Updates from Jessica Blankenship

Uncovering the Hidden Gems: Why Small Town Murals Hold a Big Place in Our Hearts

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 05:04:14 CDT

Dear Busy Moms, Don't let your kids miss out on our art camps!

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 05:15:00 CDT

How to Host an Event With JOY!

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 15:14:00 CDT

One Surprising Way to Develop Leadership for Your Children

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 11:35:00 CDT

What is Playful Printmaking for Kids?

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 07:00:00 CDT

To Teach A Child to Pray

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:59:52 CDT

A Lesson in Divine Timing & A New Direction

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:18:42 CDT

An Intentional Restart to the Home

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 16:15:00 CDT

You know that saying, "sick and tired of being sick and tired"?

Psychology calls this scarcity, which is the same as survival mode, where you are nearly drowning in all the necessities of life and you need a breath of air.

During the supposed Dark Ages of European history, there were little to no scientific, artistic or cultural advancements....

Lots of factors showed that people were just trying to.... survive: a lack of quality of life.

Today, it is the opposite of that problem but somehow we're also barely surviving. Full-speed-ahead surviving. We are drowning in information and NOISE. Mindless scrolling. Going through the motions. Drinking from a fire-hose and still thirsty. Too many activities and too much to do and too many lists. The kind of overwhelm that has a choke-hold on your life. Fast-paced scarcity.

Never enough time.

Never enough money.

Never enough connection.

But yet, we have too much of all the wrong things. Mountains of junk. Useless garbage promising enjoyment. Kids and adults with an insatiable appetite for all the "right" material goods. Toys that can't stand the strain of being unwrapped, as Earl Nightingale says, because of their mass-produced cheapness.

What is the answer?

Planting Darkness & Confusion= Reaping Darkness & Confusion

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 16:20:00 CDT

Our minds are our hearts are fertile ground. We get to choose what we put there.

The Bible is as much as a practical guide as it is spiritual. The fact is that people have preconceived notions about the contents of the Bible and, in turn, do not read it with an open heart.

"You reap what you sow" is a brilliant analogy for everyday life. What are we planting in our minds every day is crucial. How dare we complain about our minds being in torment and negativity when we planted those thoughts there by what we listen to and watch? Some people live with a continuous replay of shame tapes running through their minds. Cut the tape.

My Pivot: Testimony of a Modern Pharisee

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 16:23:00 CDT

I found Jesus as child. I craved the peace that comes from Christ and I was pleasantly naive enough to believe everything beautiful told to me about my Lord. I am thankful that I was childishly naive and followed Him with unwavering faith.

But for a long, long time, even as a Christian who studied the Word daily, I was full of anxiety. I questioned myself, hated myself and spent much of my time being emotionally exhausted, from all this over-thinking. (Over-functioning anxiety is the turmoil that causes people to over-do, overcompensate and be overly bossy and critical of themselves and others. Under-functioning is the other type of anxiety, which cripples people, keeping them from starting tasks and keeps them in a shame spiral of feeling incompetent.)

From the outside, no one knew this was going on because I was "doing" all the things and I, personally, really didn't know how bad it was because I was in the trenches of it. This was my everyday life for years and years. Sometimes you don't know that weight of something you're carrying until you feel the weight of its release...