Under His Wing...

Hello

This morning tucked up in my attic prayer study room I was reading and praising God for the glorious morning. Sitting at my desk, I can look out and see the morning sun reflect off all the trees lined up and down our street. There is a peaceful contentment that floods my soul and a sense of wonderment at God's creative handy work. 

I love meeting God here, it is "our" place. 

Do you make daddy-daughter dates? 

As I was reading the Psalm's and praising God for His goodness and mercy to me, Psalm 91 came to mind. Now, I know this Psalm very well as it has a special meaning to me. 

I opened the bible to read it again. It always blesses me. This Psalm has been my peace when times were not. 

A couple of years ago, when the shop was doing very poorly and I was being hit with bouts of vertigo,  I was in the back studio pouring my heart out to God reading Psalms 91. It was a time in the wilderness for me but it changed my heart. 

One evening, as I was laying in bed wrestling with the events of the day, the Holy Spirit layed Psalms 91 very strongly on my heart.  

I could see the wing of God and hear him calling to me. I climbed up and nestled into His glorious feathers and rested under His wing and that night I slept well.  Since then, when the stresses of life march before me at night, I climb up into that safe and peaceful place. 

It is much better than counting sheep! 

This spring I drove out to Washington to do the Farm Chicks show with my daughter. I loaded up the SUV and headed northwest. It was going to be a roadtrip with the Lord! I had all my inspirational cd's and music, I was expecting a wonderful time with the Lord.

It was a great trip the first day through Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. I marveled at the beautiful farmland with all its new growth, as though the Lord laid out beautiful patterns of  giant quilt patches in luscious shades of green. I laughed with the Lord at the calves jumping and playing together and  the beautiful lambs feeding on their mama's. Such sights to delight and to praise God for. 

The second day I hit Wyoming, it is a huge state with not much to look at until you hit the mountains. When I started climbing I hit some bad weather, just rain and wind. There was snow in the ditches but none on the road, I was thankful for this. As I was traveling down this seemly deserted road that would never end, my eyesight started to blur. I had been having trouble with a cataract on my left eye and needed it removed badly but I had been putting off the surgery for a better time... I depended on my right eye completely. This was my right eye that had become blotchy and I could not see, only if I looked away and back at the road again and then only for a few seconds.  I had been listening to an inspirational tape and I began to cry out to the Lord... help!

 What is going on here! I can't stop here in the middle of no where...

I started praying in the spirit against whatever was attacking me and thanking God for the victory of healing here... right now! I had been praying and driving for about 15 minutes while the CD was still playing. It was getting slowly better to see when I heard the speaker on the Cd quote Psalm 91, I started praising God for his protection under His wing! As I drove into this small town somewhere in Wyoming my eyesight was totally restored.  As I sat waiting at a red light, I noticed something floating down... a beautiful white fluffy feather had landed on the hood of my car. I quickly looked up but saw nothing... but I knew where it came from.

Do you know what God responds to? 
Faith
Where does faith come from?
Faith comes by hearing the word of God. He responds to His own word mixed with faith. Oh he hears all of our prayers, even the begging but what pleases God?
Faith
Without faith we can not please God.
I did not tell you this instance of my trip to have you marvel and say what a miracle. As a child of God we are to walk in His problem solving grace every minute. We are to expect the solution, that is faith.  Life is full of problems but what is a problem? It is the opportunity to see God work! This world would be nothing without problems, without a problem there would be no solutions. If we didn't have a problem for let's say faster travel there would be no airplanes or cars... if we didn't have a problem for communication there would be no telephones or heaven forbid no computers...
Without problems how would God multiply our faith?
 I could have looked at the road trip as, here I am having a good time on the road and God let me loose my eye sight, why God... I was trying to please you and all I got was trouble. But with that attitude I would have not seen the glory of the Lord and in return my faith multiplied. Years from now, will I remember the pretty sights of that trip or will I remember the feather... you see God multiplies our faith from problem to problem or from faith to faith. We turn the word problem into opportunity.
Opportunity to see God work. When we read the word we begin to know God and understand the way He works. With understanding we know the natural laws of things. To know the laws of our land we live in makes it much easier to function, we know what side of the road to drive on and what a red light is... without this knowledge it can be dangerous. We could not walk through life with confidence and or faith in the knowledge that when the red light turns green we will be able to safely continue. The same principle applies to Kingdom living. There are certain laws set in motion by God and He does not change, if  He did nothing would be stable.  It is a learning process, through His word. He is good and He will lead you at your own pace. If you get off track, He will set your path straight. But learning the laws of the land are up to you and when you bind them on your heart you begin to walk in that confidence of faith.


This summer when I had the tent and studio problems, you might have read on my other blog. I got so focused on the problems and trying to solve it all in my timing and not just letting go and giving it to God.  I can get my mind set on a doing something the way I want it done. With frustration I finally threw up my arms one day and just gave it all to Him, instead of pushing things into place. How easy it was just to trust. As I was running from the studio to the house taking two steps at a time, telling God how sorry I was for dethroning Him and doing things my way... I looked down and what was on the step in front of me?

Blessings
Rebecca

Preparation for Christmas

It is kind of early for Christmas, you say. Well, actually it is late for me and in truth a lot of you have probably already been working on Christmas for months now. 

So, I am in my new, cleaned up, redone studio getting out all my Christmas goodies - to get inspired, so I can make something new and wonderful.  Oh, there are the old standbys, the usual things I make stars, angels, stockings... So I put on the Christmas music to get into the mood and as I prepared to work, my thoughts were not on creating... but what will bless the people that will buy this. What will my hands make to glorify the Lord this Christmas. 
As I sat this song started to play...
 Mary did you know, 
your baby boy would someday walk on water, 
Mary did you know,
that your baby boy would someday save our sons and daughters,
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new,
This child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know,
that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man and
will calm a storm with his hand,
Did you know that you baby boy has walked where angels trod.
When you kissed your little baby
Then you kissed the face of God.
Mary did you know,
the blind will see - the deaf will hear - the dead will live - the lame will leap - the dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know,

that your baby boy is Lord of all creation

and will one day rule the Nations.

Did you know that your baby boy 

was Heaven's perfect lamb

This sleeping child you're holding is the great

I AM

I started to cry... for the first time I saw this from a mother's heart, the same heart as of the Father. 

For it is a mother's heart that is the faint image of the Father's heart.

How much he loved the world to give his only son. 
I don't know if Mary understood completely but I do know the Father did. 
God of all creation to lie helpless in his mother's mortal arms and know that he will be the sacrifice for all.

That morning I was reading Psalm 22.

 Jesus quoted the psalms quite often but it is this Psalm that poured out of his soul when he hung on the cross. It is a slight window into what Jesus was thinking and feeling.

"My God, my God why have you abandoned me?"

This will take ages in heaven for us to understand, the depth of what happened here. That the Father, whom Jesus was one with, turned His back and could not look upon His son because he became sin. He took the burden of every person here on earth, every sick twisted sinful nature and every hideous disease and became that so it could die once and for all. So we could have that same relationship with the heavenly father that Jesus had. That we would become joint heirs of the Kingdom of God with Christ - Sons.  Because of what Christ did on the cross.
Psalms 22 goes on in a prophetic manner to describe the gruesome details of what Jesus was going through.
"My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs, evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones.  My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.
My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint."


The great shame is too hard to put into words, at any time he could have called down the heavens and not endured this for us... for me.
 I cannot comprehend this kind of love... 
the majesty of leaving the right hand of God to come and become sin. 
But the Psalm doesn't end there...
Jesus went from "Why have you abandoned me?" to " I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. What starts with the rejection of Christ ends with the joyous worship of the whole earth. His passion was to do the will of his father, no matter the pain, for the greater glory that would come. He knew this Psalm and it erupted out of his heart in hope as he died for the sins of the world.
Verse 27
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
I have been smitten by his love...
as I sit in my studio, knowing that I can come boldly before the throne of God because of the blood that was shed for me.
 That my heavenly father cares for me and everything I do, 
even sitting here making Christmas stars...
it is more than I can ever imagine. 
How do I accept such a gift, this pure gift of love. 
I cannot in myself.
It is only Christ in me that can do any good thing. The wonderful part about this, is Christ did return to the right hand of God and in doing that he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. To help us know the  father. To help us glorify the father. To do the work in us and through us.
So today with the help of the Holy Spirit I do what the Lord has put in front of me,
Christmas...
 and as I work I bless each and every stitch and pray for the person that will receive this small piece of Christmas. 
Made with love from the father, knowing in part what Christmas is.  
Today I am overshadowed by His mighty love...
Rebecca

My Creative Place

My Creative place...
is not only my studio but it is the place in me where my talents and desires dwell.

 It is deep within me and very much apart of me, it is a part of who I am, it is a part of my DNA. So much of our talents we believe come from genetics and our nurturing while growing up. Some of that dictates what our talent is... such as singing, dance or some other art form. Usually we give our parents the credit, which is rightly so, but what about our father our Heavenly Father. 
The father who designed our DNA before the earth was ever formed, before the foundations of the earth, He knew you. Eph. 1:4
Some may not have had the nurturing to develop their talents or they are not even aware of the talent that lies dormant within themselves. Some may have what we call natural talent but just do not have the desire. 
I have heard many times from people, "I am not creative or I am not artistic". I think they just have not found their talent or creativity or they do not recognize their talent as a creative form. No matter what it might be such as writing or mathematics or teaching or... 
I believe we are a creative people formed after a creative God. He made us in His likeness and He is the author of all creation.  I believe we have a need to create no matter what it is and it is for one purpose...

it is to glorify God.


That gift or talent, God has given to every person and it is our responsibility to nurture it and let it grow and multiply through faith. As we trust God and reach beyond our comfort zone our faith grows and that is pleasing to the Lord.
 He is there nurturing you by His Holy Spirit and putting that desire in your heart. 
Your passion is your talent, your passion is your ministry. It comes from the Holy Spirit and it pleases God when we walk in that which He has given us in faith. It is giving back to Him what He has given us, it is glorifying God. And that is the only reason we are here on this earth...
So as I am painting my studio and preparing it for the work of my hands, I am blessing every corner and brush stroke to the glory of God. I praise and sing unto the Lord in that room and I pray for all that goes out of that room whether it be a sachet or a painting. 

I create for one purpose and that is that many might know the Love of God through the work of my hands, that I might glorify the Father.  And while I am doing this, I pray that my relationship with Him will increase so that I might know Him in a new way, an intimate way. 
You see your art doesn't have to have angels or crosses on it to be a reflection of the Holy Spirit... 
it comes from your inner being and through faith goes out to minister -
 it is up to God to do the rest. 

And whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men  Col. 3:23


There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. Eccl. 2:24


For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.   Eph. 2:10


Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.  Rev. 4:11


Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.   I Cor. 10:31


Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.  Proverbs 16:3


And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: And establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it.    Ps. 90:17


Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might - do it while thou art able, and have time to do it. Eccl 9:10


Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.   II The. 2:17

Blessings

Rebecca

Speaking in Virginia

I had the extreme honor of speaking to 200 women at the Prince of 
Peace Luncheon in Virginia this spring.
 It was such a pleasure to meet so many beautiful women of God, I was truly blessed by this experience. 
I have been asked to post some of the message that I brought to the luncheon, so here it is.

        

If someone asked you right now, today,

 who are you? 

What would your answer be? 

I have been asked in various interviews, who is Rebecca Ersfeld?

 I have been told by writers that it is a very difficult question for people to answer and to take my time. I needed no time at all, because I know exactly who I am.

I am a woman who loves the Heavenly Father and I am after his heart. All that I do comes from that statement. I am a child of the Living God through Jesus Christ.

I grew up in a loving home with parents who loved the Lord, I do not remember a time when I didn’t have a relationship with my Lord and Savior. 

My father was a graphic artist and my mother was a housewife. 

We attended the Lutheran Free church and we were very active in it. When I was going into my teen years, my father got his degree and stepped out in faith to start his own church. 

My mother has been a reflection of love and faithfulness and still is my mentor.

My father is now gone from this earth but continues to be an inspiration to my spiritual life and my artistic endeavors. 

I did not choose an easy road for myself. Life happens. My father always said I was rebellious… 

I was.

 But God has turned that into a free spirit. 

Our greatest strengths very often can also be our greatest weakness and a stumbling block, 

Very often we use our strengths or gifts in our own strength, instead of depending on God.

The bible says we can do NOTHING without Christ. 

We need to depend on Him in all things.

Not only when we are weak but when things are going good too. 

When you are in your element… doing  those things that come easy - do you leave God out of it. 

Or do you say to the Lord, Thank you Father for it is well with my soul… teach me your ways God, I want to go further in you. I don’t want to depend on me… even when I think I know it all.

It has taken me a few years to learn that. I’m still learning that! 

I like to take something and run with it. I’ve always got that next best thing stewing in my thoughts. 

God gave me a creative mind but it can be my worst enemy if I don’t give it over to God.

 I like to keep moving and have 50 irons in the fire. 

Many times I get ahead of myself and God.

 Do you ever do that? 

Did you know that God is never in a hurry. 

He never pushes the panic button. He has His own timing and it usually is timed to the last second… it strengthens our faith which works patience in us. 

Another word for patience is endurance… staying power.

 To keep the faith and endure your walk with Christ. 

Every woman here today has God’s calling on her life… no matter where you came from, who you are today, what you have or haven’t done. 

God is calling you to a walk with him. 

Our journey begins with accepting the calling of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. 

He calls us and what we choose to do with that calling is up to us. 

In John 3 Jesus told Nicodemus except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. 

What is the Kingdom of God? 

Is it up in heaven and some day we will go there to sit on a cloud and play a harp… NO! 

The Kingdom of God is where the King is!

 The Kingdom of God goes with us. 

The Kingdom of God is here on earth, it dwells in us through the very spirit of God that He puts in us. 

 We bring the Kingdom of God to earth, 

we as women of God have the Kingdom in us and where ever we go, the world should know that the kingdom of heaven was here! That’s what Jesus did and we are called to that same walk. 

Jesus said, in John  the works he did you shall do also, and greater works shall you do. 

Where ever Jesus walked, people saw the Kingdom of Heaven, through his works. 

When Jesus spoke it was pertaining to the Kingdom of Heaven, in you. He was talking to you, the beautiful woman who loves the Lord.

II Cor. 4:7 refers to us as clay vessels or pots, made to hold the spirit of God. The clay pot comes in all shapes and sizes, some beautiful some very utilitarian, but all for one purpose, to hold something. Because it isn’t all about the vessel, is it? It is all about what the vessel holds. It is all about knowing what is inside us and walking in that spirit. Do you look in the mirror and just see the clay pot all dirty and maybe a little too round…

Or do you see the beautiful woman of God that you are. 
The vessel that holds the living spirit of God!

The next time you look into a mirror, you say…  
you lovely woman of God!
 I am a precious vessel… 

In Romans it says, that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, and gives us life eternal.  If you believe in Christ and ask him to dwell in you, you are an eternal being.  

You bring the Kingdom of heaven with you, where ever you go.  

God calls us to a Kingdom walk through His Spirit, He gives us the power to walk in victory here on earth.  

Now does that mean we never fail? 

No! But it does mean we have the power in Christ that when we do fail, he can use that for good. 

He can turn it around and use it for his glory. 

And why is that… because he loves you. He wants to reveal himself to you in ways you haven’t even dreamed of… and many times when we fail it gives God a chance to show us what He can do. I don't even call it failure... I call it a learning process... when we go through adversities or challenges it is the chance to see God in our lives. 

He loves you with an everlasting love, beloved. 

He sees you as the beautiful person you are in the spirit. 

You see, the spirit in you is the pure image of Christ and that is what God sees when he looks at you. 

You are a woman of God, you are loved by God. 

We need to start looking with our spiritual eyes, that is our reality. 

Christ walked in the reality of the kingdom of heaven … 
He brought down heaven here on earth… 

this is important now… he was not subject to the laws of this earth. He totally relied on the Father in heaven, which gave Him power on earth through the Kingdom of Heaven. He brought down the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and walked in it through the father and the laws of heaven.

He has called us to walk in that same manner. 

He sees through the mess we make of our lives and loves us just the way we are.

I love the story of  the Samaritan woman at the well… 

Jesus knew her… he cared for her… he ministered to her without judgment.

The pure Jew of that time hated the mixed race of the Samaritans they didn’t want anything to do with them, they even had an alternate route to go around the city even though it was longer.  

Jesus saw the need and it didn’t matter what foolish religious prejudice men had created.  

Jesus had a mission to talk to the woman at the well. 

Now she was there in the middle of the day to avoid the other women, it was the custom to draw water in the morning and evening. 

She had 3 strikes against her… She was a woman, a Samaritan woman and a Samaritan woman with a bad reputation. 

 Even the Samaritan women wouldn’t have any thing to do with her, let alone a Jewish man. 

But Jesus cared for her, and God had a calling on her life. 

He saw her with his spiritual eyes and looked into the heart and need of the woman. He didn’t go by the laws of this earth, he relied on the reality of the kingdom. 

That day, the woman at the well was changed for life. She was seeking things that couldn’t satisfy but Jesus gave her living water that welled up in her and flowed over to spread the word that Christ has something better  and many came into the kingdom that day because of that first woman evangelist!  

I can relate to this woman, for one she has dealt with 5 husbands, I have dealt with 3… and yet God chose me, before all my bad choices, God saw me perfected, He loved me just as I was.

As a woman of God my roles have changed throughout  the years, just as God is ever changing but yet the same.  

He has blessed me with 6 children and 8 grandchildren.  I will always have that role but I have now been promoted to administration rather than assembly line.

 I now have time to develop more of my artistic desires. 

Not that art hasn’t always been a part of my life. 

It is intertwined in who I am. 

God gifted me with certain desires and talents as he does for all of us. 

There were different times in my life where that talent was used in different ways. 

At times it was more utilitarian, like making and designing clothes for my girls or for relaxation and  therapy after a hectic day. 

But it always came from my heart which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, because that is who I am. After my children left it came to the forefront and I turned my talents into a business. 

For the past 20 years I have been involved in different aspects of retail and design.  

My shops were focused on antiques and décor but they always were a creative outlet. 

Throughout the years I have enjoyed being published in several different magazines and HGTV.  I am still involved in that aspect with my home today. 

My last shop Vintage Living, where I met Connie focused more on art and workshops.  It was exactly what I wanted in a shop. It had all the makings of what I thought a shop should be.

I found a way of bringing my art to life and putting the focus on God and art. 

The Lord gave me this verse for the shop, it was John 15, I am the vine ye are the branches, he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. 

That whole 15th chapter spoke to my heart and I began to hang on to that word. Vintage Living came forth and produced fruit in me to pass on to others. 

The word Vintage is defined as “ a season’s produce of grapes, wine of high quality from the year of a person’s work, a superior harvest… classic mature.”  

I want to be that mature work that the Lord speaks of… a Vintage woman of God!

Vintage Living is now closed because the Lord has brought me into another season of work.  

My art and workshops now focus on the journey God has for me and how we can glorify God through our art by telling our story through art. 

This has not been an easy journey, but it has been a good one. 

It is well with my soul… 

God brought me to a place where I can lay down my work, it can die so God can live. 

I don’t want it, if it isn’t the Lord’s. 

Everything that I have is his… My house, my car, my garden, my children, my art… it is all his! 

My hands… are his! The work of my hands are his… did you know there are over 1600 references to hands in the bible. 

The Lord is concerned with what your hands are doing! 

Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established… Proverbs.16:3

Do you think when you are doing the laundry or washing dishes, that it isn’t important. How many tasks do you do a day that you think are not important. 

When is the art of your life not important? 

When do you get to be happy? 

Is it only when you are in the studio, or when you think you are doing something great. Am I only happy when I am creating or talking with my friends or family? 

If it is so, then I am not a very happy person most of the time. 

When, as a women, is it good with your soul? 

I have news for you lovely women of God… 

it is all about the journey. 

It is all about the details of life that make the tapestry of art that we call life. 

If we allow the Holy Spirit to design every detail of our life, then we are able to say… 

it is good with my soul - dear Lord! 

If God is in the details of your life, it is all important.

I hope you get a glimpse today of just how much God loves you, just the way you are and in every detail of your journey he wants to be there. 

As you are washing the dishes or washing your hair, he even knows how many you have on your head.

Do you think he is not interested? He is waiting for you all the day long, He loves you. He calls to you. He loves you with an everlasting love. Commit your journey to Him and He will direct your paths into a journey you couldn‘t even imagine.

A special thank you to Connie for giving me the chance to express what God has laid on my heart.

 Blessings
Rebecca