You are a Work of Art AND an Artist at Work

I sincerely believe God has a reason for everything -- including the things that He uses as "attention-getters". At the very least, He wants us to be aware that He is with us and He has another object lesson for us to learn from. This photo is of a man that visited our estate sale and right away I noticed his walking stick/cane that he had laid on our cash-out table. It was a work of art – art that was designed, handcrafted and carved by him. He was so pleased to take the credit for his work of art made out of a diamond willow.

I started thinking about all the uses of a walking stick. Sure it facilitates walking, but this man’s walking stick could be used as a defensive AND offensive weapon. It also conceals a knife in the handle. That walking stick acts as a support when he’s going uphill and a brake when he’s going downhill; as a balance when crossing rough terrain, test puddles for depth, and is personalized with his trademark. I was amazed at this work of art.

I cringe when I hear people say: "I'm not creative. I can't cook. I'm not an artist. I can't sing. I can't sew. I don’t do technology!” The fact is those folks will never have those attributes as long as they are proclaiming what they are NOT!

Here’s the truth of the matter. The CREATOR of the universe made YOU and me in His image.....so we have the goods to do WHATEVER we set our hearts and minds to do. Someone may have convinced you that you are not creative. Someone spoke into your life to make you feel LESS capable than you are. And it's time someone spoke into your life to make you MORE. We are WORKS of ART.....and we are ARTISTS at WORK. Our homes should be like Picasso's attic -- where we are dreaming, imagining and creating. I'm speaking into your life RIGHT NOW and telling you...."Silence the voices. Get out that paint brush.....and start painting!"

"God designed you....to design;
He created you....to create;
He imagined you....to imagine;
God dreamed you....to dream;
When you were born, you were not an ordinary child. Someone made you feel you were ordinary. You are the essence of your Creator. You are the reflection of God, Himself. You are extraordinary. Now it's time to BE the genius He created you to be -- you are both a work of art and an artist at work." -- Erwin Raphel McManus

Yes, our God, the Almighty Creator of EVERYTHING is quite capable of making SOMETHING out of nothing and SOMETHING out of us!

God Makes Something Out of Nothing

Day 164 of Photo Inspirations -- God Makes Something Out of Nothing
I sincerely believe God has a reason for everything -- including the things that He uses as "attention-getters".  At the very least, He wants me to be aware that He is with me and He has another object lesson for me to learn from.

Case in point.  Last week I was first to the restaurant where I would be meeting my BFF.  The only table I could find, was one that had this stick on it.   When my friend arrived, I asked if she could think of a reason why that stick was there. "Is God trying to tell us something?"  Without second guessing, she said, "It reminds me of a stick I found in Fatima, Portugal and brought it back home to see if it could be carved for my Dad.   He was using a cane to walk then, and that carved stick would be a perfect birthday gift for him."   My friend had the stick carved by her friend.  Without ever telling her friend what to carve, she transformed it from "nothing" to something beautiful and of great significance to my friend AND her Dad.

My friend went on to tell me she had written a blog about that Walking Stick Story.  She has been distracted and so busy in the last year, that she hasn't been writing, but lately, has been sensing God urging her to start again.  Because I know her gifts and talents in writing and blogging, I agreed that this stick was another nudge from heaven to begin again.  I urge you to read her Walking Stick Story here (it's beautiful), and even follow her blogs:  http://www.becomingwomenofpeace.com/search?q=stick

Today begins the National Speech & Debate Competitions here at Northwestern University and Payton will present his speech, "The Making of a Leader".  It's an informative speech and in it he explains what God does in making a leader.  To quote him, "God has a knack at creating something out of nothing.  Whether it's the creation of the world out of literally nothing or the making of a King from a simple shepherd boy, God knows how to make something great out of the ordinary."  And the final line of the speech goes:  "If man can take a piece of moldy old bread and make life-saving penicillin out of it, can you just imagine what the God of the universe can make out of you?"  Yes, our God, the Almighty Creator of EVERYTHING is quite capable of making SOMETHING out of nothing and SOMETHING out of us!

Showers of Blessing

Day 96 of Photo Inspiration -- Showers of Blessing
Yesterday, my friend and I headed out for our early morning walk.  There was a gentle rain coming down on us.  We didn't mind.  Our time with each other, and with God was worth it -- rain or shine.  Always looking for the "God" attention-getters, we asked "What are YOU saying to us about the rain?"  Almost simultaneously, we said, "Showers of Blessing", and we began to sing that old song, "Showers of Blessing":

There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

After a glorious Easter celebration still reverberating in our hearts, how sweet for Him to lavish upon us the reality that indeed, He LIVES.  He is all around us.  We sensed His presence in the rain.  We sensed His showers of blessing.  We prayed those blessings to all those around us, our families and our friends.

Maybe you didn't get the "goosies" about Easter because you're so caught up in a "drought" in your life right now.  It may be a dry season and you're desperately searching for a way to get back to feeling alive and well in Him.  Maybe there's a difficult situation that has drained you of your emotional strength.  If so, then I encourage you to call on the "Shower-Giver" today.  He has showers of blessings for you.  He wants to rain blessings in your life – and not just a light rain of blessings. He wants to pour down heavy showers of blessings on you!  God wants to drench, soak and saturate His children with His love, His goodness, His grace, His mercy, and His kindness. He wants us to flood us with blessings!  And if we call out to Him, and continue to obey and trust Him even in the most difficult circumstances, He will show up in the midst of our drought, just as surely as the arrival of rain, and pour out His blessings upon us!

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”  Hosea 6:3
#ShowersofBlessing

What's Your "Attention Getter"?

Day 23 of Photo Inspirations -- Taco Bueno!!
I was driving to the post office and thinking, "Wonder what my photo inspiration will be for today?" Then as I was crossing the intersection at Riverside and 71st, I looked to the left and my eyes were drawn to lots of those "attention-getter" flags.  And they got my attention.  Just beyond those flags was a brand new Taco Bueno that I hadn't even noticed being built. But this day was the first day of its Grand Opening. Typically, a new restaurant or store wouldn't be a "seize the moment" opportunity, but this one was.

First of all, I was impressed with their branding -- those flags that made me do a double-take, and then I was excited about this new location here in Tulsa, and third, it brought back a flood of memories to the Grand Opening of one of their locations in Oklahoma City where we lived at the time. We were, and still are, a family that love Mexican and Tex/Mex food.  But when "fast food" Tex/Mex food (aka Taco Bueno) opened in OKC, it became the "daily routine" for our daughter. Living only a couple of blocks from it, Staci would go there for a taco or burrito or Mexi chips and dip almost every day.  Seems like a taco was like 25 cents back then.

This post isn't really about promoting Taco Bueno or even Mexican Food, but, once again, it's about "seizing the moment" -- carpe momentum.  That moment not only opened my eyes to a new business in operation -- what they're doing to brand themselves to draw attention, but it opened my memory bank to recall some sweet moments from the past.  I love it.  Living in the present -- in the moment -- opens our eyes to the past, the present and the future.  And I think to myself....."What a Wonderful World!"
#TacoBueno #WhatAWonderfulWorld #MexicanFoodByChoice

Turn Your Mess to a Message

Isn't it amazing that our greatest heartaches and most aggressive challenges, are used by God to bring us the most massive blessings -- ones we could never have imagined? I know it's true because I am proof of that out of my own personal experiences.

How many times have you heard someone say that losing their job was the best thing that ever happened to them; that being broke financially, turned them into a millionaire; that the end of a relationship made way for a new and better one; that being spiritually desperate led someone to God and His perfect plan for their life? Sometimes God allows those things to be "ATTENTION GETTERS"! Sometimes He allows us to experience "stuff" so He can get our attention so He can get us on track in his divine plan for our lives.

So, the next time a major crisis happens in your life, before you say, “God why did this happen to me?” – just stop and think that God just might be trying to get your attention to call on Him -- after all, that crisis is no surprise to Him -- and, as the Master Planner -- He knows that the "stuff" will turn out for your good!