dream, pray, do

Week 4 - Questions to ponder from "An Enemy Called Average" by John L. Mason

If everyone in the United States of America were on my level of spirituality, would there be a revival in the land?

That is an intense question and one that we should all take some time and think about. I am not sure what to write about for this question because it is really about looking inward and analyzing yourself and your faith.

I guess what comes to mind for me is this......when we go to church on Sunday.....do we go out into the world and DO what our faith calls us to do? or do we leave church and go out into the world and act selfish, negative, cursing at others, etc.

We are called to share our faith.....evangelize if you will. I don't mean to go out on the street corner and start preaching....although if that is your calling, then do it. What I mean is, in our every day life, smile at strangers, lend a helping hand to a stranger, let someone go in line ahead of you, volunteer at the soup kitchen, write a letter of gratitude to someone....basically small acts of kindness. You never know how those acts of kindness could move someone to do a small act of kindness for someone else and so on, and so on......next thing you know, we could have a revival on our hands!! And wouldn't THAT be amazing!

Something else that comes to mind here. I am enjoying a bible study that our church, Holy Rosary, is offering. It has opened my eyes and strengthened my faith more than I ever thought it would. This session we are studying the Acts of the Apostles, the beginning of the church after Pentecost. Wednesday we talked about the scripture, Acts 5:29...."But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men......" Basically, the apostles were arrested and instructed by the Sanhedrin (the high court of Judaism, composed of the high priest and 70 leaders of Israel) not to speak in the name of Jesus and their response was that they are to obey God, not man. 

"This is the fundamental premise of civil disobedience. It insists that believers cannot submit to human authorities,  institutions and laws that contradict the laws of God." (Wis 6:1-3; Mk 7:8-13) -from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible

If we all were to stand for what is right, true and of God, there would be a revival......just sayin'

new site is up

 

My new site is up and new products are added! Come on over and check it out :)

Click here

here we go again

Happy Saturday everyone. My website is down until Monday....at least I hope Monday it is up and running again. 

Last year I spent many many hours building my own website. I wanted a website that I could make changes to at any moment, add new products and have the home page be more like a blog and easily updated. I loved it when I was finished and I was pretty proud of myself for figuring it all out on my own.

Well.....only to find out recently that if you build a website on wordpress.com, it can only be a blog and you are not allowed to do any ecommerce. oops! Guess I didn't read the fine print. You have to go through wordpress.org if you want to sell products on your website. Soooo, last week, I transferred my domain name...and bought a few new domain names through godaddy, then I chose hostgator to host my site. Now I am in the process of exporting my website from wordpress.com to hostgator. I really hope and pray when I import my website to hostgator that all my content is there and I won't have to start from ground zero. 

I do plan, however, to make many changes to my website in the near future. I want to simplify the shop and add new pages. I also plan to treat the homepage more like a blog and update it two to three times a week. Anyway....if you happen to go to my website and it wasn't there......this would be why. So here we go again.....working towards bigger and better things!!!

Wishing you a great weekend!

dream, pray, do

Question 3:

Am I on the path of something absolutely marvelous or something absolutely mediocre?

What is your path? Do you wake up in the morning and do the same thing every single day. Do you wake up on Saturday morning and wander aimlessly through the day only to go to bed and wake up Sunday morning and wander aimlessly through that day as well? Or do you wake up Saturday morning with a list of chores to be done that couldn't possibly be done in two days, but you try......finding yourself looking forward to Monday so you can go to work and rest?

It is easy to get caught up in a "routine". If you have seen the movie "Hope Springs", you know what a routine can do to person and/or relationship. For those of you who have not seen the movie, it is very enlightening for a married couple to watch. It opened Kevin and my eyes to what we DON'T want to happen to our marriage. Here is a brief overview of the movie without giving too much of the story away for those of you who have not seen it yet.

Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple's specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough - the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.

Please don't get me wrong....I don't want this post to come off as "never satisfied", "never happy with what I have and always wanting more" or "always looking to the future instead of living in the now". We don't want to slip into those three above-mentioned statements. However, we can live in the now, be grateful for what we have and still work towards something marvelous!

God calls us to become the best version of ourselves (I know I have posted that before, but it bears repeating). We are called to be great wives, husbands, Mothers, Fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, and brothers. We are called to serve. We are called to share our gifts. We are called to be marvelous.....not mediocre. Whatever our calling is....remember, God is with us.....and with God, we cannot fail!

So whatever hopes you have for your life, break out of that routine.....dream big, pray hard, then do with great enthusiasm.

 

birthday boy

Ryan is 15 today!

We couldn't be more proud of this young man. He is kind, funny, helpful, respectful, polite, smart, hard-working, sympathetic....must I go on. He really is all those things and more. Poor guy has to study for exams today.....not the best way to spend a birthday....but we celebrated yesterday ;)

Happy Birthday, Son!

40 years.......

wonderfully & fearfully made

Man with No Arms and Legs Goes on Oprah to Share the Gospel! from keephopealive on GodTube.


This video will move you. It is the PERFECT example of what we can do when we make the conscious CHOICE to do something. With God, we are UNSTOPPABLE!

dream, pray, do

Second week of "dream, pray, do". The question this week is:

What one thing should I eliminate from my life because it holds me back from reaching my full potential?

This will be hard to answer because every person's answer can vary greatly, therefore, I am going to throw out some ideas that may help you analyze your time to see what is holding you back.

Have you ever been busy, busy, busy.....for days in a row......and at the end of the week feel like you didn't accomplish anything? I think we have all done this a time or two in our lives but all that "busyness" can become a habit and before we know it, weeks, months and even years have gone by and our goals and dreams are covered in dust.

Try this.....for one entire week (no cheating) keep track of everything you do......cooking, cleaning, laundry, exercising, shopping, working, sleeping, spending time with family & friends, surfing the internet, watching TV, youtube videos or DVDs, playing video games or computer games, engaging in hobbies, social media.....EVERYTHING!

Then at the end of the week analyze your time to see what you could give up completely (be honest with yourself) or where you could possibly spend less time.

Here are a few ideas:

*Set a timer for social media....15  minutes for Facebook, 15 minutes for pinterest, etc

*Plan your meals for the entire week and get everything you need in one shopping trip.

*Cut back on TV! I did this a few months ago and I am amazed at how much time I was actually spending, no wasting, watching the boob tube.

*Set a timer for video games and computer games or possibly stop playing them all together.

* ASK FOR HELP! I know, you want to take care of your family and do everything for them (me too), but ask them (including hubby) to pitch in and help. Assign chores for your children; it will not only help you out but it will give them a strong work ethic.

*Learn to say "no"......this is a tuffy for me. I use to say "yes" to everything and would sometimes get in a real bind (and really stressed out!). While it is wonderful and rewarding to volunteer and help out, you also have to be realistic and don't let it run your life.

Basically, if you want to follow your passion/dream, you have to set goals and in order to reach those goals, you have to take action....which means MAKING time to achieve those goals. Just imagine working towards your goals 1 hour a day, 5 days a week for 50 weeks....that's 250 hours!  Surely you can find 1 hour a day (and possibly more, depending on how bad you want it) to make your dreams a reality.

Here's another thought.....maybe it's not some-thing but some-one that is holding you back from your full potential.

"If you want to be a positive, successful person, be sure you choose your friends carefully. Positive friends and role models will have a positive effect upon you, while negative friends will soon kill your initiative. Do not allow yourself to be lulled into complacency by the masses who believe mediocrity is an acceptable alternative. Focus on the possibilities for success, not the potential for failure. When you doubt yourself, talk the situation over with a positive, supportive friend. Everyone needs a boost now and again; make sure your friends are positive, success-oriented people who always build you up, not negative thinkers who always seem to find a way to tear you down." -Napoleon Hill Foundation

I hope this post helps you to find areas in your life that need re-adjusting, re-organizing or simply cut right out.

You and your dreams are worth it!!

Beauty and Grace

Beauty & grace painting from Teresa Kogut

Oh my.....it almost took me as much time to create this slide show as it did the actual painting!! Ok, that is an exaggeration but I am not thrilled with it. I had a total of 20 pictures for the slide show but the program I used only allowed 10 photos. Hoping to find a better source......no, wait.....how about video????

I am taking a 90 day course on how to create and edit video, so instead of a slide show, next time it will be video......and hopefully I will be having better hair days! lol

Hope you enjoy looking at the progression of my "Beauty & Grace" painting.

Blessings,

Teresa

 

my first video

I made this video today with Animoto. It was fun and easy to do. I hope you enjoy!

dream, pray, do

Remember a couple of posts ago, I mentioned taking a question from John L. Mason's book per week and posting my thoughts concerning it.....well, today is day one. I am calling this series of posts "Dream, Pray, Do".

Question #1

What decision would I make if I knew that it would not fail?

First and foremost, we must let go of the fear. Fear of failure is what holds us back from obtaining our dreams.

Worry is fear's twin brother. They go together like peanut butter and jelly (or cheese and wine). The word worry actually means "to strangle". Think about that......to strangle our dreams, our goals, our talents, our gifts and even our joy.

We cannot let fear and worry take over our thought process. If we do, we are essentially making those fears come true. We can build a negative thought into a debilitating mindset if we let those thoughts prevail.

Whenever a negative thought, fear or worry creeps into our minds, we have the power to stop it and replace it with a positive thought. For example, we might say "what if I start my dream business and it fails?", stop immediately and say out loud, "what if I start my dream business and it is a great success even beyond my wildest expectations!".....and let those positive thoughts run wild for a minute or so. It is surprising at the energy and enthusiasm you will have to get moving towards that dream business, job or whatever it is you wish to achieve.

Most importantly, through prayer we can conquer fear and worry. Have you ever heard of the saying "Let go and let God"? Through prayer we are open to hear God's "whispers". God will open doors to opportunity and put us in touch with the right people.

Here are some scripture readings that can help us overcome fear and worry.

*   Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.   Psalm 55:22

*   Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.   Deuteronomy 31:6

*  When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.   Psalm 56:3

*   For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'   Isaiah 41:13

*   For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.   2 Timothy 1:7

From these readings we can see that God wants us all to realize our full potential.....to become the best version of ourselves (with His help, of course) and in doing so we will be a bright light in the world. We can inspire others to do the same when they see our joy. So dream, pray, do! 

so moved...

I just came across this video while on pinterest......I watched it and immediately knew I had to post here for you to see. I am typing with with tears in my eyes.......I am so moved......




CeeLo Green is the singer....what an amazing job he did on this song. I had not heard of this movie before seeing this video. Cannot wait til 3.3.13

HAVE A BLESSED DAY


Just watched this again.....still so moving. However, I did find out that this is going to be a 10 hour television series (not a movie) starting 3.3.13. Go to www.facebook.com/bibleseries and "like"

happy new year

I always get excited this time of year. For me, it is a time of reflection and planning. I take time to looking back over the past year to see what goals were met (and which ones weren't met). Make new plans and set new goals. I have a very clear vision for 2013 and, just as important, I have deadlines set in place in order to make sure I reach my goals. 

I recently read a book by John L. Mason called "An Enemy Called Average". It is an inspiring book but one of the chapters really relates to the beginning of the new year. Here are a list of questions I have taken from his book that we all should be asking ourselves:

1.   What one decision would I make if I knew that it would not fail?
2.   What one thing should I eliminate from my life because it holds me back from reaching my full potential?

3.   Am I on the path of something absolutely marvelous, or something absolutely mediocre?
4.   If everyone in the USA were on my level of spirituality, would there be a revival in the land?
5.   Does the devil know who I am?
6.   Am I running from something or to something?
7.   What can I do to make better use of my time?
8.   Would I recognize Jesus if I met Him on the street?
9.   Who do I need to forgive?
10. What is my favorite scripture for myself, my family and my career?
11. What impossible thing am I believing and planning for?
12. What is my most prevailing thought?
13. What good thing have I previously committed myself to do that I have quit doing?
14. Of the people I respect most, what is it about them that earns my respect?
15. What would a truly creative person do in my situation?
16. What outside influences are causing me to be better.....or worse?
17. Can I lead anyone else to Christ?
18. In what areas do I need improvement in terms of personal development?
19. What gifts, talents or strengths do I have?
20. What is the one thing that I can do for someone else who has no opportunity to repay me?

These are some pretty heavy questions...but something I think is important. Take one question a day and reflect on it. Start a journal and next January, re-read what you wrote and see how you have changed. These are just some ideas floating around in my head. I know every one of us has unlimited potential....we just need to tap into it and believe in ourselves but also take action....make things happen!!

I would like to write a post once a week based on each one of these questions....any thoughts??

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

WISHING YOU A PROSPEROUS, HEALTHY

AND JOYFUL 2013

hark! the herald angels sing....

Glory to the Newborn King!!

 "Song of the Heart" by J Kirk Richards

I found this artwork on Pinterest....fell in love with it and wanted to share it with you. It makes me think of the angels singing at the moment Jesus was born. The joy and celebration that rang out in Heaven and on earth.

Hoping you all had a very Merry CHRISTmas

and wishing you a blessed 2013!

drumroll please......

Congratulations Tammy Brandstetter! You are the lucky winner of the November give away! I will send your 8x10 "Angel's Bouquet" print right out in the mail as soon as you contact me with your address.

Thank you to everyone for entering the drawing! I had the most names ever to draw from! The next give away will be announced some time after the new year.

Well said.....

Where Was God? Mike Huckabee's Incredible Response to the Newtown Shooting Tragedy from anberlin_fan on GodTube.

I was so moved by this video that I just had to share it. I don't want to get into any political "he said", "she said" issues. This, for me, has nothing to do with being a democrat or republican. Let's be real and look at the truth.......as a society, God has been pushed aside and only called upon in times of crisis. God needs to be in our lives EVERYDAY....we need Him in our homes, schools, and offices. Without God, we allow evil to step in and cause pain, suffering and hopelessness. God is love.....He can be nothing else. God also gave us free will. We decide for ourselves whether or not we want a relationship with Him. I choose God.

the new chicks.....

Never in a million years did I think we would one day have chickens! It's a rather long story but a funny one indeed. My brother-in-law has a bunch of chickens and once in a while, Kevin, my husband, would bring home fresh eggs after visiting with his brother. Not only are the eggs delicious but they come from free-range, no hormone, no antibiotic chickens! I have a growing concern about our food supply but that story will have to wait until another time.

We've tossed the idea around about getting our own chickens so we, too, would have fresh, healthy eggs. But this idea remained just that....an idea. Where would we put them? Would Daisy kill them? How would we keep them in our yard? Do we really need something else to take care of? Where would we find the time? The questions seemed to outweigh the answers so it remained an idea for many months. UNTIL.....

Kevin works with an investor that had a house on a land contract. The people living in the house defaulted on the contract and had to leave. They left alright.....they left cat and dogs in the house, they left trash all over the yard and left four chicken roaming the property. Unbelievable! The dogs and cats were rescued but what about the chickens? Well, a few days later, we decided it was now or never but before putting in a lot of time fixing them a coop, Kevin wanted to make sure they were still at the house. 

After church one Sunday, Kevin, Ryan and I stopped by the house to check on the chickens and there they were huddled under some bushes. My hubby and son decided, heck, we are here, there is a cage to put them in, we might as well try to catch them and take them home now. Here's the funny part....... the chickens had come out from under the bushes and were now huddled behind a grill up against the house. Kevin took an old towel and Ryan had an old blanket........one on the left side of the grill and one on the other side.....they moved in slowly and when they got close enough to try to catch them the chickens panicked and started squawking and flying. Ryan (not realizing chickens can fly and to be honest, I didn't think of it either) jumped back and let out quite a yell! Then they went chasing the chickens around the yard! It was quite a sight. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Needless to say, the chickens didn't come home with us that day.

After a couple of other attempts to "catch" the chickens, Kevin decided instead to go over to the house after they had roosted at dusk and shut them inside the coop and then go back over in the morning to put them in the cage since they were confined inside the coop. Kevin had converted our kid's old playhouse into quite a nice little chicken coop so we were ready to bring them home.

Now, the first night that the chickens were here, Kevin tried to get them in the coop for the night. Since they were new to their surroundings, we didn't think they would know to go into their new coop. In his attempt to get them inside the coop he spooked them and they flew into a nearby tree and slept there the first night. The second night, the same thing happened but this time, Kevin climbed the tree and got them down! (impressive huh?) I told him not to do any of these things without me watching as I needed some good laughs!! A few days later someone told Kevin that he should have let them out of the cage in the coop and kept them confined inside for a day or two so they knew that was their new home. Live and learn, right?!?

Anyway, all is well. The chickens now go to roost at dusk all by themselves. They stay in the yard and Daisy has gotten use to them and best of all, we have delicious healthy eggs every day!

hard to believe

A Prayer Tribute to the Victims of The Newtown School Shooting from sharethemessage on GodTube.

Hard to believe in one day I am sharing with you my excitement about the future and later in the day question the future.....the future of our society. It is unfathomable to think a young man at the age of 20 could gun down 18 innocent children ages 5 to 10 years old. My heart aches for the all victims and their families. Not only the entire community of Newtown CT is affected but it has touched us all. We are grieving with them.

He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

we're getting closer.......

I just received an email from Coynes & Co. with the new 2013 catalog attached! Here are the pages from their catalog that feature my angel products. I am in the process of setting up an account with them and will be placing my order as soon as I am approved. I will be putting these items for sale on my website before January but they will not be shipping until February. I am so excited, I can hardly contain  myself!!!

Ya know, when I first started painting these angels a couple of years ago, I was met with a little bit of skepticism that "angels won't sell". But as an artist, I didn't care about that. I had an internal passion that just had to come out! I told myself, whether they sell or not is not my concern, I will continue to paint them anyway. Sometimes, we just have to do what is in our heart.......and most of the time that is our best work.

So far, the feedback has been very positive. The angel art is licensing well but time will tell if the consumer is ready for such products. I can tell you that when I am at retail shows, people gravitate to the angel art and I have a collector of my original paintings that said to me via email, "Your paintings give me such peace, and I smile every time I see one of them. This gives me many reasons to smile as I must have enough for every room of the house by now!" -  Eileen, Traverse City, Michigan

That is a dream come true......that my art....my God-given gift,

brings comfort, peace and smiles to those who see it.

whew

"Guardian Angel"

©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted since Thanksgiving! I have had shows every weekend since then so the weeks were filled with preparing for the shows. However, this past weekend was the last show of 2012. A BIG thank you to all that came out to see me! You helped make these shows a success and I love connecting with you :)

I would love to share photos of all the wonderful shows I was lucky enough to attend but my camera is "out of order" so I only have my phone camera. Guess what I want for Christmas this year????

photo taken at Handcrafters in Northville MI, Dec 8th

Now that I am back in the studio, I have BIG plans! First of all.....I am antsy to get painting again, so I will be posting new art as I get them finished.  Secondly, I am diving into designing cross stitch patterns for the TNNA market in March. At the request of my customers, this is a must and I am so excited! And last but most importantly, I have been working diligently on plans for 2013. It is going to be an amazing year with lots of exciting new ways to stay connected with YOU! 

Blessings for a wonderful Monday!