Gifted Quotes
Sticky Notes of Encouragement
GQ31 Dove~Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Faith
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines faith as: 1 (a) allegiance to a duty or a person, (b) fidelity to one's promises (c) sincerity of intentions, 2 (a) belief and trust in and loyalty to God (b) belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion (c) firm belief in something for which there is no proof, and (d) something that is believed especially with strong conviction.
However, I think perhaps Martin Luther King Jr. had the right idea when he stated....
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
GQ59~Faith
It doesn't matter what your personal beliefs are but there is no doubt that faith is often what gets us through our most difficult times. Faith that things will get better, that there is a purpose for all of us....
Here are some of our designs that have inspired us to find our purpose in life and be the best person we can be...
My hands were resting on the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. it was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in, and hurried away.
John, in flowing robe, appeared, looking at the tomb; then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John.
As they departed, Mary reappeared; leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing, so did 1. 1 knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched and looking into His face cried, Rabboni!
I awakened in sunlight, gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.
GQ150 In The Garden~ This is the first verse from the hymn, In The Garden, and it's one of our favorites and the story behind the song is lovely also...
GQ15 Jesus Loves Me~ Lyrics to the song Jesus Loves Me by Anna B. Warner.
Another good story behind how a song came to be....
Anna was born on August 31, 1827. Her family home was quite close to the United States Military Academy at West Point, in the era just before the Civil War. Each Sunday Anna taught Bible classes to the cadets. Her remains are buried in the military cemetery and her family home is now a museum on the grounds of the United States Military Academy.
Her most well-known work is a poem from her and her sister’s 1860's quite sentimental and best-selling novel entitled Say and Seal. It was soon set to music by William Bradbury, who added the chorus we still sing today. Many soldiers on the battlegrounds during the War Between the States sang this hymn and found spiritual comfort.
In a scene that brought many people to tears in the novel, a child lays dying and is comforted from his pain, as the main character recites the poem.
GQ107 Window~ One of our more intricate designs of a stained glass window that actually opens up with a quote from the movie The Sound of Music...
Click on the movie poster to watch the famous scene!
GQ13 Treasure~ Matthew 6:21. One of our favorite bible passages w/Swarovski crystal heart charm
GQ12 Mirror~ This, I think, could arguably be the most honest quote ever written~ it's from the Talmud.
And if you take the time to really think about what it says, you may understand what I mean.
GQ4 Owl~ Owls are thought to be wise and this quote from Confucius is definitely that.
GQ4 Confucius Owl~
For thousands of years, from Ancient Greek legend to modern literature and TV, humans have portrayed owls as sage and wise. The wise owl appears in everything from The Iliad to Winnie the Pooh.
The pervasive myth of the wise owl, meanwhile, likely originated with legends of the Ancient Greek goddess Athena. The goddess of wisdom, Athena was often portrayed in art holding an owl, or described in literary works as “owl-eyed” or even “owl-faced.”
We love owls and think this quote by Confucius is very wise indeed...
GQ2 Butterfly~ A quote by Saint Francis of Assisi w/Swarovski beads and crystals.
And if you really love butterflies I suggest you read Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus. Click on the book and it will take you to her website.
GQ31 Dove~The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Click on the book to learn the story of St. Francis of Assisi
GQ105 Sheep~Luke 15 4-7. The parable of the lost sheep.
GQ 56 Philippians 4 8-9 ~This verse was actually told to my mother by one of her teachers when she graduated from high school. I have always loved it~ w/a sterling silver cross pendant.
GQ124~Mother Teresa's Dragonfly
It reminds me of the quote by Shakespeare, "And though she be but little, she be fierce!"
(Kind of sounds like my teenage daughter...)
GQ105 Sheep~ The Parable of the Lost Sheep. Luke 15 4-7
For those of us that have ever felt "lost..."
GQ120 Pearl~This quote by Harry Emerson Fosdick reminds us that sometimes it is the difficulties we face in life that somehow end up teaching us the most important lessons.
Click on the crown to learn what we think about faith...