Amazing Giveaway :-)

A very big thank you to Zbet who custom made this beautiful necklace!

It is proper for the Christian to use symbols and reminders in daily life. (Many of the commands given to the Law are representations and reminders of something greater.)

This necklace is made of three "symbols"--

The cross was a sign of suffering and shame and it has been turned into a sign of hope and triumph-- the burial marker of Death.

The cross is a reminder of Jesus love, suffering, death, and resurrection.

We were dead sinners but Christ took those sins upon Himself and we are now alive in His resurrection. Although we will die, it is in that turning page that Death proves it's powerlessness. It can not hold those claimed by the Living God.

It is also a reminder of the words of Christ-

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24

That cross is real, but we know that it is conquered. May we carry it joyfully and may these words be true of us--

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Galatians 6:14

The Pearl is used as a symbol of the Church of Christ. It is a sign of value, purity, unity, and growth.

It is created through suffering. An impurity enters the oyster side and the oyster uses itself to create the pearl. The pearl, at first something useless and impure becomes something beautiful reflecting the beauty of the inside of the oyster's shell. Read this review...

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Matthew 13:45-46

The pearl is a reminder of the beauty and glory, that someday will be fully true, of the unified Church through Christ.

It is also a common sign of purity and holiness.

The oval stamped with "Hold Fast" is a reminder of our only purpose and goal. To hold fast to our faith. To press on toward the goal of the upward call in Christ Jesus.

You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

Deuteronomy 13:4

He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth."
Proverbs 4:4-5

To Paul, "holding fast" is a pretty intense action--

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:9-12

Necklace Description:
High quality oval charm hand stamped with "Hold Fast", complimented by a double sided cross, and wire wrapped, fresh water pearl on a 16" sterling silver chain.

This amazing piece was custom made for this giveaway!

Zbet uses high quality materials, beautiful designs, and an eye for carefully crafted artistry. Besides already-made creations, this shop hand stamps and custom makes art and jewelry especially for you!

I am certainly going to be commissioning some work here. :-) It's going to be difficult to part with this necklace.

Zbet has been wonderful to work with and has very graciously sponsored this giveaway.

You must check out the shop! It is so cool!

How to Enter

1. Visit Zbet's Designs.
Discover how amazing it is and come back and let me know what you like best.

2. Follow me.

3. Post about it on your blog (or facebook or both).

4. Put my giveaway button on your sidebar.

You must comment once for every entry. Giveaway ends January 30th.

Note: Sorry for previous link that didn't work. This one does! :-)

<a href="http://theerraticmuse.blogspot.com/2011/01/high-quality-oval-charm-hand-stamped.html"><img src="http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd15/riversong14/TheErraticMuseGiveaway.jpg" /></a>

Thank you for entering!Miss Pickwickian

Supper at Emmaus - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

As much as I love Caravaggio, this last oil panting by Rembrandt is my favorite of the Supper at Emmaus.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Polka Dot

So...my sister is a learning artist and this last year she's had a wonderful opportunity to take portrait classes. She's really improving and some of her pictures are just awesome! (No bias involved, I assure you.)

They don't come out quite as nice in photographs, but I want to post some anyways, and she has very graciously allowed me. So, in the future, you shall be seeing some Polka Dot art. :-)

If you are an artist of some sort and would like to be mentioned, recommended or linked back to, feel free to email me and we can talk about it. I'd absolutely love to!

Leonardo DiCaprio
Polka Dot 2010

(And just in case you were concerned...No, she does not always go around drawing actors and she is not particularly obsessed with DiCaprio. I just thought this was a good example because he has a very unusual, if pleasing countenance that I think would be hard to draw.)

Please encourage her! :-)

Thanks for looking,

Miss Pickwickinan

Trinitarian Justification... and the Importance of Artists and Story Tellers!

Listen to this Reformation Day Sermon...

Trinitarian Justification by Peter Leithart

The sermon uploaded 11/1/10 #1589

And here is a excerpt on Peter Leithart's blog.

The sermon itself is extremely good, but the part before is amazing too.

I had to listen to it twice. :-) What an mission for writers and artists. May we take this to heart. This so important. May we encourage each other!

I hope you have time to listen.
Miss Pickwickian

Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

The Philosopher in Meditation - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery - John 7:53-8:11

We recently saw this in an art gallery at Canon Beach. I thought it was beautiful. I didn't get the artist's name and couldn't find it online, but I enjoyed their work. There was also a really neat painting incorporating all of the parables in a more medieval style. It was pretty neat.


They went each to his own house ¹but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
² Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" ⁶This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.
⁹But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹She said, "No one, Lord."
And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

Don't Waste Your Life - Lecrae

Something different...just because it is amazing. :-)



Don't Waste Your Life

[Hook: Cam]
Don't wanna waste my life

[Verse 1: LeCrae]
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why
what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life/ no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living
to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie
We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price

[Verse 2: Dwayne Tryumph]
Armed and dangerous
So the devil jus can't handle us
Christian youth them a stand wid us
Livin' n driven/ given a vision/ fullfillin the commission he handed us
London to Los Angeles
Da rap evangelist
Ma daddy wouldn't abandon us
"I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac"
So are you ready to jam with us
So lets go, gimme the word an lets go
Persecution lets go
Tribulation lets go
Across the nation lets go
Procrastination bes go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for da young and the old
Can't say you never know
Heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven so we gotta go in and get em
Whaaaaat!

[Verse 3: LeCrae]
Suffer Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right
because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the color your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights

Lonely Moon - Mark Heard