About this blog...

I spent the night considering how to best go about posting on this blog, and still be able to share the experience of getting to know our Father personally with you.

I have decided this is best portrayed in my just talking and sharing Him with you from my daily life.  This type of posting can get personal and open my life to others.  I do not mind this as long as you keep in mind that I am not perfect.  That I also make mistakes, even in my path to becoming more like Him.  Just like when a baby learns to walk, he starts off wabbly, and falls down often.  He still gets back up and tries again.  This is how my walk to be Christlike has take place.  I have learned that eventually, you don't fall down very often.  But, you do find new areas of development that come as we age.  This is also true as we age spiritually.  Welcome to this journey of growing up spiritually to experience a real Heavenly Father.

Cactus Pricks

Hi,

I am going to begin this blog with a thought from a dream.  This was directed to a particular person, however, it also applies to many who will read this.

In this brief dream, I saw a tall, dark green cactus with its many thorns going all the way up.  My eye was led to a beautiful red flower at the top.  I saw someone walking up to the cactus, determined to see the flower.  As he tried to smell and touch the seemingly irresistible flower, his finger was pricked, with a drop of blood.  He quickly pulled his hand back and tended the prick.  However, he could not resist trying again to get to the flower.  This continued until his hand was bleeding and really sore.  A few times, he actually reached the flower, but after a while, he was getting pricked continually.  He could not seem to resist this flower, even though he was hurt from trying to touch it.

This reminds me of the world.  As children of God, we often see, seemingly harmless, things in the world.  We step in to touch and smell, and it did not seem to affect us much at first.  So, we continue, until we get deeper and deeper, becoming desensitized to the hurt it is pushing us further into.  The devil is so subtle, that we often do not know that we have stepped not just onto the fence, but over to the other side until it is too late.  He dangles what looks good and harmless just like a carrot right in front of us.  And most often, we tend to follow it until we look around and cannot seem to figure out how we got where we are.  We often tend to not even realize we are in trouble until the pain is so bad that we have hit rock bottom.

I am so glad He is a merciful and forgiving God, patient with us.  There is only one way to keep from falling into this trap.  That is to know your Heavenly Father, His character, His voice, His love.  It is through knowing Him intimately that we are able to recognize the fake, the false.

My favorite verses are Proverbs 3:5&6:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He will make your path smooth and straight"  (paraphrased from a few different translations).  It is only when you know someone, have a relationship with them, a close relationship, that you can truly trust them.

Meditate on these verses for a while.  I will continue and add to this thought in my next post.

Blessings,
---joy

Children at Play in China

The latest drawing is finished.  I finished it in Hong Kong during my week stay there this past week.  In China, there are parks in every apartment complex and many areas of the cities, to encourage exercise.  Most of the equipment is designed not just for children, but to be used as exercise equipment for adults.  Every morning, adults can be seen in the park walking and using the equipment to tone muscles.  Children use the equipment to play and burn off energy.  

Drawing in progress....

Children at Play, China 8.19.2010

These girls were playing in a park off the Pearl River in Fangcun, Guangzhou, China.  I also have a reference photo of a few more children playing jump rope, and riding bikes.  I hope to draw these in the future, as time allows.

Joy's New "How to Draw" Squidoo Lens

Here is my latest Squidoo lens:  How to draw a stemmed rose held in hand.  The final drawing is this stemmed rose based on 2 Cor. 2:15.


How to draw a stemmed rose in hand

Joy's new "How to Draw a Baby's Portrait" site....

I have a new Squidoo Lens for you to check out....  I have decided to use my drawing skills to teach others how to draw by way of the internet free.  Here is the first site "How to draw a Baby's Portrait"

How to Draw a Baby's Portrait

 
Thank you for your prayers and support! 
Blessings,
joy neasley
P.S. -- if you want to make a donation to the ministry account, the fastest way is to click on this link and make an online donation.  Simply click here and select my name: www.WorldOutreach.org/donations.  Or, mail your check to World Outreach, PO Box B, Marietta GA 30061.