What are you excited about for 2024?
Two of the many things I am excited about are
1) More time with my art and
2) Watching what God will do with these children’s books.
For the last one and half years, the Lord has had me writing a series of children’s books featuring preschoolers who hear and obey God. It is intended to be a Spirit-filled curriculum aimed at the homeschool market. Because I was so engrossed in that project, my art took a backseat. Since that project is winding down, I have the time and mental bandwidth to focus on my art again.
I have signed up for several art classes. I want to challenge myself in watercolor as well as try new mediums. And you get to come along for the ride. I have decided to post my artwork to the blog every other week so that you can enjoy the journey with me. I had previously posted artwork only in my gallery. Now, you will get a piece of art in your inbox every other week. I hope that will be a blessing to you.
The second thing I am excited about is to watch God work His plan and purpose for these children’s books. He gave me the idea in a dream on 5-30-22. I felt overwhelmed and unprepared for the call. It took 5 months of God’ constant encouragement and provision for me to actually make a start on the project. I reread my spiritual journal to create a list of God’s encouragements and provision to share with you. But the list was over three pages long! So, I will summarize for you.
The call to write these books began with a dream. He gave me seven more dreams. Most were encouraging. For example, in two dreams I am in a kitchen trying to feed hungry harvesters and in two dreams I am trying to feed babies. One was a warning dream where God was giving me intel about influencing the next generation and the enemy trying to silence me. In one dream God gave me the plot line for one of the books.
God gave me ideas and answers in prayer and worship too many times to innumerate. On Jan. 5th of 2023, He told me that my theme for the year was the children’s books, and He gave me inspiration and ideas. One time He encouraged me from a song in worship, “I will make it to the end, if I could just see Your face.”
I had four prophetic words from the body of Christ. Every one of them encouraged me that I am on the right path and stick to it.
God gave me three visions and one prophetic act based on visions in worship. The first vision, in Jan. 2023, was of a seed that I had planted. The seed was vibrating with supernatural life, light emanated from it like ripples in a pond. The encouragement from that vision is that the seed WILL sprout; it WILL grow and produce fruit. You can read about the prophetic act in my blog entry on 5-16-2023, entitled "Please Connect the Dots for Me.”
Again, God gave me divine appointments too numerous to count. Some people were to be with me for the whole journey like my prayer warriors, my beta readers, and my professional editor (what a blessing she was!!). Others I met only once to encourage me along the way.
My professional editor and I had our last meeting on Dec. 18th. So, I can pronounce the stories, “Done.” I am still working on the curriculum piece and have decided to add a “Teacher’s Edition” to the series. But my real task this year is to find an agent and a publisher for the series. Since God has led me by the hand this whole journey, I am certain He has a plan. I enter this new year in anticipation for what He has in store. I pray that you too, are entering the new year with an excited about what God is up to in your life.