I've seen God lately...

...in His constant provision.

...in encouragement from unexpected places.

...in peace when the world tells me to worry.

...in knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

...in His protection.

...in people recognizing Truth.

...in reading books that seem to be about my life.

images: 1, 2

I've seen God lately...

...in being pointed to Scripture & books that say just what I'd been looking for.  More on that later.

...in the way He's using my shop to bring glory to Him.  More on that later, too.

...in His provision.

...in the way He's constantly closing doors.  Which can be depressing.  Or it can remind me that He will open a door eventually & it will be better than any that I could imagine.

images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Friday Thoughts

one. [spoiler alert] Just watched the Office from last night.  One of my favorite episodes ever.  I've been really nervous about Michael leaving the show, but they're doing a really good job with it so far.  And I just love him with Holly.

  

two. Haven't put anything new up in the shop the last few days because I've been working on several custom orders.  Interested?  E-mail me [ten.thirtyone@yahoo.com] or click "request custom item" on the left side of the shop.

three. I've seen God lately...in the encouragement from bloggy friends (& real-life friends who I didn't know read my blog...).  

four. etsy dreaming...

 

images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Happy Friday, friends!

Anchor for My Soul

via

Lately, I keep being reminded of the idea that God is the anchor for my soul.

Over & over & over.

There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart & flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul

I can say, "it is well."

{I Will Rise, Chris Tomlin}

You're the anchor of my soul

By Your perfect love I know

Sin has no grip on me

By Your priceless blood I'm free

{The Anchor, The Museum} 

 I'm moving forward with the promise

You are the anchor for my soul

That's all I need to know

{Constant, Francesca Battistelli} 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm & secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf...

{Hebrews 6:19-20}

I know I have to paint it...just haven't quite gotten the whole picture in my head yet.

And also...I want this...& secretly kind of want something like this.

That's how I saw God today...in the gentle in-your-face (love it) reminders that HE is my hope when things seem hopeless.  HE holds the plan.  HIS glory is the plan.  HE is where my help comes from.  HE is my song.

Miscellany Monday

one. friend date

For all my childhood years, Sarabeth was my best friend.  We lived next door to each other & pretty much lived with each other, especially during the summer.  Over the years, we've grown apart like most do.  We're very different...different interests, beliefs, friends, lives...but she's one of those friends that you can just pick right back up where you left off.  So I spent Saturday afternoon with her...first time we've done that in years.  It made me happy.

two. welcome, Spring!
Saw these when I was walking around downtown Athens on Saturday.  Weeds wildflowers mean spring...which it officially is as of yesterday.  Yay!

three. Mother's Day

Mother's Day is 7 weeks from yesterday.  That seems like a long time.  But...think ahead.  Happy to do custom shop orders for the wonderful moms in your life.  Here's a sneak peek of one I'm working on that I think would be great for Mother's Day.

four. dear iTunes...
Sometimes I expect iTunes to read my mind.  I just typed in Here For You.  I'm painting & singing along to Passion...& the next thing I know, I begin to listen to the words I'm singing:

Your love, as far as I can see
Is all I'm ever gonna need
If there's one thing for sure, I know it's true
Baby, I'd go anywhere for you 

Dear iTunes, just know that I wanted you to stay on Passion music.  Backstreet Boys was not what I had in mind for today.  [But maybe tomorrow...] 

I've seen God lately...

...in the excitement of my brother telling me about the mission trip he went on to New Orleans for his spring break.  First one he's been on without me, so it was weird to hear his stories & to have not been there to experience them.  Good weird though.

...in the smiles, laughter, empathy, & encouragement from refreshing people.

Happiness + Glory

I saw God today...in an e-mail from McKinlie.  We've had a long list e-mail going back & forth for several days now.  Today she reminded me that God does have an incredible plan for my life...but that plan does not revolve around my happiness.  His plan is incredible because it brings Him the glory.  Not that God doesn't want me to be happy, or that He doesn't care at all about my happiness...but He knows that I am going to find the most happiness by bringing HIM the most glory.

A few other random pieces of information:

one. Today is the last day to enter the ten.thirty-one. giveaway going on on Becca's blog.  Not many people have entered, so your chances are pretty good right now.

two. I have something new that I'm working on & am really excited about.  Will hopefully be in the shop later today, but here's a little sneak peek:

 

three.  This shop is bringing me so much joy right now.  Not something I ever would've imagined.  I'm adding new pieces every few days & am loving it.  To be sure you're receiving all updates on new paintings, giveaways, special deals, etc...follow ten.thirty-one on twitter & become a fan on Facebook.

four. I've been meaning to tell you about this for days & keep forgetting...Cole is giving away one of her wreaths & helping raise money for her friends' adoption at the same time.  Love how she's using this.  Click here for more info & to enter.  And also, if you haven't checked out her shop, you need to.  You'll fall in love.

The end.

High of 84 here today & tomorrow...hope you're getting some sunshine, too.  Enjoy your weekends!

Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

 I saw felt God today...in the sunshine on my face as I lay in the grass.  [which is probably why I've been sneezing all afternoon...oops.]

Choosing Him

In preparing for Bible study with my youth girls tonight, I read this:

We need more than just a Sunday morning prompt to praise; we need a steady dialogue of praise filling our thought closets. [from Me, Myself, & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild]

"From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God & of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it." 

C.S. Lewis

This week, a lot of our Bible study has focused on choosing God over self.  Choosing for HIM to be the center of our lives & not ourselves.  That seems so obvious, yet when I think about it...how much do I intentionally do for His glory rather than to achieve my goals, to further my life plan, to make my life "better"?  Choosing for God to be at the center is a moment-by-moment action that we must all face.  Sometimes I find myself wondering why God didn't choose my life plan.  I mean...it seems pretty good to me.  What can He have for me that's possibly better?  And then I have to remind myself...the most JOY that I can possibly receive comes from glorifying Him, from making more of Him & less of me, from drawing the attention to Him, from making His renown my sole desire.

I saw God today...in the sunshine & flowers.  I think He knows that when I need a little "pick-me-up," all He has to do is make some flowers bloom & point me to a camera.

#130. a grandmother who always knows what I need to hear & never ceases to encourage me.

#131. spring.

#132. "Lord, I Need You"...on repeat today.

#133. fruit.

#134. Isaiah.

You are Mine

I saw God today...in the repetition of this promise.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; & through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, & the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Isaiah 43:1-3 

God doesn't promise that He'll care for us if we have troubles...His promise is for when we do.

I am in the sun, I am in the shade

I am in the light that love has made

I am in the cold, I am in the warm

I am in the center of your storm

I am in the fire, I am in the flood

I am in the marrow & the blood

When you cannot stand...I am.

#127. rainy days.

#128. a creative outlet.

#129. pen & paper.

Faithful, You Are Ever Faithful

I've seen God lately...

...in a sunrise that I hadn't seen in quite some time.

...in the faithfulness of friends.  Even in the storm, I see them praise Him all the more.  There's not much more encouraging than that.

...in this passage.  In Matthew 14, we see the disciples terrified by Jesus walking on the water.  Peters says in verse 28, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."  He asked.  How often is God right there ready to show us a miracle, but we don't ask?  We don't have the faith to believe He could perform it, so we never ask.  What is He doing that our eyes are not open to see?

Ablaze

I saw God today...you know I've been reading Radical.  [I've tried not to say too much about it here because I'm doing it with my Bible study girls in a few weeks & know I'll want to talk about it more then.]  This week I was at the bookstore buying Radical for a friend.  Two older men were in line behind me & commented on the book, saying how good it was, but that it would "mess you up."  And they're right...it will challenge you.  It'll make you mad at yourself & others, as well as churches across the world.  It'll make you wonder if you've completely surrendered to God's call on your life.  It'll make you wonder how your life is making a global impact for the glory of God.  However...it doesn't leave you hanging.  Tonight, the chapter I read was on discipleship.  I felt so encouraged by this.  I don't want to say too much, but reading this makes me see that there is hope.  There are people who care about the state of our hearts, others', & our churches.  There are people who pray for revival & truly believe in its coming.

Revival fire fall
Revival fire fall
Let the flame consume us
With hearts ablaze for Jesus
Father let revival fire fall 

just one glimpse is enough

I saw God today...in a situation that I can't really write about on here.  But trust me...I caught a glimpse, & it was good.

The sight of You leaves me speechless

one glimpse & I am undone

the weight of glory stirs my soul

& I fall face down

*And no, I was not at the beach today...but it would've been nice.  This picture just seemed to fit my mood.*

The Next 40 Days

I've been thinking a lot about Lent.  I've never really given anything up, & this shouldn't even be an excuse, but I think it would just make me mad at myself when I messed up.  

Instead of giving up, I'm want to be more conscious of the presence of God in my life.  I want to notice the little (or BIG), everyday acts of God in my life & the lives of those around me, & not just notice them, but rejoice in them.  This blog is such a great little accountability partner, as I'll be posting each day a little "I saw God today" moment each day for the next 40 days.

Feel free to comment with how YOU see God, or to join in yourself.  If you do, comment so I can be sure to follow yours.

I saw God today...in a youth seeming to grasp that Satan is real & that we fight a spiritual battle every single day.  

 [image]