guest post // leah eash

the Word of God is living and active…. and in so being we are enabled and empowered to live it out…as we read it; as we immerse ourselves in it; as we memorize it! this is what the STANDard is all about. drenching our hearts in the living water of the Word to such an extent that we are changed by it.  and i know for me, that is something that absolutely has to take place daily.  not to be gross… but you know when you (or, ahem, someone you know) hasn't bathed for a few days??? or imagine the effects of not brushing your teeth for a few weeks? or envision for a moment the mess that would be your hair after an entire month not washing it??? no. just, no.  our hearts and minds are similarly affected when we exclude the Word from our lives.   i hate to admit that i know this from personal experience…. not the not-bathing part!!! the getting-too-busy-to-read-my-Bible part.  THAT is why i started the STANDard! so i would have a consistent reminder that memorizing scripture is life-saving. life-giving. life-changing.

one of my dear, sister-like friends (Leah Eash) agrees and has jumped on board with the STANDard project full throttle!  i have been so inspired by her extremely original designs that i wanted to share the way she incorporated her memory verses into her (very busy!!) life last year, 2013.  this year, we've created the STANDard cards to write our verses on (Leah is one of the featured artists that made them so beautiful!) and while i know we'll be putting them to good use in 2014, i have no doubt that she will continue to get creative with making sure her monthly verses are visible in her home! 

here Leah shares a little from her heart:

When we memorize Scripture, we are thinking about it, reading it, writing it, and speaking it. Having a whole month versus a week or two really allowed me to not only mull over the words but hear from the Lord and what He wanted me to glean from that particular passage. And I know for myself, the more you do with a verse, the easier it is to recall! I didn't want to lose sight of all I was gaining spiritually through the STANDard challenge - with my eyes or my heart... SO, I purposed to think outside the box with each verse every month and DO something with it. My desire as an artist was to put it down in some creative form because then I could still see it and have it be a part of our home. Over the course of the year, I ended up only missing 1 month, which I must say was pretty good considering I had a newborn! I was able to do a couple of the projects with my 2 year old son, and one that I did on my own became a gift for a dear friend. This process enabled me to make little changes in our décor, and pushed me to delve deeper in my spiritual walk. Growing in Christ and getting to know Him is what it is all about isn't it?! And we do this through His Word!

january :: acrylic painting

february :: lipstick on mirror

march :: leather bracelet

april :: bookmark (with 2 yr old Grant's help!)

may :: tea towel

june :: journal cover

july :: coloring sheet for Grant

august :: notebook gift

september/october :: Bible study by Elizabeth George based on my verse for the month

november :: table runner

visiti Leah's beautiful blog to see more of her work and find the DIY details of these projects.

also…. don't forget to order your set of STANDard cards! all you have to do is send 10$ via paypal to officialcrystal@gmail.com and be sure to include your address as well as how many sets (12 cards in a set) you'd like.