Category: hope

art, encouragement, hope, Uncategorized

Create Joy: Handmade Cards to Encourage Others

The Kedge Anchor

In the last blog post, I shared a little about what the Anchor Angel Project is and how you can be part of it. The idea came from a friend of mine who had been walking through a long, difficult season. I started sending her memes, Bible verses, articles, care packages, and cards—just little things to lift her up. One day she referred to me as her “anchor angel,” and that phrase stuck. After that, my imagination took off.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved making cards for my family. I used to dream about working for Hallmark someday—LOL. I’ve always loved to design, draw, paint, hand-letter… just create. Making greeting cards became one of my favorite ways to express myself and brighten someone else’s day. I don’t always have the time to make them as often as I’d like, but I’m hoping that by making this project my mission, I can do it more consistently—and encourage others to do the same.

We’re reminded in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to “encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (NASB1995). A simple greeting card can be such a beautiful way to do that. It’s a tangible reminder of God’s love and your thoughtfulness. Tuck one into a care package. Send a photo card with a favorite old memory—like that beach trip you always laugh about or a random Tuesday that turned into a lifelong moment. The recipient might even frame it. It’s a little thing that can have a lasting impact.

A handmade card is personal. It’s heartfelt. It’s a surprise in a world of bills and junk mail. When was the last time youopened the mailbox and felt your heart smile from something totally unexpected?

That old saying, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive,” is so true. There’s a special kind of joy that comes from knowing you’ve encouraged someone else. It encourages me, too.

So—who will you bless this August? Who will be your three? I’d love to see your creations! Follow The Kedge Anchor on Facebook and Instagram and share your cards with #anchorangelproject.

And hey—there’s still more to come. I haven’t revealed everything yet… there’s a little twist on the horizon. Have you guessed it?

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend Eve!! I am so ready for the weekend—how about you? 🧡

hope, Uncategorized

Who is God to Me? Anchored in the Storm

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Introduction
God is my anchor, my steady, unwavering presence when the stormy seas of life begin to swell. In moments of stress or emotional overwhelm, I often turn to comfort: food, TV, or even my art supplies. These things aren’t inherently bad, but they can’t hold me like God can.

🙏 What Does It Mean to Be Anchored in God?

When stress hits, I sometimes reach for things that feel comforting: a snack, a tv show maybe a movie or a paintbrush. And honestly, sometimes that’s exactly what I need. In 1 Kings 19, God cared for Elijah with food and rest—not with judgment.

But when I elevate those comforts above God, they can’t provide the stability my soul truly needs.

📖 God’s Love Reminds Me I’m Not Alone

Truths that anchor me:

  • He is always with me. (Omnipresent)
  • He is in control. (Omnipotent)
  • He knows and sees me deeply. (Omniscient)

One of my anchors is a journal entry from August 22, 2011. A hurricane was coming. We were preparing to move. And in the chaos, God gave me peace. (See Hope for the Future Part 1 Part 2  Part 3)

God is my anchor. He doesn’t move—even when I do.

🧁 Comfort Isn’t the Enemy—Misplaced Comfort Is

After I’ve prayed, read Scripture, or reached out to family and/or friends for support, I can return to those comforts—but now with peace, not panic.

  • Instead of mindless snacking, maybe it’s yogurt with fruit and granola.
  • Instead of bingeing, maybe it’s watching The Chosen, Tangled, or Shrek to relax.
  • Instead of spiraling thoughts, maybe it’s making art with worship music in the background.

These become life giving when they’re no longer the foundation—but just blessings on top of it.

🎥 Why I Rewatch the Same Movies

There’s actually science behind rewatching movies you love. They create a sense of safety. You know how they’ll end. Favorites like The Chosen, Shrek, Star Trek: Enterprise, or My Big Fat Greek Wedding bring peace when my brain needs it most.

Learn more about why rewatching your favorite movies can be therapeutic.

🎨 Art + Worship = Grounding for My Soul

When I create, especially while listening to worship or hymns, feel grounded and more focused. My breathing slows. My mind calms. God meets me in the stillness.

Try using grounding questions during anxious moments:

  • What can I see?
  • What can I hear?
  • What can I smell?
  • What can I touch?
  • What can I taste?

Pair this with prayer or scripture, and you’ll feel the storm subside.

💛 Anchored in Hope

When life gets chaotic, remember:

  • You are anchored in hope.
  • You are anchored in love.
  • You are anchored in God’s Word.

Bonus Devotional: How Do I Put Joy into Words? (Optional Side Post or Sidebar Widget)

When we are anchored, we can oddly still have joy!

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy…”
— Psalm 16:11

Joy is choosing contentment—even in difficulty. It’s not manufactured. It’s not circumstantial.
It’s found in God’s presence, where joy isn’t fleeting—it’s full.

encouragement, hope

Guidance on Voting: Moral Choices in Politics

The Kedge Anchor

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling with the phrase- “choose the lesser evil.” No one wants to choose evil. Oftentimes we are caught between a rock and a hard place. There are times we are faced with dilemmas and there doesn’t to appear to be a good choice. What are we to do?

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com

Hearing the quote, “choose the lesser evil” leaves me feeling hopeless and discouraged. I don’t want to choose evil especially in this political climate…it’s enough to make me shut down. Though we have choices, Republican, Democrat, other or don’t vote. To some the choice is clear, to others the choice may seem murky. If choosing the lesser of evils is still evil, we’re in one of those tight spots.  

  Many feel politics doesn’t belong in the church. Perhaps, but if we can’t turn to our pastors or our churches who can we turn to when we have questions especially sensitive ones such as how do we vote? Who else can help guide us when we are between a rock and hard place? And that’s not to say a church or a pastor can tell you how to vote, but they should be a resource for those times when you are faced with a tough decision. When it comes to making a moral decision, the Ten Commandments are a perfect way help make those decisions. And I do believe the Ten Commandments can help us with how to vote. I am not telling you how to vote. But if you are on the fence I hope this blog post can help you maybe help you with another tough decision.

I wish more pastors and churches would speak about those sensitive subjects such as voting, abortion, suing, politics and current issues. These may not have a place in our churches and pastors can’t tell you how to choose, that is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. However, these topics do exist in our society that we interact with daily and we as Christians should know how to respond. Turning to scripture should be the our first line of defense against these tough choices. We should also be able to go to our pastors for guidance, not to justify our thinking or not but to help us with reading scripture. God gives us the Ten Commandments, it’s His moral law. And I believe when we are in a tight spot, when we are confronted with a dilemma we can turn to God’s word for direction and conviction.

            We are all sinners and there is not a perfect politician on the planet and if they are all evil, who are we supposed to vote for? “Choose the lesser evil” is not Biblical. I found a few articles that helped me understand this more. One article I found; “Is the Lesser of Two Evils a Biblical Principle” makes some great points. In Daniel 2:21-22 “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him” (NIV). God is sovereign. We can see this in Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people“ (NIV). Joseph’s brothers meant to kill him but God used that so Joseph could save his family from the famine.

              The article goes on to say that God will use and control even the most wicked rulers for his purpose as we see in the book of Daniel. David was a man after God’s own heart even though David was an adulterer and a murderer, but yet God used him, he even used Pharaoh.

             As I was initially pondering, this, I heard God say; “Evil is not in the eye of the beholder.“ Sin is sin in God’s kingdom. There is no lesser evil in God’s eyes. The article sheds some light on our dilemmas in life by looking at what evil might look in the eyes of God, 

 Hosea 6:6 – “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (ESV)
Micha 6:8 -“No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (NLT)
Matthew 9:12-13 – ”Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (ESV)

“Meaning, I would rather you do good than offer your sacrifices. This, during the time when sacrifices, was the law of the day. God says, “I would rather you do right — to show mercy, and act justly.” (quote article)

  “Jesus taught us that healing people or allowing them to eat were acts of love and clearly overruled the written law — and so, on his terms, not sin, since Jesus never sinned.”

    When we are faced with tough choices, there is no level of evil. We must choose what is good, the right thing. “To not act in love may be the true evil in the eyes of God.” This gave me hope and helped me to change my mindset when I need to make a tough choice.

References:

The Lesser of Two Evils Principles – Myth or Biblical

Should Christians Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils

hope

Finding Forgiveness and Redemption Amidst the 33rd Olympic Games Controversy

The Kedge Anchor
Image by Sr. Maria-Magdalena R. SMCB from Pixabay

The events that have taken place here in America and in France have me pondering, what is happening? I’m trying to process and make sense of it all as I am sure everyone has. At first, I wasn’t going to post anything, but I kept having a nagging feeling. But, let me preface this post with, we all have our own perspectives, this is mine and it’s what God has placed on my heart.

The events that I am talking about are the attempted assassination on President Trump and the opening Olympic ceremonies. This may be part one of two because there is just too much to write in one blog post. Today I just want to cover the Olympics.

My husband and I watched the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games and we kept asking ourselves, “what are we watching?” I saw some of the beginning before I dozed off and woke up to my husband describing to me what he saw. He began scrolling through social media feeds to show me what I missed. I was even more confused and bewildered at what I was seeing. We all know what I am talking about, the spectacle of what looked a lot like the Last Supper.

People were defending France’s performance and that it was a representation of bacchanalia and it has nothing to do with the Last Supper and had no intention of representing it. Bacchanalian is defined as “(especially of a party) involving a lot of drinking of alcohol, uncontrolled behaviour, and possibly sexual activity:” “The Bacchanalia were unofficial, privately funded popular Roman festivals of Bacchus, based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia.” France is known for its for being showy, flamboyant, and well let’s face it lack modesty. I am not defending what we all witnessed, just sayin’. I don’t know what France’s intention was, I am not a mind reader. I was and still am taken aback by what I saw.

Trying to process all that I, we witnessed, I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. I really had to process. What I was feeling was grief. I am saddened by what I saw. It broke my heart. Let’s remove the whole Last Supper reference, to me it was just bad taste. Kids were watching this. This is the Olympics, it suppose to be family and kid friendly. Never would I imagine that the opening ceremony would need to be censored. Add in the Last Supper and that just took it to another level.

Some may be arguing that perhaps many of us aren’t educated enough to understand Bacchanalian, or it’s just Greek mythology, this is just French culture, and some will argue that DaVinci got it wrong with Jesus and the disciples sitting and not reclining at the table. While DaVinci may have not had the proper seating, it wasn’t perverted. So to the people who think Christians need more education about this, maybe those who don’t understand Christianity need to read the Bible and understand that we don’t take it or what God means to us lightly. And while perverting the Last Supper may not have been France’s intention, I don’t know. I do know WE ALL one day will have to give an account for our words and actions.

We are all sinners. We ALL fall short of the glory of God (Roman’s 3:23), we ALL need a Savior and that Person would be Jesus Christ. This isn’t the first time Jesus was mocked. And none of this has taken God by surprised. He knew before the foundation of the world, this would take place. God is a gracious God. Read Genesis 6:9-22 when God wiped out all of humanity except for Noah and his family. Read Genesis 19 about Sodem and Gomorrah and see how God dealt with that situation. Read Revelation and see how God will deal with sin in the future. Matthew 12:36 “and I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak” (NLT). Romans 14:12 “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God” (NLT).

My heart has been hurt, I am grieving. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t mad, I am and hurt. I know many of us are feeling similar feelings if not the same. But can we forgive? Can we forgive as Jesus forgives us? Ephesians 4:32. Jesus was mocked when He hung on the cross and said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” – Luke 23:34 (NKJV). “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” – Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

We could use this opportunity to share the Gospel and help others understand why this grieves us and God. Perhaps we could use it as an opportunity to show forgiveness. Let keep fighting the good fight, let’s not grow weary of doing good, spreading the Gospel, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” – Galatians 6:9 (NLT).

encouragement, hope

Month of June – Finding Encouragement: Overcoming Discouragement in Our Daily Lives

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Charl Durand on Pexels.com

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines encourage as “ to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten.” It’s easy to lose hope and not solider on when life seems a bit wonky, off step or totally out of control. Some days you’re just not feeling it, something comes across your path or your social media feed and you become discouraged or you totally are losing hope. You are not alone. Anyone who is honest about their feelings will admit they feel like this from time to time.

We all need encouragement. We all need some one to cheer us on, especially on the hard days. Throughout the month of June The Kedge Anchor is focusing on encouragement, what discourages us and how we can be encouraged.

When I started this blog in January of 2020, I wanted to offer hope. I also wanted to share my art, which has always been an outlet for me. So the month June it’s all about encouragement. Follow The Kedge Anchor on YouTube for tutorials on ways that we can encourage others and ways that we can find encouragement ourselves. It’s so easy to scroll through our social media pages be discouraged by current events or by comparing ourselves. Comparing has become so second nature for me that I have to really be mindful of what I am feeling when scrolling on social media. Heck it doesn’t have to be social media for me to compare myself, just show me something I am not doing that I should be doing and I can judge myself why am I not doing it and why I can’t do it, and I’ll never be able to do it. Flip though a magazine, does anyone read magazines anymore? It’s so easy to compare ourselves to Photoshopped images and feel inadequate. But what we are really doing is comparing ourselves to something that isn’t real.

So what do we do when we find ourselves discouraged? How do get out of those pits? We don’t have to go there, be there or stay there. We are worth more than that. God created us in His image, Genesis 1:27, and values us more than the sparrows, Matthew 10:31.

Please hang around, like subscribe, share and comment.

Blessings

hope

He Is Risen! – Free Coloring Page

The Kedge Anchor

Happy Easter Sunday! Jesus is risen, He is alive!!!

March 30, 2024Download
hope

Why is It Called Good Friday?

The Kedge Anchor

Why is today called Good Friday? Many times I come back to this video and watch it to remind myself why. Why the injustices? Why the hurt? But, we have hope, Sunday is coming!

Mike Donehey pretty much sums it up in this video. Please watch this video. If you have seen it before, I know I have posted it a few times, please watch it again. Share it. Sunday’s coming!!!