I was finally able to finish up the rest of the Bible Journaling bookmarks for chapters 5 and 6 of Ephesians! Yay!! (You can find them in my shop here.)
Honestly, Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the Bible… maybe because of the strong visual imagery, but also because of the powerful word pictures that speak so deeply to the heart and make you want to get up and go take action!!
Funny thing is… that one of the actions we’re called to actually requires us to be still first. In verse 5:18, God tells us to “be filled with the Spirit” and even though we are to be consistently filled and refilled throughout the day… at some point we need to purposely sit under the faucet of God’s Presence and allow His Spirit to wash over us, cleanse us, and fill up our hearts and thoughts with His love and truth.
He then goes on in this verse and the next, telling us how to speak to one another, to make melody to the Lord in our hearts, to give thanks always and for everything, and to submit to one another out of reverence to Christ. The reality is that apart from the Holy Spirit we are prone to do exactly the opposite. Our tendency is to speak about one another and not always nicely… to grumble in our hearts rather than make melodies… to be discontent and complaining rather than giving thanks… and to always be on guard with others rather than submit to them.
God’s Little Teapot…
So what are we to do??? Well… do you remember the song… I’m a little teapot… short and stout? I loved that song and the gestures that go with it!! So I want you to imagine yourself, for a moment, being God’s little teapot. It doesn’t matter if we’re short and stout or tall and slender. It doesn’t matter if we’re brown earthenware or fine china. What does matter is what’s filling us up… because what’s brewing on the inside is what eventually comes out! So my encouragement to you… and to me… today is to take the time to be filled with God’s love and the truth of His Word so we can honestly say “here I am Lord… use me… send me… tip me over and pour me out… whenever and on whoever you so desire!” And the fun thing is that if you’re willing to be filled to overflowing you will just naturally splash out God’s love and grace and goodness wherever you go!”
Colored Pencil Video…
So now to creating colored pencil gradient lettering…. enjoy the video… and please leave a comment and let me know if you found it helpful and if would like more like it!
(Oh just so you know… those noises were from my cats knocking stuff around trying to distract me. I didn’t even realize how loud they were until I was done! haha!)
with love and God-hugs…
Karla
I absolutely loved God’s little teapot! And I can’t wait to download the new bookmarks and add them to my bible–thanks for the video on pencil blending!!
Karla, I just discovered the top of your blog page has all kinds of tutorials and information that I just asked you in the previous post….feeling so not so smart that I did not see these links. I can only guess that I get so excited to see your posts that I never saw what was at the top of your page. THANK YOU so much for sharing all of this info. Now on to watching, reading and creating with what you have taught me! Praying you have wonderful day today and God will bless you with an extra measure of love.
Thank you for the lesson using color pencils. The tag is so pretty and the message is the Best!!!
Love your writings and the application drawn from them. The video is easy to follow and learn from. Thank you for sharing your talents.
Karla thank you so much for the video tutorial on shading! I hope their will be more tutorials! I have so enjoyed purchasing your downloads and making them into book marks for “Happy” gifts in cards I make. I am an not an artist and struggle with knowing where to use shading. You so inspire me to learn more. So many questions I have such as what is the best paper to print your downloads on to use with color pencils and what is best color pencils to use. I currently am using Prisma watercolor pencils and using a blending pen. It is very hard to find a variety of shades of watercolor pencils and wondering if you have suggestions where to purchase them? Oh, I love that your little Kitties surround you as you work. My Daisy, a 15 1/2 year old rescue Chihuahua, sits at my feet as I create and reminds me how blessed I am to have her in my life. Thank you for sharing your talent God has given you!
Thanks, Karla. We can always count on you to share your God-given talent with the rest of us. Love and hugs to you!
Karla,
Thanks for the great tutorial and encouragement! Keep up the good work!
Kala,
I really enjoy your artwork. Thanks for your gracious sharing of your expertise!
Thanks so much for this tutorial, Karla!
And I love. love, love the quote at the end of it!
Thank you! Your art inspires me and I am so thankful that you share it with the world! I can’t wait to use this technique. Blessings to you!
Thanks so much!!
Karla: I just wanted you to know that I did get all the items I ordered. The best was the “God Bless our Home” print. It is amazing! thank you thank you. I use your coloring pages more than any other around. Some how I feel closer to God when I color. Thanks again for making sure I got all I ordered. God bless you!!
You are welcome Mary Ellen! Thank YOU… and so glad to hear you loved the house blessing print!
great video thank you!