Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Though you may not have recently asked “Who Am I?” the answer to this question currently lodged in your heart, has a huge impact on how you live your life.  More than a reflection of what’s true about you, how you answer or even more importantly what you believe to be the answer to this question in the depths of your heart has a huge impact on who you are… and who you are becoming… as well as what you do!  As we’re told in Proverbs 23:7,  “As a man thinks in his heart so he is.”  Whether you realize it or not, what you think about who you are is critical.

But the kicker is ~ we may not even be fully aware of how our heart answers this question.

This is something I’ve been wrestling with lately.  And what I’m finding to be of the greatest help, isn’t trying to identify how my heart would answer this, but instead to delve into how God answers this question and then take time to process what He says through art journaling, which really takes what I know in my head and is helping it work its way into the depths of my being.  And as this is taking place, I’m finding my false beliefs surfacing as well as the behavior they prompt, and wow!  Talk about a life changing journey!

I’d like to invite you to join me on this journey.  It’s not one where I have a lot of answers.  But it is one I’m very excited about because I”m hanging out with The One who has the answers – not only to the main question listed above but also who knows even better than I ever could what’s going on inside of me.  Best part about this hands down is getting to experience Him.  The wonderful counselor, all powerful transformer, exposer of lies, revealer of truth, lover of my soul.  In John 10:27 Jesus states, “My sheep hear my voice.”  Do you realize every time you take the time to listen to the Lord and experience Him speaking to you, it is an affirmation you are His!

So when I talk about taking time to art journal, the focus is not on what you are creating but on experiencing a new, hands on way of listening to Jesus as you meditate on His Word.

Recently I started reading through Jerry Bridges’ book Who Am I?  Which is an incredible exploration and explanation of our identity in Christ.  Jerry uses some wonderful word pictures in his attempts to help us understand the truths he’s sharing.  As I am taking time to take those word pictures and visually create them I have been amazed at how it’s helping me better remember these truths, apply them in my life and in the process are they ever being internalized in a way that is making an external difference in how I live.  Best of all, my heart is beginning to really embrace them as something I truly believe in the depths of my being!

If you’d like to join me on this journey, you will need a copy of Jerry’s book Who Am I?  You can find it at Amazon. com:

http://www.amazon.com/Who-Am-I-Identity-Christ/dp/1936760479#

And you’ll need a sketchbook and whatever art materials you enjoy using.  Since I like to use paint, my favorite is the Canson Mixed Media 7×10 inch book which you can get at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, a local art store or from Amazon.  This book features 98 lb. paper that can take the paint.  You can also use colored pencils or pens, pastels or even scrapbook paper!

Each week I’ll be joined by my friend Kristen Morrison and we’ll share with you what we’ve created after reading that week’s chapter.  Don’t feel like you have to duplicate what we do – you can if you’d like – but we’re primarily sharing to jumpstart you and give you a few ideas to get you going.

Once you’ve created your page you can share it via facebook or instagram using the tag #WhoAmIartjournalingcourse

I can’t wait to see what the Lord gives you!  And how He works in our lives as we share this journey together!