“[Praise to God for a Living Hope] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”- 1 Peter 1:3

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Yesterday was kind of a tough day... The last journal I wrote was a response that I gave to a Christian struggling with sexual identity issues and I can't believe the amount of flack I've received from writing it. But I was so blessed while writing it because I knew that the Holy Spirit was so present in it all, and I was just so filled with joy to cheer a brother/sister on in their struggle... but I can't believe how other people, people who I wasn't even really addressing, have attacked it like a pack of wolves. And what I've noticed is that they aren't even attacking the scripture or the parts that hold a lot of weight, but attacking me personally.

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“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”- John 3:20-21

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The bridge between saying, "This is my struggle and I urge you to draw close to the Lord for he is holy, and I remind you with this, be encouraged and take heart," to receive such comments as, "Your a child molester in the making," and "You are a self hater, and it's sick," or "You've probably put your faith in a man who isn't as great as everyone has made him out to be." I guess I just don't understand how people are so aggressive in their justification of sin.

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"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." ~ Luke 6:27-28

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I dunno, I've been fighting my want to be really angry and depressed, for you speak truth into someones life and receive the most bitter spirits in return. It makes you think a lot more about what Jesus went through... as well as the Prophets and Disciples.

It hurts a lot to have people tear into your life and touch on subjects that I myself don't even quite understand... My struggle with bisexuality started when I was 5... I don't understand why that was, but I still remember both the drive and the shame even back then. So, I have sympathy with many about questioning how that works, but I don't know either. But just cause something unexplained has happened in my life doesn't make me a liar. Makes me curious about how they would respond if I told them about my encounters with demons and angels would go about... let alone my encounters with the living God himself.

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"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." ~ Hebrews 10:35-36

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In spite of it all, I really am blessed. The Lord knows what's going on inside, and his blood still is covering our sin, forever past, present, and future! Be totally blessed today, for it is a day that the Lord has made especially for us all!

In Christ Jesus,
Matthew Palfenier

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~Rules~

NONE! Because I've descided to gift people with features!

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1. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

For some time now Keith has been a good online bud, and while I know we aren't the closest of online friends, his work is some of the most simple, powerful, and soft-spoken imagery that I know of. His photography is dynamic, sometimes bursting with color, but very gentle in presentation and quite often I find his work emotional, among being spiritual. I guess I would say that his work is "personal," and reflective of something close to home. His digital pieces are also phenomenal... From a technical standpoint, I have had no experience with digital renderings, but from an artists point of view, the layers and unique presentation of his digital works are beautiful and flow with some kind of natural poetry that many artists strive to achieve, but few ever do...

Revelation 12:11 ~ "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

2. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

Brenda is a good friend of mine and has the title of "first online friend who I have had the pleasure to meet in real life." Her artwork reminds me a lot of my high school days (all the parts that made high school such a blast for an anime nerd anyway). Her simple anime renderings, among the more rare photo-manipulations or paintings, are full of the ironies and sarcasms of life (along with some much needed fan-mania), making them a joy to experience any day of the week. But among the comedy, every long once in a while you'll come across a small gem of reality. These pieces reflect her beautiful love for Christ, as well as the everyday struggles of a heart longing to be made whole and unified in the eyes of God.

Job 8:21 ~ "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."

3. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

Sometimes I'd like to think that I live a pretty transparent life, but when I look at the emotional depth and severity of other Christians transparency, sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how fake I can be. I only came across Kristie's work recently... but her art is so quick to break down the walls that I've been compelled to return and continue to dig deep into her work time and time again. The message is not sugar coated, "We live a broken world and Christ is the savior." Her words accompanying each photo not only aid in furthering this message, but it hones it down into a piercing sword which has the ability to bend and break the soul with each passing moment. I long for my artwork to be as transparent as this, and it is encouraging to see followers of Christ who have such a level of transparency. The broken heart brings purity, and the pure in heart see God.

Isaiah 57:15 ~ "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."

4. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

I feel like Alison and I have the same unique passion for nature photography, for it is the greatest testimony to God's creative 'nature' (maybe the pun was intended...? ^_^). Virtually every piece is accompanied by scripture or a biblical principle, which perfectly ties the two into a complete idea. But this is not the only reason as to why I have featured this amazing artist... The other reason is because her photography and compositional skills have improved so much since I started watching her (however long ago), it is breath taking! Out of all the artists that I watch here on dA, I've noticed that her artwork lives and breathes as if it was a living entity... possibly due to the 'nature' (pun?) of her photographs.

Romans 1:20 ~ "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

5. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

Unlike many of my features so far, I don't know Eikonik at all... but I know that he loves the Lord, has a passion for the tales expressed in scripture, and loves to see the gospel of Jesus spread through clearly depicted images with fantastic technical skill. His art is stylized, has a beautifully textured edge, but remains very true to the essence of all the stories he illustrates. One of the things I admire most about his work, is that he doesn't choose to just illustrate the most popular and well known stories of the Bible, but occasionally I will come across a character who I've never heard of, or a story that I'm not that familiar with, and it will actually peak my curiosity enough to make me go figure out who these people were... almost as if his work calls the viewer to action. And if one's work inspires people to that extent, you have been blessed with something special.

2 Peter 1:16 ~ "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

6. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

I first came across Melanie's art piece, "Be Still, Know That I AM God" and instantly fell in love with her gorgeous watercolor paintings. There is something unique in the way that she paints, and I haven't really been able to put my finger on it yet... Maybe it is her mix of vintage and pop-culture styles that does it for me...? But whatever it is, I really appreciate it. She also has been a wonderful encourager to me in the past, and I feel that it is rare to find people who like to throw up small books of encouragement all over your page! ^_^

Proverbs 4:23 ~ "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

7. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

It seems that there are always exceptions to the rule, and E-R-R-O-R seems to break as many as he can get away with. I've always appreciated artists who come to the open canvas after seeing the world in a totally different way... then to be able to put it down in a fashion that actually seem coherent, as incoherent as their subjects may appear. Whenever I look into this oddly strange, beautiful, slightly grotesque, but still identifiable world, I feel like I'm looking through a filter labeled, "child's imagination." For it is just like a child to see what is unseen in the things that are actually visible (what a statement... ^0^)... And I thought I was out of the box...

Hebrews 11:1 ~ "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

8. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

I sometimes think that the power of paintings is unchallenged by the other mediums. I'm not sure what it is about them that captivates me, but looking through Judylee's gallery has been a pleasure to say the least. Each painting just grows on you, and each painting you see becomes a little bit more refined technically the the last... I'm so captivated by some that I can't even seem to find the words to describe them... And it takes a lot for me to be speechless...

Psalm 46:10 ~ "Be still, and know that I am God."

9. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

Though I'm not a huge fan of poetry, I've been following Sephanie's work for quite some time now. In the time I've known Steph we've engaged in some amazingly tough conversations concerning that strange thing called life, and that has made the pleasure of seeing her poetry flourish so much more rewarding. If I could sum up her art, it might sound like this: "word painting is just a necessity of life." Her poetry is raw, rough, pure in concept, and amazingly executed. It's full of real heart and emotions collected through years of real live experience... and it has really challenged me as an artist.

Psalm 19:3-5 ~ "There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course."

10. ; [link] / [link] / [link]

Sometimes the persons artwork is just the crest of a wave in the middle of a very deep ocean... but it is not till you get beyond what they do that you get to see the depth of what is really there. Her piece "Trust and Wait" pulled me in. "Ecclesiastes 3:11" was the only words in the artists comments... I felt the tug on my heart and I went to look up the verse, and what power I discovered was there within the scripture her piece had led me to. To ponder on those words... I could sit here all day and wrestle with it, never coming a step closer to understanding the weight of eternity or the grandeur of a Holy God. Thank you very much Magnonettes for pricking my heart, and turning my once again misguided attention to where it needs to be.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."