I'm Steph. I Strip Paint, Write Words, and Read Books

 Hey y'all, I've been stripping paint for about 5 or 6 hours a day. I am about halfway through the back of the house. It's quite a challenge. It's a huge mess. It's a huge mess! I'm hoping to finish scraping by the end of next week so that we can open the pool. We need to change out the liner after a beloved guest accidentally ripped it.

How are y'all doing at social isolating? I read a post by Makoto Fujimura about how artists are inherently self-distancing and it is easier for us to cope right now. He is amazing. Watch this.

Nihonga Slow Art from Windrider Productions on Vimeo.

The part of this that is breaking my heart is seeing all of the people losing jobs, the sickness, the homeless going without food, The beauty is seeing people be kind and intentional. People are finding each other again. I am praying that the hurt, the pain, the loss, and the beauty lead people safely to the arms of Jesus. 

I am working on a personalized, guided prayer journal. It's twenty years of learning to journal summarized in the most simple way with your name embedded in scripture. I am hoping to use it to raise some money for our homeless friends. Say a little prayer for me. 

Denbigh has been out giving away McDonald's gift cards to the homeless. If you'd like to help him, you can give at thebohotable.org.

What I've read over the last few weeks:

Shift by Abby McDonald : rating: meh, kinda like a Sunday school lesson

Yes Sisters by Angelia L. White: rating: pretty good, shows the value of good friends

Shepherding Women in Pain by Bev Hislop: rating :Oh my word! It's a powerhouse

Listened to:

Murder on the Orient Express: great!

Pale Faced Lie: intense, but good!

I love y'all and I'm praying for you to feel the sweet nearness of Christ in your every day.

I read Joy at Work by Marie Kondo

This may be my favorite of Marie Kondo's books. It may be because it met me right where I am at or the fact that it goes far beyond the act of tidying. Marie quietly leads us to not only honor ourselves and our spaces, but also how to honor others. Instead of going into work with cluttered hearts and minds, we can bring clear thoughts, and even, you guessed it, joy.

I appreciate Marie. Her words have helped me release a lot of clutter and get to know what I actually love. It seems that our external clutter is often tied to things we need to release internally.

She tackles, desks, offices, work hours, and meetings. Our responsibility in these things greatly needs to be addressed. Her co-writer also helps us tidy our digital life. This has been a huge challenge to me to learn how to tackle things daily and store things properly.

Marie shared how she was afraid of going into television because people can be so cruel. Someone told her that she should do what she felt led to do because people hated her already. She was completely shocked that people would hate her for her work in tidying so she googled herself. The first thing she read was an article entitled "Why We Hate Marie Kondo." After reading these things, she decided to go ahead with television. I am thankful for her tenacity and courage. Great read.

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I am reading Marie Kondo’s new book Joy At Work (due out on April 7th). As you can guess, it’s about tidying your work space. She opened with, “Is your desk always covered in clutter?” I felt like I had already nailed chapter one (even though I’m still sorting through things). Now she’s all in my digital life. Oh man. It’s time to tackle that inbox and the 27,000 photos I have on my phone. (I also painted the antique table that sat by my grandmother’s pool and have been enjoying family dinners out there every night). #tidy #tablelove #roses #bookends #mariekondo #joyatwork #joyatworkbook #littlebrownandcompany.

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Mar 6, 2020 at 11:44am PS

Home Makeover: Social Distancing Edition

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Painter’s Quarantine: Day 2 This place is big! I am scraping and painting. I ordered a new tool to help strip the paint safely ($500!). It will be here Monday. I have no idea how I’m going to get up high, but I’m going to try. There’s a third floor up there as well that can’t be seen in the photo. Send painting prayers. #remodel #fixxerupper #quarantine #socialdistancing #missionhouse

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Mar 18, 2020 at 8:16am PDT

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If you’re bored and want to social distance together, I’m painting our 105-year-old 3 story mission house. We can wear these cool masks and stand 6 feet apart. Only ten at a time, so don’t you all rush over at once.

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Mar 17, 2020 at 8:23am PDT

Hey y'all, 

we are using this quarantine (aka social distancing) to paint our 105 year old mission house. We let missionaries and those in need of rest come and stay with us to find rest. It's been a long journey of restoration, but when God call you, you stick to the path even when deeply discouraged. Some of that comes from people, some from funding, and some from not being able to go out to the homeless like normal. 

We are uncertain about getting to serve the homeless like we normally do, but I'm happy to drive down the streets throwing sack lunches like candy in a parade. Pray for our friends on the street. May your heart be open to seeing them as human beings. I promise you that we can not even wrap our minds around the trauma most of them have been through. 

Making the world better for one makes the world better. Use your time to write cards, make calls, and check on people. 

I am personally working on a bit of writing for a project that I have been thinking about for over a decade. It's a culmination of 20 years of studying prayer and journaling. I'm looking for quotes that have the word beauty in them and any scripture that you have personalized with your name in it. Send them my way. Please and thank you.

Sipping my lavender honey latte (I made myself) and signing off!

love y'all.

Steph