brushstrokes from God’s word

Crossings retreat

Would you like to pull away to Camp Maranatha just outside Huntsville for the day - Saturday, November 3? This day retreat is 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, and hosted by Central Presbyterian Church, Huntsville. I will be teaching from the book of Joshua - it's titled...

Sorrow is lent; joy is given.

Amy Carmichael wrote about sorrow. I have kept this in my Bible for years and it still comforts me. In days of tragic loss when my heart is wrapped around my daughter in law, her mother, and my son, I have been clinging to these words: Sorrow is one of the...

Come to the Manger

I am just going to ask - Do you love Christmas? I don't. And it bring out my every vulnerability to admit this and makes me feel sad and like something is very wrong with me. For me, Christmas is a complete stressor. Months prior I begin to feel the tension...

This Christmas

will never be the same

Come to the Manger is what I have written to break away from the artificial-ness of the Christmas season

and bring me back to a babe in a manger and God’s bold astounding grace for mankind. And for me.

This is the devotional I have always wanted.

I’d love to share God’s Word at your event, group, conference or retreat!

Here are other speaking topics near and dear to my heart.

August Give-away!

Details for the August give-away and

here’s how I do give-aways

Art Studio

Don’t miss this!

This is why I love these evenings so much!

Three more summer art projects to do with kids

Can it be July already?! Last minute fun and silly projects before school starts!

Amanda Ragland’s beautiful wedding prayer

for praying, printing and sharing

Connect with Suzanne

A Word From Suzanne

Quite simply, God’s Word is the fire in my soul.

Sometimes just one verse, or a lecture, a reading, communion with my church, a story – and I feel the fire igniting. Just recently while listening to a powerful testimony I felt it, that familiar spark beginning to ignite.

My husband knows how to make fire. Yep, it’s his talent. He can make it from a magnifying glass or a battery or with a stick. He gets the tiniest spark, then babies it. He protects it. He blows on it. You’ve seen how it works – a spark, hot breath, and suddenly the yellow red burst of flame.

That’s what happens in my heart when God’s Word takes hold. There’s a quick hot spark, then a flame emerging. The Spirit blows and fire erupts. My heart on fire.

But, I can’t live my life day to day with little fires starting all over the place. I’ve learned to let God calm me down, soothe me, teach me, stretch me. Over time the fire settles to a nice slow burn and eventually ends up on paper.

Or on a canvas. Wide open brush strokes, white canvas that shows through, soft warm colors, a little something unexpected from my way of looking at things. Paintings that speak to me and for me.

Scripture is my life, teaching is my call, painting is my passion. You’ll find a little bit of all of it in me.