G A T H E R I N G S | Canvas with Sarah McTaggart
My heart always starts to skip like a school girl going on her first date as time draws near on the afternoons of these Gatherings. And the more it skips, the warmer it gets. So warm that it might have topped the outside temperature on this lovely Fall evening. From the moment Sarah McTaggart pulled into my driveway, I felt like my breathe had been taken away. Psalm 103 has been the scripture that I have been trying to memorize this week ("trying" is the key word here). This Psalm tells us to forget not all His benefits. And that is the word that I whispered to myself as I walked to the front door to greet Sarah: "benefits". Boy, hasn't the Lord shown me His benefits this past year? Gatherings has been so blessed to have been able to host some pretty amazing artist with Sarah McTaggart being one of the finest in Mississippi!
One of my favorite pieces of the Gatherings puzzle is when the guest teacher takes a few minutes to share their testimony. As Sarah began to share with us, we could tell just how deeply committed she is to the Lord - just by listening to the tone of her voice when she speaks of Him - which leads our hearts on a straight path to her heart. She spoke of the faithfulness and love of our Heavenly Father - giving Him all the glory for her gifting of art. Sarah's signature piece is entitled "Praise Lady" which was inspired by God's healing of her heart and the grace He poured out upon her during a very difficult time in her life. I think it is safe to say that Sarah has experienced Psalm 103 in her life, as well. Ladies, I pray that we never miss an opportunity to praise the Lord with all that is within us and never forget His benefits of forgiveness, healing, redemption, renewal, and so much more. Share with someone this week about His sweetness and the gift He has so graciously given to all of us. Thank you for signing up for this class. And Sarah, thank you for opening the floor of heaven so we could feel His anointing upon you.
Psalm 103 1:22
Praise the Lord, oh my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; or he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
BEAGLE BAGEL
It was such a treat to have a special guest at tonight's event - my long time friend and neighbor, Anne Ulmer. Anne and I first met over 22 years ago when she and her husband, Joe, bought a house that my husband and I had just built the year before. Mike and I had built the "house of our dreams" when I was pregnant with our son, Crockett. My family literally moved us in our dream home the day that Crockett was born. Within one year, Mike and I realized we had overbuilt for our finances and decided it was best to sell. As heart-broken as that decision was for us, I am just so thankful that the Lord brought the most amazing family to fall in love with our home. I had never officially met the Ulmers before then but knew of them from frequenting the {then brand new} Beagle Bagel on County Line Road which has now been relocated to Highland Village Shopping Center. As fate would have it, fifteen years later, we were able to build another house directly across the street from our old house which now means I get to have the Ulmers, not only as my friends, but my neighbors.
For those of you that have been around the Jackson area for a while, I can almost guarantee you that you know or have at least seen this lady working behind the counter at "the Bagel", in the kitchen, or even cleaning the bathrooms. Anne Ulmer is one of the hardest working women I've ever known. Both she and her husband, Joe, work hard to bring us quality food at an affordable price . On this evening, Anne served "the Bagel's" famous Chicken Salad on a bed of Strawberry Fields Salad with bagel chips on the side. DE-LEEEESH-US ... not to mention the holiday iced cookies which are also a specialty of "the Bagel". Make sure you don't forget about the Beagle Bagel for all your bakery needs. And tell Joe his neighbor said "hi" when you drop by to see him at the Highland Village location. Check out their website for other locations, online ordering, and their catering menu.
COLONY WINE MARKET
Tonight's bubbly was brought to us by the "one and only" Scott Jackson of Colony Wine Market. I'm pretty sure Scott was not thinking about keeping in the Fall theme of tonight's event when he chose an orange labeled bubbly. Nor did he realize that we would be painting an apple on canvas so how coincidental is it that his description of the bubbly would mention apples - "The Mionetto Prosecco Brut DOC has an intense fruity bouquet with a hint of golden apples. It is very dry, fresh, light in body and well-balanced. This wine is perfect alone as an aperitif or as a delightful complement to appetizers such as prosciutto or mild cheeses. Excellent as a base for Bellinis and other sparkling wine cocktails". Don't you just love that! Scott might also be classified as a mind-reader, ha. If you have an event coming up this month, make sure you stop by and grab a couple bottles of this fun Fall-ish Mionetto Prosecco from Colony Wine Market located at 121 Colony Crossing Way in Madison. Don't forget to ask Scott for your Gatherings discount when you drop in to see him.
JUST A FEW OF HIS BENEFITS
MAKING NEW FRIENDS AND VISITING WITH THE OLD ...
CREATING FROM WITHIN WHILE ALLOWING THE SPIRIT TO FLOW
That's a Wrap
Gatherings is starting to wrap up this year with only 4 classes remaining. Next year's events will be posted the first week of January - so don't think I have given up - just know I am trying to close out this year before starting the next. There is still some room available in a couple of classes so grab a friend and join us during the upcoming holiday season. Email me if you would like to purchase a Gatherings Gift Certificate for a Christmas happy for your special girlfriend, mother, or daughter.
Be blessed, Jill
