Creativity

An A4 print. Original artwork by Francesca Ross with the artwork "Who is it that you Seek?" Francesca writes: 'Who is it that you seek?' features a star motif, referencing the guidance of the wise men by the star as they searched for the King of Kings. For this question I chose the contrasting colour of lemon yellow for the brightness of the star.

An A4 print. Original artwork by Francesca Ross with the artwork "How then Shall we Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land?" Francesca writes: 'How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?' The development of the design started with a stave and a treble and bass clef, and then I added swirling interlinking lines to echo the complexity of music twisting and turning in unexpected directions. I chose purple as a colour of kingship of the Lord whose song we are singing.

  Words: In the hope rejoicing; in the tribulation enduring; in the prayer persevering; Romans 12:12 Literal Standard Version Bible: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 NIV Background: Artist Mary Fleeson says: "Being joyful isn’t about having a permanent grin on your face or always feeling happy... when I first started to look into what it meant to be a Christian, as a teenager with the accompanying hormone roller-coaster, I found it really difficult to understand what ‘joy’ meant. I was told it was a deep-down assurance, more lasting than ‘happy’ and something I could only truly experience with God’s help. It took me a long time to realise that joy wasn’t something that was affected by mood or even circumstance. I've learnt not to underestimate the power of mind and body on spirit and I still find the balance between them difficult to achieve, but joy is sustained by hope and faith and the love beyond measure of our Creator. Patience in affliction is great advice isn’t it? There are probably few of us that could say that we’re good at being patient even when we know that it will help us to cope, giving ourselves permission to rest and step back from our usual busyness can feel like giving up or giving in but fighting against the needs of your body or mind will only delay their healing. Faithfulness in prayer is breathing for the soul, it is our constant communication with God. It isn’t something we just do on Sundays or at set times but it is in every conversation, every action and every thought. When we pray constantly, we are inviting God to be in our lives, to nurture us and guide us - what could be better? Printing and Sizing: This item is 105mm x 148mm and is printed on 300gsm gloss card stock. Each card is blank inside, has its title and copyright details on the back and is individually wrapped in cellophane with an envelope.