Free Art Friday Winner

First let me say, "thanks" to each of you who entered Free Art Friday. If you didn't win today please keep trying. Don't get discouraged. I will continue to give away free art!

Free Art Friday exists to thank my followers for supporting the blogging ministry of Joy Treasure. If you have been blessed by the blog, please tell your family and friends about Joy Treasure.

Stay tuned for next week-I am giving away TWO small 6x6 canvas' for mother's day that you can put on a small easel on a table. The winner next week will win one for themselves and one for their mother.

This week's Free Art Friday goes to.........

Congratulations Gina!

Free Art Friday this Friday

This week's free Art Friday focuses on loving God with ALL your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:6 says, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Loving God means we seek Him daily and surrender our lives to His truth and commandments. It's keeping Him as our first thought, best thought and honoring Him by living our lives as a sacrifice to give Him glory and point others to His finished work on the cross.

Free Art Friday begins today, Wednesday April 27th at 11am and will run through Thursday April 28th 9pm. You have to be a follower of the blog to enter for this painting. To become a follower of Joy Treasure see the sidebar on how to join. You can join through Face book, yahoo, google, and twitter. All followers must enter their name for this painting by clicking on the comment section in THIS post. Follow the prompting of the comment box.

 I will gather all the names posted in the comments of this post and my son will draw your name out of a bowl on Friday morning April 29th. The winner will be posted on the blog at 9:30am Friday morning.

This Free Art Friday is simply a "thank you" for supporting the blogging ministry of Joy Treasure.

Free Art Friday Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered this week's Free Art Friday. I have had lots of fun in my studio this week coming up with some new stuff to give away. I hope you'll come back to see what I have to give away next week. Don't get discouraged if you didn't win. Just keep trying and tell your friends!
If you didn't win this week, please come back next week. I have more artwork to give away!

Very excited about a Mother's Day give away in May.
The Free Art Friday winner on May 6th will win two paintings: one for yourself and one for your mother. Cool!

Here are the results for today's winner.
My son drew the name.
Here are the pictures so you know I'm honest.

                           Congratulations Carol! I'll be putting it in the mail to you this weekend.

Thanks to everyone who supports the blogging ministry of Joy Treasure. I pray you are encouraged in the LORD by the content of the blog. Blessings to everyone this Good Friday.

What is Maundy Thursday?

I grew up unaware of some of the origins of the names for Passion week. I knew about Good Friday and Easter of course, but my childhood church never talked about Maundy Thursday. My current church is having a Maundy Thursday evening service as well as a Good Friday service. But I've had a lot of people ask me, "What is Maundy Thursday?" I found this site and thought it was helpful in understanding the orgins of Maundy Thursday. Hope you Enjoy!

He is Risen!

What is Maundy Thursday?

Just for Women Wednesdays- JESUS:A Woman's Greatest Hope

Women can easily put their hope in a lot of things in this world. We hope the new makeup we purchased will make us look and feel better. We hope each morning our hair will look good. We hope to be included with a gathering of other women. Some women look for a physician to give them the hope of having children. Some women are hoping for the doctor to fix their health issues and hope the medicine given to them will work. Some women are hoping for a husband, while others are hoping their husband will come to know Jesus. Some women are hoping for acknowledgment of a job "well done" at work. Some women are hoping for better tomorrows. Some women are hoping to have more purpose in their life. Some women are hoping for restoration to broken relationships while some women are hoping for their children return to the Lord. We are always hoping for something in this life. But as believers, WE HAVE THE GREATEST HOPE EVERYDAY: JESUS CHRIST.

Our greatest hope is Jesus. He is the One who conquered death and brings life and light to our lifeless hearts. When we are discouraged, Psalm 43:5 says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,..."

When we get easily discouraged and place our fcous on the things of this world or look to the people in our life to bring hope to our hearts, we are missing the finished work of the cross. We are overlooking the hope Jesus came to bring to our hearts. We should hope in God when we don't have an answer to our question, when our health issues can't be determined, when a relationship seems it will never be restored. When life isn't looking good, we shouldn't forget to remember and remind ourselves of a greater hope yet to come- HEAVEN. If this world never brings us better times, we still have the hope of heaven, the hope of eternity, of salvation- the hope unbelievers don't have because they don't know Jesus.

Believers always have hope.

This Easter week, thank God for the hope Jesus gave you through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is REAL hope!

Free Art Friday This Friday!

Thinking about the cross and the resurrection- the reason I have for living! We sing this song in choir and I find myself just bursting out singing this phrase from time to time. This is on my mind a lot this week so I wanted to remind you all of the joy we have in Christ Jesus and to be thankful for ALL He has given us through the finished work of the cross.

This painting will be given away Friday morning, April 22nd at 9:30am to followers of the Joy Treasure blog. (You can join Joy Treasure through face book, twitter, yahoo and google. See the sidebars on how to join the blog.)

Followers interested in being a part of this Free Art Friday need to leave their name in the comment box below this post.Simply open this post 's comment page below, write your name in the comment box. Follow the instructions as the comment box prompts you. Free Art Friday begins TODAY, April 19th at 9am and will run through Thursday April 21st 9pm. My son has been drawing the names out of a bowl Friday morning.
This is my appreciation to those who follow the blog and support the blogging ministry of Joy Treasure.  Joy 2 U!

Don't Forget to Check This Out!

Just added my favorite song to the favorite song of the week page: "We Will Remember." The song is sung by the Prestonwood Choir and I have sung it with my choir too. Love these words!! I am singing them continually to myself as I prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of my risen Savior Jesus Christ. Hope you will click on to it and enjoy it as well. He is Risen!

Free Art Friday Winner

Congrats Ashley! Thanks for following Joy Treasure. May you be encouraged in the LORD every time you look at this painting.

I have had so much fun with Free Art Friday, that I will be continuing Free Art Friday for the next four Fridays. Don't get discouraged if you didn't win today. Keep trying! You have to enter your name in the Free Art Friday post to be eligible to win.

Love you all and thank God that I can share my heart for the LORD with you all here at the Joy Treasure Blog.

I pray you are always encouraged in the LORD when you come to this blog.

Happy Friday!

Free Art Friday Painting

This is the Free Art Friday painting my son will be drawing names for this morning at 9:30am. Stay tuned to Joy Treasure to see if you are the winner.

Free Art Friday! And the Winner is..........

And the first winner is:

And the second winner is:

Free Art Friday- Remember and Rejoice

Hey friends!
Thanks to everyone who placed their name in the post. I LOVED hearing from you all! Thank you!!!
Sorry I didn't get to post the pics earlier today. Here they are now- pics of the TWO pieces of art I'm giving away in the morning. Hope you all enjoy!

First piece my son will draw in the am: Remember

Second piece of art my son will draw: Rejoice

I give away art to encourage believers in their walk with the LORD. My prayer is that each time you look at a piece of  my art you would meditate on the love, forgiveness and joy in Jesus Christ!

 Blessings to you all and Happy early Friday!!! Thanks to EVERYONE who commented for Free Art Friday!  See you in the am at 9am!

Free Art Friday coming This Friday!

Free Art Friday begins today!!!!! To be able to be eligible, you have to be follower of Joy Treasure either through Facebook or through Twitter, Yahoo or google. Directions for joining the blog are in the sidebar.

To win a paintingIf you are already a follower of Joy Treasure, you do have to write your name in the comment of this post if you want me to put your name in the bowl. Otherwise I will not know you are interested in winning the painting. Simply go to the comment section of this post and write your name. I will take all the names in the post and put them in a bowl and will draw them on Friday morning. You can only sign your name once in this post.

You have TWO chances to win this week!

Free Art Friday will be open from 9am today and run through 9pm Thursday April 7th. After that it's over! I will let my son draw the names out of the bowl. I have two paintings size 8x8 that you can place on a table in a small easel.

Free Art Friday begins now!

Free Art Friday coming next week!

Free Art Friday winner will be chosen Friday morning April 8th.

Free Art Friday will begin on Tuesday April 5th and run through Thursday April 7th.

Stay tuned to Joy Treasure for more on Tuesday!

Bluetree "God of this City" Story

I love the song, "God of this City." We sing it in church sometimes. The story behind it will amaze you at how God works. PLEASE take three minutes to hear the story behind the song. I promise you will be blessed today!
HAPPY FRIDAY!

Abandoned

My favorite devotional is ,"My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It was a Christmas present given to me 11 years ago by my aunt and uncle.

On April 28th Oswald writes, "Are you prepared to let God take you into union with Himself, and pay no more attention to what you call great things? Are you prepared to abandon entirely and let go? The test of abandonment is refusing to say--"Well what about this?" Beware of suppositions. Immediately you allow--What about this?-- it means you have not abandoned, you really do not trust God. Immmediately you do abandon, you think no more about what God is going to do. Abandon means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions.

How many times do we find ourselves saying, "well, what about this?"

My human nature wants to ask 'why' because my human nature is selfish. At the heart of selfishness is a desire to be in control and rely on self and not on God. God doesn't want me to rely on myself. I am sinful. He wants me to depend on Him and His limitless ability.

Instead of asking "why or what" say "yes Lord." Imagine what can happen when you and I truly abandon the luxury of asking questions and fall toward trusting God and his Word.

Let me hear from you about this application in abandonment. What does this look like in your life?