You are invited...
Penelope In My Pocket is having a Christmas Party!
Saturday December 18, 2010 2-4 pm at
Penelope’s Workshop
15960 Santa Fe Trail Leavenworth, KS 66048
All guests attending will automatically be entered in a drawing to win this original watercolor painting titled: "
Matthew 25"
This painting is presented in a beautiful 8x10" frame.
You are invited to come do some last minute shopping in the artist's studio (my kitchen/living room, that is) before the Big Day. (Meaning Christmas Day!)
Enjoy some lovely refreshments with some equally lovely company. Yeah, I am talking about ladies who love art and love pretty things made from art! (Of course, guys can come too.)
Tons of goodies... bookmarks, coffee mugs, earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces in all sizes and shapes, hair clips, ornaments, paper flowers, original paintings and much more!!! All starting as low as $2! And all made from whimsical and colorful artwork!
I really hesitate to try to market myself to my friends... I mean, I don't want to come across like I am using my friendships to sell stuff.
Can I share a few secrets with you?
I don't know what the future holds but in the next few years I hope to enlarge my art business to be able to fully support my family. Right now, I am only able to bring in part of what we need to supplement my income. I am not sure what God wants me to do but I know it will have to do with art. That is why I am exploring all the different ways I am able to market this thing that I do. I want to be faithful to what He has given me to do. It is an exciting journey and I invite you to join me!
Anyway, we will see how it goes!
Another thing that I am passionate about is the biblical call to put into action what we believe. That being to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, stand up for justice, care for the widow & orphan, and be a voice for those with no voice. My church has really caught this vision.
As Christ-Followers there is no way we can represent Jesus if these things aren't what moves us. I know I can't do much by myself. But I can do what I can to be a part of something bigger than myself! Last week at church there was this awesome speech by our missions pastor about what Westside Family Church is doing to fulfill these needs. I need to get re-fired up every once in a while. This was exactly the pep talk I needed to be reminded of what I can personally do to ease the suffering of people in the world.
Our pastor showed a picture of a baby with full blown AIDS. She didn't even look human. More like a baby animal. My heart broke! The baby could have been saved with a $5 dose of medicine. But $5 was a month's wages for the baby's mother. The baby died. All I could think about was how that little life mattered. And how that child deserved someone to notice the color of her eyes, the way she lit up when she did her favorite thing, someone to see her worth in the world. The same way I cherish the special things about my kids. But somehow, there are baby's thrown away in the world like they are not as important as even an animal. I am not saying this particular baby was not loved, but I know it is true that many children are not. There are so many more heartbreaking things I could tell you. The fact that humans in America are being sold into slavery. Mainly, children. Sexual Slavery. And it is not on the west and east coast. Kansas City is the hub for sex trafficking in the U.S. I can't even believe or imagine the horrors that are going on behind closed doors in our city. These hurting children need a voice. Well, I am so relieved to say that there are people joining together to stop these tragedies. My church Westside Family (based in Lenexa, KS) is launching an initiative to share God's love with those in need. It is called Impact 2011. I plan to raise all the support I can to give to this organized response toward solutions for suffering. The giving supports these specific causes: justice, orphan care, spiritual restoration, education, poverty, and health.
Many people wonder how God can sit back and let suffering go on in the world. Why doesn't he DO SOMETHING about it? Well, have you ever thought that maybe WE are His answer? He is using His body of Christ-Followers to be a solution.
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." - Matthew 25
So if you like art and you also have a passion to help the hurting: here is a fun thing you can do!
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