Red Floaty Things and Grace

From my chair a good 50 yards away I see it – a bright red spot in the middle of the mess of algae along the shore of the lake.

thingy 2
They tell me they don’t put chemicals in the lake anymore, so while the fish are coming back and the lake is actually healthier in many ways, the algae is taking over.  A team of college students from Concordia College are here during the summer, pulling out the algae  and hauling it away – looks like this end needs a little attention again.  

Walking closer I see it is a bright red fishing floaty thing  -- with apologies to my fishing friends who would know what this is!  

There it was, a spot of color, even beauty in the middle of the mess.  

It reminds me of how God shows up in the middle of my messes.  

When all that I can see is ugly, Grace appears.
grace zentangle

 One of my dear friends gave me the book, Grace Happens Here by Max Lucado, in which he calls grace unexpected and undeserved I created the above image to help me focus on the truth of GRACE and remind me to watch for it. Maybe GRACE is always unexpected. Lest I start to think I deserve it.

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Joining this week with
Weekend Brew and Barbie Swihart
Give Me Grace and Lisha Epperson

12 Replies to “Red Floaty Things and Grace”

  1. Hi Carol, As always your words speak to my heart…what you notice and then how you creatively remember it. Just love it AND you!! Hugs, my dear friend!!

    1. thanks for leaving your voice here Kim. i have seen some of your work too and your notice and create. I just put one of your mugs in the dishwasher this morning!

      I sure enjoyed our time together yesterday. skype rocks. gotta do that more often!

    1. Hey Katherine, friend of mine. I just left you a message. When I saw someone call this a zentangle, i wondered who that could be! then I saw it was you! i think you introduced me to this or at least encouraged it after i heard about it., love you my friend and i miss you.

  2. Your art is stunning Carol. Like Pat, I appreciate the pops of color. I’m so glad he gives grace so freely. When you start looking you’ll find it everywhere.

    1. thank you for your kind words, Lisha. The art piece is called Zentangle Inspired Ar. It’s a fun relaxing way to create images be drawing repetitive patterns….and i use it to remember things I can’t take a photo of! it focuses my ADD mind and I can think upon things for longer than a couple seconds! Its been a gift to me.

  3. i love the way your creative juices are flowing, Carol … and the unexpected and undeserved peeking subtly are gentle reminders of where our grace and mercies come from.

    wonderful.

    1. I guess the creative thing about this was realizing the piece i created in February fit for what I was seeing when I wrote this! As I said to Lisha in replying to her, this is called Zentangle Inspired Art. It’s a fun relaxing way to create images by drawing repetitive patterns….and i use it to remember things I can’t take a photo of! it focuses my ADD mind and I can think upon things for longer than a couple seconds! Its been a gift to me.

  4. What an impressive piece of art, Carol. I see you have two bits of color mixed into it – spelling unexpected and undeserved, I like that.

    May God continue to surprise you with signs of his nearness, voice and amazing grace. You are deeply loved.

    1. Thank you Pat. this art piece is called “Zentangle Inspired Art”. It’s a fun relaxing way to create images by drawing repetitive patterns….and i use it to remember things I can’t take a photo of!

      focuses my ADD mind – I can think upon things for longer than a couple seconds – a gift to me. I am aiming to learn more about adding color.

      I just can’t help but notice things and then wonder if God has something to say – often he does., Sometimes its just to be with him.

    1. Hi Martha, thanks for stopping by. and you should know I am following your downsizing adventure with interest. It’s still ahead of me. I am in the “pre downsizing mode. it will be interrupted by knee replacement in August, but i’ll keep chipping away. we have lived here for 33 years. yikes!

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