Easter Blessings

Dying, He destroyed our death. Rising, He restored our life! No greater love is there.

And so, whatever life may bring, we can experience the victory Christ won for us on the cross.

Jesus is Risen! Alleluia!

Spring Cleaning

We just transferred to a new home and with packing up for the move we're also doing a lot of throwing out and cleaning up. Moving house is a good time to decide on what we really want to keep and what we can let go of.

I'm reminded of the ancient Jewish custom of thoroughly cleaning their homes in preparation for the spring-time holiday of Passover. According to Wikipedia, "In remembrance of the Jews' hasty flight from Egypt following their captivity there, during the eight-day holiday there is a strict prohibition against eating anything which may have been leavened. Jews are not only supposed to refrain from leavened foodstuffs (known in Hebrew as חמץ chametz), they are expressly commanded to rid their homes of even small remnants of chametz for the length of the holiday (Exodus 12:15). Therefore, for the past 3,500 years, observant Jews have conducted a thorough "spring cleaning" of the house, followed by a traditional hunt for chametz crumbs by candlelight (called bedikat chametz [Hebrew: בדיקת חמץ]) on the evening before the holiday begins."

Even if we're not Jews, or even if we're not moving house, it's a good idea to have regular spring cleaning, a time of heavy duty cleaning and organizing. Perhaps we will find that there are things we have that we don't really use and which would benefit someone else much more. Or that having less clutter will give us a more peaceful and well functioning home.

The weeks before Easter are also a good time to do some spiritual spring cleaning, to take a look at our lives and allow God to take away the clutter, to leave behind what is of value in the eternal perspective.

This Holy week, why not take hold of a Bible and take to heart these words...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Have a blessed Holy Week!

The Seemingly Illogical Ways of God

Sometimes, or maybe oftentimes, we don't understand God's ways. We question them and say, as Oswald Chambers says in his book "My Utmost for His Highest",
"I am impressed with the wonder of what God says, but He cannot expect me really to live it out in the details of my life!" ... Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things, it cannot be done... "

Chambers says "These misgivings about Jesus start from the amused questions put to us when we talk of our transactions with God - Where are you going to get your money from? How are you going to be looked after? Or they start from ourselves when we tell Jesus that our case is a bit too hard for Him. It is all very well to say "Trust in the Lord," but a man must live, and Jesus has nothing to draw with - nothing whereby to give us these things..." Chambers was reflecting on John 4:11, when the Samaritan woman told Jesus - "Sir...you have nothing to draw with."

These words struck me as I read them because in these times of financial crisis, so many people find themselves anxious about where to get money to pay the bills. And just like the Samaritan woman, many find it hard to believe that God can provide for the practical everyday needs.

But then, if you've tried all the other ways to get out of a crisis, what harm can there be in trying to find out about God's ways? After all, His word in Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." When I read something like this, I want to claim it and I try to find out what God requires of me so that I can follow His ways.

Someone close to me shared about how he used think that paying His taxes fully and giving tithes would definitely mean less money in his pocket. That's logical, isn't it? And then he got convicted about evading taxes and decided to follow God's ways. He paid his taxes and gave his tithes, obeying Malachi 3:10, and perhaps "testing God". It says - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." To his amazement, his business prospered and although illogical, he he found that instead of having less to spend, he had much more.

God's ways don't always seem logical to us. Like when He says in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Or in Matthew 20: 26-27, "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave."

However illogical God's ways seem to be, who knows how He will work in our lives when we open ourselves up to Him. I think it's worth a try.

Vigan on My Mind

Last weekend, my daughter was away on a field trip to Vigan, a Unesco World Heritage Site that is well-known for its cobblestone streets, and a unique architecture that fuses Philippine building design and construction with colonial European architecture.

It's a long way off from where we live and it's the first time she's been away with people I don't really know. Time flies with our children. One day they are little kids and the next thing you know, they are all grown up. But I guess, no matter how old my daughter is (she just turned nineteen), a part of me will always think of her as my baby. To keep myself from worrying about her safety, I read Psalm 91 and claim these promises...

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you...

Here are some Vigan inspired ATCs I made using pen and colored pencils. I copied the designs from a newspaper clipping, but I asked my daughter to take lots of pictures in Vigan for more inspiration. I think the details of the houses make for lovely ATCs.

Running the Race

A few days ago, my son told us he was training to run a marathon. It reminded me of the days (more than 25 years ago!) I would get up early Sunday mornings to run with a group of all kinds of people, all of us hoping to run a marathon after training for one whole year. I would also run three more times during the week. If I missed those weekday runs, I wouldn't be able to keep up during the Sunday run.

Anyone who knows me would know that I am a most unlikely marathoner. A marathon is a long-distance foot race (according to Wikipedia, it has an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards). Me? Run 42 kilometers? I can just hear the words, "in your dreams!"

Well, I guess dreaming is a good place to start! I realized, as I joined this group, that for many of us, our dreams about running a marathon were not about winning the race or finishing first. It was simply about finishing. Period. It was about training and persevering to reach that goal. It was about doing it together with other people who had the same goal.

Come marathon day, I was ready to go and determined to finish. Pacing myself, I just kept running (ok, ok, it could have looked like we were walking). There were ups and downs in the road, and, after hours and hours, the most unlikely marathoner crossed the finish line. I did it!

Our life is much like this race. Many of us aren't called to "finish first", to do what other perceive to be big things for God. We aren't called to be popular evangelists or write bestsellers. Many of us are simply called to live our lives as parents, sisters, employees. Simple lives. But I believe that to persevere in living our simple lives in a way that is pleasing to God, to love God and be obedient to His ways is enough. To keep on keeping on.

To run the marathon and finish it, I listened well to my trainer's instructions and followed them. He told us to train by running at least this number of minutes for this number of days a week (it's been so long, I've forgotten the details!). He told us to drink water, to pace ourselves, to carbo load the day before, etc. So I did. And by doing so, I finished the race.

To live a life that is pleasing to God, it is so important to listen well to God's instructions and follow them. The bible is full of His loving instructions and His promises when we obey them. To live my life well, I need to know what God says about the situations I find myself in as a wife, a mother, and whatever my other roles are. He tells me how to love, to forgive, to train up my children. After almost 30 years of striving to be obedient to Him, I fully believe that obedience brings Blessing.

I ran the marathon with my Dad and my sister and brother. The people we trained with became familiar to us and we encouraged one another to keep on. Just like in the marathon, there are ups and downs in life, but, it is easier to live a life pleasing to God when you do it with other people who have the same goal. The world around us tells us different things about how we should live our life. Many times, it's the exact opposite of what the bible says. When we become part of a community, to have brothers and sisters in the Lord to support and encourage us, it is easier to listen to God's words rather than all the other voices around us.

And after all this, however simple and insignificant our lives may seem, I pray we will eventually be able to say, in the words from 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith."

What Do You Have?

Do you have empty cereal boxes, tissue boxes, old playing cards, greeting cards, invitation cards or any similar material? You can use these as a base for your ATCs. Do you have old magazines, colorful junk mail or catalogs? You can use these for collages. Are there crayons, pastels and watercolors somewhere in the house? Or cloth remnants, lace and button? Whatever you have on hand, you can use to start with in creating your own originals.

You can also use 300gm watercolor paper or Bristol Board. And if the cardstock you have is too flimsy, you can glue a few layers together. I have used invitation cards cut to size and coated with gesso or extra Bristol board from my daughter's projects. My sister has also used the more affordable wall putty or ordinary acrylic primer that you buy from the hardware store. There is always something close by that you can use.

In life, we sometimes say we can't do certain things because we don't have enough time, or we don't have enough skill or talent or we don't have enough money. Sometimes we think we can't share or give to those around us because we think we don't have anything to give. But you know? I believe we all have something to give. The question we just need to ask ourselves is "What do I have?" Whatever I have, I can use to start with to create a better world around me.

Matthew 6:35-44 tells the story of how Jesus fed five thousand people.
"When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves."

Five loaves and two fish! Whatever we have, we can offer and God can use. What do you have?

My Winning ATC

I've just had another wonderful surprise! I joined the monthly contest in ATCs for All and guess what! I won for the month of February! My entry was a mixed media collage of two trees (The theme was "Trees"). Here's how I made it...

1. First I cut the card to standard ATC size -2.5" x 3.5"

2. Then I gave the card a coat of gesso. This makes for a nice texture when you color it.

3. I gave the card a light wash of acrylic (or was it watercolor?) in varying shades of light blue.

4. Then I made a light pencil sketch of the two tree trunks and branches. I wanted to let the trees form a heart since the month of February is Valentine's month.

5. I painted the trunks and branches with acrylic paints, trying to put darker shades on the right side of the trunk. When painting I like to have different shades, mixing a little bit of different colors so that it's not just one flat trunk with one color.

6. I painted book paper in varying shades of green (again) and cut the paper up in leaf shapes.

7. I pasted the leaves to the branches, making sure that I kept the heart clear of leaves.

8. I used colored pencils for the hills and background. Again, I used different colors. The gesso gives the colored pencil a nice texture. I also gave the edges a darker violet color to sort of frame the card.

9. Almost done, just a few flowers at the base of the trees and two birds in the distance, painted with acrylics. And although it can hardly be seen, a heart carving on the trunk. Inside the heart, it says "ATCs".

10. Then, I pasted a backing on the card with the title of the card "February Trees", my name, signature, and email address and the date.

Trading Cards

It's been a while since I last posted in my blog. After joining ATCs for all and looking through the gallery, I marvelled at the wonderful cards that were up for trading. I found myself offering to trade cards with some very talented artists til I had nothing left to trade. Since they offered to hold the cards I was interested in for me til I had new cards, I found myself having to make more cards to trade out. Having that goal and "deadline" really encouraged me to sit down and create something. I think ATCs are a wonderful way for artists and would be artists to develop their talents and skills. Since it's such a small size, just 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, you can just leave a card you're not that happy with it and start another one. Or bring along a blank card to draw on while waiting for an appointment. You can even use recycled materials, cardboard boxes or old invitations. Even children can make ATCs! Although I haven't received the cards yet, I'm excited to receive the cards and I look forward to learning techniques from the artists I'm trading with.

Take Time to Listen

A few days ago, I went on a prayer walk. With my bible and journal in hand, I took a walk in a nearby park early in the morning.

As I walked, read the words from Jeremiah 29:11-14a,

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the LORD, and I will change your lot..."

In the early morning, there are not that many people around. It is peaceful and quiet and I thought, "in silence, I will find Him." I could hear the crickets singing, the rustle of dry leaves beneath my feet... "In silence, I can hear things I don't ordinarily hear." And so it is that I need to take time to sit in silence and seek the Lord.

Often times, our day to day lives are full and noisy. These days, especially, there are many voices that say all is not well, and the future looks bleak. But this verse promises that God wants a future full of hope for me. For you. As He promised, "when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you...and I will change your lot..."

Trading ATCs at ATCs for All

I visited ATCs for All the other day to learn more about ATCs. After reading the tips and instructional posts and posting a message in the welcome thread, I was surprised to find a private message for me from Kat, who was offering me an ATC from New Zealand! How exciting, my first trade (of course I offered her one from me as well)! Her topic preference is a native animal, so I found myself thinking about native Philippine animals. I think the Philippine tarsier would be a good subject for an ATC since it is also very small (just like an ATC).