DIY Fingerprints of God

This is really about two things:

DIY FINGERPRINT ART ... and ...
STRUGGLING TO READ THE BIBLE

 

❀ ART ❀

Have you noticed the ad all over the internet showing the fingerprint art? It's really great!  It's a giant fingerprint with one verse from each book of the Bible written on each line. I really liked the idea of it, but wished it could be personalized. (Tuck that thought away for later on in the show...)

❀ STRUGGLE ❀

I lead a small teen discipleship group, as do many of our youth leaders from our church. We spent our first year reading and studying different topic devotionals online/in print, books of the Bible, character studies, etc. It was all good, but [lets be real, here] we all struggle from time to time. [Insert every excuse here.] We decided to get back to the basics and read the entire Bible - the Chronological Bible. The full "story" in order of events.

Growing up, we've learned Bible stories about characters, memorized John 3:16, skipped around - read a full book or some chapters, and perhaps read the entire Bible cover-to-cover (or attempted to multiple times but got bogged down somewhere in Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy.)  As a kid, I thought the sermons in church were supposed to start in Genesis in January and finish in Revelation in December. Reading a traditional Bible for me is like constantly walking into the middle of a bunch of movies. The struggle is real, people. Perhaps, I am not alone. How we process information affects our motivation.

❀ STRUGGLE ART ❀

While our groups were planning to read the Chronological Bible, I thought about how to keep everyone motivated. God, so kindly, reminded me of that art. We, even the guys, decided to make our own Fingerprints of God Art. (Instructions below.)

As we read through the Bible, we write the verses that stick out to us on our own personal fingerprint art. By the end of the year we will be able to look back at all the unique things the Lord has shown each one of us on the very fingerprint He designed.

At the time I am writing this, we are almost a third of the way through the Bible. It has been SO life-giving to all of us! The Chronological Bible continues to open our minds to so much more of the story when it's in order.

I hope you will consider reading the entire and making your own fingerprint art, too.

DIY GOD'S FINGERPRINT ART

STEP 1: INK YOUR FINGERPRINT using an inked stamping pad (or be creative like MacGyver -- I tried coloring my finger with Sharpie. Ya... skip that idea!). Press your finger firmly into the ink, then press on to paper firmly - not light, not smashing - firmly. Do not roll your ringer. It helps to have the paper on the edge of a table so you can allow your hand to fall off the edge of the table so you can extend your finger out straight. This helps create a crisper print. It may take a few tries. Some people get the fingerprint perfect the first time. Others, like me, take about 30 attempts. The print should be as crisp and clean as possible.

STEP 2: SCAN/ENLARGE/PRINT. Either scan your fingerprint to the paper size or scan and resize using graphic editing software/app. If your stamp pad has colored ink, convert your scanned image to gray scale. Darken/lighten if needed. Print. Once printed, it is helpful to use a black marker and trace each line of your fingerprint so you can see it clearly through the tracing paper you will put over the top of it. (Ours are about 12" tall, printed on 11x17" paper.)

STEP 3: PLACE BLANK SHEET OF PAPER OVER FINGERPRINT.  We are using standard weight paper so we can see through it just enough to see the lines of our fingerprint. Tape the top edge to prevent top page from shifting.

STEP 4: WRITE YOUR VERSES. I highly suggest using a mechanical pencil. This is tiny text, people! At first we wanted to use different colored pens/pencils for each verse. I’ve messed up quite a few times. I figure, you can make one in pencil and use it as a guide to make another one in color so you can see how all the verses fit on your fingerprint. (I kind of wish my printing was a little neater, but hey, that’s what makes us all unique, right?)

You can see how the fingerprint underneath is somewhat visible through the top sheet.

TIP: I often hold the paper up in front of a window or light to see where the line is before writing.

What are you waiting for? Go to it! :) God's waiting to show you some really amazing stuff!