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'.

Exodus 3:14-15 - Names of God

I go to a ladies Bible study group every fortnight and we've been following a series on the names of God. In one session we looked at the meanings of all God's names and how they can apply to different aspects of His personality, and what that means for us. Although we weren't studying this passage at the time, it made me think of the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus.

God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.”’
God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.”
‘This is my name for ever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.'

 - Exodus 3:14-15

The art wasn't particularly much this week. I started to doodle the names down the side of the page during the Bible study, as I do use this Bible for everyday use as well as for my art. When I got home I knew wanted to do something to represent the bush so I found a drawing of flames on Pinterest to use as the template then adapted it to fit my Bible page.

The names I chose to use were ones we'd been discussing in the study - I AM/YHWH/Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah), Jehovah (The Lord), Elohim (God), Adonai/Lord, and Shaddai (Almighty). There are many other names which are used, particularly in the psalms, and it makes an interesting study to look at which name is actually being used in which instance to see how the author is relating to God in each instance. I found a good basic study on the names at Blue Letter Bible if you want to find out more.

I used Prismacolor pencils and my Pentel 0.8 pen for the lettering. I haven't stuck it into my Bible, but I also keep the study sheet with the meanings of all the names in that page as well, to remind me.

Mark 8:11-21 - Half full or half empty?

The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

- Mark 8:11-21

Our new pastor Tony preached on this passage a few weeks ago and it really stuck with me, so I wanted to journal something. He started by asking 'is the glass half full or half empty?' (Personally I've always thought it depends on whether you're in the process of filling it or emptying it.) He went on to talk about how the disciples were so fixated on what they didn't have - bread - that they assumed everything must be to do with that. Jesus was actually talking about something completely different.

He goes on to remind them about how the bread was multiplied when He fed the thousands of people. Why should the disciples worry about not having bread when they were with a man who could do that?!

Tony finished by reminding us not to worry about the things we don't have, especially if they're things we don't need, as that can distract us and take over our thoughts; but to concentrate on what we do have.

For the journalling it was a very simple entry but I wanted to do something to remind myself of the sermon. I sketched a half full glass of water in coloured pencils and then added the text. I coloured the page with a blue pencil, leaving the passage above white. I'll probably add some notes to myself underneath at some point, but that was all I needed to do.