Uncategorized

Showing Up: The First Step to Meaningful Action

The Kedge Anchor
Open journal with handwritten notes and pen beside steaming coffee cup on wooden windowsill overlooking sunrise over countryside.
Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead – James 2:17

There’s a phrase I keep hearing lately: “Just show up.” Apparently it’s the secret to consistency, growth, and success. And yes, showing up matters. But what happens after you arrive? So I show up, now what? Showing up is only half the story. The other half? Courage. Action. Actually doing the thing once you’re there. Showing up without following through, without engaging, can feel…empty, lost. Just showing up to class isn’t going to get you an “A”. You need your books, your notes, a pen. You need to listen to the lecture and engage with the class. Without action, showing up is, well, like I said, empty.

If answered prayers came from simply showing up, faith would be easy. What would I gain each day if I thought that simply showing up with my Bible and journal would make me a Bible scholar—without actually opening my Bible, reading it, or making notes? Where would that take me? Not very far.  I apply the same idea to making art. I make art because I showed up, and now I have a space to act, to create, to reflect what’s inside me. I try to be intentional but sometimes just “playing” is all that’s necessary.  And sometimes it’s messy, many times it’s imperfect—but it’s real. Sometimes I actually have an aha moment.  “Showing up” becomes a small step to being consistent.

And here’s the tricky part: showing up and doing while tired counts even more. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of my mental health. Pushing myself past what’s reasonable, past my bandwidth, doesn’t make me disciplined—it just makes me more tired and drained. God understands when I am tired or struggling with something. He gives me grace.  And I have to give myself grace when I’m too tired to paint or make art. Those are good moments to pray, listen to a sermon or podcast, or hear Scripture read aloud.

For me, showing up has become a practice of balance. I open my Bible. I journal. I grab a few art supplies. I read some commentaries I value. And I shut out all the other voices—the noise, the chaos, the endless “steps” that overwhelm me.

 So yes. Showing up alone isn’t enough. But it’s where it begins. Showing up opens the door. What we do afterward is what changes us.

art

Finding Focus: Curating Influences for Artistic Growth

The Kedge Anchor
This is how I journal, create. art, and try to remember what I read in scripture. I have separate boxes for my supplies. When I use something I return it to that box. Now, I’m not spending time looking for that thing I just put down. With limiting my supplies, it helps cut down on having to make so many choices. 

YouTube is full of tutorials, reviews, and techniques. All of it’s useful—but sometimes it’s just too much. FOMO kicks in. I sign up for things I forget about. My inbox fills with hundreds of emails. My mind feels scattered.

I’ve narrowed it down to a handful of artists I really admire—people who are authentic, clear, and communicate without gimmicks. That’s it. No clutter, no chasing every trend. Shutting out the rest has given me room to focus, reflect, and actually create.

Not my best work, I wanted to test a new brush I picked up at a stationery store. This is just me playing, exploring and trying new supplies. Focusing on a few voices has given me room to actually create.

If you want to read more about how I’ve been curating what I let in and making space for creativity, check out my Substack post here: anchorangel.substack.com

Uncategorized

The Power of Curated Learning: Less Noise, More Insight

The Kedge Anchor

I’ve been thinking a lot about the noise in learning these days—the endless “how-to” lists, step-by-step guides, and voices telling me what I should read or do. It’s exhausting, and at times, it overwhelmed me.

I have to be honest: a lot of that overwhelm is on me. I fall for the marketing, the shiny promises, and the fear of missing out on what someone else has to say. That’s my responsibility. I have to shut it down and choose what truly deserves my attention.

So I’ve started slowing down. Just me, my Bible, my journal, a few art supplies, and carefully selected commentaries or resources. I’ve had to make choices what to read, who to listen to, which voices actually stick. The ones that don’t add meaningful insight don’t get a seat at the table.

As I read, especially in the Old Testament, I notice things in a new way:

  • I catch verses that cross-reference others, sometimes in ways I’ve never realized even when the margin notes point them out.
  • Familiar stories take on fresh meaning. Take Samson, for instance. Delilah asks him where his strength comes from. Most imagine him as a huge, muscular man. But I can’t help but picture him as tall and lean strong in a different way. That shift changes the story for me.
  • I watch God’s plan unfold in 1 Samuel. I see the Israelites repeating mistakes, yet God remains faithful to provide for them. And sometimes, I see myself in them flawed, forgetful, but loved and guided.

Slowing down like this—curating my inputs, reflecting in my journal, letting the text breathe is opening up insights I’d missed before. Clarity grows in quiet spaces. Depth matters more than breadth. And my pace? It’s enough.

Choosing what and who to let in doesn’t just protect my focus it shapes my learning in a way that’s meaningful and lasting. Growth isn’t about absorbing everything; it’s about absorbing what matters.

Thanks for stopping by and reading, you can follow me on Substack @anchorangel ⚓️😇

Uncategorized

Finding God in the Chaos: A Journey Beyond Devotionals

The Kedge Anchor

I almost didn’t start this.
Not because I don’t have anything to say—but because everything I see online feels like noise.
“Do this.” “Try that.” “The one simple thing to fix your focus.”
Devotionals. Study plans. Hacks. Step-by-step guides.
And I get it—some of it helps. But lately, it’s felt like too much.
Life with God hasn’t felt neat lately. Not bullet points. Not systems. Not quick fixes.

I ditched the devotionals and started reading the Bible in chronological order. I’ve also been taking my time, sticking to a reading plan and journaling in a junk journal sort of way. Visuals help me remember and recall.
That’s the only devotional I really need.
Not that I’m knocking devotionals—they can be helpful—but there’s only one voice I really want to hear: God’s.

So this isn’t another “how-to.”
It’s just me showing up, sharing what I’m walking through, and what I’m holding onto in the middle of it.
Some days it will be clear. Some days unfinished. Most days somewhere in between.

If you’re trying to stay grounded without needing another system… you’re not alone.
I’m just trying to stay anchored. That’s it.

PS: If you want to read along as I figure this out, you’re welcome to subscribe. No pressure, just showing up together.


encouragement, social media, Uncategorized, Wisdom

Don’t Stop Scrolling — Slow It Down

The Kedge Anchor

Choosing intention over distraction in your daily scroll

We’ve all seen the posts:

“Stop scrolling.”
“Put down your phone.”

And then they go on to tell us how damaging it can be emotionally, physically, to our relationships, and even to our spirituality.

We fall down rabbit holes.
We lose hours doomscrolling.
We get angry.
We fall for lies.

Our necks are bent down, our shoulders are tight, never looking up to see what’s going on around us, and by the time we realize it, we’re slumped over, discouraged, and wondering where the time went. We’ve wasted hours, strained our posture, and started to believe—God knows what.

Now, those are all well meaning posts. The creators want to help. They want to share how choosing to put down their phones has helped them learn a new skill, reconnect with friends and family, feel less anxious, or even get into better shape because they swapped scrolling for strolling outside.

But… how would we know any of this if we weren’t scrolling?

Kind of ironic.

If I told you to put down your phone and stop scrolling, you would most likely never see any of my posts. That kind of defeats my purpose of digital marketing and connecting with others online.

Technology, in and of itself, isn’t the enemy. We have a wealth of information in the palm of our hands. I used to spend hours at the library collecting information for school reports, lugging around books and flipping through pages. Now I can sit in the comfort of my own home and quickly look up how something works or find a definition.

I can learn new things to improve my art.
I can be inspired.
I can stay connected with loved ones.

For me, one of the best parts is having access to Biblical references, devotionals, and even meditation apps like Abide. I can also volunteer online and encourage others who are going through difficult seasons of life.

Social media has its pros and cons. It’s up to us how we engage with it responsibly.

So instead of stopping our scroll, maybe we just need to slow it.

Here are a few ways to be more intentional online:

Time yourself.
Set a timer on your phone—or better yet, somewhere else in the house—so you actually have to get up to shut it off.

Check your screen time.
Most phones provide a weekly report that shows how much time you’ve spent scrolling. It can be eye-opening.

Have an accountability partner.
Find someone who will encourage you to be intentional with your time online.

Curate your feed.
Be intentional about what shows up in your social media. My feeds consist of art tutorials, devotionals, beach and ocean groups, animals, food, migraines, and of course, my family and friends. I block anything that stirs up unnecessary anger, sadness, or negativity.

There are plenty of content creators whose goal is simply to stir things up. You don’t have to give them your time or attention.

If you know me, you know I love to volunteer. There are actually ways to do that from the comfort of your own home thanks to technology.

I volunteer as a Digital Outreach Volunteer for Focus on the Family. Each week I respond to posts on social media platforms from people who are looking for answers to some of life’s harder situations. It’s a simple way to spread God’s love, share His Gospel, and plant seeds of hope.

The internet can be a dark place that needs God’s light. That’s why it’s important for me to be mindful of what I’m doing online. It’s so easy to say, “Let me just check one thing on Facebook,” and before I know it, three hours have passed and I’ve accomplished… nothing.

To help you slow your scroll, I’ve created a free phone wallpaper as a reminder to be intentional about how you spend your time online. Feel free to download and share it.

There are some really great things we can learn from social media. I’m not saying stick your head in the sand. If you needed to lose weight, I wouldn’t tell you to stop eating—I would advise you on how to do it in a healthy way.

The same goes for scrolling.

Scroll responsibly.

What do you do to help yourself be more intentional online? Leave it in the comments and share what works for you.

Until then,
Anchor in Hope.

Uncategorized

What’s New in 2026? Anchor Notes!

The Kedge Anchor

In a post last week I posted some changes coming to the Kedge Anchor in 2026. When I first started this blog, I used to create coloring pages and digital wallpapers to help with scripture memorization. I wasn’t getting much feedback from them so I moved on since they were a little time consuming to create every week. And since The Kedge Anchor is about encouraging others I wanted to go more in that direction. Which lead me to create The Anchor Angel Project, with the help of some inspiration from a friend 🥰. Sooooo I started creating and sending Anchor Notes which are just small images that can be sent via email, text, messenger. Kinda like a meme but these are intentional to anchor truth and encourage others. Some may be humorous or for a special occasion, such as a birthday or holiday. And after starting my YouTube channel making videos and shorts I discovered that that is something I enjoy. You’ll see more to come from that.

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

So here’s the first Anchor Note of 2026 from the You Have Been Prayed For series, free to download and share with whom ever you like, just click on the image and save to your device. (If you are on a desktop right click and save)

So every month I will post an Anchor Note for you to download and share.

However, this is not instead of making and sending actual greeting cards but to supplement them. Not everyone we know is connected digitally and those who are might need some old fashioned reaching out. I will still continue to create greeting cards and send them out and make tutorials.

There is more to come. I have some more ideas to share but I’m rolling them out one by one. The older i get the more I don’t like changes. But, I am learning that change is how we grow and sometimes it takes failure after failure to make those changes. I think y’all might like what’s new for 2026.😊

Christmas

Beat Christmas Stress Before December

The Kedge Anchor

Peace at Christmas can be hard to find in December. The cleaning, baking, wrapping presents, hosting parties, can make the season bright but not so merry after a while. It’s built, week by week, long before the tree goes up.

My last post I covered how to save for Christmas. Weekly, consistently, slow and steady wins the race. When I put $25.00 aside each week after 52 weeks that’s $1300. And while that may not seem like a lot in 2026, it will be $1300 more than you had. You might be thinking I need that money before the end of 52 weeks. I gotcha. This really pays off the second year and well, you have to start somewhere, right? Start saving now so you can get a jump start on Christmas shopping. I like to start in October, thinking, planning, asking my family to start thinking about what they want for Christmas (Side note: Amazon Prime has lists that can be shared, just sayin’).

Now that you have decided how much you are putting aside, where are you putting it? At the time I started doing this, I had a AmEx Bluebird card. AmEx has since discontinued that. It was very convenient, I was able to schedule the transaction every week and didn’t have to think about it. There are other ways to sock away money. You could do good old fashioned cash, that takes a lot of discipline and it still works. Opening up a dedicated checking/savings account at your bank or another bank is option. Having an account from another bank might help keep them separate. Having a separate bank account will allow you to schedule transactions so you won’t have to think about it.

There are other options such as prepaid debit card like the discontinued AmEx Bluebird card such as CashApp, PayPal, and Venmo. PayPal and Venmo have auto transfer features. Check them out see which one fits your needs.

All righty then. It’s now the first week in October and you see something for Christmas for someone. At this point you should about $975, still more than you had to begin with and you got to start somewhere. However, if you have automatic transfers, the money will still be going in and adding to the total.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

The first year I did this I was working full time in a hospital. I realized I was visiting the vending machines waaaay too much. I didn’t stop completely feeding the vending machines, but I did become more conscious of where the money was going. After budgeting the money I would take $8 or $10 and allow myself to visit the vending machines once in a while or if the cafeteria was closed. Any money at the end of the week I would put in a piggy bank. I started this at the beginning of the second year. By October, I had over $300!!!! And yes, we still pay with cash when we can so any stray dollars or coins we have laying around it’s gets stashed away.

It was nice to have the money to pay for shipping packages, buy baking goods, decorations, Christmas cards or last minute gifts for someone. And whatever was left over in the Christmas account was rolled over to next year.

There was more peace at Christmas not having to worry about spending money. We even had money to donate to the Salvation Army if we happened to walk by one of their kettles, we had money to buy a gift for the Angel Tree and fill shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. It is far better to give than to receive. Peace is built up week by week, way before the tree and the decorations are put up.

Sometimes peace can look like abundance in December.

encouragement, Uncategorized

What’s New in 2026?

The Kedge Anchor

With a new year and fresh start I have decided to do a few things differently. A while back someone had reached out to my asking why I had stopped making the coloring pages to help memorize scripture. Anyone remember Memorize Mondays? Well, to be honest, I didn’t think there was much interest. They are a little time consuming and I decided to focus on other projects.

There is something I would like to try but you’re just gonna need to stay tuned until next month. It still involves being creative and scripture. I had also been posting wallpapers for desktops and phones with scripture to help memorize verses and well there didn’t seem to be much interest in those either. So, I moved on.

I moved on to YouTube where there seemed to be more interest and that’s where I started to give more focus. I plan on staying there and focusing on that platform. I have discovered I like to make shorts and videos which brings me to my next new thing I want to try and well, I have some ideas that I am excited to share so you’ll need to stay tuned.

The Anchor Angel Project is something that has piqued interest in others and I will continue to promote that and encourage y’all to participate, but you will need to stay tuned and follow me on social media. Hmm maybe I can tie all these ideas together.

My art and greeting cards are things that I like to do and encourage others with. For as long as I can remember I was always cresting and making greeting cards. I remember I thought I wanted to work at Hallmark designing greeting cards, LOL. And I may not be working for Hallmark however I do still create them by hand and digitally, the hand made ones I sell locally, I sell the digital cards online, so I guess I have fulfilled that dream in a way. It’s not how I imagined it but how I imagined isn’t as important as I am actually doing it.

All that to say, please subscribe to the blog, follow me on social media to stay tuned of the new things coming in 2026. Thank you for your support.

Christmas, encouragement, Stress

How I Stopped Stressing About Christmas by Saving a Little Each Week

The Kedge Anchor

Christmas can be stressful. Searching for the perfect gifts, the baking, the decorating can weigh on us after awhile. Let’s not forget our bank account. It’s not like everyone gets a Christmas bonus every year. And if you’re like me, you have to ship a few packages. It all adds up and it stresses me out.

I decided that I could plan better for Christmas if I did it slowly over time. It occurred to me one year long after Christmas, like the summer, I found a gift for my sister and decided to buy it and put it away. I felt like I had a win. When I was out shopping, I’d be on the look out for potential Christmas gifts, especially if someone had mentioned something they wanted. If I found something, I bought it and put it away. It was a great feeling to be ahead of the game. There was one year, I was done by Thanksgiving. Then it was just baking, decorating and Christmas parties.🪅🎄

Having a cash 💰 stash or a Christmas savings account was the biggest rush. When I was a kid, our bank Old Stone Bank, had a Christmas savings pass book. Yes I am mid century modern old, not Stone Age. Anyway you could put away $5 or $10 a week and by the end of the year you’d have $520 or $260 back then that was a.lot.of.money (and you actually had to walk into the back with the cash and teller made an entry in your pass book). That gave me an idea. How much could I set aside every week so that I would have Christmas money to spend? I tried putting aside $1 on week one, $2 week two… that came to $10 the first month. By the third month, 19 weeks that is $70. I was on a budget and each month that was like a bill going up. That wasn’t working. I decided that $25 a week would be a start. (OK that was ten years ago). Even $25 a week is $1300. Ten years ago, that went a long way and I just rolled it over for next year. Now if you are just starting, it’s ok. You need to start somewhere and it will be more than you have if you didn’t start. This will pay off in 2027, trust me it’s a rush. I usually had extra money in the account for birthday gifts during the year. I could by decorations, baking goods, whatever I needed for Christmas. It’s a Christmas rush of a different kind 😉I felt great to not have to pay back the credit card company and still have some cash to roll over. It was a huge stress reliever.

Please subscribe and follow me on social media and stay tuned in the next post I will tell you how I stashed the money and was able to add to it during the year.

The Kedge Anchor – Facebook

@thekedgeanchor – Instagram

@thekedgeanchor -YouTube

hope, salvation

Steady, Present, Anchored: Your 2026 Reminder

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Peggy Anke on Pexels.com

Happy New Year! Time really flies as we become more seasoned in life and when we are having fun. I am thankful for another day, another week another month and another year. And just like I am not one for bucket lists I am not one for resolutions. I would rather be focused, present and intentional about my goals and projects. LOL I guess that is a resolution of sorts. 

Challenges

My family has had a few challenges over the past three years. It’s been a struggle making the season merry and bright. But God, has been through it all with us. It didn’t always feel like He was there. However, I know He has been. Focusing on God and His Word have been key. There were days I didn’t feel like it or wanted to. So, those days may have been reflective and creative. So if your holidays have been challenging and short of merry and bright, I wish you New Year Blessings. 

The challenges our world has faced in 2025 have made me become more aware of the “labor pains” in Matthew 24:8 – “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.” I began to think; this could have been said 50 or 60 years ago. What’s the difference? Like a mother in labor, they become stronger and closer together. The events that are unfolding have been happening for centuries, the only difference is, these events, wars, rumors of wars, immorality, etc., it’s just happening more frequently and in some cases more intensely. 

New Hope

But there is hope. Hope came in the form of a baby over 2000 years ago. We just celebrated His birth. Jesus came to be born as a baby, grow up and start His ministry, die on the cross, be buried, rise again and ascend to Heaven. He did all that for us while we were still sinners – Romans 5:8. Jesus’s death and resurrection, His blood that was shed is for us. But it’s only for those who acknowledge their need for a savior, who confess they are sinners and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  One day Jesus gather us up and we will meet Him in the clouds –

“Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:17

There’s our Hope. Then one day all this, the earth, all that we know here on planet earth will pass away –

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Matthew 24:35

Then God will create an new Heaven and new earth –

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.“ Isaiah 65:17

When I look back at the challenges and the state of our world, I am reminded of God’s sovereignty, His omniscience and His redemptive plan for us and all of His creation. It’s all in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation and all in between. It even tells us how it ends. (Read the book of Daniel if you want to read about what has been prophesied and what has already passed and what’s to come). Today we all have a choice. We can choose God, His plan of salvation and His Hope or not. It’s that

Anchored in Hope

Here we are, stepping into 2026. I’m not chasing perfect days or forcing resolutions—just staying anchored. Anchored in truth. Anchored in Hope. Anchored in Christ. Life will throw highs, lows, and everything in between, but He’s faithful, He’s present, and He is sovereign.

Stay focused. Stay present. Stay intentional. And above all, stay anchored—because that’s where real hope lives.