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Taken from Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado. God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

@cosmicfunnies @babyimlosingit @cottonpuffmouse

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— Nizar Qabbani

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Throughout scripture, the face of God the Father is always hidden. Masked in blinding light, or turned away. It's a glorious secret to humanity, too wonderful and Holy for our fallen eyes to behold. But one day we will see His face.

"For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigmal, but then [when the time of perfection] face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as l have been fully known [by God]." —1 Corinthians 13:12 AMP

Sometimes I imagine what that moment will be like.

Will he be so beautiful I weep? Will he be so magnificent and terrifying, that I crumble before Him in reverent fear? Will he be as expansive as the endless galaxies, that no matter how much I look I cannot fathom him?

More than anything I think He will be familiar. Utterly familiar, as if I've seen him all my life, in every face. In my own face. I imagine being washed over with a feeling of homecoming-like when I was a little girl and would fell asleep on a long drive, to somehow awaken as we turned onto the street of my childhood home. Maybe I will reach up and touch his cheek, look into the eyes of my God and whisper, "Oh yes, You. I know You." On first glimpse, He might look so very human—more human than l'd expect. But on contemplation I might realize "No, God does not look like me, but I look like Him."

Perhaps only then will I fully comprehend what it means to be the image of God.

— Anna Miriam Brown

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Your Quiet Time - Part 3

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Taken from Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado. God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

@cosmicfunnies @babyimlosingit @cottonpuffmouse

[onethousandwords]

[onethousandwords]

Taken from Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado. God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

@cosmicfunnies @babyimlosingt @cottonpuffmouse

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It saddens me that Neil Degrasse Tyson, a man who was gifted by God with a love of learning and a desire to encourage others, has talked about how we, as human beings, are made of stardust and yet does not believe in God who formed man from dust. He can see and be in awe of the wonders of the universe, but he doesn't see and isn't in awe of the God who created those wonders - who is vastly more wondrous and unsearchable than the universe itself.

It's hard for a man of science to believe in the account of creation when it flies in the face of what we've learned, but I think what we've learned bears pondering along with the creation account. Because I think about something I read once, and I am by no means a physicist, but... It was something along the lines of how someone was looking through a powerful telescope at a star exploding - something that took place billions of years ago, but they were looking at it that day in what we call the modern day - not billions of years ago. I think it's a fairly similar account with creation. For us, it was a long time, but for God, it is was only seven days.

This is even alluded to in the Bible in Psalm 90 and 2 Peter 3 - a thousand years is like a day for the Lord. I'm not sure the thousand is a literal thousand because I don't think people were all that concerned with counting up to the millions and whatnot back then - I think a thousand years was just meant to denote a long time. It's similar to the account of Jesus telling Peter how many times he should forgive his brother in Matthew 18. Peter ventures forth the number 7, and Jesus replies with 70 times 7 which is a large number we wouldn't be able to keep track of in our day to day interaction - meaning we should always forgive, and we shouldn't keep a record of wrongs.

I know these things are hard to contend with, but I don't think they should be so easily dismissed. Also, Neil talks about how the more he learns about the universe, the more he's convinced there is no benevolent force at work, but... How can that be?

Is it not astonishing how our moon is just the right distance away from Earth? Or how we did not end up in an area of the universe that is being sucked into a blackhole? How we are in the habitable zone (which is not an easy feat) just far away from our sun but not too far? How we're also protected from asteroids because of the way the planets in our solar system are arranged? I dunno. Seems benevolent to me.

I really like Neil Degrasse Tyson. I hope he finds Jesus somehow.

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Taken from Prayer That Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian. God bless, Jesus loves you ✝️❤️

@cosmicfunnies @babyimlosingit @cottonpuffmouse

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“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8

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Here’s a piece I created for an art show that’s based off an inktober piece I did last year! I was originally inspired by the prompt “dream”, along with a few passages of scripture that talk about our peace being in the Lord! I settled on Psalm 4:8 since it really encapsulates this piece so well!

I realize lately that many of my pieces have a direct inspiration to a verse or account in scripture. I really enjoy bringing the Bible to life in a more fantastical sort of way. Certain verses/biblical accounts just spark such vivid imagery for me. I love symbolism so much. I use it heavily in my other illustrations. I just love weaving a story into what I create—even if the themes are more abstract. Idk if any of this makes sense 😂 it’s hard to put into words!

For the rest of the piece, I wanted the color palette to feel cohesive. I leaned into the cooler tones for this so it all tied together well. I imagine the longer the character dreams, the more she becomes apart of it, hence her hair slowly forming into the clouds around her! It felt very fitting for the vibe I wanted!

If you wanna see the ink version, check it out under the cut below!

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Both of these versions will be available as prints in my shop once I open my storefront again!! 👀

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God's Fingerprints in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic itself does not make any mention of God, but it is a good show, especially for children and even for some adults, to learn about various issues in relationships (friendships in particular) and how to handle them. It also has bad guys which are defeated by the power of friendship and Elements of Harmony. Some of those bad guys are also later redeemed through forgiveness and learning their own friendship lessons. I believe that behavior is distinctly Christ-like because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and is faithful to forgive us if we confess to Him.

Even if you don't know anything or much about the show, you can see just from the outset that it is conveying messages that would be pleasing to God - messages involving friendship, hope, forgiveness, and how to make peace when there's a conflict among friends. But it goes even further than that: Each pony possesses a different Element of Harmony (which take the shape of a magical artifact in the show) according to how they persevere best. There are six total, and most of them correspond to the fruits of the Spirit Paul talked about or to something else that God would highly value.

For a refresher, the fruits of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23 are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Elements of Harmony meanwhile are Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. You can see that the kindness and generosity elements are directly related to the fruits of the Spirit, but I believe the others can be related as well.

For instance, Laughter corresponds to Joy, and the pony in possession of it is Pinkie Pie who could be considered a very joyful pony - she even has a song called "Smile, Smile, Smile." The fact that this is repeated three times is even more delightful since the number three puts one in mind of the Triune God - three in one.

Then, there's Loyalty which can correspond to Faithfulness. The pony in possession of this element is Rainbow Dash who has a strong loyalty to her friends, doesn't know how to give up, and pursues her dreams without wavering. Of course, Faithfulness being the fruit of the Spirit, we're called to be loyal to our God above all else - even above our own family and friends. That can be a difficult concept to grapple with, but it is important that we do grapple with that.

Then, there's the element of magic - which would seem not to correspond to any of the fruits of the Spirit. Buuuuuuut.... Remember, in the title, "Friendship is Magic." So, technically, the element of magic is also the element of friendship. Friendship is a form of love which is a fruit of the spirit. Additionally, the pony who wields the element of magic is known for doing her best to keep the peace with all of her friends. So, it can technically correspond to two fruits of the Spirit: love and peace.

The last element I'll talk about is the element of Honesty which doesn't seem to correspond to any of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul specifically wrote about, but it's still a vital component to the Christian faith. The element of Honesty is possessed by a pony named Applejack. And I think it's a little funny that Applejack actually runs an apple orchard farm with her family, and we're talking about the fruits of the Spirit.

But as I said, Honesty is important. We can trust in God's words to be truth, and Christians are called to live a life embodying that truth and do our best to be truthful. Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. And maybe, just maybe, He likes colorful ponies who have friendship lessons and adventures with each other.

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"Father, thank You for never leaving nor forsaking me. Please help me believe that You’re going to take care of my needs. I choose to trust You to do what I can’t do because nothing is impossible for You. In Jesus Name, amen."

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We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.

- A.W. Tozer

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maturing is realizing that some people should never be forgiven

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Christian Elements in Gravity Falls, Part Two

See the first part here

I think we've covered most of the self-sacrificial theme I wanted to cover that occur in Gravity Falls, and I touched briefly on forgiveness. But I want to touch on it again particularly when it comes to Ford Pines.

This character, largely due to his pride (and while there are definitely a whole host of complicated reasons Ford has such issues relating to his father and Bill's manipulations - it can't be argued that this is a major issue for him), burns his bridges. He does it first and repeatedly with Stanley (though, Stan has his own issues, too - I'll acknowledge that - this is not a debate about which sibling is "better" - both of them have their good qualities and their flaws and needed forgiveness at some point), and then with Fiddleford (who is arguably a sweeter character but still flawed himself).

He's really at a point in his life where any forgiveness given to him would be unearned because of the actions he's taken in his life. He refused to talk to Stanley for over ten years over a broken science project, his fight with his brother due to prioritizing his work over his family leads to Stanley being branded (and though he expresses remorse over this - later circumstances lead him unable to make amends), the first thing he does when his brother brings him back is punch him in the face, he threatens to uproot Stan's entire life, he risks the entire world because he has to get in the last word.

And yet, when he reaches out to Stan, Stan forgives him (in all except one instance which also put the world at risk).

Let's go to Fiddleford. We get more insight about this character in Journal 3. We learn, for instance, that he crosses himself while stepping over graves, chastises Ford for saying "what the devil" and would likely disapprove of "black magic." This, and the fact he comes from Tennessee which is in the Bible Belt, would suggest he is Christian (the crossing himself part would suggest Catholicism). We learn that he's very giving and self-sacrificial.

You see this in particular with his relationship with Ford - he sets aside his own personal projects and his business to help Ford with his project, he puts up with traumatizing event after traumatizing event to help him, he works for three days without breaks to help Ford organize his research. He does this with other people as well - in Journal 3, you see him helping the carnival by fixing gears on the ferris wheel and listening to a fearful Ivan Wexler and while he definitely chose the wrong person to help, he also helped Gideon with his Gideon-bot. The lantern bit I mentioned in the first part of this also bears mentioning again.

Fiddleford is a helpful person - exactly the kind of person you'd expect to help a stranger broken down on the side of the road. Hebrews 13:16 - "Do not forget to do good and share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

It sounds like Fiddleford really took that to heart. However, it seems he might have forgotten the part about how he is being sent as "sheep among wolves. So, be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16

It also seems in the midst of his fears and trauma, he didn't turn to his faith for help - instead, he turned to his memory-erasing gun (which has at times been seen as a metaphor for substance abuse) and destroyed much of his life. Ford had a hand in Fiddleford's decline (though, Fiddleford is also ultimately responsible for his own choices).

And yet, when Ford comes to him recognizing the wrong he's done Fiddleford (Ford took Fiddleford's self-sacrifices for granted, continually exposed him to dangerous situations, refused to listen to his warnings, refused his help), he is forgiven.

This unearned forgiveness and love that Stan and Fiddleford display to Ford are barely even a fraction of the unearned forgiveness and love Jesus Christ shows us when we come to him to ask for forgiveness of our sins and believe in his death on the cross and his resurrection and trust in Him to save us from damnation and death.

A couple of more minor things that I thought were interesting in Gravity Falls and pertain to Fiddleford's character. One thing I thought was interesting was how, as Old Man McGucket, he seems to have taken comfort and refuge in a church (broken down as it is). While it's possible he's forgotten a lot of things, maybe there's still a part of him that trusts God and remembers Him.

The next thing, at the end of the show, Fiddleford gets to move into a mansion which is sort of the show's way of making up for the trouble it put him through as well as rewarding him for his part in helping take down the main villain, Bill Cipher.

For some reason, it reminded me of a specific Bible verse:

John 14:2-3 - "In my Father's house, there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself. That where I am, there you may be also."

So, I thought it was fitting that Fiddleford moved into a mansion at the end.

Though, I will add just as a matter of personal preference, I enjoy the translations of the Bible where rooms is used instead of mansions. Because it puts me in mind of this grand, beautiful house with many rooms, and many people including myself who have our own room, and there's this concept of "family togetherness."

Alex Hirsch put through a concept of people being "honorary members of the Pines family" which is good and sweet and kind. But how much better and sweeter and kinder is it to be a member of God's family? A loving, good, and merciful God who is waiting with open arms to accept anyone who comes to Him.

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When you feel like you are drowning in an ocean of stress, remember your Savior walks on water.