Awaken the Artist Within!!!!

"Art is when we do work that matters in a creative way,

in a way that touches [people] and changes them for the better."

~Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur

 

This week we are covering the very first, very short chapter entitled "Awake" in our book, A Million Little Ways.  Emily shares her "Sarah experience" and explains that through the creativity and generosity of artists like Sarah who "live" in their giftedness, we see things we might have otherwise missed.  I had a unique "Sarah experience" of my own recently that really blessed me and opened my eyes to the joy that comes when you share your "art" with others.

I don't know if my cousins, Dan and Barb, consider themselves artists...probably not, at least not in the way I perceive them to be, but I was blessed to witness the love and passion they have for their land and everything on it, and that was art to me.  Dan and Barb live on a ranch at the foot of the Short Pine Buttes in South Dakota.  A unique piece of property with a rich history that spans before recorded time.  The day I spent with them was filled to the brim with experiences I honestly had never had, and it left me wanting more.  Their passion for this land was contagious...from the cattle they raise, including a few pet milk cows and their calves who eat with reckless abandon from your hand,  to the Pony Express Trail that winds up the mountainside to the Indian camps and buffalo jumps that allow you to vividly imagine teepees, buffalo and a people busy at their own "art."  That day I saw a tiny calf not more than thirty minutes old, nine piglets with their muddy mama, beautiful spotted curlew eggs lying in a nest on the prairie floor, the weather-beaten, collapsed hideout of a notorious outlaw, mysterious "fairy rings" in the grass, a pine tree denuded of bark by a porcupine, and "The Names," a steep, rock outcropping where names one hundred years old have been etched into the soft, white stone.  With excitement, Dan read off names and dates as familiar to him as his own.  We climbed to the peak of a ridge, following the ruts of a Pony Express Trail, eating sweet, wild onions and wild celery along the way.  All of this was only part of a glorious day filled with wonder.  What Dan and Barb did not realize is that each moment, each new experience was a colorful, beautiful stroke upon the canvas of that memorable day. It awakened a desire in me to create in the home that I have something that can be beautiful, unique and memorable that will bless those who visit.

And that is exactly what artists do.  They leave you in wonder, wanting more.  Dan and Barb are artists unaware.  They generously share their love for the beautiful land they own with excitement and great joy.  That evening as we left Dan said, "Come back next week...there is more to see!"  Those are the words of an artist:).

Dan and his bulls

Mama and her brand new calf

The Buffalo Jumps

View from the Short Pines Buttes

The Names

Curlew eggs

Simply beautiful

The hideout

Mama pig

And her piglets

So that is my example of someone who "lives" the art they were made to create.    Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts on the beginning chapter of this study, and share with us your "moment when you were moved by the heart of an artist."

Blessings to you as you awaken the artist within!!!

Love,

Cherri

Summer Book Blog Giveaway of "A Million Little Ways"!!!!!!!!

Hello Girls!!!!!!

I hope you had a wonderful year.  Mine was, well, C R A Z Y-and not in the good, fun way...(I'm all over that kind of crazy:); however, the sweet Lord was with me through all the difficulties I encountered and there were blessings along the way as well.  God IS good even in the midst of the hardships we face...of that He has proven Himself trustworthy again and again.  All of that to say:  I AM READY FOR THE SUMMER AND HANGING OUT WITH YOU!!!!  This summer we will be reading a book together that is very unique in style and content, and I think you will love it!

Every year the Lord finds the perfect book for us.  Most of the time it is through friends who tell me of a book they have really enjoyed, but this year is a little different.  Amazon suggested this book.  No kidding!!!  I was looking for a book and had actually ordered few to take a look at; but, after a quick scan, I knew they were not "the one."  Then one afternoon as I was perusing books, Amazon put a book on my page as a "featured recommendation."  They must know me better than I realized because as I read the description, I thought..."I need to give this book a try."  I am so glad I did!  From the moment I began to read, I realized this book would be become one of my favorites.  
  
Soooooo here is the BIG REVEAL!!!!  Beginning the first week in June, we will be reading and discussing Emily P. Freeman's book, A Million Little Ways~Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live. 

 

This is unlike any other book we have done in the past on this blog. First, there is no homework.  This will make some of you happy and others of you disappointed.  Let me assure you...there will be plenty to do and plenty to talk about.  Secondly, Emily is a beautiful and unique writer...and I truly mean B E A U T I F U L and U N I Q U E.  Let me give you a little taste:


"South Carolina is the home to some of the most audacious trees I've ever met.  These old men with their mossy gray hanging beards seem to behave all wrong for trees.  They have trunks, and that seems right. But here is where the rightness ends.  Their branches start at normal places, but then reach out, around, twist and tangle all the way to the ground, out nearly as far as the tree is tall.

It's as if they've spent a lifetime declaring God's glory, but their arms grew tired.  So they found another way to worship, to reflect the glory of God.  It's different, but no less beautiful."

See what I mean?  She had me at that very first sentence.  She "meets" trees and calls them "audacious":)  I can definitely hang-out over the summer months with someone like that!  

I am not the only fan.  I love what these ladies had to say about A Million Little Ways.  Ann Voskamp said this: "Emily Freeman's luminous words  hand you your rightful birthright.  Read them and exhale.  These pages just might wow you awake to who you are meant to be."  And Myquillyn Smith says it this way:  "Enjoy your last day of wondering if what you do really matters, because this book will forever change the way you see everything you do, from the mundane nightly dishes to your most risky creative endeavor." 

I completely agree.  I found myself continually 
sharing with others...including my dear husband what I was learning through the pages of this book.  In fact, I think it just might be the first book I actually drained a highlighter on:)------------>

So I would love to have you join me on the pages of this blog during the summer as we discover that we are God's "masterpiece" and there are "a million little ways" to live a life that brings joy and fulfillment to us, blesses everyone around us and reflects and glorifies the God we love and serve.  What could be better????  Believe me when I tell you that this is an adventure you do not want to miss.

To have some fun and connect before the summer begins, I will be giving away two copies of A Million Little Ways.  All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment on this post between now and Sunday, May 18.  Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling us a little bit about yourself and why you are joining the blogosphere this summer:).  I will announce the winners of the drawing on Monday, May 19, in time for you to receive the book for the study.  I may even throw in a purple highlighter:).

For information on how to get connected with us on the blog this summer, take a look at the post "How to Use and Enjoy This Blog" at the right.  You will have to create a gmail account in order to post to this blog.  Why, you ask????  I have NO clue!  I had to have one to begin this blog, but then they allowed me to use my hotmail account as my primary email!  It is surely one of the unsolved mysteries of life.  Please email me if you have trouble and I will ask my blogging expert daughter-in-law, Jen, to give us a hand...LOVE that girl!!!!

Blessings on you, my sweet girlfriends! 

Love,

Cherri

P. S.--A Million Little Ways is available at Amazon and Dayspring.com. 

To leave you with a smile on your face, here is a cute promo video for the book.  Enjoy!!!!