Amazing Grace….

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,

you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted

in the sea,' and it will obey you."

Luke 17:6

So last night, I had a girls' night. We went to one of those painting classes where you take your own beverages and someone teaches you how to paint a simple picture. I was excited. I am not one of those amazing artists that can transform a piece of paper into a masterful drawing of your long lost pet with just a pencil, but I can copy what someone else does with the best average of them. Now I have several of the former in my family, but as I have said before, I did not get that gene. I was pretty proud of myself though. The instructor even said such things to me as "you're a natural with your brush strokes", "I like your technique better than the technique we used for our flowers", and "that's amazing" regarding my finished project. Yes, I left that place with my head held pretty high. I chalked it up to the fact that I must have learned to paint from all those hours spent watching my grandmother paint or the Saturday mornings I spent watching the dynamics of her and my grandfather watching Bob Ross together (which was hilarious by the way). Yes, I was a master painter which I learned from pure osmosis. When I got home, I went immediately to one of my grandmother's paintings to compare. At that moment, I realized that the instructor for the class had the gift of encouragement. Let's just say I was brought back to reality. My painting looked like a kindergartner's color drawing compared to hers. Not that it is a competition….because if it is I surrender…but it is always good to be brought down a few hundred notches. Here see for yourself….
This one is mine…..

This one is hers……

Yes, she is CRAZY talented. Yes, mine is not THAT bad. Yes, it is nice to remember we are all works in progress. I called my mom this morning to tell her about my revelation. She laughed at with me for a little while and then said "Gran has been doing it much longer than you. Maybe you will get there one day too". Apparently, she has the gift of encouragement as well =).

I think, however, the difference in the quality of my and my grandmother's paintings are pretty analogous to a comparison of our faith. As amazing as she is as an artist, she is a gazillion times more amazing as a Christian woman. Good thing God loves us all the same. In high school, I would go by her home every morning to give my cousin a ride to school. Every morning, without fail, there sat her Bible open on her dining room table with paints and canvases scattered all around it. She did it because that is the way she lives. I have my doubts she thought to herself "let me get my Bible out so Angel will see that I am reading it when she comes over". She loves the Word of God, and it is the keystone to her life.

How do I know this? It's not from the lectures she loves to give….because she does LOVE to lecture. It is from the way she lives her life. Her relationship with Christ doesn't stop when she gets up from the church pew. She doesn't waste her time telling you what you should or shouldn't do (unless you are lucky enough to call her Gran and then she does). She spends her time in the trenches. She rolls up her sleeves, laces up her shoes and gets to work. She has had a fairly hard life. She was one of six girls to a single mom during the Depression. If you ask her how they made it, she would tell you God provided for them after her father passed away through the people in the community. Because, He is God, and that is what He does. He provides. When I say, I have seen her give away her last dime. I am not exaggerating. I have. I have also started to lecture her about "good stewardship" and "God wants you to take care of yourself" when she does this. Her reply has always been, "I'm not worried; I'll sell a painting". Guess what, she always does. God knew WAAYY back in my childhood that I needed this example. He knew that one day, I would be married to a student with two young kids, and that we would barely have two dimes to rub together. That example gave me peace in knowing that God would take care of us during that phase of life and during other struggles during our current and future phases.

She taught me that being a Christian doesn't mean that you sit back and make a list of what others are doing wrong. We ALL do things wrong. That is why we have grace. It is simply our job to love and serve. Since my grandfather has passed away, she has been telling me stories of when they were newly married. She told me that she used to give hitchhikers rides all the time. Pa found out and quickly put a stop to it. Those of us that know her are not surprised by this. I have seen her walk up to countless homeless people and give them food. I have also walked into her home numerous times to see people sleeping on her couch that "didn't have anywhere else to go". Yes, she is that amazing. No, she is not allowed to do that anymore (as much as any of us can disallow her from doing anything).

So it was no surprise to me, that of all the people I told I was going to China to serve is an orphanage, she didn't blink. She said that it sounded like a good idea and the right thing to do. She didn't ask if it would be safe. At least, not to me. She gets IT. She gets the role of Christians in the world. Not what the crazies claim in the name of Christ, but what Christ claimed in the name of His Father. Service. Washing of feet. Love. Faith. Peace that surpasses all understanding. And as she is soooo rightly named…Grace.

To China And Back On Glass Tiles???

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased”

Hebrews 13:16

 

So let me just say, God has blessed me with the best friends.  It seems that even though I am not a salesperson.  I have friends that are.  That email I got from the team leader that encouraged us to fundraise and see how God works was right on.  Only God could combine my lack of artistic talent with glass tiles and use it as the trailhead to my path to China.  “Our God is a big big God” can’t you just hear that song in your head.  I can and have all week.

I am not sure why God chose me to have the friends that I do, but I am grateful.  They are amazing people.  People that not only sale my glass tiles and deliver them, offer to have a bbq sometime this summer and sale plates to fundraise for my trip, but they are also people that I can trust with my children.  I know that they love my children and reinforce the same values that Jeff and I try to teach them when they are in their home.  What a blessing it is to have those values reinforced by others.  Even though none of us go to the same church, we are all the body of Christ, and it has been amazing to see that body at work. Not just for this China trip but in our day to day lives.  So to answer my question, it will not be the glass tiles that get me to China.  It will be God’s mighty work through His people-His body that gets me to China.

In Him,
Angel

Out on a Limb….

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

If you have never read Matthew 6, you should. It is one of my favorite passages and kept me sane through my schooling to become a PT and then later Jeff's schooling. God promises He will provide for us. It may not be that new fancy house or car, but He will give us all we need.

As inept as I am at arts and crafts, I am even more so at sales/fundraising. Whenever the kids bring home those packets from school, I toss them in the trash. I know bad mom, but I hate asking people to buy things. My plan is to step aside and see what God has planned. There is no way I could do this process without Him. I know that I am suppose to go to China. That it is His will so I am claiming the fact that the money will fall into place.

Anyway, here goes the first round of sales. I made these necklaces out of glass tiles. Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing any of them. Every dime you give me will go to the service trip I am taking to China. We are using our own money to purchase the materials so it wont even go back to that.   Most of the necklaces are $10.  The Moment In Time Collection will be $12 since it takes a couple of more steps.  I can do any of the patterns you see below on any of the shapes of glass tile (heart, circle or square).  Send me an email if you are interested (angela.sorrell@att.net), and we will figure it out.

 

Hymnals...

These tiles were created using excerpts from an old “Songs of the Church” hymnal. If you have a favorite let me know, I can probably make it work.

 

 

Musical Notes….

Nondescript lyrics on a musical background

 

 

Postage Paid…

Images of vintage stamps for those of us that still believe in the art of letter writing.

 

 

 

Toile….

I have just always loved toile.  There is something special about it.  It takes you back in time to old country sides.

 

 

 

Rose Garden….

This picture does not do this one justice.  It is beautiful.

 

 

He loves me….

Beautiful red rose petals are the highlight of this one.  Perfect to give someone you love.

 

 

 

World Traveler….

Love to travel like I do? Then this is the perfect necklace for you.  It has images of vintage maps.

 

 

 

 

Victorian chic….

This is one of my favorites.  No words needed.

 

 

Hipster….

                  

Flowers and paisleys in vibrant colors for those of us young at heart.

 

 

 

And my personal favorite

A Moment in Time…..

Email me a special picture and I will convert it to a glass tile necklace. 

Remember it will be cropped down to a 1”square, 1” diameter circle, or a heart that is 1” at its widest point.

 

 

 

They will come packaged like this…

With a brief note on the back saying how the money is used.

 

Just an FYI for those of you that live in Liberty Hill.  I am about to mail some of these to my mom to sale.  I know lucky her =).  If you are interested in any of the non-custom ones above just let her know or email me and we can hopefully hook you up before Mother’s Day.

 

Thanks for taking the time again to read my post.  I could also use prayers.  Prayers that God prepares my heart for what I will be experiencing in China and prayers for peace for the journey.  Also prayers that I keep this jewerly making, money raising process in its place and don’t let it consume me.  He already has it all figured out anyway =)

 

In Him, Angel

Stretching My Faith...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress"

James 1:27

I will confess it is hard for me to leave my comfort zone.  I have felt called to go to 'far off lands' before to serve people in difficult times, but the thought of leaving my children half a world away to do it has kept me tucked safely in my bed at night.  Besides, what I do at my job is helping people right so why go to another country?  Well that feeling in the pit of my stomach, that calling, has never left.  Trips have come and gone, and I have never stepped out on the limb.  I could give you reasons why, but as that guy at the gym tells me, there are always reasons to not do something...you only need to find one to do it.

That "one reason" came as a picture of an adorable little girl on my Facebook page one day and a request from a PT school classmate, her forever mom.  She asked people to go on a trip to that little girls former orphanage and love the babies and nannies.  It just so happens that orphanage is one where most of the kids are special needs, and I just so happen to be a neonatal/pediatric physical therapist.  Helping babies and kids with special needs is my comfort zone; it is my calling.  So I took the plunge.  I woke Jeff up for his night shift to "honey, I am going to China in October", and I havent looked back yet.  I committed before I could talk myself out of it. 

There are still reasons not to go...the reasons that Satan keeps playing over and over again in my head.  He has honed in on the top two and is working it pretty well.  The biggest one he is using and will continue to use is my babies.  Ok, so they aren't really babies anymore, but they are still mine. For a mom to be half a world away from her children takes a leap of faith. For a mom that works in a children's hospital and sees people's worse fears become realities to be half a world away from her children takes every bit of faith she has.  God has been gracious, however, in providing me with examples of mothers that took the leap of faith in situations much harder than my own.  He also taught me early in my pregnancy with my oldest, Daniel, that they are not really mine anyway.  They are His and He somehow loves them more than I ever could and will care for them more than I will ever be able.  He gave me a picture of this today as Bryan and I were leaving his baseball practice.  Bryan choked on a grape this weekend at our home.  It came out before I realized it, but he really choked.  He couldn't talk.  On the way to our car tonight, we were talking about the incident because it was kind of traumatic on both of us.  Bryan in his little eight year old voice told me that at that moment he remembered what he had been taught in Bible class.  When you are scared, God is there with you.  So glad he gets it now if I would.  I just need to remember that I am leaving them with their Nana and Dad who care deeply for them but most importantly with an amazing God who is all they need anyway.

The other one is money (between $4000 and $4300 to be exact).  While Jeff and I are blessed, we are also still in catchup/paying off debt mode from all our years of school.  Am I being selfish to take money out of that process to go on this trip?  I had justified it in my mind by saying I would work more and cut back and pay for it.  Then I got an email from the team leader.  She encouraged us to fundraise/take donations.  Said it is part of the coming together as a team and seeing how God is going to provide process.  Let me just say, all those years of me working and raising the boys while Jeff was in school came flashing back to me.  We made it thru all those years of Jeffs school and training without asking for money from anyone so why would I do it now?  Asking people to help financially would really stretch my faith.  I guess I am prideful.  However, on my run tonight, God reminded me of all the non monetary help we got during those years, and how, yes, we did make it on limited income, but maybe He had something to do with it.  A modern day loaves and fishes story.  I was also reminded by a friend that people might want to donate.  She pointed out that some people will never be blessed to go to China and love on babies and by donating to this trip that is there way of taking part in it.  So here goes.  If you would like to donate click here.  On the Designated Fund tab, select "Act Missions".  In the participants name blank, write Angela Sorrell.  In the Notes write "China (Shaanxi Fall 2014)".  I am also going to attempt to make jewelery for a fundraiser.  While those of you that know my family may have high expectations, I really didn't get those genes :).  I can do a mean seriel cast on a baby's foot, but that is about as crafty as I get.  God is going to stretch me in that direction as well.  I am also going to work more and cut back.  If I go over the $4300, please know that the money you give will be used to help the orphanage in other ways.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  Sorry for the lack of pics...remember, I am not crafty like that, but I will try to get better.

In Him,
Angel