5
Apr, 2023

Art is a Beautiful Act of Worship

Recently, I was asked to participate in a night of worship at my church. I was asked to create a painting during the worship service to demonstrate that anything we do can be an act of worship if we are focusing on God. I was really nervous at first but I was also equally excited as I had never done anything like this before. For about two weeks I prayed about what I would paint and how it would go and ultimately, I had to just trust that God would take care of everything and He would use me for His glory in that moment.

The idea was to listen to the songs ahead of the actual worship service and pray over the songs. Listening intently to every word and allowing the Holy Spirt to fill me with what He wanted me to draw/paint. This process also helped me to really connect with God and get my heart and mind in the right place. This was not about me or my painting ability. This was about God, what He has done for me and the message He wanted to send through my art.

As I listened to each song multiple times, I wrote down key words that stood out to me. Words that I felt were important to the message of the song. Once I had listened to all of the songs, I went through and highlighted key phrases in each song, again ones that stood out to me the most. I also went through and circled words that appeared in other songs as well. This was the starting point for me. Once I had these words done and even did a short brain storming activity, (pictured in the right hand corner in the image above.) it was time to sketch out the piece.

I really wanted to show case God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I felt that was extremely important and what I was being lead to use as the focal point of the painting. However, It would be in symbolism as I have a hard time trying to draw God in a way that is realistic since there is no way to comprehend what He looks like this side of Heaven.

The songs that were chosen for the worship service were: Rattle, Sprit Move, Lean Back, The Blessing, Make Room and Rescue. From Rattle, I took a sense of commanding to live for Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to come through you in your life. this is represented by the Penocostal Fire above the girl’s head and the Holy spirit shining on her. From the Blessing, Lean Back and Rescue I took a desire for peace and coming to the Lord for shelter and protection when you have nothing left. This is represented by the Hand of God the Father sheltering the girl from the storms of life (rain around her). From Spirit Move, there is a line that talks about the Holy Spirit pouring out onto us like rain. This is represented by the Light from the Holy Spirit coming from Heaven in order to restore the girl and fill her with His spirit. From Make Room, I took the concept of the Cross and surrendering everything that we have to Christ. Giving up our sins and burdens and everything that we put in front of Christ as an idol.

In order to paint this image with in an hour and 15 minutes( the time alotted for the service.) I needed to predraw it onto the canvas and then essentially “fill in the blanks” with color and details later. It took me an hour to draw the image out and get it to where it needed to be. All in all, I was pleased with how well it turned out and was excited for the worship service. Again, this was not about me but about Christ and I honestly believe this piece turned out so well at all stages because I was allowing God to speak through my art.

The day of the worship service, I was really nervous. Even though I was confident in Christ that He was going to show up and show out, I had still never been on stage painting while other were looking on. Every so often I would have to stop and remind myself who I was doing this for and that if people were truly worshiping during the service, they would be focusing on God and not on me.

It took me about 20-30 minutes to get everything set up for the service and after set up, I joined the worship team for a special time of prayer and worship. Participating in that, again, helped me stay focused on Who this was for and why I was doing it. It is so easy to allow the world to influence you and take all the credit and say “look at me.” “Look at what I can do.” especially when you are running an art business. But this worship night wasn’t about me. It was about showcasing what Christ has done for me, who He is and what he can do for others as well. It was about displaying what true worship is. Which, isn’t just singing. Sure, that is a type of worship but worship is connecting intimately with God and focusing only on Him. 

"Let us go right into the presence of God with sinceere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." --Hebrews 10:22-23

Going into the presence of the Lord with sincere hearts, hearts that are truly focused on Him, that is worship. And you can do anything to truly worship Him. You can sit and be silent. You can paint or draw what you are recieving from the Holy Spirit. You can sing at the top of your lungs to praise Him. You can dance you heart out before our loving Father. I mostly choose to draw or paint as my worship to Him. As long as my heart and mind are focused on Him, it is worship.

As the worship service was going on, and I began to paint, a few kids came up and started asking me questions about the painting and then they sat behind me watching me for a bit. I didn’t notice when they left but I enjoyed that they were happy to sit and watch me paint for God. I also didn’t even notice that someone had come onto the stage and took this picture. I was so focused on what I was doing for God and on God that nothing else caught my attention. At one point, I had to stop painting and just kneel before the Lord. My anxiety started to try to get the better of me and telling me that my painting was not going to be enough and I should have made changes or it just wasn’t going to turn out enough. I knelt down and told God, “This has to be about you. This can’t be about me.” I paused for a moment there, just briefly and then continued. As I continued, I found myself singing along with the worship music and just worshiping. Just being in that moment with God. It’s the closest I have felt to God in a while.

I finished the painting just before the paster began to speak the gospel message. This was a wonderful experience and if asked to do it again, I would in a heart beat. Because this is why I do the things that I do. This is why I have Eph210ArtStudio in the first place: to share the love of Christ with others. To Share Christ and that he died on the Cross to save us from our sins and rose again on the third day. That he did all of that not because He had do but because he wanted to and He wanted us to be with Him one day for all eternity. I’ve lost sight at times of my missions with Eph210ArtStudio which is easy to do when you live in a fallen world. this worship service helped me to reconnect with God and the mission he has for me.

I pray for you.

I pray that you know Christ like I do. And if you don’t, I pray that God places someone in your life who can show you what Christ has done and lead you to Him. I pray that the holy Spirit will fill you to the point that you are so overcome with Him, you have to start something to share Christ with others.

Until next time, God Bless.

A Walk Through The Garden

In September 2020, two friends of mine from church got married. It was a small event outside in the churches prayer garden since most places were still not allowing large gatherings at this time. The wedding took place just before the sun was setting that day, which made for a beautiful wedding. A few months later, while I was scrolling through Facebook, I noticed she had posted wedding pictures and came across the image below.

Prayer Garden

After looking at the image for a few moments. I decided I wanted to paint it for them as a wedding/anniversary present and it would be a surprise. My goal was to have it painted by September 2021 so I could give it to them. Unfortunately, due to life situations, including surgery, I was unable to reach that goal.

September 2022 became my new goal and I was determined to meet it. I started end of july/beginning of August and planned out exactly when I would work on this piece. I’ve found that setting a deadline for myself as well as check points for a piece really does help me reach my goal. If I don’t then the piece may not get done.

Part 1

So I went to Create one Wednesday night and got to work. First thing was to take the photo and sketch it out on the canvas. I do this so I have a road map of sorts to follow while I paint. I don’t always do this however. Some of my other pieces I have just painted without sketching but for this piece to be the way I wanted it, I needed to sketch it out first. Then I started painting the sky. When painting I always work from the background to the foreground.

Part2

Once the sky was dry, I worked on the back trees. The original image has a thick tree line. In order to capture that, I would need to do two layers of trees. Especially since there are 2 different types of trees. While the darker trees dried, I worked on the sidewalk. It was here that I realized I did not sketch the point of view correctly. My sketch is slightly lower than it should be, which is why the resulting look was a baseball field. I nearly gave up at this point. I really thought I had messed it up and couldn’t recover. While the sidewalk dried and I debated on giving up, I painted the thinner upfront trees.

Part 3

I kept going as the paint dried. I still didn’t like the piece very much because of the side walk. I added the leaves, a larger tree, the sun and the awning and fountain.

Final Part

I finally started liking this piece once I started working on the foreground. I added the cross, bench, guitar and plate and cup. I also changed the color of the side walk so it didn’t look so baseball field is. For the bushes in the front, it took my 3 shades of green and 3 layers to fill them in completely. Parts 1-3 were done on the same day. Part for was done a few weeks later, a week before my deadline. I gave the piece to my friends and they loved it, despite my fears of it being terrible.

Throughout this piece I have realized that I am my own worsted critic and that other people see the beauty in pieces that I can only see the mistakes. I think that’s how God is with us. He sees our beauty for who we are because of Christ’s death and resurrection. We harp on our mistakes and can’t forgive ourselves when God has already forgiven us.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
Psalms 103:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.103.12.NLT

Psalm 103:12

And because He has forgiven us, we are to forgive others, including ourselves. We can not hold onto what God has already forgiven and no longer remembers.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.4.32.NLT

We live in such an angry world now where everyone is dealing with something that no one knows about. When you can be anything in this world, choose to be kind, tender hearted and forgive others.

I pray you forgive yourself and those who have wronged out. I pray that if you don’t know Christ, that God would out someone on your path who can introduce you to Him.

Until then, God Bless.

What does the future hold for Eph210artstudio?

On Monday, August 29th I posted a Vlog on Facebook and Instagram, talking some about the future of Eph210artstudio. I wanted to take some time to go into detail of some changes and things I want to do next year.

As I mentioned in the vlog, I’m making some changes to what I post and when I post on social media. As of right now this is what you can expect and on what days:

  • Sundays and Wednesdays–Scripture
  • Mondays–Vlog post
  • Tuesdays– “what am i working on?”
  • Thursdays- advertising upcoming shows
  • Fridays-blog/website announcements
  • Saturday- any of the above posts.

Mondays and Sundays may switch if I find it easier to post a vlog then due to my busy schedule.

Other changes will include opening an online store. My goal is to have an online store on my website by March 2023. I will be working on putting this together between October 2022-March 2023. With the online store, any of my pieces will be for sale and it’ll be a quick and easy way to order already made or customized pieces.

The store will start off as “pick up only” for a while. This will allow me time to set up the store and investigate what shipping would look like for each of my pieces. Some are easier to ship than others. With the online store, I can have art sales on days of my art shows. It would make ordering before a show easier and possible to pick up the product at Create Arlington or a show I am doing.

What do art shows look like for rest of 2022 and into 2023?

Well for starters, Third Thursday is back starting Sept 15th! Unless something comes up, you can find me at Create Arlington from 5-8pm on the Third Thursday of each month. Events for each show will be posted to the website and social media as well.

For shows in 2023, my show season will run from March -May and then pick back up September -December. I’ve learned that doing shows, especially outdoor shows, in the summer is not the best idea. Other than Third Thursdays and West Main, I do not havevany specific shows lined up in 2023 as of yet. Although, I hope to do more in Mansfield, Arlington, Fort Worth abd maybe Grandprarie. I hope to have those set maybe by February 2023.

I have learned alot this year about what works for my business and what doesn’t. Which I am thankful for as my goal was to learn how to run my business effectively. For now, these are the things I plan on focusing on in the coming months and hope to have more updates by March 2023.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Thanks for coming along with me.

Until next time, God bless.

6
Aug, 2022

The highs and the lows of Summer shows, Social media and running an art business.

So what do you do when things don’t go the way you had planned or even how you had hoped they would go? Do you give up and never try again or do you keep going and push through? This is where I found myself the last few months.

June 26th I was at the Oak Highlands Brewery. It was an indoor/outdoor event and I had the benefit of being indoors. However, I am learning that inside space does not necessarily mean climate control inside space. At least for this show I didn’t have to set up a tent!

Oak Highlands Brewery show
Oak Highlands Brewery show
Oak Highlands Brewery show

I was able to set up two tables with a variety of products. I had everything from small canvases to coasters to jewelry and wooden pieces. Prices ranged from $5 to $50, as they usually do with these products. I got some exposure with talking to people but I didn’t sell anything. I was hoping to at least make back the cost of the booth but unfortunately that was not the case. This was the second show this year that I had been to where I did not sell anything.

The next weekend after the Oak Highlands Brewery event, I was in Anna at the Barnhill Vineyard. Again I was inside and was actually provided a long table so all I needed to bring was product. That was a plus for sure!

Barnhill Vineyard July 3rd.
Barnhill Vineyard July 3rd.
Barnhill Vineyard July 3rd.

For this show, I had the same product that I had at Oak Highlands with the exception of two trays that I had made during the week before I went to Anna. The main difference between Oak Highlands and Barnhill was the placing of my booth. At Oak Highlands, my booth was in the actually Brewery area rather than in the bar/seating area. At Barnhill, my booth was in the same place where people were enjoying wine, food or conversation.

Once they were done, or before they sat down, they’d walk around to all of the booths. The better placement of my booth allowed me to make a sale with someone who had previously been unsure. She had visited my table, sat down for a while and then came back to make the purchase. If my booth had been outside, she may not have come back.

While i still came up short for the cost of the space, the Anna event showed me that I just have to find the right venue and space. Breweries may not be the right place for me as I’ve come up short for two events there. But the Vinyard might be. I have two more shows to test this theory.

The other thing I did differently for the Barnhill event, was my own advertising. I used Facebook and Instagram to target an add for the event for people specifically in Anna,TX. I do think I got more foot traffic because of that. For the August 7th show, I have also done my own advertising for two weeks. We will see how that turns out Sunday.

I say all this to say, when something doesn’t turn out the way you wanted or had hoped, don’t give up. Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing. Just because two shows didn’t turnout the way I wanted, doesn’t mean I should shut down Eph210artstudio.

Things don’t always go the way we want them to. Sometimes the way we want things are not in God’s plan for our lives. Things will happen that will test our faith and make us question if what we are doing is right. When this happens, I pray for God’s guidance, direction and perseverance to keep going in the way He would have me go.

I pray for whatever trials or problems you are facing now. I pray for strength and endurance for you to keep going in that situation and for God’s grace and comfort.

Until next time,

God bless.

How to reach the World for Christ

How West Main Arts Fest went

West Main Arts Fest was held on May 14th, 2022. This was my second time being a vendor at this particular event and it overall went better than it did the year before. This year, my booth was right across from the food vendors and right next to one of the entrances, which allowed for a lot of traffic into my booth. I had a different booth set up than I did last year since I now have coasters, mini canvases and jewelry. I had a lot of traffic going through my tent that day and had several purchases. So overall the event was a success and I am looking forward to being a vendor next year.

Table set up for West Main Arts Fest.

While sales and traffic through my booth are both important parts of these events for me, my main goal was not necessarily sales. My main goal was to share Christ with others. Two weekends before West Main Arts Fest, my church had a class on evangelism. The class was specifically over one evangelism tool called 3 Circles. This tool helps you think about and break down the gospel for someone who may have never heard it before. It is super easy to put into your own words so that you become more comfortable sharing the gospel. The first few times are always nerve-wracking and you trip over your words sometimes but eventually you get the hang of it. While I was in the class, I kept thinking about how to make 3 circles on my own. I had images of each circle and what I could paint to have something physical to share with others. So over the next week, I came up with the image you see below.

3 Circles Painting

What is 3 Circles?

the way 3 circles work, is to start with the top left circle and go around clockwise as you are explaining each circle and sharing the gospel

Circle # 1–God’s Design

The First Circle is God’s design for the world. God had a perfect plan for us and all of creation. He created the Garden and would walk with Adam and Eve and was in perfect relationship with them. That was until Adam and Eve sinned against God.

Circle #2–Our broken world

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were forced to leave the garden and we no longer in perfect harmony with God. This is now the world that we live in. Our world is broken and so many things seem to go wrong all the time. In our broken world, it seems like nothing will ever be fixed. We try as hard as we can to escape our broken world by turning to things that become addictions or idols. Sometimes, it seems like we can never be fixed, but there is hope.

Circle #3– The Gospel

The hope that we have lies in God’s plan. God had his perfect design for us and when we sinned against Him, he needed a way to bring us back to into his design. His plan was his Son, Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus, who was perfect, to die for our sins. He died and on the third day rose again, having taken our place for our sin against God. So if repent and believe in Jesus we will be saved. If we accept that Jesus Christ is Lord, believe that He died for our sins and confess that He is our Lord and Savior, we can be saved. This is how God brings us back to His perfect design. When we accept Christ and begin following Him, we now have a path to rejoin God’s design.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

John 14:6

Experience from sharing 3 Circles.

Near the front of my booth, I had the 3 Circles painting set up next to my portfolio. I always allow people to flip through my portfolio and they generally comment on what I’ve done and sometimes ask me about the pieces. I had several people throughout the day notice the 3 circles painting and ask what it meant or they pointed out that it looked really cool. I would always ask if I could explain the imagery to them before I shared 3 circles with them. Out of about 7 people that that, 6 of them wanted to hear what I had to say. I only had one who wasn’t interested and quickly left my booth afterwards. Of the six people that I shared the image with, most people were already Christians and a few were somewhat on the fence but didn’t really want to talk about it any further. This was only my first experience with sharing Christ at an event like this. I love that I was able to take 3 circles and really make it my own. This makes it easier to share Christ with others and helps me not be so nervous that I am going to trip over my words. I think visuals also tend to help people understand what someone is saying to begin with.

Eph210Artstudio’s mission is to spread the Gospel and love on people through art. 3 circles help me do that even more than I was before. At the last show I was at, I did not have an opportunity to share the gospel with others but I know God will continue to provide opportunities as I move forward this year.

If you are already a Christian, I encourage you to use 3 circles to help share the Gospel with others and to make it your own. 3 circles is available in an app and can easily be done on paper or even a napkin. If you are interested about 3 circles, check out their website below.

3 Circles

If you are not a Christian, I would pray and encourage you to read through my explanation of the gospel and reach out to me or to someone in your life who is a Christian who could answer any questions and begin a dialog with you. I pray that God places someone in your life who can share the Gospel with you and that your heart would be open to the Gospel message.

Until Next time,

God Bless.

1
Jun, 2022

What do we do now?

Please note: In this blog, I talk about what happened in Uvalde. While I dont go into any detail of the tragedy, if the tragedy is a trigger for you, I understand if you do not read any further. I do ask that you pray for the families in Uvalde and that you would also contact your representative to advocate to make our schools safer. We can not stop evil from happening but we can prepare and ensure safety. If you don’t know who your representatives are, there is a link below where you can find out. You just type your address and it will tell you everyone who represents your area from state board of education to U.S. Senate.

https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Thank you–Rachaele Renae.

Cling to God when you don’t know what else to do.

As I thought about typing this blog and preparing my newsletter for the month of June, it didn’t it well with me to talk about West Main Arts Fest and updating on upcoming events for Eph210ArtStudios. I haven’t said much in regards to the tragedy that happened on May 24th in Uvalde. What that was was pure evil and my heart breaks for those families who have lost their child or loved one. I am overcome with sorrow, and anger. This tragedy did not have to happen and yet it did. Now, people look for who to blame. The gunman, the police, lack of gun laws, or even God.

As a teacher, this hits way too close to home. In schools, we do monthly drills so we know what to do in case of an emergency. Our drills include fire, tornado, and active shooter. The fact that we have to think about what we would do in the event someone came to school with the intent to kill has always bothered me. Even as a student, I always wished this hadn’t become a reality. As a student, I knew the drill and always prayed it was a drill whenever they sent us into the corner of the room and turned the lights off. My heart would race until they called all clear and we could return to normal classroom operations. As a teacher, any time I walk into a classroom, I quickly analyze it with the idea of where would my students go, where would I go, it there was an active threat. Unfortunately this is our reality, especially as a teacher and you pray that it never happens. Not just to you but that it never happens.

But it does. And it needs to end.

In my mind all last week since the death of the 19 students and 2 teachers, I keep asking God why. Why was this allowed to happen? Why was the gunman able to get into the school? Why did he do what he did? Why was evil allowed to take the lives of 21 people, most of which being kids.

I’ve learned through my grief over the years that we may never know why. In the Bible, Satan approaches God regardjng Job and says that Job will turn away from God if everything is taken away from him. God allows for satan to take everything from job, eventually including his health as well. Job had everything was taken away from him: his family, his wealth, and even his health. Job had been someone who worshipped and followed God and yet, Job had lost everything. At one point, Job asked Go, “Why? Why was this allowed to happen to me?” The response that Job got was not one that gave him an answer to his question but rather one that allowed Job to see God for who He is.

“Who is this that obscures my plans
    with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone—
7 while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?

Job 38:1-7

God’s response To makes Job realize just how mighty God is. His answer to the question of “why?” lasts from Chapters 38-41 of Job. I’ve provided a link below if you want to read the Lord’s full response. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2038-41&version=NIV

I bring Job up, not to look at the Lord’s words as bring harsh but to bring up the lesson that I have personally learned from them.We may never know why. In the end, the Lord still never answers Job’s question. Job is left to understand that God is mightier that everything that He has plans for everyone and everything. Even when tragedy strikes, God is in control and is right there holding on to us as we go through it. I’ve blamed God so many times for things that have happened, for people that I have lost but in the end what I realize is that while it may have happened, God never turned his back. He was holding me the whole time, even if I wasn’t clinging on to him.

Even when the worst is happening, you are never alone

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13

Bottom line: I don’t know why God allowed 19 children and 2 adults to die on May 24th 2022. I don’t know why the gunman able to get into the school or why the police waited as long as they did or why these families have to suffer. I don’t have the answers to any of these questions but I do serve a God who is mightier than anything on this Earth. I serve a God who is loving , kind and comforts those who are hurting .

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3

The Lord I serve is also an God who will also one day destroy the Evil one. Evil will be vanquished and wrong that has ever been committed will be avenged by the Lord.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:17-21

The Lord will deal with the evil that happened in Uvalde.

So what do we do now?

We mourn with those that are mourning.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn

Romans 12:15

We cling to God and lean on His understanding and not our own.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Proverbs 3:5

We pray to the Lord for wisdom, guidance on what can change and we take action towards that change.

The change we need is for our schools to be safer. While we can’t eliminate the evil in the world, we can take action to be proactive rather than reactive. We need to be in the business of preventing events like Uvalde from happening. We need to trust teachers to do their jobs and make it where they don’t have to walk into a classroom and analyze it for emergencies anymore. There needs to be better procedures and better protection in schools.

I plan on, in the next few weeks, contacting every representative from my school district to the Congress and even the White House to petition for them to find ways to make schools safer. I plan on doing more research so I can present it to each representative. There are devices that could be purchased in order to fully secure doors from being opened. Maybe even our procedures for an active shooter need to be updated. I don’t know what the answers are but I do know this is what I am feeling led to do. Some may think it is a waste of time to do something like this but it is all I can do and the least I can do in the wake of Uvalde. Those 19 children and 2 teachers deserve that much. They deserve a whole lot more but I am doing what I believe God is leading me to do.

I challenge you to do the same. Please find who your representatives are for the local school districts, state and national representation and challenge them to pull for legislation that will make our schools safer. If you don’t know who your representatives are, there is a link below where you can find out. You just type your address and it will tell you everyone who represents your area from state board of education to U.S. Senate.

https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

If you have any questions about what might make schools safer, please feel free to contact me or ask a teacher you may know.

Until Next time,

God Bless.

What an Amazing God, My Lord Jesus Christ is!

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is an amazing God. I love that I get to serve him every day and just watch what he is doing in my life. Recently, I had a new job opportunity come together in a perfect way. I have learned over the years that if something just falls into place perfectly and without any problems, it did not happen because of anything I did. It was all entirely God.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV) Often times I find that when I delight in the Lord I am not wanting my own will to be done but that of the Lords. If the desire of my heart is for the Lords will to be done, then he will grant the desires of my heart. I also believe that when we follow him faithfully that the things we long to do for His kingdom will come into being. That is not to say that God is some magical genie that grants you every wish you desire. Because that is not the case at all. There are times where my will and God’s will have not lined up and my heart was crushed because I did not understand why I did not get what I wanted. Simply put, whatever it had been was not in God’s plan for my life.

This year has been rough as far as teaching goes and honestly it has been the roughest I have ever had to deal with. There were so many factors that teachers everywhere had to deal with in and outside of the classroom. I was burnt out before the school year ever started and I knew I needed a change. I began to pray in October when I didn’t know how I could continue on that God would give me the strength to make it through the school year. I also began to pray for the change that I knew I desperately needed. I prayed for some change for a position outside of teaching but within education and that the Lord would be enteirly involved in the process.

There is a song by Sara Reeves titled “Just Want You.” The first set of lyrics are below.

“Take the lead of every step I make
Even if You tell my feet to wait
‘Cause where You are is where I wanna be
The depth of me is calling for the deep

I don’t want it if You’re not in it
I just want You
No, I don’t want it if You’re not in it
I just want You

Your heart, Your ways
Show me Your face
Your song and Your voice
Break through the noise”

“Just Want You” by Sara Reeves

This was a song that really resonated with me during this school year. I knew I wanted change and I was willing to step out in faith to see this change happen however, I was not willing to go somewhere, where God was not. If I was to move jobs or have something else change in my life, I did not want it unless God was in it. I wanted this change or at least the strength to continue when I was already so burnt out but I wanted the Lord’s will more than anything else.

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before he was arrested and taken to be crucified, prayed to his Father that the cup that he was given to pass over him. He prayed for there to be another way for our sins to be forgiven so that he would not have to go through the pain he knew he was about to face. Think about that?

The Savior of the World asked God for another way.

He was fully God and yet he was fully man! He knew he was going to die and he knew it would be an agonizing death. He didn’t want to face it but He knew God’s will. He may have prayed for there to be another way to save you and I from certain death but He also prayed for God’s will to be done.

39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:39 (NASB)

Ultimately, Jesus bowed to the will of the Father, died for our sins and rose on the 3rd day so that we did not have to face an eternaity in hell seperated from God. And I rejoice that he did.

. I prayed the way Jesus prayed. For change but also for God’s will to be done. For me, I found that God’s will lined up with the desire of my heart to move out of teaching. So in the fall I will be an Instructional Coach, helping and coaching teachers. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my professional career. I also know that I am blessed beyond all measure and I know it is because of Jesus.

Do you know him? Like really know him?

I pray that if you do not, then someone in your life would reach out to you and lead you to Him. I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your heart and eyes so that you could see Christ for the Amazing Lord that He is.

West Main Arts Fest is May 14th! Come find me and I’d be glad to tell you more about the amazing God that I serve.

Until Next time,

God bless.

6
Apr, 2022

Hops & Art preparation and Event: Getting back into the swing of things.

Hops & Arts was the first show i have done this year and it won’t be the last. Preparation for this event, not only had to be done for products and other items that were needed but also spiritually and mentally. I have found, from experience, that if I am not in the right headspace, the while show and day can be ruined.

For those who have not been through the journey of this last year with me, my last big show was West Main Arts Fest 2021 and I was not entirely sure I was going to keep going after it. Later that month, i also had knee surgery which took til November to recover from. During that time i was also fighting burn out from my job as a teacher, so i closed up shop for 2 months. Until i relaunched everything in January. 

I honestly thought about quitting so many times, yet, here I am and I fully believe it is all because of God. I believe West Main wasn’t a huge success for me last year because I still had things I had to figure out as far as how to run the business, what sells and how to market my brand.

Part of my preparation and relaunch of everything was participating in Branding classes given by Create Arlington.  These classes helped me to narrow my marketing and branding avenues to where they were more manageable.  This is when I decided to continue this blog and launch a monthly newsletter. Both the blog and the newsletter will be available on the first Friday of every month.

My next step in preparation was my products. I had to make sure I had enough products in case something became popular and started selling out. Creating my products is where I have the most fun and can ignore everything else that is going on in my life. It is a time when I simply focus on my art. The pouring paints are what I have had the most fun with lately as I want to learn more about color theory and how colors work together .

Experiment with pouring paint.  Poured yellow, gold and red in one direction and the poured black and green and silver in a different direction.

This is the result. I honestly think this is my favorite Pour ever! I love the movement of the colors and how they all go well together.

I love the piece above and want to do more pieces like this. It is great when you are just playing around and it turns out to be amazing. These are the moments that I fully believe God is working and doing the art through me. So many times have I prayed for Him to steady my hand and make something look amazing and that’s exactly what happens.

I mentioned earlier for a show to go well, I have to be in the right mind set. In the weeks leading up to April 2nd, I prayed for God’s will to be done and for the show itself. The day of the event, after my husband and I packed the car and before we drove off, I prayed. I had to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy the day. I prayed that God’s will would be done, even if it meant I didn’t sell anything. I prayed that God would send me people to talk to about my art and what He has done for me.

And you know what?

That is exactly what happened!

The day of set up took about an hour and a half. My husband is 6 foot 4 in which is a full foot taller than me. His job, once the tent was up, was to put the grates up and the pieces that went with them.

While I may have not sold anything at this show, I have the chance to do some networking. I had about six people come into my tent and with each person i had the opportunity to tell them about my art work and what God has done for me through my art. That was the best part of my day by far. I love it when I can share not only my art but the God who created me to do this art work and ministry.

Do I wish I had sold something? Sure. Am I going to quit the commitments I already have because of one show? Absolutely not!

My prayer for each show is the same. That if the Lord wills it, I can sell product so I can continue to do this ministry, to meet people and tell them what God has done for me through my art and to be able tobwitness to someone about Christ. Most important thing is to tell others about Christ.

I am excited to see what else God is doing in my life this year as He has already done so much. I pray for this kind of excitement and experience for you. I pray that if you don’t know Him the way I do, that you ask questions to those that may know Him. As always, you are welcome to message me. Until next time, God bless.

My exciting journey with my art in 2022

Wow, it has been a long time since I have sat down to blog about anything, especially my art and what Christ is doing in my life. Well, get ready for an update because there is a lot going on. Mostly with myself, spiritually, but with Eph210ArtStudio as well.

As many of you know, May 2021 I had surgery on my right knee that required 5 month recovery. The first six weeks I was on crutches and couldn’t put any weight on my right leg. Two of those weeks I worked as my school district was still in session through June 18th due to starting late because of Covid-19. The rest of the 6 weeks, I spent with my family while my husband was at work. Through this time, I had to learn to let others help me and not to try to do everything on my own. This is a lesson God has had to teach me over and over and over and somehow I just keep forgetting this lesson. I have always been someone to take charge and just do things if they aren’t getting done. I am a people pleaser and I have a hard time trusting others when they say they will get things done in a timely manner. I have gotten better with this and the things I had to work through my surgery is big reason why. By the end of July, I was allowed to start walking and by November 22nd 2021, I was released by my doctor to do whatever I wanted to do. This meant I could go back to boxing!! Which, if you know me, I absolutely love!

In October 2021, I attended my first Third Thursday at Create Arlington since before my surgery. The last thing I had attended before the surgery was West Main Festival. (Coming May 14th 2022!! Stay tuned!) This Third Thursday was fantastic for me. It was here that I realized I could make more than just paintings on canvas. I had started making pouring paint coasters ($5) and pouring paint jewelry ($5-$12).

Pouring Paint coasters done for a client.
Pouring Paint Jewelry, This piece actually sold at the October Third Thursday.

I sold several things and made a small profit for the amount I had spent on supplies. I was so excited and figured I could have made even more during November and December Third Thursdays because of people looking for Christmas presents. However, that was not meant to be.

Starting in November, I started really struggling with my depression. I had honestly been struggling since August but had managed to push through and still do other things. Earlier I stated that my school district had not gotten out until mid-June due to a late start to the school year and I was recovering from knee surgery during the summer. However, 2021-2022 school year started on time with teachers returning the second week in August. Everything boils down to, I really only had 1 week of summer where I could do what I wanted and rest. Needless to say, when we started back, I was still burned out from the last school year. However, I kept pushing forward. I worked on my art and took a mental health day here and there when it was needed. Then in October, did the Third Thursday and everything was great. Until it wasn’t.

November hit like a ton of bricks and that ton of bricks stayed on top of me until January. I was so caught up in my depression that I was just exhausted all the time. I would go to work to teach and prepare for the next day and would plan to work on something art related when I got home but by the time I did, I just fell asleep on the couch. I felt so depressed and so alone during this time that I didn’t know if I could ever climb out. Not many people know the details of what I went through or how much I hated how I felt. I just didn’t think I could change my situation or that my situation would never change. Most days I wanted to stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head and hide from the world. And some days I did. Others, I fought through the depression and anger, and went to work anyway. These days I found myself being more irritable that most and had to fight not to snap at anyone who needed something from me. I was running on empty and had nothing left to give.

I needed change.

I needed something to be different.

I needed strength to get through the day.,

I needed to rely on God for everything.

At the end of December, my husband had had his knee scoped so we spent the holidays between my parents and his so I could have help taking care of him. I am so grateful for this because it was during this time that I was able to get the rest I desperately needed and was able to come to a place where I realized I had been trying to do everything on my own.

10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

Psalm 59:10

In this life, when we try to do everything on our own, we get overwhelmed, angry, depressed, and just feel hopeless. I kept asking God for immediate change and what I was really asking was for Him to change my job situation. However, that is not what He had is mind. My job situation remains the same but my anxiety and depression are for the most part gone.

How?

God showed me to change what I can control and rely on Him for everything. Beginning of 2022, my husband and I changed our diet as we got back on the Daniel Plan and I went back to boxing 2 times each week. (I’ve gone down a pant size since then! ) I also changed my quiet time. I wasn’t having one before because I didn’t see the point. I wasn’t having one before because I was so caught up in myself and my situation that I couldn’t see the hope that Christ has for me. I started a reading plan that will take me through the Bible in 49 weeks this year. I listen to it each day with some days just listening to the scriptures as I drive to or from work and others sitting down with my journal and writing what I notice about God in His word. Doing these things has changed my attitude completely. My job is still hard. I am still burned out and can’t wait for summer but I no longer am seeking immediate change. I take it day by day and rely on Him.

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Isaiah 50:10

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:16

I say relying on God like it is the easiest thing in the world but some days it is a struggle. It is a decision I make each and every day to give my worries, my fears, my burn out to God and let Him carry if for me. I choose to walk with Him each day and rely on His understanding and not mine. (Proverbs 3:4-6) Days are still hard but even the hardest days are so much easier with him than without!

Do you struggle like I did? (and still do at times?) I pray you have someone you can talk to. I pray that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I pray over those who may read this and pray that God will grant them a sense of peace and that they will trust Him with their lives. I pray for any situation that you may be facing and that God will show you His power and move in your life in a way that you can only give God the glory for.

Until Next time,

God Bless.

The wonderful story about the back of the canvas

I love doing art. It is my therapy. When I am not creating something, or haven’t created something for a long period of time, depression and anxiety set in. When it sets in like this, sometimes it is hard to pull myself out of it in order to start creating again. This happened last week when I was working on some pouring paint experiments. One day, I was extremely depressed, seemingly for no reason at all, which just made things worse, in my mind. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything except lay on the couch and watch tv or scroll on Facebook. My heart was just so heavy. So I did nothing.

The next day was better and I had the energy to get into creating something so I continued my experimentation with pouring paint. Up to this point, I have already dabbled a little with pouring paints with my mom. During Christmas vacation, she and I would go to the store and get everything we needed: the paint, canvas, cups, something to hold to canvas up. Last year I used a wine bottle to pour the paint on. It worked. So every so often, usually when I don’t have much else to inspire me, I play around with pouring paint.

The hardest thing about pouring paint, is knowing what colors to choose to begin with. Choose the wrong ones, and the piece can come out dull and dark when you were really going for bright and vibrant. This is frustrating at times but as I play around with color theory, I think I’ll get the hang of it. The thing I love the most about pouring paint as how the colors mix and if you choose the right ones, the results can be amazing.

I love watching the paint fall from side to side of the canvas as I move it around, The colors interact with one another as they elegantly move on the canvas, almost as if they are dancing. Watching it can almost be hypnotizing. It is also messy as the paint pours off the canvas, which is where gloves come in handy. While the gloves protect your skin, the gloves themselves become messy and if you don’t change the gloves out before moving to a different canvas, that canvas will become messy before you have even started. As I work on a pouring paint canvas, moving my messy gloved hands from one side of the back of the canvas to the other, I leave messy paint fingerprints all over the backside of the canvas.

It didn’t hit me until I saw the back of the pouring paint canvas as my husband was attaching the picture wiring. For a split second I thought, “I should paint the back so it doesn’t look so messy.” Then it hit me. People only pay attention to what is on the front of the canvas; to the point an artist is wanting to make.

No one sees the back of the canvas.

No one pays attention to the back of the canvas.

Society tells us to not show “the back of the canvas” to anyone. This is where all of our broken pieces are. Where our hurt and pain live. Where our depression and anxiety try to choke out any happiness that we may have been feeling. If we so much as show that to the rest of the world, we are called crazy or lazy or other terms because people do not understand what we have been through or how we feel.

So we keep hiding the back of our canvas in hopes that we never get hurt again.

Yet there is One who sees the back of the canvas.

The Artist.

The One who created everything in the first place.

 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 95:4-5

This is what God the LORD says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.

Isaiah 42:5

God is the one who see the mess that happened there and He says that it is beautiful. He knows exactly what each messy finger was doing during the creation of the art work. He knows of your pain, hurt, depression, anxiety and whatever else you have been hiding from others for all these years.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Isaiah 29:11

Just because you went through something or are going through something, does not mean you were going through it alone. He is walking with you ever step of the way and when He isn’t walking with you, He is carrying you in His arms as He walks through it for you.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley ,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23

I love Psalm 23. It gives me such peace knowing that no matter what I walk though, God is with me no matter what. He is there in the times of peace, even though I tend to forget that, and He is there in the times of struggle.

He is there. You just have to let him in.

I pray that you show Christ the back of your canvas and give it to Him. Let him walk with you and carry you as you cling to Him, the creator of the Universe. Who knew the world needed you. He created you for a reason and for a purpose. Not just for the good times on the front of the canvas, but for the messy times too. It is the mess on the back of the canvas that makes the beautiful art work possible. The things that we go through are all there for a reason and make the good times that much better and make our relationship with Him, that much stronger.

I pray that you know Him as I do.

I pray that you have someone in your life who can be the light of Christ to you if you do not know Him yet.

Until Next time,

God Bless.