'Rise and Shine'

Today for some reason I felt like I got the word to pray for light in aunt Carla's life.  I'm not sure in what ways, and maybe it's not for me to know but I've just been praying that she would be surrounded by color.  I know that color is a form of light, and that whatever color we see is just the spectrum of light being reflected off an object, so maybe God is giving me a unique way to pray for the different facets of Himself to be revealed.  I know many times in the bible God is referred to as being light, or we as believers are like lamps and so on and so forth so I'm wanting to do a more in depth study of light and colors and how it relates to references of light in the bible.  One thing i found online today that i enjoyed reading is the passage below....

getting materials together

well as the new year and new challenge of painting or making one artwork a day approaches there are quite a few emotions that have tried to overcome me.  The excitement of facing a challenge being the best, or fear of not being able to pull it off being the worst.  which really isn't that bad.  the main thing i want to keep in mind while doing this is the reason for doing it.  It's not about me, it's about doing what I feel like God is asking me to do, that being to bear a burden to the best of my ability with a fellow christian and my aunt.  after struggling with cancer for 5 years you would think that committing to one year of something, so seemingly miniscule as a painting a day, would be easy.

the wood for making canvas frames (doesn't look like much)

I've taken some pictures this morning of some of the materials i've already started to put together in preparations.  so far i cut six-36" boards, twelve-24"boards and twenty four- 12" boards...and after doing the math realized that was only enough to make 10 frames and half of another one....yikes! making frames it going to be a bit of a pain.  i love painting i just wish i didn't have to make my frames to go along with those! haha.  I also bought a 21 yard roll of canvas...that should last A WHILE! at least i hope it does.

Looking toward the coming year

During the Christmas holidays we took a trip to Atlanta where some family lives in order to gather and celebrate.  While I was there I became all the more aware of the reality of what my Aunt Carla goes through on a daily basis.  Aunt Carla is struggling with cancer, diagnosed 5 years ago.  She is a mother of 5 and like the rest of us christians is having to fight off the devil and all his wiles.  You see she was told when she became sick with this cancer that she would live through it.  That was her word from God, but through various visits to doctors, different treatments, several complications that have mounded upon her during this struggle she has even started to have trouble believing the TRUTH she was once told.  She has become discouraged as we all do at times if we are trying to follow in the truth of Gods word.  So I began to ask God on the way home if there was a way that I could help to encourage her in any way or to help to restore hope, or if there might be some way for me to walk this with her, to help carry the burden with her. I feel like something that God spoke to my heart is to take what God has given me and walk with it daily, that being painting.

Impending change

     First of all I would like to start by saying that it has been such a great Christmas.  I've enjoyed family as always and hate that sometimes the only time I see some of my family is this time of year.  I was able to host one of the Christmas gatherings here at my house this year for the first time and it was so nice.  I mean I did stress out a bit at getting the house in a presentable form, but when all was said and done it was just nice having people that I love gathered in my home.
     I am starting to look forward to the upcoming 2011.  I feel like God is directing my heart to do a little bit of changing in my approach to selling my artwork.  I don't know absolutely what the changes are to look like yet, but I just keep feeling and or hearing the word change.  I'm very excited at the possibilities. I know one thing that I will be  reincorporating into my life as a whole, that is the bible.  I have been up and down the roller coaster over the last oh...3 months or maybe more.  I lost touch with God in a lot of ways and I lost a lot of my inspiration, but somehow, I feel that God is going to use that time as some sort of a lesson to teach me some of the change thats going to be occurring in this new year.  So right now, it's praying, reading, and waiting for direction on the next steps I am to take.  I know its going to be good whatever it is.  

good, bad, or in the plan

The family loaded up this morning and we all headed to huntsville.  although the day started off sort of shaky because for some reason I was in an inexplicably crabby mood.  Do you ever have those? Anyways, thankfully I got over it before the ride was over.

My Birthday is rapidly approaching!

  2 more days and I will be 25! I can't believe I'm already half-way to 30.  Time goes  by so fast.  It's going to be an exciting birthday weekend though.  Haven get's off of work at about 2pm.  When he gets home I imagine he will throw a few things into a bag and be ready to leave.  So we are going to take the kids with us down there.  A couple we know that are real close friends just moved down there about 2 months ago, and we are gonna let the kids stay the night at there house.  I just got off the phone with the concierge at Redmont Hotel in Downtown.  Haven and I are going to stay the night there for my birthday! We haven't done something like that since before Davis was born.  I can't wait!