Giants win again!

Did you know your greatest adversary, your giant of confusion, difficulty, testing, is also a giant of blessing, grace and miracle? 

It's true. 

I have proof once again~

Just as in my post Orlando Magic!, God has come  in with a small, precious miracle once again. 

Blowing me away mind you! Is His grace to always be in the small for me? 

If this is so, let it flow! 

(Once again forgive me all you sports fans for purposefully titling this post with the Superbowl favorite; Go Giants! Yes, I am a fan....but it was too perfect to pass up!)

I recently heard that the word for giants in the bible, is in some cases translated 'great'. 

As is the case of Goliath whom David conquers~

Great.

Not something we usually think of when imagining giants. 

Let your mind loose for a moment and humor me for a moment....

 

Imagine if you will traveling across the country, checked bags stuffed full to the 50 pound max, carry-on bursting with last minute 'must have's' and personal suitcase not full of clothing and toiletries as much as more supplies with which to capture the workshop participants full conversion to the amazing medium of encaustic...

here in you have me! 

Loaded down with all the goods to inspire~

Now imagine this same loaded down traveler, coming directly from the aforementioned Orlando Magic! debacle-turned-blessing, 

arriving at the next destination,

only to realize the much needed, can't pull this off without it, main material  for teaching had inadvertently been substituted with a worthless counterfeit! 

How dare the universe continue to challenge and mess with my determined goal to inspire! 

How dare.....

My giant?

A mis-shipped box of supplies.

In Orlando, an untraveled supply case. 

Way back in time-my first encaustic workshop ever-an ill wired electrical circuit and many blown fuses...(note I teach with 'stations' now!? At the time a giant I thought had me beat, but by determinately fighting against, look at me now!?)

Why, or rather, How? you ask...

Standing against each one, each giant, just at my right hand, always going before me~

My God. 

No longer deniable.

Incapable of being written off as coincidence. 

Beyond accepting as my own certain efforts.

My God. 

Small miracles.

In my travel-weary haze my mind raced over the options available; tucked away in the small mountain community of Saluda, NC at the delightful Random Arts  just hours away from the starting gun for a six day immersion between here and Asheville, how was I to find this much needed supply?!

All panic aside, 

all past performance squelched (yes, I've been known to perform a good panic...), 

I did the obvious and made a few phone calls. 

Then I did the necessary;

prayed.

trusted.

determinately believed my God was WAY greater than this little ol' giant~!

and went to bed :)

Guess what? (Need I say it?!)

It worked. It works. He works!

Saving you the nail-biting details of the hours between determined decision and miracle performed, let it be known that 11 wonderful women got full-on waxy on Thursday February 2nd in Saluda! 

And 11 more will do the same today. 

And 15 more will do so, twice over, in Asheville for the next four days....

God did more than perform a miracle to swell my heart with gratitude,

or once again firmly establish me in the blessings of determination of trust, 

and obviously save my hiney! 

He also extended this blessing to each and every participant for this six day tour~

as well as, I hope, everyone finding their way to this post. 

It was with bold confidence I told my God I would tell all who would hear me of His great grace in my life through this small miracle. 

So I tell. 

And swell. 

With blessed trust~

And a quick nod to the UPS driver :)

 

So I say bring on the giants. They may look like unconquerable beasts, but I will forever think of them as 'great'- 

great blessings~

I don't care how boystrous and immovable you make yourself out to be; my God will always stand taller, bolder and more determinately at my right hand than any puny giant any day~

in love. trish

(thank you Marianne for singing this song while painting :)

Orlando magic :)

I wrote this letter in an email to just one; then realized God deserved a bigger expression of the grace he washed over me in these turn of events.

So, I copy and paste here for whomever finds their way to it: Putting my light in the window so to speak! :) God is this good.

in love. trish.

I'm learning just how beautifully, and blessedly, God is in the little things.

I have believed that God only shows up in the big things; cancer cured, pregnancies realized, funds funded, sins forgiven.
I had this notion that in the little, day to day events, I was on my own. That I had to figure out which venue to seek out, how to package and promote the kits, who to ask to teach at my retreat, how to go about encouraging my boys to faith in Christ.
Yet I am coming to see He doesn't expect this solitary, independent striving of me any more than He expects to me take up a scalpel and perform heart surgery (this is, need I say, not in my bag of talents :)

In the past few months I've heard sermons and read devotionals and begun to pray to God for my every need, my every presence, my every moment. I am learning that to believe this way is not to burden God, but rather to bless him. It is in needing him that faith is expressed; and this is what God asks of me-to be utterly and relentlessly faithful, nothing more.
The bottom line reality of this is, God himself is establishing me in him; not the reverse~What a relief and an incredibly profound blessing...

So I have to tell you my story: there's more to it-the 'before I even left' decisions that play into this whole picture as well-but for the sake of wearying your eyes reading :), I'll start with the actual trip that began last Thursday-

I left Seattle in the midst of the snow storm-ending up being just one of two flights to get out after my initial flight was cancelled. I flew through Chicago instead of Denver and the connecting flight waited for me (and four others) for almost a 1/2 hour so we could get on. Then, arriving in Orlando 6 hours later than originally planned, I was told the Enterprise counter would be closed, but to go to Alamo to get my rental. As my weary legs carried me through the rental car que, sans my supply cases that managed to stay behind in Seattle (yes, this too was a grace of God because he knew I would be too weary to drag them through the airport, so why not have SW airlines deliver them to my hotel room the next day- just in time for my Saturday workshop to begin?!), I saw a lone body behind the Enterprise counter and asked, 'are you really here?!' (yes, I was a bit delusional at this point :) after a giggle, she helped me through my rental, knocking $140 off the cost of my measly economy rental just because she could (and because I cringed at the $370 price tag she quoted).
Out at the booth to get my car, the employees were joking and looking forward to going home; I quipped 'let's get this chick her car and get out of here already!' they laughed, then proceeded to give me the car of my choice..for my economy price. Being told the BMW was finicky to drive :), I opted for the Infinity and am now driving a luxury sedan in Orlando for 11 days!
( I am still having trouble embracing this gift; silly me!)
Then! my Orlando workshop was at 5 when I flew; I arrived to find it up to 7-my Mt Dora was at a measly 7, and has now climbed to 15 with three more emails contacting me with interest.

Why, you ask, do I outline the events this way? Why do I feel so strongly that I need to share this with some bodies?!

I prayed; no, it seems too 'proper' to state it that way: I talked to God as I awaited the verdict of my delayed, then cancelled flight that morning. 
I walked with God. 
I simply said 'help me God' (over and over and over between the mixed thoughts and emotions rolling in my brain) and walked and listened. 
I spent the better part of my entire time at Seatac (arrived at 4:45am, departed at 2:30) walking and praying that simplest of prayers; 'Help me God.' There was no other way.
Alas, there is never any other way....

And, at the risk of not giving all these 'little things' proper credence, I know they all came to be because of the fact that I set my heart and mind to DO IT!-I'd been vacillating between getting myself back home and cancelling entirely as I was milling among the throngs of complaintive and concerned fellow travelers that swarmed the ticket counters-after all I had 'barely enough' students to make it worth (my) while, and it was a terrible time to risk travel....
Something came over me though; a sudden assurance and sense of determination; I would do it, even if I had to sleep in the airport overnight. 
I was committed and I would be steadfast. It is in this determination that I trusted unwaveringly in God's hand in it and his promise of everything working for good. I truly felt that even if I were to go down in an ice covered airplane, God's great good would be working; not the worldly assessment that it was pure, foolish folly to choose to fly in a storm.
 
If something can truly turn on a dime, this is the dime; that certain, consuming sense of determination. I have felt it just a few times over the past few years, but the more I do, the more confident I become and the more faith I embrace. 
And, the more closely and assuredly I walk with God in each and every decision, moment and move.
He comes through.
Always.
In spades :)
So gloriously worthwhile and blessed; in just this-the small things. It's that good :)
And oh! It's 80 degrees and sunny~
with a bursting heart,
trish
'Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible? Life is full and running over with opportunities to see God's hand in little things. Only the most sensitive of His servants see them, smile, and live on tiptoe. Chuck Swindoll

'nother lesson learned...sigh!

Lord forgive me for doubting that you can and will always make all things good....
God forgive me for once again falling into cynicism; you still again bless me exeedingly and abundantly despite my short-sightedness.....
Jesus forgive me for striving to 'do', over and over again, when you took care of this and have allowed me to just 'be'.....
Holy Spirit forgive me for letting negativity live in my heart, thereby marring the lovely place in which you live and limiting the blessings you never cease to pour into my life.....
Ah....that's better!
in love. trish.
:)

Musings on the coming of the second book~

As I anxiously anticipate the release of Encaustic Mixed Media next week, and  still digest and assimilate all that EncaustiCamp 2011 was and is, I feel compelled to revisit and edit the opening thoughts that you'll find in EMM. Thoughts to all the creatives out there-oh wait! That's all the world :)

If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. Latin proverb
You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind. Anonymous

I know this first hand; creativity takes courage. I almost let go of my creative calling; willfully thinking I needed to bury it to the call of the make-a-living world. Slowly I began to watch it die as financial health, societal expectations and ladder-climbing issues snuck in to fill the loss. Alas it would not die a dignified death.  With courage then unknown, I re-embraced this part of me with an irrevocable bear hug as the last glimmer of its spark nearly ran out!

Thank God circumstances took me down this different road and allowed me the courage and veracity to grab hold of my creative will with both hands and even at times, grip it viciously between gritted teeth~

Never letting go again, I am!

Creativity is the juice of the soul that keeps each and every one of us walking upright and inspired for another day. It is the conduit through which God keeps our hearts, minds and souls tuned in to all the power and glory this world has to offer. It is not just in those who title themselves, ‘artist’, ‘author’, ‘designer’ or ‘chef’. It is there for everyone; the mechanic, the engineer, the banker, caregiver, salesman and pizza deliverer. No one is exempt from this creative power in their life because it is an element of human existence in each of us. So take hold of your bit of it. Grab with both hands the dose allotted to you and make a difference in the world. Experience it and pass it on.

And, if your ‘creative’ is in the arts-in this passion for encaustic in particular- then thank you with a double dose! You and I share a link in this creative passion and I hope that, simply by indulging in the portion that is your call you have fed me, that I will be graced the opportunity to feed you well: A bountiful feast~In love. trish