Secret Saturday

I'd really like to consider my Secret Saturday's a lifelong journal beginning from past childhood, and moving through to present.

Today I've been packing feverishly, and we just finished up working. Honestly...I'm toooooo tired to get into my personal life beginning from childhood...Something to look forward to!

For now, I will share a few of my secret passions.

Although it is probably not a secret at all. I've always dreamed of singing, and I have a great love of music. I appreciate all genres (well, except vulgarity), but my heart is most toward praise and worship.

I'm not one of these "performer" types, in that it isn't easy for me to get up on a stage and sing. It takes Jesus and a great deal of prior prayer to get up and sing in front of others. Yet, when I begin to really focus in on singing to Jesus alone, what an awesome time with the Lord!

I love to worship, whether at church, in my car, in my home, sitting at my keyboard...it is the same expression of love to my heavenly Father no matter the location. Yet, one of my secret passions is leading others into deeper worship corporately...to be a worship leader, and singer/songwriter of praise and worship songs. I'd very much like to record worship songs, that even others write, to get the encouragement out to others by way of song.

When I was a little girl, I used to sing into the post of my canopy bed. You know how the top ends of the post can come off? I would pull them out, and those were my microphones. I'd sing to Jesus and make up songs to Him as a little girl...in my room, walking down the road by myself...I talked to the Lord a LOT as a child.

This was pretty incredible that I had such a strong awareness of the Lord, at such a young age. I learned about Jesus through the private school I attended. Also, my grandparents, aunt and uncle, friends encouraged me and shared Christ with me.

God is so good...He uses "all things" for those who love Him. Rom. 8:28 =)

Now, if I were to have a secret "worldly" passion lived out...I used to think about being an opera singer. ik, don't laugh! =)
As a young girl, I loved the beautiful soprano vocals, with lots of vibrato! So lovely! =) I've been told before that I was "teachable" in this area, but I never pursued it.

Another passion of mine is Art. When I was in high school, I took one Art class. My teacher was always amazed with my work, but being the low self esteem kid that I was back then, I never thought it was true.

As a teen I took one art class in school. As an adult, I took one water color class. I painted a person shoulder up in 3 hrs. My teacher could not believe it was my first painting. Guess I have a natural ability when it comes to sketching people. I enjoy drawing my children and my nieces and nephews. From time to time I think about working on enhancing these skills. I've been told that if I draw or paint 30 mins a day consistently, I would be able to sell my work solely on my natural ability.

Right after Jordan was born, I attended an art exhibit in our hometown Art's Council building. I was drawn to the work of a certain artist. So I contacted him for a print (I sure could not afford the original at a whopping $3500-even though I would have loved an original). The 8x10 prints were much much more affordable for me!

Here is Jordan's print titled, "Ballerinas". This is a photo I just took with my cell phone of the print for you to see. He always signs the back of his paintings. This is just to show you what our print looks like...

Jordan's Print of Joseph Barthet's Ballerinas
















After contacting the artist, I shared my passion for art with him, and he actually took interest in me (without having met me in person at all). He invited me to his home in Boone, NC. At the time, we lived about 45 mins from Boone. I spent the entire day with this fine artist (and his dear wife) who reside in Boone, NC, but he is originally from Europe.

As you can see above the print, his name is Joseph Barthet...You can READ ABOUT HIM HERE His father actually painted with famous painters...if I heard correctly, he said Picasso! It was an incredible day to say the least! To see this man's artwork hung about his beautiful mountain two story home...breath-taking!

At the time of our visit, it had not been long since my father's sudden death. Dr. Barthet gave me a project to do, which would also be "therapy" in healing from my father's death. He instructed me to do a painting of my father's/grandfather's beach house (where we often visited as children), and while painting I am to listen to music that reminds me of my father (which would be Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, and Pink Floyd The Wall! This is the music my dad listened to as we traveled the 2hrs to the beach house and back to our home) I was to paint this place where I had spent so much time as a child, as a healing assignment. The beach house was a symbol of much joy and much much pain.

I have yet to muster up the courage to do this.

Joseph Barthet told me to come back ONLY AFTER I had completed this painting...

I've not returned back to see Joseph Barthet...this was over 11 yrs ago!

I'm sitting here and pondering this...Hmmmm, Am I feeling strong enough to possibly consider doing this assignment in the near future. A very emotional thing for me to turn my thoughts toward doing this concerning my father.  (I'll add, I've never worked with oil paints either, and would need to learn how to work with them.)

Sometimes I wonder if I had truly pursued my love of Music and Art...what path I would be on today?

There you have it! A few of my passions.

Love to all-In Christ's Extravagant Love!