Labor Day Weekend
I decided to tune into church again this Sunday morning, catching the 11:00am church service. They start service with a concert that lasts about 45 minutes or so, they sound pretty good. They have a full live band and several singers, I must say its a pretty nice production. I remember catholic mass being very different and half of the songs were not in English, so I never really understood what was going on. I have found in my adult life I do in fact like gospel music.
I’ve been using the Bible app (bible.com) as a study resource and I’m starting the Bible Project 365 plan to get through the whole book in a year. I’ll be primarily using the ESV for general study and notetaking. The cool part about the app is you can read two different versions at the same time, side by side to compare different texts and cross reference. I also enjoy the highlighting/note taking features of the app. If you’re someone like me, who struggles with highlighting/writing in physical books sometimes lol, then this is a great option for you as you can remove highlights as well.
I’ve had this very strong pull to God and an interest in religions since I was young, but did not have the proper foundation growing up to explore it. I would say the last couple of years I’ve felt the same force being drawn to something greater than myself and I am pursuing my spiritual journey to seek more. Perhaps in another post I’ll cover my religious/spiritual background and share where I’m at today.
I like having my church service up in one tab and my bible on another so I can comfortably follow along and take notes. To really absorb the information, I like writing, color coding and adding commentary to break it down. This new way of going to church for me works so much better than having to go in person. I’m just able to obtain and process more this way, for now.
Today’s verse I’d like to share is “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38 ESV
It may sound basic but I find many miss the basics or forget about them along the way. If anyone needed to hear this today, I was on that list for sure. I have a hard time breaking out of the people pleaser mentality at times and worrying about judgement not just from others, but from myself as well. We can be our own worst enemies or loudest critics.
To judge not, is not just about judging others externally but can also be taken as not judging internally. I like to envision myself when I was younger when I start having negative thoughts about myself or my work. If I see the young girl inside of me and what she is trying to create or express, it makes it much more difficult to say harsh words about myself because I’m not saying them to myself, I’m saying them to her. When your mind puts it together that the little girl is you, it really does help reframe the way I speak to myself. And once you do that, you then realize everyone has that younger version of themselves that lives within that they must nurture as well. It makes it much easier to not judge one another if we view it from that mindset.
Its early afternoon on the first of September and I’m about half way through my long weekend. I spent the better part of yesterday crocheting a cardigan and working on my site. The life of an artist seems to be constantly working on limitless projects of many mediums that initiate at any moment. Its more than just creating the art, its doing everything else in between to get it from canvas to screen.
Time to get back to my craft. I have some reading to get through, bible studies, crochet projects and some more items for my shop I am working on.
Happy Labor day weekend
