Artful Advent 2014

I didn't plan any Christmas or Winter Break classes this year because two little boys are busy, busy, busy! So when they crashed for their naps I worked in my art journal and made something every day in December leading up to Christmas. I illustrated some of my favorite verses and just whatever verse spoke to me that day, not necessarily the traditional Christmas story verses. Here's a few:

Because to me nothing says good news like Converse.

"Come to me all who are weak and weary and I will give you rest." If you've had a child that likes to wake up all hours of the night every single night, you know all about this because I've been reminding God of this verse and evidently he's taking my patience to a whole new depth. Neither of my boys are sleepers. Yet. Sure am thankful that my grandma watched the boys today so I could get some rest! Two hour nap, Hallelujah💃 brand new woman!!!

Sleep deprivation will make you forget many things. One being that there is a G in strength. 

 First off, this next one is completely from Christy Tomlinson's winter whimsy class. Second, as I was working on it, I kept thinking about the angel trees that go up before Christmas, where you purchase gifts for foster kids, so that got me thinking about the verse: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." Which lead me to think about two of my friends: Natalie, a lawyer for Cherokee nation who is a voice for our tribe's children in their times of distress and Kristie, who in just a few years has gone from a party of two to a party of six through adoption and foster. So to close out this rabbit trail my mind went on, I'm thankful for women like these ladies that truly live out this verse and challenge others to do the same. 

Just between "whatever is...think on these" and "I can do all things through Christ" in Phillipians, is one of my favorite over looked verses. "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Paul was in prison when he wrote that and had previously been shipwrecked, chased out of towns, beaten, sleep deprived, hungry and was living with the knowledge that he was to be beheaded. And we want to complain about slow internet. Come on people! (myself included) 

Our family's verse for 2015.

My two and a half year old is gaining some patience because every morning he wakes up and asks if it's Christmas yet and can he open his presents. Patience young grasshopper.

I'm not one who's ever been vocal about my faith because for one I feel your character is a better indicator of your path than your words and showy faith that calls attention to itself is hypocrisy. I was hesitant of starting this artful advent posts because I don't want to come off as "look at this pretty thing I made". I want these to build up those of the faith and plant seeds of love in those who aren't.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for people." Pretty much impossible to be an offspring of Gary Don Cullum and not have the value of hard work in your bones! 

For this entry I rereadthe Christmas story about how Joseph and his fiancée  Mary(great with child) had to travel to Bethlehem for a Roman census (hence all the numbers tonight) and when they got there she gave birth in a stable and placed the baby, named Jesus, in a manger, because there was no room in the Inn. After giving birth to two boys now thankfully in a hospital, I can not even imagine laboring in a barn and letting my newborn sleep in a feed trough. Humble beginnings to say the least. Then I thought not about them but about those people in the inn who HAD to have known something was going on in that stable because childbirth isn't quiet, epidural or no epidural. How sad that nobody volunteered their room or at least checked on her. But I'm the same way at times, close the literal and figurative curtains, lemme get some rest and just mind my own business. I'm sure there was a mom like me in that hotel who was sleep deprived, cranky at times and thought all that racket coming from the stable was just plain irritating. Funny how we can find ourselves in these old stories even when it's our not so good qualities!

 

Matthew 5:16 Can't claim the background because it is pretty much straight from @valeriewieners art. Love her! 

My last one for artful advent was the angel in the Christmas story (Gabriel, but hey I can pretend it was Gabriella instead). And I love Mary's response to the angel after hearing the news that she unmarried and a virgin would carry the savior, Christ the Lord, "Let it be done according to your word". No debating. No whining. No pity party. Wow.