Do you ever feel like you are coming apart?

I do, too! Sometimes, life gets too overwhelming that I just want to crawl under my bed and binge watch on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Well, don't do that! Don't waste your life watching, instead of doing. Steve Jobs once said that the most precious resource we have is time.

Did you know that you can lead a happier and fulfilling life if you know how to use your time better? You can read more about how the concept of time can affect who you are and your lifestyle in "The Time Paradox" by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd.

In the meantime, check out my YouTube video  on how to fill out My GSD Planner tutorial here (forgive me, I am not a master at video making or editing.)   You can also download the planner here.  I created My GSD Planner, because I needed to use my time wisely and Get Stuff Done!

I tell myself the following to boost my energy and mindset:

• I am fun to be around.
• I am creative.
• I use my time wisely.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next week!

Getting Stuff Done Planner

Okay, it’s the end of 2017 and we all have our resolution list. To help me stick to my resolutions and to plan my time better, I created this planner/scheduler to help keep me on track.  Feel free to copies it or you can send me an email requesting the original PDF at iyasuart at gmail dot com.  I work full time at a hospital with one and a half hour commute each way on the subway - even though the hospital is only 5 miles from home. Ahhh, life in New York. 

Unless I become the COO or CEO at this hospital, I don’t think I will ever make enough money to retire at a reasonable age.  In order to save enough to retire, my goal for 2018 is to have a side business that will make me cash-o-la while I am asleep.  In order to do that, I need to be “Getting Shit Done” or “Getting Stuff Done” (GSD). The only way to GSD is to organize my time and separate my work life and personal life.  If you have both lives, I hope this planner/scheduler works for you. I call it My Getting Shit Done Planner. I will have another post in a few days with instructions on how to use My GSD Planner. Let me know how it works for you and Happy New Year! 

Art Journaling with God – Paragraph by Paragraph

Do you have a goal or are you going through something right now that you cannot seem to see any hope at the end of the tunnel? There are so many ideas I want to implement, so many dreams I want to manifest; yet I personally cannot see how I will get there. My mind is filled with lists after lists of what needs to be done. Hopefully, this post will help you to get your dreams out as well.

In order to quiet my mind and soul, I worshipped God through Phil Wickham’s songs “You’re Beautiful” and “This is Amazing Grace”.  These songs never fail to move me to the point of tears, or feeling the awe-ness of the King of Glory. Phil sings in his captivating voice, “this is amazing grace, this is unfailing love, that You would take my place, that You would bear my cross, You laid down Your life, so that I would be set free…” Does that speak to your heart? It did mind. Knowing that God loves me, an unworthy individual who cannot hold a candle next to some of her amazing friends and yet, God loves me more than enough for me to fill whole and complete – despite my shortcomings. Yes, God loves you, too, but it is up to you to experience His love for you. I can only share my own experience and share about God, but only if you are interested. I build relationship by loving people; I don’t shove my beliefs on people.

Me: Father God, I am grateful for Your Love, I have the apartment all to myself and I am okay with it. I can still remember when I hated being alone. My soul would war against my peace and my mind. Sitting still and not having anyone around would drive me mad. Back then, before I knew You; I would rather have a lunatic next to me than be in the apartment alone. But now, I know I am never alone because of Your Love. You are with me always, and I thank You for that.

Father God: Remember when you lost your sight on me when you first moved to New York? How unhappy you were and how you felt you had to read a list of prayers to protect you from the chaos at work? When you didn’t read the list, something bad happens.

Me: Yes, but I have noticed that I don’t read that list anymore.

Father God: Did anything bad happen when you didn’t?

Me: No, but I have been praying and speaking to You out of my heart and not out of obligations. I know You are not a genie, but during that time, I needed Your protection and praying that list kept me at ease. [Readers, you can see that list below.]

Father God: I don’t fault you. It only felt more scripted, more from the mouth rather than from your heart. I want your heart.

Me: I am sorry Father. I know You care more about the heart than anything else. This morning, I was thinking of the book I want to work on. I am asking for Your participant in this. I want it to be Your book, too; but I feel overwhelmed and cannot see how to make this work.

Father God: Do you remember that comment you read by E.L. Doctorow? He said, “writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Well, when you are driving, you can only see a few feet ahead of you. That’s all you need to focus on, just take it paragraph by paragraph. And I will be with you to guide you through…

Of course there was more to our conversation, but that is all I am willing to share.

This will probably be the last collage for a while. I want to start with true art journaling. There will be a separate blog listing supplies and three simple techniques. Below, using the collage steps listed from last week’s post [add link here], I have been thinking about creating a book.

“I am the one who feels overwhelmed with the idea of producing a book that I am glued in bed, unable to be productive in the direction I need to go. But there is hope. There are many colorful, brilliant ideas I can partner with God to produce. I can see them in front of me, a rainbow of books ready to be born.”

Prayer Points for Protection.

1. Almighty Father, I commit my life into your hands, please keep me and my love ones in your secret place. Please keep us where the hand of the enemy cannot touch me in the name of Jesus!
2.  Almighty Father, I pray that a thousand of my enemies may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me nor my family, in Jesus name!
3.  No weapon formed against me shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against me in judgment shall be condemned in Jesus mighty name!
4. Most High God, my life is in your hand, please be my defense. Protect me when I go out, protect me when I come in, protect me all the days of my life in the name of Jesus!
5. Unchangeable Lord, please don’t let me be a prey in the mouth of the wicked in the name of Jesus!
6. Almighty father, my life is in your hand please deliver me from the snare of the wicked that are hunting after my life day and night in the name of Jesus!
7. Everlasting father, please frustrate all conspiracies and evil scheme directed against me in the name of Jesus!

      Thank you, Almighty God for answering all my prayers. Amen.

Art Journaling with God – Mary’s Style

By the time Friday rolls around, life kicked me in the rear 10 times over. It gets exhausting especially when I take work home for the weekend. My ambition of wanting to be recognized for more than my title at work leaves me with endless lists of To Do’s and very little time to do them.

The old solution was to take work home so it can absorb the rest of my evenings and weekends. We take our work to Starbucks. It is pretty much our second home – a great place to get free wifi, soy chai lattes, loud music, strangers to speak with, and creative ideas. Though the Starbucks that provides us concentration here in New York has some friendly people, we love the Starbucks back in Palo Alto, CA. That is where most of the students go, that is where the geniuses' brain waves linger in the atmosphere. Just thinking of that spot makes me happy.

My new solution is to art journal with God. Join me. Take out your journal and art supplies. (I am currently working on a list of supplies/materials and techniques to use, but at this time, use what you have.) Put on some worship music with your Bible in hand. Pray, “God, share what You want to me to learn today.” Sit still and listen. If you don’t hear anything, keep the worship music going. He might just want you to sit still and worship Him. As for me, here is my conversation with God.

Me: Lord, I believe in You. I trust in You. I invite the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me into the state of peace, Lord. I feel as if I am turning into a woman who lacks character. Work is consuming me. When I go home, I still think about work and about all that needs to be done.

Father God: My beautiful daughter, I am happy to be here with you. Let me hold you and carry that  struggle of pleasing "Man". Remember, focus on what’s good, noble, and true.  Focus on Me and all things will follow. 

Me: For some reason, I keep thinking of Bruce Lee, ‘be like water’.  Does that mean anything?

Father God: You should be like Jesus in character, but understand that you don’t need to be rigid to the point that you cannot allow others to share My Word or My Vision to you. Be Like Water means to adapt, build your own in Jesus, and then let it grow. Don’t turn into a workaholic, understand their culture and then be yourself – that’s the best gift you can offer. In the meantime, your weekend is for Me and your husband. I want you to adapt to Mary and not to Martha. If you spend more time with Me, you will get more accomplish in less time. Spend time in prayer for your company to improve, rather than creating tons of action items and struggling to check them all off. I AM GOD. In Me, all things are possible.

Me: Thank you, Father. Let thy will be done…

I used magazine clippings to put this journal image together. If you feel you are not good at drawing or with color. Using magazine images is a great way to get the process going. What you need to start are magazine clippings, a glue stick and a journal page. Depending on the images you'll choose, but draw a rectangle of the size 8” x 5” or 5” x 8” in the journal page.  Go to that pile of magazines you couldn’t toss out and flip through them quickly, only pull out the images that grabbed your attention. Each collage story needs a background – a location or scenery. It needs to be as big as 8"x5", the background image I got is of a forest with large trees. Cut out the images, then arrange them in a way that makes sense or looks appealing to you. Glue them down within the borders of the rectangle (8” x 5” or 5” x 8”). With SoulCollage®, the images you selected were chosen from your Soul, bypassing your mind.  You will be surprised to see how the images can be arranged in new ways that explains or answers questions you many have. For me, I always ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through this process. This way, I know it is a gift from God. 

With the SoulCollage® method, you look at the picture and say, "I AM THE ONE WHO..." Let the finale image speak to you. Don't be afraid because it is something you chose, no one chose it for you. “I am the one who rests in the creation of the Great I Am and allows His protection to shelter me from the heat of life and work.”  Though there is not a figure of God in this image, He is everywhere. The girl is me laying back, soaking in His Presence and resting in Him.

Luke 10:38-42New International Version (NIV)

At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary,who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Art Journaling with God - Over the Moon

My life has changed so much since I moved to New York. I feel content with life and my career path. However, ‘contentment with life’ for me is not a good thing - it depletes me to the point of incompetence and boredom. New York is a great city to fill your life with leisure after a week of battling people who lack the vision to do good for the company or for each other. Leisure is the greatest tragedy for a person who wants to leave a legacy for the next generation. Leisure brings death to productivity and creativity. For some reason, with all that New York has to offer, I still feel insignificant and fruitless the minute I walk into my apartment.

Lately, God has placed on my heart to stop planning, stop surfing the net to see what other creative people are producing and to start doing. God gave me enough skills (talents) to belong in this world. That was all I wanted – to serve and pay for my space here on earth. To be a part of something bigger than the Children Ministry teacher at Sunday School. Don’t get me wrong, I love the kids and what I offer them, but it is not enough. I am not using all of the talents God has instructed me. In the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14–30, you will need to read it in the Bible, but this is verse 29, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”  This message is for everyone. If we do not use the talents God gave us, He will take it away.

This morning, my neighbors in the apartment complex could hear “Your Presence Lord” by Kari Jobe blasting from my living room. I want to blast the spirit of depression, lethargy, anything and everything that is not of God out of my home. Tears poured from my eyes and my heart filled with the Holy Spirit once again.  I sang, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, God. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.” I repented and sat down to do some art journaling with God. Here is a snippet of my conversation with Him.

Me:  Father God, help me to not use work as an excuse to go into my trance and push negative emotions aside. I feel that I am only starting to adjust to the change of moving here to New York, and adjusting the lack of a loving community that I had in California. I feel my life isn’t enough.

Father God: Daughter, the move is not the reason for your depression and change. The veracity is that you have lost touched with Me and the Holy Spirit. Yes, your relationship with Jesus is still there, but We miss you. We miss the time spent talking and creating art together.

Me: I am sorry, Father. I didn’t realize that marriage really does take up a lot of your time. As much as I need to build my relationship with my husband, I need to continue to build my relationship with You. Stay with me and help guide me to keep You with me at all times…

Using the SoulCollage® method, I created this image. “I am the one who will jump over the moon –over and over again – and bring color where there is darkness.”  This image represents me overcoming obstacles and achieving what is hard to reach even when it is dark all around.

I do not plan on losing my connection with God again. Join me on my walk. I am hoping to post one art journal with God each week.  

Matthew 25:14-30New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’