He called her Hephzibah

  "But when you ask, you must believe & not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown & tossed by the wind."  - James 1:6 For my Gran & Paw Paw, The ones who demonstrate love so well & encouraged my love of all things ocean.   This painting might be my favorite one in this year's calendar.  I'm a sucker for all things ocean.  When I was a child, these precious grandparents lived on the Marshall Islands.  I wanted to be like them when I grew up, so around age three I made up my mind that I was going to be an ocean scientist.  I stuck to that throughout high school until God let me know He had something else in mind.  Even in college I waffled back and forth between my love for water with the calling to minister to children. I ended up with a teaching degree, but even today I still say still say that my first love was always the ocean.     Our verse this month comes from the letter of Jame...

  "...ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you..."  -Matthew 7:7 This sounds like a candy machine formula if I ever heard one.  Yet, I also know that God is not a vending machine.  So what in the world was Jesus saying?  The best way I know to answer that question is to let scripture interpret scripture. If we look at the original words: ask, seek, knock.  The Amplified Bible provides a footnote about these verses which says this:  Matthew 7:7   Here the use of Greek present imperatives (asking, seeking, knocking; vv 7, 8) emphasizes persistent, constant prayer. Continue to ask Continue to seek Continue to knock Do not grow weary in your praying. I must confess (and may God forgive me if this is wrong to share on this platform),  I am weary. I don't know what to write to you because I'm struggling to find my next breath.  Life is hard.  It was hard for Jesus and His disciples and...

  "...blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him." - Jeremiah 17:7 For my Aaron, You've been my bestie since birth & I am so grateful for you.  Your life reflects this verse so well.  You have trusted in the Lord and kept your confidence in Him.  Your faith encourages and inspires me every single day.  I love you, big brother.   I painted this picture with the lake in mind.  The lake during that in between part of spring and summer.  Aaron and I have been to the occasional lake house or houseboat together, so his verse felt appropriate for this picture.  When he sent me the verse I didn't bother to look at the context.   But now as I read it in context, I'm blown away.   Verse 8 reads "He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to be...

  For Katie, a most faithful friend who hears the voice of her Shepherd.  I love you like you were my own sister.  Thank you for being such a precious friend to me.  You've been with me and prayed for me through some really hard days.  I am so grateful for you!  Your love for Jesus radiates through you. "My sheep know my voice; I know them and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."  -John 10:27-28 There is SO MUCH that can be said about sheep being used in scripture.  I've had a hard time narrowing it down, so I'm just going to include as much as I can and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you to what you need. The Shepherd's Voice I remember being a kid and going on a field trip to a farm.  We learned about sheep and how they only respond to the voice of their shepherd.  We all took turns trying to call the sheep.  The sheep completely ignored all of us....

WELCOME   If we have not met, my name is Emily and I am a survivor of a traumatic brain injury.  I am honored to be a featured artist alongside fellow survivor, Jeremy, for the month of March at Huntsville Hospital.  March is TBI (traumatic brain injury) awareness month.   For more about me and my personal journey with a TBI, click here . If you are interested in hearing the story behind any of the paintings, please see the links below.  Feel free to explore this little blog and also check out my shop and portfolio !  If you are interested, I would love to add you to my subscribers list.  I send out an email on the first of each month with a devotional link attached.   Email me  if you would like to be added to our group!  Thank you for being here!  Thank you for your support!   "Connections" I did not paint this one alone.  Click here to read the story. "Peachy Keen" I haven't been able to write the story ...

  For Whitney,  my first "grown-up" friend.     Whitney was the first real friend I made after moving back to Huntsville in 2013.  I heard someone say once that "as an adult, you get to choose your friends."  I'm so thankful we chose to be friends with each other.  You've been with me through some really hard seasons, and have always encouraged me to look to God's word.  I think of you as my sister & am so grateful for you.  Love you bunches! Isaiah 49:15-16 "Can a mother forget her nursing child or have no compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands..." Our verse this month comes right after the following: "Shout of joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!  For the LORD comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.  But Zion said, "the LORD has forsaken me.  The LORD has forgotte...

  For my Nana,  flowers always remind me of your beauty & perseverance.   No matter what the enemy seems to throw your way, you keep standing.  You keep fighting. Thank you for loving your family so well. And for keeping us rolling with laughs ;)  Jesus was sitting with His disciples at the Passover the night He would be betrayed.  After Judas leaves the meal to betray Him, this is what Jesus says: “...Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.     If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.     Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.    By this all people will know tha...