Getting That Crafty Feeling

Published on by Kimberly NovakLeave a comment

I have always been a fan of crafts. I have memories as a little girl, filling paper plates with rice and gluing them together for a tambourine. I delight in the thought of jazzing up the paper plates with markers and whatever else I could find to make them pretty.

In my creative world, I live by the motto, everything is better with glitter! In fact, glitter was a very prominent part of Bella’s story in my debut novel, Bella’s Beautiful Miracle. After surviving a storm, Bella learns that God’s light can be shown on our faces when we are so filled with His love that we can’t wait to share it with others. As Bella’s faith in God grows, so does the glitter in her smile!

About a year ago, I was introduced to making diamond art creations. At first, the only thing I felt was frustration, but that was because I had not brought God into the moment with me. I was solely focused on the fact that the little diamond, though pretty, was very small. I let that “little” fact ruin my experience on that day. Since I loved the outcome and how pretty the item sparkled, I decided to give it another try, and this time I absolutely loved it! I purchased a pill organizer and gave each color diamond its own spot. That small, simple act of organization made a world of difference. In no time at all, I had 8 adorable glittering coasters.

Since then, I have made a suncatcher to gift my friend, and a very elaborate glittering tree which is now framed and hanging in my dining room. It goes to show that when you take a moment to organize, the experience changes completely, and the outcome is that much better! This is true in our relationship with God as well. Think about a frantic day, and what a struggle it is to spend time alone with God. The frustration, when left on its own, gets bigger and bigger; a snowball effect.

We can organize our prayer life, just as I did with the colored diamonds. Take some steps to give God a special place, an undisturbed area of your home, even if it’s the corner of the couch. Find somewhere to let your bible, journal, and maybe a candle rest so that when you are ready for prayer, you don’t have to go looking for anything.

Recently, I found a way to incorporate crafting with my prayer! You can read about that experience by viewing my article titled Finding God in The Relentless Act of Scrolling, posted on the Catholic Writers Guild Blog. In this piece, I weave together prayer and creative organization.

Perhaps the most intriguing form of creative expression I have experienced lately is that of developing the illustrations for my next middle grade novel, Firefly Fred & The Rainbow Rescue. Set to launch in September. The process, grueling at times, seemed more difficult than the actual writing. I’ve known for some time now that there is no prayer too small for God, as He wants to be involved in all aspects of our lives. So, on the rough days, after searching for opinions from family, I go to the one who already knows what this book looks like and ask the silly questions. Like, should the villain have a pointy nose, or do you want Fred to be cute or nerdy looking?

I can “second-guess” myself for the rest of my life, so I’m glad the publisher gives me a set number of what they call passes, where changes are made. Once I have signed off on the release of the work, it’s set. Or so I thought! Only last week I signed off on the page design, and yesterday I had the horrible realization that I didn’t check the spacing or font size. Needless to say, I sent my project manager a plea for help, and by God’s grace, they can make the changes! That only proves to me that God will make sure anything we do with Him and for His glory will be just the way God wants it!

Take some time today, and get crafty! Be sure to click the article link and head over to the Catholic Writers Guild Blog to learn how to craft your very own prayer bible! Keep your eyes on my website, kimberlynovak.com, or my author Facebook page for the release date of Firefly Fred & The Rainbow Rescue!

By the way, this blog post is the very first public announcement of the book title! Thank you, dear readers, for sharing this post and helping to announce the arrival of my next middle-grade novel! I appreciate you!

Blessings,

Kimberly

Website Blessings & Social Media Blues

Published on by Kimberly Novak2 Comments

Who could have imagined that what started as a tool for healing would evolve into the blog I have today? I am truly grateful to you, my readers, for helping me reach this milestone. Since 2011, I have been creating what I call “gems of inspiration” for the glory of God. Initially, the blog was designed to inspire and uplift those who have experienced loss and to support divorce survivors. Over time, God has touched my heart, transforming the blog into what it is today: a space filled with inspiring and motivational posts, all in praise of Him.

I hope my words continue to encourage, inspire, and uplift those who are suffering, as well as those who simply wish to strengthen their relationship with God. I was amazed to receive a notification this week that my content had reached 50,000 views. If it were up to me, I would post more often, but I always let the spirit guide me to the keyboard. I try not to force an article just for the sake of posting. I truly need God’s inspiration to help me put words on the page.

That, my friends, brings me to a topic that has been weighing heavily on my heart — the social media blues! About a month ago, I removed the social media icons from my cell phone, and it has been amazing! I’ve gained extra time in my day, and there is noticeably less stress in my life. I never realized that seeing certain negative things on social media could make me feel uneasy or uncomfortable. Those reactions only increase stress hormones and anxiety. By keeping the icons only on my computer or iPad, I make social media less accessible, giving me the freedom I didn’t know I needed.

I find many aspects of social media beneficial for promoting my faith, prayer groups, spiritual writing projects, and for giving glory and praise to our Heavenly Father. However, I often struggle to find a balance. How can I continue to use social media for the positive aspects of my life while filtering out the negativity? Often, when I log on, I encounter something disturbing—sometimes even fabricated using artificial intelligence—and by that point, it’s too late to unsee it.

I have been talking to God about this a lot lately, and I feel that He needs me! God needs me to be active on social media, in moderation, so that I can continue to share His love, His light, and His good news!

I’m still figuring out what moderation in social media looks like for me. Right now, I feel compelled to get on social media and praise God! If I can’t post something that gives God credit, then I don’t need to post it at all.

If you’re looking for an amazing prayer group, check out A Little God Time on Facebook. I’m proud of this group of prayer warriors who have prayed for many miracles and witnessed numerous prayers answered.

As a community of believers, we can combat negativity on social media and fill the internet with glory and praise for our Heavenly Father! Who’s with me?

Be Blessed,

Kimberly (Courageous Butterfly)

What An Awesome God

Published on by Kimberly Novak1 Comment

It is no secret how I feel about Christian Worship music, especially songs written by Phil Wickham. God has always used music as a way to speak to my heart. Sometimes the lyrics have given me little warnings of something on the horizon. At other times, the music serves as a means for God to comfort me, filling me with love and joy.

A few weeks ago, I downloaded Phil’s newest song, “What An Awesome God,” and within seconds, my toes began to tap, my shoulders started swaying, and before I knew it, my arms were reaching to the clouds in praise to our Heavenly Father.

After listening to the lyrics, I was completely at peace, and I knew that God was about to do something miraculous in my life. It has been a year and five months since my traumatic brain injury, and my healing journey has been full of ups and downs. I am one of the lucky ones; I have been left with only mild side effects. Still, though, I have been dealing with what seemed like one new diagnosis after another.

In a previous post, I wrote about the visions I experienced while in the hospital, where Jesus’ crown floated around my room. Since then, I have been praying over and over again about what a wonderful gift I received. Not just the gift of life, but the chance to see the face of Jesus through the vision of His crown.

This Lent, our church allowed venerating the crucifix. This, I pondered, is my moment. My chance to give Jesus all of my bodily pain, my tears, and my love. Perhaps this is the moment God had in mind all along. I didn’t even think, as my turn at the cross arrived. I reached my hands and touched the crown on Jesus’ head, and gently kissed Him right where I feel my pain. Tears of joy and hope fell from my eyes, and I praised my Awesome God for the gift of life both now and in eternity. Life, given to me by the sacrifice of His only Son.

My head pain subsided the next day. I didn’t want to react too quickly, thinking maybe I was just having a good day. As the weeks went by, though, I knew I had been healed. Or the medication I was given was finally working. Either way, I was grateful.

Fast forward to a month ago when I faced yet another diagnosis. Here we go, I thought. God took one thing away, and now I’ll get something new. I allowed myself to grieve health in a sense, but then turned to prayer. God showed up big time! In the process of diagnostic testing, I had to stop taking the headache medication for a few days. I was sure the pain would be more than I could bear, but I had no choice if we were to get to the bottom of another possible health crisis.

It has been one week since I stopped that medication, and I have had no headache! Proof positive that God healed my pain as I kissed Jesus’ head on Good Friday! It is also an answer to the prayers of many people who have been praying earnestly on my behalf. Also praiseworthy is that the new diagnosis they were testing me for came back negative! I see this as an opportunity given to me by God to go off that medication. He knew I didn’t need it anymore, but he had to show me. He used the laboratory tests as a way to do that.

God has always been very creative in the ways he gets my attention! And I love it when he uses Phil’s music to do so. If you’re looking for some praise music that may be life-changing, put on your dancing shoes and sing along with Phil…
“My God, You’re an awesome God
You’re great in all You do
I’m made to worship You
My God, You’re an awesome God!”