EXCITING CHANGES TO COME!!!

Dick and I have made some big changes for the year to come!! We are downsizing to free us up to do the things we have always wanted to do ..... that is.... free to travel, spend more time together, follow His lead for new adventures, no more retail store after 27 years, more time with kids, but still MORE ART and probably some sewing classes for girls ..... that is a dream right now ..... but the ART won't stop, it will be here on the blog as soon as we finish remodeling our NEW/OLD smaller home about 20 miles away. SO STAY TUNED ... we'll be having a big sale and beautiful house and property SALE in the SUMMER!! MORE FREEDOM ON IT'S WAY!!! WooHoo!!! And THANKS for all your support the last twenty seven years in my shop!!!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

AT HOME .....


The picture above was the beginning to which I began to find the story within....which is on top.













AT HOME.......Words that have become paramount in this season of my (our ) life!  Words that were given to my heart and mind as I prayed for direction with our downsizing move.  The year and a half we have taken to clean and glean the STUFF in our lives, the stuff we have gathered through the years of living..... precious memories, hard memories, things from loved ones gone, too much furniture, too many antiques, way too many frames for art, and way too much fabric and art.  We were excited about our new adventure and the momentum was energizing ..... and we were on a roll moving forward and never looking back.  But we were getting tired ..... really tired, really really tired!  And then began to look at the past years and all the hard work lovingly building the house of our dreams ..... and the yard of our dreams with fabulous porches .... all 2.5+ acres of it!!  Hosting people in our B and B and welcoming new people into my shop each week.  And then I got a little confused (slightly depressed maybe) thinking .... WHY HAVE WE SPENT THE LAST FOURTEEN YEARS BUILDING SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL TO ONLY HAVE THE DESIRE TO LEAVE IT!!??  And then thinking ....  WILL YOU BE AT HOME IN LAGRANGE IN THE SMALLER HOUSE OR IN THAT TOWN?  I asked people to pray for me, as I was also not feeling well at that time, and just really really tired, mentally and emotionally!!  I know they were praying because I would awaken in the middle of the night from sleep with profound thoughts ..... like questions from God ..... "Where IS Home?"  .....  "Do you really want to feel At Home?"   "To be at peace in your home?"  "You created a beautiful place, ... but it became difficult to enjoy because of so much work...."  "Do you need all that you had?"  "Can you let go of special things?....because you can't take it "Home" with you....." ....wow, you mean to Heaven?, I thoughtYes, that is the real HOME, when we get there, but what about before we get there? .... then I had a visual ..... of ME BEING THE HOME WHERE HE LIVES IN ME! .... like a house!!!  So as I wrote and listened and prayed and gave thanks too..... I finally realized, ..... That I need to work on the place where He DWELLS..... and that is inside my soul.  I need to have HIM there so comfortable that He is AT HOME THERE... in my soul...  OK, A couch potato on the couch of my soul..... Wow, where did that thought come from!!?? Ha, but really, HOW COMFORTABLE is He or are you with HIM REALLY DWELLING INSIDE (Your) MY SOUL.....not just on Sunday, but every minute of the day....  Oooo now that's what I am talking about!!!  Yes!!! When He dwells in me, I am AT HOME WHERE EVER I LIVE!!!  EVEN UP ON A LEAF ON A STEM OF A GIANT FLOWER!! Climbing that little ladder..... That is where this art piece comes in.... I did the MYSTELE (you'll find her by clicking on STUDIO THRIVE/MYSTELE to the left in my list of favorites.) style of  collaging, doodling, writing, paint dripping, smearing and playing for the picture/story to appear in it .... had to come from my soul, ... what has been in my thoughts for several weeks!!! So enjoy!!!  He DOES HEAR YOUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS .... AND HE ANSWERS.  You have to be still (or even asleep) and listen.  We are finally getting closer to being completely moved and THIS WEEK I got ALL MY ART SUPPLIES  on shelves!!! That also feels "AT HOME" for me.  I am thinking AT HOME is actually doing something you love with Him living in your heart and getting to do it with you!!! .... or He is doing it "through" you because He lives inside!!!  So many empowering thoughts that have warmed and comforted my heart!!! We look forward to the resting with AT HOME in us ....!  BLESSINGS!!!  I am adding what we read today in Sunday School!!! PERFECT for this art and my thinking!! 
www.biblegateway.com 
click on the above link to go straight to the verses, or here are the references,
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
2Corinthians 5:1-9
Romans 8:22-25




4 comments:

GlorV1 said...

Nice work. How fun that you are starting a new journey. I need change. Good luck in all your endeavors.

Angella Dee said...

Loved visiting your blog- so inspiring!

Patrinas Pencil said...

loved this...Sherry,

"I finally realized, ..... That I need to work on the place where He DWELLS..... and that is inside my soul. I need to have HIM there so comfortable that He is AT HOME THERE... in my soul..."

What a mouthful of words... yeah... that is the reality of Jesus living on the inside of us. That was our theme this week in my Beth Moore Bible Study 'Breaking Free'...

to be KNOWN by God...and making Him KNOWN through the tangible presence of Jesus living inside of us.

I just shared this scripture with the last blogger I commented on...

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb 11:6

But....the real nitty gritty - the part that is harder to get my mind around.. is Jesus LIVING on the inside of me...in my HOME!

Eph 2:12-13 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

and...

I close with Paul's powerful prayer to the Ephesians... Eph 3:14-21

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

AMEN!!!

Blessings to you today, my friend
May we keep growing closer to Jesus as we sup with Him in our very own HOMES.

Patrina <")>><


Say It In Color said...

Patrina, What a gift of His fragrance you are to my soul....thank you for sharing all the wonder of His love through His word .... you seem to fill the gaps with His word where I am at a loss, but isn't that how He works?! BLESS YOU SO MUCH, have a great week, sherry