Author: Karyn Jeffrey

Alphabets

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey
I love Letters! 26 letters that strung together in millions of combinations make so many ways to convey what is in our mind

I am fascinated with alphabets. The various calligraphic hands have so many variations for the marks we make to convey meaning. More often than not, each letterform is a beautiful work of art all by itself. When I study an alphabet the aspects that give it its own unique character are so intriguing. When I sit down to practice my calligraphy I often write words in an alphabet list that are all of a theme, such as food: apple, banana, cabbage, doughnut, flapjack, gateau, etc. Or, animals: aardvark, bumblebee, cougar, dinosaur, elephant, flea, etc. Now, I am ready to try a new project. I want to practice the various calligraphic hands I know and use them to explore one theme, one letter at a time.  Here’s the backstory.

For my birthday, my Beloved Daughter gave me a book called Hind’s Feet in High Places: An Engaging Visual Journey by Hannah Hurnard (Author), Jill De Haan (Illustrator), Rachel McNaughton (Illustrator). It is a lovely new take on the old book written by Hannah Hurnard in the early 20th Century. The allegory, very reminiscent of Pilgrim’s Progress, has become a devotional classic. I was profoundly affected by it back in the early 1980’s when I first read it as a paperback. In this updated version, De Haan and McNaughton have illustrated and made the book a visual delight so the spiritual impact is even greater.

As I began reading again, I was struck by the following conversation between the Shepherd and Much-Afraid.

“As Love grows in you, Much-Afraid, you will come to understand many things which you never dreamed of before. You will develop the gift of understanding many ‘unknown tongues’ and you will learn to speak Love’s own language too, but first you must learn to spell out the alphabet of Love and to develop hinds’ feet. Both these things you will learn on the journey to the High Places…”    (Chapter 4)

Right then, I decided to try to make “an Alphabet of Love” and began casting about my creative crevices to think of a way to ponder LOVE in all its depth using calligraphy. I dragged out my college-days Merriam-Webster and began perusing the listings under A and B. I jotted down words that apply to love in some way. Then I started playing with various ways of presenting the alphabet and the words. As I began to letter the words I chose, I tried to use alphabets that convey something of the character of the word. As you read the words surrounding the central letter, ponder the connection to LOVE. What kind of love is implied by the word? What action does love take or cause?

Here is my first try with the first two letters. I’d be interested to know what you think. Pay attention… new letters may appear in weeks ahead.

QUESTION: Should I continue this project this way? What other ideas might work? Shoot me a comment or suggestion—I’d love to hear from you!

Small Things

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

We just returned from a trip to Central Oregon with a stop in the Wine Country of Walla Walla. It was a beautiful, eventful trip loaded with so much fun and love. Family, family and lots of “new” family, especially at a wedding reception for Great Nephew which gave us lots of “new” relatives with which to become acquainted. But there is always time for art. While waiting for the festivities to begin, we socialized with Sister and Brother In-law at RV camp. And ART-TIME! I painted rocks while enjoying coffee and company in morning sun. Small things as subject matter suit the tools I packed for this trip. Rocks are pretty unremarkable. “Small things” that get ignored by most of us most of the time. But, in the effort to make time for art, I decided to paint these small things.

preparing to paint on the picnic table- coffee cup at the ready

I took three rocks from the RV pad, pulled out my little paint kit and travel sketch book. Nothing spectacular, but it was a really good exercise in seeing the various values (lightness and darkness) of the grays. And it is quite amazing how various a non-descript color like “gray” can actually be. Tricky time trying to find the right “blueness” or “green-ness” to make distinctions in this little water color.

“small things”- rocks to paint
rocks- sketched and painted

What do you think of the sketch on the left and the watercolor on the right? I realized that it would have been better to use hot press watercolor paper. The rough texture of the cold press paper made getting smooth shadows and clear delineation of detail difficult.  The way to remember the difference between hot and cold press is imagining trying to iron a shirt with a cold iron. Wrinkles remain. Hot iron—wrinkles removed and a smooth shirt is your result. Same with paper. When it is made, the paper is sent through rollers to flatten it. Heat and extra pressure create a smoother texture in the “hot press” paper compared to the “cold press” which receives a much gentler, cooler rolling. And “rough” watercolor paper gets barely any pressing so its surface is very “rugged.”

This painting rocks made me think of a Bible verse about “despising the day of small things.” Rocks are so unremarkable. Most of us never notice or give them any thought. Since I wasn’t sure where the remembered verse is located I just looked it up. Reading it in context stirred interesting ideas in my mind. In Zechariah chapter 4, God’s messenger angel is speaking to Zechariah giving him a vision message for the people of God. Zechariah is shown golden lampstands flanked by olive trees. When asked about the vision, Zechariah declares he doesn’t know what it means. The angel replies and declares that the symbols represent the coming Messiah. The Promised One’s beginning will be small but will result in Him- the “Capstone of the Temple of God” dwelling among men. And the question is put: “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)  I take it to mean that although our Savior Jesus’ entry into the world was small and seemingly inconspicuous, He is great and the LORD of all.

Upon reflection I see Jesus– so very different than my non-descript rocks and my life which is so insignificant in the scheme of the world. In spite of His Greatness, He has made me His own and so I dare not “despise the day of small things.” I will count my belonging to Him, small as I am, a very great thing!

This is one of my most cherished Bible verses. What an amazing declaration from my Heavenly Father!

Question: What small things do you “despise” (not appreciate)? How big is Jesus to you?

Preparing to Travel

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

While I write this post I am in the midst of preparing to travel. Beloved Spouse and I are taking a road trip to see our Granddaughter dance “on pointe” in a grand end-of-year production of The Wizard of Oz. We will stay and help with family projects and enjoy the exuberance of the Ballet Girl’s four brothers, two dogs and 19 chickens. What a fun week it will be! Then our trip will take us to a family celebration of a great nephew’s recent marriage. The gathering of family we rarely see will no doubt be a joyful time.

Preparing for this travel has me making lists to ensure that all of what should be in our travel bags, in the camper’s kitchen, what should be prepared for Mother and the house left behind is fully thought out. This planning for the immediate future is important. What shoes will be needed for the ballet performance and the wedding party? What attire is appropriate for helping wrangle children and chickens and assist with yard and house projects for a week? What details about food in the freezer and notes reminding about yard maintenance should be made for short-term memory-challenged Mother?

Do you know where you will spend eternity?

This puts me in mind of all our lives. We should be preparing for our biggest trip of all. The destination will determine what we do to ready ourselves. So what is your eternal destination? Heaven? Hell? Those are the only two choices for every human being.

Destination: Heaven

If you intend to spend eternity in the presence of the Almighty and Holy God, you must prepare on His terms. First you must have your “ticket” and “passport.” There is only one way to Heaven. Because we are all sinners and separated from our Creator, we may only approach Him if we bow in humility and repentance before Him. He has provided a way for us to live with Him forever, but the “ticket” isn’t automatic. If you know and believe that Jesus– God enrobed in flesh– came to earth, lived as a true man, died under the wrath of the Father in place of us for our sins, was buried and is now raised to life, you may have eternal life in Heaven with Him.  This is the only valid “ticket” to the presence of God and Heaven.

Once you have your “ticket” your preparations will be an ongoing process. But don’t worry. The Spirit of God who lives in the one who embraces Jesus will be sure that soul will be clothed appropriately. You will have the robes of Christ’s righteousness and the shoes of peace. (Philippians 3:9, Ephesians 6:15)

You won’t have to worry about food or drink. Jesus declares and provides Himself as Living Water and the Bread of Life. (John 4:13-14; 6:35)

The trip may be rough. There are likely going to be some tumultuous times and difficult places on the “road.” Your route may take you past perilous ravines that threaten your faith in God. But He is watching over you and calling you onward to Heaven’s gates.  You may think you’ve taken wrong turns and are alone in a deserted place. But God is there and Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) And just like He promised the thief on the cross in their dying hour, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”(Luke 23:43) Jesus will see you all the way to Heaven.

Destination: Hell

If, however, you decide to go to Hell, don’t worry about taking Jesus’s claims seriously. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6). You can just go into eternity on your own. No problem. You–your own self– is the goal, right? “I’ll do it MY way.” No need for this “Jesus is the only way” idea.

That way you don’t have to worry about a thing. No God, no light, no comfort. Just yourself for eternity. (That equals pure misery for eternity, I think.)

There isn’t much to pack since you came into the world naked and will leave it naked. (Job 1:21) “Nah,” you say. “God will let me into heaven. I’ve been pretty good. He’s a God of Love, isn’t He?” But be reminded, that there is only one Way to Heaven: Jesus. All your good works will stay right here. Utterly useless as a way to get through the “Pearly Gates.” God does not grade on the curve. He has a definite requirement for entry into heaven that is non-negotiable. Believe in Jesus, be born again and enter Heaven, or ignore God’s offer of salvation and inhabit Hell for eternity.

Maybe you’ve talked yourself into thinking about eternity later. If that is the case, my advice would be to work hard now to get great clothing and accumulate lots of “cool” possessions and spend every moment of your life relishing them. You need to be sure you have every delight and comfort you can possibly gather. Enjoy them as much as you can. One caution, though.  Be prepared to leave for Hell at any moment. God is the One who decided the day your birth and He is the one who has set the day of your death. Remember His warning to the rich man who was deciding to pull down his barns and build bigger, better ones: “But God said to Him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you’ and now who will own what you have prepared?” (Luke 12:20) Meanwhile, just drift on a river of hedonistic pleasures. Don’t worry about eternity.  It will get here soon enough. Or more likely sooner than you expect.

Prepare to travel! Know your destination! I’m praying you will be sensible and talk with God about your eternal destination. Only He can affect where you go. On your own, you are bound for Hell. If you turn to Him His grace will give you eternal life– in Heaven.

QUESTION: What preparations are you making for your eternal destiny?

And Then There is June

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

We live in a fallen world besieged by sin and ugliness. Putrid and wicked offenses to mind, heart, and senses threaten to overwhelm. And then there is June. That splendid month that parades her splendor with wild abandon. All the darkness of sin flies before the Light of the World.

Where I live the languorous days of summer stretch early and late. The birds sing before dawn and don’t stop until deep into the dusk. The elm tree sweeps its green swirl of petticoats in the wind. The peonies and iris suffuse the air with fragrance that catches and intrigues me. It is so tantalizing that I want to breathe in deeply — and keep breathing in forever so as not to lose the sublime joy of their perfumes.

Wandering through the dappled light of our backyard the marvels of God’s creation sing from every shrub and plant. The purity of the daisy, the delicacy of the delphinium, the buxom peony’s voluptuous spilling over the wired support all declare the Creator’s awe-inspiring glory.

Our garden sings of its Creator! What a joyful song!

June seems like the one time of year that our hearts threaten to burst with an irrepressible bubbling inner joy. The lavish display of God’s glory to be seen in our own yards and parks are but a small part of His glorious universe. Consider the pleasure of gazing at a full moon on a summer night. The air is cool, the breeze is gentle and the world is silent. But the works of God produce a majestic symphony for the heart that will listen.

I love to gaze at the night sky and remember anew how great is our God.

Rejoice with me and savor the month of June. Turn your heart to the One who made this expansive peek into the coming glories of Heaven.

Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart….Great are the works of the LORD: they are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work and His righteousness endures forever.   Psalm 111:1-3

QUESTION: What in God’s creation causes you to pause and praise Him?

Envelope Inspiration: A Stamp Starts It All

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Today I have created a decorated envelope that draws its inspiration from a stamp. With a season of events that need decorated envelopes to carry the greetings, I’ve been using the opportunity to work at my art and make memorable greetings. “Decorated Envelopes” for a friend who has had surgery, a cousin who is having a birthday and a great niece who is graduating from college—what a fun way to play in my studio! The stamp, and sometimes the commercially made card design itself, inspire my envelopes. Watch this short video to see one “happen.”

Decorated Envelopes ready to send

I’m using gouache paint which is an opaque watercolor. The stamp I am inspired by is one you can get from the US Post Office. If it isn’t available at your PO, go online to  https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv     You can order stamps and they are delivered right to your mailbox. How cool is that?

Hope you enjoy the video.  Now, I’m off to shower and prepare for a graduation celebration.

https://youtu.be/VZQ2uV-w424

Question: What stamp can inspire you to create a decorated envelope for someone special in your life?

The Source of Evil

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

A few nights ago Beloved Spouse and Dear Mother and I shared dinner with some close and dear friends. Our conversation ranged over many things. Then, the question was raised,

“If God is sovereign, where did evil come from? Give me Scripture to prove whatever you say.”

This tough question comes just as I am beginning to read a book called None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God, by Matthew Barrett. (Baker Books ISBN -10:0801098742  ISBN-13:978-0801098741)

What an interesting confluence of ideas and questions! The conversation and the book started me thinking and here is what I believe might be the answer to the question and the connection to the book. (Just a note: I haven’t finished None Greater and so am not ready to give it my hearty approval, but so far, it bodes becoming one of my favs right up there with Knowing God by J.I. Packer. (ISBN- 10:083081650X    ISBN-13: 978-0830816507) This one is SO wonderful. I urge you to read it!)

DEFINING GOD

Barrett posits that we “modern” Christians tend to look at God’s attributes from a human-ward angle. He says we look at God

“in a very experiential way: love is a common human experience, so God must be a God of love, mercy is a commendable virtue, so God must be a God of mercy; and so on. Thinking about God was always from the bottom up—that is, from my experience to who God is. But with the help of Augustine and Anselm, that approach now seed dangerous, always flirting with the possibility of creating a God in our own image, always defining God’s attributes according to our own limitations. What was so different about the God of Augustine and Anselm was that they first though of God as one who is not like us. They started from the top (God) and then worked their way down (to humanity). They moved from the Creator to the creature. And this approach seemed far more aligned with the way the biblical authors approached God. As David says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light” (Ps. 36:9).       Matthew Barrett, None Greater, p. 8-11

Barrett proceeds to unpack our understanding of God and His attributes by laying the foundation that “God is someone that whom none greater can be conceived.” He goes on to show that God must be the most perfect Being. Every attribute which we ascribe to God is gathered into penultimate perfection. So there is absolutely nothing greater or “more” than God. His immensity in every aspect is incomprehensible to us. We are barely able to describe or line out any aspect of Him in even the most rudimentary way, let alone to exhaustion.

THE ALMIGHTY AS CREATOR OF EVIL

So if we confess that God is indeed the Supreme Being, we will have to wrestle with the question posed by my friend.

“If God is sovereign, where did evil come from? Give me Scripture to prove whatever you say.”

I’ve dragged my memory for Scripture that would answer. My trusty concordance yielded some very interesting passages. Let me try to put them into a coherent case for my still nebulous opinion that God is the Creator of evil.

I am beginning to say this because I believe to the core of my being two things: 1) that Barrett (along with Anselm, Augustine and Aquinas) is right:

“[God] is, without qualification, without reservation, the Supreme being, the fullness of Being itself.”    None Greater, p. 54.

And 2) that God is the only source of all things–there is nothing outside of Him. If that is so, we may not say that “God is not the author of evil. He only permits it.” To say that is a logical fallacy. To posit that evil arose from some other place leaves that glaring question that brings the very essence of God into question. So the assertion stands: God created evil. God uses evil to accomplish His purposes. God will do away with evil at the end of the ages.

But we are outraged at the idea that God created evil. I believe our outrage stems from our finitude.

What are your limits? What are you capable of?

We simply cannot conceive of a Being so utterly “Other,” so utterly beyond our comprehension that He is able to be perfect, pure, and holy and yet be the author of the heinousness of evil. But Scripture tells us that God, the vast and inscrutable Other, in His complete perfection does create and use evil. His very “vastness” and being so far beyond our comprehension makes it possible to say that He has created and uses evil. But how? I don’t know. And why? I don’t know. As I dug through my concordance I found Scripture that seems to answer the “why”. The “how” is not ever likely to be comprehensible to me.

SCRIPTURE SHOWS GOD AS CREATOR OF EVIL

Beginning in Genesis 2:9 we hear that God created the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Obviously evil must have existed before the Creation and before the Fall. Nothing exists that He did not create.

“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16

I ask you, what does all mean?

What does the word “all” include? Exclude?

In 1 Samuel 16:14 the story of King Saul proceeds with the sad but stunning statement that “the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him.”

The prophet Jeremiah speaks on behalf of the Holy One, “I am bringing disaster on this people… because they have not listened to My word, and as for My law, they have rejected it also.” (Jeremiah 6:19) Jeremiah speaks for the Divine Potter (there’s a vivid picture of God’s sovereignty!) and declares on His behalf to His rebellious people, “Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you…” (Jer. 18:11) God is the One who will bring down, destroy and deliver calamity as He sees fit—to judge sin for both time and eternity.

Amos the prophet asks in Amos 3:6 “If calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?”

“Hold on”, you say. “The Bible says “God’s eyes are too holy to approve (look on) evil.” Yes, it says that in Habakkuk 1:13, but let’s look at that statement in context. Go back to verse 6 in chapter 1 and see that God, speaking through the prophet Habakkuk, describes the Chaldeans (a powerful pagan nation) as a tool He is raising up. They are “fierce”, “imperious”, “dreaded and feared” enemies that “swoop down to devour” and “they come for violence”. With no break or equivocation, Habakkuk says “You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge and You, O Rock, have established them to correct. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.”  The people of God have been wicked and rebelliously turned from God so He is warning them of His impending judgement of them. He cannot and will not look on evil in His people. However, He will use evil to deal with His people. The evil that He brings on them will humble them in repentance to their knees before Him. He will use evil to root out the evil of their (and our) rebellion.

The story of Job with the catastrophes, tragedies and sufferings that befall him are all a result of God, the Almighty One, giving satan permission to use evil against His beloved Job. Satan does not stand separate and co-equal to God. He is a created being as incapable of ex nihilo (out of nothing) creation as any angel or human. Satan did not invent or create evil. Humans did not invent or create evil. God, in His incomprehensible power, His unfathomable plan, and His inscrutable wisdom, has created evil and uses it as His tool. He is working all things for good for those He loves. (Romans 8:28)

How does evil do that? I don’t know. But I do know that God is the Creator of all things. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for him.” Colossians 1:16

CONCLUSION

I say that God, the Holy One, has created evil I say He uses it according to His sovereign purposes. I make this assertion with great trembling. I do not want to call good evil or evil good (Isaiah 5:20-25). There is divine woe pronounced on any who are “wise in their own eyes.” So if I am wrong, and I easily could be, I pray, “LORD, have mercy and forgive me for Jesus’ sake. Turn my eyes deeper into Your Word to see Your truth.”

QUESTION: What do you think about where evil comes from? Do you think your view of God has any influence on your opinion?

 Your Ideas are Showing

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

In this age of trends, buzzwords and memes we Americans are eager to show what we believe in ways that often fail to think through what we are really saying. I recently saw a bumper sticker that read “Protect Abortion Rights-Don’t Criminalize Women.” The ideas, presuppositions, and implications in those six words are powerful. They reflect the zeitgeist of our time. I am distressed at the way we, as supposed “enlightened” and “educated” people, have succumbed to such shallow thinking, careless logic and complete moral blindness.

Let’s pull apart the thoughts in this bumper banner. The well-coifed and immaculately groomed driver of the upscale (and upsized) SUV is shouting at every driver and passerby what she believes. I daresay it is likely she has never thought through the implications of what she is saying.

The “right” to an abortion is a legal perversion of our time. When a child is conceived, sexual intercourse has taken place. With very rare exception (rape or incest) these interactions have been a CHOICE for the parties involved. Each partner has consented to an act in which human beings have engaged since the beginning of time with the full knowledge that the conception of a human child is a possible or even likely outcome.  Until very recently in human history the taking of the life of an unborn or newly born child was considered murder.  Our society has thrown off the “shackles” of admitting we live under the  Creator who has declared the taking of human life a heinous moral wrong.  (One of the 10 Commandments: Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13) As a result our lowest, twisted moral selves have legally sanctioned self-indulgent and irresponsible behavior and even called the evil of murdering the weakest and most defenseless of us “good.”

The couple who CHOOSE to have sex which results in pregnancy can CHOOSE to carry the baby to term. Then, in a few days or months, if they find the baby is inconvenient or not perfect, they can CHOOSE to “terminate” it. “WAIT!” you cry. “That’s murder!” Yes. So what is the difference? What makes killing a baby who is 9 weeks from conception different from one that is 9 months and one hour from birth and one who is 9 years old? Absolutely nothing except time, nutrition and location.

from conception to natural death we are obliged to honor and preserve the life God has bestowed

We “enlightened” and “educated” people of the 21st century have taken leave of our sense. We have abandoned our God-given conscience regarding life and the moral imperative for its preservation.

Consider that bumper sticker: “Don’t Criminalize Women.” Why not? If a woman CHOOSES to murder her child, why not recognize she has committed a criminal act? She has violated what humans have known for millennia: the unborn child is a living human being. The “tissue” in a woman’s womb, from the moment egg and sperm unite, is a living being created in God’s image. That “unwanted” or “inconvenient” child did not CHOOSE to be conceived. We “already-born” “former fetuses” have the obligation to CHOOSE to care for those we conceive. Self-indulgence may run headlong into personal responsibility and “Adulting” may be hard, but there are so many resources and ways to deal with “mistakes” or “problems” that none has an excuse worthy of murder.

QUESTION: What do you believe? Are you giving thought to what is behind the clever saying you posted or “liked” on Facebook? Is it morally true?

Unlikely Beginnings

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey
The gardeni springing to life from unlikely beginnings

A few days ago I made an early morning wander through our yard and marveled at the tiny buds of lettuce and green beans bravely pushing above the brown earth. Amazing isn’t it, that plants and flowers emerge to full-blown beauty from seemingly insignificant, nearly invisible and unlikely beginnings.

Lettuce seeds are very small and completely camouflaged when they are dropped into waiting rows in the dirt. How can that wee bit of organic “crispy” yield such a huge, harvest of summer salad? And the carrot seeds- equally tiny, equally unpromising give us what Beloved Spouse, THE family gardener, calls a “tonnage crop.” We eat so many pounds of carrots all winter it is astonishing when compared to the few grams weight of seed that was planted.

And then consider the flower beds’ denizens. Iris, columbines, daisies, tulips, and hostas all withered and disappeared over the winter. The thumbs of flower beds poking into the matted brown remnants of lawn are punctuated only by gawky dead twigs of rose bushes. Shapeless mounds of rumpled brown and gray earth–tattered remains of last summer’s glory–seem unlikely to have any life, let alone beauty within. Then comes spring. Warmer days, sunshine and gentle rains bring the tiny signs of life from the barren clods. Tulip, iris and hosta nubbins poke up. Little green knobs declare that columbines and daisies are wakening to a new and glorious season. THE gardener, decked in warm jacket against the bite of early spring wind, has shoveled, hoed, raked and planted the rectangle of organic detritus into rows. Wee bits of life promised in seed-packet pictures have been deposited and now are marching in hopeful green rows. They are soldiering their way to vegetable profusion.

So it is with our lives. Often great accomplishments start in small, nearly invisible ways. Consider the small box Beloved Spouse has. It is a rough cardboard shipping container—with “garden stuff” written on one end with magic marker. It contains a big collection of seed packets: opened and unopened. Packets are dated from this year and several previous years’ plantings. The opened ones have made their way to the garden rows and the unopened ones linger in the box with “I’m not sure why I bought this variety” or “This is a great kind of cucumber- I don’t want to forget which kind I used.” Each packet contains hundreds of un-used possibilities. Similarly, our lives have many seeds of creative projects that we overlook, discard or deem unworthy of our time and effort.

I’m pondering several things as possible “new crops.” Calligraphy projects to letter, books to write, and quilts to make. The ideas are tiny and seem pretty un-promising just now. If I plant them into the days I have been given, water and tend the little seeds of inspiration, who knows what kind of yield I may see.

QUESTION: What project or plan is lying in your subconscious waiting to be planted?

Envelopes, Please!

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Have you ever received a decorated envelope?

This week I have been making a fresh set of 14 decorated envelopes because I am the organizer of the annual Decorated Envelope Exchange for Write On Calligraphers. (http://writeoncalligraphers.org/) This calligraphy guild is in Western Washington and has members from all over the northern West Coast. The participants in the Decorated Envelope Exchange attend the annual Letters of Joy (LOJ) Calligraphy conference in early May. Some sign up to be part of the exchange of decorated envelopes over the months between conferences.

The concept is simple. The list of those who sign up to participate is organized into groups of 6 to 8 people per list. Over the year each person sends an envelope to each name on the list in which they are included. The envelopes can be simple or elaborate but each is a delightful work of art. Calligraphers especially seem to relish this creative opportunity. It is a fun way to share calligraphic skills and artistic inspiration.

I often use the stamp as a “jump-off” point for my designs.

                     The envelopes I sent in 2017 were based on stamps that showcased various Hispanic foods.

This year my envelopes are designed around the Post Office’s “scratch and sniff” stamps with 2 popsicles on each one.

This year, each envelope has a colored pencil drawing based on the popsicles on the stamps so no two envelopes are the same.

Check out the archived decorated envelope designs from those entered in the annual Graceful Envelope Contest. It is sponsored by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers. https://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html  This year’s theme was “Put Your Stamp On It.” You can peruse several years of past entries and it is a really fascinating “eye candy” experience! I entered an envelope this year and am waiting to find out if it made it into the honorable mention column.

Another fun place to look at decorated envelopes is in Bound and Lettered magazine. (This magazine is a publication from John Neal Books. It is a supplier to calligraphy and bookmaking artists.) John Neal sponsored a contest last year in conjunction with the annual International Calligraphy Convention called “SeattLetters.” I entered an envelope with my design based on a stamp. It made the pages of Bound and Lettered.  Check out my envelope by scrolling down in the PDF here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.johnnealbooks.com/downloads/15-4pgs.pdf

I am a wild enthusiast of hand-lettered and decorated envelopes. It is a fun way to share my love of calligraphy and my art. It also lets my friends and family know how much I love them by making their names in “fancy” letters and painting or drawing something special just for them.

QUESTION: Who could you send a decorated envelope to? Are you brave enough to add a bit of artwork to the envelope of the birthday or graduation cared you are about to send off? Don’t you think your Mail Carrier will enjoy it (not to mention the Receiver-of-the-Envelope)?

On Waiting: Uncertainty and Anxiety

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

I’m waiting with my husband for the time he will be rolled into surgery. It has been a long and stressful morning of preparation for this procedure. Here he is, all scrubbed, poked and prepped for a big “event” (knee replacement, as it happens), but the actual surgery is more than an hour away. This flurry of action followed by a “wait” is unsettling. I feel off-balance. The whole situation makes me think of how our lives are made up of these experiences of hurry and rush followed by the uncertainty and anxiety of a “wait.”

Knowing that we were facing weeks of limited mobility following this surgery made the daily “to-do” list fairly long. But being busy kept the anxiety and uncertainty of the impending operation at bay. But now, sitting in this blank-walled, “other-world,” I have ample time for all sorts of “what ifs” to play out in my head. So—taking a deep breath, I am taking my thoughts in hand and bring them into captivity to Christ.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raise up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5b

What does Scripture say about waiting? About anxiety? About the outcome in store for me? Waiting for God is a command. He is the Holy Creator. I am a sinful creature. The vast difference between God and me is enough that I must lay my hand on my mouth in reverent silence and submission to Him and His plans.

The future is invisible to our finite eyes, but God sees. Trust Him.

God, the Eternal and Unchangeable One, is never late and never early. His plans are ripening exactly as He purposes and every second of my life, indeed all of human activity is completely under His control. He knows every aspect, every thought and action of every person. Nothing escapes His all-knowing gaze.

I am anxious about the outcome of this surgery. What if Beloved Spouse is crippled, ends up in a coma, or worse yet, were to die? The same truth regarding the power, wisdom and good purposes of God bring comfort. God knows all that will come. He loves me and assures me that everything that come to me is for my good.

What amazing comfort that God will work EVERYTHING to our best. He is so good!

He has told me that all that makes me anxious, causes me fear or prompts concern, should be cast on Him.

At our darkest times, God cares. Tell Him and He will shoulder your troubles.

He is the All-Powerful One. He is able to deal with anything that will come to me. He has promised His Holy Spirit will guide and direct me. The Word of promise to me is that He will provide all I need. So, as I wait, my thoughts are quieted before my wonderful loving Heavenly Father. He has made me His child by His Son, Jesus.

God loves me! Remember the Sunday school song, “Jesus Loves Me.”? It is true. “The Bible tells me so.”

His love and concern for me are vast and eternal.  The eternal God is a dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.     Deuteronomy 33: 27a

I am able to relax. I am able to wait. The tides of uncertainty may swirl but I can rest and wait in perfect quietness and confidence. God has it all in hand.

QUESTION: What are you waiting for? Does God’s power, sovereignty and love for you help you obediently wait?

P.S. I wrote this post last week and then after I finished writing it, I found this quote today in the daily devotional book Beloved Spouse and I read together each morning. There is a passage of Scripture to read, a very helpful article explaining it and then as a sidebar called Coram Deo (Living before the face of God). This is the quote from May 10.

God offered David many specific encouragements when he was on the run from Saul. The Lord continues to encourage His people today through His Word, which assures us of God’s presence and power. When you need fresh assurance that the Lord is with you, turn to His Word, for its promises of God’s presence, power, and provision are sure.

The magazine is called Tabletalk. It is a monthly publication of Ligonier Ministries. Find it by going to: tabletalkmagazine.com. The subscription cost is quite modest and well worth the getting. They are willing to send you a sample copy if you request it.

AND… God is healing Beloved Spouse very quickly. Praise God!

A piece of calligraphy I did trying to use the lessons in the uncial alphabet and the lesson on how to create Celtic knots.