Creating Postcards - by Sharon King

I am privileged to be on a Sabbatical at the moment. This is giving me time to enjoy new experiences. To think, to listen and to pray. A little while ago a friend challenged me to have a go at designing my own postcards.

I decided to take this further and develop a Bible Study on which I could base the postcards upon.

So far I have prepared two studies, the first one being on Grace. These are the cards I have designed. The format will be that we will study God's Word which will lead us to a deeper meaning of what grace means for us personally.  Then there will be opportunity to create some Bible Journaling of our own, or use the cards I have designed. I will encourage those taking part to colour in the card and as they do, to pray for somebody specifically and if they fill led, to write a short message on the card and then send it to the person concerned.

I am in no ways an artist and I definitely don't draw very well but these are the cards I have designed for the study on Grace.

I have also prepared some cards for a study on Psalm 23.

I hope this encourages you to have a go at something different, and allow God to use you through what you do for Him.

Bible Journaling and Prophecy - by Gill Shaw

I have been painting prophetic pictures for a few years now and last summer learnt about Bible Journaling. Soon I became keen to use art journaling in my own Bible as I continued to paint prophetic pictures too.

As I have never been very neat at writing, but love to paint, my Bible now reflects this and many pages in my Journaling Bible have freehand paintings on them, some with sticker lettering and some with drawn or painted words too.

This is one example. I did the picture of eagles first (from Isaiah 40 ) and then painted it afterwards in my Bibles to remind me of all that God had said to me about waiting, trusting and hoping in Him.

A couple of weeks ago God gave me a picture of galloping horses and this word - 

"When you find things impossible, there I will make things possible. 

When you feel weak I will give you strength. 

Then you will find I take over and struggle becomes victory

 and I take you beyond the reality of can't, 

and to places you never dreamt of before.

 The end of your strength becomes my beginning 

as I lift you up and we run together. 

The waves will not stop us, run through them,

 free with the wind behind us. 

Keep going! Keep going! I am with you,

 your strength, your help, 

all that you need."

I painted the picture first, which is currently hanging on the wall in our church prophetic art gallery. After that I painted a similar picture using acrylic paint into my Bible in Philippians 4, later adding the words, 'I press on towards the goal in Christ'.

I am, along with many others a visual learner, and I find prophetic painting and Bible Journaling are helpful to remember the good things of God, whereas the words on their own may be more easily forgotten. One aspect of prophetic art is a reflection of God speaking in the Bible, displaying the Word and bringing it to life.

I have found it works both ways: I have been inspired by scripture and journaled in my Bible then gone on to paint a prophetic picture for it to speak to others. Or sometime it has been the other way round, I have heard from God and painted a prophetic picture and then gone on to journal it in my Bible. The two examples below show both the Bible Journaling and prophetic pictures for freedom in Christ and the Peace of Christ.