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Inspired
Brushstrokes Thanks for coming to visit our gallery. Think of your time here as an imaginary vacation. Enjoy your little get-away as you escape from the busyness and troubles of this world to ponder on the wonders of our All-Mighty God. You will be reminded of the many blessings God has placed in your life. I pray when your thoughts return home, you'll be refreshed and encouraged. There's a lot to take in so I recommend that you not try to rush through in a day. When selecting a new piece of art, make it your goal to reflect what matters most to you and your loved ones. What makes your home warm and inviting? What does your art reveal about your heart? :Let your decor create an environment for supernatural work to be done in the heart of each family member and guest. Our home reflects our heart in the same way, "A man’s heart reveals the man" (Proverbs 27: 19). Joyce Girgenti
Studio (219) 841-9743
Think about what kind of message your life is telling the world. What will people remember about you when you're gone? What will be the most important thing chiseled into your tombstone? It won't be your name, your birth date, your deceased date, or the art work. The most important thing on your tombstone with be the dash (the hyphen) between your birth and your death. What will you do with the dash from this day forward? Your legacy will be influenced by your character and your choices. God’s Word tells us that this life is but a vapor – a brief dash between now and eternity. James 4 14-17. Whether you are a Believer "In Christ" or not, you will leave a legacy with those you spend time with. Be intentional about your life and your decisions while you still can. Bob Nienhuis, Senior Pastor at Liberty Bible Church, recently wrote a precious story about his grandson relating to being a good example. I'm sure you can relate: The Connection As an artist, I must be intentional about the messages my works of art represent. Paintings are permanent records of an artist's heart. They reveal a portion of what God sees which is the attitude of our heart. Our motive is what He's most interested in. All artists are encouraged to think about where their "special skills" comes from. Once God reveals that HE is the source of your skill, honor Him with it. It's your choice, my friend. You are given free-will to believe (or not to believe) that Jesus is the Messiah. In the same way, you have free-will to acknowledge Him in your work, no matter what kind of work you do. Will you step out of your comfort-zone and let God use you, your talent and your workplace to be a light in the difficult days we are living in? Find encouragement from Moses, a faithful servant of the LORD, and Joshua, Moses' assistant. When Nancy Leigh DeMoss was teaching from Joshua 24: 29-30 she said, "If your whole life were summarized in one phrase after you were gone, what would you want that phrase to be?" Imagining what she'll do when she gets to Heaven, Nancy added, "I want to tell Joshua how God used his story and his life to meet me, thousands of years later, at a great point of need in my own life. God used his story to transform my heart, to bring me to new points of repentance, to instill faith in my heart, and to give me courage to press on in the battle when I thought I could not go any further. There is no higher designation, no higher description, than to be the servant of the Lord. For Joshua, I believe that title represents the pinnacle, the crowning achievement of his life." When Joshua's obituary was written in verse 30, he also received the title as a servant of the LORD, “...Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old.” No title on earth could represent a higher achievement! Followers of Christ: "You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden" Matthew 5: 14-16. Jesus told His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9: 37-38). Are you working? If you are a believer "In Christ" then you, also, are called to follow. You are a modern-day disciple called to share the gospel of Christ right where you are. If you are not dedicating your work to the Lord, ask Him to give you spiritual wisdom and knowledge about your purpose Colossians 1: 9-18. Ask God how He is waiting to meet a need through you Titus 3: 14. You don't have to be a minister, a chaplain, or priest to share the gospel. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, you have been equipped with the Holy Spirit to guide you and to make a difference through you. Your platform is made up of your surroundings and you have everything you need to reach out to others. Think about how you are making an impact on your loved ones, co-workers, and everyone watching you. Live with eternity in mind. Ask yourself if you are promoting RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS today, or are you promoting WICKEDNESS or SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS? Our words and our actions reveal one or the other. Often times our sinful responses are rooted in pride, which is one of the things God hates more than anything. This really convicted me when I thought about how many times my responses are not godly. How often my loved ones have been witness to anything but holiness and meekness. My biggest problem has been letting my mouth engage before my brain and my heart has time to think my response through. When being challenged with a difficult situation, James 1: 19-25 comes to mind. Let's grow up together and put away childish things 1 Corinthians 13: 11. Let's encourage one another by submitting our responses to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We can start fresh today, with a new goal in mind that will qualify us for the highest honor of all the earth; to be known as "A SERVANT OF THE LORD". Parents, be encouraged: Do you realize how important your influence is? Your impressionable children (as well as grown family and friends) are being taught by your example. Much like sponges, they absorb huge amounts of information from the sources around them. Are you building Temples for Jesus to live in or are you gambling with where they will spend Eternity? Are you concerned enough about where the cycle of life might lead them from watching you, your relationships, or what they learn on television? God has entrusted innocent children to your care to be the most influential teacher they will ever have. They are not equipped to discern what is normal, safe, and acceptable, and what is not. Being a parent is the greatest responsibility you are ever given, dear friend. What are you doing with it? Where are you leading them? The only way to teach a child to be "Christ-like" is by the renewing of your mind. Being "Christ-like" is a supernatural behavior that requires a constant and daily commitment that you will not regret! Let's humble ourselves and spend some time at Jesus' feet. Luke 10: 38-41 and Ephesians 4: 22-32. The next time you experience problems in your marriage, get to the real root of the problem. Check yourself to see if you've been neglecting God. He has a way of getting our attention to reveal our neglect. Quit trying to change your mate and let God change you so that the next time there's a conflict, your heart will be guarded and your response will be wise and godly. Proverbs 4: 20-27. We can't loose when our transformation presents spirit-fed responses and attitudes. Husbands and Wives, be encouraged: If you're having problems in your relationship, pray and ask God to search your heart to reveal if He is being neglected. Maybe you feel that God is neglecting you. Sin separates us from God and must be repented. Confess your sins and break down the wall (or the idols) you have built between you and God, or you and your mate. James 5: 16. My husband and I struggled for several years wondering if God really cared about our marriage. We were not each others enemy although we acted like we were. Our enemy was Satan and he knew our weaknesses and lack of "spiritual" knowledge better than we did. We made the mistake of focusing on our battle (our problems) rather than focusing on God, the One who fights our battles for us. Our responses to one another were driven by our problems and our own selfish desires. We were clueless to the fact that war is not only happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even though you can not see it, there is a spiritual war taking place right where you are. You can't hide from it, beloved. No matter where you live or where you spend your time, you are living in a Spiritual Battle. Many make the mistake of thinking, "What you don't know won't hurt you." This is so wrong. Lack of "spiritual" knowledge keeps you in bondage, poisons your legacy, and robs you and your loved ones of the blessings that God wants you to experience (such as complete freedom, joy and peace). If you are a believer, the Fruit of the Spirit is still in you, but you bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit when you sin Ephesians 4: 30-32. The supernatural power of God is quenched and your testimony is tarnished when there is unconfessed sin in your life. It is my prayer you find the same joy and peace that my husband and I are finding each and every day. Don't play the "Blame Game" blaming someone else, God, or the devil for your past disappointments. Look within your own heart and take full responsibility for the corruption that is there. Even if you've been offended or deeply hurt, you have the "mind of Christ" inside of you to direct your attitude and your response (Corinthians 2 10-16) no matter what trials or hardships you've endured. Satan uses your lack of knowledge against you. But you are responsible if you are unequipped or if you are rebellious-knowing what's right but doing what's wrong. What is kept in the dark will only fester and cause more problems. Confessing sin is like taking out the garbage. You would never keep piling up stinking, smelly garbage in your home to pollute the air you breathe. Neither should you leave unconfessed sin in your heart polluting your relationship with God and your loved ones. Unconfessed sin and unresolved brokenness can eventually cause physical and emotional problems. Sin, disappointments, or unforgiveness will never go away by trying to ignore or deny it. Unless you are willing to surrender your life completely to Jesus Christ, you will never find true happiness and peace - true freedom. Repentance and forgiveness is an ongoing practice. It's not a one time event that keeps us from sinning. When we sin we need to be purified through repentant hearts. God forgives us when we repent, and when He forgives - He forgets. So we, also, are to forgive each other and ourselves in the same way we are forgiven just as David wrote in Psalm 103: 8-13. If you choose not to forgive, your Father will not forgive you Matthew 6: 14-15. The next time someone offends you and you think it's too difficult to forgive, ask yourself, "How much do I want to be forgiven?". Forgiveness is one of the most difficult spiritual practices but it's also one of the most important concepts to live out as a Follower of Christ. For we know what is impossible with strength and knowledge of a human-being is possible with God. Luke 18:27. Followers of Christ need to be channels of divine forgiveness. My husband and I have finally learned the only time we should bring up our past (disappointments or failures) is when we look back to thank God for what He brought us out of. Satan had a hold on us for some time, but his success was short lived. John 10: 10 His goal was to kill, steal, and destroy two of the things he hates the most - Christians and Marriage. We wanted to break free of the pain and misery, but had no idea we were our own worst enemy, being driven by the wrong force. God began opening our eyes to the truth that Before Revival There Must Be Repentance! We had to repent of our sins and the pitiful way we were living before God would restore our joy and peace. Jesus pours His love and light into our broken vessels to reveal Himself. When we are sincerely repentant, our merciful God takes out our garbage. He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west Psalm 103: 10-13. He take our ashes (our past, our brokenness) and makes something beautiful out of it (Isaiah 61:3). This is one of His great mysteries! Another great mystery, God will use you to transform your mate, but He does this by what your mate sees transformed in you. Always remember that marriage is like a triangle, with God at the top and the husband and wife at the bottom of each corner. The closer you draw to God, the closer you will draw to one another. So, each day remind yourself, the battle belongs to the Lord. You are just His instrument - His vessel - His temple. Keep your focus (your thoughts/your spiritual eyes) on God. Focus on Jesus, who willingly laid down His life to pay the penalty for the sins of every believer. Let go and let God have complete control of every area of your life. Trust God (have FAITH) that He works ALL things together for good... Romans 8: 28. Surrender is possible when FAITH is put into action. Messages and stories are incorporated in my paintings to serve as visual reminders of God and His Word and the Life-Lessons we learn along the way. Most of the messages are intentionally incorporated while there are times when unintentional messages are found. These hidden treasures are like the many treasures (or blessings) God has waiting for every one of His surrendered children. Let Him lead. "Live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4: 1).
Joyce Girgenti |
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