Take Three Thursday | New York

Joining in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday, a meme designed to help us notice more of the ordinary of our lives. 

Today I'm sharing three of Robbie's photos as he had a quick trip to New York this week.

Tuesday evening

Wednesday morning

Wednesday late afternoon

What are you noticing this week?

Upcoming Class | Lessons From Job (Allen, Texas)

I'm currently working through the Job Bible Study by Lisa Harper with the ladies' group at our local church, and there are so many lessons that we can apply to our everyday lives! I'll be sharing some of these lessons, along with my personal stories and additional scriptures in my March Bible journaling class.

Lessons from Job

Bible Journaling Class with Melissa Gross

Friday or Saturday (March 1 or 2, 2019)

10am-1pm

$30

Join me in March as we look at the lessons we can learn from Job and how to apply them in our everyday lives.

This brand new 3-hour class will include a variety of illustrated Bible journaling techniques. You will also receive a kit of fun Bible journaling supplies to use creatively in your Bible or journal.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FRIDAY CLASS!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE SATURDAY CLASS!

Please note: If you receive a notification that the class is sold out & would like to be added to the waiting list, please email me. If you are registered and unable to attend, please let me know before February 25 for a full refund or transfer of fees to a future class. Cancellations after February 24 are nonrefundable; however, I will be happy to mail you the class kit.

Additional details for classes at my home:

*Be sure to bring your Bible (or a journal) to work in, along with your favorite journaling pen.

*I will have supplies available for you to use in your journaling, but you are welcome to bring along some of your favorite supplies as well. (Please note that space will be limited as we all gather around one large table.)

*There will be some yummy snacks and bottled water for us to enjoy throughout the day. If a hot coffee or ice cold soda enhances your Bible journaling time, please feel free to bring that along with you.

*Space is limited for each class (it's the same on both days), so don't wait too long to register! Your spot is reserved once payment is received. Within 48 hours of payment, you will receive a confirmation email with my address and directions.

TakeThree Thursday | Lunar Eclipse

We hadn't really planned to watch the total lunar eclipse this past Sunday night; however, we had a perfect view from our back patio. It was cold, so I just stepped outside from time to time to take a peek.

At about 10:40, the earth's shadow was beginning to creep over the moon, so I grabbed the camera and took a photo … which turned out less than stellar.

I decided not to worry about taking photos, but, when I stepped back outside an hour later and the eclipse was almost total, I really wanted a photo of the red moon. I grabbed the camera again … and realized I'm terrible at holding it still. (No, this is not one of those nice time lapse photos showing up everywhere, this is one snap of a very unstable camera!)

Finally, Robbie grabbed the tri-pod, and I was able to get a much better shot!

Did you watch and/or photograph the lunar eclipse?


Joining in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday, a meme designed to help us notice more of the ordinary of our lives.

Scrapbooking | Paper Loft Class Kit Layouts

Last summer I met my friend Amy at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, and we enjoyed a scrapbooking layout class that included a kit to create five two-page layouts using the Paper Loft Euphoria Collection. I only completed one layout during the class, and the kit has sat untouched until earlier this month!

I spent two days at the Whitworth Ranch Retreat in Scurry, Texas, and put together the remaining four double-page layouts. Then last week, I pulled those layouts out and started flipping through my photo storage binders to find photos that worked well with the colors and designs. I ended up with seven layouts (two double-page and five single-page), plus a single page that I haven't chosen photos for yet.

First, a birthday layout from Robbie's birthday in 2011. (Yes, I still have photos to scrap from that many years ago!) The only additional embellishments I added were the title and number stickers.

The playground photos from an INSPIRATION day in 2013 worked perfect for another page. I added three camera wood veneer embellishments and a tiny bit of written journaling, but otherwise I simply had to crop and adhere my photos.

Another beautiful day in the spring of 2013, Robbie and I had some photos snapped of us in a field of bluebonnets. (If you look at the layout above and this one, you can see that the pages were designed as a two-page spread, but I think they work great separately as well!) The green leaf embellishments were left over from the Classic Sunflower Card Class I took back in October.

I only had a couple of photos from our 12th anniversary lunch, and they worked nicely on another page. I added a few punched hearts, a line of journaling, and some extra word embellishments from the original kit for this easy layout.

The FUN photos from our trip to a Corn Maze in Ohio with Robbie's brother and his family filled out a two-page layout. Our nephews and I had a great time racing on the pedal cars and the title block that was on this layout was perfect!

Another FUN time that year was a visit from Robbie's brother and the gifts he brought for Robbie's 50th birthday. I especially like how the colors in the photos work so well with these papers. I actually did a little stamping for this page to create the layered circle embellishments and the Happy Birthday at the bottom!

On another page I added photos from one of the programs at our library in 2014. One of the surviving Tuskagee Airman spoke about his time serving during World War II. I included a couple of extra photos on this layout and then had Robbie add the written journaling.

I rarely use scrapbook kits since I like to begin a layout with my photos; however, I'm thrilled with how these layouts turned out. Having an abundance of photos to choose from made it fairly easy to find photos to go on each page. I'm inspired to pull out the few other kits in my stash and put them together soon!

Do you use kits in your scrapbooking?

Mixed Media Art Journal Pages

As I was walking through some of the tough times last year, I spent time (sporadically) creating mixed media art journal pages as a form of therapy. 

As I wrote on the page below, I know that journaling helps me process emotions; however, I don't really want to have a lot of journals full of negative thoughts and/or criticisms. With art journaling, I can write my thoughts or prayers or feelings, then simply cover them up with paint or bits & pieces from my (very abundant) scrapbooking stash!

Not all of my pages include written journaling. Some of them were just for FUN, like the one below that was inspired by one of the Lifebook Creativity and Well-Being Summit sessions. The background is covered with old music papers. I drew the girl, then filled in the page with a variety of paints and pens, along with a short quote.

The simple page below began with the bunny drawing (which isn't quite as cute at the example from the Lifebook Summit), which was then watercolored. 

Creating these pages was not only FUN, it was therapeutic as I spent time being creative and playing with a variety of supplies. Despite feeling insecure about my drawing abilities, I found it very relaxing to try sketching and painting … and, honestly, I'm pleased with how these turned out.

What types of creativity do you find therapeutic?

Take Three Thursday | Food Photos

Joining in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday, a meme designed to help us notice more of the ordinary of our lives.

This week as I uploaded photos from my cell phone, I noticed I haven't taken many photos these first few weeks of 2019. However, I obviously can't resist snapping great food photos!

We started the year with Robbie's "Banff French Toast" and a side of sausage (for him) or bacon (for me).

As I was headed into the library last week, I took a quick peek at the cafe's cookies. They were showing their Cowboys spirit! 

This past weekend, Robbie tried a new breakfast recipe - hash brown egg pizza. It was yummy!

What foods have you noticed and/or enjoyed lately?

Book Review | The Call

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling God's Purpose For Your Life by Os Guiness is divided into 30 chapters designed as daily meditations to help us discern God's purpose for our life.

The author distinguishes between our primary calling as followers of Christ (we are all called to full-time Christian service by Him, to Him and for Him) and our secondary calling (based on our individual giftings and situations). He states that "God normally calls us along the line of our giftedness, but the purpose of giftedness is stewardship and service, not selfishness" and reminds us that "the heart of the life of faith in answer to the call of God is a call to a relationship, and a relationship of love."

This book, which I received free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review, is well-written with lots of practical and historical examples as well as scripture references. The author is obviously well-read and intellectual; so, at times it is slow and difficult to read due to the numerous quotes and theological wording (as you can see in the quote below).

Throughout much of Christian history, the impulse toward reformation has been carried by the voluntary principle and the voluntary movement - whether earlier Catholic movements such as the Benedictine and Franciscan orders or more recent Protestant movements such as missionary societies and some parachurch organizations. These special kinds of reforming voluntary associations were the ecclesiola in ecclesia ("the little church in the large church").

However, I enjoyed the reminder and in-depth look at the invitation of Jesus that is both a call and a charge: "Follow Me."

Take Three Thursday | A Year of SIGNIFICANCE Class Photos

Joining in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday, a meme designed to help us notice more of the ordinary of our lives.

This week I'm sharing three photos from my first illustrated Bible journaling classes of the year. In order to begin the year focused on my word, SIGNIFICANCE, I planned these classes around that theme and created a kit of FUN supplies for each participant.

One synonym of SIGNIFICANCE is importance, so we focused our study time on the commandments that Jesus said were the most important - love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

The class techniques included scraping acrylic paint using a paint card (or old hotel key or gift card) to create a background, and everyone had a great time trying different color combinations.

As I strive to notice more of the ordinary in my life this year, I'm remembering what a vital part teaching and sharing God's Word is for me as I work toward living a life of SIGNFICIANCE. The joy of meeting with like-minded women and the FUN of using our creativity as we dive into the Word definitely make a difference in my everyday life.

What are you noticing this week?

Upcoming Class | Pray Without Ceasing (Allen, Texas)

One of my focuses this year as I strive to make a difference in my life and in the world around me is to spend more time in prayer! I am not one of those people that everyone calls a prayer warrior or one who travails in prayer. I like to think of myself as an efficient prayer who also talks to the Lord throughout the day. However, I don't take prayer lightly as it is such an important part of our walk with the Lord and our growth as followers of Christ.

Prayer is a powerful way to grow in our relationship with the Lord, and I'm excited to announce next month's Bible journaling class will be all about prayer!

Pray Without Ceasing
Bible Journaling Class with Melissa Gross
Friday or Saturday (February 1 or 2, 2019)
10am-1pm

$30 

Join me in February as we look at what the Bible says about prayer. We'll discuss how prayer can make a difference in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and throughout the world!

This brand new 3-hour class will include a variety of illustrated Bible journaling techniques. You will also receive a kit of fun Bible journaling supplies to use creatively in your Bible or journal.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FRIDAY CLASS

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE SATURDAY CLASS

Please note: If you receive a notification that the class is sold out & would like to be added to the waiting list, please email me. If you are registered and unable to attend, please let me know before January 28 for a full refund or transfer of fees to a future class. Cancellations after January 27 are nonrefundable; however, I will be happy to mail you the class kit.

Additional details for classes at my home:
*Be sure to bring your Bible (or a journal) to work in, along with your favorite journaling pen.
*I will have supplies available for you to use in your journaling, but you are welcome to bring along some of your favorite supplies as well. (Please note that space will be limited as we all gather around one large table.)
*There will be some yummy snacks and bottled water for us to enjoy throughout the day. If a hot coffee or ice cold soda enhances your Bible journaling time, please feel free to bring that along with you.
*Space is limited for each class (it's the same on both days), so don't wait too long to register! Your spot is reserved once payment is received. Within 48 hours of payment, you will receive a confirmation email with my address and directions

Sunday Musings | Are You A Mary or A Martha?

We first meet Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10, a story many are familiar with as we see Martha working hard to serve Jesus and the disciples while her sister Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. Martha becomes frustrated and actually complains to Him; however, He gently reminds her that Mary has chosen what is best and that it will not be taken from her.

As I was reviewing and re-studying these scriptures for an illustrated Bible journaling class last year, I re-read a couple of books that shed more light on Mary and Martha and the world they lived in.

 

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver is a wonderfully written book with lots of personal anecdotes and other stories to illustrate the lessons we can learn from Mary and Martha as we seek "a joyful life of intimacy with Him that flows naturally into loving service." The author discusses all three instances where Mary and Martha are mentioned in the Bible (Luke 10, John 11 & John 12) and includes a study guide at the end that really helps us apply the lessons.

Martha: A Novel by Diana Wallis Taylor is a fictionalized account of Martha's life that intertwines various stories from the gospels. This well-researched novel gives a glimpse into the lifestyles and current events happening during the time of Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. It's a great thought-provoking read.

If you're not familiar with the stories of Mary and Martha, I highly recommend finding them in scripture, then checking out one or both of these books to dive deeper into the lessons we learn from their lives.

If you are familiar with the story, how do see yourself - are you a Mary or a Martha?

Handmade Canvas Mini-Journal

I've had a strip of canvas in my paper scraps bin for quite a while; so, I was happy to watch a canvas-covered mini-album tutorial during The Life Book Creativity and Well-Being Summit a few months ago.

I folded the canvas in half to create the journal cover and chose other papers in various sizes from my scrap bin to create the album pages. 

To pull everything together, I added pink, yellow and brown watercolor to the individual papers.

I outlined each page with the brown while simply creating different patterns with the pink and yellow on each one.

I didn't follow the tutorial exactly, which created beautiful watercolor backgrounds instead of the playful squiggles and circles I added.

I pulled some embellishments from my scrapbooking and Bible journaling stash to add to some of the pages.

This was a FUN way to use up some scraps and simply enjoy playing with watercolors.

I don't have a specific plan for this album yet - I think it would be great for recording favorite scriptures or prayers. It would also be easy to take on a trip to use to practice lettering or record adventures.

For now, it makes me happy just seeing these happy colors mixed in with my stash of journals ready to use! Do you have a stash of journals? Are any of them handmade?

Take Three Thursday | FUN iPhone Photos

Joining in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday, a meme designed to help us notice more of the ordinary of our lives.

This week I'm noticing the FUN random photos on my iPhone as I work on uploading and organizing my digital photos.

When I scheduled my first illustrated Bible journaling class after a three-month hiatus, Robbie gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to display on the snack table. (Yes, he still showers me with flowers, even after seventeen years of marriage!)

Being married to a collector means there might be banana stickers hanging on the edge of the cabinet. This batch is waiting to be added to an album with other FUN stickers! (Of course, I make sure to check for new stickers when I'm doing the grocery shopping.)

Occasionally Robbie finds a new treasure for his collectible toy collection that needs a little TLC; so, I've been known to hand wash and hang to dry all sorts of outfits. (Unfortunately, this suit had faded unevenly … but at least we know it's clean now!)

What are you noticing this week?

Upcoming Class | Intro to Bible Journaling (Allen, Texas)

I'm so excited for a new year and 365 new opportunities to dive into the Word!

As someone who loves to plan and organize, I truly enjoy the build up to a new year and all the potential it brings. Over the past few weeks, I've been preparing my new calendar/planner, praying for direction for 2019, and making plans for a year of SIGNIFICANCE!

I believe one of the best ways we can have a successful and significant year is to stay rooted and grounded in the Word of God. As we head into the new year, I have several things planned to help me dive into the Word and apply its teachings to my life.

*Attending Sunday morning service at our local church, where we worship and hear the Word shared each week.

*Participating in our local church women's Bible study. For our first study of the year, we'll be working through Job: An Unlikely Story of Joy by Lisa Harper. (This is the study Lifeway will be offering through its online Bible study website, so the videos can be accessed free for a limited time. If you're interested, check out the details HERE.)

*Following along with The Sheerah Network online Bible reading plan and discussion. We'll be reading and digesting 13 books of the Bible in 2019. We're starting with Ephesians this month.

*Illustrating and journaling what I'm learning in my journaling Bible and interleaved Bible. These pages serve as visual and colorful reminders of the lessons I'm learning and how God is speaking to me through His Word.

And, of course, I'll be studying and writing devotionals in order to teach and share His Word in upcoming workshops and all-day events throughout the year! There is such great joy in spending time with other women who want to dive into the Word and draw closer to our Savior while using our creativity to honor Him. 

If you're new to Bible journaling, or have been thinking of trying it but are not sure where to start, or if you need a refresher on the basic techniques and supplies, I've scheduled an Intro to Bible Journaling Workshop for later this month!

Intro to Bible Journaling Workshop

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Home of Melissa Gross, Allen TX

10am-1pm

$30

In this workshop, we'll discuss the beginnings of Illustrated Faith Bible Journaling, why and how to use a Journaling Bible (or a Worship Journal if you prefer), supply tips and tricks, various journaling styles and techniques, and where to find inspiration for illustrated journaling. I will share a devotional and we'll take time to illustrate our faith in the margins of our Bibles.

This class is perfect for anyone new or just getting started with Bible Journaling, as well as those who have taken a technique workshop or one of my monthly classes but missed the Intro class.

We'll be working in a Journaling Bible, but feel free to bring any Bible and/or a journal to work in. Along with the devotional and techniques I'll be sharing, you will receive a Journaling Pen and a kit of fun supplies to use in your Bible. All additional items needed to create will be provided, along with some yummy snacks and bottled water for us to enjoy. (If a hot coffee or ice cold soda enhances your Bible journaling time, please feel free to bring that with you.)

Click here to sign up and reserve your spot today!

Please note: If you are registered and unable to attend, please let me know before January 21 for a full refund or transfer of fees to a future class. Cancellations after January 20 are nonrefundable; however, I will be happy to mail you the class kit.

As we head into 2019, what are your plans for staying rooted and grounded in the Word?

Hello 2019 | A Year of SIGNIFICANCE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My word for 2019 is

SIGNIFICANCE!

The word SIGNIFICANCE has been cropping up for me for a couple of months now, and I feel excited and energized to focus on this word as I dive into the Word in 2019 and see what type of SIGNIFICANCE I can make as I follow the Lord's leading and calling.

SIGNIFICANCE means "the quality of being worthy of attention" or "importance." I want to make a difference in my life and in my world – SIGNIFICANT differences in the things that matter and are important. I want to make sure I focus on the important things first each day. Which leads to lots of questions that I'll be pondering here at the beginning of the year:

*How can we live a life of SIGNIFICANCE? 

*What does that even mean? 

*What do we give our attention to?
*Are these the most SIGNIFICANT things?

*What is worthy of our time? 

*How can we structure our days to make SIGNIFICANT differences in all areas of our lives?

Scripture teaches us so much about how to live a life of SIGNIFICANCE. The Lord has not left us to wonder what is important or where to focus our attention; He gives us clear directions and powerful examples throughout His Word. This coming weekend, I'll be teaching my first illustrated Bible journaling classes of 2019. We'll be looking at the greatest commandments and discussing how we can follow these laws in our everyday lives as we make choices that have a positive impact on our lives and in the world around us! 

Throughout 2019, I'll be sharing my journey with this word in blog posts, newsletters, and Facebook live videos.

Have you chosen a word for 2019? How will you be documenting and sharing about your word throughout the year?