Creative Hands- St Luke's Lutheran- Lincolnton, NC

In the basement of 

St Luke's Lutheran Family Life Center

 in Lincolnton, North Carolina 

is  a real life Santa's workshop.

 In the space that any group 

of crafters would drool over, 

they have been creating for a year

 to get ready for the Bazaar this coming weekend.

Craft Sale

Saturday, November 5, 2016

8:00am - 2:00 pm

 with lots of BAKED GOODS too!

Skilled craftswomen work

 along side all the willing hands

of volunteers.

Gathered to create for the common good.
Funds are gathered at this sale to benefit:

ELF Fund at East Lincoln Fire Dept. 

(an adult takes a child shopping 

who probably wouldn’t get to otherwise).

Lincolnton Crisis Pregnancy, 

Amy’s House 

(for abused women & children), 

Pumpkin Center Primary & 

Intermediate Schools Angel Fund,

 Lutheran World Relief Gift 

and Family Life Center Building Fund.

In another room is the Prayer Shawl Ministry.

Stitches of prayer for those needed comfort

 and the care of loving hands.

Near Pumpin Center - Lincolnton, North Carolina

 this coming Saturday?

Stop in and check it out!

Or maybe you want to take a drive

 on a beautiful day.

Check out the Craft Show.

To God be the Glory!

Thanks to Martha Mackie for her personal tour

 and her leadership in this church event.

Visual Faith- Giving Permission

Mary Durkin recently shared a bit of the story

 of introducing Visual prayer

 to a Confirmation small group.

Not a complicated process.

  Space and time set aside, 

with colored pencils and a page 

with a graphic design.

They collected a list of things 

to pray over and then

were given time to pray.

I love the intent look of the students, 

the engaged posture of both genders,

and the effective use of a simple tool.

Permission given to students

to pray and use tools

 to mark the journey of the story.

What might it look like for students 

to have a record of their Visual prayer

journey during Confirmation?

photo  by Pat Maier  (her Bible)

So my prayer for this experience

 and this Confirmation class-

Holy Spirit you are welcome here -

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

your Glory God is what our hearts long for-

to be overcome by YOUR PRESENCE LORD.

Thanks to Mary Durkin- 

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church- Springfield, Va.

Contributing writer for Journeys of Faith.

Jean White- Prayer Stitches

Jean White - Southern Region

This past week I was blessed to meet Jean

 at a Professional Church Workers Conference

 at Resurrection Lutheran Church 

in Cary, North Carolina.

We have been friends on social media,

but we finally got to meet in Real Life.

 It didn't take long to see where the Lord 

has planted creative DNA

 into her sewing and quilting.

Tools of her craft

 But, then I was able to listen 

to the story that captured my heart.

This lap quilt is for her hairdresser.

He is a cancer survivor 

and very suddenly found out

 that he had a brain cyst,

 lost his vision and was headed for surgery.

And Jean began to pray and stitch

 and pray and stitch.

A lovely toile 

beautiful colors stitched together 

with a prayer heart- 
for a "neighbor in the world."

Joyfully, she was able to share 

that her hairdresser is recovering well

 and that the cyst was non-cancerous.

As she finishes this gift- her friend and his wife 

will use this and be comforted

 that the "body of Christ" surrounded them 

with the gift of prayer.

Tactile, Kinesthetic,Visual Faith.

The gift of time and prayer to bless others.

Jean White is also a novice Bible Journaling

 and we were delighted to share

 the journey of our stories.

 I joined with Megan Daub to thank God

 for the blessing of this

 Journey of Faith with friends.

Jean is a member of St Paul Lutheran Church
 inWhispering Pines, North Carolina

 where her husband- Rev. Denton White

 serves as pastor.

Visual Faith---a Kingdom Movement

What does it LOOK LIKE as we 

TELL the story of God's Faithfulness

 in our lives?

What are the Faith Milestones? 

the Markers along the journey?

What allows us to be witnesses 

of the unfolding STORY 

of our part in the Grand Metanarrative 

that God is writing in this space of time?

What will the generations to come tell

 of the story of the faithful living 

in this time and place?

Will they know YOUR STORY?

of grace and gift and blessing- 

because of the relationship 

you have with Jesus?

There is a KINGDOM Movement 

that God is directing at this time

 for Visual Faith tools. 

This includes everything from the phone

 in your hand 

to the Bible Verse Coloring books at Wal-Mart.

Easily accessible, cost effective,

and the crossing of a secular tool 

with an eternal application.

There's an APP for that.

Same God- Same Message.

Slightly different packaging for a 

visual kinesthetic culture.

Join in.

There is a spot for you.

What do YOU see happening

 in your family and church 

that engages people 

with a visual connection?

Got ideas? 

Join the team of collaborative teachers-

 learning together,

sharing information,

praising our Lord-

Together.

Eve Waring- Central Region

Eve Waring- Bible Journaler 

Eve shares with us some thoughts about 

Mother-Daughter Bible Journaling.

1.What are the blessings of Bible journaling with a family member?
I appreciate the shared excitement for applying new techniques and supplies into our study of God's Word. 
There is encouragement as we attend Bible journaling gatherings and workshops together. Journaling has provided an opportunity for greater sharing of God's Word and work in our lives.

Watercolor feather-

Under the cover of His wings

2. What are you learning in the journey together?
I am learning that prayer and Bible study are enhanced by engaging in these practices with my daughter. Our mutual support makes us stronger in faith together.

A hand-carved lamb for Journaling margin

3.What words of encouragement to you have for others as followers of Jesus?
I would encourage anyone to take the first step in inviting a family to share in Bible journaling. Blessings to both will be multiplied! I would also share some of the excellent resources explaining what Bible journaling/visual faith is - a way to process and become more closely connected to God.

A favorite page- 

For Everything there is a Season

A favorite process-

Washi tape weaving

Thanks to Eve for sharing some thoughts about Bible Journaing!

Eve is Fairfax County school librarian

 and attends St. John's Lutheran Church

 in Alexandria, Va.

Thanksgiving Scripture Study

With fall officially here:

… Thanksgiving is in view! During October and November

 if you want to focus your time in the Word 

on portions of Scripture dealing 

with thanksgiving, have I got a deal for you!

I have put together a list of Scriptures to use and a format

 that spreads each study over two days 

for maximum reflection and response. 

This is on a letter size page, printed landscape. 

Each day is half a page. This is Day One.

Please feel free to pick and choose, rearrange the order, etc., 

to suit your daily journaling.
Scripture prompt starts are found here:
Scripture Study prompts
 If you would like to use a calendar template

 for your daily image, lettering, or hashtag,

 I would recommend using one that Sue Carroll designs

 and shares on her blog.
monthly-journaling-calendars


Oh, Give thanks unto the Lord!

We give thanks to Eden Keefe,
contributing writer for Journeys of Faith,
for sharing her Thanksgiving prompts
 for Scripture study.
She is a member of
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
 in Aiken, South Carolina a
and an active LWML member.