3. Discovering art and photography

Art wasn’t something I pursued until about 9 years ago, when my mum got me interested in pastels. She’d been painting for years, but I hadn’t worried about pursuing it for myself. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed using pastel pencils and water colour pencils. I like them because it’s easy to just pick it up and draw at anytime and there’s not mess to worry about.

Four years ago, I purchased my first digital camera, which seemed a big deal back then and a lot more expensive. I bought a little Sony Cybershot with only 3.1 mp and it cost $700 and now you’d buy for under $150. Anyhow, I’ve really enjoyed taking photos, and really don’t mind a little camera at the moment, though I have upgraded to a better Sony Cybershot. Later on in the year, I’d love to get a really good “you beaut” camera, with all the gizmos on it. As you can see, I am SO technical about all this stuff!!

But whether it’s a big or little one, I see the camera as an instrument of worship. I can capture the wonders of God’s creation… and then say to the world, “Hey! Look what my Heavenly Dad made!!”

The art is good and the photography is fun, but the most exciting thing that God has done is to get me to write.

I’ve never seen myself as a writer. It was always a task to get me to write anything much down. It was mainly limited to a shopping list, and in my quiet times I would regularly write down Bible verses that the Lord had impressed on my heart. So I have volumes of note books filled up with Scriptures… but never too much of my own thoughts. But mind you, writing out the Scriptures is an excellent way of getting them into your heart and mind. I love the Bible and studying it has been like a hobby to me.

So, now, amazingly, God has me writing! Here’s how it happened:

But let me backtrack….. 10 years!!!

Back then, I felt a prompting from the Lord to write a book!! Well that was like asking an emu to fly!!! I was not one to write things down… my writing down was limited to a shopping list. At school I hated writing essays and putting my thoughts on paper. Not that I couldn’t write…. I did well in the fundamental like grammar and spelling. But putting thoughts on paper, was so hard and took SO LONG. Consequently, I didn’t do as well in exams as I could have done.

So here’s the Lord telling this emu to fly!!! I did have lots of thoughts I always liked to share, but often no opportunity to share it. Writing them down seemed like an excellent thing to do. So I thought I’d try. I did lots of Bible study and research on the subject that the Lord had laid on my heart. And the subject??? Would you believe it was “God’s Blessings”!!!

But I found it hard and the thoughts wouldn’t flow easily. I was like a blocked up ball-point pen, who’s ink wouldn’t flow.

Back then, I was trying to write from head knowledge, without the experience. It wasn’t the time. I needed 10 more years of experience of understanding what it means to be blessed… and, would you believe, it’s more than just money. Before I equated blessings with God prospering us financially… now I know differently!

That brings me to July last year, and I still hadn’t really written anything. So, you may ask, how did the pen get unblocked??

I’ll tell you on the next page…………………