Sunday, January 8, 2023
Come, Lord Jesus
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Give to Get
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Bold
Saturday, October 8, 2022
He causes it to happen...
Hi friends,
In Job 37, Elihu describes the majesty of God in creation, including His command over snow, ice, wind, clouds and lightning. In the middle of this chapter, he speaks about the reasons for God's control over the weather:
"Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen."
This verse shows us that there are a variety of reasons why God, in his providence, causes or allows things to happen. The first is for correction. There are times when God uses circumstances to correct something that has gone very wrong because of humanity's choices. That correction is intended to lead to repentance and change, not destruction, which is important to remember. The second is for his land. Sometimes things that happen in nature have nothing to do with humans, but are because God cares about his creation and needs to restore harmony or bring nourishment or balance. This is important to remember as there is a tendency in humanity to think that they are the centre of everything, but God makes clear that his heart is for the flourishing of all creation. And the third reason is for love. Because of God's love for the world, he causes rain and snow to fall. Next time we are tempted to complain about the weather (let's face it, that is a pastime for many!), perhaps we should call this verse to mind.
I used the new Snowstorm stencil on this page using Nuvo mousse over a background painted with acrylics. I also used the new Fun Times Alpha set for some of the text, along with Playful Alpha and Seek Him. I used the new Foliage dies to die-cut some leaves from silver glitter paper, then glued them onto the page to finish.
Be blessed...
x Amy x
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Trust Him
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Jump for Joy
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Godly sorrow...
Hi friends,
Have you ever experienced someone apologising to you for something they have done, but then they carry on and do that same thing again in the future? Or have you ever said sorry for something that you later repeated? This is one of the things that bothers me most in my relationships, if I'm honest. It has gotten to the point where I have said to someone "please don't say sorry unless you are going to make a change to your behaviour." It is possible to say sorry, to even feel a measure of sorrow for the hurt we've caused (or the shame we feel), but for us to not to change.
In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul contrasts godly sorrow with worldly sorrow. He describes godly sorrow as bringing repentance, which means a change in direction/behaviour, which leads to salvation (wholeness and healing in life). In v.11, Paul describes godly sorrow even further, describing its effects as including earnestness, alarm, longing, concern, and readiness to see justice done. In contrast to this godly sorrow and its effects, worldly sorry is described as bringing death. I think the reason worldly sorry leads to death is because expressions or feelings of sorry without accompanying repentance (change in direction or behaviour) can lull us into complacency which has dangerous consequences. The feeling of sorrow alone, whether being sorry for hurting others or the shame we feel, does not lead to life. Only repentance - turning around and walking in a new direction - leads to life. How connected are our feelings and expressions of sorrow to our changed actions? That is a challenge to us all.
On this page I had already stencilled some leaves using leftover acrylic paint and the Fall Leaves stencil. When I started adding other things to the page though, I realised the leaves were too dark and competed with other elements on the page, so I added a layer of white gesso over the top to tone it down, which worked well. I applied some subtle colour using gelatos around the edges of the page, blending with my fingers. The leaves were stamped and die-cut using the Give Thanks bundle and coloured with Inktense blocks and an aquabrush. The text was stamped with a few alpha sets: Marker Alpha, Classy Script Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, and Sunshine Girl Alpha.
Be blessed...
x Amy x