Thursday, August 23, 2007

All You Need Is Love






All You Need Is Love ...

and some happy folky fish (wink)



Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. ~ Psalm 32:10

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. ~ Psalm 33:5


May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You. ~ Psalm 33:22


I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal Your love and Your truth from the great assembly. ~ Psalm 40:10


A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ~ John 13:34


And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~ I Corinthians 13:13


featured art: original Folk Art sculptures (available by clicking the link to the upper left "MY ART FOR SALE") ... created on Lake Erie driftwood with acrylic paint. Enjoy!

~joyfully,

katey-D

psalm 103








Thursday, August 16, 2007

JOY in the journey

~*~*~*~*~

Contemplating joy...




J O Y
it is not an emotion - it is a state of being regardless of emotion

Some of you that know my writings and postings on eBay will see I sign out with "joy in the journey" or sometimes just "joy".

Here is the song that reminds me to always "forget not the hope that's before (me)" and to "remember the hopelessness when (I) was lost"...


in happiness....joy
in pain...joy
in grief...joy
in devastation...joy
in death...joy
in celebration...joy
~*~*~*~*~
Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your Name may rejoice in You.

now you know...

joy in the journey,

katey-D




Saturday, August 11, 2007

BOTH Sides of the STORY



*~*~*~*~*
Joseph’s story … your story … my story…
GOD'S STORY

2.5" x 3.5" Acrylic & Watercolor Painting ~ POTiPHAR




Both Sides of the Story - Phil Collins

As I was thinking about some art cards I painted … representing a very different time and place (Potiphar’s Royal Household in ancient Egypt) -- I was hit by a brick in the side of the head in the form of this song.


Joseph is my Biblical hero for lack of a better way to put it… they don’t come any more loaded with integrity or purity on a human level than him in my recollection.
Joe was a favorite son with big dreams. His Dad gave him a nifty colorful robe which made his brothers jealous…plus, he simply annoyed his brothers.


He was a dreamer…
I mean a REAL dreamer.


He dreamt that his brothers would one day bow down to him. What we know now that they didn’t know then in full, was that the God of the Universe had a big plan and all these things were part of it. It has even reached down through all this time to make my life what it is.

The brothers decided to do away with little Joe. They tossed him in a pit and tore his colorful robe and splattered it with animal blood, explaining to their devastated father that Joe was killed by wild beasts. That was their side of the story. They actually spared Joe’s life and sold him to some travelers. Joe ended up in Egypt where he, as a young kid who just lost everything, had to learn a new language and new culture and make a new life.




2.5" x 3.5" Acrylic & Watercolor Painting ~ POTiPHAR'S WIFE

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"
JOSEPH’S SIDE OF THE STORY
But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

2.5" x 3.5" Acrylic & Watercolor Painting ~ JOSEPH iN Egypt

MRS. POTIPHAR’S SIDE OF THE STORY
When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. Joseph's
master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

JOSEPH’S SIDE OF THE STORY
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

WAIT! It just keeps getting better….

Joe’s brothers back home were starving and set out to seek help from Pharoah’s House. Their brother Joe now held the power to save them. They didn’t recognize him…
The story continues with amazing details and twists and turns! I wish there was an epic movie - and Charleton Heston could be Joseph. It’s big… it’s a BIG story. God's side of the story always is!


A must read:
Genesis 40-47: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2040-47;&version=31;

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When I am tempted to feel sorry for myself because I have been misrepresented or even lied about, I think of how Joe handled it. When I see people who have the truth and the lie set before them and they still choose the lie, I think of how Joe handled it. When I see people walk among the darkness because it is easier than coming fully into the light, I think of how Joe handled it.
Joseph’s brothers did bow down to him … and he had compassion on them. That is amazing.
He was hated. He was sold. He was abused. He was lied about. He was falsely accused. He was neglected.


Through it all he held his faith and was blessed…and it blessed those around him.
We see the amazing blessing and events unfolding as we look back on his life, but he didn’t know any of that was coming … he walked one step at a time just like you and I do.


Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
~II Corinthians 5: 1-9


Studying Joseph’s life and the generations that followed takes us full circle into the greatest story of redemption the world has ever known ... All the way to me... And to you if you also know the Son of God.

The only side of any story that counts is HIS side of the story.


Joy in the journey,
~katey-D
Psalm 103

*~*~*~*~*

Click on the link to the upper left to view more of my art for sale

I can't stop loving you...


Sometimes we have no idea why people go away.


Sometimes people go away because they were never really "here" in the first place.


The really painful partings are the ones in which they take a piece of your heart with them... and they have no clue that they have.




So youre leaving in the morning on the early train

But I could say everything's alright and I could pretend and say goodbye

Got your ticket. Got your suitcase. Got your "leaving smile"

Oh, I could say thats the way it goes and I could pretend and you wont know that I was lying because



I cant stop loving you. No, I cant stop loving you. No, I wont stop loving you. Why should I?



We took a taxi to the station. Not a word was said and I saw you walk across the road for maybe the last time, I dont know.

Feeling humble. Heard a rumble on the railway track and when I hear the whistle blow I walk away and you wont know that I'll be crying because



I cant stop loving you. No, I cant stop loving you. No, I wont stop loving you. Why should I even try? I'll always be here by your side (why why why).



I never wanted to say goodbye. I'm always here if you change, change your mind.



So your leaving in the morning on the early train but I could say everything's alright and I could pretend and say goodbye but that would be lying, no... because



I cant stop loving you (cant stop loving you). No, I cant stop loving you (I wont stop loving you)No, I wont stop loving you. Why should I even try? Because I cant stop loving you (cant stop loving you). No, I cant stop loving you (thats all I can do). No, I wont stop loving you. Why should I? (why should I). Why should I? (tell me why). Why should I even try...


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
featured art: miniature painting and ink (business card size)
"Two are better than one"

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of Me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life. ~ Luke 21: 14-19






Friday, August 03, 2007

booger DOCTOR




I received the Illustration Friday topic this morning and with it came a link to a nifty blog (who is by the guy that suggested this week's IF topic: missing). I visited said blog and got a smile - so, that is worth sharing. This nifty blog has some nifty cartoon work: http://blankenstine.blogspot.com/



The Lobster-Head cartoon cracked me up. It is me. I have been asked the very same MRI 'seafood' allergy question. They have assured me the "crash cart" they wheeled in next to me had everything they needed should I react to the dyes ... yea, sure ... now this is some fun.






One of my docs looks very much like muppet. I had to paint him. A couple years ago (2005) I did and then randomly showed up at his office and gave it to the receptionist (who at first was afraid of me - you know, who wouldn't be with me all stocker-y-looking at 98 pounds carrying an 18" x 24" painting... wink). After looking over the painting her concern turned to laughter ... and she abruptly ran around a corner out of view to show the other office people (laugh laugh laugh). Okay - they liked it ... ALOT.










The painting was inspired not only because the guy looks like a muppet and loves Los Lobos (you know, "La Bamba"), but especially because of this lightbulb thingy he wears on his head to cover his bald spot... Also because of a conversation hubby & I had with him once about hubby's snoring. The guy is an ENT and had historically handled our minor ear issues and did the whole antibiotic thing ... as well as being big on nasal sprays.


"VENTILATION ... the key is VENTILATION" he would always tell us.


This day he was suggesting hubby might need surgery.
Hubby asked "You do that, too?" to which Dr. Muppet stood a whole inch taller and firmly said "I' m not just a b00ger doctor, I'm a surgeon @ $ # % @ # $" -- which was very funny.

I went right home and painted it all.
Anyway - the blog I visited today with the Lobster imagery reminded me of this... so, I dug it out of my archives. Makes me giggle.
joy in the journey,
katey
psalm 103