Bible Journaling the Begining

 I have been asked how I got into Bible journaling. God has this round about way of pulling people in the direction they need to head.
To start; I want to attend a Christian blogging conference. But, since family vacations take precedence over the budget (family first). I stalk all the conferences on social media. My favorite is the Influence Network. Last year during their conference I saw a few of the people I already follow on Instagram mention Amy Lou.

 Which means I had to check her out. And that is when I saw it #amyslunchbreakswithjesus. She had a whole hashtag on this thing she called bible journaling.

Her gorgeous Bible. It was the first time I saw someone color in their Bible. It was like God kind of smacked me upside the head. Reading the Bible can be more than I was making it. Which was barely at all. This suddenly opened up a whole new world, leading me to #biblejournaling and then to Illustrated Faith.

Now Amy has her own devotional through Illustrated Faith.

By the way she has no idea I am writing this, nor does she know who I am. Which may or may not make this post some what creepy. It just goes to show how great social media can be in spreading God's word. She was 'Courageous' enough to post about her time spent in the word, that it prompted me to get back into it.

From the excitement it pushed me to reach out to Shanna Noel to teach a Minnesota Bible Journaling Workshop!!
The movement kept going and I have now opened a shop (Bright Forest Studio) of Hymnal Art. I hope someone sees something beautiful that opens their heart to God's calling.

What will it push you to do?

~Cassi

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Walk in Him

 

 It is just weeks till she starts Junior High. It makes me both scared and excited for this change. She has grown so much in the last year. In so many ways she is ready.

Her grades improved so much that she made it into honors English. This girl who as of just a few years ago was failing English due to vision issues. There was some days we thought Jr High wasn't going happen, now she is going with honors. Proud doesn't even begin to describe it.

But acedemics is only just a small part of Jr High. So much more is peer related. 

That is the part that makes me scared. Junior high is tough and teen girls can be even tougher. 

We as parents can only do so much when it comes to preparing her for this. 

Have we instilled in her a trust in God. Will she turn to pray in time of struggles? 

My prayer is she will walk with him in all her ways. 

~ Cassi

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Sole Hope Party

Mouse and I were so excited when my woman's bible study decided to have a Sole Hope party! I have been wanting to go to one for ages and just never seemed to be around when someone hosted one.

What is Sole Hope? If you don't know, please go check out their website for the full scoop but here is a bit from there.

Core Purpose

To effectively put in place preventive methods to combat diseases that enter through the feet and to create a positive physical and spiritual difference in the lives of individuals in impoverished communities.

 Core Values

Relief: We believe in addressing the very real and present problems associated with the feet through medical intervention as well as taking preventative physical measures.

Education: We believe that education of the youth and their caretakers is essential for long-term solutions.

Sustainability: We believe in supporting communities and teaching the trade of shoe making. We innovate and demonstrate solutions that combine the best of indigenous and contemporary practice to create sustainable skills and employment.

I love how this company lets others get involved at such a ground level. The party starts by everyone bringing an old pair of jeans, a milk or water jug and $10 (per pair of shoes you are going to cut out). Then when you get there you watch a heart wrenching moving on the plight of shoeless children in Africa. It was hard not to cry as I held Mouse during the video and thought of her little feet. Mouse on the other had doesn't get emotional like that, instead she gets motivated. Once the movie was over she was ready to go.

In fact her words where maybe you should have brought more jeans! 

Thankfully I brought an old pair of wide legged jeans, because she was ready to go. Mouse took charge of tracing out the patterns on the jeans. With careful placement she got three pairs of shoes from the one pair of jeans we brought.

She had me man the cutting station. I cut out the different piece from the fabric and the milk jug. The plastic jug is used for the heal of the shoes to give them a bit more protection and support.

And that is it. Truly that is how easy Sole Hope makes it for you to get involved and make a difference! Out group counted up the patterns we cut out, I wish I could remember how many we made that night I think it was close to 30.

We then send the cut patterns back to Sole Hope and they send them on to Africa where they are turned into shoes. What is great is that it does more for the community than just give shoes, it gives fair wage jobs to those assembling the shoes. Using our pattern and old tires for soles they people in Uganda are able to learn a trade get paid and give back to their community. Then the team delivers the shoes and does a jigger removal for each kid receiving the shoes.

To get involved check them out Sole Hope

~Cassi

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Confirmation Sunday

These past two years I have been working with the greatest group of girls. In a society where teens have a pretty bad rap, these teens are amazing.

From the first time we got together they have shown their love for others in everything thing they do. They are so inclusive, always reaching out to the stranger.

They also inquisitive. In teaching them, they pushed me as a teacher to move past the "Sunday School" answers and to really dig deep.

This weekend they graduated from our churches two year confirmation program. Sunday in front of the whole church and lots of outside guests they proclaimed their faith. It was so great to see here how God has worked in their lives.

I know I will be forever touch by them.

Their light shines bright!

~Cassi

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Open the Door

Today is Five Minute Fridays so lets link up and write

So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from my week Instagram feed that match the words of this week.

Topic: Open

Old door in New Hampshire, from our trip last year.

"Look, I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and we'll eat together" ~ Revelation 3:20 (God's Word Translation)

I love this translation of this verse. I'm STANDING at the door and KNOCKING! It's happening no. He is currently standing at the door. it is not something that happened in the past but is now.
Listen and Open
Open not that he can come in and do nothing but come in and eat together.
Sharing of a meal.
This everyday thing that means so much to all of us.
We invite our friends, family or neighbors over for dinner.
And Jesus is inviting us to eat with him. He wants to included in that group.
He wants to be apart of your every day.
Just like those we share life with he wants to be there too.
And unlike neighbors or family where it may take work to get them to come knocking, he is already there.
STANDING and KNOCKING
Just waiting for us to OPEN the door.
~ Cassi

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Journaling Bible

 

In the past month I found a whole new art form and community. This thing they call Bible Journaling with a community at Illustrated Faith. You have the time in your life when you see something for the first time and you wonder how you never saw it before. When something calls you so completely.

When I got back into sketching and lettering after years and years of absence, I made a decision to focus a majority of that time in praise to God. I started with working on my hand-lettering with scripture.

But then I saw a Pinterest a pin with some hand-lettering within a Bible and my whole world opened up. Shanna's Noel blog and Facebook group combined my love of sketching with my desire to get into the Word more.

I am so excited to have found this outlet.  It is a perfect fit for me right now.

Linking up with Purposeful Faith; Encouraging Posts

~ Cassi

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By Name

 

When I saw this drawing on Pinterest a while back, I knew it was my next practice piece.

I can only read it while singing.

"You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God"

~Chris Tomlin "Indescribable"

This past year or so I feel more and more drawn to the words light and shine. God is putting on my heart these words to focus me on what he his calling me to be.

Normally, I focus on the shine. He calls us to lights of the world, the city on a hill.

But, he also calls us be "awestruck and fall to our knees".

Dayspring Necklaces from their Everlasting Light series

He tells us of his power and his love and that we are to worship him. This verse reminds me of this, that he is so much more than I can imagine. I look up to the sky and in rural Minnesota and I can see so many stars. And he knows and has placed each one.

And then he looks to me, so small and insignificant, and then calls me by name.

He knows each of our hearts and still loves us.

Tomlin was right it is "Indescribable."

"You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God"

 

~Cassi
Linking up with Purposeful Faith; Encouraging Posts
 

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Let Light Your Shine

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:16 

  As Christian's I think we spend January in a state of confidence and excitement. Our resolutions if we have them range on "less me, More God", "I will follow his plan more", "Focus on Him more", etc.. But like all new year resolutions we start to fade in the weeks that follow.

Life gets hard. Time gets eaten up by the business of our schedules.

So we get discouraged and slowly stop shining.

Because society tells us if we fail it is not for us. That we are not meant to do it.

But that is not how God responds.

He is a God of second chances and new beginnings everyday.

 “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ~Revelation 21:5 

So let him do his work, for he is a God of new things.

Do not be discourage that by mid-January you have already "failed" in your own eyes.

Start again.

~Cassi
Linking up with Purposeful Faith; Encouraging Posts

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O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Did you feel the tension in the air that night?

Could you guess that something big was happening?

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Did you see the star shine bright?

In your teeming masses did you see ones so small?

Lowly couple from a far could you see them?

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

In the streets could you hear the doors slamming, with no room for them?

Did you hear her groaning, in heights of labor?

Did you hear the babe's first wails, in an open manger stall?

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Did you miss it all?

The Savior came that night to save us all.

Did you miss it all?

We sing of you now Bethlehem so we'll remember all.

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

~Cassi

 

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Working on Habits

 

One of the things I am really bad at is having daily habits. In fact I don't have any unless you count eating and sleeping. I have always been this way. In fact I have often said that I thank God that I have never had to be on serious daily medicine. 

But I have struggled with the fact that I don't get into the Word as often as I should. I get the daily emails and newletters from various Christian sites which are great. But I feel like I am still missing something so a few weeks ago I picked up a new book. 

 Just a tiny little book of a few Psalms and Proverbs ( I love Proverbs). I wanted it to be small enough to fit in my purse so I can pull it out when I have a minute or need it. I have loved it. No, I am not to a point of everyday but having it with has made me read the verses more.

I also picked up a few fun Gel pens to high light the verses that stand out to me. If I re-write something it sticks with me more.  After I work through this one I want to pick up one on a book of the Bible I don't know as well. 

I may never be a daily habit person but I can build good habits just the same.

 ~ Cassi

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Wandering in the Desert

Today is Five Minute Fridays There is no link up today just a prompt.

So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from my week Instagram feed that match the words of this week.

 

Topic: Lost

My own drawing after a sermon last week at Red Rock Camp

Sometimes I feel like I am lost, wandering a desert of silence.

I long to hear God call to me.

Call to me with direction

with a goal

for a purpose

 

But I hear nothing

Silence fills my days and I trudge on

Sliding through the desert wondering if I am going in the right direction.

Or have I just stopped at a mirage

a glittering spot that looks right but
is distorted by my own want.

So I am lost wandering the desert
like those in the past
I am coming up on forty years
maybe then I will be given the promise land.
Like those in the past

~ Cassi

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To be a Messenger

Today is Five Minute Fridays There is no link up today just a prompt.

So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from my week Instagram feed that match the words of this week.

 

Topic: Messenger

I leave in a few days to help run a inter-generational bible camp. My job is managing the Junior Senior High Programing. The days leading up to camp and the first day are always crazy and stressful. There are many decisions and last minute changes that happen. Its easy to forget why I feel called to camp ministry in the chaos around me. 

How easy it is to forget that God calls us to be messengers of his word. To share the "Good News". In camp there is a time for that this is like none other. To live in fellowship with these teens means we get to know them not just superficially but to really get down deep.

But that only happens when we are there for God and not ourselves.

Oh how easy those words are to write but to live it becomes hard. To truly be a messenger of God Grace to these kids is a job is hard work. Because it is fun to focus on the fun we have, because man we have fun. But when we focus solely on the fun, or on the camp for ourselves we loose the focus of what God is calling us to be there for.

To be a messenger of grace and love is such a blessing.

I am thankful to God for the chance to live.

~ Cassi

 

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Keeping Easter

I realized I never posted our Easter pictures. But posting a week later really fits with this years Easters theme. Keeping Easter beyond Easter.  The sermon was all about Easter was just a day but the actions of that day long ago is something to celebrate everyday. 

Christ conquered all when he rose again. But it is so easy for us to forget the importance of that when life continues on. We become like the disciples right after his death and hide. Its like the resurrection never happened. But there is more to the story then his death. 

The rest of the story is what happened next Christ conquered death, lets celebrate that today. Today, tomorrow, everyday. We need to become like the disciples after Pentecost. Live into the great commission and spread the word of what we know. 

Celebrating Easter everyday

 ~ Cassi

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Change in view point

This weekend our pastor took the confirmation class on a weekend retreat to visit other religions. He planned out a weekend to give the confirmation students a wider perspective of religions and what makes Christianity different before they are confirmed.

We started with the Jewish synagogue on Friday night, then Saturday morning we visited an Islamic Mosque and then an Orthodox Cathedral, Sunday we ended the trip with a Buddhist temple and a Baha Center.
Some of the questions the kids asked were so insightful and visiting the various religions really got me thinking. Do we ask Christians act the same way?

What do I mean by that? Well this weekend I was struck over and over again on how gracious and welcoming each group was. To give an example at the mosque the leader invited  the kids and us to enter the mosque it's self and he would show us how they go about their prayers. So here enters 13 people (8 of which are 12-15 years old) not the quietest group and there is a man doing his prayers in the room. The leader continues and walks through the prayers and questions from the kids. Mid-way through the man saying his prayers finishes and walks over to our group. He welcomes us and asks if we have enjoyed our time and tells the kids about outreach programs the mosque is doing in the community.

It got me thinking would we be as gracious if a group interrupted our prayers. How many times have we gotten annoyed when people talk or fidget during our prayers. I know I am guilty of this on a regular basis.

Another time this struck me this weekend was at the Buddhist temple, the leader set up the meditation cushions so that we were in the front rows. The regular worshipers sat behind us and now one complained, sighed or grumbled about it. In fact they took time out of the service to explain to the kids and us adults what they were doing. How many times have we heard the stories of people within the church getting up set when someone sits in their pew. Or when we just skip through our traditions with out explanation to visitors on why we are doing it.

This weekend got me thinking how can we (I) change to be more like these hosts. My church prides its self on how welcoming we are in the community to visitors. But are we really? Or have we just gotten by on surface nice. Now it is my turn to remember this the next time I am frustrated or wanting it just so or forgetting to just stop for a minute and explain.

~ Cassi

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String Theory

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." ~ 1 Corinthians 12:27   

This weekend I had the opportunity to hang out with my conformation girls. I so love these girls. It's such a blessing to see them grow in their faith.

During this retreat we listened to the Bishop talk about connectivity we have with one another in the church (body of Christ).  Using the string and giving the youth the opportunity to chuck at each other was such a great way to bring the message home to the kids.

The church has becoming such a missing piece in kids lives now a days. It was good to here a message about how important we are to one another.

I know that it is through fellowship with other believers that my life keeps turning back to God. The accountability we bring to each other is key in living a Christ centered life.

Oh how I fear that the message is getting watered down for todays youth. Don't let the message be missed in your life, that is my prayer today.
  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."  ~ 1 Peter 2:9-10 

~ Cassi

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Falling

Fridays I fluctuate between Five Minute Fridays and InstaFriday. But we are all community here, right? They can be combined into one post.
So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from this week that match the words of this week.

Topic: Fall
This week we were hit with bad news. The kind that hooks you by the knees like an old vaudeville act, dropping you the floor. Steve's job has been out-sourced. What does this mean? He is needing to find a new job.

My first reaction was a mix of anger and sadness. All of our plans...falling through. You see when I was looking to change careers I specifically applied to the University so we could work together and car pool. Well I got that job last Oct. and now....
As my Dad said the saying goes "Best laid plans of mice and men.."

That's when it hit me. It was our plan. It was the plans of mere men. Now we are falling to our knees. In prayer we seek God's wisdom for this change. We wait and watch for the new window to open as this door closes. Because we sometimes need to learn the hard way that there is a God infinitely more wiser than mice and men.

~ Cassi
The pictures are just ones I took this week that are all better than the news from this week.


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no words

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Fixed in Brokenness

Friday means Five Minute Fridays. So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from this week that match the words of this week.

Topic: Broken
I walked into work today and received a compliment on my pin. I love the pin also I said. It adds just the right amount of fun and glamour to any outfit I put it with.
With in seconds the pin broken.

There it is broken, no ability to do what it was made to do. Now I could have thrown it out at this point. I have no means to fix it at work. But instead I took out a bobby pin and twisted it through the thread and then through the threads on the jacket. Fixed.

Fixed in Brokenness... That is what we are, Steve and I everyone, we are fixed in our brokenness. God can make something work again when all we see is the broken shambles of what we thought was perfection. 

He calls us to be what he has made us to be, though we may feel like we are holding on with a bobby pin, we need to know that we are secure.

"True brokenness is a lifestyle - a moment-by-moment lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and life - not as everyone else thinks it is but as He knows it to be."

Author: Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Source: Brokenness, The Heart God Revives, Moody Publishers, 2002, p. 53.

~ Cassi
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Friday

Fridays I fluctuate between Five Minute Fridays and InstaFriday. But we are all community here, right? They can be combined into one post.
So I write for Five minute, no edits, no re dos and at the end I will see if there are pictures from this week that match the words of this week.

Topic: Rest

We all rest in different ways. The quiet moments of our lives may look different to each of us. It is hard not to judge those whose idea of rest is different than our own.
My husband he is a napper. He needs that 20 minutes of sleep to be whole, to feel rested. It's taken me a long to be OK with that time. I am not a napper. Those people who talk of power naps make no sense to me, you are awake or asleep for the day that is how I work. But through him I have seen the power of those who rest that way.

Weekend hotel trip

My daughter I have realized is a rester in words. Her quiet time is reading a book. To she curls up into a corner of the room, bed or car and hides away within the pages. I too love this type of rest and I use to think that was my resting style. And for some parts I think it is.
But other times I have realized that love the rest I get in comfort food and family meals. Just the peace in knowing everyone is home safe for the night. That we take the time to connect and be together. That gives me a sense of rest.

Sunday night Dinner

I have also learned that resting can be done in quiet conversations with friends. This past week I went to visit a friend and their new daughter. In those moments I can find rest in knowing that we all tell the same story. Though the words may be different, we all know feel of the plot.

Resting in the love of family, friends and God this weekend. Pray you are too.

~ Cassi

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Love = Life

Do you Think people can live with out love?

“Do not pity the dead Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.”

~ Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Yes, you can live without love. That is the fact, but there is no life without love. I do pity those that do not understand or want to love others. It is what truly makes life worth it. From the begining we are designed to love and be loved
Its' also a two edge sword, this need to be loved. Though I grew up in a loving home and Christian thought of being loved by God, I was always looking for more. I wanted the Eros (romance) love from all. This brought heartache for years.

From Google search

It's not until recently that I really started to understand the encompassing Agape love of God and family. No longer to I feel the need to be loved by all. But instead to show love to all.
It is the Agape and Philia love that has become so important. It is the difference between life and just living.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

February is the month of love and Blogher is asking us what our stories of love. Written as part of the NaBloPoMo February blogging prompts. I didn't want to do every day's prompts but it is fun for a few. 


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