Word Art: Visually Created by the Skill of Penned Words

Copyright © 2014 Gwendolyn Beth.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4901-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4900-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4902-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014915335

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/15/2014

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Prologue

Part I

What Makes Your Soul Sing?

Searching—Now

Saving the Best for Last

The Pen … The Ink

I Fall Short

Tranquility

It Starts with a Question

Your God-Given Ability

The Coat

Pondering …

Pondering …

Pondering …

Emotions and Demands

The Rubber Meets the Road

The Shadows of My Heart

I Love to …

Sense of Purpose—Divine Directive

Pondering …

Searching for Affirmation

The Perfect Conditions

That’s Not My Job

I Can’t Do It

When Distractions Become Your Focus

What a Waste of Time

A War Has Been Waged

Resistance in Opposition to Divine Change

My Time Here Is Not Long

Attention

God Does Not Create Junk

Expectations

Pen N Ink

Discombobulated

The Dwelling Well of Thought

Are You Constipated?

Stepping Out of the Boat

Pondering …

The Anchor

Pondering …

A Hardened Heart

Divided Loyalties

Pondering …

For All the Wrong Reasons

Pondering …

Temporal vs. Spiritual

Fear or Faith?

Relentless Pursuit

Saying No to Grace, Peace, and Mercy

The Puzzle of Life

Fear-full … Fear-less

From the How Factor to the Humbling Wow Factor

The Last Mortal Hurrah

Falling Off the Wagon

Guilt

The Room

It’s a Mind-Set

The Process

Yielding in Deference

A Trunk Full of Memories

Buckle Down

The Wind

Reengaging

Word Manipulation

Pondering …

Simplicity

Live Life to the Fullest!

When It No Longer Matters

Pondering …

Pondering …

Pondering …

The Voice of Silence

An Exercise in Futility?

You Have to Experience Life

The God of This Age

It’s All about Him

What If …

Employed by God

Because You Love Me

Building an Ark

Timing Is Everything

Evil vs. Good

Freedom from …

The Altar of My Heart

What Is Your Threshold?

What Is Your Sacrifice?

Part II

When the Song Leaves Your Heart

Struggles–Then

I Thought I Was Finished

Something to Pray About

A Reason to Meditate

Patience

His Path

Roadblocks

Your Path

Vacations

Stagnation

Decisions

Letting Go

He Will Get You There

Impatience

Creativity

Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding

The Quest

My Disease

A Prayer for Strengthening of Faith, Passion, and Motivation

Shifting the Focus

Spiritual Gifts

Choosing Your Battles

Sorting Out

Defragging

Part III

When You Find Your Voice

Plateau—All Along

Now I Really Am Finished!

3-D Thoughts

Cause to Pause

Deliberate Thought

Green and Blue

When It Finally Makes Sense

Facing East instead of West

Too Much of a Good Thing

Secrets with God

May It Forever and Always Be Your Way

It’s All Coming Together

An Original or a Print?

Pondering …

Notes

The Rearview Mirror

No Regrets

Part IV

If a Pen Could Sing in Ink

Equipped

Is It Ever Finished?

The Architect of My Heart

Break Pattern

What Is Your Compass in Life?

Pondering …

What Is the Call?

The Dust Finally Settles

Do You See God?

The New Norm

Which Way Does the Pendulum Swing for You?

Where to Go from Here

Acknowledge and Enjoy

Ride the Wave

The Rhythmic Beat

Heart, Soul, and Mind

Swept Away

When It Is Time

What Others Think

Ridding One’s Self of the If … Then

Drama

It’s Time

You Are a Work of Art—His

There’s Nothing Wrong with You

Just Do It

Trust

Ink Is in My Blood

Let’s Meet in Heaven

Do I Still Have It?

Surrender

The Invitation

One Last Question …

Go Now

Epilogue

Afterword

Preface

Clarity and Purpose

33627.png  October 20, 2012, 12:23 p.m.

All I have written and come to understand thus far in life is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through my life. Your understanding will happen as God wills. I pray you remain open to all He desires to impart. He loves you so much; He wants to amaze you with what He is capable of by doing the impossible through the improbable—you! When our journeys end, we will collect on His promise of everlasting life. To God be the glory for now, and one day, forever and always!

Introduction

Manifesto of Gwendolyn Beth (Kahle) Smith

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 KJV

As God’s Child

33661.png  April 17, 2010

Deep from within comes forth my passion to pen of God’s love, grace, and mercy. My desire and the ability to do so is set apart for no other purpose than His.

33666.png  March 22, 2012

The power of the Holy Spirit behind the pen will strike a chord in your soul should it be in need. You and I are both on temporary journeys this side of life in preparation for our final destination, everlasting life. God wants you to one day join Him, and so do I!

33668.png  March 24, 2012

In accordance with His will, may every word I pen move your heart and touch your soul that you too may desire to know Jesus Christ intimately, profess Him as your Lord and Savior, and on your appointed day, receive life everlasting. May this be so that His love for you is further displayed.

Sending Out … Receiving

33670.png  January 26, 2012

While enjoying my early morning cup of coffee, this thought came to me: "This is what I do and why I love my mornings! I am sitting and sipping my coffee, relaxed and in a meditative state, gently sifting through differing thoughts, easily dismissing those I want to pass over and mulling over others. One thought leads to another and another; patterns are sometimes created, and voilà, the 3-D effect occurs, and I receive a message—His.

Case in point, I was then given this thought: I am sending out thoughts heavenward about people I love and situations during this uncluttered time of day. What I am then to receive comes to me.

The moment occurs when I receive a knowing and thereafter pen, as in this case. Sitting in my recliner with the sunshine topping the trees and streaming through my window, I’m reminded of God’s majesty and how awesome He is. Oh, how I love to pen! He blesses me that I may and grants me thoughts about what to pen. It’s my desire that as I receive from Him what He wants me to pen, I send out His message to you.

Prologue

I Love You More

33672.png  January 19, 2012

Lord, my time on earth is brief. With a humble heart, I pray You grant me patience and wisdom that as Your servant I may make known to those You bring across my path Your promise of everlasting life through Your Son’s death and resurrection. You alone know those in need of hearing Your message, and my desire is to deliver it through the pen. Place on my heart as You will all I am to pen that in accordance with the Spirit’s guidance, it may be God-penned and not Gwen-penned. Grant me this, I pray; bless me that I may do so, and sustain me that in doing so I remain solely focused on the cross, for it is there You made it possible for me to say I love you more as a result of Your Son saying I love you more first. Gwen

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19 ESV

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:11–12 ESV

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:21 ESV

The Cardinal

33674.png  January 30, 2011

Its striking shade of red, magnificent crown, and unique sound are testimony to God’s amazing creation of this beautiful bird. Although the cardinal is special to me for a number of reasons, the one I am moved to reveal is the connection of this lovely bird to God. I have felt sad, alone, helpless, or hopeless about something or another at various times in my life when out of nowhere a cardinal would suddenly appear or fly across my path, and peace would envelop me—I knew it was God! Thereafter, and without fail, whatever I was dealing with or going through at the time eventually worked out.

Is there something that occurs in your life when God wants you to recognizably experience Him in the physical realm? At that moment, do you sense a oneness with Him?

Yesterday, I was pondering a number of things from a negative perspective, wallowing in self-pity. While I was rocking in this contemplative state in my living room, a sound caught my attention. A gorgeous, red cardinal was perched in the wisteria on our back patio! I thought, Wow! What are the odds? Dismissing it as one of those moments, I admired his beauty. He hung around for a bit before flying off, but he came back! Okay, I thought, so if this is one of those God moments, he’ll come down to the brick window ledge. While battling the thought I was challenging God, I told myself, God could make this cardinal move down to the window ledge if He wanted to. Oh my—not only did the bird come down to the ledge, but he proudly walked back and forth, all the while looking in the window and chirping as if to say, Hello, Gwen, are you there? I knew it was God, just as I had all those other times! I was incredibly humbled … peace enveloped my soul. The experience reminded me of God’s divine timing. Over the years, I have come to understand and appreciate this as God’s way of making His presence known and reminding me He is always with me.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 105:4 ESV

I had been unable to complete this pondering until today, March 24, 2011. I was at work, and it was sunny, so I decided to eat lunch in my car. I opened the sunroof and began reading some of my writing. I thought if my writing was supposed to help others, God would make it happen and would provide the words. While I sipped coffee and enjoyed delicious sunshine on my face, I heard that familiar chirp coming from a tree less than ten feet away. Tears of joy, humility, and awe melded with the sunshine kissing my cheeks. Peace enveloped my soul; His presence was revealed.

The Mocking … Bird

33676.png  April 13, 2011

A couple of days ago, I was preparing for work and going over a myriad of thoughts and ideas. As is usually the case, I pay attention to those that stand out in what I refer to as the 3-D effect, such as the mocking … bird. At that moment, I heard the chirp. Thank You, Lord! I went about getting ready, and a bit later, not only did I hear that familiar chirp, but also loud and clear I began hearing other bird sounds. This caught my attention. Is that a cardinal? Hmmm. It was loud, right outside my bathroom window, and annoying! I thought, Is he mocking me? What’s the deal? I’m confused. Or am I?

Having finished penning this morning’s prayer, I have now turned my thoughts to this pondering. I started thinking about the mockingbird, the mocking … bird. You know where this is headed, don’t you? I jotted down the title yesterday, thinking I’d pen it later, and here I am.

I realized yesterday while seeking God’s will that it’s not always easy to know if I am listening to the desires of myself, Satan, or God. At times, I think I do, but then I learn later I was wrong. However, at times I just know; the knowing comes to my thoughts as if it had been planted there, and an incredible sense of peace and calm envelops me every time, a humble confidence, so to pen.

In the last couple of days, I’ve given a lot of thought to how it is God works with me. Sometimes, He lays it on my heart to pen, and I just have to get it out. Other times, I’ll be reading something and a word or phrase stands out in 3-D and prompts a thought, or I might be thinking a myriad of thoughts and something stands out, again in 3-D, that prompts me to pen. At times, a thought comes to mind totally out of the blue, and I am moved to put it on paper. I, the instrument, and He, the Maker. I question, and He answers, sometimes immediately, sometimes a while later, and at times, never. I also receive answers while I am waiting, thus yielding much to be learned. I have also been blessed to observe God’s hand working in and through the lives of others and situations during waiting.

Oh, but what to do when the mocking bird shows up? "You have to do something! Do it now! Don’t wait. If it’s going to get done you have to do it! This is the repertoire from which Satan selects his user-specific arsenal for his unsuspecting target. He has done this so many times with me and with diabolical precision. The tools Satan uses that are effective occur most easily while the sin of arrogance has my undivided attention. When the Spirit of humility inhabits my soul, any such nefarious acts are thwarted. Still mocking. Is it? Is it not? Who? Which? He instigates a game of confusion and distraction that leads me down the avenue of questioning the foundational strengths—faith, hope, and trust. In what? The Word? God? Which? He’s mocking me. He’s teasing and taunting me. He’s annoying and confusing me." At this point, I want to just get rid of the bird—take him out! To Kill a Mockingbird; I had one hanging around the backyard a couple of years ago, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do. It made the most annoying bird sounds you could imagine; I believed it was making them just to irritate me. Sound familiar? The mocking … bird? Satan at his finest! He’s good, he’s smooth, and he can even mock you and you not realize it!

A mockingbird just this moment flew by! I can hear it now, outside my window; talk about timing! Might this be a distraction so I don’t complete this pondering? Not today; the Spirit has me on a roll. The ink is flowing. Arrogance or humility? It’s taunting me as I pen, and it’s annoying! It’s getting louder. Will the Holy Spirit override its attempts? I’m still penning, and it’s still annoying! Will it be tuned out? Will it leave? It’s still there. How can this be happening at this moment? What are the odds? What’s its purpose? I want it to stop. Oh, the sound is becoming faint—still there, just not as loud. Is it leaving? Has the Spirit triumphed? I can barely hear it. "Uh-oh, he’s baaack! Closer, gotta get those digs in; it’s in my face now and loud! It’s demanding my attention, but I just want it gone! I don’t think it will ever be gone; it’ll always be somewhere taunting and mocking. Now I can’t hear it—it’s gone! Thank you, Lord!"

As always, the Spirit is a success, and peace reigns again. The sun is beginning to come up, and the sounds of the day are advancing. The gentle breeze casts its good-morning wave to the smoke tree as it sways outside my window.

Man, back again that mocking … bird! Oh, gone again! Isn’t that how Satan operates? Regardless, for me, the cardinal always trumps the mockingbird.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7 KJV

Look where it got Satan, the granddaddy of all mocking birds.

Are you ready for a journey?

The Journey Begins

Part I

What Makes Your Soul Sing?

33678.png  February 9, 2012

At times, life can be a prison. You can be strolling along and one day realize the song has left your heart. Life-changing events have brought that about for me; some of them I’ve adjusted to, and others I haven’t. At the moment, it seems as though my current circumstance has me imprisoned. But I ask myself, Does it? Is it a physical imprisonment or mental? What makes my soul sing? Helping someone God has placed on my path. I was recently reminded of this. No longer did I feel oppressed by demands or responsibilities; I just wanted to help a soul in need of reassurance and answers during a time things were not making sense. I have something to offer that may provide encouragement and support, so I offer it. This is how my soul loves to sing, and man, does it sing when I put to paper what I love to do most—help you.

What makes your soul sing? What do you do that fills you with joy and peace? When are you in your element? You know, because when you’re utilizing the skills God has blessed you with and doing what He created you to do, your soul is singing!

If you haven’t already, embrace and pursue your song—for then you will truly be singing. I know of no other way to describe it.

Searching—Now

Saving the Best for Last

33680.png  September 14, 2012, 5:33 a.m.

Do you do that? I’m guilty of not doing that more than I care to admit. However, that’s what I’ve done with introducing part I. While sitting here in anticipation of being moved to pen a segue into it, I’m having a debate with the thoughts that just resulted from glancing over the titled ponderings contained in this book and their common theme to determine how to take you into Word Art.

Not only has a pattern revealed itself, but a style of penning has emerged unique to my personality as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through my thoughts. I was moved to pen my thoughts when it was cathartic for me. Yet as I sit and pen at this moment, most humbly and prayerfully, perhaps it will be for you as well. I cannot explain the why in any of this; that will be a song for you to sing one day. Neither can I pen how He does what He does, so I’m moved to pen. However, I can pen the what I do to the best of my God-given ability.

As you will eventually read in the pondering, If a Pen Could Sing in Ink, penning is my song. This journey (unbeknownst to me at the time) became mine, as I can now pen after having made this particular part of my trip by utilizing and developing the talents God has blessed me with. He created me to profess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior so others may come to know and learn of Him by the work of the Holy Spirit through the words I pen.

This passion, this desire, is ingrained in me; I wish I could convey the emotions I experience as I watch my pen release ink and produce words. What’s revealed always amazes me. I know there’s something you do or will do that affects you not in this way but one tailor-made for you by Him! Penned words cannot describe the transformation He brings about.

We are created by God to one day live with Him in life everlasting. Our individual travels were destined by Him when we were conceived to serve others until the day we are to be welcomed and received into life everlasting.

The hardest part was done by Jesus Christ when He cried out, It is finished! Salvation was secured for one and all; His Spirit moves me to confess and profess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God willing, I shall pen of this until I run out of ink. The second I do, I will be on the other side of life. All praise, honor, and glory be to God as indeed this will be so!

Thank you for spending some of your valuable time with me; better still, with God. He wants you to seek Him with all your heart. May God’s blessings be made apparent as you read pondering after pondering to receive the reveal He has for you.

Oh, and by the way, God is saving the best for last—life everlasting!

The Pen … The Ink

33685.png  November 2001

I have a thought … oh, another … words I now must pen,

I dip the pen as I prepare—no ink is there within!

Why, oh why, that when in need, my timing seems so wrong?

Further down I search for more and find that yes, it’s gone!

I understand this not, the process You’ve imposed,

When once I thought I did, the writing would just flow!

Weary though I be, I know that You are near,

This process none-the-less conditions me, for what’s in store with Thee!

The bottle sits before me now, once more I’ll dip to see,

The Source for more has now restored, far more than I need!

The pen … the ink, the paper, time, and thought,

Lord You grant me once again a message from the heart!

I Fall Short

33687.png  March 5, 2002

I have penned and penned, yet I fall short of what I put to pen, specifically, my ability to focus on what I love to do. I have worked on relaxing some stringent disciplines, shifting responsibilities, letting little things go, and getting my ducks in a row. Guess what? I’ve fallen short in the process, relinquished part of my personality, and ended up frustrated. The process has been long and arduous, and I’m still not there. I ask myself, What if I never make it? Oh, I have all the excuses lined up, but they all stink. I ask myself, Are these Gwen-created obstacles? Could it be God’s telling me no, or not yet? Which might it be? Will I recognize His answer?

My head swims daily with thoughts, ideas, and comments, but daily demands and responsibilities overshadow my creativity. At times, I ask myself, Who am I to render advice or assistance to another when I’m unable to apply that same advice to me? I know it’s because I’ve put so much me and my in it that I’ve crowded out God, and Satan has seized another opportunity to thwart all of what I might do to serve my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

You’d think that after the first or second time I’d learn to change the pattern. I must adapt to the ever-changing demands I encounter daily. I’ve obviously not mastered this or it wouldn’t be so frustrating that I’d be penning about it.

I pen with confidence that I believe God allows me to experience these situations and emotions to address them with Him, grow in the process, and again give the glory to Him for providing me with the insight, understanding, knowledge, and ability to overcome them. Thus I’ve pen in hand again.

Tranquility

33689.png  June 22, 2006

What is this limbo I seem to be in? Unable to make decisions because of what? At the moment, sadly I do not know. So what do I do when I am in this mood? I used to put pen