John 19:28-30 - It is finished

The death of Jesus
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

- John 19:28-30

The death of Jesus is one of the defining moments of our faith. If He hadn't died, he couldn't have risen again, and so this passage is full of the weight of history. Jesus had finished His work on Earth (which then leads me to think about how we now have all that work to do...).

I wanted something striking to emphasise the importance of this passage, but I didn't want to go down the blood or cross route, as I see those images so often it sort of desensitises me to their impact. Instead I Googled images of Golgotha - the place of the skull - and used that as the image on the page. I used the big block letters to write 'it is finished' and did use reds to signify blood and to make them stand out.

Overall I'm pleased with this page. It's stark and cold and has no sign of life, which was the whole point of these verses - Jesus was very dead at this point. He had to be to pay for the sins of the world.

I used watercolour pencils and a black Micron pen on this page.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - A season for everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
 a time to be born, and a time to die;
 a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
 a time to break down, and a time to build up;
 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
 a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
 a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
 a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
 a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
 a time to love, and a time to hate;
 a time for war, and a time for peace.
What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil - this is God’s gift to man.

 - Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

This scripture has always been a reassurance to me when things aren't going so well, or a reminder to control myself and not speak or act at times - something which I've had to learn over a long hard period. I used to have a tendency to speak whatever came into my head, especially if it seemed funny to me. Often it wouldn't come out funny though, it would be sarcastic or rude or hurtful or just inappropriate. As an example I once asked someone if they'd just taken their pants off (they had taken off a money belt) - it sounded like a funny conversation starter to me but it was wildly inappropriate. I hope that I don't make stupid remarks like that any more.

For the art journal I wanted to do something to represent time and seasons, but rather than just concentrate on autumn, like the Bible Art Journalling Challenge from Rebekah R Jones (week 43), I wanted to do something to cover more seasons. I decided to draw four clocks, one representing each season, all set at different times, and add the part of the verse "a season for everything" (verse 8). I used watercolours, washi tape and a Micron pen to colour and add the text.

Psalm 119:1 - Walk by faith

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. - Psalm 119:1

I don't usually stick things into my Bible (aside from washi tape) but I was inspired to use thus gorgeous shoe die cut when I started to think about a sermon I was due to give on the sabbath.

The way I was thinking was like this.

We’re commanded to take a day of rest each week and keep it holy – that is, recognise its importance. So why do we need a Sabbath?

If you ask Kevin (my husband) about our shoe rack, he will tell you that it’s got far too many pairs of shoes on it – and most of them mine. I can’t help it. I’ve had a big shoe cull over the last few years. But some of my shoes are just wonderful. Like one of my favourite pairs - gold shoes with four inch high heels. When I wear them I’m taller and I feel elegant and sophisticated and like a different person, more confident. Not that a lack of confidence is something I usually suffer from. But they took a bit of practice to walk in. They’re not always comfortable, and if I wear them for too long then my feet and legs can start to ache and I need to take them off for a bit or sit down.

Walking with God can be just like that. There's no point taking off just one shoe, or trying to partially walk with God - it just won't work. And if I take off the shoes completely - stop walking with God - then that defeats the point. But I can sit down, keeping the shoes firmly on my feet, and take a rest for a while before setting off again.

I coloured the die cut with copics, used a pencil crayon to colour a background for the shoe and then stuck it in using white glue. I added washi tape with the message 'walk by faith' and then journalled a shorter version of the above into the page.

Deuteronomy 33:27a - You can't fall further than His arms

I was in church a few weeks ago and one lady in the congregation was praying during the service. During the prayer she threw in the comment "help us to remember we can't drop further than Your arms". This comment really stuck with me and I was inspired to journal something about it to help me remember her prayer.

While the quote isn't scriptural as far as I'm aware there are several references to God's arms or hands, particularly in the Psalms. I chose this passage from Deuteronomy though.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

 - Deuteronomy 33:27a

I liked the idea that we can use God as a refuge, and even if we feel that that's not enough, or we don't feel comforted or safe, we can be reassured that His arms are underneath ready to catch us. I was quite pleased to find when I looked up the passage in my Bible that the verse was next to an almost empty page, so I had plenty of space for the image I wanted to create.

As soon as I heard the prayer I had an image in my head of someone falling and God's arms there waiting to catch them. I did a search for pictures of men's arms and falling and combined the two pictures to create this. I used watercolour pencils to colour the image, then wrote the comment I wanted to remember at the bottom.

I feel as if the verse is going to be important to me for a long time and something to remember if I'm feeling low or down. I suffer with depression, so low periods do come along, and it's wonderful to know that someone is there to catch me even when I don't feel like talking to people.

Psalm 36:5-9 - How great is our God

This was the very first passage I journalled, so it's very simple. I'd heard you shouldn't start journalling with your favourite verse (you're unlikely to feel that you've done it justice when you're just starting out) so the page I decided to start journalling on was Psalm 36.

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast in the abundance of your house;
    you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

- Psalm 36:5-9                                      

I had the song The splendour of the king going round in my head - a song with fantastic lyrics about God's attributes taken directly from scripture. As a result, when I read the passage the phrase that immediately came to mind was 'how great is our God'. While the song doesn't mention any of the attributes in this passage, it's another reminder of how big, strong, powerful and generally amazing God is.

After prepping the page with gesso I wrote out 'how great is our God' in various lettering, then coloured with Copic markers. It was very simple but because of that it gave me the confidence to actually put pen to paper in my Bible without worrying about it too much.

I kept the lettering to the margin because Psalm 37 is also on that page and over on to the next, and some of my favourite verses are in that psalm. I'll be returning to these pages and verses later.

Psalm 91:4 - Cover me with Your wings

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

- Psalm 91:4

This was one of the first passages I journalled. It's a verse that I've known in a sort of passing way for a long time but not really thought about in depth. I was inspired by Rebekah R Jones' Bible art journalling challenge (week 25) to think more about what it means to be covered by God's wings.

It's reassuring to know that God is always there, in a way (and I mean no disrespect) like a spiritual comfort blanket, covering us, there for us to duck under whenever we need somewhere to go to hide or think or grieve or rest or anything else.

As far as the artwork goes, it's not the best art I've ever produced and in all honesty if I look at the page just as a creative product then I'm not happy with it. But that's not the point of Bible journalling. Through the process it made me think more about who God is, so even though I'm not happy with the end result, I'm pleased I got to spend time thinking about that verse more in depth and understanding more what it means for me.

I used some feather stamps as the basis for the page then embellished them with coloured pencils and added the lettering. I prepped the page with a very thin layer of white gesso, leaving the verse I was journalling uncovered so it stands out on the page.

Psalm 29 - The voice of the Lord is powerful

I often dip into the Psalms when I don't know what to read, and I found myself in Psalm 29 recently. The Psalm is all about how amazing God is and what He is capable of. I often find that it's difficult to conceive how big God is, but this Psalm goes some way to explaining His splendour.

A psalm of David.
Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

 - Psalm 29

Often when I Bible art journal I create something that speaks to me from the passage, but this time I thought I would illustrate what the passage said. There's so much in there and it all talks about how great God is, and I thought illustrating it might help me grasp better more of God's character and power.

I used coloured pencils, blended with a baby wipe, a white gel pen for the lightning and a black pen for the lettering to write out the part of the passage which seemed to sum it all up for me - 'the voice of the Lord is powerful'.