WOYWW: Desk Space!

Hold on to your seats if you aren't used to seeing space in my desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday!  I did a tidy up to make space for a new Canon Slephy Compact Photo Printer my hubby gave me!  And in the process, found some treasures that were hidden away...

some flea market/antique shop finds from Budapest (the two ornaments on top) in a book box that I made by cutting off a niche in the middle of a book that I only liked for the pretty cover...

a hand carved mother-of-pearl cross from Bethlehem that a shopkeeper gave to my husband to give to me as a surprise as a thank you for inviting some of my tourmates to visit his shop the day after we bought from him!

And for Word Art Wednesday, illustration form my prayer journal, still the only art I've been able to get done...

Happy WOYWW and Word Art Wednesday!

Easter Blessings and a Giveaway!

Jesus is Risen!  
(This giveaway has ended.  Thank you to all those who joined.)

St. Alphosus de Ligouri, in "The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ," commented, "St. Laurence Justinian remarks: 'We have seen Him who is wise infatuated through an excess of love.' We have beheld Him who is eternal wisdom itself, the Son of God, become a fool for us, by reason of the too great love which he bore toward us."

I celebrate God's great love and saving work for me!  Oh, what he was willing to go through for me!  

Blessed John Henry Newman, as quoted in Evangelizo,  comments:

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 118[117],24)...

This is Easter Day. Let us say this again and again to ourselves with fear and great joy. As children say to themselves, "This is the spring," or "This is the sea," trying to grasp the thought..., let us say, “This is the Day of Days, the Royal Day, the Lord's Day (Rv 1,10 Gk.). This is the Day on which Christ arose from the dead; the Day which brought us salvation”. It is a Day which has made us greater than we know...

We have had enough of weariness, and dreariness, and listlessness, and sorrow, and remorse. We have had enough of this troublesome world. We have had enough of its noise and din...But now there is stillness; and it is a stillness that speaks... such is our blessedness now. Calm and serene days have begun; and Christ is heard in them, and His “still small voice” (1Kgs 19,12), because the world speaks not. Let us only put off the world, and we put on Christ (Eph 4,22; Rm 13,14)... May that unclothing be unto us a clothing upon of things invisible and imperishable! May we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, season after season, year after year, till He takes us to Himself... into the kingdom of His Father and our Father, His God and our God (Jn 20,17). 

And to celebrate this "Day which has made us greater than we know..." I'm having an Easter giveaway!  Celebrate with me and let me know if you would like to have the chance to win "Easter Angel," this original  5" x 7" mixed media painting (watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil on paper).  I made it especially for you, my visitors and blog friends.  If you follow my blog through Google Friends Connect (in the sidebar) or Google+ (top of the page) or if you shared about my giveaway, let me know in separate comments and get extra entries to the giveaway.  My giveaway ends on May 19, Pentecost Sunday, which marks the end of the Easter Season this year.

A blessed Easter season, dearest visitors and blog friends!  "May we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, season after season, year after year, till He takes us to Himself... into the kingdom of His Father and our Father, His God and our God (Jn 20,17)."

Linking up with Paint Party Friday, Faith Filled Friday, Spiritual Sundays, Inspire Me Monday, Share the Shelter and Word Art Wednesday.

WOYWW: Ipad Apps

Happy whatever the day of the week it is, everyone!  I hope today is a good day for you!  It is for me and as my prayer journal illustration says, "I will bless the Lord at all times." Psalm 34:2

No new art projects on my desk because I've been busy playing with my ipad mini, posting some pictures on Instagram (my user name is peggyapl) and having fun with some makeover apps.  

Here is one of my Instagram posts.  This is the Church of the Transfiguration in Mount Tabor, Israel.

And here is my makeover using the free app Perfect 365 for the face and Great Hair HD for the hair...

So that's What's on my Workdesk this Wednesday!  What's on yours?  And have you joined my Easter giveaway?

Nothing is Impossible with God

Today is the Feast of the Annunciation, when we celebrate Mary's "Yes."  Even if at first she was greatly troubled, she still said, "Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38  

Whatever life brings, I, too, would like to be able to say yes and remember that nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Here is my prayer journal page today...

and "a modern meditation on the Divine Mystery of the Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary"...

Here are some pictures I posted in my new Instagram account (my user name is peggyapl).  A painting of Mary...

a mosaic I saw in Madaba, Jordan...

and the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

The lower level of the Basilica contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, where, according to tradition, the childhood home of Mary was located.

I'm sharing this in Spiritual Sundays and Inspire Me Monday.  And if you haven't joined my giveaway yet, you might want to have a chance at winning this painting...

Just leave me a comment in my giveaway post!  Happy Feast of the Annunciation!

On to Israel

Since I have just come back from a trip to Holy Land, I can imagine the scenes described in the bible more clearly.  

Traveling from Jordan, hours of watching the desert scenes pass by was tiring (and imagine, the Israelites weren't even riding in an airconditioned bus like we were!)  

Sometimes in life, our promised land, the answer to our prayers, takes so long in coming and we get tired of waiting.   We don't see how we'll ever get to the promised land.  And sometimes, like the Israelites, we start complaining.  

A rainbow reminded us of God's promises, so fitting after our experience of the flash floods in Petra.  

Right when we crossed the border to Israel, while we were waiting to disembark, we heard birds singing and to our amazement, there were so many birds in the olive tree outside the bus.  

It was raining when we were on Mount Nebo, and we did not see the view of Israel from there.  At last we were in "this land flowing with milk and honey." 

After the browns of the desert views, I enjoyed the beautiful colors around... 

God's creation up close is awesome!

Yes, it may take a while, but we will eventually get to our promised land!

I recalled the words from Galatians 3:29: "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise."   What a wonderful verse!  I am an heir according to the promise and this is the land of my descendants!  

Sharing this in Inspire Me Monday and Word Art Wednesday!

WOYWW: The Promised Land

Hello, dear blog friends!

On my desk today (obviously, I used the push and shove method to clear up some space) is a lovely Madonna and Child ATC from Voula...

and a page from my prayer journal for the reading today.  This verse reminds me of our recent visit to Mount Nebo in Jordan, the place where Moses viewed the Promised Land.  

It was a rainy, foggy day when we went there, so we didn't get to see the view of Israel.  We didn't even get to see this landmark and had to resort to taking pictures of  pictures hanging on the wall of the chapel there...

Sometimes in life, we can't see our own promised lands.  We can't see how God's going to answer our prayers, we can't see how His promises will come to pass.  

Our vision is blurred by the fog and rain of fears, doubts, and all sorts of other things.

I did manage to get a picture of this landmark.  Even if the guide didn't tell me, I would know this is Mount Nebo because of this landmark. And I know that the view is there even if I didn't see it that day.

In life, my landmark is the Word of God.  When I can't see my promised land, I look to God's Word to remind me that the land is there, even if I can't see it.  I look to God's Word to remind me that His promises are true even when it is rainy and foggy.  Eventually, the sun shines, the fog clears, and the view is beautiful.

More posts about the Holy Land.

Sharing this in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday, a belated Inspire Me Monday and Paint Party Friday.

WOYWW: An Adventure in Petra

This is supposed to be a short post for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday but alas, not this week!

I did some tidying up!  And I had some help...

Last week I didn't get to post a close-up of a wonderful surprise I received from Jo.  Thank you so much, Jo!  You must visit her and see her lovely eyes ;-)

Here is a quick sketch I made in my travel journal.  Notice the waters at the bottom left...

While we were in the amazing World Heritage Site of Petra, Jordan, I marveled at the ancient structures...

and amazing rock formations of the "Siq," the dim, narrow gorge (in some points no more than 3 m wide)  that winds its way approximately 1.2 km...

 

The first glimpse of Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury), was awesome...

David Bjorgen

 and to see The Treasury up close was a dream come true.  But the dream turned into something of a nightmare when we experienced what would have been a terrifying experience for me if not for my faith in God - a flash flood!

It was drizzling when we started our walk and our tour guide made a remark about not dilly dallying because of the possibility of flash floods.  I thought he was joking and I said, "Oh, that would be too exciting for me!"  

By the time we reached The Treasury the rain had gotten harder (see the edge of the umbrella in the top of the picture above?)  and right after we took a group picture, our tour guide told us to hurry back.  Some of our older tour mates were able to ride the horse carriages but there were only a few carriages available.  

In a few minutes, he was shouting, "Move!" and pointing to the water flowing through the Siq, "See, the flash flood? It's starting already!"  Oh my gosh!!! By now we realized he wasn't joking after all, and not knowing just how high the floods would eventually reach was frightening.  Walking as fast as I could and getting breathless at the effort, the water quickly rose to knee high, and it was freezing!

After a while, a Petra guide told us to stop under an overhanging rock (this is what I later drew in my journal).  Here, we were able to catch our breath and we prayed together. For a while I thought we would wait it out under the comfort of the cave but in a few minutes, we heard the familiar, "Move!" and out we went back into the rain and the freezing floodwater.

But this time, I recalled these verses,

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Philippians 4:4

In every thing give thanks. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise; continually in my mouth. 

Psalm 34:1

and decided to do just that.  Thanking God while walking through the freezing flood, I felt courageous and victorious!   I had other lessons to be learned from this experience but that is for another post and I leave you with this verse from Isaiah.  

Thank you, Lord, for your protection, and for renewing my strength!  Also sharing this in Word Art Wednesday,  Inspire Me Monday and Paint Party Friday!

You are My Beloved

Visiting the Holy Land and renewing my baptismal vows with water from the River Jordan, where Jesus himself was baptized, continues to fill me with gratitude.  And as I looked back in my prayer journal, I saw this entry about Jesus' baptism, with a quotation from Saint John Chrysostom,

...Why did heaven open when Jesus Christ was baptized? To teach that the same thing invisibly happens at your own baptism: at that moment God calls you to your homeland in heaven and invites you to have nothing further in common with earth... If we do not now see the same signs nevertheless we receive the same graces of which these signs were the symbol.

Then a dove was seen descending... It would also teach each one of us that the holy Spirit comes down on our soul at the moment of baptism.  It no longer comes in visible form because we no longer need it to: faith is enough now...

...This dove also reminds us of an event we read about in the Old Testament: when the earth was inundated by the flood and the whole human race in danger of perishing, the dove appeared to announce the end of the disaster; it carried an olive branch bearing the good news of the restoration of peace in the world. Now all this was a prefiguration of of what was to come... When all was lost, deliverance and renewal came about. What formerly took place through the deluge of water now takes place today as if by a deluge of grace and mercy... It is no longer only one man that the dove calls to leave the ark to repopulate the earth; it draws all men to heaven. Instead of an olive branch, it brings to all humankind the dignity of adoption as children of God.

What an amazing gift the Lord wants to give each and every one of us, no exception.  Just as I shared in my previous post about the River Jordan, even when we are dirty and muddy, God calls us to be holy.  He wants us to be his children.  He wants us to hear him say, "You are my beloved!" Luke 3:22  Thank you, Lord!

Sharing this in Paint Party Friday, In the Studio Sneak Peek Friday and Faith Filled Friday!

WOYWW: Walking Where Jesus Walked

 

I have just come back from an amazing pilgrimage to Jordan, Israel and Egypt (and a side trip to Taiwan).  No time to put away all the maps and brochures I collected along the way so they are all on my desk today for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  

In Jordan, we visited the Jordan River, the place where Jesus was baptized.   I put my hand in the flowing brown water.  This is where Jesus was!  Fr. Dave, who was leading our pilgrimage, invited us to look at the muddy waters of the river, made holy because Jesus chose it for His baptism.  And so now, it is set apart among all other rivers.  Holy, even if it is muddy.  And so it is with us, sinful and dirty though we are, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He chooses us to be His, set us apart for Him, holy.  Reflecting on this while looking at the muddy river, so grateful for God's goodness and mercy, it was hard to keep from crying (actually, all throughout the trip, I seemed to be crying!)

Right there, in the river where Jesus was baptized, we renewed our baptismal vows, and one by one Fr.Dave anointed us with water from the Jordan. Here is an illustration I made in my pilgrimage journal...

And as I often do, I leave you with a page from my prayer journal...

 

 God spoke to me through His Son, Jesus, as I walked where He walked in the Holy Land.  Hopefully, I will get to share a bit of the places I visited in the coming days.  For now, why not visit the WOYWW, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday lists!