I've never had such a joyous celebration of our Lord's promised coming as I did in India in 2004, at the Christian Fellowship of India boys orphanage. (it was the same Christmas that the tragic and deadly tsunami hit Southern India...we were unaware)

The simplicity of certain photos catches me. They scream for me to find calmness and quietness of soul. This one did.

I had to sketch it so I could paint it. 

Most of you know how much I HATE running around!!! I hate being away from home. It's been a week of running...today I finally get to sit quietly with my thoughts and with The Lord teaching me that Joy is found in Serenity!

There was a time in my life.....WAY long ago when I was in my 30's, that home was a place I didn't want to be. It was through hours of counseling that truth was revealed deep in my soul. 

Home for me was not a safe place as a child with alcoholic parents. There was never calmness or serenity. There was never certainty and routine to our lives. 

As a result I was an adult of alcoholics and had my own cycles of sickness to break. It was never an overnight fix. Nothing worth keeping is. 

I worked hard to create a home where I wanted to be. I learned and soaked up from others who "appeared" (as I know now, appearances can be deceiving...but that's not for today's lesson) to have a home where peace & serenity resided. Where The Lord was celebrated and love overflowed. I was a sponge. 

Eventually, one day I realized my home was a place I WANTED to be. A place that others felt safe and loved. A place where Christ was on the throne and we were a family celebrating what he had done. 

Of course we are all on a journey. It's never a complete story until we graduate and pass over to eternity with Him. But with His help, and the help of trained counselors we CAN overcome and find Joy in Serenity!!! I encourage you, IF you are stuck, to seek out a good Christian counselor who can assist. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength.

(I am happy to say that my parents both have been and were sober for most of my "grown-up" life. They truly conquered great demons! So proud of them for finding peace. For finding God in the midst of their battles. As a result I found peace with them.)

" I believe the ability to perceive Beauty brings inner peace and clarity. BEAUTY, TRUTH AND GOODNESS are ONE. Creation is possible when that inner peace is attained."
Lena Owens


I love this quote! We've all known people...and some of us have been people...who can never find inner peace. Can never find beauty. Can never find joy. 

When I coined the phrase Joyful Journey (not to mean that it's never been used before...just that it came to me as I was in the act of being joyful as I was living life), it never dawned on me that my journey was about to take a left hand turn! A sharp 90 degree turn. Which would set my feet on a different course.

I never thought that art would bring me to such a peaceful, serene, joyful place. It's not just an act of creating for me, it's a total act of worship. I've got music playing on Pandora (right now I'm listening to All Sons & Daughters) and I'm being inspired, deep within my soul by another great artist. And that's when the magic for me begins. I feel it so deeply. The peace within my soul just bubbles up and I can't contain it. 

It cries out for a place to be free. A place where there is no condemnation, no judgement. A place to grow and expand. A place where God is alive in my paintbrush. Where I've found more peace with Him in the past 6 months then in the last 6 years. A place where I can try to reveal His beauty in the creation that is all around me. A place where I have found peace and healing and JOY...right here on the farm....living and keeping pace with the seasons of life.

Yesterday, I was inspired by the work of Trent Gudmundsen. I'm a student learning from the best. I am trying to study their technique and the light all the while developing my own style. 

This was the last gesso board I had on hand....and I'd added extra gesso to texture it for another project....but I couldn't keep from painting this. 

I enjoy painting with Acrylics...whoever knew they were for more then wooden crafts and sweatshirts!!! I love them because you can layer them to cover your mistakes. Layer upon Layer it's being transformed into a work of art. Just as we are being transformed.

Can you see the change I made to her neck. 

I am so totally in love with this painting. I've called it Joy at the Brook.

Are you on a journey to find peace? Have you found the path that God is leading you down?

I find it interesting that Journey is both a noun and a verb! Very interesting. Joyful is an adjective. A Joyful Journey is not always in motion.....there are times when it's learning to just be a place. 

I think when we can finally stop striving and struggling to "make" peace and serenity happen, it just does. It's truly a good place and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Scripture tells us it's an indescribable joy...OH YES it is!!! 

Zephania 3:17
"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, 
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with 
SINGING!"

Working on this piece totally took me out of my comfort zone. But I am SO in love with it!

I was meditating on Zephania 3:17 which is a very special Scripture to me. I remember the first time I heard it. We were on our first cruise in 2001. Dr. Larry Crabb spoke it over me at a time in my life when I really needed to know that God not just rejoiced but danced over me with SINGING!!! 

I hope that if you are at a place in your life today where you are not feelin it....TRUST in the TRUTH! He does rejoice & dance over YOU with singing!!!

You are absolutely beloved!

Wow, that was a pretty quick and an easy week of going raw! I've done juice fasts that nearly killed me! Raw with chewing is SO much easier. Keeping the variety going hasn't been that hard and yes, there have been several days that I just wanted to roast or cook something!

So, in my need for more....I decided to ferment a jar of fresh pineapple, butternut squash, fresh cranberries and cilantro!  ( I've done the pineapple before with cilantro but not the other foods added...and it's SO good....you know how your brain is expecting sweet from the fruit...well the fermentation makes it sour...the brain gets a surprise!)

It's going to sit for a couple weeks but should be SO good!!! 

I am SO in love with all the color! Adding foods of ALL colors is one of the healthiest things you can do!

Of course from an artist....THINK COLOR!!!

Pound out the juices, then add the brine. My ratio is 2 Tbsp salt to 1 Quart of water. Mix the brine and pour what you need over the veggies and fruit.

You know I've been doing this for so long, I don't need the fancy fermenting gadgets. A quart ziplock is good enough for me. Weight it down with a bag of water, then cover with a dish towel. Let it do it's thing. 

The idea is to keep all the food under the water line. The weight of the bag does just that.

Now let it sit and do what fermented foods have been doing for centuries....create it's own pro-biotics. It's a predigested food!