Just Dreaming...

Well, today has been a busy day shopping for supplies and starting to create some cards for my next big adventure...a scrapbooking and card-making business. As I wondered through the asiles of Hobby Lobby today, I felt so incredibly stupid. What am I thinking? I have no clue what I am doing...I know nothing about the legistics of runnig or promoting a business! At this point I've decided I must be crazy.

Not to mention the broken record playing over and over in my head these days...

You are crazy; do you really think people will pay money for this? I know people love when you make them things, but they have to say that, after all the work you put into it. Come on, anyone can scrapbook. You don't know anything about business. You are investing all this money...you might as well just throw it in the trash. Not to mention the income you are giving up by not returning to work this fall, to pursue this little dream of yours. You know your mom is right, don't you...you'll never pull this one off; you're just wasting your time and energy.

What a battle my thoughts hve been lately! I know that the Lord has told me to pursue this NOW and if I wasn't 100% sure, I would never have the guts to follow through. I know why now or why this, but I do know that He always does more then I could ever ask or imagine...His plans are better then my wildrest dreams, so here I am plating this little seed of faith, and trusting the Lord will grow it, refine it, shape and mold it to reflect His glory for all to see. This is for you Lord...let me not forget.

I'm just a creater...I love making special, personal things for friends and family. Nothing compares to laboring over a piece for hours, back aching from being hunched over on the floor so long, (I've tried to create at a desk...somehow I always end up on the floor...I tend to spread out rather quickly.) feet completely numb from being in the same position. My worship music, a sermon, or a movie playing quietly playing in the background as it all comes together. Nothing compares to that moment near the end, that moment when you lay down that one little piece of paper, that one little word, that one ribbon--then all of a sudden you just see it like you are looking at this masterpeice for the first time! You just know without a doubt this is it--the final product!

Sometimes I will leave the room for a couple hours just so I can come back in and look at it with fresh eyes...to be captivated by that final creation that somehow came from my hands once again. All I know is that the Lord has given me an incredible gift and passion for scrapbooking that I intend to use only for His glory, that more may hear His name, experience His love, and be changed by an intimate relationship with Him. That is why this business is going to be for-profit with a percentage of that profit going to help underprivalged women both locally and abroad.

I have officially named my new business

Captivating Creations

which comes from a verse in Isaiah 61, verse 1 which reads,

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners."

The Lord gave me this verse several years ago and I have clung to it ever since. I have had dreams and visions time and time again of this verse coming to pass in so many different areas of my life and minsitry. My desire is to see women expereicne freedom in Jesus Christ. I want to see chains broken and lives healed. That the captives may be set free, the prisioners released from the darkness. This is the mission of Captivating Creations--to proclaim freedom to the captives. Specifically, this will be done by giving a percentage of the profit to help women in need. More details will be coming on the specifics as I wait on the Lord to guide and direct the steps to come in this process. The foundation of this business is  creating a product which will sell in order to provide a way for women held captive by various bondage to experience freedom in an intiamte relationship with Jesus Christ, the only one who can restore, renew, and liberate.

Someday, maybe decades, years, or perhps ever months from now my dream come true would look something like this...

Walking through those asiles today all I could think about was how un-professional I really am...I mean I don't have haf the stuff or half the knowledge these srcapbooking pros have, but again in all things I know the Lord has got it under control...little by little. If He gave it to me all at once, I wouldn't know what to do with it all! Step by step, I am just trying to be obedient the the call He has placed on my lfie to pursue this business and to use it to help underprivalged women. So, I will keep fighting through the doubts, fears,and insecurties of stepping out of my comfort zone into something that honestly scares the hebbie jebbies outa me! He is faithful to complete the good work He began until the end...praise Him for this.

Stay tuned for more information and updates about

Captivating Creations

in the next few weeks!