Reach Out To Others

 Hello!  ¡Hola!  It's good to be back blogging after a long week at work.  I am a bi-vocational priest, which means I'm only supposed to work part-time, but some weeks are busier than others.  I'm also a retired school administrator, so it's a blessing to serve the Lord, and still have time to work on my artwork.

Stay Grateful
Try It On Tuesday - Going Round In Circles Challenge
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes Weeks #712-713

Speaking of grateful, I made a card for this fall.  I used the Spellbinders Annie Williams' Country Wheelbarrow, Seasonal Decor, & Garden Builder Cutting Dies Sets; Sizzix Tim Holtz's Leaf Texture embossing folder & Set #1 Embossing Diffuser; Ranger Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink Pad; Pentel Brush Sign Pen; Bomichi Quote Stickers; various colors of card stock; and glue & foam dots.

A Study of Pablo Picasso's
Francoise au Bandeau - 1946
Friday Faceoff - FFO 8/22
What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 846

My Wife and I
iPhone 12 Pro
Antoni Gaudí's Parc Güell

When my wife and I were in Barcelona, we got to visit the Picasso Museum.  There's a plethora of his works from his 8 artistic periods to be explored.  Inspired by that visit, I did a study of one of his drawings in my art journal.  I hand-lettered Psalm 103:1, "Bless the Lord, O my soul", as it was truly a blessing from God to experience all this artwork with my wife.  (BTW, I want to thank Nicole, at FFO, for featuring one of my cards!)

Handy Man Birthday
Freshly Made Sketches #700

We have several birthdays in my family during the Fall season, so I like to plan ahead.  I made these 2 masculine cards for my son-in-law and my oldest daughter's long time boyfriend.  I used a generic die cut set for the miniature tools; a Dymo Embossing Label Maker; a Kraft tag & cord; an assortment of papers and card-stock; and markers to add details to the tools.  (BTW, Congratulations Freshly Made Sketches for your 14 years of Sketches!)

In closing, I'd like to leave you with a passage from my sermon this morning, which was based on Luke 13:10-17:

Pope Francis said that as a young provincial Jesuit in Argentina, he was too authoritarian.  He was too quick to judge.  Over time, he grew and learned to take time to discern, just like we can all evolve to do so as well.

Christian life is not so much about rules as it is about relationships.  It's about a relationship with God and with all our neighbors.  If you don't have a relationship with someone, they won't care if you quote the Bible to them.  But if you have an honest relationship with someone, you probably don’t need to quote the Bible.  That's what loving your neighbors as yourself is all about.

We can be a hospital for all those in need, those who seek physical or emotional healing, and those who are discriminated against by others on the grounds of ethnicity, race, gender, age, or disability, to be seen, touched, and freed by God.  This will empower them to see themselves and others through the eyes of Christ.  Those whom Jesus sees, Jesus touches, Jesus frees.  Like the woman in today’s Gospel, we too can stand up straight, and then reach out to others to help them do the same.  Amen.

Please leave a comment, and I'll be sure to reciprocate by leaving a comment on your blog as well.  Thanks for your visit!  ¡Gracias por su visita!

Shalom,

Arnoldo+