paint & praise

There have been so many styles of music that have come into my life throughout these last 40+ years.  My parents were quite young when they married, so I kind-of grew up with them.  It didn't hurt that both of my parents were the eldest child in their perspective families.  Needless to say, I was surrounded by mostly teenagers and adults for the first five years of my life.  There were sounds of seventies pop, Black Sabbath, honky tonk, Lawrence Welk, and Mel Torme ruminating through my little head.  I can't remember hearing any hymns until we started church shopping after my brother's birth. 


title page of my journaling Bible

Organ music and a prestigious choir were part of the church I grew up in.  The sermons were lifeless and dry to me.   Like many young adults, I had to decide, for myself, that this religion thing was really for me.  God really got my attention when I met my husband.  We renewed our relationship with the Lord and began a journey to grow closer to Him.  As part of our adventure to discover God for ourselves we started attending a church with a "modern" worship service.  I had never experienced anything like it before.  At first, I wondered if this was okay to do.  For some reason, it seemed like I was breaking some kind of religious rules or was in the wrong kind of church or something.  Worship and church has never been the same since. 

We attend a different church now, but the music is still rockin' and moving.  However, praising God doesn't have to include music, but I doubt that it would be half as meaningful and Spirit filled.  Music has so many qualities that affect us all.  Psalm 71:23 is only one of so many of the verses in Psalm that tells us, "My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed.  It's only natural that we grow closer and feel the presence of God when we are praising Him.  He says that we will spend our eternity praising Him, Rev. 4:8.   Watch Jon Egan, of Desperation Band, discuss the story behind the song "God Be Praised."

 

It's important to me for the worship songs I enjoy to relate to scripture.   Just as a sermon ought to be tested against His Word; a song that speaks to my soul, enough to make it an act of worship, should be scripturally sound.  Plus, it's fun to see exactly how the artists interpret His Word into music.  If I am lucky, then the song and verse will speak to me in another way... through my art journaling. 

Did you ever have that assignment in art class where you listened to a classical score with a huge tub of crayons and a big sheet of white paper in front of you?  Me too!  Art can be inspired by music and vice versa.  Why should it be limited to classical music?!  In the weeks and, hopefully, months to come I will highlight a song and verse that have inspired my art.  If this includes my journaling Bible, then all the better, but it is not meant to be too restrictive.  I want to challenge myself to bring art and joy back into my worship.  Music serves as a jumping point for both of these.

I would love to know what songs really inspire you!  Give me a comment below.  More information on scripture, art and songs will come your way very soon.  Be sure to subscribe by e-mail or Bloglovin' (to the right) to get the latest posts!  Blessings!

Worship

Who said that worship has to involve singing or music.  It's an every day, every event, every thought, way of being with God.   As mothers, wives, daughters, caretakers, and more we don't have the time or energy to take on another task.  God doesn't see our lives like that.  We don't have to stop everything and pick the perfect song and memory verse to praise Him.  He tells the Romans through Paul that everything they do should be an act of worship.  I don't know about you, but my life doesn't always seem worshipful.
 



Romans 12:1-2

The Take Me Deeper scripture prompt for this week was Romans 12:1-2.  In reflecting on this verse, while I created the journal and Bible pages, I realized that giving myself in worship is a
transformation.  God transforms us in tiny ways each day just like a potter with clay.  Slowly pushing and sculpting and removing the thick clay between His fingers. 

There are times when I realize God has been working on a certain area that I need to improve and then there are other times that I just fight the molding process with tooth and nail.  I am a much different person than I was 20 years ago.  Hopefully, for the better and only because of God's patience and grace.



My Take Me Deeper art journal

I want to intentionally let God lead me through every step of my day and with every word.  Therefore, my Logos 365 word for the year is "go" because I don't usually let God lead me where I need to go.

Little by little we make small adjustments to look, act,  and sound more like Christ.  In each thing you do today, worship Him.  Enjoy this little skit guys Worship video, to help bring it all together.

A peek into my week

As a follower of Christ, I don't just go to church on Sunday and then lay it all aside til next week.  My hope and ambition is to constantly be in communion with my Savior and Father.
Romans 8:15 tells us that God is our Father.   If I want to have a healthy and close relationship with "My Father" then I need to talk with Him, be with Him, and get to know Him.  In order to do this I need to invest some time and effort into the relationship with my Heavenly Father.
There are days that I worship or commune with God in different ways.  As you know, I love to journal.  In my Bible, in a notebook, in an altered journal, or anywhere.  Then there is music.  My family and I love all kinds of Christian music and podcasts.  Of course, we listen to sermons at church, as well as, sermon podcasts throughout the week.  We read the Word most days.  Lastly, we try to serve in any way we are called.
With this in mind, I want to introduce a method to my madness.  My blog posts will, hopefully, spotlight one of these areas of worship. 
It would only be fitting if Sunday were a day of "Sermons."  For instance, this week's sermon brought a picture into my mind about Jesus standing on all the "stuff" we let control our lives instead of Him.  God is in control of it all, not the stuff of this world.  I didn't take many notes, but I think the visual note taking really helped to cement Phillippians 3:7-16 into my mind.  That and my pastors passion in reaching us with the message.
I hope you are off to a great start with your new year and are pressing on toward a goal that will bring glory to God and fullness to your life.