9:08pm

crazy art projects :-)

what about you?

home again

Hi Everyone!  I returned home this morning from my trip overseas, which was an incredibly amazing time!  I hope to share lots of pictures with y’all soon, so stay tuned :-)

 

As I Have Loved You…

The night air was so cold it froze the teardrops on her eyelashes, and she shivered.  Her shoes had filled up with the freezing water that gushed in the lower levels of the ship; and her nightgown, heavy with water, clung icily to her legs.  She was very cold, but the gripping fear was perhaps worse than the freezing weather.  Crowds milled around in an urgent frenzy to get up to the boat deck.  Shouts and cries of distress rang out.  Amidst it all, she stood forgotten and alone.   She shivered uncontrollably.

“Little girl!” an old gentleman cried.  “What are you doing?  Where are your parents?”

“I don’t have a mama,” the little girl began, “or a Papa.  And I’ve lost my nanny.”

Without taking the time to answer, the old gentleman picked her up in his arms and headed toward the stairway.  Crowds of hundreds pressed in, and it was a struggle to make progress toward the boat deck.  Suddenly, with a roar, the ocean found its way onto the deck and rushed relentlessly onward.

Deafening noise filled the night air of April 15^th, 1912.  The RMS Titanic was ending her first and only voyage.  The stunningly beautiful iceberg that stood etched against the black night sky had encountered the great ship with a stunningly horrifying effect.  Only hours—or minutes—remained before an immense empty stillness would once again overtake the vast ocean.

As the boat deck came into view, the old gentleman spoke again.  “What is your name, child?”

“Maurietta Peace.  It was my mama’s name.”

The deck was filled with anything but peace.  The tremendous amount of people on deck hurried frantically about.  The Titanic’s crew shouted out orders. “Women and children first!   Five more seats in this boat.  Come quickly!  Women and children first!”  Frantic voices could be heard above it all.

“Peace….peace…” the gentleman whispered.   “Maurietta, child, we will ask God for peace now.  After this, I will find a family to take you with them on a lifeboat.”  Amid the deafening roar, he bowed his gray head; and slowly, reverently, he prayed.

Our very present help in trouble, Our only Refuge and Strength, Our Father, we pray for Your grace now.  Shall we not fear when troubled waters roar?  Shall we abide securely under the shadow of Your wings?  Only by Your grace, Father, and only through Your peace.   Bestow on us Your peace now.  Plant our feet on the unchanging rock of Christ as You guide our feet through icy waters.  Bless us now.   Amen.

After closing his prayer and raising his head, he headed once more toward the lifeboats.   A small family stood huddled nearby.  “Could you take a little girl with you?” he called out.

“I have children of my own to care for.  You care for your own,” came the heartless reply.

“Could you please take one little girl with you?” he continued to others whom he passed.   These calls were largely ignored as families, preoccupied with surviving the nightmare, concerned themselves with their own families.

“Maurietta Peace, I will make sure you get on a lifeboat.” The old gentleman’s voice was tired but resolute.  “Let us keep trying now.  I do not wish to have to send you alone.  Nonetheless, we will do what is necessary.”  Father, we need Your help.

“Sir!  Excuse me, Sir!” interrupted a young boy.

“Yes, Lad?”

“Do you need a family to care for the little girl?”  Receiving an affirmative reply, the boy led them toward his family.

“Will you please, please take this little girl with you on a lifeboat?  I have promised to find a family to care for her.”

“We will care for her as our own daughter, I assure you.  But we must take her now.  There are only a few more boats to be lowered, and if we stand here any longer, we will miss our opportunity to obtain any seats.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, dear ones.”  I thank you, Lord, he added softly.

“Maurietta Peace, this is all I can do for you now.  I pray God be with you.  Trust all in Jesus now, dear child, dear Maurietta Peace.”  The words were filled with tenderness and great emotion.  Setting her down gently on her feet, he handed her a small book from his coat pocket.  The book looked worn and well read; engraved in gold letters were the words Holy Bible.  “Take this now, and go quickly.  God be with you all,” he cried as they turned away.

“Quickly, quickly!” the lifeboat attendant urged.  “We are almost out of space.  You must come now!  Women and children first.”

Time was of the essence.

“Maurietta, you have no life jacket.  You must take mine.” The young boy said to her.  “And then you must get on the lifeboat with my mother and sisters.”  He held the life jacket out to her.

“Won’t you come with me?” Maurietta asked.

“Oh, no.  I cannot get on while there are women and children here without a seat.  I will stay with my Father.   You must get on because you are a young lady.”

She looked up at him and tears spilled down her cheeks.  “I always wanted a real family.  I always wanted a big brother.”

“We will be a real family to you.  I will be your big brother and you will be my little sister.”  He hugged her tightly.

The lifeboat attendant picked her up suddenly and set her in the lifeboat.  “We must lower this boat now.   Stand back.”

The ropes were released and slowly the boat was let down toward the icy ocean below.  Family members cried out goodbyes to loved ones still standing on deck.

“Goodbye, little sister.   I will always love you.” The words rang out in the night air.

“I love you, big brother.”  With a sudden and sorrowful realization, the words left her mouth—she didn’t even know his name.

The small boat was quickly rowed away from the Titanic.  There was nothing left to do now but watch and pray.  Minutes passed.  The lights of the great ship flickered and died out.   Beneath the unforgiving ocean she was disappearing; moments later, she was gone.

The deafening noise of only an hour earlier was replaced with an eerie stillness.  The stars glittered.  The moon cast a glow across the water.  The iceberg still stood etched against the blackness of the night, an epic reminder of the horrible nightmare.  But all was quiet until a mother’s gentle voice entered the silence with blessed words from that small, worn book.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress:
My God; in him will I trust.
Save me, O God;
For the waters are come in unto my soul.
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled.”

{Written for the Vision Forum essay contest, “Women and Children First”.  © Amy P., 2011}

art projects

As some of you have been requesting to see more of my artwork, I finally made my way around to taking some photos for y’all.  These projects come from both my drawing class this semester and the class last semester.  They are all arranged in the order they were drawn, and a brief explanation of the project follows each picture :-)

(Master Study.  A drawing of the painting St. Cecilia by Bernardo Strozzi.)

(Abstraction of a Still-Life.  I.e. elements of a still-life were used to create an entirely new picture.)

 (Portrait of a Monarch Butterfly.)

 (Environmental Study.)

(Model Session–5 minutes.)

(Model Session–20 minutes.)

Please Note!

It was just brought to my attention that there are ads with bad content showing up sometimes at the end of my blog posts.  I was very shocked to realize this and to hear of the content they were displaying.  I definitely did not put those there–apparently they are placed there by WordPress on blogs that are provided for free (as mine is); obviously, I do not  endorse these in any way.  Please be careful of this, and I am so sorry if you have come across any of these on my site!!

 

The Muller Center for Biblical Studies

Due to the fact that 1) I’m studying through the Muller Center for Biblical Studies this school-year, 2) a good deal of my time is devoted to these studies, and 3) an adventurous expedition is shortly forthcoming related to aforementioned studies, I decided to write a post about it.

In a nutshell, The Muller Center for Biblical Studies  (MC for short) is a Bible class that was begun by two elders from my church and in connection with Christian Communicators Worldwide.

This year in MC we are studying through the history books of the OT and the book of Acts.  Currently, there are seven students involved.  Each week, we read 110 to 130 chapters of Scripture and then meet weekly for a three-hour class.  During this time, we pay special attention to learning Biblical geography and maps, studying further the books of our weekly reading and themes we may have noticed, and sharing observations, insights, and connections we have discovered.

(A typical MC class)

The culmination of our studies for the year will  be a 16 day trip overseas to Greece and Turkey where we will visit the sites where 21 of the 27 NT books were written to and/or from, as well as all the 7 churches from Revelation 1-3.   The official dates for our trip are April 10-26.

(A rather good map of the places we will–along with some we won’t–be visiting.  Click for a bigger view.)

After seven months of studying, it’s hard to believe our trip is only three weeks away.  I’m guessing a good amount of pictures will find their way up here once we return, so stay tuned!

So, that’s basically a brief summary of MC and what’s coming up in the future.  Perhaps I’ll get around to posting more about our studies, but for the time being–Any questions?  Feel free to ask!

intentionality

Intentional. 

I’m drawn to that word here of late.

Remember how ‘Available’ was the word of last week?  Well…

Availability begins with intentionality. 

Certain circumstances caused a great deal of contemplation over my life over the past several days.  Evaluation is a necessary part of my journey in life.  It’s also something that can be easily overlooked when the busyness of the day-to-day takes over.   Thank God He gives us reminders to stop and consider where we are headed.

What I gleaned from my contemplation of the weekend was the lack of intention toward my spiritual walk that I have been putting forth lately, as well as the great importance of doing such a thing.

Scripture resolutions don’t just happen.  Time slips by me if I’m not making an effort to “improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.”  (Jonathan Edward’s 5th resolution.)  

I want to be ready and available to follow Christ’s every call.  I want to sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in my life.  I want to diligently apply my life to Scripture.  But, it has to begin with a God-driven intentionality to follow Him.

Intentional.  It’s my word of the week.

{Shout-out to Tresta for the inspiration behind this ‘word of the week’ idea :-) }

Ready

As I read through the book of Acts today, I was impressed by the example of Ananias in chapter 9.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”  And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
–Acts 9:10

“Here I am, Lord”–such is the response of a person ready, waiting for whatever the Lord may be asking, open to the call of his master.

Are we living with hearts ready and open to the call of Christ?  When he lays a task before us, are we available?  How sorrowful it would be to let excuses, busyness, or lack of desire get in the way of answering Christ’s call.

Remind them to be…ready for for every good deed.
–Titus 3:1

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
–Ephesians 2:10

3:22pm

This is what my afternoon looks like:

How does yours look?

The Poor Widow

The voices grew louder as more and more people gathered around to watch the discussion.

“What commandment is the foremost of all?”  One of the scribes asked.

She tried hard to listen to the answer.   The question was directed toward a young teacher who had been, for the last hour, arguing with the Scribes and Pharisees.   However, his manner was different than any she had heard before.  He spoke calmly and with a certain confidence that she had not seen before amongst teachers of the law.

“Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

A small gasp caught in the back of her throat as she listened to the words.   She had heard the law read before and knew this was what God had spoken to Israel many, many years ago.  But how could she truly love such a great God?  What could she offer to such a King?  Her husband had been dead for several years now, and she was only barely surviving, day by day trying to stretch the few cents she had in order to buy food to eat.

Half-listening to the young teacher, these thoughts grew in her mind.  Her hand, cracked and bleeding from hard work, slipped instinctively into the small pouch she carried at her waist and fingered the two smooth, small coins.  It was all she had left.   She had planned to go shortly to the market and buy something to eat.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”  Perhaps she should offer these coins to the temple treasury.   They wouldn’t buy much anyway.  But, she was already hungry from having so little food the days before.

“No” she spoke in an audible whisper.  Somehow it seemed much better to give something to God, and this was the only thing she had left in the world to offer.

The crowd was large.  Religious leaders who had been questioning the young teacher, curious onlookers who loved listening to the discussions and rich men coming to make great contributions to the temple treasury all thronged about.  If only the young teacher would not look her way, she hoped secretly.  He would probably laugh if he were to see her giving such a small offering.  Certainly, he would think it worthless and scorn her for even trying to give something when she could only offer so little.

But alas, there he was taking a seat directly opposite the treasury.  Now she would have pass by him to make her offering.  It took every ounce of strength to continue walking up toward to the treasury.  Common sense urged to forget this silly scheme, yet an irrepressible desire to give something to the Lord refused to allow her to turn around.

Head bent downward, she walked past him hoping he would not notice her.  The two coins so small, so worthless dropped into the treasury.

With a small chinking sound they were gone.  She turned to leave.

“Truly I say to you…” the young teacher was speaking to a small group of disciples gathered around him.  She stopped momentarily to listen before leaving the temple. “…This poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury”

She glanced around quickly, wondering who this poor widow might have been who could offer more to God than every other contributor.  Surprise filled her face as she saw the teacher and his disciples looking her way.  It was impossible; she could not be the ‘poor widow’ the young teacher was referring to.  She had given the very least of anyone.

“…For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

Slowly, she raised her eyes to see if the teacher really meant what he said.  His face was sincere and earnest.  He nodded gently to her as he saw her eyes searching his face.

Turning away, joy filled her heart as she pondered this strange statement.  She had given so little to God and somehow it was counted as more.

The thought of food momentarily crossed her mind and suddenly she didn’t feel hungry.  The amazing words of Scripture she had heard this young teacher speak seemed to fill her with everything she needed.  She walked along the road away from the temple unsure of where she was headed.

Unsure of direction, future, or life and yet filled with more life than she had ever experienced through the words of God that had been spoken today.  Contributing less and yet giving more.  Hungry and yet fully satisfied.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *   *

This story of the poor widow is based off the account of the widow and her two copper coins found in the gospel of Mark.

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

…And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

—Mark 12:28-31, 41-44