I long for You, Lord.

Not for your gifts

Not for your provision

Not for your wisdom

Not for anything you do

Just for you

You

-DHS

As you look through my website, you may notice I have an eclectic style of painting.  (The paintings that are scrolling through my home page tell you that!)  Watercolor was my starting point, but I've stretched into acrylics as well and multimedia collage pieces.  I've also grown to love abstracts.  Here's a little watercolor I did recently called "Tools of My Trade" and you'll notice it looks very different from other pieces in my gallery:

I used to feel like "less than a real artist" because as my body of work developed, it didn't all look the same.  I finally realized one day that I simply like doing a lot of different things... and that's OK.  

Over the years, I've learned I am a colorist (not a minimalist) and I'm not a realist.  I also LOVE water media, and don't care for oils.  It's fun for me to paint homes and pets, but not people.  Every time I paint, I learn more about how the Lord has hard wired me as an artist.

If I don't paint, I can't see these things and you can't either.  The important thing is to keep painting and see what we learn.  After all, it's all a journey of discovery... and stopping short of what the Lord has for us would be sad. Very sad.

The Pondering Palette: What's one thing you've learned lately about how the Lord has hard wired you?  (If you can't think of an answer, pay attention over the next month to see what He shows you... )

I've been having lots of fun teaching art classes again this summer.  I've been showing my students a technique of drawing with your paintbrush (instead of drawing with a pencil).  It helps you focus on the creation of great shapes as you design you painting.  This little piece was one of my practice pieces, and it fits with a couple of book recommendations I have for you today...

One of the things I love about summer is downtime for reading.  I've read some great books and here are three I'd like to recommend:

The Daily Bible- In Chronological Order 365 Daily Readings (Harvest House):  This has been my favorite "read through the Bible" choice for years.  I'm using it as a guide to teach through the life of Jesus in chronological order.  It's awesome!

The Christian Athiest by Craig Groeschel (Zondervan): A statement inside the book jacket says it all, "This honest, hard-hitting, and eye-opening look into the ways people believe in God but live as if he doesn't exist is a classic in the making."

Devotional Classics- A Renovare Resource for Spiritual Renewal, edited by Foster & Smith/ (HarperOne):  A great encouragement with a Bible passage, biographical info about a person of faith (past or present), an excerpt of their writing, and thought provoking questions for group or individual study.

The Pondering Palette:  What's a one great book you'd recommend today?

I'm so thankful for time we get to spend with our extended family over the summer. Times of rest and relaxation are like coming up for for a big breath of fresh air when I've been swimming underwater too long.  Stepping away from our usual busy schedule stretches and refreshes my soul!

This week, we're hanging out as a family with a simple agenda: swim, read, ride in a boat, swim, talk, sleep late, swim,float, laugh.  And did I say swim?

The Pondering Palette: What kind of R & R refreshes your soul like none other?  Try to squeeze in a bit of R&R this week, even if it's just for 10 minutes.  You'll be amazed at the difference it makes! 

I sometimes feel overwhelmed by information- the print, audio, and video messages that bombard us from every direction, 24/7. I've got more information than I can possibly use in this lifetime yet the flood keeps coming.

I'm a Bible teacher and I LOVE the Bible, yet there are moments (like this morning) when I look over at my Bible and IT looks more overwhelming than I can handle.  It appears to be a big, thick, book (with no pictures) that's intimidating more than comforting. Scripture has changed my life in ways I can't begin to count, but these moments come along where it seems like too much.  Here's what I've learned to do when this happens:

Take one little piece of Scripture to graze on for the day--- especially Jesus' words. 

We saw hundreds of sheep grazing on the hills outside of Jerusalem.  The sheep in my painting are the little specks on the right, above the rocks. What were these sheep doing? Grazing. Chewing on little bite after little bite of food.

I went walking this morning and took along John 14:27 simply written on a little card: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

From chewing on these 32 words in my mind, I received deep encouragement in my soul and fuel for my prayers on behalf of others, especially for friends who are hurting and in need of peace today. . .

• Jesus loved me enough to leave me something precious & powerful when He went back to heaven: peace
• His peace is a gift 
• Jesus' peace is not like the counterfeit peace the world tries to give me
• I can choose to not let my heart be troubled or afraid, but to rest in Jesus' peace instead

Grazing on a little piece of God's word helps me overcome feeling intimidated by the Bible.  I've found that it always feeds my soul, and, today, it gave me a much needed little piece of peace for my journey.  I hope it helps you, too!

The Pondering Palette:  Where have you been needing peace in your life lately?  Where have you been looking to find peace? What encouragement does John 14:27 give you right now?