Debbie Hannah Skinner

Wisdom In Watercolor

Be The Kindness

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BeTheKindnessIn the little circle of influence I’ve been given among my family, friends, church, and wider community, I am determined- now more than ever- to seek to be the kindness I think is missing in the world.

How? I can do these things. . .

  • Speak gently. Proverbs 15:1- “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
  • Stop the spread of hurtful information by not passing on (through my spoken words or clicks or tweets or posts) news stories that stir division instead of sowing peace. Matthew 5:9- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
  • Be kind and compassionate and forgive others as I pause to ponder how much God has forgiven me of through Jesus. Ephesians 4:32- “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

In my paintings, dark is used as contrast to bring out light. In the world, the darkness that’s so rampant around us these days serves to make the light of Christ living in us glimmer and glow with a bright, heavenly radiance.

Reflect Jesus

Last Sunday night, we were driving back from Oklahoma to Amarillo when that big ol’ super moon was out. Did you see it? The moon doesn’t have the brilliance of the sun, but it’s a breathtaking reflector of the sun’s light.

I don’t own a fancy dancy camera with a fabulous lens, but here’s the photo I took with my iPhone as we stopped on I-40 at the giant cross in Groom, TX.

The image is a bit grainy, but keep in mind this cross is 19 stories high. . .

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If I were to give this photo a name it would be this: Reflect Jesus.

Dear friends, we cannot control the darkness- the meanness, the inflammatory rhetoric, threats, violence, and lies floating around in the world. But, we can make small choices with our words and actions in seemingly insignificant places- from the grocery store check out line to our social media posts to the dinner table- to reflect the pure light of our beloved Jesus in our small yet significant spheres of influence.

Do I have times when fail at this? You bet. Nevertheless, my goal is to be the kindness where I’ve been planted in the world.

Will you join me by seeking to be the kindness where you are today? If enough of us try, it can make a big difference in the world.

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving!

DebbieSig

 

Starving The Stress Monster

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Coloring Page

Do you know someone who struggles under the weight of stress? This may help…

Sometimes I picture my emotional stress as a voracious animal. He’s fed by my thoughts. When I mull over regrets and guilt from the past or dwell on imagined fears of the unknown out in the future, this evil beast not only survives, but thrives.

Do you know what I’ve discovered starves and shuts down my stress monster? Shifting my thoughts from the past or the future to the right now, the present moment.

Engaging my hands in art- coloring, painting, drawing- helps move my mind to the present. Just think about it: we cannot paint in the past or the future, but only in the present.

While engaging my hands in art, I’ve learned to engage my mind in meditating on Scripture to give that old stress monster a one/two knockout punch that disarms his power over me.

Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

I’m so grateful for the gift of Scripture to light my way through not only the daily decisions I have to make, but also out of the deep, dark cave of emotional stress!

Here’s a link to a short interview that aired recently on our local ABC and FOX affiliate about my Soul Soothing Scriptures coloring book that’s designed to help people use coloring to meditate on Scripture and ease stress in the process. (Click on the image below if you want to see the short segment.)

KAMR Interview Pix

If this Soul Soothing Scriptures coloring book could help you or someone you know to engage your hands in art while meditating on Scripture, you can click on the image below to find it on Amazon.com. . .

Coloring Through The Bible - Cover

Blessings,

DebbieSig

 

PS The lovely page below from my Soul Soothing Scriptures coloring book was colored by Lindsey, an amazing young mom in Houston. She wrote on Instagram, “After a sleepless night of scratching and screaming, B (her precious little boy) is finally napping. Worship music playing, and meditating on the One who gives rest! #myhappyplace ”
Didn’t Lindsey do an amazing job? I love it! 🙂

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Light Is Coming!

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candlelightJerusalem

Placing light against dark is a powerful technique used to create art. It can draw a viewer’s attention, create a focal point, and provide visual drama.

This weekend commemorates the darkest days of the year on the Christian calendar. On Good Friday, Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. At noon, the skies turned black. At 3 p.m., Jesus breathed His last breath and the earth quaked.

Christ’s death on a cross and placement in a tomb was the darkest time in all of human history, but, praise God, the brilliant light of Jesus’ Resurrection was coming!

As much as we may dislike darkness, without it, we can’t have light. Dark sets the stage for the light to show up and shine.

With all the meanness going on lately- around the world and even in our own communities- things can look so, so dark. I hope this Easter weekend serves as a bright and beautiful reminder to you and your family that the darker the world gets, the contrast of Jesus living in and through us shines brightest.

He is the light and He can shine beyond the deepest darkness.

John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is LORD! Have a beautiful Resurrection Day!

DebbieSig

Fruitful Legacy

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What’s the secret of growth for a grape? It’s pretty simple: remain connected to the vine.

I’ve never heard the sound of grunts or groans from the grapes in a vineyard. Have you?

In His last moments with His disciples, Jesus made His way across Jerusalem, moving from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here’s a little piece of what He told them…

John 15:4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

As we focus on intentional abiding in Christ- remaining in Him, thinking of Him, looking to Him- growth will come. Guaranteed.

I hope this painting will serve as a visual reminder to remain in Him. 🙂

Blessings,

DebbieSig

 

 

PS Love grapes? or purple? or both? Prints of Fruitful Legacy are available on paper or canvas in my ImageKind gallery.

 

Christmas Joy!

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ChristmasJoy

What fun it was to create “Christmas Joy” for the 2015 Christmas Day cover of Amarillo Globe News.

Packaged in a squirmy little soft skinned baby, hope was born in Bethlehem.

Joy reverberated through the skies as peace became present in a person. Scared shepherds were told, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

The great joy of Christmas is that’s the time the Rescuer showed up!

I’m so grateful Jesus Christ came in to the world, but I’ve got to say, I’m especially grateful that He came into my heart.

You see, I grew up as a “church chick,” familiar with the world of stained glass, piano/organ duets, church choir, potlucks in the fellowship hall, and sermons. (To this day, I absolutely love a good sermon.)

Those are all wonderful, valuable things, but somewhere along the way I mistakenly thought my church activity was what made me right with God, kind of like I was earning points in a frequent flier program.

That’s when the LORD stepped in.

As a sophomore in college, I was plopped down among some girls who had a real relationship with Jesus, not just a calendar full of religious activities. When adversity came along, instead of having a melt down like I would, they responded to tough situations with joy and peace.

How could they do that? Because the Prince of Peace was present inside of them.

Like light against dark, the stark contrast between their faith and mine let me know there was something wrong with the picture of my life: something was missing.

As my pastor, Dr. Howard Batson, once said, “You can’t clean a fish before you catch it.” God “caught” me just as I was and called me to something more than the life of a superficial church activity queen I’d been settling for for so long. He brought joy into my world. From that day, I’ve been undergoing His “clean up” phase (where I expect to remain for the rest of my life).

Jesus came to love people right where they were. That’s what He did for me. All He asked me to do was believe in Him as the starting point.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

He loves you right where you are at this moment, as well. The question is: Will you believe in Him? I hope so. It’s a Christmas decision that can make all the difference in your world.

If you’re already a believer, take time today to thank Christ for coming into the world and into your life.

I, for one, am so very grateful He came. Joy To The World! Merry Christmas!     ~Debbie

PS  Visit my ImageKind gallery for information about “Christmas Joy” prints.

A Merry Christmas Surprise!

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Christmas Mixed Media

Here’s a tiny little peek at a tiny little portion of my mixed media art piece commissioned by the Amarillo Globe News for the Christmas Day edition of the newspaper.

I’m so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share the blessed message of Christmas with the wonderful people of the Texas Panhandle.

My prayer is that this image will bring joy to those who see it!

DebbieSig