Boo!

Turnip lantern - considerably easier to draw one than carve one :-)

Satisfaction

My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 2v13

Everything we need

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life [...] For this very reason, make every effort [...]

1 Peter 1 v 3, 5

We should make every effort, because he has enabled us to do so. 

Not: we should sit back and expect to just be miraculously transformed. 
Not: we should grit our teeth and try to do it in our own strength. 
Not: it's too difficult, so why bother even trying.

Nativity icons

These started off as a few simple illustrations to illustrate the song our class of wee ones sang in church last year, and sort of grew...

Buy here.

Alphapix

Did these pictures ages ago, but wasn't sure how to present them. Then I thought of an alphabet frieze.

Here's where you can buy it, should you have any need for an alphabet frieze.

26 letters

It is very annoying that the alphabet has 26 letters, and 26 is only divisible by 2. Might as well be a prime number for all the help that is in laying out any kind of chart or poster.

Popularity

A bit from my notes from our recent church weekend away. The speaker was Craig Dyer, and this one was on John 7 - Jesus with his brothers.

Their aim was popularity.

John 5v44 "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"

Easy to confuse being in a right relationship with God with being liked by his people.

Whose glory do I seek?
Whose approval am I satisfied with?

He succeeded where we fail.

"The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory."
If we seek our own glory, we don't take with any seriousness the living God from whom comes our life and breath and everything else.

Brothers sought their own glory through Jesus.

Ouch!

So, so easy to do, in so many different circumstances.

---

And here's all my notes for that session. There will obviously be stuff missing or misreported, because I can only write so fast... [Edit: Here's the audio link - it's Saturday morning]

John 7v1-24 - Jesus with his brothers

Remember why John wrote his book:
"These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, and that by believing you may have life through his name."

John also shows what unbelief looks like.

Two types of unbelief.

1) Easily spotted flat out rejection

People seeking to take his life. (Though no-one can, because he came to give it. Jesus was not avoiding death, but postponing it till the right time.) Because he healed a man on the Sabbath.

2) Easily missed unbelief - skin deep appreciation

Brothers told him to show himself to the world. Impressed with him. Assume he thinks the way they think. You've got the talent; we've got the management.

"My time has not yet come, but your time is always here."

The world hates him because he says that what it does is evil. The brothers don't realise that the world hates him.

DON'T LOSE THE PLOT

Not even his brothers believed in him - but believing in him is the point of John. Therefore they don't have life through his name.

Unbelief can be cold, but it can also feel warm.

Some wanted him executed: others exhibited. Neither believed or had life.

Jesus went up secretly, then taught (not miracles).

People thought he was good. Marvelled at teaching. But wouldn't admit it for fear of leaders.

DON'T MISS THE POINT

Since everything depends on it, how are we to know what true belief is really like?

How we relate to God.

"My teaching is not mine but belongs to him who sent me."
Brothers wanted Jesus to make much of himself, but he redirects their admiration to his father.
We receive everything from him, and return everything to him in praise.

Their aim was popularity.

5v44 "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"

Easy to confuse being in a right relationship with God with being liked by his people.

Whose glory do I seek?
Whose approval am I satisfied with?

He succeeded where we fail.

"The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory."
If we seek our own glory, we don't take with any seriousness the living God from whom comes our life and breath and everything else.

Brothers sought their own glory through Jesus.
The Jews sought their own glory by publically making a big deal of how well they kept the law (when they wanted to kill him for breaking the Sabbath).

Psalm 36 "There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin."

We can be amazed at all Jesus can do for us but ignore why he came - cross.

Can think he's good - but not worth getting in trouble for.

The way out
Look carefully at ourselves. Is there enough good and glory to please God? Of course not!
See and repent.
Look at Jesus - all goodness and glory.
Reflects glory to the father.
Giving himself to die for us.

Jesus poster for sale

Here's a poster based on the picture I did based on the prayer meeting.

The white background was an accident, but I liked it so you get both.

King Uzziah

His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God

2 Chronicles 26v15-16

Theta, Alpha & Beta

Theta:

Click to see bigger

Alpha & Beta:

Click to see bigger

Beta's hair was tricky to make look like a plausible style and still be related to the letter.

As Alpha and Beta are twins I let myself cheat a little :-)

Previous characters:
Gamma
Pi
Phi 
Lambda

Just landed on my desk

:-o

We are living in the future

The lady I clean for is blind, and she has just got a new app for her iPad - Tap Tap See. I've downloaded it too, to play with :-)

It's an object recognition program. She tried another one before, which was fun but a bit tricky to use. This one, however, is easier and also gives really useful information, because it reads the text, if any, in the photo.

For me it's just fun, but for a blind person it has a practical purpose. She was given a gift set for her birthday, and with a bit of trial and error she discovered it was Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries, what fragrance they were, and what was in the different bottles.

Now that's useful!

---

Here's my results:

 [edit: it appears there is also some human input in the results]

"turned off computer monitor"
(Useful to know it's turned off.)

"empty 2 slice bread toaster"
(Actually it's 4 slices, but two slots, so I'll forgive it.)

"surgical spirit b.p labeled plastic bottle"
(Exactly the info you'd want to know)

"mod podge matte-mat-mate 236 ml"
(Glad I'm not american - why didn't it read the fluid ounces?)

"black android smartphone turned off"

"canada printed black ceramic mug"

Glad it didn't mention the untidy dining table :-)

"irn bru sugar free plastic bottle"

Now some posters from above my desk:

"family fun day poster"

"sithrah poster"

"white green and black the burrell collection"
(OK, I'd have preferred if it had described the picture)

"does this show the real face of jesus text"

"black and yellow painting mounted on wall"

"male and female body chart"

"people's job print on white printer paper illustration"
(Wow!)

"turned on flatscreen computer monitor"
(I am ashamed at the state of my desk. But not ashamed enough to do anything about it.)

I had taken some photos before for the previous app (on my old phone, hence blurry photos) - here are the results with this app:

"brown wooden wall frame"

"red pink and white rooster artwork"

"brown and white football shaped textile"
(Actually it's an african shield, but amazingly like an american football!)

"white lamp shade"

"white and green bird plastic wall decor"
(Yes, I have these on my wall - I like them!)

"bird's can on grey blue green and yellow floral textile"
(Good reading! Not sure why it's so interested in the tablecloth.)

"white toilet paper in gray steel toilet paper holder"

"white light switch mounted on wall turned on"
(It's a socket, not a light switch. I wonder what country the app is from?)

"green obtuse plant on the brown plastic pot"
(Obtuse? And the pot is made of bark.)

"girl in pink and red lace ruffle dress doll"

"yellow car park near house"

"green plant near bare tree"

"brown concrete animal figurine"
(Actually stone. Interesting it knows it's an animal, but not that it's a snake. My dad carved this in college)

"brown and black dog plush toy on teal white tool box"
(Actually a file, but partly hidden, so pretty good. And it knew he wasn't a real dog.)

"brown bird figurine"

"buttered bread with spread"
(Scrambled egg on toast!)

"green grapes on white green and blue floral round plate"
(It's good at extrapolating.)

"pink and white flower on white ceramic flower vase"

"person in plaid skirts and sling bag"
(I'm sure my dad would be thrilled with that description of his kilt and sporran!!!)

Oops

I have just found my scissors, which I had been looking for.

That's what happens when you didn't unpack properly after your summer holiday...

Lydia

Sorry for a fourth post in the same day!

Anyway, just finished my Lydia PowerPoint.

I sorted the historically inaccurate bolts of cloth I originally drew 3 years ago. My dad also pointed out it could have been dye she sold. I have no idea, so I now have cloth, wool and dye. I like it; it adds interest.

Art inspired by the prayer meeting

In the prayer meeting, Stevie was talking about how:

• The church is a bride and Jesus is our bridegroom
• The church is a body and Jesus is the head
• The church are sheep and Jesus is our shepherd
• The church is a temple and Jesus is the cornerstone
• The church is a house and Jesus is the builder
• The church is a family and Jesus is our brother

So here's what it made me think of. Turned out pretty much exactly how I imagined it (and that's rare!)

Jesus is...