It's All About Jesus!

Hello Creative Worship friends!  I hope you've found time this week to bask in the presence of Jesus and get into His word!  Cathy here to share a page done in my Journaling Bible and a card using a brand new stamp set just added to the Creative Worship line of stamps at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store.

I got to thinking about the fact that Jesus can be found in all 66 books of the Bible…it is His Story…It's All About Jesus!  The stamp set, His Name, containing many of the names of Jesus, was used to create my Journal page between the Old and New Testaments since Jesus bridges the gap between the old covenant and the new.

A credit card was used to apply acrylic paint to the page.  The names were stamped and outlined with a Sharpie Paint Pen.  The What's Up? Arrow Dies were used to cut arrows from patterned paper and the some hearts from the Bottom of my Heart stamp set were white embossed on vellum and added to the page. 

He is Worthy, a wonderful new stamp set designed by Lucinde van Ballegooijen, was just added to the SNSS Store.

The floral images from the He is Worthy stamp set were white embossed on black card stock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  Some shimmer was added to the flowers with a clear Wink of Stella marker and some glittery Washi tape was added down the sides of the card.  The words in the set can be used to create a card greeting or scripture verses to be used in your Bible journaling.

Here are the products from the SNSS Store used for my projects today:

The chorus "All About You" was written by Israel Houghton and Cindy Cruse Ratcliffe

You are the holy one 

You are the living word 

You are the center of my focus, Jesus 

You are the son of God 

You are the the solid rock 

You are the center of my focus Jesus 

You're the lover of my soul 

And I adore You only 

Chorus: 

It's all about You 

All about You 

It's all about You Jesus 

It's all about You 

All about You 

It's all about You Jesus 

Verse 2: 

You are miraculous 

You are supernatural 

You are the center of my focus Jesus 

You are all powerful 

You are so wonderful 

You are the center of my focus Jesus 

You're the lover of my soul 

And I adore You only

Make Jesus the center of your focus…get into His Word and let His word get into you!

Thanks so much for stopping by…Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Cathy

Jesus Loves Me

How is it that one negative can outweigh so many positives? Isn't that human nature? To take the small, not-worth-another-thought circumstances and turn them into something like a tsunami in our minds? Negative words of others can be devastating and lead us to thoughts of doubt and fear - and feelings of being unloved. We forget about the positives - or at least diminish their worth.

In those times (and some weeks it is more often than not), Jesus gives us a sense of hope and peace. An unshakeable connection. We can stand firm knowing that there is One who loves us no matter what - and nothing can separate us from that Love. Jesus defends us and stands with us no matter what others may say.

I think of what He went through -- He knew what others were saying about Him, even more than I do about what others say about me. He put the words in proper perspective. As the Psalmist says:
By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?  ~ Psalm 56:4 AMP

So this week I was meditating and reading in Romans 8, and needed to bring out the most important words of all -- to make a very important positive much more prominent in my mind than all the negative things that were being said. Through many tears, and cries out to my God, this is all I needed: Jesus loves me. This I know.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ~ Romans 8:31-34 ESV

Jesus loves you too.

Stamps used: Seek Him, Love Ya Like A Sister Alpha, His Name

Teach me

When I saw the little praying girl from the ‘I am Loved’ set I knew I wanted to use her in my bible. I really love to combine it with ‘His Book’ another stamp set with a combination of lovely images and words. For this page I used both sets (and ‘He is Risen’ for the little heart swirl).

This page is based on John 5:44
How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

We have to seek the honor of God and not of men.

I added the praying girl and the bible from the stamp sets mentioned above and stamped them, the girl with grey ink and everything else with black ink. I colored the images and messages with colored pencils and made the background with distress inks. I left a little bit of white space at the top of the page to add some journaling later.

- Lucinde

My Cup Overflows

Hello! 

It's Tifany from Ink Blots by TRD and I am back today sharing a Bible art & journaling page - this one comes from Psalm 23:

When I first saw the new Fill Me Up stamp set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps I just couldn't help but think of Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths 

for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, 

they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me 

in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely your goodness and love will follow me 

all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 

forever.

(Psalm 23, NIV)

It is such a beautiful, peaceful, comforting Psalm. For the past little while (or maybe more like a year) it seems like things have just not slowed down. In a way that is such a blessing...and in other ways I feel a bit like I am drowning. Either way, we are so blessed and my cup truly is overflowing. 

Praise God!

As always, you can find my full supply list and all of my other Bible art & journaling posts here.

Rise and Shine!

Since it's my day to post here on the Creative Worship blog, I thought I'd post a second page I finished today even if I'd posted earlier too.  If you're like me you can't get enough of seeing other peoples' ideas and samples.

The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

Proverbs 13:9

Have you met people who exuded the joy of Jesus in their heart that their countenance glowed?  I have and I really want to be that kind of person.  I want to wake up each morning with a fresh look on my life, my purpose and all my blessings.  I want to be so in love with Jesus that it is contagious.  

The new set in Sweet 'n Sassy stamps is perfect for bringing on a "rise and shine" attitude in life.  I'm a coffee lover anyway, so I knew this set would be mine the minute I put eyes on it.  And I love it.  It has the most fun sayings and two adorable cups with accessories.  I decided to paper piece my cup and the band.   

I doodled a sun and used both sponging and Distress crayons to color the sun and the rays.  If we walk in the righteousness of Christ, we cannot hide that light under the cover of indifference.  We have to let the light out and share Christ with everyone we know.  

Here's a close up of the paper pieced cup.  Fun, fun.  I love paper piecing.  See that fun chunky glitter?  That came in the mail from a lady who is in a "happy mail" Facebook group with me.  I was working on this project when hubby brought the mail to me.  She also sent the Washi tape at the bottom of the page.  Perfect colors for the project.  The two images from above are from the set, Fill Me Up.  The rest is hand-lettered and hand-doodling. 

I wanted to make my page as bright and happy as I feel in my heart. I love my Jesus and I love talking about Him.  He has done so much to prove His love again and again.  How could I not share that? Him?  Hope this brought a smile to your heart too and that you will think of someone's life who needs a little light.  Go share Jesus with them!

 Fill Me Up by talented Rebecca Rios

The Name Above Every Name

I used to teach a Bible study I developed called "Journey through the Bible."  I taught it for several years when I was on church staff where my husband was pastor at the time.  The class was a study of the entire Bible--we read every word! The time I spent studying and preparing for our journey was an amazing time in God's Word.  I would come to each teaching session so inspired and so excited to share something new and amazing I'd found.  Participants in the class often laughed at my enthusiasm over so many FAVORITE passages of Scripture.  I came to the conclusion you just simply can't fragment the Bible. It is a cohesive whole.  You can always connect dots and that just excites me. 

The verse I chose to illustrate is from Philippians (my husband happens to be preaching through it now!). It connects to two other amazing passages.  I don't have the time or space for a Bible study now, so I'll simply give you those passages and let you feast on the wonder of it all when you grasp the connection.  Read this verse, Philippians 2:9-11, then John 18:5-6 (note too that when he answers the question asked, he actually responds, "I am." The "He" has been translated into the text). Finally read Revelation 19:12.  The name of Jesus.  It is powerful enough to bring everyone to their knees!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

There is no other name with that kind of power.  The soldiers couldn't stand in the Garden of Gethsemane; they fell to their knees.  Can you just picture that powerful moment?  Jesus answers, "I am" and everyone drops, even the unbelievers.  And in Revelation we find that He will be given a new name.  No one knows it now but when he speaks it, the force will be like a blast from a furnace.

There are only a few words I hand lettered.  The rest of the words are from either His Name--a soon to be released set--or All of Me Alpha (NAME). 

I used gelatos for the first time on this page.  Yes, I need more!  I LOVE them.  You can get an amazing watercolor splash, and they don't wrinkle your page as much as watercolor paints. Nor do they bleed at all. I even did some finger painting with them.  I colored directly to the page and rubbed it around to distribute the color.  I used a micron pen to outline and accent the words, and SU inks to stamps all the words. 

His Name

Coming Soon! Don't you LOVE it.  Don't you NEED it?

All of Me Alpha

His Name

Happy Friday- Jamie here!

What a week it has been, I finally feel like I am coming up for a bit of air.  I don't know about you but when I get stressed out or feeling overwhelmed I often forget that I have someone I can lean on.  The Faith Journey I am on is a very new journey for me and often I have to be very mindful about it.  It doesn't come naturally to me- I wasn't raised in a Christian home, I wasn't raised reading the bible or hearing and learning scripture.  I didn't grow up singing worship music, knowing hymns and having the ability to quote verses from the Bible.  So everything I am doing now, as an adult, is all very new to me.   The comfort level I have between the Lord and myself isn't where I ultimately want it to be.  I often question it and wonder where my place is within this life.  I know this is for now, not forever.  So this journey of faith I am on is a learning process and one I am embracing with a full heart.

Because this week was a struggle, I started in on my typical self destructive spiral of feeling down and doing a little bit of wallowing in self-pity.  I even canceled a Bible Journaling "date" with a friend of mine from Bible study.  How could I not be up for Bible Journaling?  And then I sat down that day, alone, with my bible and really started thinking about my post for this week.  The stamp set I wanted to use is called "His Name" (it should be released next week by SNSS) as I read different verses about all the names we call God, I asked myself "how did I not know all of these names for our Lord"?  That got me thinking about a couple verses I read that mentioned that He knows us each by name/ He has called us each by name.  Shouldn't we be calling Him by name?

During difficult times, and I know we've all experienced this, often God is silent.  We need to remember that even in His silence and even when we are having doubts or questioning- our God is a magnificent God and we can always lean on him.  I find, I tend to focus on what I need from Him, rather than what I am already receiving.  I need to remember that we have to have faith that he knows what is best for us.  I feel like I need to acknowledge Him the way he acknowledges us.  Shouldn't I be calling Him by name and assuring Him that he is mine just as much as I am His?

I wound up calling my friend, whom I cancelled on, and told her what I had come to accept and acknowledge.  I asked for her opinion on this post and she was in tears happy for me.  She said that God works in His time and maybe today was the day that I needed to be with the Lord alone.  Can I tell you how thankful I am for a friend like that?  One day I will, I promise :)

The verse I chose to journal this week is:
Isaiah 43:7 "everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made"

 

To create this page I used the following:

"His Name" stamp set by Sweet' n Sassy Stamps - Will be released by the end of next week.

FaberCastell Gelatos Set - Brights  

Zig Memory System Writer Dual Tip Marker, Black

Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White

*I made the confetti tape with double sided tape dipped in confetti and stickers on my page tab w/ ribbon.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  Please take the time to make a special acknowledgement to our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Creator, the Messiah, Father and King of Kings- call Him by name :)

Much love and blessings,

Jamie McNamara

IG @JamieJournals 

CW101: Choosing a Bible

So you've decided to do some creative worship and now you want to buy a new Bible. Here's how I chose mine...

1. Select the version I like to read. Besides enjoying reading the ESV version, our pastor reads from and refers to this version for his sermons, so it was an easy decision for me. There are journaling or note-taking Bibles available for most of the highly read versions such as ESV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, and NLT.

2. Choose from single or double column. Single column means that the text is in one block on the page, whereas the double column has two columns of text.

*Single Column*

*Two Column*

I really wanted a single column, but at the time I purchased (April 2015) the single column ESV was on back order. I was so excited to begin I just couldn't wait! I use a two column Bible and for me the most significant (and seemingly only) disadvantage is that sometimes my artwork or hand-lettering won't be right near the verse I'm highlighting if that verse is in the inner column.

3. Choose my cover style. Many versions have both hardcover and softcover options available. If you don't plan on using many embellishments or want something sturdy then a hardcover Bible may be for you! I've personally found that since adding clips, and paper flowers, and ribbon, and other doodads that the softcover is a little more forgiving. It's also is more flexible when trying to do various painting techniques, as you don't have the stiff cover to contend with.

4. Wade through the details. Once my preferences had been decided, there were a few more details to weed through. At the time, there weren't as many Bible options as there are now. Google helped me find exactly what I was looking for ("ESV journaling Bible" or "ESV note-takers Bible") and ultimately I purchased from Amazon. You might want to look at Google images for the Bible of your choice to examine things like the type of lines in the margins (solid vs. dotted), the coloring of the paper, the amount of journaling space surrounding the text, and price-point.

Hopefully these steps will have narrowed your options down to ONE (or two)!

5. Like this idea but lacking artistic confidence? I want to encourage you that this form of creativity is a learning journey and many techniques can be practiced and learned just like anything else. My very first Bible entries were nothing more than careful writing some thoughts with a pen.

If you're somehow limited by money, time, or energy then you might consider a Bible with pre-printed outlined illustrations and lettering such as the ever popular (and extremely hard to come by) Inspire Bible, the Creative Bible, or the Beautiful Word Bible (pre-colored illustrations). Only a small portions of these Bibles are pre-designed leaving you lots of room to spend time with God in the margins.

Can't afford a new Bible? No problem! An unlined journal bought at a craft store will do just perfectly. And it does good for us all to remember that this thing we call Bible journaling is not about the quality or quantity of our supplies, but about precious time spent with our God.

XoXo

Rebecca

Be lifted high

Hello everyone, Lucinde here! Lately I’m making a lot of worship/praise pages and today is not an exception. I love to read the Psalms, there is so much depth in these messages and there are so recognizable with true emotions. Today I journaled in Psalm 145 where David praises the Lord.

I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity.

For this page I used three stamp sets; Songs of Praise, Message of Hope and He is Worthy (soon to be released). I used distress inks for the background and colored the images with colored pencils. I added a little branch underneath the bird and a border for the ‘Bless the Lord’ message with a black pen.

 

Blessings,
Lucinde

Trust, trust, trust.

Hello!

It's Tifany here from Ink Blots by TRD and I've got a few Bible art/journaling pages to share with you today.

The first is Isaiah 40 (focusing on verses 6b-8):

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

For this one I used two Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps silhouette stamp sets - Nature Silhouettes and Serene Silhouettes. Often times I just re-write a verse (or portion of a verse) that really stands out to me, and that is what I have done here.

And here is another one, taking the idea from Deuteronomy 4:29 - "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Seek Him. 
Simple words, but I've got to be honest when I say it's not always easy to do or remember.
This one was created with stamps from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Seek Him stamp set.

This last page also uses the Seek Him stamp set and is inspired by the Lauren Daigle song "Trust In You".
When I think of trust, I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. Being faced with being thrown into a hotter than hot fire, they tell King Nebuchadnezzar (in verses 17 & 18), "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Sometimes we just need to hear it over and over - trust, trust, trust.

Although I had several problems with this page (lots of smearing and smudging), I still wanted to share it.

I hope these pages have sparked something in you and hope you have a wonderful day!

You can find a list of all the supplies I used and more of my Bible journaling posts over on my blog.

Redeemed and Forgiven

My father was a great story teller.  He loved to spin a tale or two and he never lacked for a captive audience.  From years of listening to His stories, I learned the love of lore.  But there is one story that needs no embellishment or eloquence.  It is the story of the redeemed.

God's Word says we are to share the story of God's enduring love and faithfulness to us.  The redeemed to are tell their story.  "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed tell their story." (Psalm 107:1-2)  Can you think of anything more exciting than to tell others of God's goodness to you?   I included part of the testimony of my salvation on the right panel.  Just a simple story of a miracle-working God!

                

For the left panel I used the Squiggle Banners set (LOVE) and God is Good.  The rest on both panels hand-lettered.  Then at the bottom of each page I used words from the Words of Life Collection 3 set. I love the big, beautiful and bold looks of those letters.  Sets used:

  

Squiggle Banners                   God is Good                  Words of Life Collection 3