Easing Back In....

{jane bosi}  Happy Monday, Sweet Friends!  I'm easing back into creating and sharing after a bump in my road---just a little medical thingy--I'm on the road to recovery for sure!

Nothing is better for the soul than some time with the Creator.  In fact, I've been dwelling on my next bible journal (Mark 5) for the last month, off and on.  When I finally got back to the Studio, I wanted to work on it, but found the idea a little daunting, having been out of the creative scene for about a month. 

Instead, I decided on a much smaller pallet and to just focus on coloring for the day.  My Scripture-Dex seemed like the right thing to do!

The above project features My Comforter.  The second features one of the new Christmas sets, Receive the Savior:

May your day be blessed!
Jane

For the Glory of God

Sweet Friends, in 1 Peter, chapters 1 and 2, Peter tells us that we, as believers, are called to be holy.

"As obedient children, do not be conformed..." 

1 Peter 1:14

"You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood..." 

1 Peter 2:5

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

What does that mean? God wants us to be different. He wants us to be different for His glory. He wants us to be different so other can look at us and see His Light shining through us. Is it easy to be different? Not for me! I want to fit in. I certainly don't want to stand out. So these verses were a good reminder for me that I am called to be different. And what I may not be able to do in my strength, I can do in His! So I had fun illustrating "being different" with the Fill Me Up set.

I used the coffee cup image as you can see. I personally don't like coffee, but I love sweet tea! And, I had fun turning the coffee cup into a glass of tea. I inked up the stamp, and then took the ink off of the coffee lid so that just the bottom part would stamp. I drew in the straw, ice cubes, lemon and tea line. Isn't it great when you can get more versatility out of your stamps? 

I also used the Seek Him and the His Name sets to make "her trust is in the Lord" stand out. Because that's what it's all about- trusting Him!

Friends, I hope you have a blessed day. I think I'll go and enjoy some tea now! Andrea

My Creator Knows Me

Hello sweet friends!  Sometimes is is hard for me to grasp the fact that God, the creator of the universe, knows me intimately…knows my thoughts, knows my heart, knows my hurts and struggles, knows my accomplishments and my weaknesses…and loves me any way!  If He can carry the world, He can certainly carry us…and will.  Whatever places and circumstances we find ourselves in, God has brought us there...whether to bless us or test us...His purpose is to prepare us for eternity, and He will bring us safely home!  How awesome is that!

After downloading a clip art globe and printing it out, I scribbled pencil on the back of the paper, placed the paper pencil side down on my Bible page, and traced the globe.  This left enough of an outline that I could see to trace.  The rest of the page was stamped using My Creator and Outline Alpha.  Because I wanted Jesus to face the opposite direction, I stamped Him on a piece of acetate, turned the acetate ink side down, and pressed the image onto the page.  I was then able to trace Him as well.  The page was then water colored with Peerless water colors and a few sequins added.

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it."

(Psalm 139:1-3; 6)

My Creator is now back in stock at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store!

Trust Jesus to carry you through the day and be blessed!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Awaken Me

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5:14

I will tell you that I am not a morning person. I hit the snooze button about five times (not exaggerating) and by the time I roll out of bed I'm still half asleep putting in my contacts. Terrible, I know. The first five minutes of my morning routine can be done half asleep because its exactly that, a routine. I'm used to it and I know how to go through the motions without much thought. 

Sometimes life works like this too. We can get so caught up in our routines that we don't take time to notice everything around us. We are not fully awake to the coworker struggling with heartache and in desperate need of encouragement. We pass by the mom in the grocery store who needs a smile because everyone else is giving her dirty looks because her child is screaming. As a teacher, I overlook the student who can't stay awake in class because they went to bed with a hungry stomach. 

Jesus, awaken me to these things. Awaken me to the world around me and your people in desperate need of your love. Awaken me to my sin and help me overcome it. Awaken me and let your light shine down and through me for the world to see. 

Awaken my soul, come awake

to hunger, to seek, to thirst

Awaken first love, come awake

and do as You did at first

Spirit of the living God come fall afresh on me

come awake me from my sleep

Blow through the caverns of my soul

Pour in me to overflow

"Fall Afresh" -Bethel 

Happy Monday, friends. Let us be awakened to the world around us. 

Lynzee

For this bible page I used the "Fill Me Up" stamp set.

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-fill-me-up-clear-stamp-set/

Jesus Comes Down

I truly love the beauty of this picture.  It captures so well, the true heart of bringing a baby into this world.  However this wasn't just any baby, this particular miracle baby left His perfect and safe throne. He left behind His royalty and power and came into this world to sacrifice everything, right down to His very life!! He did all these things for even the worst sinner on earth.  Let that just sink in.  

Today I realized I was neglecting God,  I hadn't been making Him a priority.  I don't know about you, but when I start to do this I tend to also feel the lies of the enemy.  He would have me believe that because I faltered and because I got stressed over the worldly things that need to get done, somehow God was so disappointed in me.  Although I can't say for certain that He doesn't feel disappointment, I know the truth of the matter is that in these moments, Jesus is shouting from the roof tops...."Catherine (or Insert your name here)!!! This is exactly why I came down from my place in Heaven and died on the cross!!! I did it for you! I did it because you were born into sin and will always struggle and fight with sin.  I did it because I love you and I want you to come back with me to my place in Heaven. Soon I will come back to get you"!!!

No matter what you are facing, no matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have believed the lies of the enemy.... THIS IS THE TRUTH!!!! Jesus came down from Heaven for YOU!! He already knows you will mess up, that's why He came! Let this fill your heart! Let this fuel your soul! Let this motivate you (no matter how far gone you think you are) to run back to Him!! 

My prayer today is for anyone who feels unworthy of Jesus' sacrifice. From little sin, to big sin, we are all unworthy of God's grace in Jesus Christ, but THIS is why He did it!  If we deserved it, we wouldn't need grace! I pray you only hear God's truth and you come to know in your heart that we are only as worthy as our savior Jesus Christ! 

  XOXO

  Catherine

P.S. This beautiful stamp set called... Receive the Savior, is available at Sweet N' Sassy Stamps

He is Faithful

If we are faithless, he remains faithful---for he cannot deny himself. 

2 Timothy 2:13

God's faithfulness is something that I journal often. I get discouraged in the wait and in the valleys, but my Father is so good because He tenderly reminds me that He is always faithful. Don't you just love that? There is so much chaos in our world but God remains steadfast. If you ever feel like you have nothing to depend on or if the world has let you down, remember God never will. He loves us so tenderly and with so much mercy. He is more than enough. 

It's easy to praise God when life seems to be going our way, when we are high on the mountain tops, but God is just as much worthy of our praise in the valleys as He is when we're on the mountain tops. 

Every morning, for the past week, I have listened to the song "Enter the Gates" from Bryan and Katie Torwalt. The song starts of as follows,

"My eyes on your faithfulness. Oh God let me not forget to sing in the valley, to look toward your goodness."

Yes and amen, Lord! Let my eyes always be on Your faithfulness and goodness. Let praises ever be on my lips for you in every season. 

Praise Him, friends!

Lynzee

Sweet n Sassy stamps used: 

• Scribble Flowers
• Music to My Ears (quite possibly my favorite because I journal lyrics so much!) :) 

You are my comforter

You are my comforter... A message I read a lot in the Psalms lately. And I think it's beautiful to see how God is a comforter for David (and the other writers from the Psalms). God is always with you, on the mountaintops but also on the lower points in your life.

I used clear gesso to prep my page and stamped the image with black ink. After I stamped the image I made the background with pan pastel colors and I colored the image with colored pencils. I wrote out a part of the (Dutch) Psalm I was referring too with the image (Psalm 62:8-10)

I used the stamp set 'My Comforter' for this page.

- Lucinde

Glory to God

"Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 

Luke 2:14 (NASB)

Hi Sweet 'n Sassy Friends! Today I'm sharing a page from Luke 2. A Christmas passage in September??!! YES! :) This is a peek at one of the sets that will be featured this month; and any time is a good time to read about our Savior's birth! Am I right?

I've read the story of Jesus' birth in Luke many times. And because of that, sometimes I take for granted the awesomeness of this event. Our Lord and Savior, the Creator of all, came to earth and was born human, the created. He did that for us. He left His throne and was born in a manger. AMAZING!! And in this story, is a group of shepherds watching their flock. An angel appeared to them to tell them of Christ's birth. and then the heavenly host praised God, singing "Glory to God..." Can you imagine what it must have been like to experience that? At first they were frightened, but by the time the angels left, they wanted to go find the baby, Jesus! Immediately, they went and found Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They shared what the angels told them, and verse 18 says all who heard wondered at what the shepherds said. The shepherds glorified and praised God. I want to be like the shepherds- searching out Jesus and glorifying and praising Him always! I hope you do too!

For this page, I used one of the new Christmas sets Celebrate the Savior. I had such fun using this set! (I normally stay away from glitter since it gets EVERYWHERE, but the angels' dresses were screaming for glitter.) I used Creative Worship Outline Alpha for the words, and stamped the inside letter design with a stamp from Scribble Flowers. I used chalk pastels for the color.

And I was able to stamp in the margin of the facing page too!

I echo the angels' song, All Glory to God!

Blessings to you! Andrea