Precious Treasure

"We're His heart treasure. God's treasure. I mean, we never think that, do we? We don't imagine that we might be the most precious thing He has. Not the mountains, not the Grand Canyon; it's us. You're the precious treasure." 
-Sally Lloyd-Jones

Easter Love

The day Love built a bridge between rebels and goodness.

We think we can strive our way into being just barely good enough, but we don't have a chance of jumping the vast chasm on our own. Grandest Canyon...small jump.

But Love delighted in building a bridge. Rebels cross freely into fellowship with the only Holy Beautiful One.

This is why today is Good. Have you leaned fully onto the only one who can span the gap? He longs to carry you to life.

The task of all tasks

I had the joy (and the task of all tasks) of attempting to capture a glimpse of Heaven on canvas.

Let me explain.

The groom (with tears in his eyes) recounted to me the reoccurring dream his bride has shared with him.  He would give the painting to his new wife as a surprise wedding gift. The image he described was of her sitting next to Jesus under a tree overlooking a vividly colored valley. You see, both bride and groom's lives (and mine, so I get it) have been drastically changed by coming into relationship with Christ, and truly understanding Who He is; the King of all, reckless Lover of our souls, and the Fulfillment of our every desire.

Wow. So the scene is true and real and oh so impossible to actually capture.

As I began, I did some word studies of the description he provided and found out just how Biblical this scene was. Here's a little of what I found, which he asked me to write out along the edges of the canvas.

Tree: 
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon  Psalm 92:12

The trees of the Lord are well watered, 
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. Psalm 104:16

She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; 
those who hold her fast will be blessed. Proverbs 3:18

Valley:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.  Psalm 23: 1-4

Majestic color/Rainbow: 

I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.  
Ezekiel 1:27-28

You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game. Psalm 76:4

I imagine in Jesus' presence there will be trees, certainly the ones who trusted Him to be their righteousness, and He Himself the fullness of wisdom; there will no longer be dark valleys, no more fear and no more evil, and no more longing to be near Him but actual nearness. There will be no sun because Christ Himself will shine, and the rainbow as a picture of God's faithfulness for all of the ages will be made visible in His radiant Presence. 

Are you kidding me? This is incredible. And it's true for those of us who know Him. (Do you know Him? How He loves you and invites you to the table of grace.)

So after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I humbly trembled before my canvas and got to work. 

Thank you, Jeremy, for letting me be part of this sweet gift. 

acrylic on canvas

16" x 20"

Resurrection Letters: VIII

Happiest Easter to you! 

There are so many reasons to love this special day--our last Resurrection Letter describes the tip top of that list for us :)  His defeat of death is proof that my great sin debt has been paid. Be blessed by the truth that God is not dead--and offers true life!

Hope in Him. Be free in Him. Have life in Him. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:17-18

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Resurrection Letters: VII

I hope you have been challenged to meditate on each detail of this story. The best part of it is that the story is true. Christ's life is rooted in history--no scholar will deny that he walked the same earth we walk. He died among us--for us.

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Lean into the story today as we approach Good Friday to remember his death.

Isaiah 53 was written 700 years before Christ's time and gives an extremely detailed account of his death. I'm amazed by this beautiful chapter in its perfect prophecy of Messiah.

Visit soon and we'll walk through the last meditation right in time for Easter. It's my favorite one!

Resurrection Letters: VI

Today's meditation shows the great transfer of identity:

We are all betrayers and then He invites us in to become family.

(mjyphotography)

The most amazing part is that in our desperate state of separation from God, we can accept His priceless blood-gift and be brought into the family to dine at the table with Him.
Now that's some sweet, inclusive, undeserved, generous love.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. 
(from John 10:11, 17-18)

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13
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And as a sidenote, I realized the other day I have been blogging for a year~ Happy Blog-irthday...err, Birth-log-day...or Blogiversary!? :)  I'm so thankful for this creative outlet and for sweet readers (family, friends!) to share in my joy.

Lord, I pray you are honored here and made known to those who don't know you yet. Use sallie kate to show each visitor how much you love them and have radically taken the first step in defeating death so they can have life abundant in Christ.

Resurrection Letters: V

a dark tale today

of the One who was betrayed with a kiss

and yet lovingly served His enemy

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Read John 13 for the whole story. 

If you need to catch up on the previous letters: visit here

Resurrection Letters: IV

Continuing on with Andrew Peterson's meditations in this season of Lent leading up to Christ's resurrection, I have to say today's letter is especially sweet.
Taste for yourself.

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Our long-suffering Servant remembered me while He endured the insults, the scourging, and the searing pain of separation as His Father's gaze saw my sin upon Christ. His perfect life was viewed as a curse for me.

And He remembered you.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”  Galatians 3:13

"...the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1: 7b-9

Resurrection Letters: III

With parts 1 here and 2 here under our belts, in today's letter we see Jesus fully God and fully man interact with nature.

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Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.



When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.


Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18-22

Resurrection Letters: II

After a triumphal entry He made His way to Jerusalem.
He is rooted in history, in geographical places, and hemmed perfectly into our calendar. In the bloodline of the shepherd king David, He is the King of kings. And He chose to humbly ride in on a young donkey.

Resurrection Letters: I

I want to share with you some of my favorite writing. Buckle up.





It's thoughtful, deep, and makes the hair on my arms stand up. It leads us through the events around Jesus' death and resurrection. If you want, take this journey through the Resurrection Letters with me in this season of Lent. Drink in the emotions of what took place--bitter then so sweet.

Give us a greater glimpse of what amazing thing You have done for us.

Mar's Day

In honor of my grandmother {I've mentioned her a few times before} Mar's birthday today, 
I wanted to showcase pictures of some her gorgeous greenhouse babies.

Isn't it amazing that infinite God saw reason to precisely design each tiny speckle, each contour and the intricate root system of these delicate flowers?

Just as His mighty hand crafted each orchid, He sculpted each of us. And saw good reason to.

Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Jesus Storybook Bible

Born in a little town named House of Bread, the Bread of Life** came to us. In the form of a baby boy, God was here!

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones would be a fantastic gift for kids of all ages. Hub and I love it so much--we can't hold on to our copy long because we always end up giving it away.

I've heard of seminary students being required to read it and adult ministries using it to give simple understanding to their leadership.

Jesus changed history. The heart of God's Word is that the King stepped down from His throne and humbly walked among us, only to give Himself for us so we can have life. It's true, every story whispers His name.

**John 6: ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Christmas Tradition

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I want to share our favorite Christmas tradition with you so you can enjoy it too.

Dearest readers, this has been one of the most creatively stimulating, beautifully crafted, impactful, worshipful, and enjoyable experiences for Hub and me. {gush, gush, gush} It's like I'm sharing part of my heart with you :)

And the time is near! The tour is coming!
"Named one of the 10 best albums of the decade, Behold the Lamb of God is a collection of songs about Jesus. Since 2000, Andrew Peterson and his friends have performed Behold the Lamb around the country, telling again and again this "true myth", as C.S. Lewis called it, this tale that's bigger than life, but is—astonishingly—true. The tour has become a yearly tradition not just for Andrew and the other artists on the tour, but for families and churches who attend the concert each season. The live concert, like the album, is a community effort, featuring singer/songwriters Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Ben Shive, Andrew Osenga and more, and over the years has featured artists such as Alison Krauss, Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Buddy Miller, Phil Keaggy, Sixpence None the Richer, David Wilcox, Pierce Pettis, Mindy Smith, Ron Block, Brandon Heath, Bebo Norman, Stuart Duncan, Eric Peters, and Randall Goodgame—all in the name of proclaiming the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ."

We enjoy this concert from the cozy wooden pews of the Ryman in Nashville {thankyouverymuch}, but these artists travel to
NC, VA, OH, AL, KS, NE, TX, and other TN cities. Friends, we're talking as close as Houston! and Corsicana! Here's the official list if you would like more details. I think you need the details :)

And alas, here's the player so you can hear the true tall tales {songs} for yourself. Behold the Lamb of God

Real Love.

Meet JJ Heller and her husband, adorable Nashville couple recently made famous when a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance chose their song for a solo.

Listen closely.
"The song both points to the source of love and offers a reminder that we [believers in Jesus], you and me, are the hands and feet of Christ in the world, that the way Love is made tangible is in the way we care for the hurting." -Stephen Lamb, www.rabbitroom.com



This Love is real and you can experience it; experience Him. God Himself stepped out of heaven in the form of a Man to give himself for us as an act of love and redemption.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

This Love transforms, renews, and wont let you stay in bondage.

It's not just a story.

artichoke heart

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Luke 12:22-26

Andrew Peterson in real life

So. We drove 4 hours to Smalltown, Oklahoma. It was a fun adventure with my sweetie.


And we got to meet our favorite singer/songwriter. And his best friend and fellow singer/songwriter. And their road manager. And they bought us Starbucks {foofoo} drinks and were gracious enough to sit with us and let us take a peek into their world. Nervously :)

You see, we believe in what these guys do. We know the stories they so thoughtfully put together into song are reflections of the True Story. And more than ever, we have been changed by the truth in them. We are fed by their words and encouraged by their expressions of honest faith. So we decided to be patrons. We scored this deal in return for our support.

Our night ended with a front row spot at AP's Counting Stars album release concert. Ben Shive and Andy Gullahorn (another gifted singer/songwriter and yes, part three of the three amigos) played with AP and featured a couple songs from their solo work. I cant describe how much we enjoyed the almost-three hours of music, complete with descriptions, stories, and jokes between them, that just made the songs even richer. Such a blessing.

We'll also be seeing these guys in Nashville around Christmastime at Behold the Lamb of God, the True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ. It's tradition.

Follow Andrew and his community of musicians, artists, bookworms, geniuses and the like on The Rabbit Room. This website has tons of their music in the Store in addition to all the word candy. When you find "authors and artists who are doing Kingdom work by telling the Story" they are worth supporting and following and gushing about, right? I certainly think so :)

Purple Praise

Crisp, cool, stratified purple cabbage.

So uniquely designed by him. Every good and perfect [purple, delicious] gift comes from him.

Deep red-violet, juicy, sweet plums.

He is the vine, I am a tiny branch. As I hang onto him and receive nourishment I can bear fruit. May my fruit bring my Vine glory.