In our Hearts

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers."

Psalm 1:3

The whole family was involved with Vacation Bible School last week and it was such a busy week that i really didn't get the chance to share the progress Rachel and i made in memorizing Psalm 1.

Well, we did it! All of Psalm 1 is hidden in both of our hearts.

I am thinking about buying Rachel a journal to write our Scriptures in. I have one of my own and it helps me to memorize so we will see how it works for her.

Another thing that helps me when memorizing Scripture is visualization. For example, in Psalm 1, verse 3 really stands out in my mind. I can just see the tree and the streams of flowing water. I have done a rough sketch on paper to get the picture i want to eventually paint. For my post today i tried to find a photograph in my own collection to use in illustrating the verse but i could find nothing. This gives me a sense of urgency in making a painting the picture in my head. I hope to have something soon to share here.

So what is next for Rachel and me? It looks like we are staying in the book of Psalms. This time it will be Psalm 23, another passage that is rich with imagery!

Please keep in touch and join us as we hide God's Word in our hearts!

Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 Chapter 4 of "The Creative Call" deals with forgiveness. I don't know how many times i thought i have forgiven those who have hurt or offended me only to have resentment rise up and smack me in the face when i least expect it. As i read through this chapter many of those past hurts have resurfaced again. One of the first things we are instructed to do in the book is to write the names of people i need to forgive and then we are to write a letter to one of those people telling him or her what they have done to discourage my dream of becoming an artist. My list really wasn' t very long-4 names to be exact. One of those names is my own. I have been stalling on writing the letter because i couldn't decide which would be most beneficial. It probably doesn't matter anyway because i would be the only person to ever see the letter but i do have a way of making things more difficult than they need to be. Finally, i decided to take the matter to God in my quiet time this morning. As i wrote my thoughts down in my journal the realization came to me that the grievances i held against these people were the same grievances i hold against myself. The hurtful things they said or did are the same as i said or did against myself. Maybe their actions were even motivated by the same emotions i feel: fear, overwhelm and uncertainty. From this perspective i do feel more compassion than resentment and with compassion comes forgiveness. While i am not all there yet, i do feel hopeful. I am also hopeful that God will take care of my overwhelming feelings as long as i take them to Him first.