How It All Began
IT’S NOT JUST ART, IT’S A MINISTRY…
Is was the fall of 2015. God had put a burning desire in my heart to do something for Him. “God”, I prayed, “Please give me something to do for You.” Although I had been ministering to my father I had a desire to do more.
Dad was over 1200 miles away, in pain and discouraged following an accident. I found some blank journals and daily I illustrated and entered Bible promises in them, scanned a page and emailed it to him. This had gone on for over a year and they now stand as testament that I had no outstanding abilities to draw or paint. Most of the pages, although filled with love and encouragement, are far from artistic. As the months progressed I experimented with children’s paint adding more interest to the pages.
Daily, I had been praying, asking God for a ministry…and then it was Dad’s birthday. With the desire to make the page extra special, I painted a bird. My family and I were surprised at how well it turned out and I knew in my heart something special had happened.
I never do anything moderately, it is either all or nothing! Sometimes this trait gets me in trouble, but this time it proved to be a blessing.
A Ministry Was Born
It was six weeks before Christmas. I decided that I would paint eleven more paintings of birds with Bible promises and make a calendar for Christmas gifts. I began posting my paintings in a Bible Journaling group on Facebook saying things like “Only ten more paintings to go” etc. This inadvertently got a lot of people interested in what I was doing and they began asking if they could order a calendar. Within six weeks of painting my first bird painting I both gave away and sold ninety-eight calendars! It didn’t take long to realize that my prayer had been answered. God had taught me to paint and a ministry was born.
The following spring I began painting a second calendar and that fall the first five “God Tweet” note cards were printed. I have continued this annually to this day.
An Aching Heart…
I found the transition between mothering and an empty nest hard. My heart ached. I found comfort in personalizing Bible promises for our daughters, writing their names directly into the promises. I soon realized that I wasn’t alone, there were many mothers who shared my emotions of a deep desire for the salvation of their children. It wasn’t long before I knew what I must do. I began painting what now has become two interactive prayer journals for mothers: You Heard Me Crying For My Daughter and You Heard My Crying For My Son. Our children grow up, become adults, then parents with children of their own. As time allows, I have started two more prayer journals. These will be for Grandmothers.
And God Said, Here’s More…
In 2018, I again felt God was leading me to share, this time my love for writing. I began writing short stories that related to me personally how God can be trusted. God provided a website designer and got my feet established in publishing a bimonthly devotional/blog.
“…when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
Time is running out, Jesus is soon to return! More than ever it is time to take God at His word and prove to the world that He can be trusted! I personally challenge you to pray as I did. “God, please give me something to do for You.” You might be surprised at what is in store!
