12/30/2013 3 Comments (some of) the year in reviewWow! What a year. And i mean that ...what a year....both good and bad. Before i get into a few details lets have a MOMENT OF GRATITUDE for the year past and a !SHOUT OF JOY! in looking forward to the coming year. Now that we've 'momented' & shouted here's my "(SOME OF) THE YEAR IN REVIEW LIST. Take a looksie! This year in no particular order i: Watched lots of sunsets from the rooftop with the love of my life Wrote my first two mini Bible studies (Coffee Break Bible Study Sheets) Left my heart and soul job of 7 years (Kept going) Cried a lot - both happy and sad(Kept going) Felt like theres no use (a lot)(Kept going) Met Sheeba Reached a mental breaking point like no other(Kept going) Felt like i wanted to kill myself(Kept going) Tried a few new jobs Went on lots of walks with Harvey (loving the crispy, cold air) Celebrated the life of Mr. Walter Smith Met a lot of awesome new people (amazing to meet people outside of the 4 wall confines of a church building - I hadn't done that in a long time) Struggled with decisions Made bad decisions Made good decisions Watched a lot of "Impractical Jokers" Went on a fun family trip to Long Beach (fun beach bike ride - why did Mary turn back, lol?) Traveled on a wonderful Voluncation to Mexico, Honduras, Grand Cayman, Orlando & more with MY FAVORITE TRAVEL COMPANION and FAVORITE PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH Mr. Christopher Bean. (loved watching people take their picture during sunset...my favorite time of the day) (Also loved how the Candlelight Processional at Epcot brought everything full-circle) Blamed others for any dissatisfaction I felt in life(Kept going) Realized there's no one to blame for any dissatisfaction i feel in life (femininepower.com calls it radical self responsibility) Started to believe that I could live in this world as an artist (might be amateur level now but definitely committed to growing -dv!) Painted more pictures than i ever have in years past (childhood excluded)Drew more pictures than i have in years past (childhood excluded) Was in the room when my great-niece Arielle was birthed Got mooned on my birthday (now coined as butt-day) Felt far from God Felt close to God (tho mostly far) Let fear lead me Let love lead me Kept going... In retrospecting this year right now (this very moment as i write!)...sidenote: I am realizing even in the quick 45 minutes that I've taken in writing this post has been so beneficial in helping me be grateful and reflect on all that has taken place thus far this year. (kind of therapeutic) I humbly suggest you take some similar time to review your own year...it really is quite nice. :) And if you want a little help looking forward to 2014 you can use my "Play & Plan Fun Sheet" as a guide. I'm gonna' do mine soon! ...i realize it felt like a somewhat monotonous year but a lot of amazing things really did happen! i see that i've kept going (small steps are big steps) and in my gut i know I've learned a lot of lessons and grew a lot of character this year. So my dear loves, my your new year coming up be your very best year yet...may it be blessed with faith & love & beauty & perseverance & creative colors & happiness all stemming from a joyous intimacy with Jesus~! He IS our ROCK! KEEP BELIEVING KEEP GOING You're awesome, Anne :) Just for you, my darling friends, a look back at some of the pictures I created this year:
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6/3/2013 0 Comments Joyce Meyer Portland weekendHi Everyone, My husband Christopher, my dog Harvey & I traveled to Portland this past weekend to attend the Joyce Meyer ministry conference. Joyce is one of our favorite teachers as we both learn sooooo much from her! It was pleasure to learn from her teachings and we have definitely been strengthened in the Lord! Joyce was preaching from her new book "God is Not Mad at You" which will be released this fall. Here are some nuggets I gleaned from Joyce this weekend: "You don't have to feel like doing the right thing to do the right thing." (Love that one!) It was so empowering to me when she shared that very morning she didn't much feel like rolling out of bed and coming to the conference but...she did! :) "Get into agreement with God about your future." (another great one!) "Excuse is a reason stuffed with a lie." Start the day by lifting your hands and asking, "God what can I do for you today?" "Only a mature believer can squarely face their sin." (because we know we are dead to sin and have the power to overcome it!) Who are some of your 'favorite' Bible teachers/preachers that resonate with you? Here we are at VooDoo Donuts, a famous donut shop in Portland. Yum! And before you get all religious on me (you wouldn't would you??) yes, the shop is named VooDoo Donuts and no, as far as I know they do not do any voodoo on the donuts! I'll let Holy Spirit convict me if I wasn't supposed to go there! :) Which leads me to a question, can a Christian use Mr. Clean's "Magic" Eraser?? lol, love you! :) Be Creative Love,
Anne :) 5/30/2013 1 Comment "Color-FULL" inspiration~! PMS, really??! ...this past week, PMS hormones seemed to flood my mind with "wrong-thinking" thoughts and for a couple of days it was all I could do not to huddle into a ball in the corner, give-up and cry. Well, as I always say, "I'm my own best student" and I was sooooo glad to have some "Mind of Christ" & "right-thinking" materials at hand and I found myself repeatedly referring back to them throughout the week. I vowed that the devil would have to pay for this mind attack and in keeping to my word and making the devil regret trying to get me, I share with your here my "Mind of Christ" resource pack! It's an assemblage of materials that can be found around my site but I wanted to put them all together here for you, should you find yourself huddled in a corner crying. :) First, an AWESOME song - listen & DECLARE IT~!! Next, my "Renewing the Mind" #blessingblasts card Finally, my "Mind of Christ" Coffee Break Bible Study Sheet
4/16/2013 2 Comments Creative Inspiration 4/16/13Additional creative stuff :)2/13/2013 1 Comment happy valentine's day!Hi My Lovely Friends,
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled with extra special, lots and lots, heaps and mounds of love! I'm sure it is. I know there are oodles of people who love you (including me; I think you're fantastic!), I know you're the apple of God's eye and I know He's got great plans for you so, whether you get that box of chocolates or not, allow me to cover you in love one more time, "YOU ARE INFINITELY LOVED!" :) Moving on, it's kind of cracking me up that this post is gonna' happen to hit on Valentine's Day but yah, it's all kinda' about dying. Dying to self, that is. And becoming alive in Christ. In the last few days and weeks Holy Spirit has heightened my awareness of all the times I say, "I want this" or "I want that" and you know what, I've kind of become very uninterested in what I have to say. I really don't want to do what I want to do, I want to do what God wants me to do. (easier said than done but still very willing) In fact today, it dawned on me that when "I" try to figure things out instead of trusting God and resting in His peace, "I" end up making a little mini-idol, false god out of myself. Ugh, I really don't want that. Anyway, check out these pics - they might help describe what I mean. 2/1/2013 0 Comments Share my heart~I'd like to share my heart.
I had a different blog post planned but for some reason - likely Holy Spirit's prompting - this part of my heart is soft right now and I'd like to flow with it. I've made some big changes in my life lately and I am so ready to do things His way, drop it all and follow after Him. He has been so kind and gentle to me lately as He has been teaching me so many new things about faith and believing in Him and granting me that perfect measure of faith to press on into a new vision. And you know what, that's what I'm doing. Pressing on into a new vision. Constantly checking in to make sure I'm believing and "seeing" the right things in my head. My heart is to see Jesus receiving His glory, God's kingdom released on earth and believers living in victory. ...And I want to do that one crayon at a time... Yes, I said crayon. Crayon is really just a symbol for anything colorful and creative; marker, paintbrush, design program, pencil. I have a simple heart to share simple scribbles that will bring folks deeper into relationship with Him. Simple things that release profound power. So here's where my latest project comes in. It's called "Marriage Blessings". It's a list of 10 Scriptures for couples to speak over their marriages. It's decorated with simple marker art. Simple (me), yet profound (Him). My heart was to create a pretty list that folks can glance at and speak a blessing quickly anytime of day; to keep them speaking God's Word. That's why the list is short and that's why the list is cute. Yes, God's Word is free and yes, there are already other lists out there and yes, people could make their own lists but, you know what - it's on my heart and it's just time to share. I put time and effort and heart and love into "Marriage Blessings" and I'm pressing on. Love, Anne Join me on twitter @ABeanCreative #blessingblasts I sometimes have #blessingblasts parties where we speak God's blessings over our life and tweet a blessing a minute! :) You can click the pic below to get taken to my BlessingBlasts page where the "Marriage Blessings" downloadable sheet is available now for free! Yay~! :) 1/21/2013 1 Comment Faithfulness - a gift!Did you? I did. I filled out my "Play & Plan" Fun Sheet (a simple yet powerful tool located here) to help me bring focus to my life in the new year. I'm really glad i did - you see, yes, it might look elementary however, looks can be deceptive as it has served as an awesome foundational reference point for me as I take time to look at it each morning. It reminds me of who I'm called to be. When you fill yours out, you'll see what I mean... One of the spots to fill in on the sheet is "3 ways I want to feel each day." Mine were: grateful creative vital - full of vitality! One way I've been sticking to my desire to feel grateful & creative each day is by doodling down the first message I hear from the Holy Spirit each morning. (Not a mind message - nothing frontal lobe here - but a message that rises up from deep down inside.) I doodle something out and on the back of my picture, I write down 3 things I'm grateful for. Thus feeling grateful AND creative all in one shot and fulfilling 2 out of my 3 objectives. :) Last week one of my doodles was about faithfulness. I love receiving these little messages from God because they really make me stop & think. It dawned on me, really dawned on me, that faith is a gift. I wondered if I have ever really appreciated it as a gift and received it as a gift? You know what I mean...like when a friend gives you a birthday gift, we take the time to "ooh" & "ah" over it and really make a big deal over how special it is because any gift given in love is a big deal?!! Well, I realized that I needed to take the time to do just that - to stop and thank God for what a true privilege it is to be in relationship with Him through faith! It's so neat that we get to believe the Lord God Almighty, Maker of Heaven & Earth - at His Word. We could just be stumbling along like some little fuzzy-haired, drool mouth trolls never realizing who we are in Christ but because of the measure of faith each one of us is given, we get to know Him! And you know what I say to that? "Ooooh, Aaaaaaaah..." :) In Love & Grateful to Serve Him, -Anne :) "Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see." Hebrews 11:1CEB
"Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]." Hebrews 11:1AMP "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1KJV Click here for the "Play & Plan" Fun Sheet 1/9/2013 0 Comments Vision Board & more!Hello awesome & amazing souls! I KNOW you are making your dreams come true! I know you are passionate about making an impact on this world for Jesus! I know you have a unique imprint to leave on this world! I know it because you're here and God says so. So there, try and argue with that! :) (or even better, just accept it for what it is and cooperate with the good work God is doing in your life~! Check out Philippians 2:13) And if you happen to be a non-believer visiting this page, my first & foremost message to you is "LIVE LOVED...because you already are." John 3:16 So much creative inspiration is coming my way these days. Here we go! Vision Board First, let me please encourage you to make your very own vision board. Grab some junk mail or old magazines and start ripping out pictures & words that resound with your spirit & soul. No thinking about it - all spirit & soul guided! Just flip the pages and see what you have a guy reaction to. Then glue or tape or paperclip (or whatever) these spirit words & pics onto a piece of paper. Make it as big as a wall mural, posterboard, sheet of paper or make a mini-vision board on an index card that you can carry in your wallet. The point is, MAKE IT! Also, don't limit yourself based on how much time you have. JUST MAKE IT! I made this one when I thought I really didn't have the time to do it and was having a pretty krapola day but I knew I needed to MAKE IT and it's been a blessing ever since! (this one took me about 30 minutes - less time than I 'thought' I needed - I had on Wayne Dyer's PBS special in the background). After you make it, look at it with your spiritual eyes, thank God for who He's created in you and place it somewhere you will see it often. (Perhaps bedside). It will serve a powerful purpose as it continues to draw your attention & focus back to the things that are most important to you~. *A sidenote to this is that I created my first vision board at about age 15. I've believed in the 'power' of making these ever since. However, for a very long time I didn't make one. Now that I've actually made my first one again, I am loving it and God is using it to help my narrow my attention and focus on the things He's created as my purpose!) Make one! If you need some extra encouragement or have questions about making one email me! Alleka1@aol.com Or even better yet, let's get together and make one - that would be fun!! Coffee & vision!!! My Business Strategy Lol, isn't this the best?! Seriously, one day the thought popped into my mind (probably from my inner critics) that most people probably have a business strategy. I've never really thought of myself as a strategic thinker and the thought of coming up with some super structured & strategic plan sounded very draining so...here it is...my business strategy! I shall douse my work in God's Word and I believe that is an EXCELLENT strategy! Magnify the Lord I've been in the process of sorting out some major decisions in my life lately. I've been reading the Bible along with many other great books that offer excellent advice on the situation I'm currently going through (more on the later). However, this morning (and as was preached on Sunday) I needed to stop, put the books away, stop trying to figure things out and just spend time magnifying Jesus in my life. He's so big, magnify, magnify! As I did that, the message I received was, "I am provided for." Take some time today to magnify our Lord! |
CategoriesAll Bible Bible Study Christ Christian Christianity Color Colorful Create Creative Imagination Imagine Imagines Imagining Jesus Lent Living Women Archives
May 2019
AuthorBible Study Teacher shares creatives Bible Study Tools |