Inspire!

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Happy Tuesday to you!

My goal for this blog is to purposefully and concisely aim you in a direction of intentional encouragement and inspiration. At the very end, I have a bit of a creative/encouragement challenge for you in hopes that you will be uplifted and run with it!
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One time (actually, multiple times) I heard my pastor say, "Everyone is under-encouraged." 
First of all, I wondered how this could possibly be true.  Everyone? 
The people who are the highlights of Hollywood?
Those with more numbers in their bank accounts than one could fathom?
Those who receive thousands likes on an instagram post, followed by hundreds of additional comments?

Yup.
Everyone.

EV-ER-Y-ONE.
And the sad thing is, those people I mentioned above sometimes need an extra boost of, "you are loved just the way you are," just like you and me.
We are made to be relational, work together, make peace together, and promote community.  We are made to encourage, lift up, build up and inspire each other to things of a higher calling!
Fame, money and popularity are bonuses and signs of success, but one time (actually, multiple times) I have heard it said such things can hinder meaningful relationships and promote loneliness.

⇨⇨Listen, friend: everyone needs to know that they have meaning, they have purpose, they have a direction and a destination.  They are loved, they are beautiful, they are unique and they are not meant to fit in to any mold or make of the world. 
The loving Lord is a wonderful God, reaching always into humanity to have communion and achieve the highest possible connection via His Holy Spirit.  Inspiration flows from His heart deeply into the core of the person He made us to be. 
+  If you see something worth noting in someone, write the someone a note.
+  If you see something worth admiration, share admiration.
+  If you notice a talent, a gift, a honed skill, a blessing, a success, a victory, a happiness, a pleasure given to another, he/she needs to know this is how you feel.
+  If you become moved, challenged, motivated, or blessed by another, bless, move, and motivate back!  I promise it is NOT a waste of breath or time!

The Bible says, "Encourage one another and build each other up."  (I Thess. 5:11)
"And let us consider how to stir one another up in love and good works." (Hebrews 10:24)
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act." (Prov. 3:27)
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I can assure you, sister, there is nothing the Devil wants more than to see the church of Jesus fall.  He wants nothing more than to see the children of God behaving like overgrown misfits of gossip, slander, anger, envy and strife.  In fact, the Bible tells us to FLEE from these things BECAUSE these are easy side-steps to an otherwise fruitful walk with our Maker. 

I encourage you, sweet friend.  Send a note.  Send a card.  Send a small post-it or leave a small token of appreciation for someone(s).  It's truly not a waste, and it's something that builds upon the kingdom of God - into an eternity that is being made ready for you and me!

Here's the challenge part now: 
1} Ask the Lord to show you someone, to lay someone on your heart so that you would know who needs to be encouraged.  Someone may pop directly into your mind!  With this lead, you can then create a little something for this person to let him/her know - at the VERY least - that you were thinking of him/her.  
2} Before you send/give it, take a photo & post it on social media!  Be sure to hashtag it #encouragementchallenge and tag my handle so I know you've posted. 
3} Watch as encouragement spreads and morale boosts in this sweet community that extends beyond the bounds of Instagram or Facebook!  It's phenomenal!

This card I made for a friend, who has overcome doubts and fears in Jesus' name.  Difficulties surrounded her, and Murphy followed her, so to speak.  It's not uncommon for one to sink into a shell of despair, but I saw her sink, find hope and re-emerge with vigor and confidence that Jesus IS her God! 
She inspires me; I want to inspire back.
She has moved me; I want to stir her up!

Much love,
Deeds

Sentimental Wordfetti here. 

Bitty Minnie Alpha here.

Fantastic Flowers set here.

I colored in the flower and leaves with my new Arteza Everblend marker set.  I love them, and I am so looking forward to using them more!

Refresh

When’s the last time you needed refreshing? Last year? Last month? Yesterday? If you’re like most people, it was perhaps even today.

We are such a go go go society, that we are often just worn out and exhausted, running on empty most of the time. We don’t know how to say the word “no”, or at the very least know how to pace ourselves.

Last week I had the sweet privilege of hosting a friend from out of town for a few days. We also had a couple of my local girlfriends join us for much of the week. We even face timed for a couple hours with another out of town friend.

My goal was to spend time with them, craft together, learn from each other, fellowship around the Word, talk about the Lord, and just overall encourage them.

We had the best time. We made #allthethings. We taught one another how to create felt flowers, work with watercolors, put napkins in our Bibles, make lots of clips and much more. We shared Bible verses. We prayed together. We poured our hearts out to one another. We did lots of listening...lots of talking...lots of giggling.

The end result? We all agreed we need another Patio Ponderings retreat soon! Time...quality time...with girlfriends is contagious. And filling. And rewarding.

Most of all, it’s refreshing. My cup is overflowing and my heart is full. My hope was to encourage and refresh my friends, instead, I was the one reaping all the benefits. Thank you, Lord!!

Take time out from the busyness of life and invest some quality time in others. You will certainly be glad you did.

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:25 ‭NLT‬‬




Art behind the story:

One of our projects last week was to start our own boxes of repurposed rolodex cards. They are a quick way to be creative, use up bits of paper pieces, and fun to make as gifts for happy mail.  Look up the hashtags #rolodexbiblecards, #memorydex, and #rolodexart on Instagram to see some great ideas.  

The Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps set Fill Me Up was a popular set last week among all my coffee drinking girlfriends! I stamped the large cup several times onto patterned journaling cards, fussy cut all the pieces apart, and paper pieced them all back together to get the various patterns. I stamped the words on the bottom right directly on to the card. This card was cut the normal rolodex size of 4” x 2.5”. On the back, I wrote the Proverbs 11:25 verse, a little note to each friend, and then signed and dated it. These cards will be sweet to remember our time together. 

Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings