Laundry Day

Oil Painting

My second attempt at painting with oils. What an amazing medium! I find freedom and handicap at the same time...this is certainly more three-dimensional in appearance than acrylics are.

The bird is my first attempt with oil paints.
I borrowed grandma's old photos to make those!
The sketch is of our future livingroom.
I did those last two paintings today...the pumpking one I started 2 years ago!

I'm Guilty

I feel rather guilty for neglecting the blogging world for so long. I just have been doing so many things that I haven't taken the time for this. I've been really enjoying the last few weeks...between lots of boating, visiting family and friends, painting, and making plans with Luke for the house we will be building eventually, things have just been fun!

Luke came home from work today at 4:30 to find me smiling guiltily up at him from the messy 2nd bedroom where I was finishing a painting that I started almost two years ago....while neglecting an untidy apartment. I'll put it on here so you can all see it and laugh at me for being so spontaneous. Perhaps I'll put a bunch of my projects up for comment :)

I've been doing a really powerful and educational 12 week study by Beth Moore on the book of Daniel. It has challenged me so much; really has refined the way I've been thinking a lot. Beth Moore compares Babylon to our current western culture...and really brings out amazing similarities in their downfall and ours. This is the biggest challenge I've made personal through it (although this is not exactly addressed in the study...but implied): I want to be completely and wholly God's...with no attachments to our society's obsession with possessions and looks. It doesn't mean I don't have nice possessions and it doesn't mean I can't look nice. I just don't want that to be the purpose of my life. I want the purpose of my life to be showing the love of Christ to as many people as I can...to really step out of our lame Christian stereotype and do the unheard of for others...do the hard things...the selfless things...the things that mean eternal joy! Some of you may read this and say, well, yeah, duh! But honestly, how often do you remember this when planning your dream home, your perfect wedding, your next vacation, or the impression you're making in different circles? It just isn't easy. We are bombarded with filthy, unholy thinking every time we turn on the TV, every time we read a book that questions the authority of Scripture, and every time we are with friends who want to gossip. I'd like to hand each one of you a new set of spiritual armor...and let's go to battle against the dirt that is penetrating our consecrated souls.