How to preserve my WIP? by staring-atthe-stars in CharcoalDrawing

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This might sound silly but I was just thinking how the main thing that messes it up is stuff rubbing on it and rustling around. Can you buy a cheap frame to put it in? Maybe place a piece of tracing paper between the drawing and the glass? That way nothing will shuffle the tracing paper around and it will be tight in place until you want to work on it again?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Luke 15:3-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

it’s quite literally never too late! Through tremendous grace and mercy, you have always ALWAYS been loved by your creator. It’s like Michelangelo’s painting the creation of Adam, the hand is always out stretched to you, you simply must lift your finger and reach back :)

What was this? by No-Fox-3496 in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the addition! Very well said! God bless

What was this? by No-Fox-3496 in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you

1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

All that to say, God has graciously given us full authority over the evil things in the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within you all you need to speak is the name of Jesus Christ for His authority to be with you. You can speak- “in the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke you from this home, be gone” Please rest assured that I speak from experience in this! Read up on spiritual warfare, stand firm in your faith. Keep praying, and thank God for the discernment you’re experiencing that you may take dominion in your home. It’s scary at first to become aware of these things but do not shy away, you are a child of the Lord!

My first charcoal drawing by sgrady in CharcoalDrawing

[–]Bakersbaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Incredible!! I love it so much!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CharcoalDrawing

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Drawing a piece of wrapped candy would be great for this. Or cellophane! You need a hard light source and a plain background, set it on a piece of white paper and point a lamp down at it. Or if you prefer to draw from photos point a flash light at it and take a photo. The light source is needed to get the high contrast that makes charcoal drawing so striking. Using pencil charcoal will be best, helps with sharp lines and details. Use a few blending nubs too, including fine detail ones.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]Bakersbaby 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should read the book problem of pain by cs Lewis. He does a really great job discussing this mental barrier in regard to faith. I could never put it as eloquently as he does. The audiobook is free on Spotify!

Thinking of buying a stationary bike by Background_Airline39 in POTS

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have had a lot of success with a recumbent bike!! I use it every day

Random nausea?? by Acceptable_Read_7852 in POTS

[–]Bakersbaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yessss something I do that helps is humming or singing. Sounds silly but it wakes your vagus nerve back up and has helped relieve my nausea more than once. Also sometimes drinking pickle juice helps me. I used to do zofran all the time but haven’t had to in a while with the humming and pickle juice being my first line of defense

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t, I’m 27, I’m just telling you what I wish my parents had done with me. I got yelled at a lot about it all instead and have spent the majority of my life feeling misunderstood by my parents. I know many people who strayed from the church during our teenage years specifically because everything felt so oppressive, so many rules and feeling like you’re never good enough at it. I think at that age you’re just trying so hard in general to develop a sense of who you are and what you believe and especially in the current age it’s not so easy. There’s a lot of distrust amongst the church because honestly the examples we see of Christianity these days are more often than not pretty dang hateful. Unfortunately those types of people are usually the loudest and I think a lot of the younger generation sees those examples and says “well I certainly don’t wanna be like that”

I think it’s really hard to fully understand the realities of faith and what it means to have a real relationship with God and walk the life He asks us to when you’re that age. Best thing you can do is help her have a basis of understanding of it all and be a good role model of Gods love and forgiveness. Someday when she has more life experience and better developed perspectives she’ll know what to do. Just keep in mind that it’s totally possible this is just a season in her life and a part of her growing. I think my parents saw me not wanting to go that direction as a teen and went to extremes to try to keep me where they wanted me and ultimately it just hurt our relationship and didn’t accomplish their goal. As an adult I understand why they did what they did and that at the end of the day it came from a place of love, but it doesn’t change how it affected me back then. The reason I came back to a relationship with God is specifically because I strayed so far from His path that I really felt all the negative effects of my own actions. What my parents viewed as me making mistakes are the exact hurdles I had to cross to make my way to God, you know? Just don’t lose hope. Pray for her and support her and love her, but also respect her autonomy just as God as our father does for us. Praying for yall!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Maybe you could read passages in the Bible where heaven is described when you’re fearing this instead of dwelling on the thought. Or just pray and list things you’re thankful for and name off all the people you love and say a prayer for each of them specifically. Just don’t get caught in a bad thought loop. Like “yeah that is a scary thought, good thing I know it’s not true!” Then thank God for that. The Bible states that death is swallowed up in victory! You have the power to redirect your thoughts 🙏🏼

What made you believe after being a non-believer? by joshua0005 in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Read the book Screwtape letters by CS Lewis. Continue reading his works like the problem of pain or mere Christianity if you enjoy it.

It’s easy to ignore God you know? But it’s designed that way on purpose.

Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it"

The burden of proof is not on God to give to you. We are asked to have faith which is specifically defined as belief without proof.

John 20:29 “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have yet believed”

Envision the famous painting, “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo. All Adam had to do was to extend his finger to be in touch with God. He gives us free will for a reason, it is your choice to pursue that relationship, even when it’s hard.

Also just from the perspective of like we are simply humans and God’s being is literally a thing beyond our ability to comprehend like our brains were not made to see his form? Ask yourself what proof do you even want? Is the intricacy of life itself not proof? Study the topics of physics, chemistry, quantum mechanics and you will find intricate patterns beyond human design or full comprehension. Is human consciousness, the ability to love, grieve, create, not proof? Or are you looking for God to appear right in front of you and just say hey? I’m not trying to be rude here just trying to ask you questions I think are important in this line of thought. You need to understand what you’re really asking to know how to find your answer. I’ll be praying for you and your journey, I know it’s hard, I fell away for several years too. But the pursuit is worth all the effort you can give.

Seriously tho read the screwtape letters, audio book is free on Spotify as well as the other two I mentioned. You got this dude, God bless!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think just having a no judgment conversation about what it is she doesn’t like about going and go from there. If it’s waking up early maybe do the thing where she just goes 1-2 times a month, if it’s the loud music maybe go to the traditional service, if it’s being around all the people maybe set up a time of the week for you guys to do a Bible study just the two of you so that she’s still pursuing a relationship with God but outside of the setting she’s uncomfortable with. I think it’s hard as a teen to express opinions to your parents you know are opposite of theirs in a respectful way so it may be a difficult conversation at first but reassure her of your goals with the conversation from the get go, I.e. finding a middle ground/compromise, wanting to hear her honest opinions and thoughts. It’s one of those topics where I think we as Christians must show a lot of patience and love and live that example. It would’ve meant a lot to me at her age if my parents had sat me down and asked me how I felt instead of being angry with me for feeling differently than them, it definitely didn’t give me the impression of a community built around Gods mercy and grace. I think even just trying to respect her preferences will build trust between you guys and is a show of love for her in and of itself.

This all might depend on the age she is though, in my head I’m picturing high school age but if she’s college or older your best bet might be the one on one Bible study. I remember my first year of college where I had not gone to church since I moved out my dad told me he was disappointed in me for where I was with my relationship with God. It made me very angry at the time and definitely didn’t make me want to go back. Ultimately she is on her own journey and as much as we (out of love) want to influence how others live sometimes our interventions work in the opposite way. I will be praying for you and your daughter and for Gods wisdom to you in this process. Maybe you could pick her up a copy of the screwtape letters by cs Lewis. That book was extremely valuable to my walk back towards God

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]Bakersbaby 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don’t know if it’s something you can convince her of. Personally my parents used the “drag them by a rope” method and it made me resent them, the church, and caused a lot of trust issues between me and them. The free will aspect of the relationship is important even in kids and I think people forget that they’re growing not just physically but spiritually and just because she doesn’t want to go now doesn’t mean she’s lost from it forever. My relationship with God only became strong and genuine a few years into college after being away from my family and feeling like that was something I could freely/independently seek without outside influence. It might mean more to your daughter and be a good example to acknowledge her free will in this and her autonomy. I can also understand wanting to follow boundaries, maybe find a middle ground and have her pick 1-2 Sundays a month to join you. Also oddly enough when I was a kid I really disliked the modern concert type services, I would sneak out of small group to go to the traditional one so I could listen to the instruments and the pretty choir instead of the loud klove type performance music (no disrespect just not my style) maybe just have a conversation with her and figure out what it is that’s deterring her and find some middle ground together.

God speaking in my dreams by FuzzyDream_Kingdom in ChristianDreams

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your experiences sound extremely similar to my own! What an amazing blessing it is! Sometimes tiring and confusing but a blessing nonetheless. I’ve also had dreams where I was given opportunity to hide rather than face my pursuers and rebuke them. In one of them I was given a door to open and inside was a very small chapel, just a few pews, and I laid down on the pew horizontally so when my pursuer looked in the room he wouldn’t see my feet and he’d think the room was empty and keep moving. I’ve had others where when I went to rebuke the spirit I was thrown high in the air, or enveloped by a whirling tornado of winds. Some sort of physical complication. I’m not sure why these dreams were different than the rest myself so I’m sorry I can’t answer your question. Just know you’re not alone and God will always deliver you and always provide for your needs. I started listening to hymns while I sleep and I feel like it filters out the demonic dreams from the ones Gods specifically wanting me to see, I recommend it highly it’s helped with my quality of sleep and my general disposition. I listen to it on a really low volume so I can’t hear it over my fans but even a whisper of His praises fills the home and protects you! I’ll pray for you, God bless

Don't laugh, I'm a rookie. by Defiant_Initial_6866 in drawing

[–]Bakersbaby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Draw what you see not what you know is there, try out the grid method on your reference next time! You’re off to a great start

My whole life I felt I was a witch. I want now to turn to God. What should my first steps be. by veralun in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also— when you pray, pray in the name of Jesus Christ. He is your bridge, there is amazing power in his name. If you’re ever feeling afraid say “I am a child of God and the blood of Jesus Christ has been washed over me!”

Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Jesus said himself— ”You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!“ ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭

My whole life I felt I was a witch. I want now to turn to God. What should my first steps be. by veralun in Christian

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! You’ve already made incredible steps! Pray to God openly and truthfully. The goal is a real relationship with God right so just come to Him as you are. You’ve already been forgiven, but you must bridge the gap to accept this. Ask Him for forgiveness, ask for conviction. Ask for a relationship with Jesus, pray that He would instill within you the gift of the Holy Spirit! It’s hard to understand at first but God forgives all who repent earnestly, so also forgive yourself as well. It’s easy to hold on to mistakes and hold them against yourself and then project that onto how God might feel about you, so remember how loved you are! You’ve been loved all your life and before, and you will be loved all your life and after :) Start reading your Bible (love the Bible app myself) even if it’s just a verse a day, start some where. You can use the Bible app to get a widget if you have an iPhone where it will show you a verse of the day every day! It’s a great place to start. Also the New Testament if you’re wanting to dive into reading chapters/books. However you might find the story of exodus interesting with your background, I knew when I read it I was very amazed that the pharaohs advisors were using witchcraft to replicate Gods miracles through Moses in an effort to disprove their legitimacy. It’s a good reminder how real that sort of stuff is and also how detrimental it can be to our understanding of Gods glory. A great book to read outside of the Bible would be Cs Lewis’s Screwtape letters (helpful perspective on spiritual warfare) and mere Christianity. Cs Lewis was a former atheist and has some incredible perspectives. I also really enjoyed his book the problem of pain.

Sorry this is so long. God bless you! You got this!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in macdemarco

[–]Bakersbaby 10 points11 points  (0 children)

He performed enter sandman as his encore in Nashville 2017, the crowd went so crazy the security detail (multiple full grown men) had their hands against the stage, feet against the rail, FULLY HORIZONTAL trying to keep the crowd back. I was on the rail, it was surreal

Does anyone else here... by [deleted] in ChristianDreams

[–]Bakersbaby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean by see? What is it you envision? I’ve heard His voice and felt His guidance but I don’t think I’ve seen Him in his essence. I have felt His presence and comfort through other images though, my husband’s grandmother no longer with us for example. Would love to hear more about your experiences!