Roadmap to Revelation

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Roadmap to Revelation
Embracing Your True Identity in Christ
Beautiful, Printable PDF here.
A helpful bookmark called Bookmark – Roadmap to Revelation – Embracing Your True Identity in Christ accompanies this study and is available for purchase here (scroll down to see). This bookmark was designed to be a beautiful, continual, at-a-glance reinforcement of the truths of this study.

To read the Roadmap on this blog, please continue...

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Woven

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Woven
You wonderfully wove me!

In January 2017, I painted this portrait of my new grandniece within a womb of light. The rainbow colors symbolize the miracle of life, the child’s progression in the womb, and the surrounding warmth, protection, and love. I painted each oval one at a time filling it with water first and then dropping the watercolor onto the wet surface to create the gradations. After the painting was dry, I added white chalk highlights.

Over and over, the Scriptures speak of the lovingkindness and compassion of the Lord. The Hebrew word for compassion is râchâm and means the nurturing love of a mother for the child in her womb. That is how the Lord loves us. His compassion is infinitely tender, watchful, and hopeful.

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Praying Cynthia's Way

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Praying Cynthia’s Way 
Validation
A Personal Story
Free PDF (Printable format)
Validate – to uphold; to assert to be true; to declare something to be well-grounded on principles or evidence; sound; inferred according to the rules of logic; or able to withstand criticism or objection.1

In 2014 I partnered with Rabbi and Cynthia Schneider of Discovering the Jewish Jesus to print our Hebrew Names of God Art Card Collection for them as a gift for their supporters. Two years later, Cynthia called to see if we could meet to partner on a few things. I was so excited! However, that afternoon, friends from Peru were arriving, and I would be occupied for the next 10 days!

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I AM the Resurrection

I AM the Resurrection

I Am the Resurrection and the Life
He who believes in Me will live even if He dies.

John 11:25 – Jesus said to Martha, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

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Early Ear

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Early Ear
Seek Him First
Print the two-page PDF

Adonai Elohim, the Lord Creator God, has given Me the tongue of disciples that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning. He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
Isaiah 50:4-5

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HIS SIGWORK, Principle 10 of 10 - Knowledge of His Love

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Knowledge of His Love
2 Scripture Studies through the Lens of His Love
Principle 10 of 10 Principles of Responsible Scripture Interpretation
Print a PDF     For the HIS SIGWORK Overview, please click here.

Study 1 – Matthew 16:5-12
Jesus compared the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees to leaven because it had a subtle, undercover, powerful effect. There was good leaven and bad leaven. This leaven was harmful to those who embraced it.

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Two Parties

Two-Parties

Two Parties
The Hungry and the Religious
The Alive and the Dead
Luke 5-7
Free Downloadable PDF

Jesus encountered two kinds of people – those who recognized their sin (I will call them the hungry), and those who did not recognize their sin (I will call them the religious). Jesus was invited by both the hungry and the religious to parties given in His honor. 

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My Redeemer lives

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I know that my Redeemer lives
and at last He will take His stand on the earth. Job 19:25

I created the original art for this Art Card by painting thin paper with inks and watercolors, tearing the paper into pieces, and then gluing the pieces together onto a board.

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He is risen

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He is risen 
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah
A color-coded merging of the Resurrection accounts from the four Gospels is on the back of this watercolor Art Card.

Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8;
Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-10

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Lessons for Young Women, 1 of 3 - Steeping in His Glory

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Lessons for Young Women, 1 of 3 
Steeping in His Glory - 
Changed by Beholding Him
Print the PDF

Created January 24, 2014. Revised February 2021
This writing can be used with the Lessons for Young Women, 2 of 3 (The Tea Party and 3 of 3 (The King's Daughter - what should she wear?)

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Freedom from Clutter

Freedom from Clutter
A simple 8-step plan to organize paper and things
A Free Printable PDF

I wrote this plan for a woman who reached out to me in distress. She was overwhelmed by the paper she had left unattended in every room in her house. You may modify the plan to address things rather than paper.

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Redeemer

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Redeemer
I know that my Redeemer lives

I created the original artwork for this Art Card with red and green ink in a Gocco screen printer. The Gocco uses flash bulbs to thermally imprint my original calligraphy onto the master screen...

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Adore Him

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Adore Him!
O come let us adore Him!

This Art Card is a photograph of my nativity. This nativity began years ago with a gift of small figures. We would gather around it with neighborhood children to read the story and celebrate the birth of Jesus. At the brief mention that more sheep were needed for the pasture, offerings from family and friends began to arrive. As the number of sheep grew, so did the pastures, shepherds, and trees. The many sheep remind us that we are all unique and cherished in His sight.

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HIS SIGWORK, Principle 7 of 10 - Whole Counsel of God

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The Whole Counsel of God
+ A Bible Overview
Principle 7 of 10 Principles of Responsible Scripture Interpretation
Free Downloadable PDF of this Introduction

Scripture interprets Scripture
The Bible is a beautiful gem; each book in it is a facet reflecting onto the other books. Good translations allow us to see the connections and clear themes that tie the entire Bible into a beautiful whole. These connections let us know that a Master Orchestrator wrote the Bible through the hands of many individuals who lived hundreds of years apart! (For more on this subject, please see my paper HIS SIGWORK – Principle 8 of 10 – Original Languages and Bible Translations.)

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HIS SIGWORK, Principle 5 of 10 - Insider Scoop

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The Insider Scoop
1st Corinthians, the Culture and the Context
from HIS SIGWORK
Principle 5 of 10 Principles of Responsible Scripture Interpretation
Print PDF

This paper shares an example of the importance of understanding the culture and context of Bible passages. For the HIS SIGWORK Overview, please click here.

Gordon Fee wrote a book called The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987). The information in his book is helpful in understanding some of the complex issues that the Apostle Paul addressed in this letter to the church in Corinth. This paper is a compilation of my brief notes. The green text represents my thoughts. The maps on the downloadable PDF show the location of Corinth in Greece.

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Prayer - Asking vs Thanking

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Prayer - Asking vs Thanking
Print the one-page PDF

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7)

Devote yourselves to prayer and stay alert in it with thanksgiving! (Colossians 4:2)

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Lessons for Young Women, 2 of 3 - The Tea Party

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Lessons for Young Women, 2 of 3
The Tea Party
Lessons in God's Love
Print the PDF (includes the pattern for the teapot and teabags, as well as the pattern to cut out the verses to insert into the teabags)
Created July 2013. Revised February 2021

This writing can be used with the Lessons for Young Women, 1 of 3 (Steeping in His Glory) and 3 of 3 (The King's Daughter - what should she wear?)

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Psalm 4 Retreat

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Psalm 4 Retreat
A Journey from Confined to Spacious

I first created this Bible Study in a morning quiet time in Psalm 4 in June 2013. My Hebrew-word study in Verse 1 inspired me to continue and The Journey from Confined to Spacious was born! Since then, this study has been used in retreat settings. The suggested agenda in the Leader's Guide can be tweaked to suit your time table. This study may easily be used for a small or large group event.

A helpful bookmark called Bookmark – Psalm 4 – From Confined to Spacious accompanies this study and is available for purchase here (scroll down to see). The study is possible without it, but the bookmark was designed to be a beautiful, continual, at-a-glance reinforcement of the truths found in Psalm 4. 

The color in the following two documents specifies certain concepts, so it is important to print them in color. Be blessed!
Psalm 4 Retreat Leaders Guide Free Downloadable PDF
Psalm 4 Retreat Attendees' Handout Free Downloadable PDF.

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Maidens in the midst

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Maidens in the midst
Let us exalt His Name together!

In July of 2012, some friends in our precious home group congregated in our basement to pose for pictures from which I would paint. Maidens in the midst  was created from that photo shoot. The letters are crudely painted with Watercolor Art Masking Fluid...

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Strength and dignity

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Strength and dignity
She rejoices at the future!

In July of 2012, some friends met to pose for pictures for me. Strength and dignity and Maidens in the midst are two Art Cards that were created from that photo shoot. The crude letters on these cards were created using Watercolor Art Masking Fluid. The watercolor was painted over the masked letters. Then, the dried masking fluid was peeled off to reveal the white, cold-pressed, cotton, watercolor paper underneath. It is very difficult to create letters with masking fluid! You may read the Maidens story here.

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Elijah's Life and Last Days

Elijah's Life and Last Days

Elijah’s Life and Last Days
Lessons from 1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2
This writing was started on June 23, 2012 and finished for this blog on October 29, 2020
Print the PDF
Or click "Continue Reading" to read the study here.

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Great faithfulness

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Great faithfulness
His Steadfast Love

The letters on the original artwork for the Great faithfulness Art Card were created with a pointed brush filled with blue and purple watercolor and painted onto Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper. The border was created with torn paper that I painted with gold, purple and blue metallic inks.

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Great faithfulness Cross Stitch

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Great faithfulness Cross Stitch
His love is new every morning

The original artwork for the Great faithfulness Cross Stitch Art Card was designed on graph paper and cross-stitched with gold, pink, and light green floss on purple cloth. The border was painted with metallic inks.

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HIS SIGWORK, Principle 6 of 10 - Genres

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Understanding Bible Genres
Principle 6 of 10 Principles of Responsible Scripture Interpretation

Genre is the literary type of a book. For example, some books of the Bible are written in the genre of a narrative with characters and plots that tell of real events in which we see God at work. Other portions contain law, poetry, wisdom, the cries of the prophets, and epistles of instruction and encouragement.

My document entitled Understanding Bible Genres is a printed learning tool and may be viewed or purchased here at Flower Girl Greetings.com. This tool measures 8.5 x 11 inches when closed; it can be folded to fit into your Bible.

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The Easy Organic Lawn

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The Easy Organic Lawn  
Goal – easy, lasting, inexpensive, safe
How – strengthen grass to weaken weeds
May 2009
Free PDF Download

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Free place

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Free place
The Art Card Story

The original artwork for the Free place Art Card was created by painting the letters onto heavy cotton Arches paper with watercolor and a pointed brush. The border was created with thick, torn, painted watercolor paper. It is available in the Care Collection here at Flower Girl Greetings.

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Lifted hands

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Lifted hands
The Flower Girl

At the age of 45, I married. A year later, we left our jobs and moved from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio to participate in an intense 22-month Bible training that was specifically designed to span denominations, so that our convictions would be our own, rooted in the infallible Word of God. Sometime after we completed our courses and graduated in 2005, and during tedious employment grading 3rd grade papers online, I took a short break to uncover my watercolor paints from their boxes.

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Lessons for Young Women, 3 of 3 - The King's Daughter

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Lessons for Young Women, 3 of 3
The King’s daughter – what should she wear?
Created in the Spring of 2006 for Angelita. Revised February 2021 
Print the PDF
Print the Word Document (This Word document is for you to print and give to the young lady you are teaching. Please see the instructions on the document.)

This writing can be used with the Lessons for Young Women, 1 of 3 (Steeping in His Glory)  and 2 of 3 (The Tea Party).

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In Him we live

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In Him we live
and move and have our being

The text from Acts 17:22-31:
      So Paul [on his missionary journey] stood in the midst of the Areopagus [in Athens] and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

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Laundry Line Logic

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Laundry Line Logic 
Reasons and Tips for Hanging Your Laundry Outside
Print the PDF

I have lived in apartments, duplexes, and now a home, and have always tried to get some laundry hanging in the fresh breeze!

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Come unto Me

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Come unto Me
The Art Card Story

The original artwork for this Art Card was created by painting the letters onto heavy cotton paper with art masking fluid. This fluid repelled the vibrant powdered Ukrainian ink dyes that were sprinkled onto the paper and sprayed with water. The colors soaked underneath the masked letters because I left it out in the rain. I added the gold letters, “I will give you rest.”

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Everlasting arms

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Everlasting arms 
The Art Card Story

The original artwork for this Art Card was created with watercolor on wet Arches Cold Pressed paper. The letters were painted with a pointed brush. The verse on the back is from Deuteronomy 33:26-27

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The Charges of Paul to Timothy for the Young

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The Charges of Paul to Timothy 
Encouraging Words for Any Young Person

I created this little 4.25 x 5.5-inch book as a holiday gift in November 1994. I made one for every friend. Soon, people began to request them with different names on the front! Then in June 2019, I gave the words to a young man, Joshua, upon his graduation. I am sharing this document with you, so you can use it to encourage any person by changing the name from Timothy to that person's name (such as Michael or Julia), and then slipping the charges into a card. 

You may print the downloadable PDF here. To make your own changes to the one-page Word document, click here, download the document, replace the name Timothy with your own, print the document and enclose it in the suggested graduation cards below.

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Lifted eyes

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Lifted eyes
My help comes from the Lord.

In 1977 while I was in art school, the contrasting colors of a tiny photograph in a magazine caught my eye. So, I cut out the image and began to paint it on a large canvas with gold and brown luma dyes. Luma dyes are no longer made. They were heavy, transparent, vivid inks.

Years later, after I had “lifted my eyes” to the Creator, I discovered the old painting in a portfolio and added verses of Scripture with opaque white paint and a pointed pen:

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Young man

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Young man
An example

The Young man Art Card was created to celebrate a young man’s graduation, birthday, or new adventure, and to encourage him in the Lord. It is sold in the Portrait Collection or as a 4-Pack at Flower Girl Greetings.

My writings, The Charges of Paul to Timothy for All Soldiers and The Charges of Paul to Timothy For The Young are free PDFs that you can print and include in the Young man card for more good encouragement!

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Welcome to Shale Fragments, a collection of writings and art for individual and group use!

Teaching God’s truth and the beauty of His Word is my greatest delight! My art card company, Flower Girl Greetings, was launched in 2012 with this purpose. In April 2020, ShaleFragments.com became the gathering place for the writings.

As I have studied the rich meanings of the original Greek and Hebrew languages of the Bible, I continue to see beautiful progressions and connections that compel me to organize and convey their life-changing beauty! 

Please click on each category to access a list of contents or scroll through the posts. To receive Shale Fragments updates, please subscribe here.