Someday

Have you ever spent hours even days on a project?

Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do something?

Have you ever felt God's calling?

Have you ever obeyed him & spent hours doing what he asks of you?

What happens when you are almost finished and he says,

"delete"?

This is a photograph of the beginning of the second sculpture I ever made. I had taken no classes on sculpting at the time. I had however, read a couple books on the topic.
The Lord brought this sculpture to my mind this morning as he was telling me very loudly, " delete everything you wrote on the blog yesterday." Of course my reaction was," What! You had me up all night speaking to me and the next day I spent all day researching and writing our next post." The Lord told me again. "Delete it, do not save it, delete it." This morning I obeyed and deleted the whole thing.

"Finally, brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Do you ever find yourself questioning God and asking him why?
Perhaps, like me, God is teaching you. All that work that I deleted this morning was for my knowledge, it was God teaching me, molding me.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17
spoke to my heart and here I am a day later with a memory to share with you.

Several years ago, I had the desire to sculpt. I bought some clay and began. What an incredible experience. My hands moved over the clay as if God was moving them. The feel, the touch, the solid wet malleable' substance within and beneath my hands, were moving as if magic.

When I am creating most often I am praying. I feel God's presence while I work. I also know that if it were not but by his grace there would be no works by Ginny Taylor.

This sculpture was to be of my son in law Josh. After Josh had seen my first sculpture he was very kind and encouraging, he asked me if I would sculpt him. I cannot tell you how flattered I was that he really thought I could do that. I did not have that same confidence.  Like God says," All things are possible to those who trust me." So trust I did. Without hesitation I jumped right in and started the process of sculpting Josh. The first step was to study Josh's face, to take measurements and a lot photos. He was a real trooper though all of that. Once I had the photos developed and on hand I brought out the clay. I started pushing clay and praying to the Lord, "Move my hands Lord, may I be a vessel, will you do your work through me Lord? " We moved clay together. I never felt alone. With each push of the clay feeling God's presence, we would add clay and take pieces of clay away. Just like he did with me the night before last, giving me a word and yesterday, asking me to delete them and again today as I share a piece of myself with you. The lord is always moving in our lives and shaping us into the person he wants us to be.

When my sculpture was finish I could not believe it, it really did look a lot like Josh.
I thanked God for how this sculpture turned out. I knew I could not have made this sculpture without His hands guiding me.

It took several hours over many days to create this sculpture and I loved every minute of the process. It was a time of refection, learning and molding of myself. I felt God was showing me how he works, his process of molding us. This was important to me because I learn by touch. You could tell me one hundred times how God molds us, reveals scripture after scripture and I might not fully understand. While going through the process of actually shaping, molding and creating something has given me a whole new level of understanding.

I will have to say when it was time to show my family I was nervous. That thing called self, crept in, scared of failure, disappointment, self doubt. I started questioning.,"Would they like it?  Did it really resemble Josh?" After the wonderful process I had just been through "self" had to jump in and try to still my joy. This time I did not let it, thank goodness.  

Josh seemed pretty happy with the outcome, he even let me take photos of him with the sculpture. All was good. I was overjoyed with what God had created through me.

Then the unthinkable thing happened. While showing the rest of the family the sculpture I turned my easel and the sculpture fell to the floor. All of my hard work was squashed. Everyone's mouth fell open as they watched the sculpture hit the floor. I was in shock. I simply looked down and then walked out of the room. Everyone was saying things like," Oh Ginny we are so sorry." I said, " It's OK, it's not your fault, it was mine. I was not aware that could happen. I'm just learning sculpting, I should have been more careful." At that moment I told the family I would be right back. 

I then turned and went back into the studio. The Lord told me to pick up the sculpture, saying

"Just like I am not finished with you, you are not finished with this sculpture." I picked up the sculpture, placed it on back on the easel and I spent the rest of the evening being loved by family.

After my family had left that evening I thought about the squished sculpture on the floor and was reminded of how much God had thought me. 

The next morning I revisited that sculpture. It was not the sculpture I thought I had created for Josh anymore. It was the sculpture God used in teaching me. All that time I spent sculpting thinking that I was making a sculpture for someone else, while God was molding me, showing me He loves me, He can use me and that He created me just like I created that sculpture. 

As I looked at the squished face on the sculpture I began a new process, of taking away the old so it could one day be made new again.

I saved as much of the face us I could. Then I let the sculpture dry for a few days. Once it was dry enough I hollowed the sculpture out. This is done so that the sculpture can dry properly and hopefully will not blow up when fired. A couple months later I took it to the art center and had it fired twice. Then this sculpture sat untouched for three years. I would walk by it from time to time and wonder how God would have me make this sculpture whole again?

While waiting, I was in a wonderful book club/bible study with some fabulous women, learning more about God's word. In this time of study I was journaling more than normal, after all, writing words and drawing pictures is a tactile process of learning. It was a wonderful experience. I saved this journal not knowing it would be used in a future sculpture.

During the waiting time I was also collecting things. Collecting is not unusual for me, I'm always collecting pieces for a future project. 

The time had come, to bring out the broken sculpture and make it whole again.

First, I needed to paint him flesh color. Then he needed a platform, next came the hair. Remember, this sculpture was missing half of his head.

I believe God was making room for those words and pictures I took down while journaling in my book club/bible study. I placed some of those pages inside of the sculpture's head.

All of the pieces came next. One by one they were connected, each one having it's purpose.
When all was said and done the sculpture had no name. I felt each person should be allowed to form their own interpretation.
Looking on it now I wonder if I should have called it "Complete? Yet I think not, for are any of Gods creations ever complete?"

"Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete". John 16:24

'No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.' 1 John 4:12

Family Dinner

Busy.

Busy is a word I try so hard not to use to describe my life right now. However, most of the time it seems like there is no way around it. I have four children, three of them are in three different schools, and one is home with me. The oldest two are involved in sports. My twelve year old daughter has soccer 3-5 times a week and my six year old son has baseball 2-3 times a week, with daddy as his coach that leaves me with the three year old and the 21-month old during those times. So, busy my be a good adjective to describe the season my family may be in for a while. However, my hope is that it will never become an excuse to change my priorities. "I'm too busy" is frankly said too much, especially in the world of "Netflix and chill", which I am guilty of.

My husband and I both were so fortunate to grow up in homes where our mothers made it a priority to set a table, make a dinner, and sit us all down without distraction. Naturally then, as we had our own children it just seemed like something you were supposed to do and not a task. We understand now what a blessing it was to have that foundation. As time passes and each kid gets a little older, those dinners seem to slip away and become harder to come by, but it is a priority I am not willing to change due to busyness.

Having our children stuck in a seat for even an hour or less is time to connect and communicate with them. I am just dipping my toes into parenting a teenager and I can already see that it is a priceless commodity. Even when she doesn't want to talk, my husband and I are able to. We are able to share what is going on in our home, things that affect the whole family, maybe the financial miracle we are waiting for or the healing we are believing in. If we do not share those things with our children they miss out on that miracle when it comes. With younger children that may not carry on a conversation fluidly, dinner is also a time of prayer. Many times when Jesus was teaching his disciples and others it would be while breaking bread, whether by sea with a crowd of thousands or at the table with twelve. I think it is safe to say that Jesus was a pretty busy guy, but He seemed to have plenty of time to share a meal with those He loved. He wants us to invite Him to our dinner table, to be part of our conversations and listen to our stories.

First, we have to make some food to eat in our spare time and in between the craziness. In the Batey house we don't often eat at any particular time. We eat when the largest amount of us can get to the table. Sometimes that's as early as 4:15 p.m. and as late as 8 p.m. My husband Josh and I have also sat at the table more than one time in a night with different groups of our children. That, among a lot of other reasons is why the Crock-Pot is my right hand man.

There are thousands of Crock-Pot recipes out there to choose from that fit your families needs and tastes. I am going to share a recipe that my family loves. It is extremely simple and inexpensive. While I share the recipe with you, I am also going to walk you though a typical day in the Batey home and how we make it the table.

They wake up too early, the sun never beats my kids to greet the morning. One of the toddlers rise and shine around 6 a.m. and their big brother follows shortly after. I'm sure its the normal routine that occurs in most homes in the morning, there is teeth brushing, changing for school and collecting backpacks. We get out the door by 8 a.m. and it takes about half an hour to drop all three off at their respective schools. Not bad so far, I even joined a gym for the first time in years. I have made that a priority, but mostly to be able to keep up with my kids. So, I head there next. I normally arrive back home around 10 a.m. and that's when I start the Crock-Pot.

Today I am making BBQ chicken sliders on Hawaiian rolls with pineapple, it's as good as it sounds. For this recipe I make double the chicken, that way after it cooks I can shred and save half for another recipe later in the week. I put six chicken breasts into the pot with one cup of water and turn the pot to high. After getting ready for the day and while the chicken is cooking I run errands. I may go to the grocery, to a doctor appointment and to the car wash of course. Lately, I have been using some of that time to sit down and type up a blog. I try my best to get as much checked of my to do list while I am entertaining and caring for my toddler, Anderson.

Between 11 a.m.- noon the little one is ready for a nap and nap time is cleaning time for this mama. It feels like that is the only time that I can clean and it will stay clean for any real amount of time. So, on to wiping off sticky fingerprints, cleaning bathrooms, picking up toys and mopping up spilled milk.

About 1:30 p.m. Anderson is rested and ready to take on the rest of the day. Snack first, then back in the van by 2:00 p.m. for after school pick up.

Between driving, traffic and the infamous car riders line we get home at 3:30 p.m. each day. My six year old has just enough time to write his spelling words, read a few pages and throw on his baseball uniform. My three year old runs upstairs to play dress up or with her Shopkins as long as she can, her little sister always following close behind. All while I set the table and finish the remaining steps to the recipe.

Shred the chicken, taking out half for later in the week if you chose to do so.

Add a half a cup of BBQ sauce to the chicken and stir.

Take the Hawaiian rolls out of the package and open them in half, fill them with the chicken and place one piece of pineapple on top. If you are a fan of cilantro its great on here too, but if its green my son isn't going to touch it, all beige it is for the Batey's tonight.

Close and serve with whatever side is a favorite to your family.

At 4:30 p.m. my daughter walks in the door from middle school. We are fortunate to live close enough to her school where she is able to walk home, that saves me a full half hour. At that time, everyone gets called to the table. Yes, on nights like tonight we eat at 4:30 p.m. If my husband isn't home yet he isn't too far behind.

We pray first, eat, talk and share as fast as we can. Quickly soaking in every minute while simultaneously fussing at them to focus on eating. Without any exaggeration, we are out the door and on to the next part of the day between 4:45-5 p.m. It may have been only 15-30 minutes of our day, but it was spent together. We reflected Christ by breaking bread together, by being intentional with those few minutes we had as a complete family, by praying together and thanking Him that we have each person around the table and the food in front of us.

Off to either baseball, soccer or both. The toddler girls are troopers and do their best to watch their big brother and sister enjoy their time in the spotlight. They will have their time sooner than they know. Time goes by too fast to get caught up in the busy, that you start to miss the moments that matter. It has taken some time to understand that it is okay for the little ones to be bored or even sick of going to these things. They are learning patience, honor, sacrifice and how to put other's wants and needs ahead of their own.

Home at 7 p.m., showers, reading and bed.

Avery walks in the door at 8 p.m. to get her homework done, shower and get ready for another day, tomorrow.

By 9 p.m. my husband and I have our time together, sometimes on our porch sharing dreams and others on the couch sharing ice cream. But, that is another priority for another blog post.

I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it, but more than that, I pray that you find encouragement to sit down with your family each night, and that no matter how busy life gets, its the priorities that make the difference.

Shell Cross - Ladies Craft Night

 Welcome to Wrinkles and Grace's Ladies Craft Night. 

Tonight we will be making shell crosses.

Shell Cross by Rachel Batey 

The ladies started arriving to Connecting Pieces Studio around 6:00. I welcomed everyone at the door and asked them to come to the back of the and studio where our friend Julie had so graciously set out a table full of beautiful hors d'oeuvres, wine, lemonade, water and sweets. What more could a lady ask for after a long day, thank you Julie.

It didn't take long before everyone started to unwind and relax. I love when multi-generational women come together to talk and share. We can learn so much from one another when we take the time to listen.

While everyone was enjoying a little refreshment I showed them a shell cross I had made earlier and talked to them about how they would be making their crosses tonight.

The ladies made their way into the front of the studio. They picked their spots at the table where they found an organizing box and a glue gun with glue sticks placed front of them. In the middle of the table there was a huge box of mixed-up shells to pick from as well as smaller boxes of separated shells. Before turning on the glue guns, as they where picking out their shells, I asked them to think about how they might like to arrange them. To help guide them I asked, "which shells would you like on the sides of your cross?" If your cross is going to be hanging or laying flat on a table then you want to make sure that the shells you are placing on the side of your cross will lay flat when glued down.

"What shell would you like as your focal shell?" I think that shell should stand out. Maybe it's a little larger than the rest or maybe you want a piece of coral as your focal shell. Be creative, enjoy exploring your shells and their placement. We are not gluing yet, we are just trying things out. Think about which shells that you will use on the top, bottom and sides of you cross.

Remember the center of your cross is your focal point. You might not want the bottom of your cross to get too visually heavy. Sometimes I like to glue a large shell or piece of coral onto the top of my cross for more height and depth.

Shell Cross by Felicia Taylor

Don't be afraid to use a broken shell or discolored shell on your cross. That shell may be what makes your cross stand out. Shells have been tossed and turned throughout the years. Some show scars, yet they are still beautiful. They just show a little more character or even tell a story. Shells remind me that some of us carry our scars on the inside that no one may ever see. While others may have visual scars that everyone sees. They are a reminder to me, that I have no idea what anyone else is going through. I only know that if I can give even just one person a couple of hours of joy or solace making these crosses and encouraging you to spend sometime with women then I am grateful for that and I thank you for giving me your time. My prayer is that we will all be kinder and gentler to one another. It seems we too often judge on our knowledge of things. I have told myself many times that I am not in any way another person. Therefore, I have no knowledge of how they feel or what they are going through unless they tell me, and even then I have not had that exact experience. I try very hard to live by this scripture, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" Matthew 7:1.  I fall short more times than I would like to admit. Perhaps that is why the simple visual aid of a shell awakens my heart. Your cross will tell a story. What do you want it to say?

Shell Cross by Glenda Keen

Once you have a good idea of the base shells that you will be putting on your cross then go ahead and turn on your glue gun. Give your cross one more look as the glue gun is heating up. Once you are satisfied then go ahead and start gluing the shells onto the side of your cross first.

Now that your cross has a good foundation, it is time to start gluing the shells onto the top of your cross.

This is done by layering the medium shells, small shells and then the tiny shells.

I sometimes put a tiny shell in or on top of another shell. I find it adds dimension and visual interest. I also like to use long spiral shells for accents and to fill those tiny spaces.

Shell Cross by Carol Alderman, Rachel Keener and Julie Beddows

You will notice that Julie and Carol chose to add sea glass to their crosses. I love how different each cross comes out, no two are alike. Just as you are creating a one of a kind masterpiece. God took great care in creating each of us perfectly in His eyes. No two of us are alike, not even one other person shares your fingerprints. I hope these crosses will be a reminder of that as you pass by them in your home.

Rachel and Gail showed their creativity by making their crosses standing up. In this case, they started at the bottom of the cross and worked their way up. They made sure that their crosses had a strong foundation by using a large piece of coral or shells.

Once you have glued on all of your shells, and you love the way your cross looks. Smile! You have just created a one of a kind piece of art. 

Shell Cross by Gail Travis

Thank you for taking part in our ladies craft night. It has been a wonderful time of women doing fellowship together.

Rachel and I have put together Shell Cross Kits for those of you who would like to have your own ladies night out. You can purchase them in our Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/WrinklesandGrace . One kit is able to make three shell crosses that includes 3 wood crosses, 3 organizer boxes full of shells and 3 sets of 4 glue sticks. There was still a little room in the box so we put in an extra bag of mixed shells for your group to share. Shipping and handling is on us.

Rachel and I had so much fun making these crosses and in fellowship with other women we wanted to share the joy. 

We hope to inspire other women to create and share their knowledge and gifts with each other.

Happy crafting, Ginny

Sunday's Inspiration