I really don’t have time for this!

I seriously don’t have time to put anything on my blog this week, and yet here I am writing words on my computer. In fact, that’s what I’ve been doing the last two weeks, almost non-stop. I will be travelling to São Paulo this weekend to speak at a women’s camp. I have four messages that I needed to prepare. When I am in my martyr mode I think: “Does anyone who doesn’t preach have ANY idea how many hours it takes to prepare a sermon?”

And when I am not feeling like a martyr I sort of think: “I love taking the time to study God’s Word in all of it minute details”.

Translating: I haven’t done much of anything else the last two weeks except research and study and write. When I was young, I tried to imagine how a preacher prepared his sermon. I innocently imagined that he kind of had some kind of revelation, hearing God’s voice and it all came to him in some kind of instantaneous dictation. I even thought that was kind of spiritual.

Now I understand, of course, God’s revelation to man through his word. I simply try to understand and share my understanding with others. That sounds easy, but I have to REALLY under stand first. Then I have to clearly craft the words so that others will hear and even remember something of what I say. It’s very hard work. It’s hard work I love, but I am grateful that I don’t have to preach twice a week. I am pooped.

I think I’m especially excited about the message about pierced ears/slavery. Yip, you heard it right. I do come up with interesting topics, don’t I?

Although I have cleared my schedule this past two weeks, doing little outside of writing, occasional cooking and some exercise sessions at the gym and one wonderful massage (did I mention I was tense?), on Tuesdays I did go to my art class because I needed to do something different. My brain needed to be otherwise engaged. I worked on the acrylic painting of Galileu. That is messy and rewarding. I think I am making progress! By the way, the painting is to the left and the photo to the right in case you couldn’t tell (ha ha ha!)

Aren’t his eyes great? I love doing cat eyes. I will be redoing his right ear because it’s just wrong. (All those fine hairs are just killing me). I painted over his nose tip which is also the wrong shape, but that’s not a big problem.  And I have to figure out how to get his fur to look natural without being choppy. I just can’t figure out how to do the whiskers either. I wonder if I can use a colored pencil to get them done finely enough. I just can’t seem to do fine lines with acrylic paints. I keep buying new brushes, but I don’t think that’s the problem. I’ll keep at it until I get it right! Nice thing about acrylic paint is that you just keep painting over your mistakes until you get it right. Wish life were as easy!