Author: Karyn Jeffrey

Black Hole of January

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Today I have been soaking in the exquisite blue-sky, biting cold, snow-laden day from the comfort of a warm house. The joy of a cup of coffee in a patch of sun and silence makes my heart pour over with joy. It seems strange to love this harsh beauty all around me. Ordinarily January is a hard month for me. There is the let down after the whirl and excitement of holidays. The glum gray weather and short daylight conspire to drag my heart down. It is so easy to just push my nose into a book, or let my eyes glaze over staring at a home improvement re-run, or mindlessly tap keys to play a computer game. I shrug off the nudges of conscience that urge me to get that project done, or get busy in my studio again now that there is time to work. I slouch my way through the days with a niggling undercurrent of embarrassment at my sloth and indolence.

Thankfully, God doesn’t let His kids wallow and wander too long or too far. A few days ago, in the gray gloom of despair, I prayed and asked for relief. His Spirit gently nudged me to bring my trouble to Him.

“Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.”

So, almost reluctantly (to my shame—there is a perverse delight in being miserable sometimes, isn’t there?) I took out my Bible and got on my knees. I asked for help to break out of the miserable hole in which I found myself.

“Here I am, God. I feel like a slug. I have gained too many pounds eating mindlessly during the holidays. I have been lazing around building bad habits that are dragging me down and ruining my witness for You. I have procrastinated on several major projects and now I am in a state of immobile misery. Help me! Stir me up to want to do what I should. Create in me a desire for the things that honor and delight You. I can’t do this on my own. I even know that in my old self I don’t want to ‘straighten up.’ Please help me.”

My prayer was not terribly eloquent. Not fancy. But from my miserable heart to His kind and listening ear, Jesus stood at the Throne of the Father and interceded for me. And, Faithful Father! He sent out His Holy Spirit to come along side and work in me.

God isn’t like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, just waving a magic wand and making everything wonderful and “sparkly.” Rather,  He stirred up my soul in almost indiscernible steps at first. A song  heard here, the word of a friend there. The verse I read that morning. An unexpected invitation rendered. A reminding thought of an opportunity nearly passed by because of my recent indifference. And, in answer to my pitiful prayer, He began stirring in my heart, creating the desire and the will to do what needed to be done

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

Today, especially, I have reason to sing. The Holy Spirit, truly a Comforter, the gift of Jesus to His own, has worked in my heart and mind. I am refreshed, changed and recharged. I know it is His work because in my own strength I most certainly would not have pulled out of my emotional, spiritual and artistic black hole.  So, here, today, God has jolted me with this glorious day that begs my soul to sing. As the Psalmist says,  He is Good and does good. Psalm 119:68  I will praise Him for all His wonderful works which He has made known to me.

Question:

Are you bumbling around in despair? Are you struggling with winter gloom? Will you call on God to help you?

Ordinary Things

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

“…you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all your undertakings.”

Day before yesterday was crazy! It started out so “ordinary.” I spent the morning getting groceries and running errands–which is a several-stop, not-my-favorite project. Bright Spot: At home I was able to gobble lunch and make some scones to share with my dear Art Friend. She came to give my preps for an upcoming art event “once-over” (Bless her heart!) As she departed I scurried out the door to the dentist with beloved Mother in tow. Ok. That wasn’t tough, I love my hygienist and just getting teeth cleaned is not bad. On our way home, at a very busy intersection, waiting for the turn-lane light to go green I realize smoke is beginning to billow from under the hood of my car. The temperature gauge is at full HOT!!!  PANIC MODE! Think fast!!

Bright Spot: My bank was literally kitty-corner from this scene of descending disaster. So, in moments I was able to pull into the parking lot, stop the engine and think what to do next. An attempted phone call to the roadside assistance company yielded a frustrating “we are experiencing higher than average call volume, please continue to hold.” 10 minutes of that and “beep”— hang up, this isn’t working. Then I remember that my banker (who is also my neighbor) is probably at or near the end of her working day. I’ll give her a call to maybe get a ride home. Bright Spot: I give her a call. “Yes! I’ll pick you up… I’m only a few blocks away.” What a God-send!

So, at home, too late to call the repair shop or tow service so Deeply Appreciated Auto will have to spend the night on its own at the bank.  Bright Spot: I’m able to give the remaining scones to wonderful, helpful neighbor/banker/friend for her help saving my hips from serious trouble.

This auto trouble was a catastrophic radiator leak. Bright Spot:  Upon reflection I was able to praise God for when, where and how it happened. Given my earlier-in-the-day travels the outcome could have been a much greater magnitude trial.

The next day was spent sorting out the tow and repair situation while continuing to work on book, Art Tour and blog projects. Oh, but I needed to pick beans! So, my focus shifted to a few quiet minutes in the garden thinking about God and His wonderful ways. Deuteronomy 12:18 “…you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all your undertakings.”

Daily, ordinary, little things are to be causes of our rejoicing in the LORD. So, I am determined to rejoice in the troubles. Look for those “Bright Spots” and give God the praise for His wonderful ordering of my daily “ordinary.”

QUESTION: What has happened in your “ordinary” day that you can see God’s work and praise Him? Will you share with me?

Mystic Quiet = Fresh Goals

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Recently my now-retired spouse proposed a fishing trip to one of his favorite spots with “would you like to go along?” attached. Inwardly I sighed and thought of all the things I wanted to do at home. But immediately my deeper desire not to waste an opportunity to spend time with him kicks in and I say, “sure!”

I pack my “art stuff” and he loads his fishing gear. We fill the camper with food and folding chairs—because coffee out in the early morning sun is a ‘must.’ As soon as we pull on to the highway a sense of relief sweeps over me. The ordinary—laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, computer work, TV, even garden veggies needing processing—drops away and is replaced with a nearly mystic calm. The next two days will be an oasis of peace. As the miles pass so does the tyranny of the urgent.

Coffeepot lake

Ahh, quiet happiness! The solitude, beauty and peace of the lake is an emotional and spiritual elixir. As the day draws to a close the wind swirls and ebbs around me. The swallows and blackbirds glide and sit by turns. What a time of peaceful renewal that makes my heart overflow with gladness for this beautiful place.

After a deep, refreshing sleep, out comes the little notebook I grabbed as I packed. I reread the only entry—just one page—made over 3 years ago.  It sets out an ambitious plan for my writing and art.  I am stunned, surprised and encouraged!  Those goals have largely been completed! There wasn’t a fancy list, just some simple things written down that I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t put in any deadlines (though some motivational experts would say that is a critical need) I just wrote down—“said out loud”—what I wanted to do with my life.

It made me realize how truly valuable it is to set goals. To “say them out loud” (so to speak) by writing them down.

So, I am determined to use this delicious slice of quiet to ponder and make a fresh set of goals. Who knows? Three years from now I may have another book or two in print? Wouldn’t that be nice?

my goals

Question: Have you written your goals recently? Are you brave enough to “say them out loud”?

 

Wheat or Chaff?

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Psalm 1

The time of wheat harvest is upon the Palouse here in Eastern Washington. The waving golden fields are being slashed into spikey rows as modern combines gather the grain and nearly effortlessly do the work that once was grueling, back-breaking labor for hundreds of men. The process of getting wheat from field to freight trains bound for bakeries all around the world is a mystery to most of us. But that was not so to the men and women who lived in ancient times. For most of human history, wheat was scythed by hand and carried to threshing floors. There the wheat stalks were flailed and flung high into the wind. The process dropped the precious grain to the ground while the wind carried away the useless outer husks—“chaff.” In other cases, the chaff would be gathered and burned.

If you were a grain of wheat, this process of “winnowing,” as it was called, would be traumatic. You would be beaten, tossed, and dropped. But if you were the chaff, not just trauma, but catastrophe. You and the wheat would be beaten and tossed and flung high. But as the wheat safely dropped to the floor, there you are, alone, to be borne by the wind to a nameless, useless end. The wheat will remain, valuable and useful. It will become food that will nourish and sustain many. You, the chaff, will be lost and utterly useless-flung to oblivion or burned with fire.

Life is harrowing and the current times seem much like a threshing floor experience. We are being beaten, tossed and dropped. The winnowing brings turmoil, trauma. The temptation is strong to become a spiritual chameleon, to blend into the world’s pattern in an effort to avoid the chaos. There is in our fallen human heart the notion that if we just go along with what the world says we won’t have any trouble. Being “righteous” in this context is scary.

But God is at work, separating the evil from the good. As John the Baptist said of Jesus at His baptism: “His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

QUESTION:

Are you wheat or chaff? Have you repented of the sin that separates you from God? Maybe you playing close to the fire, compromising with the world in an effort to avoid the scorn of others? Beware. Both paths are perilous.

Gratitude Eclipsed

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

 

Hot weather engulfing wide swathes of our country this week stir my thinking about how we are engulfed and swayed by the immediate and often lose sight of what is really important. When the heat and humidity soar we are preoccupied with how to stay cool. We find conversations everywhere focused on the communal misery of the oppressive heat. When you are enduring triple digit heat and 99% humidity, thinking about anything else is truly difficult.

It seems the same with our political climate this past year (has it been that long already?!). The waves of words and crashing craziness combined with world events that seem careering out of control have swamped me, and I imagine many others, with a high tide of anxiety about life. It has caused me to lose sight of what is true, beautiful and lovely.  I have often not noticed the beauty of daily blessings.

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Our garden is being particularly lovely just now but there I sat in my chair, staring at it all, busy mulling morosely over the political debacles unfolding, instead of praising my Creator for such a joyous panorama.

I am in good health and, shame on me, I have failed to thank Him for that good gift today. God has put so many people in my life who are delightful. I have failed to thank Him for each one. And to compound it, I have taken them for granted failing to let them know how much I love them.

He provides a comfortable and safe home for me and given me so much to do that I have grumbled about my “overload-ness” and complained about my stress. What a shame that I have not stopped to thank Him for the talent, training, time and space to do what I love. I love caring for my husband and mother. I love being able to do laundry and hang sheets on the line to dry. I love being able to cook and eat tasty food. I love being able to lie down and sleep in peace and safety. I love being able to draw and paint and make beautiful letters with my pens.  Oh, this list could go on a long time!

God is so good to me. And how have I repaid Him? With careless ingratitude stirred with sinful anxiety. I think the best antidote to this situation is a fresh reflection on Philippians 4: 4-8.

philippians 4_8

Want a Good Book?

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey
my book: Life In Letters- A Christian Young Person's Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace
my book: Life In Letters- A Christian Young Person’s Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace

My book sales are experiencing a summer lull, so here is a code to save 20% on my book, Life In Letters: A Christian Young Person’s Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace. THIS OFFER ENDS JULY 31, 2016. Here is how to get your savings–

Go to Lifeinlettersbook.com.  Find the “Buy from the Author” button. when you are ready to check out enter this code: BP72516

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Creative Juices Flowing

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Here is where my artistic juices have been flowing lately. I’ve spent the past several days creating in this most inspirational space. Did you notice that it is the same color as my new bedroom?

Here she takes a nervous gulp and blurts out:

studio in some semblance of order- thankfully ink smudges and dog fur not visible
studio in some semblance of order- thankfully ink smudges and dog fur not visible

“I am about to launch a serious ‘social media campaign.’ ”

This is definitely tame by the standard of many younger folks but for a “mature” woman like myself it feels like a leap into a galaxy far, far away! So here is what is planned:  I am preparing to begin uploading pics to Instagram and making a bigger presence on Face Book and be more intentional and regular in posting on my blog.

these designs will be cards for sale soon. Planning for the Studio Art Tour in September for sure
these designs will be cards for sale soon. Planning for the Studio Art Tour in September for sure

I am preparing for the Art Tour in September and so have created 4 designs for 5” x 7” greeting cards. Will be taking them to my art photographer guy today. Look for ways to order them from me sometime soon. Also planning to get a coloring book made from the black and white line drawings of the letters in my book. Busy, busy, busy. But, oh, does it feel wonderful to be back in my studio making art!

So, hop on over to my book website  –  lifeinlettersbook.com (order a book while you are there!), check me out on Instagram – (karynjeffrey) (Whoo-hoo! This is new!) or find me on Face Book – Karyn Jeffrey- The Designing Woman.

my book: Life In Letters- A Christian Young Person's Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace
my book: Life In Letters- A Christian Young Person’s Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace

I’ve put an RSS feed URL here so you can get notified regularly when I post something new. I am hoping to post at least once a week and maybe add a picture of current art work on a different day.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave a comment– it would help to know who is looking.

 

 

Perplexing Political Problems

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

There are two people running for the highest office in our land. I am utterly horrified at the criminal activities and immoral stances of the one, and the boastful, careless and immoral behaviors of the other. How can I as a Christian, in good conscience vote for either one? I am perplexed. There is no parallel in Scripture for the situation that faces our nation. But I believe we can know what to do in November and today, and tomorrow and the next day.  Here is how I think that is possible.

First: pray for wisdom (James 1:5).  This requires spending time reading His Word.  You need to read in other places than Daniel and Revelation in an effort to “know the times and the seasons” Act 1:7 to the exclusion of seeking to “know Jesus” 2 Peter 1:3. You need to read other places than just a verse or two that accompanies a daily devotional booklet. (That is like eating one saltine cracker in the morning and thinking it will suffice for all your nutritional needs for the day.)  You need a well-rounded understanding of who God is and what His thoughts are. That requires time and diligent effort. Read Isaiah 55:6-13 for a powerful encouragement. This passage will give you some helpful perspective.

Wisdom doesn’t come in one “ahha!” moment that is a specific answer once-and-for-all solution. Gaining wisdom is a lifelong process. But God has promised to lead those who keep seeking Him. No time spent reading His Word is wasted. EVER!

Seek the LORD while He may be found...

Second: realize we live in a time that, to us, looks utterly out of control. But God is still sovereign and is working out His plan. He says in His Word that He will deal with boasters, liars, and wicked people of every kind. Read the first 5 Psalms. This is a short but very comforting read!

Third: don’t throw up your hands and just fatalistically say, “I can’t do anything about the political mess and God is going to rapture me out of here and I won’t have to deal with it anyway…” That is not what Scripture says about the end times… but that is another conversation altogether.

Fourth: remember we are not given directions now for our actions in November. We must keep thinking, keep praying, and keep reading. We must keep expecting God to lead us because He has promised over and over to show us the way to walk. When the time comes, the Spirit will superintend our decision. In the meantime, we need to walk quietly with our God. We need to walk in the Light He has given. We need to keep reading and seeking to know Him because He is our wisdom. He is our Peace. He is our Shepherd. His being our Good Shepherd is His promise to lead us in the perfect path at the perfect time. He knows! We don’t. Trust Him.

Keep asking for wisdom. Keep seeking to know Jesus and then trust God to guide your thinking. He is faithful and will give the wisdom, reveal Himself to you and lead you in the way you should go.

Weighed Down

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

“That’s heavy, man!” I can just see a bedraggled hippie guy in embroidered bell-bottom Levis gazing at me with weed-blurred eyes, offering sympathy for my troubles. As a child of the 60’s and 70’s, that phrase comes to mind whenever I think of something that is serious, sad, or overwhelming. And back in the day, the culture offered its condolences with this phrase. Now, I am needing more than this vague expression of solidarity in my misery. So where do I look?

cast your burden

This promise of keeping comes in a Psalm that talks of the evil designs arrayed against God’s own children. I look around at the world situation—seeing every sort of trouble and turmoil—from life-threatening illness in the lives of people I love, to horrors of militant evil persecuting and beheading my fellow Christians. I look at the issues in my own daily situation and realize my long and tyrannous “to-do list” is also a heavy burden.

Oh, my. I am far more weighted down with earthly cares than I knew. I must stop here. I need to slow down. I need to turn my face to Jesus. I need to consciously give Him the things that burden me, the “heavy” things. They threaten to shake me, make me topple into fear. They undermine my trust in my God Who is powerful and able and Who will keep me.

I am helpless to deal with my troubles. But He is utterly capable. He is THE Almighty God. His power and love are everlasting. So why should I keep struggling to solve my problems and settle my anxieties with my own thoughts and ways?! I can turn to Him. I can give Him my troubles and anxieties. He will carry my load. He will keep me.

There is another Scripture that is quite similar to the promise here in chapter 55.

Psalm 37:23, 24. “The steps of a man are established by the LORD and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.”

Here the promise is “skin-to-skin”… the LORD is holding my hand! So, casting my burden on Him is the thing to do. But how?
Prayer and the constant discipline of my thought life- reminding myself of what I know is true of my God and His world. He is the Almighty. He loves me. He has promised to keep me. What comfort!

Question: What are your burdens? Will you give them to Jesus and receive the promise of God’s care and protection? Or would you rather sort out your troubles in your own strength?

Mattress Cooties and Makeovers

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Those mattress ads that show you all the creepy cooties that lurk in your mattress give me the shivers. The magnifying glass graphic hovers over the little dust mite beasties and a solemn voice intones, “Dust mites and shed skin cells accumulate in your mattress…blah, blah, blah.” I shudder, change the channel and try to think of something clean and new. Truth is, though, we do shed cells all the time.

“I’m not the woman I used to be.” Almost every cell in my body gets cycled to the trash, so to speak, so that what made me up physically the day I was born is long gone. The “real me” is still there… but somehow the “housing” keeps changing.

In the spiritual realm it is a little more complicated. My soul –the “real me”—exists. It IS. It doesn’t alter. When I was conceived, I was conceived in sin. The “real me” was born spiritually DEAD. The weight of Adam’s sinful rebellion had fallen on me just like it has on every human being since the Garden. I was on my way to bearing the wrath of God Almighty on my sin. But, God in His mercy chose to give me spiritual LIFE. He raised the “real” me from spiritual death to eternal life.

That action was His alone. He worked in me to know and see my sinful and hopeless condition. He gave me the faith to believe that Jesus-God in the Flesh- died in my place under His holy wrath. He gave me a “makeover.” (2 Corinthians 5:17- “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.”) And that is where this week’s promise comes in.

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God has covenanted—PROMISED—to make me know His law, to know His holiness. He has changed that old, dead “me” for an alive and new “me.”

Ezekiel 11: 19-20 explains this transaction so I can see that I really am new, not just “improved” or “revised.” It explains what being new gives me the power to do. Listen:

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people and I shall be their God.”

“I am not the woman I used to be.” I have a new heart. It is written on with the finger of God. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) It enables me to do what pleases Him. I don’t have to live under the tyranny of my sinful “old self” or the torment of the enemy of our souls. I am ALIVE! I am FREE! I am God’s child! He is my God! He did this for me! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Question: Are you the woman or man you used to be? Or are you God’s person, with His holiness written on your heart?