Author: admin

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

The Bible is God-breathed, given to us by the God over all the universe, the only true God. The author alone makes the Bible worth reading. Not only that, God’s Word contains the words of eternal life. From cover to cover, the Bible recounts God’s sovereign hand through human history to bring about redemption and salvation. In it, we see God’s character, His standard, our own inadequacy, and God’s mercy and grace toward us. Every command, every promise, every deliverance points us to what God desires for us.

We must be made new. The patterns of this world draw people deeper into sin, brokenness, and ultimately death. We, too, used to live this way, serving ourselves rather than our Creator. But, in Christ, God has given us new hearts to serve Him. God desires that we be different from the world He saved us from, and God transforms us by renewing our minds in His word.

As we meditate on God’s Word, it seeps into our being and becomes part of us. It turns our eyes to God’s will and shows us who God is. It points out our sin, and leads us to repentance. God’s Word gives us a glimpse of God’s perspective, and changes our own perspective and focus. It points us to an eternal view of life, rather than our present circumstances and reminds us to turn our gaze to Jesus, rather than ourselves. God’s Word becomes the lens by which we see everything around us. As our desires become conformed to God’s desires, we start to walk more and more in obedience.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: 2 Timothy 3:16, John 6:68, Ephesians 2:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Hebrews 12:1-2

Studio Update:

Some snapshots of my projects as of late. Rudbeckias seem to be a common theme for my projects in the last week or two. We have had some with giant yellow blossoms that perhaps inspired some of my obsession. I finally found a sunny afternoon to expose some screens for screen printing. Hopefully, I can get some more pictures on that when I’ve tried out the screens to see how they print.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:4

Baptism is a picture of our salvation. The water reminds us of the judgment we deserve for our sin – we deserve to die in the flood of God’s judgment just like the people in Noah’s day. But, like Noah was rescued out of the flood by God’s provision and grace in the ark, we, too, are rescued from judgment by God’s provision and grace in Jesus Christ. Noah’s only hope was in God’s promise of deliverance from the flood and the directions God had given to build the ark. In the same way, we believe God’s promise of salvation in Jesus Christ – He is our only hope. When a believer comes up out of the water in baptism, we are given a tangible picture of being rescued from death to walk in new life.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but Jesus died our death to bring us back to life. All of our sin was placed on Jesus, our old self died there on that cross, so that by God’s grace we would be set free from sin. Sin no longer has dominion because our old self is gone, dead, crucified with Christ. Not only that, Jesus’ resurrection seals the promise of freedom from sin. Now, Christ, the conquering King, lives in us. We walk in His victory, no longer enslaved to sin!

Even though we have been set free from sin, our daily choices reflect our true master. If we choose to continue in our old habits of sin, we are submitting again to our old master. It’s as if Christ’s death carries no weight to us, and we ignore the price of our freedom. By God’s power and grace, we now have a choice to say ‘no’ to our sin and walk in holiness. Is it a one-time choice to deny self and pursue righteousness? No. This choice must happen daily with our eyes fixed on Jesus, our only hope.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: 1 Peter 3:21, Ephesians 2:1-6, Galatians 2:20-21, Romans 6:1-14, Luke 9:23, Hebrews 12:1-2

Studio Update:

Took a few garden pictures last Monday. The snapdragons are going to town, some of our dahlias overwintered and are blooming now, and David Austin roses are the best! We just got the tomatoes out last weekend, so hopefully they’ll get going with a little rain. The peas are setting on, the beans are headed up the arbor, and the garden is filling up.

And in the art realm… some doodle-y dahlia bouquets and colored pencil foxgloves…

Anyway, that’s all for now! Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

What does it mean to be in Christ? Included in, counted part of, but there’s also an element of being ‘inside’ or surrounded by Christ. I think of the picture in John 10 of Jesus’ sheep. He is the door of the sheepfold, and those who come in through Him find safety in the fold, becoming part of His flock of sheep. Jesus, the Shepherd cares for and protects each one. Each sheep knows His voice, follows Him, and trusts Him.

In Christ, we are cared for and nurtured. Day by day, we are renewed inwardly by God’s Spirit¹. God hears every prayer, and cares for us². God knows what we need before we even ask³, and every good and perfect gift comes from Him⁴. By God’s power, we have been given everything needed for life and godliness⁵. In Christ, we have been given every spiritual blessing⁶. We are seated with Christ and have received an inheritance with Jesus – eternal life⁷.

In Christ, we are protected. Jesus already bore God’s wrath for our sin, and we are safe from God’s wrath and condemnation⁸. As such, we are also protected from Satan’s accusation⁹. We are given strength in Christ to resist sin and the devil’s schemes¹⁰, and fight our daily battles with confidence, knowing that Jesus has won the ultimate victory over sin and Satan¹¹. Nothing can separate us from His love¹² and no one can snatch us out of His hand¹³.

To be in Christ also means the old is gone, and the new has come. No longer do we walk to please ourselves. No longer do we return to our sin. We must consciously choose to put our sin, our old self, to death and pursue godliness. This is not done in our own strength, but in Christ’s strength. The Shepherd goes before us, and we follow him for we know His voice¹⁴. We look to God’s Word to reveal our sin, point us back to Jesus, and lead us in the path of righteousness¹⁵.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: ¹2 Corinthians 4:16, ²1 Peter 5:7, ³Matthew 6:8, ⁴James 1:17, ⁵2 Peter 1:3, ⁶Ephesians 1:3, ⁷Ephesians 2:6, ⁸Romans 8:1, ⁹Romans 8:33, Revelation 12:10-11, ¹⁰Ephesians 6:10-13, ¹¹Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14-15, ¹²Romans 8:38-39, ¹³John 10:27-30, ¹⁴John 10:4-5, ¹⁵1 Peter 2:24-25

Studio Update:

Mom and I took a quick garden tour Saturday morning to capture a few snapshots of what’s going on in the garden. Irises are blooming profusely, peas are up, and a vole’s eye view of strawberry plants. Peonies (not pictured) are starting to bloom. There are so many things coming up, getting established, and setting on blooms, and a handful of pictures just won’t capture how exciting spring is!

And as for art… most of my time has been consumed with trying to capture everything that’s been blooming in watercolor. Somehow, this is taking quite a bit longer than I expected, but I’m making progress. For the last two weeks, I’ve had a fridge full of ‘specimens’ that come out for an hour at a time to keep working on this picture. Too bad paint doesn’t capture the smells…I’ve really enjoyed having the lilacs and irises on my desk.

Anyway, thanks for stopping!

Blair

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

In the beginning, God made people to bear his image. Humans are not creatures of instinct, but have a spirit and a conscience. God set mankind above every other creature in the garden, to care for them and tend them. People were created to have perfect fellowship with God, like Adam and Eve in the garden. We were made to reflect God’s own character, his faithfulness, his holiness, his love (among a good many other attributes).

But, that image has been marred by sin. Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, people are no longer a perfect reflection of God’s character. We cannot uphold every promise, we are no longer holy, we do not love the way God loves. Thorns and thistles began to grow, and work became hard. Death entered the world. Sin separated us from fellowship with God.

But, Jesus came and lived among us. He is more than a perfect reflection of God’s character, Jesus is God. He perfectly fulfilled the purpose for which God created mankind. Because of His obedience, at the cross, Jesus took away the sin that separated us from God. He bore a crown of thorns so that one day no more thorns and sorrows will ever grow again. He died and rose again, defeating death forever.

Now, in Christ, we are being restored to reflect God’s character. We are His workmanship, being made new to do what God originally created us to do. God prepares the works, and gives us what we need to do them to reflect His character and bring Him glory.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: Genesis 1:27-28, Romans 1:20, 2:14-15, Genesis 3, John 1:14, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 3:10

Studio Update

Well, I think you might say it’s been a productive month for me. Lots of spring flowers and colors in my “studio” this month. I am so, so happy I got to bring in fresh daffodils from the garden and draw them. There’s basically one or two daffodils from each week in March that have made their way up to my desk and eventually into my picture. Colored pencils and fresh “specimens” are definitely my favorite way to draw…even if I don’t always make time for it. The plan for this year is to make more time for this type of drawing (even though, I probably won’t stop the other doodles, too).

Anyway, here’s the photo dump from the month… and oh! The garden…is about ready to be planted. We have oodles of voles this year, so we’re trying our best to get as many tulips as we can (seems like every day, I go down and find a new tulip with the bottom missing, “picked” by the voles). I’m hoping that this doesn’t carry over into our veggies and flowers for the rest of the season, but I have a feeling we’re going to struggle with them all season long.

Anyway, thanks for stopping! Hope you enjoyed it and were encouraged.

Thanks,

Blair

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

David wrote this Psalm, and I can’t help but think of the humility and repentance David shows here in contrast to his predecessor, Saul. Both King David and King Saul disobeyed God. David committed adultery and murder and Saul failed to execute God’s judgement on the Amalekites and instead took the spoil that God had commanded him to destroy. But their responses are so different.

When Samuel first addresses Saul’s sin, Saul claims to have kept God’s command and blames the people for taking the spoil. Only after Samuel reveals that God has rejected Saul does Saul realize that his sin was actually sin. And what’s more, when he asks for forgiveness, he asks so that he can still appear righteous before the people, but doesn’t seem to recognize the gravity of his sin. “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the LORD your God.” (1 Samuel 15:30)

When Nathan addresses David’s sin, Psalm 51 is David’s response. He recognized that his sin was not just against Bathsheba and Uriah, but against God himself, and that God was the one most offended by his sin. He asked for God’s mercy, for God to take away his sin and give him a new heart. He repented of his sin and did not want to continue in it. God gave David a new heart, and allowed David to continue his role as king.

A contrite, humble, repentant heart is the heart that God listens to, a heart that recognizes the severity of sin, and the mercy and grace of our God. We must recognize that our hearts are lead astray into sin and that we need God to make us new. We must turn from our sin and look to Jesus to be made new.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: 1 Samuel 15, 2 Samuel 11, Psalm 51, Isaiah 57:15, John 3:14, Colossians 3:1-4

Studio Update:

Spring is coming so fast…I’m going to blink and miss it! So much stuff is green in the garden and the daffodils are starting to bloom (though only our earliest ones, the bulk of them will probably start up in a week or two). Mom and I both got a nice surprise walking to the garden yesterday…all our super-short, super-early, mini dutch irises just popped overnight and there was a whole row of purple!

I got out my colored pencils for some fun projects (which naturally take a little longer than watercolor, but I enjoy them very much)…and then I had a craving to make something purple one afternoon, so plopped a little sketch in my sketchbook.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:27

When this was written, Ezekiel was living in Babylon. In this passage, God made it clear that Israel’s stubborn disobedience, as they followed other gods, was not acceptable. A holy God cannot tolerate sin. Sin’s just compensation is death. But, God’s mercy would bring Israel back. God promised to restore them in repentance. He promised to make them new, and to change their hearts of stone into tender hearts of flesh. He promised to cleanse them from their idols, and to bring them back to the land he promised them.

We, too, have hearts of stone. Our hearts are stubborn, unteachable, not tender toward God’s desires and commands. Disobedience may be an obvious outward opposition to God’s law, like lying or stealing. But often, disobedience goes deeper than that. Often, we obey the letter of the law but miss the intent behind the law. “Do not murder.” That sounds easy on the surface, until Jesus says in Matthew 5 that whoever is angry with his brother has committed murder in his heart. Even when we constrain our actions, our hearts still run rampant in wickedness. The intent behind the law, that we should love one another, is violated when we harbor anger in our hearts. This applies to so much more than just anger, and we tend to scrape by, following the letter of the law, instead of loving God with everything in us and desiring to follow God’s ways.

We need hearts of flesh that desire to follow God’s ways both in spirit and in deed. But how can dead, hard, hearts be made tender and soft? No amount of water softens a rock. We need totally new hearts, and God must work the transformation. At that point, a person goes from dead to alive.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: Ezekiel 36:22-27, Romans 6:23, Exodus 20:13, Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 22:34-40

Studio Update:

Just a few projects. I’m getting close to wrapping up the floral Christmas painting (then will be on to scanning and layout for fabric, I hope). Then, I took an afternoon and played a bit with carving a dahlia stamp. You can see the pencil on the left and the stamped design on the right. And, the last picture is something new I tried…stars. I learned a lot, and next time I have a few ideas to make the stars (and letters) stand out a bit more.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34

This was a promise to God’s chosen people, Israel. He promised to bring them back from their exile and restore them. But this promise extends beyond just Israel, because it was a continuation of God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham’s offspring. These promises were a foreshadow of what has come to all nations through Jesus.

We, too, like Israel were disobedient and looking for God-substitutes in our lives. Israel chose to worship and serve the false gods of the surrounding nations rather than the one true God. Like Israel, we have turned to our own broken cisterns rather than the fountain of living waters. We look for our satisfaction in relationships, wealth, talent, and so many other things, everything…anything, except the one who is worthy. We deliberately turn away from God and His ways to find some other source to fill our empty lives.

God did not leave His people in this state. He promised a new covenant, a covenant totally unlike the covenant that He made with them when He lead them out of Egypt. That covenant came with smoke on Mount Sinai, with trembling, fear, and condemnation. But, the new covenant promised new hearts, hearts that know God and follow His ways. The new covenant promised forgiveness. Even while we were dead in our sin, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might be forgiven and made new. Because of Jesus, all nations of the earth have been blessed as God promised. One day the dwelling place of God will be with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God. One day all things will be made new, and those who put their only hope of salvation in Jesus will be filled with the fountain of living waters.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

References: Genesis 12:2-3, Jeremiah 2:13, Hebrews 12:18-24, Revelation 21:3-8, Galatians 3:7-14

Studio Update

Merry late Christmas, and happy new year! December went by like a whirlwind, and how is it already 2024? It’s hard to believe 2023 is done. But, here’s what I started up in December…you’ll have to hold me accountable on the Christmas fabric there, though. The chances of it sitting untouched until next Christmas are very high now that January is here. Mountains, olive branches, amaryllis…just plugging away at all the projects.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

John 1:16

“From his fullness” – in Jesus the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the very Word that spoke creation into being, the Word that sustains and upholds the entire universe. Jesus is God.

How is it that the one who made the universe, and holds all things together, how is it that He could dwell among us, die for us, and make a way for us enemies to become His friends?

That was the only way. On our own, we could never see God face-to-face. If we did, we would meet judgment and condemnation with the sentence of death. Without God’s work in our lives, everything in us wants to love and serve ourselves instead of our creator. The only way we could be made right with God, to love him with all our hearts, was if He intervened. And He did! For His own purpose and glory, He intervened! Jesus came, but not with God’s judgment, He came with redemption so we could stand in His righteousness on judgment day.

Now, the fullness of God dwells with us. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He promises to never leave us or forsake us, even to the end of the age.

This is grace upon grace!

Studio Update:

Happy late Thanksgiving! I thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving “break” this year. Lots of baking and planning for next year’s art.

Here’s a time lapse that I just got around to editing. This little floral swag is for my new mini cards (which I am excited to use)!

Then, we’ve got sparrows, doodles, and a wreath that wants to be Christmas-y, but really still insists that it is autumnal.

Thanks for stopping by, and if I don’t see you before then, have a merry Christmas!

Blair

The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34:22

What does it mean to take refuge? Refuge has the idea of comfort and safety in the midst of trouble or danger. So many pictures of refuge come to mind. The picture of a child hiding behind his or her parent’s legs when chased or scared, and being gathered up in their arms in safety. The picture of a battle, running from the enemy into a fortress and bolting the gate behind you. The picture of a sheep led into a sheep pen, safely tucked away from prowling wolves. The picture of Moses hiding in the cleft of the rock when the Lord passed by, sheltered by God’s own hand. We take refuge by banking our only hope of safety in God himself. We run to him and find shelter.

Shelter from what? In my guilt, Jesus bore my condemnation (Romans 8:33-34). In my fear, Jesus stands in control of my world (Isaiah 40). In my doubt, Jesus remains faithful because he cannot be untrue to himself (2 Timothy 2:13). In trials and temptations, Jesus has gone before me (Hebrews 4:15). In any and every circumstance, Jesus satisfies (Philippians 4:12-13). In my weakness, Jesus is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). We have a strong shelter from all that assails us in this life. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

This is grace.

In the Studio

Well, a few of you know what I’ve been working on over the last year…and now it’s time to share it with everyone! My 2024 calendar is available for download! Click here to get yours.

As for the rest of my projects, making progress. The cover for the calendar is done (obviously), and some happy little creatures who are going to live in the autumnal forest…So many fun things!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blair

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

When we come to the Lord in repentance and faith, the condemnation and wrath that we deserved is gone. It seems impossible, since we still see sin in our lives. Throughout Romans 7, Paul gives a lengthy description of our constant struggle with sin (even as redeemed people of God), that even as we desire to obey God, sin is close at hand. It seems sin is around every corner. Near the end of the chapter, Paul exclaims, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The answer is, of course, Jesus.

Romans 8 begins with, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is one of the most beautiful promises in the entire Bible! It comes as a flood of hope in light of our constant struggle with sin. Even though we have been declared holy and blameless before God, we struggle to live like it in our daily lives. We are not perfect the instant we come to Christ, but our condemnation is gone! We are not condemned for our sin because Jesus already bore our condemnation. Jesus was a once-for-all, all-sufficient, perfect sacrifice that satisfied all of God’s wrath against our sin. There is now no condemnation left for us to bear! Jesus paid it all!

This is grace.

Studio Update:

Yes, I started a white peony in the middle of September, but it’s going to be the cover for the 2024 calendar (stay tuned for the download to launch in November)! I also worked on some pen and ink drawings to hopefully screen print soon. With screen printing, it seems I’m always pushing the boundary of too much detail…but when it prints successfully, it’s so worth it. Then, I started painting my veggies; I still have quite a lot of work left on those.

Anyway, that’s a wrap for the October post…crazy the year is going by so fast!

Thanks for stopping by,

Blair