The Master Artist’s Gallery

June 22, 2021 Gracie

Always Open – The Master Artist’s Gallery

The Master Artist's Gallery is always open

A few days ago, I woke up, opened the shades, and saw this breathtaking sunrise right outside my window.

I couldn’t help it – I immediately went outside to take a picture in my pajamas, no less!

It’s okay, we have nice neighbors. 🙂

The sunrise was too beautiful to pass up and just go on with my day without thanking God for it.

I will never stop delighting in God and the gifts He has given to our world, including this stunning sunrise.

The Master Artist’s gallery is always open and free to the public.

No waiting in line

No restrictions

All ages welcome

Praise God!

The Master Artist’s Gallery

Someday the “Light of the world” will illuminate us and there will be no need for a sun.

Can you imagine what we will see then?

All of this from God’s loving hand.

God gave us the sun, never to worship but, among other things, allow us to “see” His magnificent creation!

God's gallery of creation

Anyone who has visited my blog for any length of time will know that I sometimes share poetry from other writers.

Louis Gander is one of my favorites. He is so talented that I’m going to share another one of his poems.

Enjoy!

His Painting

Alone, the sun rises
over people unknown.
Although they ignore it,
its sunlight is thrown,
over the river and
through the faint fog,
like lone little flowers
on top a dead log,
growing so freely,
so gentle, so bright –
as God’s great creation
is seen from His light.

Some hovering noises
seem somewhat bizarre,
trespassing nature
from places afar –
while God, the Great Artist
keeps painting His way –
another day passes
just like yesterday.
A bright colored sunset
surrounds a lone loon.
Reflected on water,
His bright crescent moon.

Now stars hold God’s canvas
while brush strokes so grand,
paint wide vivid colors
with love’s perfect hand.
And God – although we
cannot even imagine –
prepares us a place, in
His painting called ‘Heaven’.
So things we see here
will seem dreary and gray,
compared to the next one
that’ll blow us away!

John 14:2
In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.

——-

On a personal note: I was in touch with Louis recently. He’s had some health issues and would really appreciate your prayers.

His gift of writing is a blessing to the world.

# # #

Our Exceptional God

Be A Noticer

February 16, 2021 Gracie

Be A Noticer – A Welcome Escape

Are you a noticer?

Does a gorgeous sunrise cause you to stop what you’re doing to take notice of the awesomeness that is the new day?

For me, it’s mostly yes.

Sometimes though, I get in a hurry and blitz on past the beauty right in front of me.

Here’s a recent sunrise. You wouldn’t believe how many of these awe-inspiring moments I have on my phone.

be a noticer

Please don’t miss those moments of bliss.

Only God can paint the brilliant sky.

Be a noticer.

It’s a welcome escape that God gives us in a world often filled with turmoil.

Life’s Beauty We Sometimes Neglect To Notice

In a world that’s turned so ugly this year, glimpses of God’s goodness are welcome reminders that there’s much more to this earth than the evil we are seeing now.

We can count on this –

God is so good, and His light shines

and will continue to shine through this darkness.

John 1:3-5

Think about this.

In a world that seems so out of control, we have a Sovereign Lord who called the heavens and the earth into being by . . . His . . . words.

Nothing or no one is more powerful than that.

So take notice!

When the sunrise hits your face, when your baby takes his or her first steps, when the one you love first popped the question – those moments of joy are given to us by God.

Turn off the mainstream news and get your heart and mind set on God and His blessings.

Practice Noticing

You’ve heard this before, but it’s so important.

Don’t lose hope.

Keep a journal of past and realized blessings as a reminder of God’s goodness.

I know things seem bleak right now, but something good will come of this.

But how?

I wish we had the answer to that, but we’re not God.

Just trust like your life depends on it.

Don’t let those nagging doubts stirred up by evil cloud your trust in God.

God’s Goodness Is All Around Us

Recently, I read an amazing devotional that emphasizes the importance of keeping our minds on Christ.

I’d like to share it with you here.

Enjoy!

How do we cultivate a heart of hopeful expectancy in a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams? We look for evidence of God’s goodness all around us. In fact, start writing down the things you see. In due time, something both natural and supernatural will take place within you. You’ll become a noticer. Someone who looks for and experiences the goodness of God wherever you go.

There’s a system in your brain that responds to your most consistent thoughts. Whatever thoughts you have on repeat, your brain scans your environment to find “evidence” to back up your beliefs, even if those beliefs are wrong. For example, if you rehearse thoughts of insecurity or self-contempt, or fear, your brain will be on high alert to find evidence to confirm your rehearsed thoughts.

So, what if you retrained your brain to look for the coming Kingdom? What if you looked around each day with expectancy that something good is coming your way? Each day, God pours out fresh mercies. Every morning, the heavens declare the glory of God. Because Jesus is always with you, you need not be shaken. (see Psalm 16:8). – Christian author, Susie Larson.

# # #

Susie Larson Live, courtesy of Faith Radio, “Goodness Is Coming.” 2-01-21. Web. Accessed 11 February, 2020. Retrieved from https://myfaithradio.com/2021/goodness-is-coming/

Our Exceptional God

Our Creator And King

November 14, 2018 Gracie

The Wonders Of Our Creator

There are countless reasons to delight in God – our Creator and King.

He is the maker of all things, including you and me.

Creator and King

The sunrises and sunsets that we enjoy today, wouldn’t happen were it not for His commands during the creation of the world.

¹⁶And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. – Genesis 1:16-19., (ESV).

All living creatures – from the dinosaurs of old to your family pet sleeping over there on your couch, to every amazing creature that ever existed in the wild – all designed by God for His great pleasure.

And He put us in charge, under His Sovereignty and reflecting His glory.

It’s very humbling, if you think about it.

That’s why I love the videos I’ve seen from Illustra Media. I’ve only watched a few. They’re not only intellectually stimulating, but also amazing visuals pointing to God’s creation.

Allow me to share a short one about hummingbirds with you.

God’s Exquisite Workmanship

His exquisite workmanship

Have you ever seen a hummingbird lighting on a tree outside your window? We have one who visits us occasionally. When he flies by, I have to stop everything I’m doing just to watch in awe.

Hummingbirds are not only beautiful, if you consider the fact that they beat their wings over eighty times a second, all day and every day, their very nature is extraordinary.

We know “Who” we have to thank for their amazing design.

Please enjoy.

God bless

###

Our Exceptional God

No Time For Patience

June 1, 2017 Gracie

Confession Time

Ssshhh, let’s just keep this private between you and me.

I have no time for patience.

It takes too long. 🙂

Seriously, practicing patience is hard.

There’s my timetable of when I think things should happen, (silly human), and then there’s God’s timing.

We know Who controls the outcome of everything in our lives, and it isn’t you and me.

Hurry Up, And Wait

As hurried and busy as we all are, it still seems we do a lot of waiting.

Waiting on this person, waiting on that thing.

It doesn’t matter what it is, even the little stuff sometimes.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Years ago, I worked for a female executive who was very generous with her gift-giving. That’s a good trait for a boss to have, right?

I’ll never forget one birthday of mine.

She gave me a nice gift certificate for a facial at a fancy beauty salon.

I was excited.

It wasn’t just any facial. It was nine layers!

Facials come in nine layers?

Who knew?

nine layer facial

I’ll never forget it. The day arrived, and I lay there on the salon table in a small backroom as the esthetician smoothed each layer on my face. There were layers of seaweed and clay, plus lots of other rejuvenating, moisture-producing, ingredients mixed in.

It felt good, and it smelled good.

Time to close my eyes and relax.

This facial is great.

Aaahhh, so great.

Truly.

#reallygreat.

The Reveal

The tech told me to relax for the next hour as the facial mask did its work.

She then abandoned (I mean left) me alone in that little room.

Everything was fine for a few minutes, and then the ingredients started to harden on my face.

The nine layers stiffened up like concrete.

My head, weighing about a thousand pounds now, started to hurt.

The new age music she piped into the room began to creep me out, and the blanket on top of me was getting all kinds of warm.

Where was she? How long has it been?

I tried to move my concrete head.

Fear took over.

The Bible says many times not to fear.

No time for patience

Does that command include suffering through a nine layer facial mask?

Where was she?

What if they all leave and forget about me back here?

After one of the longest hours of my life for the sake of beauty, the tech finally came back and took off my constricting layers.

I silently assured myself that I would never go through that again.

No Time For Patience? Practice Makes Perfect

I am not a fan of feeling out of control.

Roller coasters scare me.

On a serious note, how often does that happen to us in life?

We go into a situation, and it doesn’t quite turn out the way we planned. In fact, things can go terribly wrong. Layer builds upon layer of disappointment and we feel suffocated in misery.

Turn Your Impatience Into A Strength

We can get ourselves into so many predicaments, and then we want God to bail us out.

It could take awhile.

While we’re waiting, whether it’s a few minutes or even years, God hasn’t gone anywhere.

He’s still in control, loving us with His perfect love, and He knows full well our real pain and suffering.

Sinclair B Ferguson quote

Restlessness Is Another Opportunity To Pray

God always has a reason and can use our trials for His glory. We may not understand the reasons for our predicament at the time, but when impatience hits, instead of grumbling about it, why not stop and pray silently?

Pray for God’s will, His timing, and His grace.

Lord, please help us with our lack of patience.

Help us to trust You more, no matter what.

Don’t Move Ahead Of God

My husband and I talk about how often, when we’ve blindly rushed headlong into making a big decision, it turns out to be wrong every time. On the other hand, when we’ve specifically prayed, waited on God’s timing, what we thought was good for us either rightly fell into place or it didn’t. We know God was with us throughout and we trust His ways are best, even when His answer is No! Perspective and perseverance are essential.

Whether it’s waiting for the right job or trusting God through our illnesses, we should seek His comfort through the valley of frustrations.

The Apostle Paul encouraged believers in the book of Romans to remain firm in their faith.

Faith is living and active. It represents our confidence in God’s grace.

^**12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12, ESV.

Keep your sense of humor, and know that the One who created that beautiful sunset outside, also created you. God never makes a mistake.

God created the sunsets

I hope this post has brought you a smile and some encouragement.

God bless you.

# # #

*Sinclair B. Ferguson quotation, public domain and as quoted from Christian quotes.info

Our Exceptional God

The Best Place To Pray

January 24, 2017 Gracie

A Special Place for Praying

The best place to pray Is there a special place you go to say your prayers?

Is there a particular time?

Do you pray only at night in bed, before you go to sleep?

I do pray in bed, but it’s not the only place I pray.

There’s no right or wrong answer.

It’s whatever is personal to you.

Embrace the Peace and Quiet

Quiet places are best.

It’s hard to meet with God when distractions are everywhere, such as the familiar ring of a cell phone, barking dogs, and loud television shows in the next room.

I prefer the quiet.

There’s not a room in my house where I haven’t said a prayer or two. Whenever I feel that urge to pray for someone, or for another request that comes to mind, I try to make an effort to pray right then and there, rather than waiting for later.

I’ve even said prayers while driving in my car.

Have you been on any jammed interstates lately? 😉

I’ve also prayed silently in the pharmacy at the grocery store, as odd as that may sound.

Streams of Tears

streams of tears

I remember that day well.

My husband had just had surgery.

After several hours at the hospital, I got him home, tucked him into bed so he could sleep the rest of the day, and headed to the pharmacy to pick up all of his prescriptions.

Nothing unexpected, but I had also just heard that my husband’s cousin, Carol, had passed away that morning.

We loved Carol and that news, along with the stress of my husband’s surgery, just knocked me for a loop. I handed the prescription to the pharmacy tech and went to the waiting room where she directed. There was no one else in the waiting room. I just sat there. All of these sad thoughts flooded my mind.

Missing Carol, worrying about my husband.

A few minutes later? Bring on the tears.

They were rolling down my face and,

How come I never have a Kleenex when I need it?

The pharmacy tech called my name, and I walked up to her, eyes wet, barely able to talk. She looked at me and didn’t say much. I think she knew that if she asked, I would have lost it even more. I got home, bawling at that point, and just sat around in the quiet house, my husband sleeping in the next room, feeling sad and alone. I poured my heart out to God that day. I did feel better afterward.

Is There A Best Place To Pray?

I’m mentioning all of this from my personal life because I want to encourage you that it doesn’t matter where you pray, God will listen. He understands us more than we can ever know.

^*15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16, NASB

Your Quiet Place

The whole idea of setting up a “prayer closet” for meditating creeps me out. The more I’ve read about that practice, the more it appears to resemble contemplative (or centering) prayer, which is not a good thing.

You can pray anywhere.

One of my absolute favorite spots, when it’s not freezing outside, is on the porch. I go out about dusk, enjoy the sunset, and say a gratitude prayer to God.

It’s all very peaceful.

On Your Knees

No Embarrassment

There’s a song I listened to a lot when I first became a Christian.

It’s called “On My Knees” by award-winning Christian vocalist, Jaci Velasquez.

Please don’t feel embarrassed to get on your knees to pray to the King of Kings.

May God bless you this week.

Our Exceptional God

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