Gateways to Joy

I feel so proud to show this to you! Why?  Because normally I would be too afraid to share my work with anyone, but I am conquering my fears! This one is for sale!  If you're interested in buying it email me at: gatewaystojoy@gmail.com, and put "art work" in the subject line. I'm taking custom orders too! So how are you doing with your art work? Are you conquering your fears?

I don't.  I don't feel worthy of my dreams or anything else today. I hate those days when I let someone else dictate my mood.  That's what I'm fighting through right now. I'm not worried though because I know it will pass.  I just hate letting myself get here in the first place.  When I think about it long and hard, the reason, the real reason someone was able to change my demeanor so drastically is because I am feeling unworthy. "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3: 22-23 Regardless of how I feel, God reassures me in my head that I am worthy, thanks to the blood of Jesus and me accepting Him. Friends, no matter what mistakes I make, no matter how many times I fall down, I will get back up and serve God forever.  Hopefully, you will too. Are you feeling unworthy today? I s that fear of unworthiness holding you back

The last time we were together we talked about fear as a stronghold of us back for going after our God-size dream.  We also said that fear of failure is often the stumbling block to trying. I know for me a lot of times the reason I am scared of failing is because I feel like my skill level is inadequate.  I always end up finding someone who does things that I am trying to do "better than me," and I start to feel inadequate.  Fear by comparison is lethal. Many of you have written me and told me your stories.  I see where you are creative women, mothers-- no different from me, who have put your art on hold in order to care for your family. However, as we are learning, it is hard to squash the want and desire to create for too long when God has gifted you in that area. I've decided to do a couple of breif {15-20 min} tutorials explaining to you to set up a free blog and design a free blog. Many people will tell you to get your own domain.  While this is good a

Right before I got ready to publish this post, I received an email from another blogger, Angela England, whose post I subscribe to.  What caught my attention about this particular post was her title, 'The Power of Exposing Your Dreams.' I opened the email and this was her introduction: "Did you know that a dormant seed is so well protected it can survive for years in a dead-but-not dead, alive-but-not alive state? In fact, kernels of wheat found buried in ancient Egyptian tombs were able to be germinated. The wheat survived for centuries, yet never served its true purpose." We do that with our dreams, don't we?  We keep them safely tucked away and protected in the shell of our minds and hearts in a state of dead, but not dead, alive, but not alive, and no one benefits.  Why do we do this?   Because we're fearful.  Fearful of the unknown, fear of failure. After you read the blog post today, please take time to listen to Alma Loveland and Melani

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 Are you sharing the gift that you received from God with others friends? Today is a fun post!  I want to share my son's, my youngest boy, art work with you all today. He did this all on his own when he was 8.  He did it at the same time I was learning Photoshop.  Everyday for at least an hour they have to work on something creatively and this is what he did. Sadly I had put it on my computer and didn't find it until two years later {today}.  So he's 10 now. Anyway, I want this to be a place where you can share your dreams, talents, gifts, fears... whatever it is. At the end of this post would you so kindly share in the comments below what you believe your gift to be?  It doesn't have to be anything artsy, and then share your story.  Are you using your gift?  If you are in what way?  If you aren't,

Do you still dream?  Seriously. What are they? Have you attempted any of them, even one? Do you plan on pursuing any of your dreams? For weeks, I've been sharing with you how I've finally started, back {after 20 years},thinking about my art, and having my own business.  I put myself out here big time, calling myself an artist, because normally when I think about art I think about those people who can really draw.  I can't draw.  After reading Emily Freeman's book I decided to embrace the talent of art that I feel that God has blessed me with. Even though I was publicly embracing who I was, there was still another problem that I faced.  I've always had aspirations of being an entrepreneur and I still loved writing. Trying to figure out what to pursue and how to pursue it my heart became overwhelmed so I started hitting and missing with writing, blogging, painting, doing my wood signs, graphic designing, and even what I was called to do for my family.

Are strongholds keeping you in a life of sin and bondage?  Are they holding you back, stopping you from being all that God wants you to be and needs you to be in order to build His kingdom? If you answered yes to these questions, I want to tell you that you already have what you need to resist their calls, lures and temptations.  That is, of course, if you are a child of God. Remember how good you felt when you first accepted Christ? I certainly do.  I was going to be God's favorite girl!  I was going to spend all of my life seeking to please Him.  I felt invincible. {image courtesy of: beginningandend.com} However, after some years, I found myself doing things that I never thought I would do, or doing things that I had left behind years ago.  I was devastated with myself and wondered, "How could this be?"  I was doing that which I didn't want to do. No one, not even Jesus, is exempted from the calls, lures and temptations of sin and bondage. But like