He called her Hephzibah

Thanks for being here, friends!  I am so glad you will be joining me as we journey through the calendar paintings in 2025! If you would like to join our mailing list, please email me at:   emfwlr.paints@gmail.com Thank you! The proceeds from your purchase in my shop go directly to my current medical expenses.  The immediate use of those funds will be a haircut, a dentist appointment, and a new experimental treatment that I started this past fall. The haircut- the haircut is being included because I have matts in my hair.  I am unable to take care of my hair the way I used to- so I either let my precious mom work on it for hours or she cuts it for me.  It's been a really long time since I've had a professional cut- I'm hoping my hair girl can help with the matting and still give me something that looks half way decent.  I am nervous about this appointment, but I know it needs to be done. The dentist- I recently started having problems with some of my teeth....

  "Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." -James 1:16-18 I had a mental breakdown right before Thanksgiving this year.  I’m not over it yet & I honestly just feel so drained that I don’t even have words to put on the page.  I’ve tried so many times to start this post and then deleted it. What encouragement is there?  What hope do we have?   How do I try to convey genuine encouragement when my own heart is in despair?  Even in the midst of a season of celebrating the birth of our Savior!  What is wrong with me? These are some of the questions my heart and mind are wrestling through right now. In my struggle, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this song: If you want to rea...

 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! -Psalm 8:1 How are you doing today? Do you have peace? Are you in panic? Are you indifferent? There seems to be so much noise in my life right now.  Clamor, banging cymbals, fear mongering, boasting...whew I'm exhausted just typing that.  And to be honest, that's just my social media feed...that doesn't count the fears and worries that swirl around in my own heart and mind each day. And yet, David reminds us in this Psalm that God cares about us.  In the great expanse of the universe, we humans are small creatures.  We don't even compare to the size of a polar bear or the ocean, much less the galaxy.  What is man, that You are mindful of him?  That is David's question.  Have you ever stopped to ponder how small we really are?  Yet,  we are so loved by a God who is so mindful of us.   Psalm 8: My dear Christian, if you are distraught today, may I gently ask you  "where...

 Hey friends, I apologize for the delay in getting you the November devotion.  I promise it is coming soon! In the meantime, I’m excited to share that the Paint Shop has re-opened for the holiday season! Click here to visit the online store! This year’s shop includes FOUR different calendars, lots of notecards, Christmas cards, Christmas gift tags, prints, and a bookmark! Please reach out to me if you have any questions.   love, emily 

  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.   - Isaiah 41:10 Oh friends- this is such a timely word for me, and I hope it is for you too.  I have tried over and over again to put words to what this scripture means to me.  I think my journey with this verse is still too raw and I’m still in the thick of clinging to these words on a very regular basis.  So instead of sharing my perspective, I’d like to share God’s perspective.  His is much more worthy and comforting than anything I could say anyway… Deuteronomy 3:22 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:9   Have I not commanded y...

  "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled & do not be afraid." - John 14:27 By the time you're reading this, it will be just under a month since my Gran entered heaven.  I've lost people before, but she is so much harder.  I didn't see her every day, but I miss her every day.  The grief runs deep and I don't know that I'll ever "get used to it."  Heck, I don't know that I want to "get used to it."   I debated what exactly I wanted to share about her, but I landed on one (of many) words of wisdom she gave me.  She gave me this wisdom in one of the darker seasons of my life.  It was also the season Jesus would give me John 14:27 and teach me about sunflowers, so I think it's appropriate. She is the same grandmother who I shared about this past  July .   When I was in high school I experienced a trauma that changed my life.  I know "trauma" h...