Love with All Your Heart!

Good Friday all my crafty friends! Well, as with all things with me lately, when it rains it pours! I'm NOT claiming that mind you, because I'm claiming VICTORY over all this ruckus that we have had lately, but fact is, there has been a lot going on. We are finally about to get things finalized with my mom, yay mom!!! :))) As many of you know we have placed her in a wonderful nursing facility that we all love and she is doing well, however with that, comes the clean out of her current apartment, boxing up and trying to sell things she no longer needs!! Phew, what a BIG ordeal! My mother literally had NOTHING, but for someone who had nothing, it has turned out to be a lot!! What would that say for the average person trying to make a move!! Aaaaaahhhh, that's what!!! Anywho, we have to have her out of her apartment by this Saturday, so it has been a frantic frenzy this week. Then on top of that my daughter has had this evil virus that has been going around our area! So, the plan to get ahead with posting, has failed!! Oh well, there is always another week!!! LOL, LOL

Today I want to share last week's art journal page for my Take Deeper Art Journal February Week 2 challenge.  This month's theme is Love and Week 2 was "Love God" from Matthew 22:37 that says "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  When we do our study of the scripture part of the study worksheet is identifying a "key" word and then really doing a deeper study on that word to help better understand the intention or heart of God concerning the word and scripture. The word I picked out of that scripture was in fact "love." But love has many facets and meanings and the study I chose was "agape" love or "agapao," with is the verb tense of the word.

Agape love expresses the deep and "constant" love and interest of a perfect Being (God) towards entirely unworthy objects producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver (God). In other words, agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, which is the highest form of love! Agape love is the kind of love that describes the kind of love that Jesus Christ had for God the Father and US when He went to the cross! There is NO GREATER LOVE!! God loves us with with that same whole heart and we should do NOTHING less towards Him! In order to love God that way, however, we have to KNOW Him. In order to know HIm, we have to spend time with Him, remain in His presence, like Moses at the burning bush, that we would be changed!! Let me tell you, spending time in God's presence, WILL CHANGE YOU!!!! As that change takes place, from the inside out my friends, you can then share that same love with others!!!!

When I read that scripture I absolutely thought about the word "LOVE" and immediately God said "I Am!" So I did my page on that thought knowing that as we remain in His presence those things that "He is" will reflect off to us and we can then look more like Him daily!!!

I began the page with some gesso and then got out my Faber Castell Gelatos, and just went to layering away!! I used Metallic Blueberry, Blueberry, Boysenberry, and then finished the edges with Metallic Grape. I then simply did some background stamping just to give it a little texture.

I found this really cool burning bush online and knew I wanted to use it. So I fussy cut it out and applied it with Mod Podge. I then I used my Mango, Spearmint, Green Tea, Coconut, Chocolate and Red Cherry Gelatos on my craft sheet and spritzed with water and then began to paint on the picture to blend it into the page so it didn't look like I just stuck it on there. I then used Aleene's and drew the bursts of sunlight out of the bush and sprinkled Finnabairs wonderful glitter over top to give it that dazzle. Then I took my white gel pen and drew little dots around as if it was His presence continuing to trickle out through the air. as it trickled out, it brought forth the words I felt we would embody, which is really God's heart, if we continued to stay in His presence.

I finished by stamping "I Am" with Tim Holtz's Worn Text Alphabet Stamps and then "Love" with some cheapo single letter stamps I got at a thrift store. I also highlighted "I Am" with Finnabairs glitter as well. I then edged with Archival black ink to top it off. Voila!

How much time do you stand in the Fathers presence?  I can tell you that He would enjoy your company, that He could share His WHOLE heart with you. He wants to have a relationship with you; close, personal and unconditional! Won't you take time for Him today? I guarantee you that you WILL BE BLESSED!!

Blessings