Adventure lies ahead

Or rather, the adventure is laying out now. As I prepare for the Amsterdam Discovery trip, I am already amazed at the growth and stretching that is taking place in my own life.
In celebration, Wendy’s trip costs have been covered by donations, plus she will have just enough extra money to cover the meals [...]

Amsterdam bound

Amsterdam bound. Yes, I am, thanks to a dear friend who asked if I would join her on the Missions Focused trip with our church. With this trip, we will learn from our pastor, Jeff Adams, who will teach us about the missionary view and cultural sensitivity. I have heard of so many life-changing experiences [...]

Final cut

From our trip in June, enjoy the video my husband produced for Won By One To Jamaica:

I must agree with Tayler’s ending statement. My experience with Won By One To Jamaica, my time with my Jamaican family in Harmons, has totally changed the direction of my life.
amanda ∞

I Have 2 Homes

Our recent trip to Jamaica was one of renewing dear friendships. I consider so many of my friends from Harmons, Jamaica as my 2nd family.  When we arrived, it was as if we had never left. That feeling of comfort, of arriving back home, came instantly. I was saddened though as one of my dear [...]

Jamaica bound

Today is one of lists and packing. We are going to Jamaica. My husband has been asked to make a new video for Won By One. You can view his last one here which was done about 5 years ago.
My children from the last trip:

I am fond of this place. There was a time in [...]

Artfest

Artfest caused yet another shift within me. Surrounded by such beauty and so many others who think in ways similar to me, I felt that if I did have a place I fit on this earth, I had found it. I have never felt more comfortable around so many people I’d just met. Just being [...]

Art Journal Class

Today I was teacher to a group of women that have much to express. I had the opportunity to lead an art journaling class at VERONICA’s Voice. The enthusiasm was contagious as they set to work on their journals, personalizing and claiming them as their own private place for self expression. Profound and deep thoughts, [...]

Manipulation vs. giving

My son was born with an abundantly generous heart. This week we had a wonderful time together. We gave the ultimate gift of time to each other. Yesterday we decided to go back to You Say Tomato so he could have just one more piece of cake. This time I told him he had to [...]

Contradiction revisited

Since a recent assignment in The Artist’s Way, I’ve been pondering the truth behind the mantra, “Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong.” Being a student of Jesus Christ, my first reaction was that this mantra was not Biblical. The Scripture “let him deny himself” immediately came to mind. But experientially I have [...]

the Right Side of My Brain

I’ve desired to know how to draw for years. After several tries with “learn to draw or sketch” books with instructions and suggestions, I’ve finally decided that The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was worth the time investment it would take to read. It is more than a “learn to draw” [...]

Redeeming the time

I’ve been working through the book, The Artist’s Way, these past few weeks. I highly recommend it for growth in any creative area of life. Each week there are new assignments to enable one to strip away the barriers from creative thinking and doing. This week I am practicing “reading deprivation.” I am not reading [...]

Believe

The latest Salt challenge is the theme, Believe. The text is John 9 about a blind man whose sight was restored. His response, “Lord, I believe.”
This page is also a reflection of my own experience. When I was blind, my world was colorless, dark, lifeless. Now I feel the blood flowing, and although I can [...]

Enslaved

Today’s lunch menu for VERONICA’s Voice included:
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes
Homeade Rye Bread
Green Clover-shaped Spritz Cookies
I was also going to serve fresh apple slices, but left the apples at home. Oops.
The smell of the corned beef still lingers in our home. Delicious and comfortable.
As a continuation from my thoughts on slavery yesterday, I wanted to [...]

Inconvenience

This word, inconvenience, describes a reaction I naturally give to my immediate family. I am annoyed. They give me trouble, and I let them know. And I have come to despise my own reaction.
My trouble with responding to others is life-long, but for many years I was not even aware that I was responding in a negative [...]

Lent

The latest Salt challenge is Lent. This was a difficult topic for me since I don’t participate in traditional Lenten practices. Although raised in a church that does recognize the season of Lent, I had to do an internet search to refresh my mind on the purpose and intent of Lent.
Lent is a time of reflection [...]