Isaiah 35:5-6

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then the lame shall leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the dumb sing.

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

And streams in the desert.  Isaiah 35:5-6

The art challenge for week 4 is "A Turning Point in Your Life" in watercolor.

For me, a turning point would be when I went back to work after home schooling my own four kids for nine years.  A year into my new "season" in life, I was assigned to a care for a kindergarten girl who is blind, can't talk, and can't walk. I was very scared and overwhelmed in the beginning.  However, after working with her for two years, I've grown to love her dearly. She is such a joyful little girl who brings smiles to faces of all who know her.  Although she can't speak, she is very vocal with giggles and squeals of laughter. Because she has such keen hearing, her intelligence is brought out in unconventional ways.
This text from Isaiah 35 is speaking of heaven, the return of Christ.  One day, this little angel will walk and talk and see....but until then, she has given me a glimpse of heaven. Christ's love shines through her joy of life.

Psalm 5:11

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. Psalm 5:11

My art challenge this week, #3, is a word in clay.  I chose the word, "JOY" and made a pendant/bracelet.

In January, when we came back from Christmas break, we had a staff/faculty meeting where we were challenged to find a word that would be our motivator for the semester.  I chose the word, joy because of our ultimate purpose: to glorify God...Psalm 5:11 clearly shows how I am to be...always.  It's also what my response to all situations should be...that of joy. When people see me, my demeanor should exude joy. I thought a charm on a bracelet would be a great reminder for me.

I searched the word joy on Bible Gateway and found 192 (New King James version) references to joy/joyful/joyfully.   Here are a few that I love to read over and over:
Psalm 16:11

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

Habakkuk 3:18

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

Luke 1:14

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Proverbs 12:10a

A righteous man regards the life of his animal, Proverbs 12:10a

Week 2 for my art challenge: my favorite animal in colored pencil.  I chose my cat, Tigger.

I am very happy the Lord saw fit to create cats. I love them. Growing up, my family had numerous cats, and since getting married, we've had four friendly felines. Each time, I say the current one is my favorite, whether that’s really true or not, I guess I just forget about the past cats. Tigger isn't very cuddly with me, as he is with our daughter, but he has such personality that he just makes me laugh. He is very needy in that he yearns for affection first thing in the morning, and can have a conversation with his meowing that you’d think he really was talking to you. He does nothing productive besides hunting bugs (and then has stomach issues later because of that) and lies around and sleeps all day (and all night). Oh, the life of a cat. Thank you, Lord, for creating them.    

Psalm 127:3-5 (my Art challenge)

For the next ten weeks, I’m doing an art challenge, using a different media for each project.  I actually chose the ten ideas from a “30 Day Drawing Challenge” that I've seen around the internet, and tweaked it to fit my schedule and interests. I thought it would be fun to integrate it with my blog. The first one is “Self Portrait” in pencil.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; Psalm 127:3-5

While four kids wouldn't necessarily fill a quiver, they do keep my husband and me busy.  And yes, they do make us happy.  But kids are a huge responsibility in that we have to mold them spiritually. Reading the Bible, praying, and attending church is our foundation of our faith.  One facet of putting our faith into action, being a light unto the world, showing that we are Christians, is displayed on the field.  

Because our kids are in their teenage years, much of our time is spent watching them compete in sports, such as soccer, football, track, and baseball.  (Hence, my “self-portrait” is of me with my iPhone in one hand and my coffee mug in the other, sitting in my chair watching my kids). 

Playing sports has helped us teach our children godliness on the field (which in turn has helped us teach them how to act off the field).  Good sportsmanship is an aspect of playing a sport that has to be taught.  They have to learn how to act when their team is losing, when a ref makes a bad call, when they don’t do well, and when they aren't treated fairly.  Many car rides home have been spent reflecting on the game/event which has resulted in many discussions on how their (and our) behavior should represent Christ, and how we could all do better.