A little scrappin'

Slowly, but surely I'm getting back into the mood to scrap. I am trying out some new techniques and trying to use more items from my "stash" of freebies and kits I've downloaded. I don't want to just collect cool digital files and store them. The point is to use them, right? Usually, though, I have one layout going at a time and finish it before I start another. Right now, I've got about 5 started and don't like how any of them are turning out so I don't know if I'll try to fix them or just start over with something new.

One of the best purchases I've ever made is a handy portable external harddrive to store all my digiscrap files on. It is a 60 GB drive, so it should hold quite a few photos, layouts, and kits. I am good about backing up the digital photographs and scrap layouts, but I should do better with saving the freebies and kits. Anyway, I really like how this layout came out. Full credits are here.

One good thing about Lent is it gets me thinking about spiritual things a bit more. Lately I've been thinking about the woman who visited Jesus just before he was crucified and annointed his feet with oil. We read about her many times over in the prayers before Holy Communion. She was a prostitute and, when she learned where Jesus was staying, she went out and purchased oil (very expensive, so this would've been a sacrifice for her) and came to where he was staying and annointed his feet with the oil and her tears. She is an image of repentance for us. What has especially struck me lately is her boldness. I mean, if I were her, my tendency would've been to realize my sinfulness, fall into despair, and go away. She was bold enough to go to our Lord and ask His forgiveness even knowing her sinfulness. There are other stories of people whose salvation and healing were gained by their boldness - like the woman with an issue of blood who reached out and touched the hem of Christ's garments as he was walking through a crowd. It's a good lesson to think about because my natural tendency is meekness rather than boldness in these sorts of situations. I need to flesh out my thoughts on this a little more clearly. Luckily, there are still 4 weeks or so left in Lent...