Is Eternal Life One Day Long?

“It’s a good thing there’s only one day in heaven.” he said. Evidently John believes eternity runs without being chopped into days. “Because if there are Mormons there you’ll only have to shake hands once.”

John and I are members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter- Day Saint and we were on our way into the chapel on Sunday. And around here when we meet our friends anywhere, let alone church, they always shake hands as if we were brother and sisters and haven’t seen each other for days. We shake hands in lieu of hugs which we do plenty of too.

To see more abstract paintings that appear to have been quickly swished into existence I’d love for you to look at my web site.

 

 Yellow And Black Abstract 3

Yellow And Black Abstract 3

Cakes In Tutus And THE PLAN

Aren’t we taught to plan, to diagram, or make a flow chart if we’re serious about a project? We think out each step, set realistic primary and secondary daily goals, and weekly, yearly goals etc.  I do this but not always.

I saw the pink cakes wearing tutus in a dream. The dressed up cakes sat in nests which rested on branches of one tree.  Sometimes, like in marriage, I start with a good idea but don’t know at the beginning what the next step is  or where I’ll end up. When I make a picture I paint step one then look at that step one for days, weeks and sometimes years before another message comes.

Sometimes in life I plan completely before I start but find I make changes as I go. At other times I start then wait for the next step in His plan. I’m under the illusion that I’m more in control when I follow an intellectual flowchart. But these plans are ALWAYS modified and they are only successful when I mix intellect with inspiration, intuition, faith whatever you might want to call it. Maybe it was this fear and vanity of not controlling the plan that prevented me from getting remarried for so long.   nancymauerman.com

 

Cakes In Tutus In A Tree

Cakes In Tutus In A Tree

Who Needs Faith?

I’ve wondered for years why we NEED faith. The quick answer, of course, is that as mortals we don’t see our Father and His Son face to face and so we need faith that they even exist. Without faith in them we limit their access and their influence in our lives limiting our joy and direction. I know I’ve done it both ways without faith my existence had been flat.

But we are to be like God and His Son as much as we can. This implies to me that my maker has a superb case of faith Himself. Why does God need faith? I think I’ve found one facet of the answer.

Faith is the same thing as love and joy, intuition and creativity. Faith is when Father exhales love, when He sends out help. He inhales joy as he sees the results of His labors. When God creates He’s intuitive and definitely creative giving Adam and Eve and us variety and beauty as in the Moose spit I talked about in my blog on September 2014 . The more we learn through the sciences the more we see the intricate weave of love and faith we’re a part of. The more faith we have the more eternal truths, direction, and beauty saturate our creations like Handel’s Messiah, the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis and The Hobbit by his friend  J. R. R. Tolkien.  nancymauerman.com

 

 Eve - Matte Of Sea Shells

Eve – Matte Of Sea Shells

Moses In Bulrushes And The Pigeon

John has been feeding a local family of crows for years and knows their voices. Recently when the guy two houses down the street, adopted six pigeons these six were sort of adopted by our crows. Bush tits are one upped by sparrows, that are preempted  by starlings, that have to leave when the crows arrive, and they in turn stand down leaving table scraps and bread to the gulls; but the crows and pigeons eat together, if but a little scrappy.

Last week a speeding car hit a pigeon, carrying it off on its front grill and the crow who’d been eating with it cried. John knows its voice; it cried like that a couple of years ago when one of the three in his family of crows, was struck and killed. The scriptures tell us God is aware when the crows and pigeons die and must have howled when the king of Egypt caused all baby boys under two died. Mose’s Mom had an idea and hide him away and floated him down the river, to the place the princess played every day. Mose’s sister watched over his floating and can be seen in the lower left. At the middle top the princess hears a whimper.  nancymauerman.com

Moses In Bulrushes - Framed - Click Here To View Larger Image

Moses In Bulrushes – Framed – Click Here To View Larger Image

Priesthood Keys As Seen By An Latter- Day Saint Lady

Sometimes I hear ladies condemn a religion because females are not allowed to hold priesthood keys or work miracles. Priesthood keys are administration duties. Women have those too, equally and I’ve seen as many miracles worked through women as men. Plus I say men are not allowed to carry a baby to term, the process of bringing life, a miracle. My lady friends usually end their complaints, then after constructing “the perfect man” by describing many restraints, they saying, “I can’t find anyone good to marry.”

The painting below is framed by antique metal parts from a photo enlarger. I painted on top of round wooden disks. Through each disks’ center hole is a 8 inch brass stick holding fine brass wire and 3 to 5 inch brass and silver colored metal keys. There are two figures and a horse silhouetted by giant clouds.  nancymauerman.com

Priesthood Keys - Framed

Priesthood Keys – Framed

Moses And The Quail And Found Objects

Buddhism and the Bible both agree; everything comes with an opposite. The children of Israel wanted variety in their diet. So that night quail blew in on the wind and feel 2 cubits high over the camp and beyond it a day’s journey in all directions.

A cubit is somewhere between 17.5 and 21.5 inches high. I’d say at the time of the falling quail it was the former because the birds started falling at night and by day time the people had to stand up all that day through the night and all the next day. Some people are shorter than me and a some taller, if I’d been there the quail would have come up to my waist. I wondered did the quail collapse the tents? What happened to the kids?  When did all those dead birds begin to smell? I imagine as birdies turned to goo the children of Israel walked fast to get away and I Imagine during their standing time they must of held their children up and gotten tired arms. Petite women must have held their kids almost over their heads or did they sit the kids on top of the birds and let them run around at shoulder level around Moms?

Opposites are tied together as with kite string, which surround the frame below.  nancymauerman.com

Moses And The Quail - Framed

Moses And The Quail – Framed

Man Of Sorrow And Loyalty

This piece is called Man of Sorrow and reminds me of loyalty. Christ’s to us and ours to him. As a child loyalty to my mother took the form not trading the sandwiches she made with other kids. Their mouths were drooling for her home made bread. Don, my brother, and I had many opportunities to trade and would have loved to have store bought bread as a change and treat.
As Don and I grew so did the depth of our loyalties.nancymauerman.com

Religion And Tradition Are Different

Did the God of this world come only to save people who lived in a time, place, and culture where they sat in rows on chairs and put their palms together to pray?
Europeans built stone buildings pointing up to remind us of our destiny; a great symbol, but The Savior didn’t need one.
Other traditions bind families and cultures together, for instance, the Hobby Horse throughout Europe is a strong and celebrated seasonal tradition uniting communities and different ages together, but no one can remember what the silly thing originally represented and what its uses were. Traditions are important but they aren’t relgion.
When my children were small we sang along to Handel’s Messiah and talked about The Savior’s last earthly week; the events of each of those days before Easter. We also celebrated traditions with eggs, and most anything with an eggy theme so I wish we’d had the book, ‘Chickens in Birthday Suits’ at the time.
We also baked our own birthday cake, and ate it, for Jesus, remembering He was born in the spring. Traditions are good and our hearts were in the right place but I can’t help but wonder if our Heavenly Father didn’t shake his head at the noise two little kids and an off key mother made in His son’s honor.  nancymauerman.com