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Forever & Ever, Amen

A visual Christian poetry and prose book created by Elizabeth Bondarchuk for Cornish College of the Arts BFA '21.

A visual Christian poetry and prose book created by Elizabeth Bondarchuk for Cornish College of the Arts BFA '21.

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<strong>Forever</strong> & <strong>Ever</strong>, <strong>Amen</strong>. was designed to fulfill the BFA project criteria at<br />

Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA.<br />

Poetry, prose, and illustration copyright © 2021 by Elizabeth Bondarchuk.<br />

Cover and book design copyright © 2021 by Elizabeth Bondarchuk.<br />

All rights reserved.<br />

Printed in the USA in Centralia, WA by Gorham Printing.<br />

Printed on 80lb. paper.<br />

First printing 2021<br />

Dedicated to my best friend,<br />

Jesus.<br />

Typefaces used include Le Monde, designed by Jean François Porchez from<br />

Typofonderie and Corundum designed by Joshua Darden from Darden Studio<br />

found on Adobe Typekit.<br />

Cover designed by Elizabeth Bondarchuk using photo<br />

by Anna Shvets on Pexels.<br />

Hand lettering and illustration done by Elizabeth Bondarchuk.<br />

Photo credits located at the end of this book and were altered in<br />

Adobe Photoshop as well as the illustrations accompanying them.


CONTENTS<br />

6<br />

8<br />

10<br />

11<br />

12<br />

14<br />

16<br />

18<br />

21<br />

22<br />

24<br />

26<br />

28<br />

31<br />

32<br />

33<br />

34<br />

36<br />

38<br />

39<br />

40<br />

42<br />

44<br />

46<br />

48<br />

50<br />

52<br />

54<br />

56<br />

58<br />

GOD’S RECIPE<br />

PINPOINT<br />

TAKE WING<br />

INFINITY<br />

SMILE WHEN IT RAINS<br />

WALTZ OF FAITH<br />

TREASURE IN CLAY<br />

STILLNESS OF GLASS<br />

PRODIGAL<br />

JUST ONE TOUCH<br />

REFUGE<br />

BELOVED<br />

DANCING WITH THE KING (E FLAT MAJOR)<br />

CORONATION<br />

PARCHMENT<br />

“ARE THERE TOYS IN HEAVEN?”<br />

IT’S OK TO CRY<br />

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?<br />

THE GIFT OF TOMORROW<br />

START WITH SPROUTING<br />

IF UNCERTAINTY HAD A FACE<br />

VICTORY ≠ EASY<br />

ABLAZE<br />

THE MUSTARD TREE<br />

ENJOY WAITING<br />

UNPLUG<br />

RELATIONSHIP RELIGION<br />

UNENDING JOY<br />

THE GREATEST OF THESE<br />

I TOLD YOU SO<br />

Elizabeth Bondarchuk<br />

5


GOD’S RECIPE<br />

Total: 7 days, leave one to rest<br />

Yield: The world<br />

Ingredients: Love<br />

Directions:<br />

Step 1<br />

Lightly tapping the rim,<br />

He sifted the light<br />

From the darkness.<br />

Step 2<br />

He pressed His fingers<br />

into the clouds as if they<br />

Were dimpled Focaccia loaves.<br />

Step 3<br />

<strong>Ever</strong>greens piped<br />

Around with the steadiest hand.<br />

Salty broth poured over it all.<br />

Step 4<br />

He cracked an egg and the sun<br />

Slid out. Like a heart that never<br />

Stops working, it shines.<br />

Sliced a sliver of the moon<br />

Like it was a white apple.<br />

Shook the stars out<br />

Like salt, seasoning the world<br />

with more flavor.<br />

Step 5<br />

Mixed in the scales and feathers.<br />

Folded them gently into the sea<br />

And blew them into the sky<br />

like flour.<br />

Step 6<br />

Footprints began sinking in<br />

From all the different animals<br />

Except for ones like His.<br />

So He bent down and scooped<br />

some dirt and out of that<br />

unconsolidated mess,<br />

every grain obeyed and went to where<br />

He commanded them to.<br />

He breathed His breath and the grains inhaled,<br />

transforming into cells.<br />

Soundly Adam slept, not having<br />

a single clue of just how much<br />

he would come to love<br />

the hands that formed him.<br />

Step 7<br />

God passed the world like a marble<br />

From one hand to the other<br />

And saw that it was good.<br />

He went to rest knowing<br />

There was someone waiting<br />

For Him come morning.<br />

Genesis 2:7<br />

Then the Lord God formed a man from<br />

the dust of the ground and breathed into<br />

his nostrils the breath of life, and the<br />

man became a living being.<br />

6<br />

7


PINPOINT<br />

I look above.<br />

The twilight sky globes me<br />

Showing off its grandeur.<br />

When Man is in the sky<br />

They are at the mercy of its<br />

<strong>Ever</strong>y sigh.<br />

Even further up<br />

I see a magnified moon boasting of<br />

its luminosity<br />

I drop my eyes to the horizon<br />

where the ocean is endlessly<br />

Crashing, violently,<br />

Shaking its misty mane<br />

As waves tumble round.<br />

I don’t start to fathom the sheer<br />

Depth of the big blue<br />

knowing, fear of the unknown<br />

will creep in.<br />

Genesis 1:27<br />

So God created mankind in his own<br />

image, in the image of God he created them;<br />

male and female he created them.<br />

How many ships has it shallowed?<br />

So deep, so high. so wide, so bright.<br />

What about me, why?<br />

What can I boast about?<br />

Such a small human being<br />

Like a pin in the middle of them all.<br />

The moon, the sky full of its stars<br />

and the deep remind me,<br />

“Oh, how we wish we could have<br />

been made in His image.”<br />

8 9


TAKE WING<br />

You set me free<br />

Gave me wings<br />

And now I can fly<br />

above the sea<br />

Highest of High<br />

You set me free<br />

Psalm 139:9-10<br />

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,<br />

if I settle on the far side of the sea,<br />

even there your hand will guide<br />

me, your right hand will hold me fast.<br />

Passing wave.<br />

disappear with every<br />

I can watch my transgressions<br />

Any other way.<br />

But I’m happy it hadn’t been<br />

And dissolve one into the other.<br />

I bet the two would tango<br />

The horizon<br />

Had it not been for that line,<br />

No end, no beginning.<br />

Glittering diamonds sparkle on the surface<br />

The line the water and sky make captivates me<br />

INFINITY<br />

Psalms 103:12<br />

As far as the east is from the west, so<br />

far has he removed our transgressions<br />

from us.<br />

10<br />

11


SMILE<br />

WHEN IT RAINS<br />

Just because the clouds cover the sun<br />

from shining, doesn’t mean the sun isn’t<br />

present. Just because it isn’t beaming down like it<br />

did yesterday with light pouring out of every window,<br />

warming your face, doesn’t mean it forgot how to shine.<br />

Just because you felt the sun so close it touched the tip of<br />

your nose and today only chilly winds caress you, doesn’t<br />

mean it will never kiss you again.<br />

God is always near even if we cannot feel Him somedays.<br />

The cloudy days remind us how good the sunshine is.<br />

Hebrews 13:8<br />

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday<br />

and today and forever.<br />

12 13


WALTZ OF FAITH<br />

Trusting you is like dancing with my eyes closed. Step by step, taking it real slow. Just close your eyes, close your eyes. Walk knowing, He hasn’t failed you yet.<br />

2 Corinthians 5:7<br />

For we live by faith, not by sight.<br />

14<br />

15


TREASURE IN CLAY<br />

Under a globe of<br />

glittery flakes.<br />

I’m in His embrace,<br />

The space in my heart,<br />

His favorite place.<br />

Romans 8:10<br />

But if Christ is in you, then even<br />

though your body is subject<br />

to death because of sin,<br />

the Spirit gives life<br />

because of righteousness.<br />

16<br />

17


STILLNESS OF GLASS<br />

Mornings are God’s glory,<br />

Who will rise to meet Him?<br />

Hurry, hurry, before the songbirds<br />

wake up and beat you to it.<br />

Who will meet Him at<br />

His rest?<br />

Pale blues and<br />

grays mimic<br />

the lullabies<br />

humming.<br />

Psalms 5:3<br />

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;<br />

in the morning I lay my requests before<br />

you and wait expectantly.<br />

I am<br />

rowing<br />

in a boat<br />

In the pond of<br />

my heart.<br />

Slowly drifting<br />

as God’s finger<br />

churns the water.<br />

Golden rays ripple<br />

From the white<br />

boat. I let go<br />

of the oars.<br />

I am being spun round<br />

And round gently<br />

Like flower petals<br />

downstream.<br />

I want to stay here<br />

<strong>Forever</strong> & <strong>Ever</strong>.<br />

18 19


PRODIGAL<br />

You know the ridges in<br />

my fingertips because you<br />

carved them yourself, just like<br />

you did with the Grand Canyon.<br />

You know me more than I<br />

know myself. If for a moment,<br />

I could realize this, I would<br />

have never left your side. If I<br />

could only see your face, I<br />

would’ve worked harder<br />

but, wouldn’t we<br />

all have?<br />

Where is the reward<br />

in that? Rusty knees<br />

weary from running, I<br />

stand up and return to<br />

the house of my father.<br />

In his arms, I find<br />

my rest.<br />

Luke 15:20<br />

But while he was still a long way off, his<br />

father saw him and was filled with<br />

compassion for him; he ran to his son,<br />

threw his arms around him and<br />

kissed him.<br />

20 21


JUST ONE TOUCH<br />

All she wanted was a touch of his heart<br />

Like the woman who touched the hem<br />

Of his robe and was healed<br />

What would happen if she held love<br />

In the palms of her hands?<br />

Felt it breathing and beating.<br />

She wanted a tangible love.<br />

In the presence of the king,<br />

Her only request…<br />

“Can I touch your heart, feel it beat?”<br />

Afraid she was asking for more than anyone<br />

Had ever dared to.<br />

Ephesians 3:16-21<br />

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen<br />

you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so<br />

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I<br />

pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may<br />

have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to<br />

grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of<br />

Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—<br />

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness<br />

of God.<br />

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than<br />

all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is<br />

at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in<br />

Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and<br />

ever! <strong>Amen</strong>.<br />

When she stretched out her hand<br />

She was so close,<br />

Felt the warmth within reach.<br />

Almost there<br />

He softly cupped her hand and<br />

Placed it on her own heart.<br />

This is my heart, can you feel it beat?<br />

In denial,<br />

she broke down in tears.<br />

No, no, no Jesus this is no home<br />

for you, there must be a mistake.<br />

In reply He said,<br />

“Your heart Is my favorite place.”<br />

22 23


REFUGE<br />

Pelts of darkness are hurled at me<br />

I see a sky of thick malevolent intentions<br />

It comes down with a swoosh<br />

Like a ravenous raven<br />

I cover my face with my arms<br />

Bracing for the wave that wants to<br />

Consume me<br />

But right before that thirsty wave<br />

Had the chance to pound<br />

And crush my bones<br />

I hadn’t felt a single droplet of darkness<br />

Touch me<br />

Leaving me in confusion,<br />

I looked up and saw a great wing<br />

Like that of a plane hovering over me<br />

I am in the softest crevice<br />

In the shadow of His wing<br />

Psalm 91:4-7<br />

He will cover you with his feathers, and<br />

under his wings you will find refuge;<br />

his faithfulness will be your shield and<br />

rampart. You will not fear the terror<br />

of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,<br />

nor the pestilence that stalks in the<br />

darkness, nor the plague that destroys<br />

at midday. A thousand may fall at<br />

your side, ten thousand at your right<br />

hand, but it will not come near you.<br />

24 25


BELOVED<br />

White roses turned to stone<br />

when the sun set.<br />

A haze of lavender,<br />

They said I do.<br />

Soft heels rub against brick roads.<br />

Bush mazes caught the hem of her<br />

Wedding dress.<br />

Slow down<br />

Her hand in his<br />

All the guests have left<br />

A dance under the gazebo,<br />

One only the garden statues would see.<br />

Song of Songs 6:3<br />

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.<br />

27


DANCING WITH THE KING<br />

(E FLAT MAJOR)<br />

There is someone I know who<br />

plays the piano like it is her last<br />

Day but also as though she<br />

Will play for eternity all the same.<br />

As soon as she learned how<br />

To talk, she asked for a piano.<br />

Her two little feet couldn’t<br />

Even press the pedals just yet.<br />

The song within her wanted<br />

to come out nonetheless.<br />

When you hear those<br />

Sweet honey notes<br />

And baritone wooden<br />

keys, play it’s strange<br />

to say but, in<br />

that moment<br />

You can hear<br />

one’s soul.<br />

Trials, victories,<br />

sorrows.<br />

It’s hard to imagine<br />

what a soul would look like,<br />

The colors and forms, unknown.<br />

If my soul were a painting<br />

What would I see?<br />

I am convinced,<br />

You can hear hers.<br />

If you listen intently,<br />

From the deepest<br />

Depths of her heart<br />

Cries, “this is me.”<br />

I bet for a moment,<br />

When she closes her eyes,<br />

She is not here.<br />

I bet you there’s a piano<br />

Waiting for her in heaven<br />

With her name<br />

engraved onto it.<br />

She won’t mind playing<br />

For the king<br />

Endless melodies.<br />

Psalm 47:6<br />

Sing praises to God, sing praises;<br />

sing praises to our King, sing praises.<br />

28 29


CORONATION<br />

James 1:12<br />

Blessed is the one who perseveres under<br />

trial because, having stood the test, that<br />

person will receive the crown of life that the<br />

Lord has promised to those who love him.<br />

The gown rippled on the effervescent floor.<br />

She knew precisely where to saunter<br />

Despite never wandering here before.<br />

Someone was waiting for her,<br />

Her feet feeling a pull toward the corridor.<br />

She glimmered as she walked.<br />

She was a stranger to feeling beautiful<br />

She didn’t feel it, she knew it.<br />

Her gown changed colors with every step<br />

A velvety deep rouge robe washed over her<br />

A line of noble people before her<br />

As she was approaching the throne room<br />

Her eyes meet with the king<br />

Me? He’s looking at me<br />

She bows, full well knowing<br />

the weight of His presence<br />

“Well done my good and<br />

faithful servant”<br />

She rises with a crown.<br />

31


“ARE THERE TOYS IN HEAVEN?”<br />

PARCHMENT<br />

I like when its quiet<br />

When it feels like no one<br />

Can hear us and it’s just us.<br />

Nothing in between except the<br />

Paper thin sheet of eternity.<br />

The little boy wasn’t supposed to be there.<br />

Somehow, he found himself on the other side.<br />

Here he was peeking over the golden gates<br />

Until the Master of it all couldn’t help but<br />

Ask if he wanted a tour of the place.<br />

He took him past the flowers that never wilted,<br />

The river that never stopped flowing,<br />

And the choir of angels that never stopped singing.<br />

The boy didn’t want to leave and asked<br />

if he could stay for just a smidge longer.<br />

Looking down below at his family, the boy whispered,<br />

“Someday, very soon, we will meet beyond the<br />

Sky where eyes never cry.”<br />

2 Corinthians 4:18<br />

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,<br />

but on what is unseen, since what is seen<br />

is temporary, but what is unseen<br />

is eternal.<br />

Isaiah 57:1-2<br />

The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the<br />

devout are taken away, and no one understands that the<br />

righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those<br />

who walk uprightly enter into peace ; they find rest as<br />

they lie in death.<br />

Revelations 21:4<br />

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be<br />

no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the<br />

old order of things has passed away.”<br />

32 33


IT’S OK TO CRY<br />

I love feeling my tears<br />

tickle my ears when<br />

I’m laying down.<br />

My own tears<br />

hug me and<br />

comfort<br />

me.<br />

A droplet of<br />

vulnerability<br />

A reminder that I am human.<br />

But you know what?<br />

Even Jesus wept.<br />

John 11:35<br />

Jesus wept.<br />

34<br />

35


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?<br />

What separates us from every living thing<br />

in this world?<br />

Oh that shell of a mind.<br />

The ability to thrive even though<br />

circumstances say otherwise.<br />

The ability to have a<br />

God-sized dream.<br />

To see a vision and execute it.<br />

To love even when we have<br />

been hurt.<br />

But, the single most<br />

important thing we all<br />

have in common<br />

Is that we are all<br />

loved by God.<br />

Luke 12:7<br />

Indeed, the very hairs of your head<br />

are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you<br />

are worth more than many sparrows.<br />

God knows the<br />

number of hairs on<br />

my head just as much<br />

as He knows yours.<br />

It’s God’s love that<br />

makes us human.<br />

Strip away the pursuit<br />

of a career, spouse,<br />

whatever the world<br />

squeezes from us,<br />

What are we left with?<br />

Remove that shell of a human<br />

you’ll find God’s love.<br />

That is the ultimate,<br />

That is the only<br />

Reality.<br />

Our very being at its core.<br />

You are loved, don’t forget that.<br />

36<br />

37


THE GIFT OF TOMORROW<br />

There are still words to be said<br />

There are still places your feet<br />

Have never stepped.<br />

There are still thoughts<br />

That haven’t been thought.<br />

Ideas yet to be birthed.<br />

There are still people<br />

you haven’t met<br />

There are still sunsets<br />

you haven’t seen<br />

There are still songs<br />

Yet to be heard.<br />

There are still paintings<br />

Yet to be seen.<br />

There are still seeds<br />

To be sown<br />

And harvests to reap.<br />

There are still people<br />

Waiting to meet you.<br />

There’s still so much more to you<br />

than you can see.<br />

There is still life to live.<br />

There is still the gift of tomorrow.<br />

START WITH SPROUTING<br />

Want to know why everyone is obsessed with<br />

the concept of growth?<br />

Because it takes courage to break through<br />

that heap of dirt that’s been weighing you down.<br />

To sprout your little self into the big world.<br />

And in that moment, you just feel so naked.<br />

No guarantee for safety,<br />

famished birds pecking systematically.<br />

Heavy rain pounding on the ground,<br />

the burning skillet of a sun radiating<br />

on your little seedling.<br />

We love growth because it isn’t something<br />

you see instantly.<br />

Overtime, through the rain and doubt,<br />

a bright green smile peaks from the ground<br />

as if to say “I still made it.”<br />

Emblematic for hope<br />

a fragile fight for life.<br />

Deuteronomy 30:19-20<br />

This day I call the heavens and the earth<br />

as witnesses against you that I have set<br />

before you life and death, blessings and<br />

curses. Now choose life, so that you<br />

and your children may live and that you<br />

may love the Lord your God, listen to<br />

his voice, and hold fast to him.<br />

Matthew 13:3-8<br />

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his<br />

seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came<br />

and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang<br />

up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants<br />

were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among<br />

thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil,<br />

where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.<br />

38 39


IF UNCERTAINTY HAD A FACE<br />

Not a strand of her hair is out of place<br />

She takes long strides<br />

Slender arms sway from side to side<br />

5<br />

4<br />

Her pace quickens but she doesn’t run<br />

3<br />

2<br />

She skips onto the sidewalk<br />

1<br />

The red hand appears and cars close in<br />

Her pace doesn’t reflect how slow<br />

Her thoughts hover<br />

Legs glide on autopilot<br />

The thought caught up to her eventually<br />

Will this even work out?<br />

Matthew 6:34<br />

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,<br />

for tomorrow will worry about itself.<br />

Each day has enough trouble of its own.<br />

40 41


VICTORY ≠ EASY<br />

It’s much easier to take the open road<br />

Not a path that’s trying to squeeze you out.<br />

Branches in your face<br />

stumbling rocks<br />

Sliver cuts,<br />

deeper than skin bruises,<br />

This is the Way.<br />

Matthew 7:13-14<br />

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide<br />

is the gate and broad is the road that<br />

leads to destruction, and many enter<br />

through it. But small is the gate and<br />

narrow the road that leads to life, and<br />

only a few find it.<br />

Easier not to ripple the water’s surface.<br />

Easier to stay silent.<br />

What’s worth living for something easy?<br />

Where is the glory without trials?<br />

Victory comes to the ones who stand till<br />

The bitter end.<br />

So much easier not to take the baton<br />

Knowing, you won’t have to run with all<br />

Your might.<br />

Leg numbing, breath-paper-thin<br />

kind of race.<br />

Generations in the palm of your hand,<br />

You pass it onto the next runner<br />

Hoping they run just as selflessly.<br />

Much easier to stay in the hole<br />

than scrape your way out.<br />

Palms raw and burning<br />

Dirt plastered under fingernails<br />

You made it out.<br />

And honestly, that first inhale<br />

feels like only now you started to really breath.<br />

You fought for a life worth living<br />

Easier to let your dreams slip<br />

Through your fingers like water<br />

Than to dive right in after them.<br />

43


ABLAZE<br />

Take me to a place covered<br />

With light and darkness,<br />

Teeming with Life & Laughter.<br />

Take me where the sun<br />

Plays hide n’ seek with the trees.<br />

Take me to illuminated paths<br />

And secret gardens.<br />

Where it feels like I’m right<br />

Where I should be.<br />

Psalms 16:4<br />

You make known to me the path of<br />

life; you will fill me with joy in your<br />

presence, with eternal pleasures at<br />

your right hand.<br />

44 45


THE MUSTARD TREE<br />

A little seed curled up inside<br />

A little seed with nowhere to hide,<br />

Nowhere to go<br />

Curled up in a ball, head<br />

crouched between knees,<br />

I am so small.<br />

Feels like I’m ten feet under,<br />

Feels like I want to curl up forever.<br />

Matthew 13:31-32<br />

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven<br />

is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in<br />

his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when<br />

it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a<br />

tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.<br />

Covered in dark soil<br />

Feels like I might drown<br />

from the parchedness.<br />

In that moment, all in God’s time,<br />

The heavens opened.<br />

I could hear the rumbling of the rain<br />

as they fell like little soldiers to my rescue.<br />

Down there He found me.<br />

His love seeped into every vein,<br />

it pulsed my heart beat to life.<br />

No one asks the Mustard tree<br />

what it was like being a tiny seed.<br />

How could this beautiful tree that birds<br />

call home, ever feel small?<br />

No, not at all.<br />

So, no one asks what it took to sprout,<br />

to grow, to stretch its branches as close<br />

as they could to the Son,<br />

to sing Hallelujah.<br />

46 47


ENJOY WAITING<br />

Waiting is being content<br />

with what there is<br />

and knowing what will be, will be.<br />

Politely waiting for the world<br />

to stop talking<br />

just to hear you and listen.<br />

Waiting your turn even<br />

when it feels like it will never come.<br />

Knowing you are a king<br />

whilst tending sheep.<br />

Knowing it will all come to pass.<br />

Once you reach your destination,<br />

Oh how you’ll want the Waiting<br />

when the Finally isn’t fun anymore.<br />

Give me the thrill of the unknown.<br />

The adventure of getting there when<br />

I’ll get there.<br />

Psalm 130:5<br />

I wait for the Lord, my whole being<br />

waits, and in his word I put my hope.<br />

48 49


UNPLUG<br />

They won’t stop talking<br />

They just keep on talking.<br />

Bright screens flash like a mad<br />

Disco ball.<br />

Chronic swiping and clicking,<br />

It’s almost like we forgot<br />

what it was like<br />

to think for ourselves.<br />

They do a good job keeping us so<br />

preoccupied<br />

thinking their thoughts.<br />

Did we forget we have our own?<br />

Stop<br />

take a moment to<br />

Unplug.<br />

Listen to yourself<br />

because if you don’t,<br />

you’ll be caught in the<br />

eternal loop<br />

of someone else’s<br />

mind.<br />

Romans 12:2<br />

Do not conform to the pattern of<br />

this world, but be transformed by<br />

the renewing of your mind. Then you<br />

will be able to test and approve what<br />

God’s will is—his good, pleasing and<br />

perfect will.<br />

50 51


RELATIONSHIP RELIGION<br />

Not just pretty words<br />

on a Sunday.<br />

It is true.<br />

It’s a love that died for you.<br />

Not just pretty words<br />

on a Sunday.<br />

Love is action.<br />

His blood spoke.<br />

It says,<br />

I love you.<br />

Mathew 12:7<br />

If you had known what these words<br />

mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’<br />

you would not have condemned the<br />

innocent.<br />

52


UNENDING JOY<br />

Today I rejoiced and wept like a child<br />

All for these very honest simple truths:<br />

1. I am loved.<br />

I am loved by Jesus, a perfect king,<br />

Who, through all<br />

My imperfections left above<br />

Heaven to come<br />

to earth<br />

down<br />

below.<br />

Paid the unending debt of my sin<br />

Through His crucifixion.<br />

2. My name is written in the kingdom book of life forever & ever<br />

So that I may be with my king for all eternity.<br />

This alone stirs unending joy in my soul. Stirs a kind of<br />

shamelessness that just might make me leap like a fool and<br />

tell the world there is someone you need to meet because…<br />

He absolutely loves you.<br />

Luke 10:20<br />

However, do not rejoice that the spirits<br />

submit to you, but rejoice that<br />

your names are written in heaven.<br />

54 55


THE GREATEST OF THESE<br />

If love was a box, where would you put it?<br />

If it was in a box, would you take it out?<br />

If it was out there somewhere,<br />

Would you put it in a box?<br />

If love was an ingredient, would you mix it in?<br />

Would a spoonful be enough?<br />

If love was hiding, would you travel<br />

Across the pacific to find it?<br />

If it were a flower, would you water it, let it grow?<br />

If love were a concrete sidewalk, would you<br />

Walk all over it or learn to fly?<br />

If love was an endless blue sky,<br />

Would you turn into a dove and never leave?<br />

If love was greater than us,<br />

Would you still pursue it?<br />

If love looked like blood<br />

trickling from the cross,<br />

Would you deny it?<br />

John 3:16<br />

“For God so loved the world, that he gave<br />

his only Son, that whoever believes in<br />

him should not perish but have eternal life.<br />

56 57


I TOLD YOU SO<br />

<strong>Ever</strong>ything. The world given to you on a silver platter, or gold if that’s<br />

what you prefer. <strong>Ever</strong>yone knows your name, you are the wisest, most<br />

beautiful, most charming, the wealthiest, you have it all. Let’s just pretend<br />

for a second, that this is your reality. You live life exactly how you<br />

planned, accomplished all you’ve ever wanted to. You have the best,<br />

you are the best. Your family and friends love you unconditionally.<br />

You don’t worry about anything ever, not even for a second. Problems<br />

would flee from you as far as the east is from the west. Just keep up<br />

with me here, the thing is, you can’t help but feel like there should be<br />

something more. This is really it? You think.<br />

It’s not enough, it will never be enough. There’s something missing,<br />

something deep. It’s been feasting at you for a while. You can’t deny<br />

it’s the only thing that feels real. You know that deep down something<br />

is wrong, something is missing. All your life spent chasing after nothing.<br />

Here’s a secret: It’s the way you were designed. When you were created,<br />

a desire to know and love your creator was already instilled in you<br />

and you can’t run from this fact. Trust me, you can try but I’m telling<br />

you it’s true, I want to save you your time.<br />

There’s a love that is so pure and tender, the sincerest love you’ll ever<br />

know and it’s amazing but, that love, that love had to die for you.<br />

Blood was spilled for your every mistake, for your downfalls, for every<br />

tear you’ve ever cried. I can just see the same droplet but in red trickling.<br />

Life may be perfect for you or at least ideal, you might be living life<br />

right now without ever knowing this man Jesus and feeling like you<br />

would be just fine without him. Hear me out, He knew and loved you<br />

before you were even born.<br />

I want to tell you something that I know is a fact. I know Jesus would<br />

agree with me when I say He loves you and exactly you, the person<br />

reading this just as you are and to the person reading this, your life<br />

may not be what I illustrated an idealized life as or what even you<br />

think a perfect life is. It may be one that is similar to most with problems<br />

and pain only you’ve experienced and known.<br />

But, know this, there will be a day, God only knows when, you might<br />

remember reading this, you might not but, I’m telling you it’s all<br />

real, it was always real. On that day when you have to face him face to<br />

face as your judge you will know, I won’t have to tell you that He<br />

was real all this time. That all this time He was there.<br />

He was there.<br />

I’m just telling you now before it’s too late, and don’t tell me…<br />

I didn’t tell you so.<br />

Matthew 4:8-10<br />

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and<br />

showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their<br />

splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will<br />

bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away<br />

from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your<br />

God, and serve him only.’”<br />

58<br />

59


Perfection is in the Kingdom where God reigns,<br />

Stop looking for it here.


PHOTO CREDITS<br />

Pg. 7<br />

Pg. 9<br />

Pg. 10 - 11<br />

Pg. 13<br />

Pg. 15<br />

Pg. 19<br />

Pg. 20<br />

Pg. 22 - 23<br />

Pg. 25<br />

Pg. 26 - 27<br />

Pg. 28<br />

Pg. 31<br />

Vellum Pages<br />

between<br />

Pg. 32 - 33<br />

Pg. 36 - 37<br />

Vellum Pages<br />

between<br />

Pg. 38 - 39<br />

Pg. 41<br />

Pg. 42 - 43<br />

Pg. 45<br />

Pg. 47<br />

Pg. 49<br />

Pg. 51<br />

Pg. 53<br />

Pg. 55<br />

Pg. 57<br />

Pg. 61<br />

Photo of moon by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash<br />

Photo of cloth by MontyLov on Unsplash<br />

Photo of water by Andrew Neel on Pexels<br />

Illustration of dancers inspired by photo of dancers by<br />

Preillumination SeTh on Unsplash<br />

Photo of clouds by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels<br />

Photo of ballerina by Serei Gavrilov on Unsplash<br />

Photo of rowboat by Katherine Gendreau on fineartamerica<br />

Photo of boot by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash<br />

Photo of sweater by Puwadon Sang-ngern<br />

Photo of dove by M Sidarda on Pexels<br />

Photo of garden by Elizabeth Bondarchuk<br />

Photo of piano keys by Denise Jans on Unsplash<br />

Illustration inspired by photo of bees by<br />

Boba Jaglicic on Unsplash<br />

Photo of crown by Pro Church Media on Unsplash<br />

Photo of seed by engin akyurt on Unsplash<br />

Photo of sunflower bud by fotografierende on Pexels<br />

Photo of sunflower by fotografierende on Unsplash<br />

Photo of torn paper by Elizabeth Bondarchuk<br />

Photo of hands by Jenna Hamra on Pexels<br />

Photo of reflection by Florin Bică<br />

Illustration by Elizabeth Bondarchuk<br />

Photo of trees by Pixabay on Pexels<br />

Photo of tree shadow by Madison Inovye on Pexels<br />

Illustrations of birds inspired by photos of birds by Matthew<br />

Heneghan and maria dimmerling on Pexels and<br />

Lasse Nystedt on Unsplash<br />

Photo of man walking by Jeffrey Czum on Pexels<br />

Photo of disco ball by Regina Valetora on Unsplash<br />

Photo of stained glass by Pixabay on Pexels<br />

Photo of jeans by Jp Valery on Unsplash<br />

Photo of box by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels<br />

Photo of challace by James Coleman on Unsplash<br />

Title Page<br />

Front Cover<br />

Back Cover<br />

Photo of feather by Anete Lusina on on Pexels.<br />

Photo of doves by Anna Shvets on Pexels.<br />

Illustration of hands inspired by photo of hands by<br />

Jenna Harma on Pexels<br />

Photo of dove by M Sidharda on Pexels<br />

Photo of branches by Brysan Hanson on Unsplash<br />

I made adjustments in Photoshop to all the photos in this book such as, cutting the<br />

background out, adjusting the saturation, contrast, brightness levels, and more. To<br />

see the original photos, feel free to look them up. The lined illustration work done<br />

over the photos was illustrated by me, Elizabeth Bondarchuk Hope you enjoy the read<br />

and remember, Jesus loves you!<br />

62 63

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