripture we regularly read. We are not like boa constrictors. They devour their prey in one large bite and then go for weeks or months without eating again. Physically and spiritually we need to eat much smaller meals much more often. A binge-eating episode at the buffet is really hard on our physical body. And, although it can seem pretty “holy” to read a long passage or even a whole book of the Bible at one sitting, it is like eating at the buffet. There are times when it is helpful to read a long passage. If you are beginning a study of a particular aspect or book of Scripture, reading for an overview is helpful. But for daily spiritual nourishment, we need to be more moderate.

The opposite approach is also a problem. Taking one small verse (or even a phrase) and considering that adequate spiritual nourishment is rather like eating a single soda cracker and thinking you have the nutrition you need for the day or even the week.  Many Christians think that the single verse at the top of the page of a little devotional book plus the short homily that accompanies it is enough to grow on spiritually. I would challenge that notion. It is entirely too easy to take little bits of Scripture out of context and be badly mislead about what God is communicating. Think of that little story about someone who uses the “point and read” method of daily devotion. She opens the Bible and points to the verse she is going to feed herself on today. It reads: “And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed, and he (Judas) went away and hanged himself.” Matthew 27:5 Well, that isn’t terribly uplifting, so she tries again. “…then Jesus said to him, ‘go and do likewise.’ “ Luke 10:37b It is so easy to misunderstand God if we only listen to a single sentence or two of His Word to us.

Are you being satisfied by what is on your spiritual plate? Will it help nourish your inner man?

May I suggest a way to eat a more satisfying spiritual “meal”?  Get your Bible out. Now open your little devotional booklet. Find today’s verse in the selection in the Bible itself. Go digging for the context by reading the verses that come before and after the one in your devotional. It should be obvious where the paragraph or thought starts and ends.

Using the two verses I just noted, here is what I mean. Open your Bible to Matthew 27. Find verse 5 and then “back up” until you come to where the thought begins. Verse 1 starts to tell this part of the story. Begin reading there and it will be obvious that you should read until verse 10. When you have read that amount, there is much to consider that will feed you spiritually. Now try the verse in Luke 10. If you “back up” to verse 30 and read through verse 37, you will have a really nutritious spiritual “meal.” This amount of reading can be very satisfying without leaving you starved or stuffed.

QUESTION: What are your spiritual eating habits?

Are you feeding on God’s Word in a way that nourishes your soul or are you starving and spiritually anorexic?

Will you commit to reading more substantial portions of Scripture? I pray that you will be well-fed and spiritually robust because of your diet of God’s Word.