“Pray that in all you do, his purposes will prevail.”
From my morning readings in “You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream”, by Holley Gerth.
Mother Teresa Wallpaper Quote, a photo by FredMikeRudy on Flickr.
This is important. It’s not about my agenda. It’s about His purposes.
I decided to have “Reaching for Faith” professionally blocked and framed. Here it is, complete!
Reaching for Faith Framed, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.
Prayer: Father, I praise You and thank You for making us artists, in Your image. Help me to do my art for Your glory.
I’ve been meaning to write a Christmas message for the blog and not getting it done. This morning I received this lovely gift from a dear friend and sister in Christ:
Starting to read, I came across this to share with you all:
“If prayer is fundamentally an expression of love— a single-hearted reaching out to the Other in a love relationship— it is more simple than any technique or way of praying. The most important thing in prayer is the heart’s inclination in relation to God.”
Simsic, Wayne (2012-03-28). Seeking the Beloved: A Prayer Journey with St. John of the Cross (Kindle Locations 119-121). The Word Among Us Press. Kindle Edition.
Praying for the inclination of all our hearts, and wishing you a blessed Christmas!
Carmen
One of the key things that must be done when designing a needlepoint piece is cutting the millions of colors and shades in a photo down to a manageable palette of colors. They must be different enough that the person stitching the design can tell them apart, but close enough that the color changes aren’t too dramatic.
I find that six shades of grey from white through black inclusive is about right. Other colors can support a similar range of shades.
So I pick colors for the palette from the layout, keeping these guidelines in mind. I arrange them in a grid so I can pick paint colors.
Blue-Luna-Color-Pallette, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for the beauty and intricacy of creation. Help her to appreciate Your work all around her.
“… we are given power to meet the demands and the needs that are waiting for us in the ministry yet to come.“
From my morning readings in “The Power of His Presence” by Ray C. Stedman.
Moon Rise behind the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, a photo by “Caveman Chuck” Coker on Flickr.
I always think the power must come from me. I’m doing this, aren’t I? But no. Things go much better if I look to Him for the wisdom and the power.
When asked if she had a favorite verse or catch phase she’d like included on the piece, her answer was “Always Victory!” What a great attitude!
I move from Adobe Photoshop to Adobe Illustrator for the rest of the design work, including the placement of her message, using my favorite font, Zapfino.
Blue-Luna-layout, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.
Prayer: Father, we know that You grant us victory in all things through faith in You!
“Pray with thanks when God comes through beyond all you could have imagined.”
From my morning readings in “You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream”, by Holley Gerth.
Reducing the risk of crop failure has created a more sustainable community, a photo by Gates Foundation on Flickr.
And pray with hope while you’re waiting for Him!
Here is the fully stitched piece.
You can see that the canvas has gotten somewhat distorted during stitching. Blocking the piece will correct this.
Reaching – Unblocked 2, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.
Prayer: Father, the process of going through life can stretch us. Thank You that Your grace and love can always bring us back to our full beauty, as You intended us to be.
The next step is to lay out the elements. I do this in Adobe Photoshop. I’m not trying for a polished work of art at this stage, just for placement of the various elements as they will appear in the final piece.
Blue Luna, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.
It may look like I’ve left a lot of space on the right – that’s intentional. That’s where her catch phrase will go.
Prayer: Father, grant her medical team wisdom as they arrange her treatment. Help them to arrange all the necessary elements for her care and still see her as an individual and meet her special needs.
“God is an artist and he is beautiful. He has woven his image into the fabric of our lives, which explains our drive to create things which are beyond us and which we don’t always understand. Perhaps more important, he has issued a call to us that carries with it the possibility of obedience or disobedience: the call to respond to his beauty with creative worship. … God calls us to create a space in time for ourselves and others to meet with God, to gaze upon his beauty and to worship him.“
– From my morning readings in “Scribbling in the Sand – Christ and Creativity” by Michael Card.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stockphotosforfree/7190209497/in/photostream Photo by Stock Photos for Free with Some rights reserved under Creative Commons Attribution License
We can answer that call with art, with craft, with music. We can answer it with hospitality, with service, with fellowship. It doesn’t matter how we answer it. What’s important is that we answer it.
NeedlePrayer 