Bible Journaling Tutorial - 2 Corinthians 9:6

For my birthday back in January, my parents got me a journaling Bible, and I have completely fallen in love with God's word all over again!  I look forward to my personal devotional time - something that in the past definitely felt like a chore, I am reminded of God's word throughout the day, and on a sort-of-selfish note, it's a great excuse for some "me" time.

I had a few people ask me to do a tutorial, and to be quite honest, I kept forgetting.  It's my worship time, and in the same way that a worship leader doesn't take selfies during service (although wait, in 5 years it's coming...), I just kept getting into what I was working on, and forgot to take pictures.  But, last week, I finally remembered, and here you go!

1. I like to set out all my tools.  When I started, I just used some kids' crayola school paint, because it's what I had on hand.  Later I bought a set of 12 acrylic paint colors from Michael's.  I pit out a paper towel to dab my brush on, and I like to mix my colors on a paper plate.  I have a little cup of water.  Ta-da!!!

2. So, for the color of wheat, I mixed brown, white and yellow.

3. The reason I have the water, is because even when I paint over the words, I want to be able to see the words through the paint.  It is God's word after all, and nothing I am going to paint is going to be more important than that.  Here in the picture below, you can see the difference between no water added, in the margins, and water added, over the words.  I also put a piece if paper under the page, so it doesn't bleed through to the page below.

4. So, the first step was painting the "field" part.  It was pretty straight-forward, just brush strokes going from up to down, while changing the color up just a bit.

5. Next, I added a couple longer wheat stems.  The one on the far right is a little curvier than I meant, but hey.  It's not about perfection.  It's about reacting to God's word.

6. Next, I added the fuzzy seed pod bit at the top (if you're a wheat farmer, feel free to correct my non-scientific terminology).  I simply ran my paintbrush back and forth at the top of my stems.

7. Then, I added the prickly bits.  To add some depth, I went over it with the wheat color I had at first, and then back over it with brown.

8. For some more definition, I went over it and lightly "contoured" it with a black Sharpie pen.

9.  Finally I added the verse in the margin.  I usually write it out in pencil first, and then go over it with a pen.  I have absolutely ZERO calligraphy experience, but I read that the lines on which you go down should be a little thicker, so there you have it. :)

10. I like to underline the verse as well, just for an extra measure of reiteration. 

PS: I draw inspiration from many different things.  Pinterest, my own devotional time, Instagram accounts, etc.  This one was my interpretation of something I saw on Pinterest. :)

Does God Really Want You To Win... Or Learn?

I have recently started Bible Journaling, and as I was searching for some ideas and inspiration on pinterest, I came across one that said "God Wants You To Win!"  And it got me thinking.  This person was more than likely dealing with something specific, and could have ABSOLUTELY gotten confirmation from God that He would help them be victorious.

But.  Does God really always want us to win?

God speaks to me through mommy-moments, and yesterday my friend and I took Aidan to the park to play.  Now, I neither hover (usually Dan has that covered), nor do I ignore Aidan at the playground.  I sit at a distance where I can see him, and he can see me.  If he were to need my help, I can be there fast enough, but I feel like I've given him enough space to spread his wings.  I don't help him get up to places he couldn't get down from on his own - I want to see what he can learn without my intervention.

Today, he was climbing up a knobby thing to get to the slide.  It was new, and it was a little big, but he was doing a great job.  All of a sudden his foot slipped, and slid down a couple knobs.  He looked at me, a little worried, and I told him "you're doing great!  Try again, you can do it!"  He looked determined, and put his foot back up, found a secure-feeling spot, and pulled himself up.  When he got to the top, he said, "I did it!"  And of course, being his cheerleader, I told him how proud I was of him trying so hard.

So.  Did he win?  Eventually yes.

Would it have helped him for me to intervene when it got hard?  No.  Because the next time he would try to climb up it, he would think he needed my help, and wouldn't try as hard.

By letting him fail, I was allowing him to learn.

Could it be that sometimes when we face difficult times, it's because God is teaching us something we will need later down the road?  If God "lets us win" (like when we play games with kids) all the time, we aren't learning vital skills.

Does God want us to be victorious?  Yes.  But it's not that easy.  We become victorious when we trust God that he has our best interest in mind.  Not when we are always "winning".

So, if you are in the middle of the battle, and you're wondering where God is: He is watching you, He hasn't taken his eyes off you, and He is saying, "I'm right here, you can do it!  Try again."  Because the battle has already been won - therein lies our victory.

Welcome to My Latest Adventure: Bible Journaling

I had seen a couple of my Facebook friends post their beautiful doodles and paintings in their Bibles, "Bible Journaling" seemed to be popping up in my Facebook newsfeed more and more, so when my mommy asked me what I wanted for my birthday, without hesitation, I asked for a journaling Bible!  It's basically a Bible with margins for note-taking, doodling, and whatever form of worship you feel led to do!

 I asked for this one, and let me tell you, it is BEAUTIFUL!!!

It has been an amazing expression of the creativeness I honestly believe God placed in me.  It is a true form of worship, and I have never been so excited to get into God's word!  It is also therapeutic and relaxing, which I really think is one of the things God intended the Bible to be for.  It has also helped me "meditate" on the word, as I am repeating the verse(s) over and over again as I'm rewriting them.

So, I just wanted to share a few of my ventures so far.

My first attempt

Be still.

My favorite story in the Bible.

Love the feathers.

BUT IF NOT

Polka dots.

All I need is a little bit of coffee, and a whole lot of Jesus.

IF

I really like this one.  This was a particularly blissful Saturday morning.

Valentine's Day

This is my favorite.  First attempt at watercolor paints.

Can you tell what was on my mind...???

My verse for this year.

Some of them are original ideas, some are my own adaptations of things I've seen, and a couple are straight up copies.

Let me know what you think, later on I may even do a tutorial.  Right now I'm still figuring things out, but I hope you enjoy the ride!

Praying For Your Toddler From Head To Toe

Author's Note:  I know I am performing "easegesis" rather than "exegesis" with the verses I mention. It is meant for comedic relief.

A few weeks back, I came across this wonderful list of how to pray for your child from head to toe. 

I loved it!  That day, after bath time, I was cuddling Aidan, with my nose on the top of his head, and I went through, and prayer those beautiful words over him.  It was a perfect moment.  That was Sunday night.

But Monday always comes after Sunday.  And this one was a particularly “Monday-esque” Monday.  I got a note home saying he had bitten another kid, and during the day, I could hear his teacher saying his name, because he had let go of the rope thing they’re all supposed to hold onto, and had run ahead.  And fallen.  And hit his head.  Again.  So that night, as we cuddled, and I tried to stuff my working-mommy-guilt as far down as I could, and tried to balance my anger/frustration with grace… I started to pray over him again.  But as I prayed, I found that the words I was saying started to change.  And I felt that there MUST be other moms of toddlers out there who feel the same way.  So, for the days that you really want to run and hide, but are STILL trying to be the mommy God called you to be, here is:

Praying for your TODDLER from head to toe

1. Pray for Their Head

Pray that they will stop running into, diving off of, and tripping over things headfirst.  They say brain cells don’t grow back, and it would really be a shame to lose them at such a young age.  Plus, having three bruises on your forehead gets mommy really weird looks at Target.  Psalm 145:14: “The Lord helps the fallen.”

    2. Pray for Their Eyes

Ask God to help them have a good, full night’s sleep.  One without crying, bad dreams, blow-outs, or loud cars outside their windows.  For we just KNOW that our little dictators will wake up in a better mood.  Psalm 30:5: “For his anger lasts only a moment… but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

    3. Pray for Their Ears

Pray that they would LISTEN!  That’s it.  Proverbs 6:20: “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”  BOOM!!!

    4. Pray for Their Mouths

Ask God to help them keep their teeth to themselves, and somehow, miraculously shut their mouths like the lions’ in the story of Daniel.  Also, if we could tone down the screaming “mine” phase, that would be an added bonus.  Daniel 6:22 (paraphrased): “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of ______________________ (insert name).”

    5. Pray for Their Heart

This one can absolutely stay the same.  “Ask God to give your children a happy, cheerful heart.  Pray that they’d come to faith early and would trust easily and completely in Him. Proverbs 15:13a: “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.”  Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

    6. Pray for Their Hands

Pray that they would hold your hand when crossing the street, wouldn’t take things out of other children’s hands, and wouldn’t push others.  Psalm 118:13: “I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.”

    7. Pray for Their Legs

Pray that they wouldn’t run away from the teacher, and wouldn’t kick their friends under the table during lunch.   Psalm 119:32: “I shall run the way of Your commandments.”

    8. Pray for Their Feet

Ask God to help them keep their shoes on their feet, and not grow out of them so fast.  Also, back to the tripping and falling.  God, please help him to look where he’s going.  Proverbs 4:26: “Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.”

And you know what???  It was still a beautiful moment.  Because at the end of the day, I was praying over my toddler.  And when he thinks, even for a second, that I might be leaving his room, he whispers “Hug?”  The other stuff will come and go.  My prayers will change depending on what he is going through, but at least I’m praying.

Working Through The Grumpiness - Learning WITH Your Toddler

Grumpiness.  

The lazy emotion we get onto our kids about.
And yet, I find myself falling into it with greater ease than I would like to admit.  So, what can be done when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, we've had a lousy day, spilled our coffee, the kids are whining, and your initial instinct is to lash out at the closest person near you?
Not surprisingly, the same things we tell our students/kids work for us too.  We just have to have the self-awareness to recognize our own need for them.  We all have bad days.  What's important is learning how to overcome them, and not let it define who we are.  Aidan being a toddler, gets grumpy on a regular basis.  Through helping him gain the tools to deal with his grumpiness in a constructive way, I've also been reminded of how important it is for us, adults to practice disciple in this area as well.  So, these tips are for you, and the little person in your life.

1. Find An Outlet

Find a healthy way to express your negative emotions, and channel it into something physical.  Some things we've tried (and by we, I really mean "we") are:

a) Going outside and throwing oranges - our house has an orange tree in the back, and like with any fruit tree, some fall off the tree before they're ripe.  We have been known to use them for our grumpiness-remedy!

 

b) Going for a tricycle ride - Aidan got a tricycle for Christmas from some friends, and he LOVES it!  We both came home the other day in REALLY BAD moods.  So, I suggested we take that thing out, and give it whirl.  His feet don't quite touch the pedals, which actually worked out perfectly.  I sat on the back, and pushed him along.  It was a great work-out, and the fresh air did us wonders!

 

Whatever you find around you to do, we've found that having it involve actual physical exertion seems to help.

2. Take a minute

Sometimes, we need to just take a minute, remove ourselves from the situation, and breathe.  All on his own, the other day Aidan started going into his room when we get home, shutting the door, and being very, very quiet.  This was new, and out of the ordinary, so I went to check on him, and he said, "no mama, my door!  My room!"  So I turned his baby monitor camera to where he was sitting, told him I love him, and that it's okay to need some space sometimes, and left him alone.  This was so foreign to me, but he has always been a good self-soother, and I thought this might be an extension of that.  I also came to the realization, that he has to be "on" all day, from 8 am to usually 5 pm, he is forced to share, vie for his teacher's attention, follow classroom directions, etc.  I know how tired I am by the end of the day, and can't even IMAGINE how tired my little nearly-two-year old boy is.  So, I've been letting him go to his room in the afternoons for a while.  After about 10 minutes, he sweetly says, "Mommy!  Com'ere!", and I join him, sit on the floor, and join in what he is doing.

 

(Note the same outfit as the last post.  Yeah, it was a rough day.  Also, that is an "Anger" Tsum Tsum from Inside Out.  Not accidental.)

3. Be Goofy

When you're in the middle of feeling sorry for yourself, and letting it all "hang out", to the outsider, there really is an element of humor.  It's not usually as bad as it seems.  In moments like this, it's important to take a step back, and let your "Goofball Island" out.

4. Take A Bath

I don't know what it is about people and bath time, but it doesn't seem to matter what your age is, a bath is always a good idea.  So, when grumpy Gus gets to be too much for this mama, I shout, "BATH TIME!"  You've never seen a little boy try to get out of his clothes so fast! Of course, then there's the tears when you turn the water off, or he can't find his favorite toys, or he keeps telling the mama turtle that the babies are "my babies", and she's "not nice", because she "won't share", but at least he's contained!  I find for myself too, that taking an extra 20-30 minutes at the end of the day to relax really helps me sleep and wake up in a better mood the next day.

          

5. Mamas, Take Some Time For Yourself

If you're grumpy, it'll inevitably trickle down to your kids.  I find this in my classroom, as well as at home.  I decided that I needed to make a change, and for me that was asking for a Journaling Bible for my birthday.  Honestly, I've always struggled with making time to read God's Word, but I feel like I've found something that will help me (not that God's Word needs help to be interesting -it's a self-discipline issue).  I've been making an effort to honestly meditate on a couple verses at a time, and instead of hurrying through a certain passage, take my time, and let it seep into my heart.  This way I'm reminded of a specific thought throughout the day.

I can only pour into Aidan if I am not running on empty.  I can't teach him to love the Word of God, if I don't.  He has a Storybook Bible that he loves to read together.  He knows some of the story titles, and says, "Jesus" and "cross", which makes this mama's heart very happy!

I know I'm not saying anything new, or monumental, but sometimes it's good to be reminded that being grumpy is a choice, although we don't like to admit it.  And in the same way we try to give our children to tools to cope with them, we should also take on the responsibility of doing so ourselves.