September 8, 2015 Journaling Bible Community post
Ten weeks ago my sweet, spunky, 20 month old daughter died in a drowning accident. I had started Bible journaling some the month before, but now it has become the perfect and necessary distraction and focus as my family and I go through this time of grief. I journaled this verse because this is what I think happened to me the day of her accident. The Holy Spirit gifted me with this level of faith I had not had before. It was for my benefit, for sure, but I've also seen him use it to witness to others.
About a week and a half after doing this page I finally got around to doing the journal entry I'd always intended to include. I just wrote it up on vellum (no rough drafts) and taped it in my bible. Done. The next day I was showing the page to a friend and talking about my experience. She stopped me and asked if I had lined up the highlighting to match the words of my journal entry. Only then did I realize that the highlighted verse on the bible page also served to highlight the most important statement in my journal entry, that this was a gift from the Holy Spirit. A holy, tearful, goose bump moment. How amazing that our God is so tuned into the smallest details of our lives and will use those moments to speak to us.
About a week and a half after doing this page I finally got around to doing the journal entry I'd always intended to include. I just wrote it up on vellum (no rough drafts) and taped it in my bible. Done. The next day I was showing the page to a friend and talking about my experience. She stopped me and asked if I had lined up the highlighting to match the words of my journal entry. Only then did I realize that the highlighted verse on the bible page also served to highlight the most important statement in my journal entry, that this was a gift from the Holy Spirit. A holy, tearful, goose bump moment. How amazing that our God is so tuned into the smallest details of our lives and will use those moments to speak to us.
September 14, 2015 Journaling Bible Community
When you have a day where God just keeps showing up in crazy ways, you don't have to make it pretty, you just have to get it recorded! In dark days to come I can come here to be reminded of how much he cares and the lengths he goes through to let us know he's here with us.
Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man!"
Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man!"
September 21, 2015 Facebook post
"God has a purpose for your pain, a reason for your struggle, and a gift for your faithfulness. Don't ever give up."
We are finding this to be so true! Don't misunderstand. There are still hard days, hard hours, and the missing is constant, but it is becoming increasingly clear that God is at work to bring great redemption from this tragedy. Libby was such a gift to our family and to so many of you. I think she had more impact in her 20 months than I have had in my decades! smile emoticon
My appreciation and gratitude for her is growing daily as I see glimmers of God being up to something good. So grateful for the days we had with her and how those days are still influencing us now. Whatever season God has you in right now, know there is a purpose. Appreciate right where you are today. How I wish I would have taken that lesson to heart before now! We don't have to understand or know what God is up to, but he is a God who gives us beauty in exchange for our ashes. He loves you and can be trusted.
My appreciation and gratitude for her is growing daily as I see glimmers of God being up to something good. So grateful for the days we had with her and how those days are still influencing us now. Whatever season God has you in right now, know there is a purpose. Appreciate right where you are today. How I wish I would have taken that lesson to heart before now! We don't have to understand or know what God is up to, but he is a God who gives us beauty in exchange for our ashes. He loves you and can be trusted.
September 25, 2015 Facebook post
So if you've spent any time with me lately I've probably talked to you about Bible journaling. smile emoticon Or you've maybe seen a page I posted here on FB. This spiritual practice is one where your creativity meets with worship and prayer. You can write or draw right in your bible, they even make special journaling Bibles just for this purpose! You do not have to be artistic or crafty to do this! (I feel that last sentence should be in caps, it's so important!) A Bible journal can tell your faith story, remind you of what God has revealed and done in your life, help you with learning scripture, and be a legacy of your faith that you'll pass down to your kids one day. (Your kids can even do it with you, which is just the best!)
This spiritual exercise has been such a healing, revealing practice for me. The only thing that might make it better is if I had more people to do it with! smile emoticon So, if you're local and would like to learn more about this or be part of a get-together sometime please comment below so I can start a running list of those interested. I'm going to a conference in November on Bible journaling and I'm just so excited to share this ministry with people!
And if you are still reading this post, whether you want to try this or not, you should go follow Journaling Bible Community here on FB. You will be blessed by this lovely group and you will see skill levels of all sorts (brace yourself before you go on Pinterest, it can be intimidating!), but best of all you will fill your news feed with beauty and scripture and messages of hope and love. Now who doesn't need that? smile emoticon #illustratedfaith
So if you've spent any time with me lately I've probably talked to you about Bible journaling. smile emoticon Or you've maybe seen a page I posted here on FB. This spiritual practice is one where your creativity meets with worship and prayer. You can write or draw right in your bible, they even make special journaling Bibles just for this purpose! You do not have to be artistic or crafty to do this! (I feel that last sentence should be in caps, it's so important!) A Bible journal can tell your faith story, remind you of what God has revealed and done in your life, help you with learning scripture, and be a legacy of your faith that you'll pass down to your kids one day. (Your kids can even do it with you, which is just the best!)
This spiritual exercise has been such a healing, revealing practice for me. The only thing that might make it better is if I had more people to do it with! smile emoticon So, if you're local and would like to learn more about this or be part of a get-together sometime please comment below so I can start a running list of those interested. I'm going to a conference in November on Bible journaling and I'm just so excited to share this ministry with people!
And if you are still reading this post, whether you want to try this or not, you should go follow Journaling Bible Community here on FB. You will be blessed by this lovely group and you will see skill levels of all sorts (brace yourself before you go on Pinterest, it can be intimidating!), but best of all you will fill your news feed with beauty and scripture and messages of hope and love. Now who doesn't need that? smile emoticon #illustratedfaith
Tissue paper, clear matte gel, black pens, tag and die cut items.
Prepped with gesso, watercolors & stamps.
Black pens, markers, colored pencils, gel pen, conference program clippings, & washi tape.
Tissue paper flowers (purchased at Dollar Tree in the gift wrap section) applied with clear matte gel, abc stamps, markers and colored pencils.
Watercolors, prepped with gesso, black pen, abc stamps & washi tape.
Doodle and writing done with black pen, colored with colored pencils.
Dress form cut on my Cricut, scrapbook paper, black pen, heart punch.
September 26, 2015 Facebook post
So God has just been quite busy showing up a lot this past week. What a gift those reminders are and how they encourage us! For some time I'd had the idea in the back of my mind to calculate the number of days that Libby had lived here on earth. It kept getting pushed back because it wasn't something that important. But then last Friday night I was messaging with a sweet friend who mentioned the 420 precious days she had had with her son Owen and that brought it to the forefront again. So the next day I found myself waiting for Kurt sans my cell phone (note to self: the more significant things in my life don't usually happen when I'm holding my phone) and I had to find some way to busy myself. I grabbed an old receipt and started tallying Libby's number of days. As I added up the final numbers, my breath caught in my throat. 629 days. That number is in my email address, it's the time my alarm is always set for, even though I could easily afford an extra 6 or 11 minutes. It's my birthday, June 29th.
I just kind of stared at the number for a while. Sometimes in this season of grief I wonder if I'm maybe trying too hard to find significance out of every little thing, constantly trying to find purpose and reason for what's happened and what is happening. But then sometimes I think you just need to give God His due! This one was just spelled out so clearly for me. Libby was (and is!) our gift! But I know she is not that just for me, or even for our family, that's what she has become for so many of you! I still hear stories of the impact that little girl of ours is having on people far and near. (And what a gift those stories are! What a treasure to be getting a small glimpse of the greater works God is up to!)
So with that thought in my mind, it's changing how I'm approaching my daughter, my grief in this season. Because what do you say when you receive a gift? You say, "Thank You!" I'm reminded to come with a heart of gratitude. Because Libby, through God's perfect plan, has caused a tidal wave of goodness. For me personally, I am learning so much more about who God is shaping me to be and I have never felt God's presence more strongly. Some days He is just filling me up so much with His love and joy, there's no room for that deep despair that can be a valid part of our grief. That statement is not accurate for everyone who grieves though, and it's not even true within my own family. So many ups and downs, always without warning. But for where God has me right now, I am so thankful. I have the emotional and mental capacity to be there to take care of my family. As much as we hurt, we are also able to acknowledge the beauty God is bringing from these ashes.
I just kind of stared at the number for a while. Sometimes in this season of grief I wonder if I'm maybe trying too hard to find significance out of every little thing, constantly trying to find purpose and reason for what's happened and what is happening. But then sometimes I think you just need to give God His due! This one was just spelled out so clearly for me. Libby was (and is!) our gift! But I know she is not that just for me, or even for our family, that's what she has become for so many of you! I still hear stories of the impact that little girl of ours is having on people far and near. (And what a gift those stories are! What a treasure to be getting a small glimpse of the greater works God is up to!)
So with that thought in my mind, it's changing how I'm approaching my daughter, my grief in this season. Because what do you say when you receive a gift? You say, "Thank You!" I'm reminded to come with a heart of gratitude. Because Libby, through God's perfect plan, has caused a tidal wave of goodness. For me personally, I am learning so much more about who God is shaping me to be and I have never felt God's presence more strongly. Some days He is just filling me up so much with His love and joy, there's no room for that deep despair that can be a valid part of our grief. That statement is not accurate for everyone who grieves though, and it's not even true within my own family. So many ups and downs, always without warning. But for where God has me right now, I am so thankful. I have the emotional and mental capacity to be there to take care of my family. As much as we hurt, we are also able to acknowledge the beauty God is bringing from these ashes.
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