The Artist

"For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), 'I am the Lord, and there is none else'" (Isaiah 45:18, NASB).  

This past week, God has reminded me of how He is Creator and the supreme artist. God stands out to me in that He was the first artist. He has proved how He can take nothing and blank and turn it into something beautiful and life-giving.

The way a tree loses its leaves in the fall is eye-catching and beautiful. The richness of its colors, the grace of its falling leaves and the crisp air that surrounds it can make us stand in awe (and want to reach for a sweater). We snap photos, play in its leaves or simply stop and stare to take it all in.

Just like God created the beauty of trees and how they change colors in the fall, He also created us in His image and can renew us to reflect His beauty more.  

Is someone on your mind who doesn't know this great Artist whose works have been seen around the world? Let's remember that He is a miracle-worker, this Artist. He turns darkness into light and makes beautiful things. He can give us fresh starts, as He offers forgiveness without strings attached. He wants a genuine, loving relationship with His people. He can renew our hearts so that we love more like Him.

Kelli Martin

How does God being Creator impact you today? Let's pray and ask God for renewal in ourselves, in our communities and in our world. Let's thank Him for His creation and the work He is doing in the world and in people today. Let's ask Him for fresh eyes to see times we can share with others what it's like to know the
greatest artist of all time.

The band Gungor has a couple of songs that stand out to me about God as Creator. I recommend, "Beautiful Things" and "My Father's World."

Conversation Starters: Compliments

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well" (Psalm 139:14, NASB). 

Recently, I’ve gotten to see how much a compliment can encourage four-year-olds as they play soccer. As I was thinking about this and reading this part (Conversation Starters: Compliments) of the HeartCall course book, I see that truly everyone could use some encouragement. God created us and sees us as valuable, valuable enough to send His Son, Jesus, to show us how to walk in honor of God and to suffer in our place on the cross. This Creator has the power to turn our ashes into beauty, and He desires a deep relationship with the people He made.

Kelli Martin

A compliment may give us the chance to at least show - and maybe even share - the pure love God has for the world with someone else. As believers, we can point out the good we see in others, encourage them and help them see God's love and desire to bring people into His family.

Study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

See Shane and Shane play "Beauty for Ashes" on YouTube here.

"From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20, HCSB).

With the beauty of the summer months upon us, I am reminded of the simple truth that God reveals Himself in and through creation. As you enjoy the beauty of these warm months, share the warmth of the Lord with everyone you meet. You never know what God will use to draw people unto Himself. Let's remember that people are lost, without hope, and in need of Jesus.

May we always stay hot for Him!

"Light and Shadow"

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands"  (Psalm 19, HCSB).

My heart beat stopped at first glance of these mountains in Winter Park, Colorado.  It humbled me and put me in awe of God.  My friend reminded me the other day of how it is a miracle that this King over all loves us and died for our sins.

This morning, a couple of weeks after seeing the beautiful scenery in the photo above, I read status updates and news about the deadly tornadoes in Alabama.  When I lived in Texas, I remember meeting families and hearing their stories of loss during hurricanes.  I pray for the families who are suffering presently, in Alabama and in other parts of the world.   

Jesus has risen, and I pray we rest in knowing He is here.  I pray we remember that God  - who created all and who has the deepest love - loves us.  Also, I pray we remember to share the hope we find in Him with others.

"When all seems lost
when we're thrown and we're tossed
we remember the cost
We're resting in the
shadow of the cross."
-David Crowder Band, in their song "Shadows"

Link:
News about Alabama storm, with summary and photos - news.nationalgeographic.com

Revive Me

“Revive me according to Thy lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Thy mouth” Psalm 119:88 (NAS).

I took this photo of some black-eyes susans that were at Ridgecrest in North Carolina. They were just a beautiful sight and seemed to be so perky and vibrant with color. There they were, standing there reaching toward the sun. As I looked at them, I was reminded of God and His creation...that He is the source of energy, vibrancy, color and life. Oh what a beautiful sight to see!

I could not help but think that they were a better testimony to the glory of God than I was. They could not utter a word, yet they were reaching toward their Creator and testifying by their very being. Romans 1:20 says, "From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse" (HCSB).

What is my testimony? Tired? Too tired to share about the love and passion of Jesus Christ? Am I so busy that I cannot stop to make an eternal difference in someone's life? Oh Lord, please "revive me...so that I may keep the testimony of Thy mouth."

"punt the burger, pass the chikin"

While the stereo played an eclectic mix of tracks and the lush landscape displayed an endless stream of trees, a few billboards caught my attention as my parents helped me move to Kentucky. Some advertisements consistently stood out to me. Chick-fil-A's comic cow always makes me laugh, and Cracker Barrel's signs encourage a visit to a welcoming, friendly stop. Those restaurants seem to communicate a consistent message of what they are about.

I thought, as a follower of Christ, what kind of message am I sending to others?

In Genesis 1:27, we see that God made us in His image. The New International Version reads, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them."

Although we are not perfect creatures, God created us to be like Him. How do we reflect His image, though?

Some insight came as I read Colossians 3:10 from the New Living Translation Bible, which states, "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him."

I pray that as we seek to know more about our Creator, God, He will reflect His love and character in everything we do.

Photo from http://appalachiancenter.org/

He Makes ALL Things NEW!

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come."!
2 Corinthians 5:17 HCSB

NEW things have come~old things are gone! God is so wonderful to take away the old things in our lives and make us brand NEW! What He begins in our lives He keeps working on until He returns! What are some old things that He is working on in our lives? Am I allowing Him to make me NEW, it is a choice I make everyday! I have found that one thing that people that need the Lord are looking for is something NEW! Until I learned that it was JESUS that I needed, I would fill up the voids of my life with the new things that the world offer, even though these things did not satisfy; new clothes, new shoes, new places, new people, new gadgets, new neighborhood, new job, new ________...I will NEVER forget the day that JESUS filled the void in my heart, took away my old self and made me brand NEW in Him...He makes ALL things NEW...He puts people in the path of our lives that need to be made NEW...who do we know that we can share Jesus-the Only One That Can Make Us Brand New?

Butterflies remind me of the promise God gives us in 2 Cor. 5:17, especially right now during the summer season because Butterflies are everywhere. From caterpillar to butterfly through many changes in the metamorphosis process...when I think about this God reminds me of the incredible life-changing ways He has changed my life for His Glory! He also reminds me to NEVER forget what it was like when I didn't know Him as my Lord and Savior, what it was like to be in the cocoon of lostness/darkness! When I think about all that God has rescued me from He reminds me to be sensitive to people that are still in their cocoon of lostness/darkness without God...my heart is burdened for our world, our nation, our state, my city, my neighborhood as the Lord whispers to my heart "Tracy, they need Jesus-they need to be made NEW"!

As a caterpillar must "struggle" in the process of emerging as a butterfly, as a believer, God reminds me that He will use every struggle to make me more like Him so that I can share more of Him with others!

Praise You God for the ways You keep working in our lives so that we will continue to have a sensitivity for people that need the Lord! AMEN!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwjOLFMZhQo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKx_hx5itIM

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."! Philippians 1:6 HCSB

Sand Dollar Dove

"From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse" Romans 1:16.

It was in my childhood that I grew to love the beach. Somehow the creation seemed to roar with the sounds of the waves and the voices of the seagulls flying overhead. The sand brought a certain squishiness to my feet and whether it was burning hot, cold and wet, or just as soft as walking on cotton, I loved it all. What made it even more fun were the incredible finds - sandcrabs running about, shells turned to display their beauty, and sand dollars that were perfect. By the time we gathered our finds and returned home, everything wasn't the same...especially those fragile sand dollars.

I was cleaning a basket of collected shells and found one of those broken sand dollars. I said my peace and tossed it only to find that in the bottom of the basket was a sand dollar dove that had fallen from the brokenness. Maybe that was the message that I was supposed to see. The message that there is hope from brokenness. The message that creation cries out every day that God is there and is clearly seen when we seek Him.

I'm wondering if today that someone out there is broken and needs to be reminded that there is hope. God is in the middle of the brokenness and stands ready to bring new life to your weary soul. I'm wondering if maybe we have passed up someone and discarded them because they were broken and they seemed too messy to deal with.

Lord, today, help me to focus on what you can do to change a broken life. Let me see the hope that only comes from You. Give me your words to say as I go about my day remembering that all creation is crying out for people to see that there is hope in the name of Jesus. Lord, let me be the one to put that message of hope together for them. Give me someone to share with today, I pray, Amen.