Good Friday

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

~ 1 Peter 2v24-25

Easter stickers

I'm not very good at updating this blog with my actual art 🤦

I've recently got easter stickers printed.

First, some brand NEW designs, aimed at younger children, or new contacts who know very little about Jesus. Still the focus on Jesus' death and - especially - resurrection. Nice and cheerful and Eastery. Lots of eggs! But avoiding the wall-to-wall pastels and fluffiness that is characteristic of lots of Easter stuff.

 I also reissued my classic Easter designs as paper stickers. Aimed at primary school children. More depth on why Jesus died and rose - probably best for church kids who know the basics. Leaning into the sometimes ghoulish tastes of small boys💀!

 

 

I have other Easter stickers still available while stocks last. Find them all here.

Happy World Braille Day!

 Here's a video about the importance of Braille:

And here's a shameless plug for my colouring book for blind and visually impaired people www.kirstymca.co.uk/blind

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

 I've been enjoying this song.

Last Words

Words and music by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive

Happy New Year!

 I always like to post a song for the New Year - but this year I've got two.

They're both about how, as Christians, God uses the ups and downs of life to make us who he wants us to be.

First a sad one:

 And then a cheerier one!

All-day sun

Doesn't seem quite the right weather for Good Friday:

 

"Well might the sun in darkness hide

and shut his glories in

when God, the incarnate maker, died

for man, his creature's, sin"

~Isaac Watts

Happy New(ish) Year

 Here's a good song to start the year:

Something I need to keep reminding myself.

Caveat: I don't like the line about 'make of your troubles swiftly an end' - he might, but he might not. Though I probably tend to err on the side of assuming he won't.

Remember and Proclaim

To celebrate our church's Good Friday meal restarting after a 2 year gap.

A lot shorter (and cheerier) than the previous music video I posted!

 

 

Good Friday music

 This is good (It's an hour long)

Women's work

Google's doodle today is for International Women's Day.

It shows a series of women's arms doing various things: writing, science, being an artist, winning the Nobel prize*, voting, singing, typing, making a political speech, climbing a mountain, conducting an orchestra, getting a degree, making a film, being a judge, astronaut, pilot, animator, footballer, photographer, architect, etc...

I'm glad that women have so many opportunities today.

But I was disappointed that, in all the pictures, there was not a single domestic thing represented. No cooking. No cleaning. No childcare.

Are women not worth celebrating when they're doing stereotypically 'feminine' things? The things that no-one will particularly notice, or applaud them for?

"Honour her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Proverbs 31v31 (emphasis mine)

---

*At least, some medal like that

Mary's Song

I like this version, because it's sung by someone the right sort of age (Randall Goodgame's daughter Liv, who would be about 16ish at the time)

Rainbow crosses

People are putting rainbows in their windows to symbolise hope. So here are some crosses that our Sunday School kids made to remind us that our true hope comes from Jesus.

All done in an appropriately socially-distant manner: They made them at home, photographed them, and WhatsApped them to me. I printed them at church, cut them out and stuck them up.

I love how different they all turned out.

Take, eat

This is beautiful

Happy New Year!

I was going to post this song anyway, but we sang it on Hogmanay, so that's another reason.

Unexpected?

Why does Christmas take me by surprise every year?

I've had 42 of them; you'd think I would be expecting it by now...

Quick, easy Christmas decoration craft

Went well with the theme of our nativity being about God's gift.

You will need:

• Coloured foam. I used sparkly A5 foam, from a pound shop.
• Sticky-backed foam (or use glue, but sticky is easier). Or self adhesive ribbon, but I couldn't find any.
• Suitable stickers. The crowns and hearts were actually taken from a fairytale set!
• String
• Single hole punch. Small hole if possible - a leather punch is good, because it can cut through a lot of layers.

Teachers preparation:

1. Cut the foam into 'squares'. A5 gives 6 more or less square pieces. A guillotine is quickest.
2. Cut the sticky foam into strips. 1cm (ish). 

With the kids:

1. Stick two strips to a square. This makes it look like a parcel and also a cross!
2. Decorate with stickers.
3. Punch hole.
4. Thread string.
5. Repeat till parents come!
6. Brush up all the backing paper from the stickers...

NEW Christmas posters and colouring

Based on my Christmas stickers, I now have a full set of printable Christmas posters and colouring pictures.

Both can be printed as A4 posters or A5 bunting. Individual posters are also available (A4 only).

My aim with these was not so much to focus on the events of the nativity (there are lots of those already!) but on who Jesus is and why he came. This means that they'll be particularly useful for older kids or kids with a good Bible knowledge.

Could also be helpful for kids who think babies are boring and want to know why we're making such a fuss about this one 😁

Christ is risen!