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June 16, 2020
Art Inspiration Lessons from nature Life

Persevering bookmarks

These days, we could all use a little more encouragement than usual, perhaps. So I'm revisiting our barnyard friend, Percy the Persevering Rooster. I'm working on a few more of the sculptures, which will be in the shop soon (so if you missed the last one, stay tuned). Percy was one of the most popular pieces I've made recently. You can read my original post here. The sculptures take a little time, so I decided to make something that everyone can get immediately (who doesn't like a...

by Stephen Rountree
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May 5, 2020
Art Community Doing good Faith Motivation Obedience Prayer

Not growing weary

Waiting to Reap (pictured above), by Stephen Rountree, is an original painting in acrylic on salvaged, early 1900s barn wood, lightly coated in white pickling stain. The encouraging words of Galatians 6:9 are hand-transferred onto the wood in distressed lettering. Waiting to Reap is available in the shop today. Buy Waiting to Reap Are you tired yet? You might have immediately thought I was referring to the pandemic and the social distancing, and all that has changed in such a short time. I know we're tired of those things....

by Stephen Rountree
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March 31, 2020
Art Community Faith Life Sculpture

Stuck in the belly… or safe in the belly?

Further thoughts on Jonah and the finished sculpture In last week's post, I shared a new Jonah sculpture in progress on the workbench. This week, I'm happy to share the finished piece. It's now waiting in the shop, ready for a good home. Check out the Inspiring Handmade shop As I was putting the finishing touches on this, a new perspective on the account of Jonah occurred to me. I titled last week's post "Stuck in the belly." Of course, that's how we usually see Jonah—stuck in the belly of...

by Stephen Rountree
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March 24, 2020
Uncategorized

Stuck in the belly

A first-series Jonah sculpture is currently available in the shop. A fish story I haven't seen any statistics, but I believe there's a lot of praying going on in our country—and the world—at the moment. And that's a good thing. The microscopic coronavirus might do for us what the fish (or whale) did for Jonah in the Old Testament. Jonah, of course, is famous for being swallowed by a large, unspecified sea creature and, after three days of intense social distancing, was heaved up and spewed out onto...

by Stephen Rountree
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March 3, 2020
Life Peace Praise Psalms

Still waters

There's something special about still water. A quiet pond or lake, a lazily moving stream—they seem to radiate peace and at the same time almost absorb any stress or anxiety that comes near their shores. King David knew the power of God, who created the still waters that brought comfort and calm. David appreciated the waters, and he praised the Creator of those waters in the well-known 23rd Psalm:"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me...

by Stephen Rountree
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February 25, 2020
Faith Inspiration Mind Peace Philippians Sculpture Thinking

Give peace a chance

Protesting the war—on ourselves If you've been reading us for a while, (or if you've read our welcome post) you know the vision behind Inspiring Handmade is found in Philippians 4:8, where the apostle Paul writes, "…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Inspiring Handmade celebrates original art and craft, writing, and other creations and offers you a break from...

by Stephen Rountree
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February 17, 2020
Art Lessons from nature Life

Last Leaves

Magnificent palette The leaves may have mostly fallen and we're well into winter, but Patti's latest work, Last Leaves with it's warm, comforting colors and gentle, quiet presence, ushers us into the days of autumn. Her wood burned and hand-painted gourd imagines the last oak leaves clinging to their stems. They've worked all spring and summer to provide so much for so many. Designed to convert sunlight into food, they've spent their entire lives harvesting light and feeding their tree. They've offered shelter and camouflage to countless insects and...

by Stephen Rountree
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February 11, 2020
Calling Creativity Glorifying Gospel Inspiration Joy Obedience Praise

Crying rocks

Our raison d'être Artists, crafters, writers, and appreciators of the arts know that nothing is created without some purpose. The purpose may seem insignificant, but it's there, as a thing's reason for existence. Our Presbyterian friends, among others, are familiar with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, a series of questions and answers that teach truths from the Scripture. The very first question is, "What is the chief end of man?" In other words, what's our grand purpose—why are we here? The answer: "Man’s chief end is to glorify...

by Stephen Rountree
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February 4, 2020
Gospel Love Sculpture

The season of love

If Bible chapters were months of the year, 1 Corinthians chapter 13 would be February. It's often called the "love" chapter, and for good reason, as you see here. In the middle of the chapter is the apostle Paul's elegant description of true love, where he writes the familiar words, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but...

by Stephen Rountree
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January 28, 2020
Adversity Art Faith Life

Fire in the jungle

This week, Patti is introducing a new piece in the Inspiring Handmade shop called Fire in the Jungle. It's a work full of energy, conflict, passion, and respite—a little bit like life. The name of the piece reflects the tension inherent in its bold colors fighting for your attention. A fire in a jungle evokes imagery of devastation amongst lush green vegetation—death and destruction encroaching on areas teeming with life, but kept at bay, maybe, by a river or a stream, or a drenching afternoon rain. Such a...

by Stephen Rountree
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