Friday, January 29, 2016

She Takes COPIOUS Notes!!!

This is something my Mom always says about me - and not always in a very flattering manner I must add! When she first starting saying this to me I was pretty sure that copious meant "a lot" but to be sure I looked it up and I had to laugh at the sample sentence they used
co·pi·ous
ˈkōpēəs/
adjective
  1. abundant in supply or quantity.
    "she took copious notes"
    synonyms:abundantsuperabundantplentifulampleprofusefullextensive,generousbumperlavishfulsomeliberal, overflowing, in abundance,manynumerousMore
    • archaic
      profuse in speech or ideas.
      "I had been a little too copious in talking of my country"


Well, it is true - I do take copious notes - always have and always will I am sure. 
Tonight I wanted to share with you how I take my sermon notes since I have been sharing with you all my journaling cards from my sermon notes lately. I have added a lot of pictures to help explain what will sound like a lengthy process, but is really quite easy and convenient for me anyways. For those of you that know me, you know I am really organized and really anal and I really LOVE binders!!!
So let's take a look at how I take my notes and really absorb God's Word spoken to me through my Pastor and my Bible each week. . . 

 This is all of my equipment - 
A = my binder that holds my church bulletins for the year (yes, I save them all)
B = my binder that holds all of my journaling cards (both binders are  A-5 or 1/2 sized binders)
C = my church Bible  all dressed up with it's "Bible belt" that I made
D = my journal that I make more detailed notes in

 This is the inside of my binder for my bulletins.I keep each one in a page protector and use dividers to separate each sermon series so I can easily find them. I use the page protectors so that I don't have to punch holes in my bulletins and I can see both sides easily. 

 This is the Bible I take to church. It is a thin-line ESV Bible (I am typically an NIV Bible reader but my Pastor preaches from an ESV and I get distracted when he is reading from one translation and I am reading another). Because it is so thin it easily fits in my purse so I am not having to carry a bunch of stuff to church. I buy a new Bible every December for the upcoming year and I only use this Bible for my sermon notes. It serves as a great way to keep my notes on scriptures as well as a sort of spiritual journal for the year. This particular Bible runs under $15 so I can easily justify a new Bible each year just for this. Also if you see the 3 skinny ribbons at the bottom  - I add those to the Bible because I hate bookmarks but like to be able to flip back and forth. They are easy to add and I take them out and reuse them in my next Bible each year.

 This is my "Bible Belt" that I made and all of it's goodies. I LOVE this thing!!!
A = the belt its self - it is made out of some fabric, wide elastic and velcro. It has little slots that hold all of my tools securely to my Bible and ensure I have everything I need when I go to church or am sitting at home ready to study. 
B = Is a card I make each year that helps me make markings in my Bible that identify each sermon series at a glance. (more on this later)
C = a highlighter - for highlighting special stand out words on my bulletin and in my Bible
D = Bic stic-pen - for writing on my bulletin and in my journal
E = Micron 02 Pen - I use this to write in my Bible because it doesn't bleed through the thin pages and I have to write so small in my Bible and it gives me nice clean lines and the biggest plus is that it doesn't smear! I used to use a regular pen and it always smeared - YUCK!
F = Crayola Colored Pencil - I use this for highlighting full verses and notes in my Bible. I change the color of the pencil for each sermon series so that I can easily search my Bible for notes and scriptures from a certain sermon series. I use a pencil because you can't see it on the back side of the page like you can with a highlighter and it allows you to still clearly read your Bible - I love these!!!

This is what my Bible looks like on it's way home from church. The little belt also holds my bulletin nice and tight on the way home so it doesn't get wrinkled or lost. It also stays right there until I finish my notes and put it in my binder. 

Okay - so those are all of my "TOOLS" now I will show you how I actually use all of them. . .

 This is a more detailed shot of one of the bulletins. Our Pastor always has "fill-in the blanks" to help with note taking and always adds lots of cross reference scriptures for us to look up on our own (it is 2-sided so there are more fill-in the blanks etc on the back). All the scribbling you see in pen are the notes I take during the sermon while I am at church. But there is always soooo much more to write but I cannot keep up during service so I make little notes and also write things like "listen to this point again". 
All of the blue markings you see are the cross references he gives us - when I get home and actually study I color the scriptures with the colored pencil showing that I have looked them up and marked them in my Bible. This way if I have to stop for some reason I know where I left off. 

 This is my journal that I take all of my "copious notes" in. Remember above I said I make notes like "listen to this point again"? Well, on Mondays (sometimes not until Tuesday) the church uploads the sermon online (complete with the bulletin to print if I have to miss a Sunday) and I watch it again. Now I am in CONTROL!!! I can pause Pastor Ray as many times as I need so I can write my notes and make full thoughts instead of just scratches!
 This is what the inside of my journal looks like - I always date it (I use the sermon date not the date I take the notes) and I list the series name and sermon title as well as the main scripture at the top of the page. 
mostly I do bullet point notes

 This is the inside of my Bible and you can see there is little bit of highlighting to draw attention to that word/phrase and then you also see that there are some red and some blue markings as well as handwritten notes. The red is from the first sermon (not a full series) of the year. The blue markings are the current sermon series "Reboot" This is a 6 week series so for 6 weeks I will use the blue pencil for my markings and then I will change colors. I also band my handwritten notes with the colored pencil so that I know what series those notes came from. Often we will reference a scripture in more than one series of sermons and this keeps my note easy to understand and relate to the topic that was being studied at the time the notes were taken. 

 At the top of the page you see these little marks with the red and blue pencils. These are made using the card I made that sits in my Bible belt - you can see a close up of it below. I slide the card under the page I am reading and the one behind it making sure it is even with the top of the page and then I color a little vertical line that corresponds with the lines on the little card I made. This way I can easily fan the pages of my Bible and see where all of the scripture references are for a particular sermon series. The card is not necessary I guess but it keeps all the little lines in the same place on each page which makes the fanning better - you can see this is a picture towards the bottom that shows last year's finished Bible. 
I make this as soon as I get my Bible and color in every other line with a different color. Then as we start a new series I add the series title and the date started in that colored in area. When we finish the series I add the finished date. 

This is the back of my Bible. My Bible has 6 blank pages in the back and in the front. I use the front for more notes and I use the back to log the different sermons. I write the date and the title, the main scripture reference and a short description. I color code this too!

So, once I have gone to church, got my bulletin, listened to the sermon, listened to it again online, made my notes, read and marked all of the cross references I get to draw! There is always something said in the sermon or a certain scripture that really resonates with my spirit. Something that I really want to sink in deep - something to chew on all week, the big take-away from the sermon. Those are the things that end up on my journaling cards. I try to pray and meditate as I draw - but if I am honest I am not always successful at focusing only on the meaning - I often get distracted by the actual process of drawing. 

So that is how I work what God has to say to me through my Pastor down deep into my heart and into my mind. I am very disciplined about this. Even when I am feeling spiritually dry or struggling with issues in my life - I do not neglect doing this. I especially need to do this when the hard times arise. I need to fill myself up with His Word and His presence even when I don't feel like it or when I don't feel Him close by! 
I also don't think God asks us to go to church and merely sing some songs and warm a pew and check it off of our to-do-list for the week. I think He wants us to worship Him, fellowship with other believers and I believe it is essential to our spiritual growth and strength! 

Hebrew 10: 23 - 25 
23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

I know that while I was away in California this summer for my Granddaughters treatments for her brain tumor I MISSED being at my Church and having that fellowship with my church family! But I was so thankful that my church cares enough to have each sermon online so that I could still be fed that way. And yes - I did this while I was away too. It was harder to do  but I needed it! 

My hope and prayer is that each of you reading this has found a church family of your own that preaches the Word and feeds you well each week!


 Lastly - this is last year's Bible and Bulletin Binder. The little card is all full - the binder is full and the Bible is really full! (this picture shows the blank pages in the front of the Bible that I fill up with extra notes)

 This is what the edges of my Bible look like when you fan the edges. There are 9 different series represented here!

 I love how colorful my Bible looks by the end of the year - and I love going back through it and remembering all that I learned that year.

 There are 2 more pages of this in the back with all of the sermons listed. So even if I don't have my notes or my bulletins I can easily go back and find the scriptures I need to find and refill my tank!
And when i put my Bible on the shelf when the year is over I just paperclip the marking card to the front cover.
I hope you enjoyed  seeing how I take my "copious notes" and I hope it encouraged you to dig a little deeper in God's Word!

Till we meet again. . .

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

You are so VALUABLE!!!!

This is from last Sunday's sermon - Reboot Physically.



One of the scriptures Pastor Ray used was 1Cor 6:19-20 about how we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are not our own and were bought at a great price. It made me start thinking, how valuable I (we) must be to God, that He would pay for something He created Himself!!! I also thought about Eph 2:10 that talks about how we are God's Masterpiece.

Then I looked around my studio and thought "which piece of art that I have created is so valuable to me that I would pay someone just so I could keep it for myself?"

That is just what God did for you and for me!!!

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Are You Ready For Another One?

 This was a statement my pastor made during last week's "Reboot - Emotionally" sermon that prompted the last card I posted. I wanted to somehow get this statement on the last card but I just couldn't. I figure it deserves it's very own card in my journal. 
The last two sermon series Pastor Ray has done (Freedom - the book of Galatians and now Reboot - Restore to Original Settings) have been AMAZING!!! I feel as though most Sundays God is speaking directly to me! Oh wait. . .Braveheart - a study of the book of Judges was awesome too. I guess I am just really lucky to have found such a great church home with a pastor that actually teaches from the Bible! I hope you are just as blessed as I am in your church home!

*I tried a new (for me) letter style on this one and a new pen. I used the Tombow Fudenosuke soft Brush Pen on the "Tasted". I liked it, but It got a little thick in parts - I am so used to using a Micron 05 for this

This next one is from last Sunday's sermon "Reboot - Financially". So now I am all caught up on my sermon cards. . . until Sunday that is! I hope you are enjoying these Sermon Cards and I hope you are hearing God's voice through them - that is the whole reason I am sharing them!

On a side note: I was almost finished with this one tonight when I choked with a mouthful of Pepsi - I thought I could turn my head quick enough - but NOPE!!! ALL over my card!!! Well,I know now that microns really are water ( & Pepsi) proof! 
Have a great weekend! I am taking my first lettering class Saturday - a calligraphy class. I am super excited to learn some new skills and techniques!

till we meet again. . . 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Time to REBOOT!!!

So we have started a new sermon series at church called "Reboot - Restore to Original Settings"
It's only the 3rd week and I am loving it!

This is my Journaling Card from 2 weeks ago - I just finished it today. 
This is where I am finding myself these days - Spiritually dry! I have really been fighting this and have been ashamed to even say it out loud. But after hearing Pastor Ray's sermon I am no longer ashamed. Instead I am determined to pass this TEST and move on! I can find myself in so many of these symptoms and causes. But I am also finding myself living more and more in the cure.

Remember that Jesus knows EVERYTHING you are feeling and suffered EVERYTHING you have. In Matthew 27:46 I see that He knew this particular pain

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”


I think this was to show us what to do when we feel that separation from our Heavenly Father. .
CRY OUT TO GOD!!!

Once you have tasted the Father's presence,
His absence is UNBEARABLE!!!

Monday, January 18, 2016

Do you need some art for your WAR Room???

This is my prayer for 2016!
And my last lettering card from our FREEDOM sermon series at Desert Breeze
What a powerful series it was - I learned so much!


Feel free to print this out for yourself.
(just right click and save as)
It is 8.5 x 5.5

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Little Church Binder Tutorial

Hey friends I wanted to try to do a little photo tutorial on how to make the little Church Binder Covers for those of you that emailed me for the pattern. So let's see how well I do with this. . . 

This is the cover we will be "making" today. Please excuse my photos as I didn't take time to edit them and make them "pretty"

Here are the materials you will need:

Fabrics -
Cover - 17¾" x 11" 
Lining  - 17¾" x 11"
Inside Flaps -2@ 13½" x 11"
Inside Pockets - 2@ 9½" x 7¼"
Handles - 2@ 4" x 14"
Closure Flap - 5½" x 4"

Other -
Heavy Iron-on Interfacing -1@ 16" x 9¼", 2@ 6" x 9¼"
Thread
2" of ½" Sew-in Velcro
Buttons
Fusible Hem tape (for cheaters)
A-5 Binder (Half Size Binder holds 5.5x8.5 paper)

 This is the Cover fabric which is -17¾" x 11"  - although I cheated and made my cover put of 3 pieces of fabric so I could have a contrasting spine or bottom. Just make sure your finished measurements are 17¾" x 11" 

 ·         Iron Interfacing to wrong side of Cover fabric - set aside

 ·         Fold/press Inside Flaps fabric in half wrong sides together (folded size 6¾ x 11)
·         Iron Interfacing to wrong side of Inside Flaps (inside the folds, having interfacing against folded edge and centered top/bottom) See photo above

This is what your Inside Flaps will look like when you are done

·         Fold/press the right raw edge of one Inside Pockets over ¼" towards the back having the original fold at the top do the same on the next Inside Pocket only fold over the left raw edge. (the pocket with the folded right edge will go on the left of your finished cover and the pocket with the left folded raw edge will go on the right of your finished cover)

·         Lay each of the Inside Pocket pieces on top of each of the Inside Flap pieces matching the side folds and the bottom edges
·         Lay each of the Inside Pocket pieces on top of each of the Inside Flap pieces matching the side folds and the bottom edges
NOTE: this picture shows the flaps/pockets laying on top of the lining fabric - don't sew the flaps to the lining yet.

·         On the right Pocket/Flap piece you can sew vertical lines through pocket portion to add pen holders (I do mine 1" apart giving me 6 pockets which are big enough for 2 standard pens or one large marker)
·         Lay the finished Pocket/Flap pieces on the Lining piece matching raw edges there will be a 4¼" blank space between the folded edges of the flaps (the lining is the black/cherry fabric in the center here)
·         Sew flaps to Lining with ¼" seam 


DO NOT sew down the inside edges of the flaps! Sew only around the 4 raw edges of the lining you need the flaps open to place your binder in there! See above picture
·         Set Lining aside 

 ·         Fold/press each Handle Fabric in half lengthwise (2"x14"), open up and press both sides toward inner fold line. Then fold in half on original fold line again and press. You should now have 2 handles that are 1"x14".
·         Top stitch ¼" from edges on each Handle


·         Fold/press ¼" up on bottom edge of Closure Flap fabric then fold/press in half lengthwise. Sew up sides and across top edge with ¼" seam. Clip corners and turn right side out
·         Top stitch ¼" from edges on Closure Flap.


These are the pieces you should have now - 
Your lining with the flaps and pockets attached,
 your cover fabric with interfacing iron to the wrong side,
 2 handles and 1 closure flap top stitched. 
You are already to put this all together!!!

·         Attach Handles and Closure Flap to right-side of Cover fabric. Place Closure Flap at center of one short edge of Cover approx 1½" from raw edge having raw edge of Closure Flap facing raw edge of Cover. Place Handles with ends facing toward raw edge of Cover approx 2" from raw edge and 2" away from each side of Closure Flap. Place second set of Handles on other short edge of cover with the same placement.
·         Attach stiff half of Velcro between the second set of Handles to match the placement on the Closure Flap. NOTE: You see I have added the soft side of the velcro to the closure in this picture - don't do that. Sew it in once you are all finished so you can match up your velcro better!
·         Pin the Handles and Flap to the Cover to keep them out of the way while sewing the Lining to the Cover.

Place the Lining on top of the Cover right-sides together. Pin together 

 leaving a space on short edge that has the Closure Flap for turning. You can see in the photo above I have 2 vertical pins with 1 horizontal pin between them. This lets me know where to start and stop sewing so that I don't accidentally sew the whole thing shut!

stitch lining and cover together with a ½" seam

 Clip corners and trim away some of the thickness 


 Stick your hand in that hole you left and pull it right-side out. Be careful - there are pins in there!!!

 
Yes, it will look like this balled up mess!!! Just take your time straightening it out.

Pick your corners with a pin to get them nice and sharp and press 

·         Now you can either slip-stitch the opening closed OR you can cheat like me and use fusible hem tape and your iron to close it up



·         Pull your handles and Closure Flap up and pin them in place


·         Top stitch ¼" from edge all the way around catching your Handles and Closure Flap up in that stitching  




·         Add your soft velcro to the closure flap. Embellish your Handles and Flap with buttons
·         You are now finished and ready to add your binder to your pretty purse!

The Front

The Inside with binder

The Spine/Bottom

The Back

I hope this made sense and that you will enjoy making your own little Binder Covers!
Hey you can also leave off the handles for a less "cutsie" clutch style - see picture below


Have a great day!!! Till we meet again!