Psalm 30:5, 11-12

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

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It is difficult to live in the image of God whose “anger lasts only a moment,” and whose “favor lasts a lifetime.” Yet God’s love invigorates us with an eternal power we can tap for change in ourselves and our communities.

Receive the great mercy that makes our lives whole.

Kindred spirit and dear friend *Paula Tomy says she felt compelled to make art but lacked the time before retiring from elementary education. She is giving art another chance now. “I laugh, I rage. ~ I vibrate, I can't move. ~ I hate, I love. ~ I am light, I am darkness. ~ I am perfect, I am chaos. ~ I control my pen, my pen controls me. ~ I paint souls, but I can't find mine.” A painter and a poet, Paula lives in Marion, Iowa. “Now there's time for art and I’ve found sheer delight,” she wrote. “There are pen and ink drawings of extreme detail, and paintings with a flying brush. When I paint or draw, I am free.”

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